Despite Sonic winning the race, they still went to the Redwood cafeteria. It was the building right across from Tillandsia Cyanea so it wasn't a far walk. It was a fairly big area with food stations on one side and dining tables on the other. The walls were warm amber and the light made the room welcoming and bright.

What surprised Shadow was the tantalizing aroma that filled his nose. She had told him that school food was bad, though mildly better than the 'meals' at work. So far he was finding that to be a lie as work food never smelled this good. Incidentally, the darker hedgehog also caught the scents of the trio with him. There was a rosy smell coming from the pink hedgehog, definitely a perfume with a chemical tinged to it. Shadow was grateful that it wasn't annoyingly overbearing to his senses. Unlike a certain someone, he knew who liked to douse herself in the stuff. The fox's scent reminded him of fall, pumpkin maybe? The younger boy also had the faint scent of machine oil and grease, though it wasn't too noticeable. Sonic's scent reminded the ebony hedgehog of the salted breeze by the sea. Shadow had smelt it earlier but the scent smelled more like a chaotic storm than the jittery waves it was now.

It seemed to match his mood or current emotion. Even if Shadow wasn't in tune with his senses, he would have to be a moron to not notice the energy flowing out of the other hedgehog in waves. It seemed Sonic had an abundance of chaos energy with how much flowing out. From what Rouge had reported he expected as much, though the other two were a neat surprise. Not a bottomless well like Sonic, but the other two had more than the average chaos energy. More so with the pink hedgehog than the fox.

It was interesting to Shadow.

They wander to the stations got the meal of their choosing, paid for it, then regrouped at one of the cafeteria tables. The blue hedgehog got some macroni&cheese, chicken, and a fruit cup. The pink hedgehog had chicken alfredo pasta. The yellow fox had some sushi rolls. And Shadow had beef stew with rice. Sonic and Tails sat across from shadow and Amy.

Red eyes observed the trio sitting with him. The pink hedgehog next to him seemed to enjoy her meal, trying hard to hide her curiosity about him as she kicked her legs. The fox eyed him with a similar curiosity. But if the swaying tails said anything he seemed to be wary of him as well. Sonic was, from what Shadow gathered, in his usually cheery optimism. Though from the silent thumping of his foot he was nervous. This piqued his curiosity as he saw no reason for the blue hedgehog to be nervous unlike the other two.

"So Shadow, how'd you come to meet our blue speed demon?" It wasn't a surprise to Shadow that the female hedgehog would speak first.

"He crashed into me will running late."

"Really?" The pinkette was surprised to hear that.

"Ames I did say I tackled someone this morning," Sonic said after taking a sip from his water bottle. His muzzle grew pinkish, appearing to be still embarrassed by that event.

"In return for the incident, I had him help me get to my next class," Shadow states in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I see." Amy seemed pleased with his answer. "Well, that sounds like a fun morning."

"So Shadow," The ebony hedgehog turned his attention to the fox. "What's your major? Minor? Year? Age?"

"Criminal Justice, History, junior year, 24." Shadow simply answered, barely batting an eye at the round of questioning.

The fox gave him a skeptical look. "Crim and history huh? Then why are you taking English and advanced biology?"

"Some of my credits didn't transfer so I'm retaking some classes. Though biology is a guilty pleasure of mine." He took a bite from his rice and stew. 'She did lie about the food.' He thought as he enjoyed his meal. It wasn't a high-class meal by all means, but he would prefer this over the slop at work. He swallowed and looked at the trio. "How about you?"

The fox smiled at him. "I'm majoring in Engineering, minoring in computer science, freshman year, and I'm 18 years old."

"My turn!" The pink hedgehog said cheerily. "I'm majoring in Biology, minoring in fashion, I'm a sophomore and I'm 19. A pleasure to meet you, Shadow."

The hedgehog nodded at the two. "To you as well, Tails, Amy." His red eyes then glance in a certain blue hedgehog's direction.

Sonic appeared to notice the look and rubbed the back of his head. "My turn huh?" The blue hedgehog then gave Shadow a confident smile and thumbs up. "I'm majoring in Sports Communication and Media, minoring in writing, I'm a junior as well and I'm 21. Though to be honest I much rather race in the Olympics than talk over them." He decided to add.

Shadow quirked a brow at that. "Really?" The other nods in confirmation. "Then why are you doing communication and media and writing?"

