.:: CHAPTER 1: REUNION ::.

"AAGH!" The pain hit me like a ten-ton weight. I opened my eyes halfway; there is a white ceiling. I sit up and look around, wincing in pain whenever I move. I'm definitely inside somewhere. A house, judging by the furniture, it's really quite comfortable. There are a couple open windows, with billowing curtains dancing through the light the windows let through. My eyes move to my hands, they're wrapped up in white bandages, as are my arms and legs. I lay a hand onto my forehead, where I feel a slight numbness. I feel a cut under my bandaged fingers. I hear footsteps behind me and turn around. A young pink hedgehog is standing in a doorway, which seems to lead into a kitchen. She's wearing a red headband, a red and white dress, red and white boots and white gloves with a gold ring for the wrist; she's also holding a glass of water. Do I know her...? It seems so...but it also seems like I've never seen her face before, "Shadow, you're up!" she says, seemingly surprised.

"Wh...where am I?"

"Oh right! You're at my place. My apartment,"

"Who..."

"Who?"

"Who are you?"

"What? Shadow, it's me! Amy! Remember?" I shake my head slowly and shortly, "Oh...dear..." She walks over, sits down next to me and places the glass of water onto the coffee table nearby. "You must've lost your memory," she gently lays her hand onto my forehead, where the semi-healed cut is. I brush it away, "What's going on?" I say a bit firmly.

"You don't remember anything? Nothing at all?" I shake my head again. Why? I thought, why the hell does she seem so familiar? "I have an idea," she says. I can see her face...I can hear her voice...but I can't recall her name...why? "We can go around and see everybody else,"

"Everybody else?" I have the feeling I'm going to be very confused....

"Yeah, all our friends,"

"Friends?"

"Just...follow me. OH! And before I forget," she runs into another room, I can see a bed through the door, it must be her bedroom. Not before long, she comes back in with a small box, "If you've noticed, you have no shoes on," I glance at my feet, and then back at her, "So I got you these," She pulls out a pair of white sneakers. They have red laces, soles and tongue, a gold ring, and black at the heel. I put them on, and they fit perfectly. My thoughts divert from this pink hedgehog, to How'd she know my size... But of course, they go right back again. This girl, Amy, I believe it was, she's so nice... I smirk and glance at her. She smiles back to me, She has such a heartwarming smile...but...I still can't help but think I know her.... "Well," she says, "We'd better get going. How about we go see Sonic first," I immediately think; "Sonic" is kind of an odd name...isn't it, but I decide not to say it. Amy walks to the door, grabs a jacket from a nearby coat rack, and opens the door, offering to let me through first. I walk into the hallway, bowing my head in thanks as I go through the doorway. We walk through the building, down about three or four flights of stairs, and outside, talking as we go. She asks what I remember, if anything, and I answer, with great detail, "I remember quite a few things, actually. Essentials, of course, but there's also other things, I...I remember," I pause, and think, wondering if I should tell her that I remember her, "I remember a scientists...and...and a girl...a young human girl...she's very pretty,"

Amy's ears droop as she replies, "Pretty, huh?" She doesn't seem to sound interested, as far as this girl's beauty.

I give a little nod, "There's another girl that I remember," I smirk, "She's a hedgehog," Amy's ears perk, "She's pink, loves the very same color...and is just as pretty as that other girl," I glance down at Amy. She looks up and smiles. She then looks forward, and says, "Oh! We're here!" We are in front of a house, a rather nice one. Amy takes a few steps, looks back, and beckons for me to follow, so I do. We walk up to the front door, and Amy knocks. I hear, "I'm comin', I'm comin'," through the door. A tired-looking, blue hedgehog opens it, "Hey, Amy, I was just takin' a nap" He yawns, "What's up?"

"Hi, Sonic!" she smiles and gives a wave, "And as far as what's up...well..." She looks behind, at me. Sonic's tired eyes widen, "Shadow? Y-you survived?"

"Survived?" I raise a brow, and look at Amy, "Survived what?"

"Uh...we'll...we'll cover that later," Amy says unconvincingly.

"'Survive what'?! Shadow, you fell to earth! From space!" Sonic sounds rather surprised.

Amy tries to quickly cover up the surprise and confusion by quickly saying, "Sonic, Shadow. Shadow, Sonic. So...uh-"

Sonic interrupts, "Screw the damned introduction!" Amy gasps, "I wanna know how he survived, and why you're introducing us, when we already know each other!" I slightly scowl at the fact that Sonic is yelling at Amy, but revert to a normal face before either notice. Amy begins to explain, "Well, you don't exactly know each other right now..." Amy continues to explain, and I think to myself; why can't I help but feel a slight dislike for this hedgehog? I don't know him at all, barely, at most. I can't help but feel a connection between me, and these other two...why? When I tune back in, Amy's still explaining, "I found him in a crater, while I was taking a walk through the woods,"

"From after he fell..." Sonic concludes.

"M-hm, he must've fell onto his head when, loosing his memory. 'Course, at that time, I didn't know that.... So I took him home, to take care of him, and two days later, we're here talking' to you,"

"So he..."

