Sonic Team owns Sonic the Hedgehog (Is he even in this fic?), and I think you know by now that all OC's belong to Piper.

Death For The Dead

The black and white kitten known as Twist sighed happily as she watched her son dash through the old oak door and race into the kitchen, the grocery bag he begged her to let him hold pulled firmly to his chest with tiny hands. It was amazing how enthusiastic the little Hedgeitten could be, especially when it came to housework and cleaning. Still, she knew full well that being super fast had its disadvantages. Being eager was probably one of his most dangerous side effects.

'Just like his Father...'

She smiled as he climbed up onto the kitchen tabletop and began diligently taking the products out of the bag and letting them sit in small, charted groups. It was actually quite surprising; to see a small child, knee-length in height, taking on so many responsibilities. Some, of course, were more urgent than others. He was not allowed to speak of his Father at all when they went to Mystic Ruins market, and, if questioned, would say that he died in a car crash. Even though he didn't fully understand why, the infant stayed true to his word and stayed quiet as he always did. Twist knew exactly what the dangers where if anyone found out about the hedgehog though.

"It's okay, Shad, I can handle this. Why don't you go outside and play?"

His small frame halted and he looked up at his Mother, his big brown eyes blinking slightly as she finished her sentence. It was actually quite funny, him, sitting on the bench with a can of tuna in his hands, just watching her. Was that shock on his face?

'Jeez, people will think that I've trained him since he was born to be all handy!' Twist thought, as she recalled how lucky she must be, to have a child such as this.

After a few more minutes of Shad staring at her, she walked to the counter, gently taking the can out of his hands.

"Go on. You never know, you could get your Father to show you how to swim, if he isn't already sleeping like a baby..." she whispered in his ear, as she pulled the bag of groceries towards her.

Shad didn't move, but started watching her with interest.

"No thanks, Mommy. I'd rather watch you put the shopping away... Anyway, Daddy's probably already asleep," the young one replied enthusiastically, a small laugh escaping his throat as he recalled how many times his Father had worried them when he fell asleep after dark.

Twist's expression was serious for a second, before replacing it with her sunny grin.

"Well, okay then!"

What they didn't notice was a black figure dropping down from the ceiling, a glowing and silver rapier sliding out of its sheath...

Shadow the Hedgehog sat against the back of the huge tree, the ferny leaves providing even more shade for his wild and untamed body. His fur had grown a lot rougher than before he had fallen from the ARK, and his quills had grown a lot longer and sharper, but the hedgehog didn't mind. It wasn't as if he hid his appearance a lot better if he changed himself back. Shadow never wanted anyone to realise where he was. It was his way of putting the past behind him; all that would come of it was the military after him and that blue one trying to find him.

'After all, who would throw away this life?' he asked himself, as he watched the raindrops from the night before roll off the leaves and hit the ground.

Suddenly, something a lot different from the normal sounds of 9am caught his ears. It sounded like heavy boots stamping hard on the grass, one in front of the other. Another pair of footsteps was instantly recognisable as Shad's. This did make the hedgehog stand up. His son had never once before ran through the forest, he was always occupied with some kind of object. Shadow didn't blame him. Never was the huge place the same as the day before, there was always some kind of new creature or plant ready to be investigated. But right now, Shadow was straining himself to find the identity of the boots. They seemed oddly familiar... That wasn't good. Shadow knew only a few small details about his past, but one thing he knew full well was that anyone he had made acquaintances with were against him in some way. Then, there was his son, instantly visible from his black shape.

"Shad!" the child's Father cried out, making sure that he saw him.

Shad instantly found Shadow, knowing his familiar black fur with red streaks. He ran towards him and grabbed his hand, trying desperately to tug him away.

"What is it, son?" Shadow asked, kneeling down so he could look at Shad properly.

"The – They... killed M – Mommy... They want y – you... got to h – hide!" the young one said between sobs, the tears sliding down his muzzle and hitting Shadow's fur.