Sonic paused at Shadow's question. "...Well my uncle wanted me to have a backup plan so I went with it. Plus it's interesting to know the inner workings of the sports industry."

"It's also because he likes to run his mouth a lot."

Sonic nodded in agreement before realizing the fox's statement. "Tails!"

"What it's true! I can barely work on a project without you coming in and talking my head off."

"Come on, I'm not that bad."

"Actually, Sonic," Amy buts in, "I'll have to agree with Tails on this one."

"Ames, not you too."

"What? It's not my fault you keep going on random tangents when we hang out."

"Well, jokes on you, I actually like talking. It gets too quiet when you work on projects Tails and Amy you talk as much as I do." The cobalt hedgehog crossed his arms and pouted. "Traitors." He mumbles.

There was a moment of silence before the trio laughed in unison. The sudden bursts of laughter caught the darker hedgehog off guard. To his surprise he didn't mind the laughter, if the tilt of his lips were anything to go by, it was contagious. He tried to ignore it as a way to prevent himself from joining in the laughter. Unbeknownst to himself, Shadow couldn't stop himself from smiling at the ridiculousness.

"Haha. That's good you're finally smiling." Sonic's chuckling voice grabbed Shadow's attention.

"What?" He said, still processing what the other hedgehog had said.

The blue hedgehog in front of him chuckled. "You've been in this resting bored face since I first ran into you. For a second I thought your face was permanently stuck like that, I'm glad that's not the case." The smile Sonic gave him was cunning but seemed to blind him. Shadow didn't know what to make of the light enveloping the other hedgehog. It was as if a spotlight had been placed behind him, both repulsing and entrapping Shadow's gaze.

"What are you talking about Sonic? He still looks moody to me." Amy states, though her voice was muffled to Shadow's ears. His focus was dead set on the younger male hedgehog. The way his quills frizzed and relaxed at the pink hedgehog's statement.

"How could you miss it? He smiled." The way he tilted his head in the girl's direction. Revealing his neck.

"I think you might be finally going blind there Sonic." The fox said childishly.

'Thuh thump, Thuh thump, Thuh thump'

Shadow then heard the quick rhythmic beat of one's heartbeat. The resting beats had a faster pace than any other heartbeat in the room, but it was easy to tell it was solely from Sonic. He could practically feel the rushing blood from the other's body in his ears. The younger hedgehog's breezy scent became enticing to the older hedgehog.

He was so immersed in the workings of the younger hedgehog that he failed to notice his own bodily reactions. Despite him currently eating, Shadow's stomach rumbles in silent eagerness. His hands clenched and unclenched in anticipation.

It wasn't until his teeth ached that Shadow climbed back up to reality. He rested his head on his hand, ashamed of himself. 'The hell was that? I should be fine. I shouldn't even be reacting like this. I'm in control.' He bit the inside of his cheek harshly, drawing blood.

"Ugh, Shadow could you just tell them I'm not blind and you did smile!" Sonic's frustrated tone was able to reach his ears. But he didn't want to look up, not until he calmed down. "Shadow?" The other hedgehog seemed to finally take notice of Shadow's silence. "Hey, you alright?"

"Fine." He groaned roughly. "Just give me a second." Shadow lifted his head before looking down at his bag and rummaging through it. He took out a medicine bottle and for a second was glad he listened to her for once. It would've been unbearable to deal with this all day. He ignored the curious and worried looks as he pops a tablet in his mouth and it melt upon hitting his tongue. The pseudo taste of metal and sugar filled him with irritable pleasure. It took longer than it should but it took effect nonetheless.

Shadow didn't realize that his own heart was pounding, but it soon quelled like all the other reactions his body caused him. 'I'll have to thank her and the doctor for this later.' He begrudgingly thought.

He took a breath, Sonic's scent was still enticing to his nose but not as much as before. He faced the three again then lowered his eyes. "Sorry about that." His mind recalls the rehearsed excuse, "I get lightheaded from time to time, it's nothing too bad, just annoyingly unpredictable. The iron pills help me out." He took another bite of his stew and rice, hoping to further quell both their worries and his body.

"You sure?" Tails and Amy nearly said in unison.

"Yeah, you didn't look so good there?" He felt Sonic's emerald eyes observe him.

