Approximately 1.5 years before Shadow's contact with black blood.

Shadow saw a blue hedgehog approaching him while wearing a mischievous expression.

"Are you trying to be funny?" Shadow glared with suspicion.

"That depends. Are you about to laugh?"

The blue hedgehog was smirking at him. Instead of replying, Shadow continued toward the agility course. The newcomer followed.

"Some of the other students heard a hedgehog broke a bunch of my records for the agility course. I got accused of using a fake name to hold more record slots. That doesn't really make much sense though. I think it's hedgehog profiling!"

"You must be Sonic then,"

"Yup. Is your name really Shadow?" Shadow nodded. "You're training here, but I've never seen you in class. Are you starting next semester?"

"Not sure yet,"

"I'm a meister. What about you?"

"Weapon,"

"Really? What kind?"

"It doesn't matter," Shadow stated bluntly.

"What? Why not?"

Shadow kept his attention on his current route. "Sorry about the whole mix-up. If someone mistakes me for you I'll send them your way,"

"I'm not upset over that. I was actually going to ask if you wanted to race,"

"Race?" Shadow's defensive expression gained a touch of curiosity.

"Yeah, the agility course has a battle mode. I thought it might be fun to try out instead of just beating each others records over and over,"

The two had arrived at the entrance of the agility course. Shadow looked out at the different platforms and fixtures of the facility. Running the usual courses didn't seem all that interesting now.

"Alright then,"

Sonic approached the nearby console, adjusting the settings. The structure of the agility course groaned and clicked as it reconfigured to accommodate two runners. After the machinery settled, there was a course with two large sections of obstacles. The start and end of the course were straight pathways with a line down the middle, giving each runner their own lane.

"This is awesome,"

Sonic marveled at the course ahead of them. Shadow could feel himself becoming restless too. The two hedgehogs moved to the starting area that consisted of two small gates at the beginning of the course. There was a button at each of the gates that began a countdown after both had been pressed.

"If I win, you have to tell me what kind of weapon you are," Sonic's look of mischief was back.

Shadow had no intention of revealing that information. He didn't have any intention of losing either.

"Whatever,"

A buzzing came and the gates flew open. Both runners dashed from the starting area, keeping pace with each other. The opening stretch of the course was a straight shot that led to a series of connecting columns. The further into the section one went, the higher the structures stood. After building up speed from the starting track, Sonic and Shadow kept their quick pace as they entered the first area. Each of them began weaving through and forming their own routes while navigating the different columns.

Sonic watched his opponent run straight up the side of a tall column, turn, and jump off. He'd carried enough momentum to access a seemingly out of reach platform.

"He definitely didn't beat my records out of sheer luck," Sonic thought.

He decided to avoid any significant vertical movements for now to maintain his speed and hopefully get ahead of Shadow. Hopping along columns of similar heights, Sonic looked for a good spot towards the end of this section to gain height. There was a column that would allow him to reach the next area, but its height was daunting. He dug deep to gain as much speed as he could before moving into a leap. He ascended with shoes scraping against the wall of the obstacle to push up further. Barely grabbing on, Sonic struggled to finish climbing. By the time he reached the next area, Shadow had a decent lead.

Netting lined the underside of the course now with many of the obstacles being separated by a large previous section of the course had more room for error with many potential routes available if a jump was missed. In this section there were only a few different options and the routes didn't diverge much. Falling in this part of the course would leave a runner to slowly climb out of the net and onto one of the few ladders to get back on the course. Such a time investment would almost definitely result in a loss.

Both hedgehogs darted through a series of obstacles requiring them to slide, swing, and wall run. After clearing almost half of this section, Sonic noticed his opponent had avoided any sections that required him to swing off of an overhead pole. Any time he had the option, he'd move to the other part of the route that didn't require such a large gap to be cleared.

Sonic was able to swing from the bars with ease, and his momentum carried quiet well as a result. This way felt just a bit faster, and he seemed to be catching up to Shadow. This part of the course would end with a jump over a wide gap with one overhead bar that couldn't be avoided. Sonic decided to keep going for the swings even if they were a bit riskier. If he could hit the final sprint with a strong start, he'd win.

