Author's note: Hugs and lavish thanks to TheMidnightShadow and Ladywhite for leaving lovely comments and spurring me on with this next chapter :') And thank you to those who have been favouriting and reading! ^.^

Replies:

TheMidnightShadow - It makes me extremely happy to hear that, thank you! Haha, definitely! Yes, I'm very much looking forward to having Sonic unknowingly walk into some tensely awkward conversations, and just being like, "Whoaaa, okay, something is clearly going on here!" xD

Ladywhite - Aww, thank you ever so much - that really made me smile! :D I very much hope you'll enjoy this next chapter and how the story will unfold! :3

Not quite such a love-struck chapter, this time, I'm afraid - (just wait 'til later on, where you won't be able to move for the fluff!) - but an interesting reunion, with some padded psychological-layers for Silver's character! Also, keep an eye out for other pairings, where you see them, because it's not quite all Shadilver ;)

Please let me know what you think so far! :D

3. Can't Remember to Forget You

Pitch black. There are brief flashes of...well, something. He tries to focus in on them — but they're there, and then they're gone — until his vision swims and bursts into flames. All-consuming fire, grabbing and clawing and licking at him, as it tries to suck him in, with persistent fervour. The smoke cloaks his air, mixing with screams, but he can't escape and something is biting at his limbs, pulling him down and refusing to—!

...There is a jolt. Heavy eyes resurface; pupils shrink down. He can feel a cold sweat clinging to his skin, as the juddering heartbeat finally slows. It isn't real, just a nightmare. Just a nightmare, He berates himself, Blaze wouldn't get so worked up. Don't be such a kid.

Silver blows out a sigh, suddenly feeling uncomfortably hot, and kneads his temples. A blissful moment passes, before he grips the fabric of the couch beneath him, and starts to freak out.

He doesn't recognise the room. It's fairly plain, pretty functional — Silver blinks at the cream walls, without much decoration, though he does spy a couple of framed photographs — and it somehow sets him at ease. There's a TV set, close by, with a couple of messily-arranged gaming consoles, stacked underneath. A fireplace broods in the corner, silent, and he turns himself away from it.

He manages to get a quick glance at a worktop counter — an easy-to-clean, unbreakable marble surface— which seems to lead towards a kitchen area, on the other side of the living room, before the time traveller is confronted by a gang of spectators. He flinches, making no attempt to hide it.

"Whoa, hey, it's alright. You're safe here. We just wanna help you," A whirlwind of blue settles at his side, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. Silver looks left and they make eye contact: a brilliant gleam of emerald, which makes him feel like he's come home, "How're you feeling?"

"U-Um..." He swallows. The sandy taste in his mouth just keeps coming back.

An amused grin spreads across the blue hedgehog's face, instantly calming him. The emerald eyes twinkle, "Tongue-tied, huh? Don't sweat it. How about a drink of water? Sound good?"

"...T-That would be great."

"No problem! Coming right up!" A gust of wind smacks Silver in the face, as the hedgehog vanishes from sight — he blinks and, by the time he opens his eyes, the blue quills have returned, with an offered glass of water, "Here you go!"

"Thank you," Silver's teeth clink against the glass. The sound seems to bounce from wall to wall.

With half of the liquid quickly downed, he must appear noticeably refreshed, because there isn't much of a pause between the next question, "So. How about we start with names? I'm Sonic — Sonic the Hedgehog!" Silver nods, pretending as if this is the first time that he's heard that name.

"My name is Silver."

Sonic grins, with his chest puffing up in proud satisfaction, "Cool name. Suits ya! As for these guys—" He jerks his thumb back at the three other figures, and they instantly straighten, "—that's Tails, Knuckles and Amy. Don't worry, they're cool. Well, everyone except Knux is, anyway."

"Ha ha, Sonic," Knuckles drawls, sourly, "You're hilarious. Really."