As small as it was, Shadow smiled at the trio. "I'm sure, it's not the first time that's happened." Then he gave the blue hedgehog a devious smile. "As for your previous question Sonic, no I didn't smile."

The other hedgehog blinked and then seemed to register what Shadow had said. "Oh, come on, you so did!" He returned the darker hedgehog's devious smile with his own. Amy and Tails chuckled at that. It seemed they were at ease with Shadow's answer.

Lunch continued in the same fashion but ended for the group shortly after as their classes were about to start. Amy, Sonic, and Shadow had one class left in the day while Tails had two. The darker hedgehog was able to learn more about the trio and even exchanged numbers. Sonic seemed particularly cheery about that. The two older hedgehogs said their goodbyes to Amy and Tails as they all left the cafeteria for classes.

Sonic's last class of the day was creative writing while Shadow's was on ancient history. Though in different classes, they were held in the same building. The interior of this building had light mint green painted walls with a medium gray bottom, leading down to the light grey tile floors.

"See ya later Shadow!" The younger hedgehog waved to the older one as he entered the second floor to class.

Shadow simply nods in the other's direction before heading to his class on the third floor. A familiar scent intrudes his senses causing him to scrunch his nose in mild disgust. To anyone else, it would probably be the pleasant scent of raspberries. But to Shadow, the perfume's strong chemical smell nauseated his senses. Before he heard footsteps running towards him he knew who she was. Especially since the hallway was empty.

"Shadow!" The white bat jumps and hugs his neck.

"Hello Rouge" He looked at her blue zircon eyes with his jasper ones. A warm smile spread across his face. "Cousin."

Though she tried to hide it Shadow could see her pout as he didn't call her what she wanted. "So you've already heard that excuse."

"Yes, from yellow, pink, and blue. A slight warning would have been nice." He huffed.

She gave him a cheeky smile as she poked his cheek. "You were busy, besides I knew you would get it. Anyway, how were your classes jefe?"

"It was interesting."

Her eyes then took on a more sly look as she released her hold on him. "Was I right about the target?"

Shadow took a breath. "He indeed has the potential to be a guardian. His chaos energy is quite strong compared to others. I'll reserve my final judgment after further observations."

Rouge proceeded to pout at that. "Oh come on, after two years of waiting for you to measure him that's all you have to say?"

"I was busy with other matters. But he is intriguing. I'll give you that. He's practically given me a tour around the school already." He said with a noticeable smile on his face.

The bat raises an eyebrow at him then grins cheekily. "Oh, so even he was able to warm your cold red heart~"

He gave her a playful scowl. "You act like I'm some cold-hearted bastard."

She shrugs. "Except for me, you're definitely like that to everyone else."

"And I assume that's another reason you wanted to drag me here? There was no need for me to enroll in this school. I'll have to say with the importance of this assignment we shouldn't be goofing off."

"Then when will you get to goof off?" At the darker hedgehog's questioning look she elaborates. "Look, you've been stuck doing assignments since before I met you, and that was years ago." She put a finger on his lips before he could respond. "I know why you work so hard and while you technically are on an assignment, I thought this would be a good opportunity to relax." She takes her figure off and looks up at him with worry. "You've been moving so fast that I don't think you even remember how to stand still."

Shadow looked back into her zircon eyes in thought. He could see her point. They were just so close to finding him that he couldn't even think of lying down. Even if being sleep-deprived affected his performance greatly, he didn't stop. Though this mission is far more important than the others, he felt ashamed that this child had to see him in that state. "Alright, I'll go along with this idea." Then he gave her a sly smirk. "But only because I don't want you to drug me to sleep again."

Her tan muzzle became red. "That was one time! And you were practically hysterical in your sleep-deprived state." She huffs. He gave her a small chuckle.

"Well anyway it's time to get to class, big blue's waiting for me downstairs," She said as she looked at her watch then looked at him. "I'm curious to know your thoughts on big red later."

It took him a second to figure out what she meant. "Ah, you mean target two, that red echidna you're so fawned of."

Her muzzle reddened slightly. "I'm not fawned of that brute, though his muscles are quite nice."

Shadow rolled his red eyes, ignoring his protective instincts for his companion. He knew she could take care of herself, but knew it was natural to feel this way. Especially after the last time, she seemed interested in someone. "Pues bien, hasta luego, hermana." He proceeds to walk to his class, and though he didn't see it he knew Rouge's face beamed with delight.

