TeirusuOtaku: Hey there y'all! What's up? Wasn't the conclusion of the last chapter just...conclusion-y? Yeah. So with out further talking (mostly because I can't think of anything to say), here's the fourth chappie! Oh, and the answer to the last audience participation question is C. Someone who hasn't shown up yet. Not Rouge, not Shadow. Good guesses, though, people!

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Tails Takes Flight

Dislclaimer: I don't own Sonic yadda yadda yadda.

Chapter Four: Finally, A Lead!

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Knuckles' eyes narrowed slightly at the sight of the hedgehog. He knew Shadow was present; he gave off a sort of energy similar to that of the Chaos and Master Emeralds, which Knuckles picked up a little after he and Tails arrived. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought...I thought you were dead, Shadow," Rouge said softly.

"How could you have survived that fall from Arc? It was from space!" Tails suddenly burst out, completely fascinated by the fact that Shadow lived and had immidiately started studying the hedgehog for any scars or burns, or anything that he night have found interesting.

This seemed to unnerve Shadow slightly, but he let the fox continue anyway. "I came here because I thought I could find you, Guardian. I came to warn you that someone was going to steal the Master Emerald. By the time I got here, though, you had gone. I saw the thief a bit after I arrived, but I only caught a glimpse of him before he used Chaos Control to get away. He was carrying something green, which I assume to be the Master Emerald." By this time, Tails was poking Shadow spines, seeing if they had any fractures. "Stop that."

"Oh!" The fox backed away a little, shuffling his feet, "Sorry."

"What did he look like?" Knuckles asked, suddenly interested in what shadow had to say.

"Well, I only caught a glimpse of him...but it surprised me that he looked an awful lot like the little one here." He gestured to Tails.

"What!" Knuckles, Rouge, and the loudest of all, Tails cried in unison.

"That's impossible. I was at my apartment until this afternoon. I couldn't possibly have taken it!" Tails said, a little hurt that he could have possibly been a suspect.

Shadow's eyebrow arched, and his mouth pulled up into a smirk, his sharp teeth almost glowing in comparison to his dark fur. "I wasn't implying that you were the thief."

Tails kicked the ground and muttered, "Not directly."

"Just tell us all you know," Knuckles said impatiently.

"Well, he was a little far away, so he looked silhouetted--"

"His fur was black-ish," Rouge interrupted. "And now that I think about it, he did look like Tails..." she said, fixing her make-up. It seemed she was starting to regain her composure. It took a relatively short time, seeing as she was raped recently, but nonetheless, she was recovering. "Except he had fangs like a vampire. Oh, and he wore spike-studded bracelets."

"That doesn't sound at all like me. In fact, it sounds completely opposite."

"Well, whoever this guy is, we've gotta find him." Knuckles said. "The island is sinking with every passing hour."

"Which way is it from here?" Tails asked, and Shadow pointed northeast.

"That way. Approximately...10 miles, I'd estimate. But we don't have to worry about that, since I can just get you there with Chaos Control. In the meantime, we should rest." The hedgehog said, re-crossing his arms.

"What!" Knuckles bellowed. "We can't possibly--"

"We should rest," Shadow repeated sternly, glaring at the echidna.

The Guardian sighed. "Fine."

Later that night, the four had started a campfire, and were now laying around it on their backs, gazing at the stars.

"It makes you feel so small, doesn't it?" Rouge asked, breaking the silence.

"What do you mean?" Tails inquired, turning his head to face the bat.

"The sky. It's so big and vast...people go up into space everyday, and yet they can't seem to explore all of it. They hardly explore near the boundaries of our galaxy. Just think what could be beyond the Milky Way..."

"Wow, I never thought about it that way. It does seem like we're small, though, if you think about it like that..." Tails said, sighing and closing his eyes. That was the last of any conversation as everyone drifted off to sleep.

Even later that night, Knuckles woke up again, feeling the need to go out for a walk. He looked into the sky. Judging by the moon's position, it was somewhere around midnight. "I've got to stop waking up at midnight...maybe it's an eternal clock." He set about stoking the fire a bit to keep everyone warm, and then he turned to leave, only to be stopped by a small, groggy voice.

"Where ya goin'?"

It was Tails. He sat up, yawning and stretching, before standing and walking over to Knuckles. "Can I come?"