Silver blinks, as he notices the curious expressions of both Tails and Amy. He feels ashamed to admit that he hadn't paid the two-tailed fox much mind, before — Two tails? Wow. He really hadn't been paying attention — and now wriggles under Tails' intrigued stare. It feels as if he's being dismantled, just by Tails' thoughts alone, and he quickly swallows to make sure that everything still works.

Amy has a strange, misty look clouding her eyes and Silver optimistically wonders if it's something akin to déjà vu. Maybe it's possible for him to prompt their memories? Just nudge them a little bit, in the right direction, and hopefully things will slot into place.

"You know you love it," Sonic slips Knuckles a sly grin, completely oblivious to the exchanges that are taking place, around him. Amy frowns and Silver tenses.

Knuckles is just as unheeding, "I really don't—"

"Excuse me, have we met before?"

Amy's question sparks instant vigilance, in both Sonic and Knuckles, as they stop bickering. Tails says nothing, but his drawn brows suggest that he'd wanted to ask the exact same thing.

Sonic tilts his head to one side, still crouched in front of the grey hedgehog, "You guys know each other?"

Silver flares with panic, suddenly worried about their reactions, if he tells them the truth, "No, I don't think so!" Not technically, anyway.

"Oh!" Amy shrugs, as if it's nothing, and seems okay with dropping the whole thing, "I'm sorry. I thought I recognised you. You just seem familiar, that's all!"

Tails doesn't seem quite as convinced, "I know what you mean. I felt it too."

"You sure you're not missin' something? Something you're not telling us?" Knuckles steps forward, purposely flexing his muscles, as he tries to make Silver nervous. It works. He can feel sweat on the back of his neck.

"Hold it, Knuckles!" Leaping up and landing on his feet, Sonic squares up to the red echidna, placing a warning hand on his shoulder, "He's just woken up; give him a break. Let's not grill the guy, yeah? We'll ask questions later."

He looks thoroughly displeased about the whole affair, but Knuckles reluctantly simmers down, settling for crossing his arms in an angry huff. Sonic nods his gratitude and mumbles something to Tails, inaudible to everyone else.

Brightly, Amy skips over and sits down on the other side of the couch. Silver pulls his outstretched leg in, unable to stop himself staring, and is extremely glad for her happy demeanour: he finds it reassuring. Just like before, "So, Silver! How did you end up here?"

"Well, it's a little complicated..." He's aware of the others, with their gazes intently fixed on him. Silver makes himself focus on Amy, with her trusting jade eyes and enthusiastic smile, "...but something happened with the Chaos Emeralds, when I was using Chaos Control—"

"Chaos Emeralds?" Sonic instinctively steps forward, "You can use Chaos Control?"

"Yes. Someone..." Silver can't help but smile to himself, "...taught me how to."

Knuckles lowers his arms, "Just how many emeralds do you have?"

"I had three, at that point, but I don't seem to have them, anymore. They must have dispersed."

"Three?"

"Yeah."

"That can't be right. We've got two, so does Eggman, and GUN have got one on strict lockdown. You can't have three, you just can't," The blue hedgehog pauses, silently shaping words on his lips, before his head whips round, "Tails? My maths' not wrong, right?"

Tails shakes his head, "Nope, you're right, Sonic — that'd make eight. Silver, maybe one of them was a fake? It can be difficult to tell: they'd be identical, apart from the slight difference in the frequency of energy..."

"No, they were all genuine Chaos Emeralds. It's not to do with the number of emeralds — it's their origins."

"Uh, did the maths fry my brain, or...?"

Silver chuckles, softly, at Sonic's bashful grin, "The Chaos Emeralds, that I was using, are not your Chaos Emeralds."

"How so?"

"My Chaos Emeralds are from the future. Two hundred years in the future."

It's mildly amusing, watching their expressions, as they comprehend that bombshell. Sonic straightens up, suddenly looking quite a bit taller; Tails' baby-blue eyes grow wide, a mixture of shock and excitement; Amy gasps, gently covering her mouth with her hand.

Knuckles' frown deepens and he looks doubtful, "You're from the future?"

"Yes."

