Yes, new chapter! I had stuff to do, namely school. Anyway, I hope this chapter at least satisfies you! Some things might be a bit confusing, but it will all be explained...eventually. And as Sky put it the 'mister doggy man' will appear here, though only for a short while. :D (If you remember the name, I'll give you a cookie). And a heads up, the next chapter will be all about Shadow and Rika, but they show here. I just don't want to comment on the bottom, I find it better that way. :) Now remember to give me money! Uh, I mean review, review. Of course. ;) On to the chapter!

Chapter 13- Loving Specters

Too bad that had to happen. It was a shame really. The hedgehog was too reckless for his own good. He would have to learn caution soon or his life would be cut short. Especially in this day and age. There was a fine line between bravery and foolishness.

But he could understand the hero's desire. How when others are in danger, you just have to rush to their aid, to save the day. To feel the adrenaline pumping through your veins and the deep satisfaction of a life saved, all thanks to you. After all, what kind of a hero…a friend…would you be if you ran away instead?

Yes, a friend.

The hedgehog had a good heart, but was a victim to impulse. And impulse could either be a trustworthy ally in your time of need, or a deadly enemy that will betray you in the end.

But then again, the young believe they will live on forever. A common misunderstanding.

Draken had done well in his mission, he must admit. The last time the dragon had come to the forest he was almost driven to insanity. Reliving the past wars had been brutal.

But hey, life was brutal.

The dragon did not believe they could win, at least not fully. He had seen the face, it had been too much. Not many believed. Some had even given up and gone to the winning side. Perhaps Shadow and Rika would not believe as well once they see. But the woman was very persuasive. Of course, she knew a lot.

As these thoughts flowed through his mind, he walked among the forest that had tasted innocent blood. Their appearance twisted and dark; a monument dedicated to the tragedies of war and how it cannot always be buried in the pasts with imagined fantasies. It reeked of great anger and vengeance at the wrong that had been done to it. No animals, at least not the normal ones, habituated the environment, feeling the antipathy the trees had for them. It was jealous of the simple life the creatures were blessed with, while the trees were stuck with painful memories and empty sorrow. Its beauty had been tainted, and the plants were desperate to get it back.

But the trees could do nothing as they watched the visitor walk among them as he carried the sleeping hedgehog in his midnight arms. It was an insult, thinking he had the right to travel in their domain, in their kingdom. But the aura surrounding him was powerful and authoritative. Or perhaps it was surrounding the hedgehog instead, for they felt something emanating from him. The trees could not reach out, so they could only do with their hissing whispers, an empty threat. But that was nothing new to the visitor. He had heard it often before.

He laid Sonic on the supple ground, covered by the scarlet leaves. The hedgehog's face was creased with pain and fear. He began to move slightly; fists clenching and sweat forming under his ocean of quills.

Another dream. Another nightmare.

The dog sighed, feeling almost sorry for the hero. He would have to get used to it. Those dreams were not leaving anytime soon.

Cuervo turned around and laid his back against a tree, feeling the cursed life flowing beneath the rough bark. Although both he and the hedgehog were far away, he could still see the dragon make his landing on the bare ground of the chasm, the others gathering around with anger and confusion infesting their minds.

Cuervo closed his eyes, painted with the same color of the forest leaves. He gave a tiny smile that not even the dawning sun could reveal with its translucent rays.

How would Draken get out of this one?

In the bare dimness, Alex put the panicky Amy Rose on the ground as she shifted in his arms. Without delay, the pink hedgehog's red and white shoes clacked against stone ground as she ran towards the emerald beast and her friends. Her green eyes were frantic, darting in all directions as her heart beat increased with every passing second.

No, Sonic! Where are you? Where are you?

Eventually she had to give up her pursuit. The blue hedgehog was nowhere. Amy did not know what to do, feeling the urge to just fall down to the hard ground and break into tears. But the dragon's shadow that fell on her caught her attention.

Draken slowly reversed to his smaller form, his wings neatly folded behind his broad back, too fatigued to maintain his larger body. He stood alone, watching warily the ones before him. All the others were facing him, silence dominating all. The reptile gave no indication of shame or apology, only impatience at what he knew was about to come.

