Disclaimer: I only own this story idea, okay guys? Just this, nothing more, which makes me sad because I would really like owning Shadow and Tikal. And Chaos too, cause Chaos is cool and I'd never have to wait while a hose filled my swimming pool again…..hell, I could actually have a swimming pool. O.o
Hahahaha! I have returned! I um… -cough- WAS going to update on Christmas, but…I got a rather…interesting present that I've been….otherwise engaged with. A video game, known as The Longest Journey, and it was…somewhat addictive. Especially since it was my first REAL video gaming experience. Sure I've played a few racing games, and the little fan-made Sonic bits, and finally got ahold of the Sonic games 1 through 3 and Sonic Knuckles, but this was like 'Wheee! There's a PLOT!'
I finished it in three straight days of playing, very good for a complete beginner, and I'm now experiencing serious withdrawals. -twitches- Though not quite as bad as Sonic…
Sonic-curls in corner- The babies…babies….don't let them get me, Mommy! Save me! MOMMY SAVE ME! THEY'RE EATING MEEEEE-clutches Shadow-
Shadow: …..okay…. -pries him off-
Then there was this period of like…zero inspiration. I had no idea what was going to happen in this chapter, 'cept for some advice from dear Chaos Flower. To quote her, 'More Shadow!' Now is that nice and blunt, or what:p Actually, I am following that advice, perhaps, but if I do, it will be much later on in the story. Not any time soon, believe me. -nods- Most likely not for quite a few chapters, since I gotta get everyone into the base so the real juicy stuff can go on. -evil laughter- But seriously, I've got a rather entertaining bit up for you here, so enjoy it. It'll explain a lil, though not through words. Keep a sharp eye out!
The Nameless Muse: Hah. You're trying too hard to make this longer. You should try answering reviews or something, if you want to add a little on.
D'rather not. -staring at Katrina Madd's review- Ah man, she cracked the code-pulls at hair-
Shadow: Actually, she only cracked some of the code. That one sentence, and she mixed it up a little. I think it's backwards.
But she figured it out. Or close to it.
Shadow: Yeah….-.-'
Sonic: Well, there's only one remedy for this!
Shadow: Kill her?
Overdose on pudding pops?
The Nameless Muse: Stop writing the story?
Sonic: …… -holds head- No, no, and while that's a good idea Muse, no. -fists air- We make a new code! Okay, A will be 27435443235563. B can be 3573838729546.632….
You've been reading my Calvin and Hobbes books again, haven't you? –glares-
Sonic: Ummm…..noooooo…
Uh huh. Oh well, the code is cracked, so you guys can go through and figure out what it said, but if you're too lazy to do that, I'm already planning a sort of dictionary at the end of this story, as well as a sort of documentary on how this fic was thought up and blah blah, etc. etc.
Shadow: Can we hurry up and get this over with?
still looking at reviews- Aww, Windfield says I inspire her…. –is all fluffy and stuffs-
The Nameless Muse: Are you going to tell them?
Tell them what? I have no clue what you are talking about...
The Nameless Muse: Alright then, I'll tell them. -looks to readers- Nam was also out because she got her midterm report from school and she bom-MMFH!
holding her hand over his mouth- That's personal you impish little traitor!
Shadow: You are so weird.
Sonic: Duh, she's weird.
If you two don't stop, I'm going to start posting The Most Precious Jade right now.
Both: O-O'
Oh, warning. There will be some….weird talking stuff in this chapter. Blame Chaos Flower, I was talking to her while I was writing, and she sent some stuff…and I was….inspired. Oh, and blame Az too, we're doing a collabrative story (posted on Sonadow(dot)com; go there now if you like that stuff. If you don't, don't go, cause the moderators don't like flamers and they're really scary when they're mad o.o). Ish coming along well, very long. XP
Chapter Thirteen - Weird Feelings (O.o scary...)
But that had not yet appeared
Lost invisible here
Because I can't see it
There is a calm I haven't come to yet
I spent half my life figuring what comes next
The vanishing point appears
Tell me why you're here
I came to disappear
-REM
Shadow had a lot of patience.
Tikal had learned this during their strange little escapade. Even as they were running from the guards that continually plagued them as they fled from one corridor to the next, the hedgehog kept his pace down for her, the fact that he could go far faster made obvious by the strain he showed while moving at his less-than-usual speed.