"You're from two hundred years in the future? Like, hover-boards and flying cars, future?"

"Sonic, we already have hover-boards! And flying cars!" Tails shakes his head.

The blue hedgehog waves his hand in dismissal, not letting his eyes leave Silver, "Yeah, but the Babylonians built them. We didn't come up with it, so it doesn't count."

"Monopole has flying cars! Megalo Station? We've driven one! The Babylonians didn't come up with that—"

"Monopole, the famous city of the future, remember? It counts!"

"It so doesn't—!"

"Guys, you're completely missing the point!" Amy flies to her feet, suddenly fuming, and even though she's referring to both of them, her glare is solely directed at Sonic, who ducks his head down in avoidance. Silver frowns, feeling sorry for the pink hedgehog, though he doesn't quite know why.

Exempt from the scolding, Knuckles says, unfazed, "Okay then. What's it like? The future, I mean."

"It's...cold."

"Cold?" Sonic laughs, "Great. Remind me to start collecting scarves."

"It's cold compared to what I'm used to."

None of them seem to know what to say to that (good, because he really doesn't want to explain it), so Amy tactfully moves the conversation onwards, "Do you remember anything before you were knocked out, Silver?"

"Kinda. I remember sitting on a building—" He knows exactly which building it is, because the location is practically etched onto his brain, but decides not to mention it. Silver doesn't want them knowing that he's been spying on someone, practically borderline stalking. Even if they haven't kept in touch with the person, from before, it's still embarrassing, "—and I was talking with someone, talking with..."

Blaze. Oh no, no, no! Blaze!

"Silver, are you okay?" Amy reaches out, to steady him, as he scrambles up — a little too quickly, apparently, because the room starts spinning.

"I-I'm okay! But I need to get to Blaze!"

"Who's Blaze?"

"My friend! She came here, with me, and we got separated..." Liar. You left her. He ignores that thought, because it hurts too much, and makes his way towards the front door, "I need to find her!"

"Dude, it's okay, we'll help you look," Sonic swiftly nudges Knuckles in the ribs, silently telling him that he's coming too, and takes the echidna's groan as a 'yes'.

But Tails suddenly darts forward, spinning his tails and moving through the air, before landing between Silver and the door, "Wait—hold on! You've gotta rest, before you head out to look for her! You're still in pretty bad shape!"

"I'll be fine! I have to find her, now, before—!"

The front door is thrown open, making Tails jump, who is facing the other way. Silver's breath hitches, in anticipation, as his eyes settle on the curvy figure that steps inside. He frowns: Who's this?

"Hey, honey, I'm home!" The woman's voice is melodic, as she searches the room for someone in particular. A glossed smile spreads across her lips, when she locates Knuckles, "Did you miss me?"

Knuckles clears his throat, looking more riled than usual, "Rouge."

Silver tenses up. Rouge. As in, Club Rouge.

Rouge hums her amusement, shrugging off the echidna's cold welcome, with considerable grace, "I'll take that as a yes. Hello boys, and Pinkie," Her icy-blue eyes run over Silver's body, as if he's exposed. He shivers, "Who's he?"

"This is Silver," Amy offers, beaming at him, and Silver wishes that her cheeriness would rub off on him.

"Well, hello, Silver," Rouge slinks towards him, in an almost feline-manner, even though Silver observes the wings, and the ears, and is fairly sure that she's a bat, "Aren't you just absolutely adorable? Expensive, too, what with that name and those eyes."

He blushes, "U-Um—!"

"Rouge. Back off," Knuckles is suddenly extremely close at his side, almost protectively, but Silver doesn't know why. The echidna doesn't seem that fond of him, "What are you doing here?"

She looks irritated, now, and answers to Sonic and Tails, instead, "I was told to come here. To check up on the wounded, to make sure he's okay — only now I see that my journey was a waste of time. Next time, Shadow can come and check out his victims, himself, instead of sending me and pretending not to care."