"Doesn't know any of us, what happened at the ARK or even how he was created,"

"Whoa..."

"Sonic, I was wondering, if you would help me bring his memory back,"

"I dunno if I can,"

"Please?"

He sighs, then nods, "Alright, I'll help,"

Amy looks at me and says perkily, "Well, let's go and see Tails next,"

Another odd name? I couldn't help but think, but, again, I didn't say, just nodded. So we walked off towards the shore, talking and asking along the way. Amy explains to Sonic some more. But doesn't mention me remembering her at all. I immediately ask myself why, but ignore it as she continues to explain.

We finally reach the shore and we're in front of a rather odd looking house. While I examine the house, Sonic calls out, "YO, TAILS!"

Nothing happens.

Sonic yells louder, "MILES PROWER!" A small, oil stained, fox's head pokes out of a second story window. Calling out, "DON'T CALL ME THA—Oh! Hi Sonic!" The fox waves, and I just had to slightly smile at this fox's reply. Tails jumps out of the window, slowing himself down with two tails as he lands, "Hi, Amy,"

"Hi, Tails. I was wondering if I could have your help,"

"Help?" He looks confused, "With what?" Amy looks behind at me, as she did with Sonic. And, as with Sonic, Tails looked just as shocked, he kept on glancing between me and Amy, "Shad...Wha...Sha...who...how? Why? When? How'd you live?"

I smirk, "You sound as if you wanted me dead,"

"Of course not...but...you...you lived?"

"I still wanna know what I lived through..."

"Tails, let me explain," Amy interrupted, "You remember what happened after Sonic and Shadow beat that...thing, right? -" He nods, "-Well, a little while after we got back, I took a little walk through the woods. I came across a crater, looked inside, and found Shadow. He look really hurt--"

If I fell from space, you'd think I'd be hurt...

"--So I brought him home, cleaned him up, and here he is, two days later, alive and perfectly well,"

"You know, bringing him back here is gonna cause a lot of problems,"

"Problems?" I ask.

"Yeah," Tails explains, "Like the GUN officers, and publicity,"

"We'll just have to hide him from them," Sonic points out.

"I'm not going to be hidden every time a cop comes by," I say.

"He's right, we can't just hide him away," Amy says in my defense.

"But how else are we s'posed to keep him from getting caught," Tails argues.

"Well, I'm sure there's a better way than keeping him from going out," Amy replies.

"Like what? A disguise?" Sonic asks.

"No, but there has to be some way," Tails says.

"Well, we can't just sit here and argue about it. Maybe Rouge or Knuckles would have an idea," Amy suggests.

"Good idea Amy, let's go ask them,"

"But how do we get to the island?" Sonic points out.

"I'll go get the Cyclone," Tails says, "You guys wait here," The small fox runs into his odd looking home. A few minutes later, a garage door opens, revealing a blue and yellow walker, with Tails in the cockpit. There's a twin-tail logo on the back fin, and on the siding is "Sonic" in white and red. Tails moves it out of the garage, "Hop in, guys!" We all get into the walker, Tails in front, Amy in the second seat, and me and Sonic in back. "Ready?" Tails calls out.

"Ready," Says Amy. Sonic and I just nod. I can feel the walker shake as we begin to rise up.

While flying I happen to notice something far away. A bird maybe...? But as we move closer, I notice it's no bird, but "A floating island?" I say.

"Yup," I look at Sonic as he explains over the roar of the hovering walker, "Angel Island. It's where the Master Emerald's Shrine is, along with Knux and Rouge," I nod and look back up at the island.

A red echidna and a white bat greet us as we land near a large shrine donned with emeralds. Seven oddly colored ones, and a large green emerald in the middle. Have I seen those emeralds before...? The red echidna is sitting on the stairs leading up to the middle of the shrine, "Hey guys, what's up?" he says.

"Hey, Knux. Hey, Rouge," Sonic and Tails say, jumping out of the plane.

"Hi, Knuckles, Rouge," Amy says, as she begins to get out. That was when they must've noticed me. Knuckles looked surprised, but Rouge just smirked.

Knuckles stands up, "Shadow? You survived?"

"Obviously he did, you idiot," Rouge says, still sitting.

"Will you quit calling me that?"

"Hey, it's true,"

"Guys, stop fighting...for once, and listen!" Amy interrupts, "After Shadow fell, he lost his memory,"

"His memory?" Rouge and Knuckles say in unison.

"Yeah, he barely knows any of us or what had happened at the ARK,"

"How'd he lose it," I suddenly have the urge to smack this echidna some sense.

"When I fell I hit my head, you idiot," I explain.

"Why does everyone have to call me that?"

"Knux, just listen," Sonic says, "We were trying to think of some way to help Shadow, we were wondering if you had any ideas,"

"I don't know how I could help, maybe Rouge has an idea," he looks back at the white bat.

She crosses her legs and leans on her arms, as if basking in the sun, "Maybe we should tell him what happened first,"