She was slowly becoming used to the swiftness her companion most oftentraveled at, now able to see through squinted eyes as the hallways flashed past them in blurs of white. It still gave Tikal a slight headache and she was always dizzy when they came to a halt, but Shadow had seemingly warmed up to her, at least considerably more than he had before; enough so that he helped keep her from lagging behind and carried her if they needed to retreat from soldiers.
"Tikal. You need to hasten."
She nodded and sped up her footsteps, until she was at his side, but only just. His stride went a noticeable length farther than her own did, and the female echidna feared that they would lose too much ground if she could not stay with him fully. At times, indeed, it seemed as though he had forgotten she was there and wasspeeding up, and she would have to call to him to get him to stop long enough for her to return to his side. Or at least close to his side, for the second she was within range of touch, he was off again.
At times, she thought he was very cold, very distant in his actions. Each movement seemed to be calculated fully before it was carried out. He was almost like a machine, like the creature E-102 Gamma whom would at times accompany her good friends to the Island. He had a small flick of an aura, showing a personal awareness, however slight it was. Sonic however, and Tails with him, had assured her that the robot was different from all the others, for while they had no true individuality present, Gamma had somehow developed a sense of being. He still acted like a robot though, moving with precision and determination.
Shadow moved that way.
Of course, Shadow had an aura about him, a very strong one, which clouded her senses when she tried to read it. It was much like the presence of Sonic and Knuckles, and of course, Chaos. His however, was fair more confusing than those of her friends. It was filled with emotion, but not the swirling mass of conflicting feelings that her normal companions possessed, which was constantly in motion as they became angry, afraid, careless, happy, and any other sensations common. Shadow's emotions only steered between two different feelings, that of anger, and a distant sadness.
It was not a normal sadness either, the kind that seemed only a passing raining cloud on the mind, the kind which the sun shines through almost as soon as it is felt lingering on the border of perception. This sort of sorrow, the type she felt surrounding her new traveling companion, was dark and weighted, heavy with loss and despair.
The anger was something she was moreso used to dealing with, for it reminded her distinctly of her lifelong friend, Chaos. Shadow was better at concealing and controlling his rage, but at times it would seep out, usually when they were confronted with soldiers of the facility they were trying to escape. His anger was strong against those men and women in their dark uniforms, fueled by the unknown tragedy lingering on the brink of his conscious mind, fed by some deep wound in his spirit. If she was not present, Tikal was sure that the streaked hedgehog would've gone speeding through the base simply killing and killing until he found his way out.
Certainly, Tikal was not on the side of her kidnappers. They had stolen two of the Chaos Emeralds from her home, and it was her sworn duty to aid the Guardian in protecting them and her Island. She had to retrieve them so that when Knuckles and the others came, there wouldn't be much reason to stay longer than they had to.
But…what would happen to Shadow?
She would return to the Isle above the clouds, to her little Chao, to Chaos and her usually peaceful duty of watching over the Master Emerald and its servers. Shadow however, was believed to be deceased, and even before then, Sonic had explained to her that he had nowhere to go, save the space station floating about the planet like a second moon. He could be taken to the Isle, but she could not be sure he would be any happier there than in this place, for he did not seem to overly enjoy her company at times. Perhaps this was his home and these humans had taken it from him? Or perhaps there was some other reason, more profound and hidden in the far reaches of his soul? Perhaps…
"You are very quiet…" He seemed concerned.
She raised her head in order to regard him curiously, thoughts scattering like leaves in the wind. "You do not speak often, yet I find nothing about that troubling…" Tikal kept her voice flat, having found that he must have preferred her to speak that way, for he answered more readily when she did so.
"Silence is more a part of my personality than yours, I would think." He turned the next corner sharply, and she spun on her toe to follow, stumbling slightly and losing a little ground, but quickening so that she pulled even with him once again.
"You are still upset with me."
Not a question, a statement. He was monotone, looking at her with his ruby eyes stony. She flinched involuntarily, as though he'd struck her, and he looked away, titling his head slightly toward the ground, his expression thoughtful, yet detached. After watching him for a small amount of time, Tikal forced herself to answer.
"No."
