A/N: chapter 2 up and needs reviewing! Please (puppy eyes)?

Ch2: Haunting Past, Unsure Future

Sonic wondered down the street and into the arcade. But unlike usual, he was not going in there to try and beat Signo's high scores. He was going in there to record sounds. He walked over to their favourite game, Tomb Wader. He recorded whilst he played.

"This is me and you on Tomb Wader S! I know how much you love this, just because it takes the mickey out of Tomb Raider. And listen, we're on the Moons of Mimica level!" He stopped recording and stood and stared at the game. He remembered how much fun him and Signo had in the arcade, and then he remembered Signo lying on the hospital bed. Then he finally realised.

There was a chance that his best friend might never wake up.

He ran out and into the Green Hill Zone. He picked some flowers from Signo's favourite spot and started recording again.

"This is us mucking about in Green Hill. You were always the best at catching those wasp creatures." He laughed "Remember when we came here and you fell down a ditch and I tried pulling you out and fell in too? I couldn't get that blood off my arm for a week! And when we brought Shadow here and a swarm attacked him whilst we were sunbathing? And you promised you take me to the Hydrocity Zone and teach me to swim? You still haven't done that yet!" Sonic stopped recording again. He flopped down on the exact spot they had been sunbathing and put his head in his hands.

Though some people weren't feeling as glum.

Espio was sat on the couch next to Denizen watching TV in the CDA base. Vector glared across at them in disgust.

"So, you like it here do you?" Espio grinned.

"Yes." Denizen said, then she switched to her baby voice again. "There are lots of big, strong boys to look after me"

"Boys?" Espio said, raising his eyebrows.

"Yes" Denizen said, carrying on with her baby voice "Boys that need to be made into men" she smiled at him, then looked down at him. Espio put his arm round her and moved closer.

"And there's girls that need to be made into women" Espio grinned back. He forgot about everything else and leaned over and kissed her. He kissed her with more passion than he had ever kissed Signo. Denizen kissed him back, but whereas Espio had his eyes closed due to how much he was putting into the kiss, Denizen looked over at Vector. He glared at her. Denizen smiled evilly and pulled Espio over on top of her and out of sight.

Back at the hospital, Shadow was sat at Signo's bedside once again. He was staring at her with watering eyes.

"Come on Signo" he said, as a drop fell from his eyes. He quickly wiped it away. He closed his eyes.

"Finally, I have transformed this spirit from the planet Mobius into it's bodily equivalent" Professor Gerald Robotnik cackled to himself.

Robotnik picked up the little black and red hedgehog and placed her in the enclosure with the other one: she was still asleep.

"Shadow!" Robotnik called; the other hedgehog looked at him "This is Signo, I want you to look after her like you were her brother"

Shadow nodded and went over to the little ball of fluff with a crumpled red skirt sticking out and her red headband half falling out. Shadow picked her up and put her on to a pile of leaves he had made himself earlier, took off her headband and placed it next to her. Then he started work on another pile for himself, when he had finished he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Signo awoke the next morning with a jump. She looked around not knowing where on earth she was. She saw her trainers and her headband next to her. She sat up on the pile of leaves and screamed. Shadow came running in and put his arms around the little hedgehog to comfort her. Signo somehow felt more safe and secure with Shadow holding her in his arms.

"Hey calm down, it's ok little Signo" he said holding her close like a loving father would. Signo, who was only a small child then snuggled her head into Shadow's chest. Shadow sat her back down, went out and brought her back some buttered toast and a drink of water. "I'm going to look after you now Signo, I won't let anything happen to you ok?" Shadow said softly.

Signo looked up at him with a warm look in her eyes, then she jumped up and hugged him (like any 5 year old would). Shadow squeezed her tightly.

"Thank you Shadow" Signo said in a tiny but grateful little voice.

"You're very welcome, I'll look after you no matter what!" Shadow said as he put Signo down and ate some toast himself.

"I broke my promise to you again." Shadow whispered, "I am so sorry, please Signo forgive me. Wake up please, you can hate me as much as you want, just please, wake up Signo" he begged. Tears screamed down his black cheeks and landed in the soft of Signo's bed sheets. Shadow stared at her. "Please" he whispered, quieter than ever. "Please" he put his head down on the bed beside her and cried. "Just wake up Signo; wake up"

Sonic trudged back down the street. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't realise he had walked straight into the Chemical Plant Zone, on of Signo's favourite zones. He turned on the recorder again.

