Are you happy, people? I decided to continue it! It was not easy, figuring out what to have happen, but somehow I managed. Still so sorry for the lack of quality but, as I've said, I'm new at writing this kind of thing. There are a few confusing parts in here--the part with italics indicates a flashback. Shortly after that there is a part where Shadow and Sonic say things right after the other, and then say something at the same time, but they are not in the same room or anything, so keep that in mind. I don't even know what to say about what happens in this chapter--I totally didn't see it coming and I'm the one who wrote it. You'll see what I mean. As usual, my disclaimer and replies to comments you made can be found on my main user page. I clear my responses out whenever I get new ones, though, so make sure to check soon for my response to yours! Happy reading.

Meaningless.2

Shadow and Knuckles release each other from their first loving embrace, their emotions emanating about them, warming the dark, dripping dome that conceals them from the world.

Their gazes meet in the darkness, a powerful collision of violet and blood red, twisting around each other until they become one, like the merging of souls when two bodies become one. They see only each other, and are in a world where only they exist, a world in which they are together mind, body, soul. They breathe through each other as their two heartbeats melt into one; one giant organ pounding violently throughout them, skipping an occasional beat as it pumps them full of each other's blood. They invade every crevice of each other's mind, leaving space for no other thoughts. Their spirits, old as time, in a fond, familiar embrace, an indication of a love that has always existed, a boundless love, everlasting and indestructible, finally brought together by their blueprints in the physical world. The mesmerism continues for an unknown amount of time, but whether it is a moment or an hour, it is precious beyond description. They remain like this, victim to their inner most feelings, until Knuckles breaks the spell with a blink.

"Shadow, how long has this been going on?" Knuckles asks.

"You mean, when was my attraction to you borne?" Shadow asks, receiving a confirming nod from Knuckles. A slight grin spreads across Shadow's face as he thinks back. "When we met, I suppose."

Knuckles raises an eyebrow at the black and red hedgehog barely visible before him. He feels Shadow's breath blowing gently against his cheek as he stares into the blood red eyes gleaming in the darkness before him. They appear distant, as if viewing some odd phenomenon far away; apparently replaying the mind's archived movies of the past. Shadow blinks, bringing the rolling film to a stop, and his yes refocus on the violet gems looking to him expectantly.

"You mean like love at first sight?" Knuckles questions skeptically.

"No, no. True love is something that grows over time, as did my feelings for you. At first I merely viewed you as an enemy, as another face in the sea of people against me. As the war between our teams raged on, you always stood out. I noticed more about you with every encounter, and although Sonic was my prime enemy at the time, you were the one who intrigued me. Soon, my undying interest in you became an attraction. Quite a bit of time passed before I recognized it, and ever more passed before I accepted it, but I finally did. Once the line between Dark and Hero teams faded and we began working together, I learned a great deal more about you. I can't say for sure when my feelings became as deep as they are now, but I guess that's not too important. I just knew you had to be mine."

"Not to spoil the moment and all, but you sure haven't been too subtle about it lately," Knuckles points out. Shadow chuckles quietly.

"My heart grew impatient," Shadow explains. "I have loved you from afar for too long."

"What made you decide to confront me about it now?" Knuckles asks, feeling awkward about being so inquiring. For a moment, Shadow is silent.

"Something told me it was now or never," Shadow tells him. "And even though I knew you didn't' have to follow me, the look in your eyes told me you would."

"I-I had to," Knuckles stammers. "It was like there was no other option. I tried not to, but I knew why you wanted me to come with you. I've heard enough from Sonic, I had to know for myself. I had to know from you."

"Heh. Faker is just jealous," Shadow voices.

Faker. Sonic and Shadow had relentlessly continued to use the term in reference to each other, even after the merging of teams, even after the restoration of peace on their Mobius, the humans' Earth, even after becoming "friends." Knuckles frowns slightly.

"Jealous? Of what?" he wonders aloud.

"You said it yourself--he sees what I feel for you. He saw your acceptance of it even before you yourself did. He knew this moment would come," Shadow answers. Knuckles frowns harder.

"Sonic's got no reason to care. Even as the need for Freedom Fighters fades, he'll always be a hero. He's got fame and he loves it. Sonic's a show-off, and as long as he's got fans to show off to he's happy," Knuckles points out.

"That's not enough for anyone, not even Faker. He's maturing, and he realizes he needs more than what life is giving him right now. He wants the ultimate thing life has to offer," Shadow explains. Knuckles's frown fades away as he begins to understand Shadow's point.

"He's going to lose his purpose too," Knuckles realizes, almost feeling sympathy for Sonic.

"And true love is the only answer, as it is something that transcends death itself," Shadow continues to explain. "He is longed for by many who admire him for his superficial qualities, but none of them will ever love him sincerely."

