((( one review. T.T you people are so mean. It doesn't even help that I'm copyrighting this because no one's reading it to STEAL it. For all I know I've wasted all this time writing CRAP! Damn you all to pigeons!

Sonic: ooh, pigeons, hmm. Scary, yes, but possible?

Shadow: Knux, you say grapes one more time and I'll make you regret it.

Knux: ...grapes?

Sh: -tackles Knux and nuggies unmercifully-

K: WAIT! THAT'S MY MOVE! And owie.

Sh: yes, but I am the ultimate life form and therefore KING of nuggies!

K: eh...?

Sally: I'm still unconscious, neh.

A: then stop talking. T.T

Sa: ...x.­x

Itshell: it's strange that I'm commenting because I'm the bad guy...girl...woman...person... shit, now I'm just confused.

Karpa: I'm not sure whether to love her or hate her... you have to admit, she is rather... tasty-looking...

I: I know, I know. -winks-

-and the two tackle each other, commencing a serious makeout session...-

Sn: hmmmmm...

Sh: I concur.

K: I second the motion.

Sn: and again I say hmmmmmm...

Tarsa: oh my. O.O;;

A: lordy. Anyway, I've been slowing down a bit; things are getting a bit cluttered. Now that I have my ducks in a row...

ducks: quack.

A: eh... I guess things will go more smoothly. Forgive me for jumping around like I did. My characters confuse me.

Sn: -uses confusion!- aa! Sonic used confusion!

Tails: I'm vulpix!

Espio: I'm charmeleon!

K: I'm GRAPES!

A: see what I mean?

&# Espio: I don't know why, but she's making me do the disclaimer so... here. This is a disclaimer. I will personally sick Big on you if you decide to steal any of her ideas.&#

Big: foaming at the mouth rrrrrgghhhhhuuh...

A: I'm so lost...

Chapter 15- Farewell

She opened her eyes, expecting to feel the intense pain she had experienced not a moment ago, but realized she felt nothing...nothing save her bed sheets...and a warm arm draped across her chest.

"Did you sleep well, Karpa?" the honey-toned voice of Itshell asked. Karpa had her back to her as she was lying on her side, wondering for a moment what might have happened previously that would place her in a bed... with her...she looked beneath the sheets, verifying that she was, indeed, without garment.

"I'm assuming nothing happened, being that I probably would have remembered it. I hadn't had that much champagne, and what little I did, came back up when I got kicked in the stomach." She rolled over, glaring into those gleeful red eyes. "I'm holding you accountable."

"Oh, but, why? You know I would never hurt you..." she drew her close, holding her tightly to her warm body, kissing her neck lightly. Karpa shoved her away, pulling the sheets around her and sitting up hastily.

"Now, none of that! You can't make me believe you didn't start whatever discord you had with that Knuckles! Tell the truth!"

She sighed, rolling onto her stomach and propping herself up by her elbows. "I gave him a chance... A fair one, even. He just doesn't know what he's missing. Heh heh!" she set her chin in her hand, looking sideways up at Karpa with mock innocence in wide, joyful eyes. "It's true he gave the first punch, though."

Karpa frowned. "strange... I didn't feel that..."

Itshell covered her mouth, gasping. "oops..."

With a snarl, Karpa pinned the girl to the bed, hands around her slim neck. "You can control what I can and can't feel, isn't that right!"

Itshell just giggled, pushing the other off of her easily. Karpa found it strange that for that instant, she wasn't able to resist.

"Calm down, Karpie! It's all in your 'ed." The dark one said, exactly how Karpa's mother always used to.

"I hate it when you quote Mum... it sounds...creepy..."

"Who would you rather I quote?" she asked, crawling on top of her, pulling her golden legs around her waist. She smirked as she leaned into the shocked echidna's ear.

"...how's this for getting to know me...?"

She shivered from the eerie likeness of her tone to her own lover's; pushed her off, swaying her feet over the side of the bed.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't swing that way."

"Oh, but I know different! " she crawled over, resting her chin on Karpa's shoulder.