"And how is Mr Sunshine?" Sonic's voice is light, and amused, and completely unaware of how Silver's heart-rate has sky-rocketed. Breathing is now extremely difficult.

Rouge smirks, "What, you didn't get the pleasure, Big Blue?"

"Nah, we did, briefly. But he just arrived, out of nowhere, with Silver tossed over his shoulder — put him down, on the couch, and told us to patch him up. Didn't say another word, apart from that. Just left. What's he doing, now, anyway?"

Silver starts sweating, profusely. He carried me here?

"Infiltration mission. Though, that's actually classified," With a wry smirk, Rouge leans forward and fixes her stare on Silver, "He put the mission on hold, to deal with a certain distraction."

Silver snaps out of his stupor, conscious once more, but his head is flooded with images of tanned lips and heart-wrenchingly beautiful eyes, "Wait! You know Shadow? Shadow the Hedgehog?!"

"Unless there's some other Shadow, hanging around...?" Rouge folds one of her arms underneath her chest, whilst propping up the other, with a finger tapping against her cheek. She narrows her eyes, curiously, "Yeah, I know Shadow: I work with him. Why do you want to know?"

"Did...did he say anything about me?" Even he knows how pathetically desperate that sounds.

Rouge is confused, for a moment, but mercifully doesn't question it, "Don't think so. He said you're a good fighter, which is the biggest compliment you'll ever get from him. Forgot to mention how cute you are, though."

She's joking, of course, but hearing that actually makes his heart sink, a little further. Silver curses himself and feigns disinterest, "Oh."

"So, what now?" Amy asks.

"Well, I don't know about you lot, but I know Shadow has a few questions for Silver," Rouge raises her eyebrows, meeting Silver's surprised gaze. He wonders how much she knows and how much Shadow has told her. It's all coming back to him, now, "I do, too."

"I will answer your questions. But I have to find Blaze, first," He glances at Tails, waiting for the fox's protests.

Tails doesn't look very happy about it, but shrugs, with a small sigh, "Okay. We can't force you to rest. But, please, let Sonic go with you. He can help you look for your friend and make sure that you don't pass out, or something like that. Right, Sonic?"

"You bet!" Sonic zips forward, eager and grinning, "We'll find her in no time! I can give you a tour of the place, while we look."

"That sounds good," Having a better grasp of the area would be useful, Silver figures.

The time traveller flanks Sonic's side, listening to the shift of the others. Tails says something about medical supplies, whilst Rouge and Amy move towards the couch. Knuckles remains silent, watching them leave. His amethyst stare digs deep into Silver's back.

Outside, just by the front door, Sonic stretches his limbs and breathes in the fresh air. The blue hedgehog eyes up Silver, confidently, and receives a small frown, "Let's head out. Think you can keep up?"

As it turns out, he can. But only just. Silver doesn't allow himself to underestimate the true extent of Sonic's speed — the grey hedgehog remembers Soleanna, the feeling of being slammed into metal tables and a paved floor, thanks to a blue blur — but, he has to admit, it's satisfying to see the flash of surprise, across Sonic's face, when he sees Silver's own abilities.

Psychokinesis, Silver explains to Sonic, was randomly bestowed upon him at birth. According to his research, it doesn't run in the family, so his childhood had been dedicated to trying to control his powers, which was...difficult. He doesn't tell him about the bullying, or the threats of experimentation, but simply says that psychokinesis is rare, even two hundred years in the future.

"I see," Sonic says, jogging backwards through the forest, as they race closer towards roads and buildings, and further away from trees and dirt trails, "So, how does it work then?"

Silver decides against throwing his hands up and just saying 'magic', even though it's as plausible as any other explanation — the truth is that no one knows how or why it works. It just does. Which sucks, because no one likes hearing just 'cause as an explanation, and most people react badly.

"It's...not exactly easy to describe. I can focus on objects and then there's this...click. Then I can control them and, if I focus hard enough, I can move several at once. I guess there's a complicated explanation, about how it works, but no one's been able to figure it out, yet."