Knuckles thought for a bit, and nodded slightly. "I don't see why not. I'm just going for a little stroll. Maybe we can find some food together for breakfast in the morning." Tails nodded and yawned again, and the pair set off into the wilderness.

"So what's it like living here?" Tails said, picking some berries from a nearby bush.

"Pretty peaceful. Nothing bad ever seems to happen. Well, until now. And the countless times we've had to come back here on a search for the Chaos Emeralds. But other than that, it's real relaxing." Knuckles said, stopping down to pick some mushrooms.

"That's nice...it seems a lot better than the city, that's for sure."

"Yeah, it is. I like it a lot better here than I do there. You should come visit some time."

"Really? You mean it?"

"Yeah...I'd like that." Knuckles said, smiling and turning around.

"Okay, I'll come every other weekend. I could use a change of scen--" he turned around, bumping into Knuckles and knocking them over, both of them dropping their food. "Oh, I'm sorry, I--" he gasped as he realized he had landed on top of Knuckles. They stared into each other's eyes for a moment, their blushes growing redder and their faces moving closer...

"What are you doing?"

Tails and Knuckles immediately jumped up, picking up their spilled food. "N-nothing...we were just--uh..." They said at the same time, their blushes deepening.

"Uh-huh." Shadow stepped from out of the bushes, bending down to pick up a berry, and looked at it curiously. Then, making sure Tails was watching, he popped it in his mouth slowly and suggestively, chewing it just as slow.

Tails just stared at him, his mouth agape and his eyes wide. When he noticed Shadow staring back, he quickly went back to work re-gathering his food. What's he up to...?

Shadow just stood up and smirked. Just as I thought, he...how do people express it nowadays...'swings that way', I believe is what it is. Or maybe he 'swings both ways', seeing as he had a recent breakup with Amy, according to what he told us earlier. I'll have fun toying with him...Of course, I don't like him like that, I just like confusing people until they go insane. Of course, it may raise questions as to my preferences, but I know who I like--his mind drifted to a certain bat for a second--so it won't phase me. His smirk was so toothy, Knuckles and Tails just stared at him awkwardly.

"Are you...feelin' okay?" Knuckles said, holding a grass-woven basket of mushrooms, berries, and nuts.

Shadow snapped out of his thoughts and replied calmly. "Oh, nothing, I was just thinking is all. Let's head back. Rouge may wake up and worry." He turned around and headed toward the campsite, but not before shooting a smug sort of look to Tails.

Weird...The fox thought, following Knuckles back to the campsite.

The next morning, everyone ate a hardy meal of the food gathered the previous night, and took a bath (at different times, of course) in the nearby lake. Feeling refreshed and regenerated, the four set off to Mushroom Hill.

"So why are we here again?" Rouge said, looking around the place with disdain. "It's too natural. Even more so than the Floating Island."

"Yeah. We're here because if he's the complete opposite of me, then he'll be in the most natural place he can think of, whereas I'd be in the most mechanical place I can think of; my workshop." Tails said matter-of-factly.

"Makes sense," Knuckles said, catching a glimpse of movement in the distance. "Wait--what is that!" The Guardian dashed through the forest, immediately pursued by the other three. Shadow was beside him, Tails was behind them, and Rouge was beside Tails.

"Wait!" Knuckles cried, and surprisely, the figure stopped. It had twin tails, and bangs, just like Tails. "It's the thief!" The echidna yelled, pouncing on the creature. It let out a high squeal.

"Eeeeek! I'm being attacked for no reason!" The creature struggled, pushing Knuckles of it.

"What the--" Knuckles said, standing up. It was a girl. She looked like Tails, and sounded a little like Tails, but she had no black fur. She looked at the echidna, then to the hedgehog, to the bat, and her eyes fell on Tails. Her eyes widened as she stood up. She just stared at Tails, walking up to him unblinkingly and gazing into his eyes.

"...Brother?"

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TeirusuOtaku: Dun dun dun! Who is this mysterious newcomer? Why did she call Tails her brother? Why does chicken taste so good with hot sauce! Okay, I guess that wasn't really necessary...Oh well. Anyway, it's time for the APQotC! What's that, you ask? Why it's only the Audience Participation Question of the Chapter! This one's an opinion question.

Who do you think is the burglar?

Anyone in the Sonic franchise (Including the comics) can be an answer to the question. I've already got it down. Do you think you know who it is? Well guess! But remember to review, too. This is Tei-kun, signing out.