"Does the name Dallorie ring a bell?"

Karpa cringed. "Do you have ANY idear how drunk I was? And that bloody Gil was egging us on. Besides, it was worth the look on her boyfriend's face..." she chuckled for a moment in reminiscence. "Besides, it's not like I was serious."

(AN- the British for some reason put an 'r' after some 'a's before another vowel. the 'h' is silent. 'idear' is not a typo. Nya)

Itshell sat back, smiling to herself. "Well, if I can't please you enough with Egyptian cotton and champagne... How else am I going to get you to stay?"

"I'm not staying. I'll find a way out, there's got to be one. I don't see how you expect me to sit here for bloody eternity with no one but you to keep me company..." she turned to face her, then stopped, eyes wide. No longer was there laying on her bed the mischievous echidna, but instead, reclined against the many pillows, was her own Shadow.

"Now, you just cut that out! I won't have you playing tricks with my eyes!"

"What?" he asked innocently- or rather SHE, she reminded herself. She, not he...

"You with your little sneaky ways! You're the devil, you are!" she stood and stormed to her dresser, on which was folded her black satin robe. She threw it over her slender form hastily, glaring at the figure on her bed somewhat crosseyed- as she usually did when peeved and confused at once. (AN- reminds me of my cat)

"I'm getting out of here! Away from YOU! I can't stand being cooped up and if you knew ANYTHING about me, you'd know that!"

"Well, you always did like your solitude as well..." came the smooth, sultry voice of her lover. Her stomach fluttered at the sound, her eyes closing as she had her back to him...her... damnit...

She stood still in her doorway, hand against the gold-painted beam. She heard the sheets rustle, the bed creak as he stood...even the faint pat of his feet as he walked to her...God no...please no...

She sighed wantingly as she felt his hands slip over her body...beneath her short robe...

"no..." she shook her head, trying to tell herself it wasn't real.

"yes..." he brushed her hair and tendrils aside, kissed her neck, nipping at her skin slightly.

"stop...please..."

He spun her around, pressing his lips to hers suddenly, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, causing her to moan softly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing back more passionately.

'God forbid I should give in... but one time won't hurt...will it?'

Time passed more slowly in the current dimension where at that moment, Knuckles was thinking very seriously about how exactly death felt...

"Any last words?"

He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breath. There was nothing he could do to stop the slight quivering that was raking his sturdy frame. He closed his eyes, exhaling.

"Damnit... this isn't happening..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

There was always a way out. Always an alternative, as far as he was concerned. Through his many experiences, he had learned to always keep an escape open, and if not, find one. There was ALWAYS a way out. ALWAYS. Hell, that's how he'd lived to see twenty, right?

But now, he was trapped. And that feeling was worse than hellfire.

"What... what do I have to do? What do you want from me?" he asked, voice raised to a thunderous bellow.

"What do I want?" she laughed, hand dropping. He sighed a bit in relief at this.

"I want this pitiful planet dead. It's a nuisance! There's so little potential, you know? I can make it better..."

She grinned, looking to the sky, emitting a giggle. "and if I'm going to start over... I'd better start cleaning up..." she looked back down to him, still bearing that toothy grin.

"And you're just another rat that needs exterminating. So if you're done with your speech..."

In desperate circumstances, people often act in desperation. Things they'd never do even if bribed. Last-ditch efforts are often influenced by the heated brain, the rapid heartbeat, and, most of all, the heavy breathing.

Hell, if he couldn't get Tarsa back by beating the shit out of her, he'd try something WAY out there in the left field.

He grabbed hold of her arms...

and kissed her.

Her eyes widened to their fullest extent. She gasped a bit through her nose as she felt the kiss deepen, the intruding tongue massaging her own.

She emitted a strange muffled sound of disapproval, squirming in his grasp, not quite sure of what to do in this current situation...

Sonic and the others

just stared.

"Whoa... what's going on...?" Sonic asked as he had turned from the still- unconscious Sally.

"I...really can't tell..." Vector scratched at his head, brows knotted in confusion.

