Meaningless.4

Well, well, well. It's been a long time hasn't it? I last updated this story in September of last year:: sighs : What a shame. I am disappointed in myself, that I am, but life proved to be too busy to lend me the time or inspiration to write too often. But the mystery shall now be solved. I left many of you wondering what on Mobius happened to Sonic. Well, time to find out. Anyhow, I hope you all enjoy the read. And don't forget-you can find my disclaimer and read my replies to your reviews in my profile!

-Nion Kokesu

Sonic painfully opens his eyes to bright white surroundings. He tries to determine where he could be, but finds himself only able to make out the blurred shapes of foreign objects around him. He blinks exaggeratedly a few times, trying to correct his vision.

What is going on? Where am I? Last thing I remember is Shadow and Knuckles leaving…my wrist was bleeding. Then everything went black. Am I…? Am I dead? Did they really just leave me to die?

Sonic tries to sit himself up but, lightheaded and in pain, falls onto the bed. "Ugh…is death supposed to hurt this much?" Sonic mutters through his teeth.

"You're not dead, surprisingly enough," a familiar voice sounds from the bedside. Sonic turns his head toward the voice, his eyes falling upon the blurred figure of the red individual before him.

"Knuckles? Where am I?"

"You're in the hospital," Knuckles explains. "You lost a lot of blood."

"That explains why I can't see," Sonic states with a shiver. "And why is it so cold. How long have I been here?"

"A few days."

"Really?" It feels like it's only been a few minutes since everything went black," Sonic voices, looking at his tightly bandaged wrist. He winces as he clenches his fist.

"You shouldn't do that," a concerned Knuckles warns, placing a hand on Sonic's arm. "It hasn't been long since the transfusion and it's not healed yet, it could start bleeding again."

"What do you care?" Sonic frowns, snatching his arm away. "Shouldn't you be spooning with Shadow or something?"

"Sonic, don't start. Shadow's not even here, okay?"

"Didn't think so," Sonic scoffs. "He's probably disappointed that I'm not dead."

"Grow up, Sonic," Knuckles shoots back after a brief pause. "Despite what you may think, Shadow doesn't spend all his time wishing bad fortune upon you."

"Good, I wouldn't want to be on his mind."

"Stop acting so childish! You wound up here due to you own over-reacting."

"Get out," Sonic scowls.

"What?"

"I said get out!" Sonic repeats, turning away from Knuckles. "There's no way you could care about my well-being and be so busy defending him at the same time."

Knuckles looks at Sonic, annoyed at his behavior, yet still genuinely concerned. "Sonic, is that really what-"

"I said I don't want you here!" Sonic interrupts.

The red echidna blinks, his sentences still caught in his throat, before getting to his feet with a frown. "Fine," Knuckles agrees, turning toward the door. "If you really don't want me here, then I'm gone."

Sonic watches as Knuckles leaves the room, catching a glimpse of his face as he turns to close the door. The blue hedgehog blinks, wondering if he had truly just seen a hurt look on his trusted rivals face. No, he realizes. His still recovering vision had tricked him. That hadn't been pain he'd seen on Knuckles' face. That had been the expression of someone numb to pain, numb to all emotion. That had been the Knuckles that had been absent for the past few days, the Knuckles that didn't care. The Knuckles that didn't feel.

Knuckles walks down the hall toward the lobby, approaching the seated black figure awaiting him. Shadow turns at the sound of the familiar footsteps.

"We're leaving, the red echidna announces, not pausing as he heads for the door.

"Leaving?" an obviously confused Shadow echoes, getting to his feet. "What happened?"

"Sonic's awake," an agitated Knuckles informs, not slowing to wait for Shadow. "And he doesn't want our company," he adds, exiting the building as the glass double doors slide open before him.

Shadow pauses as Knuckles continues out the door. How could Sonic be so rude, so ungrateful after they had saved him from his own foolish, desperate actions? Without a second thought, the Dark One turns on his heels and makes his way to the room of his blue counterpart. He swings the door open, prepared to give Sonic a piece of his mind, only to find an empty bed and an open window.

"…" Shadow takes a second glance around, hoping that he had somehow failed to spot the blue-spiked hedgehog against the room of all white, and upon having no luck, he retreats to the hall.

"Mr. Hedgehog! You're awake! You shouldn't be out of bed!" a passing nurse panics.

"I'm not Sonic," Shadow assures, suppressing his agitation. "It appears that he is no longer with us." The nurse glances into the empty room and back at the black hedgehog before her, obviously not convinced. As she opens her mouth to explain to him his apparent delirium, the Ultimate Life Form dashes out of the hospital.

"So, how badly did he blow up at you?" Knuckles questions as the Dark One comes to a halt before him.

"We didn't speak," Shadow informs. "I was greeted by an empty room."

"What? He couldn't have left, though," Knuckles states, "He could barely sit up when I saw him."

"I don't know where the Faker is," Shadow informs. "But he's not in the hospital, of that I am certain."

"He's in no condition to be roaming around," Knuckles points out. "He can't even see straight."