"¡Adios hermano!" She calls back to him as he hears her footsteps fade into the stairwell. He enters the vacant classroom.

He waited alone in the room for a minute or 2 before the class started to flood with students. Instead of having desks in the class, this room housed tables for two. Paired projects were probably common here. It wasn't long before a red echidna in a brown uniform with a bag over his shoulder entered the room. He seemed as fit as Shadow, maybe more so with his upper body. His face was in a scowl similar to Shadow's own. 'What did Sonic call it again?…. Resting bored face? Yeah, that seemed to match.' The red echidna also had an interesting set of spiked knuckles, two spikes per hand.

From what Shadow was feeling this echidna also had an abundance of chaos energy coming off of him. Unlike Sonic it didn't feel like waves, it felt like a river. It didn't mean he had more or less energy than Sonic, but rather showed a level of control that the blue hedgehog didn't have. Though it wasn't by much if he was able to feel this much of it. There was also something else that he sensed, it was on the echidna but separate from him. It confused the darker mobian's senses enough to annoy him.

The red echidna's violet eyes scanned the room until they landed on red eyes. He walked over to him.

He gave Shadow a questioning look. "Are you Rouge's cousin?"

"Yes, you're Knuckles I presume."

The red echidna arched his brow in slight surprise. "She told you about me?"

"She talks about you quite frequently."

There was a small blush on the echidna's tan muzzle and avoided his gaze. Shadow's ear twitched as he resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Though the hedgehog knew better, his protective instincts sizzled in his gut.

Knuckles then 'coughed' in his fist. "Mostly insults I assume." He pulled the chair, sat next to the dark hedgehog, and placed his bag down. "Well, she asked me to look after you and bring you up to speed for this class." Knuckles put his hand out to Shadow with a slight smile. "I hope we can get along."

"I see, likewise." Shadow shook the other's hand. It was a brief exchange, but in it, he picked up a scent. It reminded Shadow of summer, more specifically apples. The sourness tingled his nose. At that moment Shadow would admit that he preferred the salty breeze over sour apples. "Oh by the way, what are we currently studying in this class?" He asked as he came out of his thoughts.

Knuckles thought for a moment as they ended the handshake. "I believe it was the mystic ruins as well as the mystic temple."

Shadow borrowed his eyes a bit. "That's good, at least I know the subject." 'A little too well.' He thought somberly. 'Though I am interested in how they've interpreted the place after all these years.'

Knuckles blinked at the dark hedgehog. "Really? How much do you know about the ruins?"

Shadow thought for a moment, carefully deciding what he was going to say. "Well, it's located in an untameable forest on the west coast beyond the Summit desert. As well as that it was an ancient tribe of echidnas that used to live in the ruins. Though from a recent study I saw there is a theory that Seedrains might have been depicted in some paintings or relief sculptures." The ebony hedgehog almost didn't catch the small gleam in the echidna's eyes.

"Really." His voice contained its normal tone though his eyes portrayed his excitement. Shadow could swear he saw the echidna's long crooked tail sway. "Which study was it? I haven't heard of that theory before."

The striped hedgehog was a bit taken aback by the other mobian's eagerness to learn. Knuckles so far didn't seem to be the historian type. It hit Shadow once the thought crossed his mind. 'Is that why Rouge asked me to teach her history last year?' The hedgehog's quills almost flared at the thought. It was then the professor, a black bear in a blue suit with glasses, walked into the room. "Class is about to start, maybe I'll show you later." Shadow states as he took out a notebook and pen.

The echidna smirked as he grabbed his own books. "I'll hold you to it."

The lesson started.


Sonic walked cheerily out of the classroom as the lesson ended. Creative writing always seemed to put an extra pep in his step. He waited by the door for Rouge. The white bat entered the hallway with an annoyed look on her face.

"What's wrong, Rouge?" This class usually had her in a similar mood to Sonic, so it was weird seeing her ticked off afterward.

She sighs. "Nothing just didn't get today's prompt." They begin to walk down the hallway.

Sonic tilted his head in confusion. "Really? I thought it was an easy one."

She closed her eyes in frustration. "I know it should have been. It just felt too easy and nothing came to mind." She looked to the floor then at him. "I overthought it and barely got a paragraph in."

