Chapter Ten
Luckily for the both of them, Shadow was not at the moonpool.
As Sonic laid on the ground panting in pain from his fourth transformation of the day, he looked around for any sign of his ebony rival, but there was nothing but a splash of blood on the ground, most likely from the shoulder the blue had taken a chunk out of.
Sighing, he got up and pulled his clothes back on before running back to the beach house. His search for Ryn would have to wait until tomorrow. Right now, he had some more important business to attend to.
He quietly stepped into the house, making sure not to wake Tails and Knuckles who were sleeping on the sofa bed. He tiptoed past them and went up to the door that led to the bedroom that he shared with Shadow. He could hear some shuffling going on inside, letting him know that he was awake. Not wanting to startle him, Sonic gently knocked on the door.
"Shadow? It's me, Sonic… I'm coming in." When he got no answer he slowly opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him.
Shadow was on his bed, his back facing the blue hedgehog. It was obvious that he was faking to be asleep, but with his tense body and his ears swiveling to hear Sonic behind him, and not to mention his not so subtle panic breathing, Sonic could see right through the facade.
His ears lowered as he looked at his ebony rival, who was obviously scared to death of him, and with good reason. "Shadow?" He called gently. "... I know you're not asleep."
Shadow didn't move, but Sonic knew he heard him. He looked at his shoulder, his ears lowering more in guilt when he saw the bandages wrapped around it, covered in a little blood. He ran his tongue over his teeth, grateful that he couldn't taste the blood of his rival anymore. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you. It was instinctual… I was scared… nobody has seen me in that form before… nobody was SUPPOSED to see me in that form. I acted on instinct, and I am so sorry."
Sonic watched as Shadow slowly calmed down. It was obvious that he was still scared, but he wasn't as tense as before. "... What are you?"
Sonic sighed. He knew this question was coming. "I'm… a Siren."
Shadow's ears pricked up in surprise and he slowly turned to look at him with wide, frightened eyes, a bandaid covering the scratch from Sonic's tail on his cheek. Sonic cringed. It was unnatural to see his rival so scared, especially of him.
"A Siren? You mean…"
"A cold-hearted killer, as Amy so kindly put it." Sonic sighed and looked away in shame. "She was right… I am a cold-hearted killer."
Shadow was silent. He didn't know what to say to that. He wanted to tell him that he was wrong. That he wasn't a killer… but it was hard to get the words out after what happened at the moonpool. Sonic sighed and went over to his own bed. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to attack you. I was just so scared."
"You were scared?" Shadow scoffed as he turned to look at him again. "I was the one who was scared. You nearly killed me, Faker!"
Sonic cringed from the nickname but he didn't blame him. Shadow had every right to be mad… to call him a Faker.
"I am so sorry, Shadow." He sniffed, turning away as his ears pressed against his head, tears flowing down his muzzle. "I know there is no excuse for what I've done, and you have every right to hate me more than you ever have. But please…" He looked back up, staring at Shadow with tearfilled eyes, shining in terror. "Please, I beg of you… don't tell GUN."
Shadow's eyes widened in shock. He slowly sat up in his bed, his eyes never leaving the face of the sobbing hedgehog in front of him. "Is… Is that what you were afraid of?"
Sonic sniffed and nodded, wiping away his tears. "Yes… I always thought that if you were the one to discover my secret, you would hand me over to GUN, to let them torture me and do all kinds of experiments. And then my colony, my family, would be in danger, because with the evidence of me, it would mean that there were more of them, either in the water or hiding on land. No Siren would be safe… we would go extinct."
Shadow frowned. "Is that what you really thought?"
Sonic nodded, hanging his head. "I mean, think about it Shadow… what reason have you given me not to? You've always hated me… always pushed me away… always thought that you were better."
When Shadow said nothing, he sighed and placed his face in his hands, trying to calm himself down. Then, all of a sudden, he jumped a little when he felt a new weight sit down beside him. He looked up, surprised to see Shadow sitting beside him, his eyes hard but caring. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.
"Sonic… I would never." He said surely. "I've been through that kind of pain before, and I would never wish it upon anyone. Not even my worst enemy and especially not on you."
Sonic's eyes widened. He was so shocked and touched by Shadow's words. Fresh tears came to his eyes, unable to control his emotions. "Shadow…"
Suddenly, the ebony hedgehog wrapped his arms around the blue one, pulling him into a tight hug. Sonic was frozen, unsure of what to do. This was so unexpected, but he didn't want it to stop. Softly sobbing, the blue hedgehog hugged back, crying into his good shoulder. Shadow refused to let go, gently rocking them back and forth as he softly petted Sonic's ears.
"Don't worry, Sonic. Your secret's safe with me. I promise."