"We've got to find him, that's a given. Although he's done well at making that rather difficult," Shadow responds.

"You're right. Even in his current condition he could have gotten pretty far," Knuckles agrees. "And he did so quickly enough that no trail was left behind."

"Faker has always been exceptionally determined," Shadow states before dashing off into the distance.

"Don't forget exceptionally insane," Knuckles mutters. "Blue Boy belongs in an institution," he adds, dashing off after Shadow.

Not far off, Sonic steps foot into the dark refuge that had housed the confessions between Shadow and Knuckles, taking note of the leaves and branches that had been shredded in a way he knew all too well. He finds himself overpowered by the trapped scent of rain as the stale, chilled water drips onto him from the canopy's meticulously woven shell. He sits on the ground, holding his knees to his chest, allowing the cold rainwater, which had finally penetrated the canopy, to fall on him, around him, paying no mind to the screaming pain in his head, and ignoring the painful feeling of his heart pulsing in his wrist. He closes his eyes, losing himself in the dreary atmosphere around him, and within moments he feels his eyes stinging, but does nothing to stop the beads of tears and rainwater rolling down his face.

"They were here," Sonic mutters tearfully to himself. "I know it. Their scents have been washed away, but I can feel it. That aura, that aura Shadow leaves behind everywhere he's been," Sonic's voice breaks, and the flame of hatred flickers in his eyes. Shadow and gotten the one who had come to mean so much to him. An unforgivable crime, that is what Shadow had committed. "And for that, he will be punished," Sonic decides, the solution to his dilemma becoming clear. The Blue Blur gets to his feet and blindly eyes the damp darkness around him. "Shadow must be destroyed," Sonic tells himself.

But would that really solve anything? I must destroy everything that Faker has impressed upon. I must destroy every bit of him that has spread across this world. I must annihilate every indication of his existence, and tear away whatever insignificant purpose he's given to his so-called "life." I must take back what is rightfully mine.

With that, Sonic curls his body into a tiny, blue ball, and under his breath, he lets out a laugh--weak and barely audible, but frighteningly maniacal.

"Let's go," Shadow demands, turning to return to the hotel.

"Stop looking? But Sonic shouldn't be off by himself, you know that Shadow," Knuckles insists.

"He obviously doesn't want to be found, Knuckles," Shadow pipes up. "And frankly, I'm tired of wasting my time looking."

"Oh please, you're immortal, you've got all the time in the world," Knuckles points out, coldly. He immediately regrets his words and, realizing his mistake, he looks up just in time to see Shadow's form come to a halt before him. "Shadow, I-"

"Knuckles," The Ultimate Life Form interrupts, "I may not age, but that doesn't mean I take for granted the time I've been given. You look for Faker if you want, but I've got better things to do with my time," Shadow finishes before vanishing in a flash of green light. Knuckles sighs as the presence of the Chaos Emerald fades, knowing that Shadow has warped home.

"Great, he's pissed," Knuckles scolds himself. "And he's right. Why am I so worried about finding Sonic, when he's dead set on keeping Shadow and I apart?"

"Because Sonic's your friend," a young familiar voice sounds from behind. Knuckles looks back to see the two-tailed fox that had been following the Blue Blur around for years.

"Tails…what are you do-"

"Shadow called me," Tails answers. "You don't have to look for Sonic anymore but I'm not resting until I find him. I have to know where he went…instead of coming home."

"Tails…"

"Just tell me where you three have been, Knuckles."

With a sigh, Knuckles obliges. "We did check into a hotel, but Shadow and I checked there already. There's been no sign of him, Tails," Knuckles explains.

"Where else?"

"That's it," Knuckles assures.

"Where else have you been, Knuckles!" Tails demands in a surprisingly intimidating voice. Knuckles takes a stunned step away from the raging fox.

"Tails, I…wait a sec…" Knuckles stops himself as a thought strikes him. "How could I forget! We were in the forest near that hotel until the storm hit. That's where this whole thing started." Without hesitation, Tails takes to the air and flies off. "Wait! Tails, what makes you so sure he'll be there?" Knuckles asks.

"Sonic's taken are of me my whole life. Nobody knows him like I do," Tails responds before soaring off with a boost of speed. Knuckles thinks for a moment before dashing after the orange fox.

"Knuckles?" a clearly shocked Tails looks at the echidna below him.

"It's a really big forest, and I don't want you getting lost. Besides…if I know Sonic as well as I think I do, then I know exactly where he'll be."

"Good," the two-tailed fox replies, feeling himself fill with hope, as they speed toward the forest. "You can fill me in on the way."

The red and orange figures of the two Freedom Fighters step into the forest and feel themselves weighed down by the damp, heavily scented air. Knuckles starts forward, hoping he'll be able to relocate the landmark where Shadow's confession had been made.