With every word, Shadow's eyes slanted even further, till his pupils were just a slit of red. More rustling caught his hearing. The older one stood up swiftly, the crimson eyes he sported moving from left to right. Suddenly, a shape could be recognized in the trees.

A very familiar shape...

Just as familiar as the boots...

Then the form materialized into a large, white bat with manipulative green eyes, her smile dripping with unsaturated lust. Her clothing consisted of a small one – piece spy dress, as if she was dressing to impress. But what angered Shadow most of all, was the huge rapier she had hanging loosely in her palm, silver blood sliding down the blade's end, until hitting the grass below.

Twist's blood...

"Shadow the Hedgehog... well I must admit, it's a surprise to see you again –."

"Just who are you, and what do you want with my family?" the subject of her conversation retaliated, his grip tightening on his son's hand.

The bat hadn't noticed the small child yet, and Shadow was sure she never had; he knew full well that Shad's black fur was an exact carbon copy of his own, so it wasn't exactly hard to believe it was him at a distance. The bat smirked. Watching his reaction now, was no different to the one he posed when he realised she was working for the government back on ARK. But Rouge knew she had gotten to his heart after she had killed the kitten, which was probably classed as his wife. And instead of answering Shadow's question, she merely continued.

"Though you haven't changed much. Appearances and emotions... But before you regarded me as some sort of saviour after I pulled you into darkness."

These words surprised the hedgehog. He shuddered slightly as he remembered the horrible things he had done. Shadow could tell she wasn't lying about what she had said. Gingerly, he pulled his son behind him, not wanting him caught in the line of fire if there was going to be a fight.

"After all, you were so eager to be swallowed by it, you practically begged me for it. So I'm giving you an offer: come back to me quietly, and I will spare your life. Try to withstand and I don't think you'll live long enough. Either way, you'll help my boss -"

"I'd rather breathe underwater than let you take away my freedom!" the black one spat at her, his teeth bared and a deep growl in his throat.

The bat sighed heavily, before pulling the rapier into an offensive position. Shadow wasn't phased; he had dealt with those types of swords before. He got into his own battle stance and was ready to take the female down. But, his thoughts were banished back to the shadows, as a small whimper behind him came to his ears. He glanced down at his son. He was peeking around Shadow, his brown eyes wide and filled with tears as he noticed the blood on the sword. The older one gritted his teeth so hard, they felt as if they were crushing together under the pressure. The bat smirked.

"Oh, Shadow, must we fight? I'm sure our accommodations will be to your liking... just a brief moment of pain, and then you can be even stronger than you were before," she purred, almost in a sadistic way.

Shadow wasn't having any of it. But he did reconsider it. He looked off to the side, so he could watch his son out of the corner of his eye. Shad acknowledged him by squeezing his Father's hand. The older one gave a flicker of a nod and a twinkle in his eye as he turned back to the bat. He smiled.

"Yes, you're right. We mustn't fight."

Then, in a split second he had flipped his son onto his back turned on his heel and ran.

"But if you want me, you'll have to catch me!" he shouted back, the word 'me' getting lost in the wind as his feet propelled him forward.

"Tut, tut, Shadow, I thought we could settle this without any more blood spill. But you have sealed your fate my friend."

And with that, the bat raced forwards after the hedgehog, the hidden rocket accelerators that she had on the bottom of her boots tearing up to his speeds. The scenery changed dramatically into the darker part of the forest. Thorns lay on the path at each side, thirsty and ready for fresh blood. After notifying this, she turned her attention to the priority at hand. She easily fell into step with him, still not noticing the small child on his back. Shadow looked at her with a mixture of shock, anger and fear.

"How... H – ow did you...?"

"I gave you a choice Shadow. And now, you are going to have to help us the hard way!" she called back through the sharp whistling of the wind and the pounding of their feet on the dirt path.