Knuckles came up to him, large fists clenched, his face an immovable frown. He looked to the mountain of ruins which they had all just escaped only moments before. An island of boulders stacked upon another unevenly. No normal creature could have survived those falling tons of rocks that could grind the bones easily to dust.

Turning back to the serpentine creature before him, he gazed at him with an all-devouring anger. "What just happened?" he questioned with barely controlled fury.

Draken gave an indifferent shrug, not seeing the warning signs. "I suggest you don't worry over such things. They are much too far above your level."

A costly mistake.

The dragon felt the smashing fist knock against his face with rapid velocity. He fell violently backward, developing a dark bruise near his jaw. He had not expected the echidna to deliver such a strong punch in so little time.

The scarlet guardian massaged his fist, ready for another round. Having his question brushed aside and his intelligence offended was enough to send a spark of flame inside. Knuckles growled and walked to the dragon who struggled to get back on his two feet.

"Knuckles, calm down!" yelled Rouge, the only one not afraid of his fists of fury.

The echidna was fuming. "Calm down!" He waved his fists toward Draken. "How am I supposed to be calm? Because of this slimy bastard, Shadow and Rika could be dead for all we know! And you say to calm down!"

"Well, having a temper tantrum isn't going to help!" Rouge shouted back.

Everyone else just watched the episode, too nervous to move. Even Ry could not speak, which was rare.

Knuckles ignored her and turned back to the dragon who stood quietly. "Now, tell me! Where are they!"

Draken wiped away the blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. The reptile would not talk. Knuckles attacked once again, but the dragon was prepared this time and dodged the sharp-knuckled fist, making it smash into a nearby boulder instead, which broke apart into tiny jagged pebbles.

Draken imagined the boulder as his head and shuddered. This damn echidna was serious, and was in dire need of anger management.

"You had better start talking," Knuckles stated, tense.

Draken backed away, trying his best not to tick the echidna off. "You must understand. I did not betray you."

Knuckles' face turned a deeper red. "After all that happened? You think I'm that stupid? Tell us where they are, you damn freak of nature!"

The dragon clenched his hands. Freak? The hot-headed bastard. That idiotic rodent of an echidna. Smoke slowly billowed from Draken's mouth, the fire mixing inside of him, ready for the burning flesh. He unfurled his wings, anger clouding his mind.

"You will regret that, fool."

Soon the two dashed toward the other, fury clearly showing in their eyes, a bloody battle about to commence.

"Enough!"

A flurry of white appeared between the two fighters, followed by a pair of iron heels that collided with their heads. The echidna and dragon were sent reeling back, both males felling a horrible ache inside their heads, quenching their senseless anger.

The seething batgirl stood between them, hands on hips. Her white vampire-like fangs were revealed, showing a venomous look aimed at the males. That was enough to send them backing away from the ticked-off Rouge.

"You. Are. Both.Idiots." she whispered.

From the spectators Ry sighed. "Aww, I kinda wanted to see them fight. Ouch! Hey!"

The imp turned to Tails who had just punched him in the arm. "Be quiet," whispered the fox. Krysta was too enraptured in the affair before them to do her daily retribution of the imp.

Knuckles got up, rubbing his bruised skull. "But, Rouge, he-"

"But nothing! Beating each other to death isn't going to solve anything!"

"So we're just going to let that damn snake get away with what he's done!"

"No we're not! But we're also not going to kill him before he gives us any answers!"

"But he won't answer!"

"Not to a moron like you!"

The bat turned away to Draken who was now kneeling down, leather wings drooping. He gazed at Rouge with caution. Her kick had even been harder than the echidna's punch. He dared not stand, feeling lightheaded.

As Rouge came over to him, it seemed to the other's viewpoints as if the dragon was bowing down to the superior treasure huntress.

Somehow, the dragon could not look into her eyes. Something was wrong. He just could not look at them. He felt the bat's shadow fall on him, more obscure than the surrounding darkness. He focused his attention on the ground, though he still felt the weight of her shadow on him.

Though Rouge had chastised Knuckles for his short temper, she also had an itching temptation to give the reptile a thrashing of a lifetime. And she was certainly capable of doing that. But she had a clear head, and usually thought before she acted. So she stared at Draken through half-lidded eyes, not moving, not wavering.

The dragon felt tired, beaten. Her eyes were sucking out his energy, like a vampire sucks the blood. Something prodded inside him. But they would not understand. Unless they saw it, they could not understand.