The two of them fall quiet once again and the darkness around them grows eerie and cold. Knuckles shivers as the hiss of silence whirs in his ears. He feels Shadow's hands tug at his arms and finds himself being held close to his former enemy once again. Shadow stands, pulling Knuckles to his feet along with him. Beams of yellow light pierce the dome, falling upon the wet leaves beneath them in gleaming patches. Several droplets continue to plummet toward them, reminders of the rainstorm's brief visit, clinging to their quills and rolling down to the tips where they hang, quivering until they fall to the ground, exploding upon impact.

"Let's go," Shadow grabs Knuckles by the hand and leads him toward the holes in the dome.

The two of them step out into the thick forest and Knuckles takes a look around. He had never been in this part of the forest before. He looks up toward the dense canopy of leaves above. Light streams in here and there, providing the area with a dim glow.

"What is it?" Shadow asks.

"I never bothered to venture this far into the forest before," Knuckles tells him. "I wasn't even aware that this place existed. "
"I came across it some time ago," Shadow informs. "I've visited it regularly ever since. I found myself drawn to the dark, quiet atmosphere of the place."
"Dark and quiet, two things you and this area have in common," Knuckles points out. "And a day ago I would have added cold to that list."

"Seeing me in a different light already?" Shadow asks.

"Can you blame me? You did show me a side to yourself that I didn't even know existed," Knuckles points out.

"Everyone keeps certain aspects of their being hidden from others," Shadow reminds.

Shadow leads them through the dark, dense mass of trees, back in the direction they'd come from, the vegetation thinning, the light brightening as they continue on, returning to the cleared out area where they had left Sonic. A quick glance is all it takes for them to realize that he's no longer there.

"Let's go," Knuckles suggest, headed back into the forest, walking in the direction of the nearest town. Shadow walks up beside him, matching his pace.

"We'll stay in a motel tonight," Shadow decides, looking at what he can see of the sky through the canopy above. Knuckles feels a wave of nervousness pass over him.

"Aheh…you smell more bad weather, too, eh?" he asks, being careful to keep his composure. He glances in Shadow's direction to see him nod in response.

"And just as easily as I smell that storm I can smell your fear," Shadow announces.

Knuckles freezes in his tracks and swallows, glancing at Shadow out of the corner of his eye. He turns his head toward him completely, expecting Shadow to make eye contact.

"What are you talking about?" he demands, keeping his expression sincere and unmoved, trying to throw Shadow off. Shadow glances at him briefly before looking away and responding.

"You underestimate how well I've gotten to know you," Shadow tells him. "I can see right through that mask behind which you take refuge, and I can see how frightened and nervous you really are."

Knuckles stops himself from making a defensive comment, having no desire to initiate a hopeless argument. He merely mutters something inaudible under this breath and continues toward town. Shadow walks along with him and takes the lead as they step out of the forest and into the town. Kncukles makes no attempt to regain the lead, more comfortable knowing he is outside of Shadow's range of vision. They walk down the rain-soaked street, the scent of the storm still heavy in the air.

As they arrive at the motel Knuckles almost doesn't believe that their recent encounter had actually happened. Shadow seems no different now as he enters the motel, allowing the door to close behind him for Knuckles to reopen for himself. The bewildered echidna enters the lobby to see Shadow already at the front desk, speaking to a fearful male receptionist. He leans against a wall nearby, staring at his glove, only to catch a glimpse of a familiar blue out of the corner of his eye.

Sonic," he mutters as the hedgehog's hand falls heavily upon his shoulder.

"What's up, Red? What took you and Faker so long to get here?" he asks curiously.

"I was in the forest when the storm started and decided to wait it out. Shadow and I just happened to meet up on the way into town," he lies smoothly.

"Uh-huh," Sonic says with a skeptical nod. He studies Knuckles for a moment but, as usual, fails to read his expressionless face. He shrugs indifferently and leans against the wall with his usual nonchalant attitude. He looks at Knuckles slyly. "So, you two sharin' a room?"

Just then, as if cued by Sonic's taunting question, Shadow turns from the counter and walks over to him, two paper pockets holding their keycards in hand. He hands one of the pockets to Knuckles. "You're in room two fourteen," he tells him, turning away and heading toward the stairwell.

"There's your answer," Knuckles tells him, waving the keycard in his face before walking off in the same direction as Shadow.

"Hmph," Sonic chuckles, following him. He pauses at the bottom of the stairs as Knuckles swings open the door on the second floor before making his own way up. As he exits the stairwell he sees Knuckles entering his room and heads right down the hall toward his room eight doors away from the echidna's. He swipes his keycard through the scanner and, upon hearing it beep in approval, pushes down on the handle and opens the door. He enters the plain room, letting the door close slowly behind him, and pulls off the comforter before flopping onto the bed, shutting his eyes with a relaxed sigh and a carefree grin.

Meanwhile, in room two hundred fourteen, Knuckles stares at the floor with a tense expression. In one hand he clenches the empty keycard pocket, and in the other his one keycard. His fist tightens around the soft paper pocket, crumbling it, as he utters a few words, his voice laced with frustration.