Shadow cleared a gap by running along the connecting wall. He jumped off and landed on the other side to see that his lead was shortening. Sonic landed nearby a moment after, highlighting his realization. The paths were converging as the race approached the last area. Shadow pushed himself to sprint and keep his lead for the remainder of the contest.

He leapt over the final gap and grabbed onto the bar without issue. The trouble came only after he let go, when he felt his moment shift awkwardly. Coming up short caused Shadow to slam into the platform, almost falling off of the course entirely.

"Damn it!"

Pain from the collision made his torso burn. It distracted him from noticing that Sonic was now standing nearby, reaching down to help. After struggling for a bit, Shadow looked at his opponent with disbelief before reluctantly grabbing his hand. Once he was on his feet, he crossed his arms feeling out of breath and quite awkward.

"Why help me? You could have won easily,"

"I don't feel like I won just because you missed one jump," Sonic paused so he could take a few labored breaths. "We can still run the final sprint if you're good,"

Shadow rubbed at his chest to be certain. "I'm good,"

"Then let's go on three,"

The runners aligned themselves in their respective lanes. Shadow glanced over at Sonic, trying to make something of this hedgehog he'd only just met.

"One….two...three!"

Off they went. Both hedgehogs were neck and neck now. Rapid tapping sounds from their shoes followed them on their way. Neither of the runners looked at the other; their attention was trained entirely on the finish line. By the time they cleared it, neither could tell who the winner was. Buzzing came, and a screen at the finish line flashed with the words:

Winner : Shadow.

"Not my day," Sonic sighed.

Both contestants stood in the area past the finish line, catching their breath. Shadow kept glancing at Sonic, still hoping for some kind of revelation. He felt like there were so many different things he wanted to say, but he could only find a few words.

"I'm a scythe,"

Sonic looked surprised for just a moment before smiling. "Awesome. That's a pretty rare weapon form,"

"Notoriously difficult to wield," Shadow recited the phrase flatly as if he were reading it off a sheet of paper.

"Yeah, but they're crazy strong too. Scythe meisters are the best of the best,"

Sonic spoke with a tone of admiration that burned away any exhaustion that would have been present in his voice otherwise. Shadow felt his rival's passion rubbing off on him. No one had ever told him anything like this before. As far as he could remember, anyway. He tensed up, unsure of what to do. The black hedgehog eventually shrugged with crossed arms and turned to look away.

"Why don't we get some air?" Sonic proposed.

Shadow thought it was a strange proposal. He only came to this conclusion after he'd already followed Sonic outside, so he decided to try and worry about something else.

The two hedgehogs had exited the training building and were on a stone walkway attached to the campus. There was a coldness to the nighttime air that came along a mild breeze. It soothed the warm fur of the tired runners. Both were leaning on the parapet of the stone walkway, admiring the view of Death City.

"Were you avoiding the bars in that second part to play it safe?"

Shadow thought for a second before realizing that Sonic was talking about the race. "Yeah, but I wasn't ready for the last jump because of it,"

Sonic shrugged while wearing a guilty grin. "I just played risky the whole time,"

"Is that in opposition to your usual, cautious nature?" Shadow asked.

Sonic laughed. "I don't know about that,"

Shadow performed a double take, internally. Had he just made a joke? He smiled a bit too, didn't he? What was even more disturbing was that Sonic had actually laughed in response. What was going on?

"What made you come to the academy?" Sonic asked

Shadow's chaotic thoughts became replaced with dread. He couldn't mention his amnesia. Not now.

"That's…"

"You don't have to tell me," Sonic said.

Shadow sighed. He wasn't entirely sure himself. He hadn't had much choice, but there was something that came to mind. Something he hadn't told Lord Death.

"I want to become the ultimate death scythe,"

Sonic thought for some time. He was really surprised to hear that someone so serious had such an ambitious dream. It seemed somewhat reckless as well. "Just like me," he thought. Sonic smiled softly as he pondered that dream further.

"Do you have a partner yet?"