He shook his head from side to side. "No…they…"

The flood gates were opening, giving way to the will of the vampire bat. He was tired of trying.

"…She…sent me."

The others surrounding him moved slightly, not expecting him to speak so soon.

"Who did?" said Rouge, her voice steady.

The dragon took a deep breath, still kneeling. "The woman in white… She sent me. It was important. I had to help."

"Help?"

"…Yes. I was too afraid at first…I thought she would hurt me."

The bat was closer to him now, her eyes piercing fangs. He could feel it, so he kept speaking.

"The woman showed me things…from before. I didn't want to see them anymore, but she said I had to. So I watched…all those things."

Rouge did not move. "What things? What did she show you?"

"…Fire falling from the sky, bodies all over…I got angry. I tried to hurt her, I was mad. Why would she show me these things?"

Draken wrapped his arms around himself, crouching and rocking back and forth. He was suddenly weak and afraid, his eyes having a far off look, seeing something that no one else could.

The others moved closer, but only Rouge was near. She knelt down in front of Draken. The eyes would not let him go. He kept talking, but it was more to himself then to her.

"Then she showed me them…a hedgehog in some metal place…and that fox…somewhere…running from something. Someone was grabbing them…they were shouting, no, screaming…The hedgehog turned to gold. This young girl, really beautiful, was beside him. But then she vanished and the hedgehog was alone…The fox girl was laying down, two smaller ones by her side."

He paused. The silence was deafening.

"Then he was there. He was grabbing them. She told me that if I don't bring them, this will happen…So I did."

Rouge's voice was hard. "Why? So she could hurt them?"

"No!" Draken's eyes were wide; shocked that she dare say such blasphemy. "So they could see. Then they will know…what happened to them when he came."

"What? What will happen?"

He started trembling at her voice, and shook his head. "No! I-I can't say more! It…it's too hard! She never showed me that far!"

"Why? Will Shadow come back? Will Rika come back?" Rouge demanded.

"…Maybe."

"Maybe?" Knuckles was next to the reptile now, face turning a deeper scarlet.

"If they don't refuse…they will be fine…but if they…" The dragon's wings moved up and down frantically. It was dark, darker than the chasm. Something was grabbing him.

No. He was choking him. He did not want the treacherous dragon to say more. But how was he supposed to be here? Not again.

"Draken, what's wrong?"

His face was there.The bat was gone. Perhaps she had been captured. But she was no longer in front of him. Knowing no alternative, the dragon reached out to claw out the hated face, shouting.

"Hey! Leave her alone!"

Damn it! That face was over there too! Red with large fists. Draken opened his mouth to breathe out the melting flames at that face with those perverse eyes.

"Watch out, Knuckles!"

A furry orange creature hit him in the head. Again the face was there. The dragon grabbed the orange thing's neck. It gave a yelp of pain. He would kill him this time. His hands tightened on the soft neck. Not again will you hurt me.

Then two iron things struck him once more, yelling something about stopping.

Sweet rest took over, and the treacherous face melted away with a smile.

Rouge's heartbeat was racing as she gazed down at the unconscious lizard, lying facedown on the ground. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, still watching. She could hear the dragon breathing faintly.

"What was that all about?" The Guardian gestured toward Draken, still tense in case the dragon suddenly recovered.

The bat folded her wings and sighed. "It looked like…he snapped or something. His eyes suddenly changed."

Rouge thought back to that moment. Draken had looked at her with pure hatred, venomous and vengeful. But there was also shock, as if he had not expected what was before him. When he had brought up his razor-sharp claws, she quickly dodged, avoiding permanent scars. Then he had viciously attacked Knuckles and Tails with primal fury.

But what was even stranger and more frightening; she had seen a face, in Draken. Something that you only see through a corner of the eye, only to turn around and find nothing there at all. She had kicked him out of instinct, sending him to rest.

She had kicked that face. That was what she was doing.

"Rouge?"

The bat snapped out of her reverie, seeing Tails in front of her with worried eyes.

"You all right?"

"Huh? Oh…I'm fine. Thanks for helping us out. You got quite a kick there."

The kitsune blushed, with scratching the back of his head. "Th- thanks. But he was really scary there for a second." He massaged his throat where the dragon's hands had encircled in a relentless grip.