"I think he's finally lost it. I'd hate to see what happens next..." Espio said, cringing at the thought.

Surprisingly, she didn't move to stop him, she just kind of...allowed it. In fact she found herself succumbing to the kiss... he was a great kisser, after all... and she felt the over-desirable urge to respond to the delicious caress of the mouth... but... it wasn't her...

Sliding a hand up his arm, Tarsa kissed back, giggling into his mouth as she had the night before. He always made her nervous, even when they were...ahem...intimate... and she could never seem to stop giggling when she began to really enjoy herself. What surprised her was how on earth Knuckles had found her.

A fragrant breeze raked across the grassy knoll, causing her dress to fly and flutter rapidly. She fell further into his arms, swooning as he deepened the passionate kiss.

This scene only confused the onlookers more so, who watched on regardless. Tails' face was scrunched up in disgust, still in the belief that all girls were disgusting. All girls save Cream.

"Is he trying to eat her face or what? You think that'll make her go away?" he looked to Sonic to verify his hypothesis. He remained silent, still transfixed with the puzzling scene, simply shrugging slightly.

"It'd make ME go away... for sure. Eww... Why doesn't she kick him or ... or at least SOMETHING?" Tails made a very disapproving face, ducking back behind the wall, wishing to see no more.

"Exactly what I was wondering... boy, he's sure taking his time..." Amy observed.

The two finally broke away, looking long into each other's eyes. Itshell grinned, not her crazed, fanged grin, but a genuine mischievous grin, biting her lip like Tarsa had often done. What perplexed him was that her eyes were still red, not pale green as they had been when Tarsa had taken over.

"When I go to destroy the world... I think I'll save a nice painless death for you. You're a cutie!" she giggled, eyes closed in a girlishly coy expression as she touched a playful finger to his nose.

Knuckles sighed heavily, shaking his head and closing his eyes in defeat.

"What am I supposed to do, Tarsa? How much farther do you want me to go?"

"Oh, I'm sorry but Tarsa's not in right now. You can leave a message with me if you like..?" she giggled again, this time in such a way as would suggest she wasn't quite right in the head. She sauntered past him, the cloth of her fiery gown brushing against him as she did.

"Shadow, Shadow, Shadow... look at you. I have to say I expected more from you. Shadow hiding in the shadows. Poetic justice, I believe it's called..." she grinned as she stepped face to face with the scowling hedgehog, smiling warmly.

"Have 'you' got a kiss for me too, love?" she asked in Karpa's accent, leaning forward expectantly, beaming.

His lip twitched in disgust. Without warning, he swung back and slapped her sharply across the face. She cried out, but not in pain. She turned back to him, smirking naughtily.

"My, my...feisty... She always did like it rough... Didn't she, Shadow?"

"Fuck you."

She winked. "Too late." She stood straight again, sighing happily to herself.

"Well, I suppose I've wasted enough time already. Ah, I have so much work to do! I guess I could start with you."

And with that, she reached out and simply touched his chest with a finger. This simple movement sent our ultimate life form sprawling. He laid still, eyes wide and still filled with hatred...even in death.

"Oh my GOD! She killed Shadow! With a finger!" Sonic still couldn't believe it. He stood, mouth opening and closing noiselessly in utter disbelief. Tails whimpered and hid his face in Amy's arm, beginning to cry.

"YOU BITCH!" Knuckles screamed at her, charging.

He suddenly found himself halted by an invisible force, arms and legs held fast to unseen braces. He strained against his holds to no avail.

"Now, now, Knuxie. I said I was going to reward you with a painless death. Don't make me change my mind."

She turned to face him, eyes closed as she chuckled to herself.

"You're wasting my time... And as I said, I have work to do. Be a dear and wait till I get back?" she walked over and gave him a peck on the cheek before skipping off toward the trees and disappearing into thin air.

Sonic rushed to Shadow's body, feeling for a pulse at his neck, and finding none.

"We have to stop her..." he looked around, an overwhelmed stare evident in his wide eyes. "but...but how...? I mean we...we don't even know where she went..."

Sally groaned lightly, sitting up and holding her head.