Short, but her voice was failing her with every passing second, and she did not wish to falter in the midst of an explaination. It would sound as if she were lying or something.
His eyes returned to her form, trailing until they made contact with her half-lidded stare, and lingered there, looking almost like someone had simply lit a fire in the back of his head's inside, then turned his eyes into glass. Somehow, the burning flames were leaping across the space between them, and into her own eyes. The gaze held her for what seemed to be years before he blinked, slowly, and resumed walking, because at some point in the moment, they had both stopped and simply looked. For a second, Tikal watched him go, then took up the pace again.
"I am sorry."
Shock forced her eyes wide, and she made several forced blinks before it faded. "Wha-for what? Why should you apol-" His hand fisted, and she halted her words.
There was no answer, and Tikal didn't press for more. Shadow did not always answer right away, he could go for an hour on a single question, and by the time he replied, you would've forgotten what you had asked. It was as though everything he said had to be judged for any sign of some unknown flaw before it tumbled past his mouth. Tikal spoke for herself, the streaked hedgehog seemed to speak for some greater purpose.
"I am not certain." He sounded almost shaken, and one hand, that closest to her, fisted. "Somehow, my actions have offended you, have they not? You surely have customs here..."
She paused. "I'm sure they do. Mine are long since gone into time's winds..." She smiled at the old saying, playing with the poetic phrase of her old life. Tikal stopped however, when she felt his gaze. "I am as lost on many of the ways of this world as Knuckles. Staying on the Isle does that."
"You pretended to be the Guardian, and you know him. Yet you appear to be the same age, so you could not be his mother or daughter, nor his sister by too many years, save if you were twins of some sort." He blinked. "And you do not speak of him as though you are in love..."
"Knuckles and I? Heavens no!" Tikal laughed, feeling far more at ease suddenly at how ridiculous the idea felt. It was as though someone had set her up on a blind date with a five-year-old. "He is far too young, and is my nephew, or would have been, had the marriage taken place."
"Nephew?"
She turned a bright smile on the dark furry. "Through certain...difficulties..I am older than I look, Shadow." The princess did not believe Shadow would understand, she herself still puzzled over the mystery, yet there was something about the way he looked at her for a moment that told her perhaps he knew something, more than he was telling her, at any rate.
Of course, there were things she was not telling him, so they were even enough for now.
"Stop." Tikal froze at Shadow's tone, for his eyes had sharpened, and his black quills were straightening, making him look powerful, and angry. A flare of anger circled around in his aura, and the young Echidna knew immediately what the hedgehog was so worked up about. He was only ever this agitated when GUN soldiers were approaching.
No sooner had she coming to that conclusion, one of the doors ahead of them cxlicked, and swung open, a uniformed human, and a scientist it looked like, from the white coat, stepping out. Shadow was gone in a second, swiping the the soldier's legs out from under her, and shoving the balding man in the white jacket back into the room, motioning for Tikal to follow him. The priestess obligied, finding that as soon as she was inside Shadow had slammed the door shut.
Tikal glanced around the room quickly, taking in everthing. It looked similar to the other white labratory she and Shadow had ducked into while they were being chased. Shadow was speaking to the scientist in quiet, dangerous tones, and the man, frantically answering in the same strange babble, shook in the dark hedgehog's grasp. Then, looking somewhat satisfied, Shadow dropped the man, who promptly fainted.
"We're not far from the main console room." Shadow announced to the girl, nudging the unconscious human with his foot.
Tikal gave her companion a questioning look, "What was that strange tongue you spoke with him in? And why do you wish to go this...main console room?" She wasn't looking at him, her eyes were focused on a large white pillar in the middle of the room, and she was already moving toward it, drawn in.
"Russian. And I'm going there because that room contains the necessary codes to self-destruct this base as well as open the main bay doors, of course." He paused, looking at the girl's advancement to the pillar, which was sliding open to reveal a soft yellow light, which easily illuminated her face. "And I would not attempt to touch that if I were you, Tikal..."
"But it's one of the Chaos Emerald. We can't leave them here, or that General will use them for whatever he's planning.." Tikal gave the streaked hedgehog a determined look. "It was part of my duty on the Island to ensure the Emeralds' safety. I have failed in that aspect, but I will not allow them to remain in danger of being exploited." Her hands were going up to take the yellow gem down-
-until Shadow slapped her hands away.