"Hey, is he dead?"

Rouge turned to the imp. She had forgotten about him and the lioness. Krysta looked down at the reptile in a thoughtful glance while Ry had that same curiousness in his innocent face.

"No, he's not dead," Knuckles answered monotonously. "Though I wouldn't mind it if he was." He muttered into his dreadlocks.

Rouge flicked her ears, hearing the patter of fast feet behind her. Turning her head, she noticed Amy's frantic movements. The pink hedgehog scurried around the area like an ant as the silver Alex followed behind her, concerned.

"Please calm down, Amy…"

"But he's not here, Alex! He's not here!"

Rouge walked up to her. "Amy, what is it? Who's not here?"

Green eyes looked on with helplessness at the bat. "S- Sonic's missing!"

"What?"

Now everyone else began to turn their heads. It was true; the blue hedgehog hero was nowhere to be found. Rouge silently cursed, she had been too absorbed in Draken's confession and the whereabouts of Shadow and Rika, that she had not even noticed that another of their most valuable friends was missing.

"What do we do now? Sonic's gone!" Amy cried, trying her best to hold back the tears.

Alex tried to comfort her, but she was becoming hysteric. "What do we do?"

"Look, he's probably run off," Rouge said with not too much conviction.

"Even he's not that stupid," Knuckles grunted with little care, though his eyes betrayed the desperate worry he was experiencing.

Tails was hovering above, looking in vain for the hedgehog. "But if he did…why would he just leave without telling us?"

A discussion sprang among them, leaving Alex, Krysta, and Ry out, the ones who were still new. The lioness was kneeling next to Draken who lay still, watching him with caution. She then noticed Ry's eyes were turned to a far distance.

"Hey, what are you looking at?" Kyrsta asked.

The imp furrowed his brow in thought. "Umm, what if he's still there?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sonic. What if he never came out?" Ry pointed to the mountain of rubble where Shadow and Rika had disappeared to.

"Are you saying he's-?" Both turned to Amy who had just overheard their conversation.

Ry began to sweat a little. "Well…"

"No, that can't be! Sonic has been through much worse! He's fine! He could survive anything!"

Soon all grew quiet, not wanting to admit that three souls could be forever lost.

"He can't…" Amy's voice faded to a whisper.

Meanwhile, leaning against a tree, Cuervo watched with a smile.

Hey, wake up!

She moaned groggily, twitching at the shrill voice. Her eyes were glued shut. "Not now. Please, I need to sleep."

But you have to wake up! Come on!

"No, I'm very tired. I need my rest. Wake me in the morning." She shifted her body on the floor, away from the speaker.

But Rika, you have to wake up!

The fox grumbled in irritation, hiding her face in the comforting darkness of her hood. Little hands were tugging the black cloak, making her face the speaker once more.

Hurry! We want to show you something!

Rika tried to turn away, curling into a fetal position. Eventually she was able to recognize the voice. Happy, innocent, calling…

Her eyes shot open. "What…it couldn't…"

Wake up, Rika!

Immediately, almost desperate, she sat up and reached for the tiny hands she knew so well. All she felt was air.

"No! Wait!"

No light was around her, everything seemed to be a complete void.

Over here!

Another voice was calling her, slightly higher-pitched than the other. Rika knew exactly whom that voice belonged to.

She was here too. That voice…

Rika did not think about why she herself was here, or to why Shadow was no longer beside her when only moments ago he was. Her only thought was to reach those little voices.

Rika stood up in one motion and tried to move her feet, but her legs were stiff and she fell to the unseen ground.

Are you okay?

Rika raised her head and saw their faces. "…you're…"

Two young foxes, between the ages of seven and nine, gazed at the fallen sorceress with expressive pure eyes. One, who seemed to be the oldest, had light brown fur and wore a tiny baseball cap. A female fox stood next to him, blue fur streaked with red. She wore a light yellow dress and had long blue hair that fell to her shoulders.

Rika's throat closed. They were here, right here in front of her. She reached out one hand to confirm that they were indeed real and not just wishful memories.

Giggling, the children ran off, leaving her in the dark.

"Wait! Please! Come back!"

She stood up once more and this time was able to get the feeling back into her legs. Frantic, she ran after them, crying, begging for them to stop. One voice reached to her.

