Chapter Two

"Uncle Shadow!" Crimsa squealed. She rushed to hug her uncle, but she was pushed away.

"Don't tell me you found another fangirl?" Shadow groaned. "Look, kid…I've never seen you before in my life…so just forget about it…"

"Uncle Shadow…" Crimsa whimpered. "You don't know who I am? Do you remember anything? My mom? Miko? Amy?"

Shadow stopped for a minute. Amy. That name stirred something in him. For the past year he could only think of her…if she was alive or not. But he couldn't let Crimsa know that he didn't want to fight anymore…but the thought of Amy left Shadow wondering.

"Amy was a girl I had a crush on many years ago…but I don't know where she is…and I could care less?"

"A crush? That's all it was, Uncle Shadow?" Crimsa said with surprise.

Another demon, a good-looking human-like fellow with tangled white hair and short white horns poking out of his head, popped his head in.

"A crush, Shadow? You raved about her to us last night for hours!" the demon said. "Oh…I see we have more hitchhikers. Greetings…the name's Renoplax. Don't forget that. If you need me, I'll be sleeping." Renoplax disappeared into the next room of the bus. Shadow was looking very nervous…it looked like he had been caught. He rushed into the room Renoplax was in and slammed the door.

"I've never seen him like this…" Trenk said, scratching his head. "Normally he's so cool and collected…but you should see him on stage…he can really bring the house down with his antics."

"Face it, Crimsa…Shadow's not what he used to be," Raiden said.

-- -- -- -- --

"That girl's your WHAT?" Renoplax exclaimed.

"She's my niece…" Shadow replied as he paced the room. "I never told you and Trenk the real story, did I?"

Renoplax chuckled. "You didn't need to…I read your mind as you came in…I warned you to be careful of what you think about around me. Didn't I?"

"Geez…Renoplax…you sure like to butt into people's privacy. Thanks a whole frickin' lot." Shadow grumbled to himself, and then went on. "I didn't want to go back to that time! I don't want to fight anymore!"

Renoplax was surprised that Shadow would act so cowardly. "There's no shame in fighting the good fight and losing…at least you survived. Maybe Trenk and I can help. We've been good buddies to you ever since we met, right?"

"I tried to put first impressions aside…yeah, we're friends. But how could you help me beat Geddon? He's invincible! Besides, why would you want to fight the guy who put you demons in charge of this planet in the first place?"

"Because, Shadow…not all demons are evil. And we're all for giving that freak-show a good ass-kicking! Besides, you made a vow to find Amy! And we're not gonna let you break it! The band sticks together!"

"You sound like a chapter of a self-help book, Reno…dang, what would I do without you and Trenk? You two are the best."

"So…you're gonna find a way to beat Geddon? Does your niece know about it?"

"I think so…the other two know about it, though. Yeah…I'm tired of hiding from him. It's time I stopped running…"

"I just realized something, Shadow," Renoplax said with a blank look on his face.

"What?" Shadow asked.

"I sounded really stupid a moment ago, didn't I? I mean, 'the band sticks together'…I do sound like a chapter from a self-help book! Or some clichéd minor good guy in a story. Like a cheerleader."

"Meh…I've heard cornier stuff. Thanks, though…"

"I thought it would have taken a lot longer for you to get your will to fight back."

"I recover quickly. It's time to start over with my niece."

-- -- -- -- -- --

Shadow walked out of the room to see the group just hanging around…Yakujo was playing Trenk at chess; Raiden was perusing the fridge, and Crimsa was staring out the window.

"Crimsa…I'm sorry…" he began.

"You're done running now, Uncle Shadow?"

Shadow was surprised at Crimsa's quick response. "Yeah…I'm done running. It's time we get off our butts and find a way to beat Vector and Geddon…" Shadow clenched his fist…"they'll pay for what they did to this planet."

"Amen, brother!" Yakujo cheered.

"Checkmate…" Trenk said with a smile. Yakujodid a double-take and staredat the board with eyes the size of dinner plates, he was so shocked. His jaw open.

"This isn't possible! You beat me!" the hedgehog exclaimed, his quills standing on end from near-fright.

"It's about time someone beat Yakujo at chess…" Raidenchuckled as he took out some cooked chicken from the fridge and began to eat it.

"Y'know what I realized?" Crimsa said.

"Oh, here comes something so profound, its clichéd…" Yakujo moaned.

"No one is driving this bus! How is it staying on the road?"

"The bus is actually sort of an organism in itself…" Shadow replied. "It's made of living metal…"

"This place IS weird…" Raiden said after swallowing a large chunk of white meat. "At least the food's normal…pretty tasty for leftovers, too."

"Actually that's…" Trenk said.

"Don't spoil this by telling its something ridiculously gross…I'm enjoying this too much."

"Okay then…" the imp replied.

"So…I should have asked this long ago," Crimsa said. "Where exactly ARE we headed? Surely it's the nearest city."

"The nearest city is about 250 miles from here…and the bus is about ready to stop for the night," Shadow said as he sat down. "That's the one downfall of this thing…it needs to sleep." As he said those words…the bus jerked its way off the road and stopped.

"Talk about timing…" Trenk said. "Well, since wolf-boy here just ate dinner…I'll have to make something else." He popped to the fridge and began to search for the evening's meal.

-- -- -- -- -- --

"Mom's dead." Crimsa said as everyone was getting ready to take their nightly sleep…all except Shadow of course. The two lay on the long padded chair, laying on the backs, their heads touching. Why they were doing this, they had no idea.

"What? How?" Shadow asked with a twinge of sadness. Rouge was a good friend of his, so who could blame him?

"Not sure…but I miss her a lot. But I know who I can take my grief out on. That's why I don't need to cry."

"Glad you're taking it so well."

Crimsa closed her eyes for a moment. "I also think I saw my dad…in a dream, of course."

"Huh? I assume he gave you nightmares…he did force your mom to..."

"Not in the least. I think my dad just couldn't control himself…and then he was so angry with himself, that he left my mom. I'm sure he wants to meet me."

"Your mom was quite the looker…itmust have beenhard for himto resist her."

Crimsa was silent for a minute, and then spoke again, changing the subject. "Uncle Shadow?"

"What?"

"Would you want to get married to Amy? You two are really cute together."

Shadow shrugged. "Maybe…but I'm not sure if she's even alive."

"I think she is. I can feel it. So are the others. They're out there somewhere."

"You sure are optimistic for a girl in such a bleak situation."

"Mom raised me that way." Crimsa smiled a little.

Shadow was silent for a minute or two. He decided to change the subject. "Would you believe your mom was a government spy?"

"Get out! She never told me!"

"There are a lot of things she never told you."

"Tell me! Tell me!"

"Not now…you need to get some sleep." Shadow sat up.

"I'm fifteen, Uncle Shadow! I can stay up longer than this!" Crimsa whined as she sat up as well.

"If we're going to save the world…you need to get your rest, young lady."

Crimsa didn't like that, but then he couldn't help but smirk a little. "You sound so much like a dad, Uncle Shadow," she said. "You'd make a great father." Shadow paused at this, and then smiled.

"Maybe I would…g'night, Crimsa." He loving kissed Crimsa on the head.

"G'night, Uncle Shadow." Shadow flicked out the light, and Crimsa slowly dozed off into quiet, peaceful sleep.