Before she could object, he shoved her back from the pedestal, standing between her and the gem. Tikal bared her teeth at him in frustration, and righted herself, clearly intent on taking her valuable charge with them. Shadow did not move from his spot, glaring back at the girl.
"You cannot handle it, Tikal." The hedgehog warned her, eyes mere slits, because he was becoming frustrated. "The chip now inside of you negates all Chaos Energy in your body, and that may come in contact with you. I have already tried to remove one of the Chaos Emeralds from GUN's grasp, so I speak from direct experience. It is very painful." Tikal obviously didn't believe him, and waved him aside, moving to the pedestal. In a last effort to stop her, Shadow grasped the girl's arm, but was brushed off impatiently.
"I will not leave them in these people's care, Shadow." With that she grasped the Emerald.
Then gave a startled shriek, her arms locking, and engry setting her skin afire. Her mind tumbled into darkness, and she tried to release the gem, but couldn't, and her senes were clouding because it hurt so much, and she couldn't think. The world spun hazedly, and for a minute, she thought she might be falling, until there was something warm all around her, and her vision spun as her eyes reopened...
..to stare into Shadow's worried gaze.
Tikal crippled mind took a minute before she realized the hedgehog was holding her in his arms, just off the ground. It was obvious something had happened when she'd attempted to handle the jewel, something quite painful it seemed. For a moment, she simply lay there, rigid in the dark hedgehog's arms, staring at him as her mouth worked wordlessly. The ruby eyes were already back to their cold, indifferent selves by then.
"I did warn you, Tikal."
The Echidna frowned up at him, and pushed her legs beneath herself, intent on getting away from that blank stare. For a moment, she'd believed he'd actually cared. At least when she was with Chaos, she knew how to act. This dark creautre's mind seemed to be completely closed off to her, as though he couldn't stand the idea of someone helping him, or opening up to anyone.
Untouchable.
Arrogant. Tikal muttered in her subconscious, moving away. Instead of calling her comrade names on the outside however, she simply murmured a soft 'thank you,' and made for the entryway of the lab, deciding that she would rather be anywhere else then here. A hand on her shoulder before she reached the door made the princess hesitantly glance behind her, surprised to see Shadow looking down at her, in an almost caring fashion.
"Are you sure you are alright?"
If she hadn't been so confused and frustrated, Tikal might have reacted differently. She might have blushed, or simply answered a curt yes or no. She might have fainted if the situation had unfolded in the correct manner. Instead she reacted in the most unpredictable, and yet, most expected way that she could think of, pinned to the door by this vertifiable stranger and being questioned on her health, while his mood swings seem to swap themselves every second they spent together trying to escape this hell-hole of a military base.
Her mind went into a panicked state, and she found herself faced with the choice to try and protect herself against the strange bleakness of Shadow's mind, which held so many unknown secrets she was not sure she wanted to deal with, or to simply run. She fled within seconds, slamming the door open with pure force of will through her hands, leapt over the still recovering guard, tunred the corner-
-and ended up rushing headfirst into trouble.
Hah! Hahaha! I have finally updated! Yes! Go me! Pratically a year now, and I got this darn chapter up! Praise me! -puts hands on her hips- I am the awesomest, coolest..um...awesomest!
Sonic: You said awesomest twice -.o
That's because I'm TWICE as awesome as everyone else!
Shadow: Awesomest isn't even a word.
It is is now. I can make up any words I want. Stop correcting me or I'll get back to work on that Sonadow I've been writing on and off, alongside A Matter Of Trust, with Az, and The Most Precious Jade (I've almoooost got the first chapter done, and I'm debating on only posting it on Sonadow(dot)com because I like it there :P). And I'll write a really scary lemon too! -evil laughing!-
The Nameless Muse: You can't threaten me though...
I could just tell everyone your REAL name.
The Nameless Muse: O.O' I'm...going to go lay down...
Lazy.
The Nameless Muse: You're one to talk.
Shut up, Dar.
The Nameless Muse: ARGH! I'M NOT LIIIIIIIIISTENING! -flees-
Hehe.. review guys, and maybe, just maybe o.o', I'll update quicker next time! Yay!