Sonic looked forward, then to the white bat with a smile. "If it makes you feel any better, the assignment he gave us two weeks ago was a real thorn in my side."

She rolled her eyes. "Nice try blue, I know how excited you were with that assignment. I bet you even finished it the day it was assigned." She shakes her head. "The only way you can stay still is if it has something to do with action or adventure stories and that was an action assignment."

Sonic huffed at that. "Fine, you got me there."

She winked at the hedgehog. "I appreciate the thought though."

"No problem." He winked back.

They reached the stairwell and went down the first flight when Rouge popped a question. "So Sonic, what do you think of my cousin?"

Puzzled, the hedgehog glances at the bat. "What?"

Seeing his surprised face Rouge decided to elaborate. "I ran into Shadow before he went to class and he said he already met you, Tails, and Amy. So I was wondering what you thought of him." She then smiles and adds. "Come on share, was he being a stick in the mud?"

Sonic mused over the bat's comment. "Um…no not really. It was kinda fun talking to him actually." He slightly narrowed his emerald eyes at her. "Though a little heads up that your cousin was coming would have been nice."

Rouge blinked at that. "Really? And here I thought you would find him boring. And it's not my fault you didn't pick up your phone." She huffs.

"A text would have been good." He sighs.

Her big ears folded back in annoyance. "Like you ever look at your texts."

"Fair but I would've checked eventually." He groans. They reached the first floor and walked into the hallway in the direction of the exit.

She rolls her eyes. "Anyway, what else did you think about my cousin?"

Sonic sighs. "Well aside from tackling him on our first encounter, he-" A sharp gasp interrupted him.

"Oh my! Sonic was my cousin so dashing that you jump his bones? I thought your heat was over!" Rouge said, her gloved hands covering her devilish smile. A smile, that grew upon seeing the cobalt hedgehog turn red.

"I-it is over!" Sonic yelled, scandalized by the bat's suggestion. He then lowered his voice when he noticed he got the attention of the other students in the hall. "I was running late and bumped into him when rushing to class." He quickly explains before huffing, folding his arms, and turning his head away from Rouge's direction.

The bat laughs at the other mobian's actions as she pushes open the door to the outside. She was surprised to see two figures, one black and one red by the large oak tree in front of the building. "Guess their class ended early." she thought aloud.

Sonic ears twitched at Rouge's words and looked where she was looking to find the same sight of Knux and Shadow by the tree. Talking in the middle of the grassy hill. Which was placed in between three class buildings, including the one they just walked out of. "Huh, guess they did." He said back.

As they walked on one of the many paths toward the others, Sonic couldn't help but notice how despite being in the shade, Shadow seemed to glow. As if there was an invisible spotlight solely placed on him. It outlined his strong and confident physique. Those dark quills seemed to glisten in the glow, displaying how sharp and strong they appeared to be. He wondered how soft the other's fur was in comparison to how silky it appeared to be. His indifferent red eyes seemed to flare in the shaded light. When those eyes landed in Sonic's direction they appeared to have a level of intensity to them. Sonic had no clue what that look meant but that's when an image flashed across his mind. The image of him on top of Shadow back in the classroom. Their uniforms disheveled.

His mark flared up in response, snapping the hedgehog out of his mesmerized state. Sonic felt his muzzle flush and hoped he wasn't as red as he felt. He mentally kicked himself for having those thoughts about the other hedgehog. 'Even if he is my soulmate, I shouldn't be thinking something like that about a guy I have known for half a day!… Ugh! I blame Rouge for this.' He thought back to her earlier comment.

The bat in question didn't seem to notice Sonic's turmoil as they drew closer to the two by the tree. She smiled. "Well if it isn't my two favorite meatheads!" She exclaimed, "How was class?"

Shadow rolled his eyes as Knuckles folded his arms, though with a smirk instead of his usual frown. "Peachy. You?" The echidna responded.

The bat put a hand on her hip. "As fun as can be when it comes to writing prompts."

Knuckles raised an eye ridge. "Oh, and what did you write this time?"

"It was a sentence prompt. We had to have 'The fortune teller was mistaken' as our first sentence.' I only got a paragraph out of it, but I was going in the direction of a peasant girl getting prophesied to marry a tyrant who would turn out to be a hopeless romantic." She smiled cheekily at the red echidna. "Basically, a beauty and the beast type story~."