Hurry up, Sis! You have to come.

She never thought she would hear them again.

Now the two young foxes were standing in front of a mirror, the same mirror that she had fallen into only moments ago before with Shadow. The same ones with those inscriptions.

Rika did not pay attention to the object, conveniently forgetting that the carvings were a language that only she could know. A language that had faded out of existence with the ravages of time. Few could read the words, let alone even see it, since there were no historic records of the language. And yet they were here on the mirror.

But instead, Rika focused on the children before her. With smiles, the boy and the girl walked through the mirror, not shattering the glass.

Hurry…

Not even hesitating, she followed them into the glass, for she was determined not to lose her brother and sister again.

"Ugh, damn."

That had certainly not been a pleasant experience. He probably would not have been surprised if those daggers were now sticking all over him now.

Daggers…mist…rainbow daggers made of mist…whatever.

Struggling, Shadow fought against his own body to sit up. He rubbed his aching head, groaning as he felt his muscles stretch painfully in his arms.

"God, what just happened?"

The crimson eyes roamed to his surroundings. Now this was something.

The red and black hedgehog sat in the middle of a huge chamber, perhaps fifty feet in length. Smooth blue walls rose in a graceful arch creating a dome-like ceiling. The walls were decorated with mirrors, seeming to have been placed randomly. All were irregular shapes, like broken shards of a much larger mirror. Their purpose was elusive.

He then realized that Rika was no longer next to him. She was nowhere in the room. What if that woman took her?

The room felt incredibly cold, the chill going deep into his thick quills. Shivering, he stood up quickly, looking cautiously around the room. He began to search for a way out of the freezing chamber, perhaps wherever Rika had disappeared to. No visible path was shone, so he resorted to running his fingers along the walls for a crack, a niche, something! Anything that showed a hidden passageway. Finding nothing, he stood back. He would have to go about it another way. He raised his arms.

"Chaos Spear!" The orange bolts struck the walls, shattering the odd mirrors. Dust flew around on impact, glass showered the air.

Yet no mark showed on the blue walls.

Shadow grimaced in frustration, and then raised his arms once again.

"Chaos Spear!" Again the bolts came, hitting the wall with full force. He shouted once, twice, ten times. And each turn the bolts struck, shattering more mirrors.

And still the blue walls stayed intact without even a scratch. He was trapped.

"Well, that was pointless," he said aloud. Then an idea struck him. Of course! He could just Chaos Control out of here! He grabbed the green jewel he carried around with him ever since he had found it during his solitary months.

I had almost forgotten about it. I can find Sonic and the others. Then I can find Rika.

He closed his eyes, picturing his chosen location. He thought back to the trees and shuddered. Definitely not there. He envisioned the slope where Draken had met with him and the fox girl, finally deciding on that.

He raised the emerald, closed his eyes, and muttered the beginning of the phrase. "Chaos…"

Shadow…

His eyes shot open. "What? Who's there?"

The emerald glowed to an incredible shine, reflecting off the many mirrors of the room. The hand grasping the jewel shook violently, acting on its own. Shadow collapsed to the floor, crying out in shock as he felt a burning pain envelop his hand. He could not even think straight.

Wha- What's going on!

The green light was filling up the room, leaving no spot untouched by its unholy radiance. The hedgehog tried to let go of the Chaos Emerald, but it stuck to his palm like glue. His fingers were locked into a grip that rivaled death. The light seemed merciless, shining directly into his crimson eyes.

"No! S-stop!" He felt his hand was melting. Even though he could not see it, he knew it was. Why else would he feel burning? Fire was engulfing him, burning his quills. He felt his flesh underneath bubble and boil. He could not see it, but it was there. He knew it was. "Ahhhh! No!"

Shadow…

Cool hands touched his face, the face he knew that was melting. Familiar hands, soft. Shadow tried to open his eyes through the emerald fire. He was still gripping tight onto the jewel. Tighter…tighter…tighter…

A beautiful face emerged from the light of jade, framed with golden hair.

The emerald jewel Shadow held formed tiny cracks. Tighter now.

Shadow…

Blue eyes gazed lovingly at him, understanding.

Shadow, my friend…

He could not breathe, remembering the face from his haunted memories.

"Maria!"

The Chaos Emerald shattered, falling jade.