With that, she grabbed his arm tightly, making him jerk abruptly and slow down for a couple of seconds. But that small amount of time was all she needed. Her metal – heeled boot went slamming into Shadow's ankle, resulting in a cry of pain from the older one. The hedgehog immediately collapsed as his ankle gave out under him. He could almost feel the bones jerking and cracking out of place. What he didn't count on was the chances of the bat still latched onto his arm.

"Now, Shadow, feel the true wrath of Dr. Robotnik's power!" she cried, before yanking him back up by his wrist and sending him flying into the forest.

The thorns were like millions of tiny spears slicing right through him, as if he was a mullet on an open fire. He felt blood racing down his cheek, beginning something that could only be described as 'free – fall', before staining the white tuft of fur on his chest. The older one didn't care. He just wanted to get his son away from her... away from this place. With a small whimper of pain, he gripped a few thorns tightly in his palm, feeling them drilling holes through his hand. His white gloves that he sported would normally be used for some sort of donated protection, but considering that they had been basically ripped to shreds, he didn't even try it. After a few more seconds of ripping thorns out of the ground, he was satisfied to see the lush, green grass beneath the dead leaves that he hastily left.

"Well, Shadow? I suppose even your stubborn attitude can't take it now? It never would've been necessary if you came quietly," a voice close to where he had landed called.

She was taunting him like a little kid, and he knew it. Delicately, he unwrapped his son from around his neck and placed him on the patch of grass. Nothing was seriously wrong with Shad, just a few cuts and scratches, but Shadow knew he wasn't going to be critically injured. Since the older one had made sure that he landed on his stomach when he was being thrown through the air, Shad wasn't really hurt at all. Shadow however, was very worse off. His breathing came out rough and ragged, while all of his body was pierced and covered in blood. He already felt his legs and feet shutting down, going incredibly cold until just moving into a numb throb.

"Shadow, Shadow, Shadow... and I thought you would always be as evil as you were before. Who were you kidding, you belong in darkness," her voice was further away now, and giving no kind of impact on Shadow (he wasn't even listening!)

Shad crawled up to his father, his eyes filled with tears. He had never seen his father as bloodied as this before. Shadow managed to twist himself onto his back and looked at him through half – lidded eyes. A few tears hit Shadow's soft fur. They were warm and soothing against his open wounds, which made a small smile come onto his face. But the feeling disappeared just as quickly as it came. Shadow still smiled. He knew he'd never make it. He didn't fear death, but he still wanted to stay strong for his son. The son who would soon face homelessness and hunger for the rest of his life.

"Shad..." he whispered to his son, making the younger ones ears perk.

He moved closer to Shadow and touched his hand. It was cold as ice and Shad could already feel the blood staining his glove. Shadow ran his thumb over the younger ones' knuckles, trying to calm him down.

"Don't worry about me Shad... I'll be okay... but I want you to do something for me... Don't cry," Shadow's voice was beginning to break, crumbling away just like his shattered ankle.

Shad drew himself closer to his father. He watched sadly as his Father's pupils began to lose their focus and his hands began to shake. His fingers held the ripped ones steadily, using his glove as a sort of insulation to the wounds.

"I'll do anything. Anything."

Soon, Shadow's body was all shaking and his breath came in short gasps. He struggled to stay awake; he needed to comfort his son.

"I w – want you t – to pro – mise that you'll n – never let them t – take you. D – don't let th – them hurt y – you. L – look for S – Sonic the H – hedgehog. Pl – please..." Shadow's voice was dying slowly, like embers on a fire.

He brought his son close to him, hugging him tightly with the last strength he had. Blood stained Shad's fur, but neither hedgehog cared. Softly, Shadow kissed his son on the forehead.

"I love you... Shad the Hedgehog..."

And that was the last thing the almighty Shadow, the true Ultimate Life, said...

But Shadow knew...

He knew as soon as he woke up that morning...

As soon as he saw his son running up the path...

That the day had finally arrived...

The Death For The Dead had come for him at last...