Shadow shook his head. "I've dealt with some pretty experienced meisters and none of them have been able to wield me." He frowned as he looked down at Death City. "I'll become the ultimate death scythe on my own,"

"That's a pretty tough goal to chase after alone. I have a friend who likes to train on his own too even though he can turn into a gauntlet. We fight as a team sometimes but I don't know if we'll partner up officially,"

"Why not?"

"I dunno. Different fighting preferences, I guess. He's more of a raw power kind of weapon. Punching stuff is fine and all, but I've always liked the idea of fighting with a bit more style," Sonic chopped at the air with his hand as if to slice it.

"Do the other students in your class struggle to find partners?"

"Sure. Plenty of students change partners until they find the right pairing. I don't think you need to worry about not finding a meister yet. But if you really want to fight on your own, I bet you could do it,"

Shadow didn't know what else to say, so the conversation settled into silence. There was a warmth building in his chest that felt completely foreign. A more familiar guilt was there as well. Ever since he'd woken up with amnesia, things always ended up like this. Having no memories made conversing difficult, and he felt indifferent most of the time. Shadow wished he had an easy way of explaining to Sonic that there wasn't much point in talking to a discarded scythe with no memory.

"Can I try wielding your scythe form?"

Sonic's expression was neutral. There was a softness in his gaze and a hint of curiosity as he waited for a response. Shadow took a half step back and crossed his arms.

"Why?"

Sonic shrugged. "Do I need a special reason?"

"I already told you none of the meisters I've met could wield me,"

"Is that supposed to scare me off?" Sonic was grinning again.

What was this guy's deal? Shadow looked the other hedgehog over yet again in search of an answer to that question. Part of him wanted to tell Sonic to leave him alone and just be done with it. Sonic would lose interest after being unable to resonate anyway. The end result would be the same.

"Fine," Shadow sighed.

The black hedgehog laid on the ground before transforming. His body began to glow, and his form shifted to that of a scythe.

"Pretty slick," Sonic took a second to admire the weapon in front of him.

The meister casually grabbed onto the scythe's handle and Shadow prepared himself for the collision of their soul wavelengths. All the other meisters that tried to resonate with Shadow felt a sharp pain once they tried touching him. He was hurt by their touch as well. Sonic's gloved hand clasped onto the handle, but the pain didn't come.

"Hmmmmm,"

Sonic pondered the weight of the weapon in his hands and repositioned himself. He grabbed on with both hands now and lifted the scythe off of the ground.

"You're heavy!"

Although his weapon form wouldn't reveal it, Shadow was in complete shock. He felt himself move through the air as Sonic tried a few cautious swings. The motions were slow and unthreatening, but they felt very significant to Shadow.

"You wouldn't be able to fight like this, would you?" Shadow's metallic voice asked.

"Probably not. Demon weapons get lighter as you use them though. How long did the other meisters train with you before giving up?"

"They couldn't touch me for more than a second,"

"No way!" Sonic looked pleased with himself. He moved the weapon around some more. "You do feel kinda cold. Are you okay?"

"I'm….fine?"

The scythe began glowing, so Sonic released his hold. Shadow was back to normal in no time.

"Let's train together!" Sonic said with determination.

Shadow almost stepped back, but stopped himself. "Are you sure? It doesn't seem like we could fight together, and I don't know much about being a weapon,"

"It's too early to give up now," Sonic looked out at Death City once more. "That dream of yours. Becoming the ultimate death scythe. It made me feel motivated all of a sudden," Sonic turned back to Shadow then smiled. "Even if I can't wield you, maybe I can still help out?"

"I…"

Shadow felt as if he were in a dream. The person in front of him couldn't be real. He was frozen in place. The feeling in his chest was a white hot burning that took the air from his lungs. It had taken a month since he woke up without his memories, but Shadow finally remembered what it was like to be happy.

"Okay,"


fanfiction-dot-net version-exclusive meme

Sonic: "I'm a meister. What about you?"

Shadow: "Weapon."

Sonic: "Really? What kind?"

Shadow: "It doesn't matter."

Sonic: (Singing) "Now what happens..."

Shadow: (Singing) "I will never-"

Sonic/Shadow: (Singing in unison) "Give up the fight!"