"I was only trying to help...damn bitch hits hard..." She blinked a few times, trying to clear her vision.

"Sally, hey, take it easy..." Sonic raced back to her side, propping her against the crumbling wall. "You missed a lot, Sal. Hope you had a good nap." He chuckled, kissing her forehead lightly.

"S-Sonic, I ... I wanted to tell you something, but with the attack..."

"Hey, we don't have to worry about that bastard any more." He reassured her, hugging her tightly, trying not to cry.

Vector shook his head sadly at the situation, pondering a course of action. Espio had gone to see if he couldn't loose the struggling Knuckles. Amy rocked Tails comfortingly, as he had begun to wail in despair.

"I...I really missed you... Y'know? I mean, sure... we grew up, we lost touch... I never meant for that to happen... it's just that we have separate lives now..." she brushed the back of her hand against his cheek, feeling moisture.

'dammnit, couldn't hold the waterworks a minute longer, could you?' he berated himself, more tears slipping from his eyes which had begun to sting.

"Sally... I missed you too... and it's my fault we haven't spoken in all these years. I just... well, I just got too busy... Heh, won't get much work now that the-world-as we-know-it's coming to an end." He hugged her closer, fighting the sob in his throat.

"Don't leave me again... promise..." Sally said lightly, looking up into those big, green, distraught eyes.

"I promise. We're here till the end..." he smirked in an attempt at a warm smile, kissing her softly on the lips.

(AN- AWWWWHHHH! THAT'S JUST SO CUTE LIKE KITTENS!)

Espio contemplated the impossible situation of Knuckles' invisible snare, walking around the suspended echidna and muttering to himself. To his surprise, Knuckles suddenly fell, causing him to lose his wind as he hit the forest floor hard.

"Well, eh... that wasn't all that hard... I think..." Espio held his chin in his hand, perplexed.

"ow..."

"How are we supposed to find her, guys?" Vector asked the obvious-question-of-the-moment.

"Find who?" Sally looked around, confused.

"Lumi-whatever. The evil slut person...thing..." Knuckles said, making him sound a little less than intelligent. He cleared his throat and looked around, slightly embarrassed. Well, he didn't know WHAT it was, truly. And he wasn't thinking straight as of yet.

"Well... I guess, taking what Shadow told us, she's the fusion of both twins, corrupted by the emerald... perhaps even controlled by it." Espio began. "She may even be the embodiment of the emerald. The incarnation of its dark purpose."

"But that's impossible!" Knuckles objected.

"After everything I've seen today, very little is impossible, my friend." He patted him on the back.

"Well, if she basically...is...an emerald...as you say..." Sally began.

"What? Do you know how to find her?" Sonic looked down to her expectantly.

"What I'm saying is we can trace emeralds because of their power, the rays they give off. If she's all that powerful... whoever she is... then we should be able to track her fairly easily." She stood with difficulty, making her way over the wall and back to where she had left her pack.

"Lucky for you guys I didn't leave it at home." She pulled out a radiation detector. In an instant, she found herself in the arms of a joyous Sonic, hugging her forcefully. She coughed a little in surprise.

"Wow, I almost forgot how fast you were!" she chuckled, hugging back.

(((me decided to end a chapter on a hopeful note, noh dah. I've discovered I'm too depressing. Hell, I had to kill Shadow to make it interesting! What more do I have to do? -screams, being attacked by seventy-thousand Shadow fans-

Sn: oooo! I know! I know! More steamy sex scenes involving moi and Sal-sal .

A: how can I make MORE if I haven't made ANY?

Sn:... Well at least one, neh.

Sh: you're incredibly mean and heartless. Why did I have to die? Now I'm all...dead.

Espio: OH MY GAWD! THEY KILLED SHADOW! YOU BASTARDS!

K: respect mah authoratae!

Sn: Wait, that's not your line...

K: what? Oh, grapes.

Sn: ahh, there it be.

A: oO;;; anyway, I know SOMEONE'S reading this, so whoever you are it is your obligation to society and democracy and ferrets to review. Do so.