"Perhaps Dark Doom was right..." Shadow thought to himself. He was in deep thought. "...I can't escape my past. The world...no, worlds are ending, and I don't even care. I'll be with Maria. And there will be no suffering. All of the people she loved so much will be saved. Thank you, Void."

"Yo, Shadow!" Sonic shouted. Shadow looked to the horizon to see Sonic, Blaze and Tails running to him. "It's not too late, we can still defeat Void!" The group arrived.

"Why would I want to do that?" Shadow scoffed. "It's better this way, Sonic."

"What? How?" Sonic was puzzled. Shadow looked Sonic in the eye. Sonic looked back. Something was different. The resentful, sinful, hateful look that had always been in Shadow's eyes was gone.

"Because everybody will be at peace. Why fight the inevitable? Try to see the bigger picture, Sonic." Shadow tried to reason, a first fro him.

"What's this this 'Sonic' shit?" Sonic demanded. "I'm Faker, remember?" Sonic never thoguht he'd say it, but he wanted the sadistic pity whore he knew as Shadow.

"Please, Shadow!" Blaze stepped forward. Shadow turned to the cat. "We need you to make this work."

"Didn't you hear Void?" Shadow asked. "We need the Preciousestone. We'll be gone, but it'll be okay."

"Tails, fill him in." Sonic told Tails. Tails walked up to Shadow and started to explain. Blaze wandered off.

"Hey, Blaze! Where're you going?" Sonic called after her, but she didn't stop. He caught up her qucikly and walked with her.

"What's wrong, Blaze?"

"Just shut up and leave me alone." Blaze sounded sad. A first. She always kept her emotions to herself.

"C'mon! Don't be like Shadow! Tails and I can't do it without you too!" Sonic reminded her.

"Shadow..." Blaze was crying, and she ran faster. Sonic, being the fasted hedgehog besides Shadow, onyl due to his special shoes, had no problem keeping up.

"What did Shadow do? Did that bastard upset you?" Sonic asked. Blaze slowed down, Sonic did as well.

"I trusted him. I spent so much time alone, it was hard for me to make friends. You an Cream showed me I was wrong, and that I should learn to trust and make friends. So, I did. I meet somebody new, and he betrays me!" Fire errupted around Blaze she was so angry.

"So forget him! There are so many other people around! You don't need Shadow!" Sonic was concerned for Blaze, but also didn't liek Shadow being glamourized. Then it hit him. "Blaze, did you have a little crush on Shadow?" he smiled.

"Shut up!" She threw a small ball of fireat him, which he easily dodged. Blaze decided to pour it all out. She would be gone in hours anyway, she didn't care who knew.

"Yes, Sonic! I did! I thought nobody understood the emerald's powers like I did. They were all I knew! My life! I finally meet somebody who knows, who understands, and it turns out he doesn't even give a shit if I live or die!" Blaze collapsed in Sonic's arms. "And he was hot too! Those sexy black spines, that chest fur! Rouge would have nothing in common with him! He should be mine!"

"Jumping to conclusion, are we?" Sonic was disturbed by her display of emotion. How out of the ordinary for her.

"You're right. I just wanted to get to know him better. I have no doubt that you and I could finish Void ouselves, but we need Shadow to push the worlds apart so the Preciousestone can regain control." Blaze had calmed down. She wiped her tears on her sleeve and turned to the direction of the alter where Shadow and Tails were talking.

"Where are you going?" Sonic asked.

"To give the ultimate ass hole a piece of my mind!"

Note: Yeah, It's short. Sorry. But only two more chapters to go!