The echidna knew the bat was trying to agitate him, as it seemed clear the 'beast' was meant to reference him. However, he couldn't help but raise a brow in surprise at her statement as it was a neat coincidence to his lesson. "Now that's funny, we learned about an ancient depiction with a similar story only it was the girl who was the 'beast'"

Sonic quirked a brow at the statement. He glanced at Shadow in front of him, who nodded to his silent question.

"Oh~, and how did this story go?" Rouge said thinking Knuckles was making it up just to get back at her.

"Well, parts of the story were missing. But it's basically about an echidna member who was lost at sea on a fishing trip after a storm. He washed up in a cave under a cliff and was stuck there for a few months. During that time he comes into contact with a Nakoma, a spirit-like creature that supposedly appears in the night. They have a rough start, she nearly kills him but he saves her leading them to get along. At night she is in her ghost-like state and during the day she 'becomes one' with his body to keep away from the sun. In return, she helps him survive until the tide becomes low and the seas calm. They become lovers by the end of it."

"How did you know all that? The professor didn't even mention the ending." Shadow questions.

Violet eyes looked to red. "Oh, I just quickly read the picture of the tribal text she had on screen."

Rouge scoffs taking a step closer to the echidna. "Yeah right like a brute like you could comprehend an ancient language."

He stepped closer to her. "And why wouldn't I be?"

She took another step, folding her arms as she did so. "Because last I checked you didn't have the brain capacity for it."

He also took another step. "Well, perhaps you don't have the capacity to see how smart I really am." Knuckles then leaned down to match Rouge's eye level, which wasn't much. Their foreheads were a mere centimeters apart. "And how do you know didn't learn it from my mother?"

Sonic swore he saw sparks fly between the two mobians.

"Well, you always bash your head in every other game, so as far as I know you only had a few brain cells left." Rouge then breaks their stare down and takes a few steps away, her winged back facing the echidna. Surprising Knuckles, who growled at her next comment. "Which is why your mother's lectures always seem to go over your head." She glances over her shoulder back to the red mobian with a deviant smile. "It's good to see you aren't too much of a meathead then. though I guess you are still as much of a brute as ever."

A tick appeared on Knuckles's forehead as he stomps to the bat. "Why you…!"

Seeing where this was going the blue hedgehog sighs and moves next to Shadow under the tree. The darker hedgehog looked puzzled at the two explosive personalities in front of them. 'Probably hasn't seen this side of his cousin yet.'

"I thought I was the only one she had petty arguments with." Sonic hears Shadow murmur, making the blue hedgehog take back his previous thought. "Are they usually like this?" The darker hedgehog asks.

He looked at Shadow with a nonchalant shrug. "For the most part, yes." His focus turned back to the two bickering mobians as he thought for a moment. "I'd say it'll end in about eight minutes."

Shadow looks at Sonic with a curious expression. "How can you tell?"

"It's a small banter, so unless they're interrupted, it'll end soon. Right now they're just throwing basic insults." He said with a grin.

The darker hedgehog looks back to the hollering white and red mobians. "I see. Impressive, he's just as stubborn as her." Sonic laughs at the hilarious truth of Shadow's statement.

Shadow was taken off guard by the sudden burst of laughter coming from the other hedgehog. Though thinking about it he should've expected it. Sonic's optimistic and bubbly personality that Shadow has witnessed so far was just as bright as his coloring. 'I'm glad she's found such good friends.' He thought with a soft expression at the two bickering morons. It was then that a sudden thought came to mind.

"By the way, what was your story?" He suddenly asked.

"Huh?" The blue hedgehog looked up at the other with a perplexed expression.

Red eyes locked on to green. "Rouge told us her prompt but you didn't share yours. So what did you write?"

"Oh…um…well…" Sonic stumbles, not expecting the other hedgehog would be curious. "Well, it was nothing special, though I did base it off of a weird dream I had this morning." He rubbed the back of his neck. It wasn't like him to feel nervous but unlike running, when it came to his writing he didn't feel as confident.

'Vvvmmn, vvvmmn…vvvmmn, vvvmn…' Sonic's phone suddenly started vibrating in his back pocket. Taking his phone out, Sonic looks at his phone. "Ah, shit!" He spat.

"What happened?"