I can't believe Tails got dragged into this; what was Shadow thinking? He's just a kid; he doesn't need to be dealing with stuff like this. Then again…nobody cares about Sonic more than him. Amy's fangirlish "love" isn't dust in comparison. I'm still not sure this was such a great idea, though. I can't imagine what must be going through his head right now…

With his last thought, Knuckles glances over at the fox flying beside him, not the least bit surprised to see an expression of utmost determination and concern upon his face.

Tails does his best to maintain his mask of strength, praying that the echidna beside him won't be able to read his thoughts. In reality, he had almost broken down listening to Knuckles tell him all that had happened, how upset Sonic had gotten, how he had almost died… He finds himself feeling inferior, thinking that Sonic would never become so affected by him. But his feelings waver not.

I'll do anything for Sonic, until the day I die. Even if his love for me isn't as great as my love for him.

Tails winces as the possibility of that being true stabs at his heart. He and Sonic had always shared a close, brotherly love, and Tails had always been certain that neither of them could ever care more strongly for anyone else. But now, the adolescent love that Sonic had inevitably grown for another had succeeded in taking priority in the hedgehog's heart. Or so Tails worries.

"You alright, Tails?" Knuckles asks. The orange fox feels his fur stand on end momentarily.

"I-I'm fine," he assures, slowing the rotation of his tails as he lowers himself to the ground, releasing an audible sigh as his feet plant themselves upon the ground. "I'm worried about Sonic."

"Tails, you two are as close as close gets," Knuckles assures, as they continue along. "If anyone can bring Sonic to his senses, it's you.

"How do you know?" Tails demands cynically.

"Sonic raised you, but I've known him for quite a while myself," Knuckles points out. "And I know for a fact that the strength you give him is unimaginable."

"I hope you're right," Tails responds sulkily.

"Well, we're about to find out," Knuckles states as they approach the botanical hideaway. "We're here."

Tails looks around, his eyes ablaze with determination, his love for Sonic erasing his doubts with newfound hope. "Sonic!" he calls out, rushing into the tightly-woven dome of foliage. He pauses as he is surrounded by darkness, shuddering as cold droplets of water chill him to the bone, and immediately covers his sensitive nose, shielding it from the overpoweringly magnified scent of the forest and rainwater trapped within. He hears Knuckles step in behind him.

"Sonic, we know you're here," the echidna states. After a few moments of silence, the small fox beside him sighs.

"Maybe he's not here," Tails admits, discouraged.

"No, you were right for heading this way. This is definitely where he would come. He may be a fool, but his intuition surely led him here," Knuckles responds. No sooner than he does, he senses something rushing at him. He leaps out of the way in time to feel a breeze carrying the scent of the Blue Blur blow past him. Knuckles grabs the orange fox by the arm before pulling him along and retreating out into the forest. The echidna holds his breath, hushing a protesting Tails, watching the dome with anticipation. Just as expected, the glow of animal eyes appears in the entrance, and a crazed-looking Sonic slowly emerges from within the dome on wobbly legs.

"What is Tails doing here?" Sonic hisses, sneering at the Rad Red. "Why did you drag him into this!"

"I didn't, you know I would never involve him in something like this!" Knuckles shoots back. His gaze involuntarily shifts toward the ground as he continues with an answer that he knows will only anger Sonic all the more. "It was Shadow…"

"What!" an enraged Sonic exclaims. "I'll kill him…I'll kill that sorry excuse for a hedgehog!"

"Sonic, no!" Tails shouts out, finally stepping forward. "I'm glad Shadow told me. I know I'm just a kid but…it's not fair for you to shut me out of your life!" Tails pours out, approaching Sonic. He pauses before the speechless hedgehog. "We've always been there for each other…and even if you don't need me anymore," Tails continues, "I need you."

Sonic feels his rage melting as the innocent sky blue eyes of the young fox remain locked on his own. Suddenly, he recognizes the error in his behavior. Without a second thought, he embraces the younger male. "Tails, thank you. I do need you, more than I could ever say," Sonic assures, still holding his considered sibling close. "You help me keep a level head, and keep sight of what's important," he continues, "which I haven't been doing lately." Sonic glances at Knuckles as he holds Tails in embrace. "I'm hurt…and heartbroken, but I know I've got to accept that I can't change this. And I'm sorry for all of this. I let my rage take control of me," Sonic finishes, finally pulling away from Tails. "Now why don't you and Knuckles head home?"

"But what about you, Sonic?" Tails prompts.

"I've got to set things right with…" Sonic pauses, trying to hide his disgust, "Shadow."

"Sonic…as much as I agree with that, you've got to get some rest," Knuckles points out. "You're injured."

"Knuckles," Sonic rolls his eyes, "you can't have your grapes and eat them too."

"Hmph, fine." Knuckles finally gives in. "But if you're gonna pass out, at least do it somewhere populated," Knuckles requests. He beckons for Tails to follow him and turns to exit the forest.

"Bye, Sonic," Tails voices, indulging in another hug from Sonic before hesitantly following Knuckles, "Be careful."

"I will little bro," Sonic assures, watching as the two speed up before disappearing in the distance. "No matter how much pain I'm in, I refuse to hurt you twice."