"I've stayed at this motel before," he tells himself. "They always give you two keycards," he continues thinking back to when Shadow had handed him the pocket and walked off. "He kept the other one!" Knuckles exclaims.

He feels his trademark composure melting away as anger and anxiety pick at his nerves. He kicks his shoes off and lies on his stomach, propped up on his elbows, cradling his face in his massive, gloved hands. He begins to wonder if he had made a mistake with Shadow, and the doubts reel in his mind.

"What am I doing? What was I thinking? I can't be in love with Shadow all of a sudden," his mind speaks. "Just a few hours ago we were rivals, to say the least. And now we're…we're… Hell, I don't even know what we are," his thoughts continue. He presses his fingers into his temples momentarily before pulling them away and curling them into fists.

"What have I gotten myself into!" he exclaims, slamming his fists into the bed, causing it to tremble beneath him. He lets his face fall flat forward into a pillow and lays there in silence, motionless. He remains that way for an indeterminate amount of time, as late afternoon fades to evening, and evening fades to dusk. He lies there in such though, such confusion, that he doesn't feel himself doze off and eventually falls into a deep, silent sleep.

Across the hall, Shadow sits in a chair, looking out the window, when he hears an odd click sound from his door. He turns toward it as it swings open and stares unsurprised at whom he sees.

About twenty minutes earlier, Sonic left room two hundred twenty two and exited the motel. About fifteen minutes later, he returned and approached the service counter, his expression malicious.

"Excuse me," he voiced to the receptionist darkly. "I lost my key."

The girl behind the counter was new, and stared back at the hedgehog with fearful eyes. How could this happen to her? Faced by the Ultimate Life Form on her first day!

"N-name, please?" she stuttered, already knowing the answer and looking up his room information. Instead of answering, Sonic looked to her angrily.

"You know who I am," he hissed, his tone causing the girl to start shaking slightly.

"Y-yes, sir, Mr. Sh-Hedgehog," she managed, retrieving a key for each room. "R-rooms t-two fifteen a-and two f-fourteen."

Sonic smiled inside. So Shadow' room was right across from Kncukles', eh? He took the appropriate key and headed toward the stairwell, waiting for the door to slam closed behind him before shattering his evil expression with amused laughter.

"No wonder he's got that attitude, the look on her face was priceless!" he said to himself, making his way to the next floor. Upon exiting the stairwell he turned left down the hall, walking until he stood between the rooms of his teammates. He turned to face Shadow's room, swiped the keycard through the lock, and swung the door open.

"What do you want, Faker?" Shadow asks in a controlled tone.

"I think you know the answer to that," Sonic says with an annoyed grin as he lets the door close behind him, proceeding to lean against it with his arms crossed. "Knux is a smooth liar, Shadow, but you're an honest hedgehog," he says, "even if you are a fake one."

"And your point would be?" Shadow questions, unmoved by the insult.

"My point is, I know something's going on between you and Knuckles," Sonic tells him. "Or am I wrong?"

At this Shadow rises to his feet, his yes on Sonic, unwavering. He couldn't care less about Sonic knowing, but he prepares himself to lie for Knuckles' sake.

"If you're suggesting that Knuckles and I are a couple, you should call him over here. He could use a good laugh," Shadow fibs. "Now I suggest you leave my room before I get too angry about you posing as me."

At this, Sonic frowns, positive that Shadow must be lying. He pushes himself away from the door and turns toward it, wrapping his fingers around the handle. He throws Shadow an icy look as he opens the door.

"Don't mess with his head," Sonic warns. "You may be the Ultimate Life Form, but I've seen what Knuckles is capable of. He and I aren't rivals for nothing. He's more than you can handle," he finishes, exiting the room. Shadow sits himself back down and directs his gaze out the window as the door slams shut.

"It's not fair," Sonic mutters through clenched teeth as he storms down the hall. At that very moment Shadow speaks out in the silence of his room.

"Jealousy doesn't suit you, Faker," the black hedgehog voices.

"Shadow doesn't know him, not like I do," Sonic complains as he approaches his door. He stands before it, his fists clenched, breathing heavily.

"And you're wrong," Shadow finishes his statement as he gazes expressionlessly out the window. "I know him better than you think."

Sonic slams his fists against the door as Shadow's eyes scan the empty street outside.

"He's mine," they declare consecutively, deaf to each other's words. With that, Sonic tears down the stairwell and out the motel door, stunning all those he passes. Shadow catches a glimpse of the Blue Blur disappear down the road and gets to his feet, placing a hand against the window's glass.

"No matter how far you run, Faker, you cannot escape reality," Shadow says, turning away from the window. He grabs two keycards off the nightstand and steps out of his room, being careful to shut the door noiselessly behind him. He stands before room two hundred fourteen and wonders if Knuckles heard the door slamming during Sonic's visit. He decides he'll know soon enough and quickly swipes one of the keycards through the reader, hesitating when he hears the lock click before pushing the door open. He sees Knuckles laying face down in bed and can't help but smile.