"Practice starts in fifteen minutes, and I don't have my workout stuff. So I need to head back to the dorm now!" He put his phone away. "Knuckles, Rouge, I'll see you later!" He hollered at the two unsure if they heard him or not.

To the surprise of the darker hedgehog, he then grabbed Shadow's wrist and began to bring the other with him. "What are you-?"

Shadow was cut off as Sonic glanced back with a determined grin. "I'm still your tour guide, right? I can at least show you the way to the dorm before bouncing to practice."

Shadow had no objection to that and simply grinned back at the lighter hedgehog. "Fine. Lead the way."

Sonic's grin grew wide as he winked at the other. "I'm not going to slow down, so make sure to keep up."

Shadow matched Sonic's wide grin with his own. His quills bristled at the challenge. 'I need to test him anyway.' "Well then don't worry, I'll be sure not to leave you in the dust."

Sonic paused at Shadow's response, not expecting it. "Huh?"

Shadow used the opportunity to shake his wrist out of the other hedgehog's grip and dashed down the hill to the sidewalk. He looked back at the dumbfounded hedgehog up on the hill. "You coming?"

Sonic's eyes gleamed at the new challenge. "It's a race then." He said before catching up to Shadow and the two charged to the dorm.

It was the gust of wind from Sonic leaving that made the two other mobians on the hill pause their argument. Noticing that the oak tree was missing two hedgehogs under it.

Knuckles looked around to find no sign of the other two mobians. He glanced back at Rouge. "Where did they go?"

Rouge shrugged. "I heard him say he was leaving. He must've dragged Shadow with him."

The red echidna closed his eyes for a few seconds before a thought came to mind. He placed his fist into his open palm. "Ah, he must've had practice today. Guess your cousin must've gone with him."

Rouge mulled over the echidna's words. "Shadow did say Sonic was giving him a tour." She then shrugged. "Ah well, we'll see them again later anyway." She then smirked devilishly at Knuckles. "Hey, Knuckie since they've left can I take you on a tour of my own?~"

Bewildered by the bat's sudden change in attitude he took a slight step back. Knuckles raised a brow. "B-but I already know the layout of the school."

She drew closer. The tips of her gloved fingers lightly brushed against his shoulder. This small action caused his fur and quills to bristle as if a chill ran down his back. His muzzle was slightly flushed and Rouge took pleasure in his reaction. She decided to take it a step further and place her other hand on his outer right thigh. He shuddered at the electric jolt she had caused him. "Come on take a walk with me Knuckie~" She purrs in a low voice.

Redder along the muzzle, Knuckles narrows his eyes and swiftly takes hold of the bat's hand on his thigh, startling her. His other arm hooks around her back and pulls her closer to him.

He leans down until his mouth was next to her large ear. "There's a new place down on Otters Ave. Let's go there." He slowly growls in a low tone.

It was her turn to shiver as his warm breath brushed against her ears. She wouldn't lower her ears, she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "Lead the way~" Despite her best efforts to show that he had not gotten to her, the red echidna saw how her wings had lowered. They were open more instead of their usual half-folded display.

He smiles, pulling away from her. His hand still holding hers as they proceed to make their way down the hill. Knuckles huffed as he tried to ignore the flaring mark on his thigh. "How did I end up with a soulmate like you?" He looked down at her. A blazing warmth in his violet eyes.

Rouge shrugged with a smile. "Chaos has his ways, my dear Knucklehead." 'He always does.' She thought, placing a hand on her own flaring mark.


The wind crashing against his face as he ran down the sidewalk was exhilarating. And the fact that someone was keeping up with him, running beside him, made Sonic's blood pump more. Don't get him wrong Scrouge was just as fast too, it's just exciting to suddenly have a new competitor. His muzzle almost hurt from how wide he was smiling. "Haha! Keep up Shadow!" He sped up.

"Likewise." The darker hedgehog picked up the pace as well. A confident grin on his muzzle.

Green eyes looked ahead to see that they were coming close to the end of the sidewalk and the crosswalk. From the sign across the street, there were 5 seconds left to cross. "First one across the street wins!" He picked up the pace once again. Shadow grunts in confirmation matching Sonic's speed once more. To any onlookers on the two hedgehogs were merely blue and black streaks that passed by.

'4'

Sonic was ahead as they passed the school entrance.

'3'

Shadow took the lead as they launched off the sidewalk.