"Right now we're in the CPZ Signo, you love it here – you're so strange! Anyway, the acidy stuff is rising and we have to get out. Remember the time I was pretending to drown and then the acid came over my head and you had to pull me out to stop me from ACTUALLY drowning? That wasn't half funny!" he walked off again, quickly this time and went into the Hang Castle Zone.

"This is the Hang Castle Zone. You always used to try and creep we out when we were hanging around here. And remember the first time we came here? One of those ghosts popped up infront of you and you were so scared! You said you weren't but if that's true how come you jumped into my arms, eh?" Sonic laughed "And you always talked about a Halloween party in the Mystic Mansion Zone, what happened to that!" he turned off the recorder and run off quickly.

He was trudging down the same street he had walked down three years ago, but that time it had been with Knuckles, Vector, Shadow and Espio at either side of him.

"Club Robot. Nik? Are you serious?" Espio said in disbelief. "But that's so, so, so, so………" he trailed off. He hadn't finished his sentence, but all of them knew what he meant.

"So what there's a few sexy women singing sexy songs in sexy clothes? Live a little Espio!" Knuckles laughed. Even though he wasn't drunk yet, he did seem overly hyper.

"What sort of a name is Club Robot. Nik anyway?" Vector asked, "It's just so plain!"

"I don't see why you lot have to amuse yourself like this." Shadow cackled "well, you know what they say: small things please small minds!" This was followed by uproar, the others yelling and brandishing their fists at Shadow, all of them except Sonic.

"Actually Shadow, we're looking for two pretty big things, then we will have pleased minds" Sonic said. Espio, Knuckles and Vector began to laugh. "Come on you lot" he said as they entered the door. And that's when he saw her.

There, at the front of the room where the stage was, stood a female hedgehog. She was wearing a tiny red miniskirt, black high-heeled sandals and a red bikini. Her quills were in a high ponytail held in place by a red bobble. The very tips of her quills were red and otherwise she was black. She was wearing deep red lip-gloss and red eyeliner.

"Who is she?" Espio drooled, staring at the girl. Sonic looked away from her, if Espio was eyeing her up; he could have her. Anyhow, Sonic doubted that such a girl could have any fighting ability, never mind keep up with him! They boys sat down at a table and looked up at the stage.

"Welcome" the robot said. "To Club Robot. Nik!" a large number of screams and yells filled the room, people and humanimals alike jumping around like loons. "Now" The host said loudly. The noise eventually died down. "She's hot, she's strong, she's fast. GIVE IT UP FOR DARK S!" screams filled the room again, looks of glee spread across some of the male's faces and some of them started wolf whistling. Dark S walked onto the stage. It was the same girl Espio and Sonic saw.

"SIGNO?" Shadow shouted, a look of amazement on his face.

"Shadow!" Dark S shouted back, looking straight at the black hedgehog with the same amazed expression.

"What's going on Shad?" Sonic asked. Looking from Shadow to Dark S and back again. Signo ran down from the stage and straight into Shadow's arms.

"SHADOW!" she giggled. Throwing her arms around him. "I can't believe it!" Hot tears spilled from her eyes.

"Signo!" Shadow said, "Look at you!" he pushed her back and took a good look at her. "Hmm" he said, "I don't really approve of those clothes". Signo rolled her eyes and Shadow turned around. "Guys, I'd like you to meet my sister Signo" the rest of them just gawped at her. SHE was Shadow's SISTER! " Sit down sit down!" Shadow told her.

Signo went to sit down but tripped over Vector's tail and fell into Sonic. Sonic didn't move but just stared at her lying in his lap. He eventually helped her up.

"Sorry" she said blushing, "I'm so clumsy".

'Definitely won't be able to keep up' Sonic thought. Signo sat down next to Espio.

"Hi" Espio said shyly.

"Hi" she said back. They looked at each other and smiled.

Sonic hadn't thought about that time for a long while. He laughed as he remembered how wrong he was. When he had met Signo, he had thought she was just another hooker. But when he got to know her he realised she was a feisty little bitch that loved to teach people a lesson or two; and regularly gave ass kickings. She was fast too, fast enough to keep up with him at his normal speed anyway - she had probably got that off Shadow.

"Sir" the nurse said as she walked in. Shadow looked up at her with red puffy eyes, the nurse did not look too happy. "Her will" She passed Shadow a scratty piece of torn paper. Shadow read it.

Shadow cut off and gasped at the last couple of sentences of the will. He looked at it, and then looked at Signo lying on the bed. The nurse had said she should have woken up 2 weeks ago, but there she was, still unconscious.