'2'

Sonic advanced again as their footsteps drummed against the painted pavement.

'1'

A pair of red and white shoes and a pair of white and black shoes land on the sidewalk simultaneously. The soles of those shoes padded the concrete rapidly to come to an abrupt stop.

"Ahah! I won!" Sonic exclaims with a huff.

Shadow raised an eye ridge at the other's declaration. "I believe you are mistaken, I'm the one who won that."

Sonic moved closer to Shadow. "What! No way, I clearly made it here first."

Shadow folded his arms. "At most, it was a close tie."

Sonic waved a finger rapidly back and forth. "Nonono no. I definitely won."

Shadow sighed and gave the other hedgehog a stern look. "We can discuss this later. Aren't you in a hurry?"

The blue hedgehog blinked a couple of times before realizing what the other hedgehog meant. "Shit. Right, practice." He pouted. "Fine, we'll talk about this later. Come on, follow me, I'll show you to Birch Hall."

Sonic turned around and began jogging forward before turning right into the dorm courtyard with Shadow following behind him.

From the little Shadow was able to see, it was a pleasant open area to sit and converse. It was between three dorm buildings, the entrances of two of the dorms were near the gate of the courtyard. Since the blue hedgehog was taking him deeper into the courtyard it was clear that Birch Hall was the dorm in the back of the area.

Each building had many windows and was made up of natural stones. The bases were a darker color with irregular cuts of large stones. The base ended around the second floor and replacing it were smaller square-cut beige stones. These buildings differed from the bland brick apartments or the newer more high-tech buildings. The older style, though didn't match most of the city, was very appealing to Shadow.

Sonic opened the door to the Birch Hall entrance. He walked in and held the door for Shadow to follow. "Welcome to Birch Hall."

Shadow nods as he enters the building. Wood floors, a few chairs housing conversing students, a coffee table, and light orange painted walls. There was a front desk with a glass plane behind it showing an office with a brown rabbit diligently working. At the back wall, there was a door that most likely led to the stairs or elevator with a card scanner next to it. It was a pleasant lobby. "Not bad."

"Eh, could use a little more red if you ask me, but it's fine." The blue hedgehog commented. He made his way to the front desk and tapped the small silver desk bell. Shadow approached the desk as well and noticed the rabbit mobian in the office was walking out with ears pointing upward. He wore a plain white dress shirt and black tie with a pair of light blue genes. As this rabbit exited the office and approached Shadow could see he had bright blue-green eyes and a light brown coat. He had a darker shade of brown at the tips of his ears and other areas as well. This rabbit had a determined look on his face which was directed at the lighter hedgehog.

"Hey Dr. B, how was your day?" Sonic said cheerily oblivious to the stern look the older rabbit was giving him.

The stern look visibly crumbled as the rabbit sighed. Then he smiled, presenting his round buck teeth. "Hello Sonic, are you here to listen to what I had to say this morning?"

The blue hedgehog blinked. "Huh, I actually forgot about that." He then shook his head. "Can we talk later Dr. B? I'm in a bit of a rush."

"When are you not?" The rabbit mumbled as he placed a paw on the desk. "So what did you ring me for if not to talk?"

Sonic grinned and pointed a thumb to Shadow next to him. "Well, this guy's a new transfer and is moving in today. So I was wondering if you knew what his room is?"

Dr. B looked at the red-striped hedgehog with a warm smile. "I see, can I get your name?"

"Shadow Robotnik."

"Alright, Shadow…" The rabbit's hands went to tap on the desk computer before his eyes grew wide. He then laughed loudly. "Oh, that's a neat coincidence."

Puzzled, both hedgehogs raised an eye ridge at the rabbit's sudden behavior.

"What coincidence?" Shadow was the first to ask.

"Well Shadow, what I've been trying to tell Sonic here and even emailed him a few times…"He pointed to said hedgehog. "….is that he's getting a new roommate today, and I know there was one student that was going to start living here today." Dr. B saw how the two were swiftly putting the pieces together. He typed away at his computer pulling up a grid of the dorm building and clicking on one of the rooms. He flipped the screen to show the two hedgehogs. "So Shadow, your room is 103 on the 4th floor, and your roommate is Sonic."

Shadow's eyes grew wide with surprise, but Sonic's eyes were wider.

"Wait what?!"