Sonic nods, slowing to a jog, as his path heads onto the city's pavement. Silver drops to the ground and hurries after him, dodging past a wandering human, "There's quite a lot aboutcha that's complicated, huh?"

"Unfortunately."

His eyes suddenly soften, "Silver, I know I don't know your story, but I bet things'll be okay. And I'm beyond sure that I've heard crazier stories," Sonic grins, in an attempt to cheer him up, and Silver does find himself smiling.

"Really? Like what?"

"I guess Knuckles didn't exactly have it easy. Ever heard of the Master Emerald?" Picking up on Silver's blank expression, Sonic continues, "It controls all of the Chaos Emeralds. It also contains this huge ancient being called Chaos — trust me, you would not like that thing when it's angry — and the controller of the Master Emerald, who's called Tikal. She's pretty cool, though."

"Right..."

"What I'm tryna say is that Knux is the Guardian of this thing. He grew up on his lonesome, floating island — Angel Island — and knew nothing except the Master Emerald. He just sat up there, for years and years, guarding it and talking to absolutely no one. I guess training kept him sane, but there was so much that he didn't experience. Meeting me and Tails opened up a whole new world for him."

No wonder Knuckles has trouble trusting Silver. Spending years on a solitary patch of land would make it difficult to form any kind of connection to anyone — it's a wonder that Knuckles is as 'friendly' as he is. Silver lets himself indulge in a little self-pity, now and again (and again and again, because it's a habit now), but he's always aware of how lucky he is to have Blaze. Blaze...where are you?

"I had no idea that he'd been through that..." Silver responds, honestly, as he joins Sonic's side, striding onwards, "It must be a terrible burden to carry."

"Yeah. It's gotta suck. I mean, he's getting better at relaxing, when he's with us, but I kinda wish he didn't have to spend so much time up there. Uhh...heh, don't tell him I said that! He'd never let me live it down."

Silver suspects that Knuckles would actually be incredibly flattered to hear that, despite the rough bravado, "I won't."

"You still don't look convinced, though. About your past not being as strange as it seems," Sonic clarifies, when he sees the confused knit of Silver's eyebrows, "Okay. So you didn't spend your whole childhood on a floating island. That narrows it down, a bit."

"I'm fairly sure that you'll never, ever guess it." Because it's sort of been erased from your memory.

"Fair enough. But I bet it doesn't even compare to Shadow's crazy back-story."

His knees clench up and the psychokinetic hedgehog freezes in the street. The casino glows in his peripheral vision, quiet and dry in the afternoon. Sonic notices that he's alone and promptly stops, turning his head back, curiously waiting.

"Shadow?"

"Yeah. Black and red hedgehog? Serious attitude problem? He's the one who brought you to Tails' place."

As if he needs reminding, "What about him?"

"You don't know?"

"No. Why would I?"

Sonic rubs the back of his neck, somewhat uncomfortably, "Well, you seemed to recognise him, when Rouge said his name, back at Tails'? I figured that you must know something about him. If not, then how come you were following him?"

Silver winces, "He told you?"

"He...mentioned it. Briefly."

"It's not..." Not anything weird? Of course it is! This whole situation is insane! Or maybe it's just Silver who's going mad? That would...well, that would make a lot of sense. Is he going mad? Hopefully, because that would be far easier to explain, "I wasn't sent by Doctor Eggman and I'm not carrying out any kind of nefarious scheme." Even though that's exactly what it looks like.

Sonic looks amused and huffs out a laugh, "Would you really tell me if you were working for Egghead, though?" He tilts his head, pitifully, at Silver's guilty silence, "Look, Silver, I know you're not planning anything."

"Why? You're right. My actions are certainly suspicious and I can't prove that I mean you no harm."

"I know, but...well, call me crazy, but I've just got a feeling that your heart's in the right place. I mean, if not, then why bother listening to me talk about Knuckles? You cared, I could tell, and you talk about Shadow in the same way. You can't fake that..." The blue hedgehog shrugs, as he trails off, with a knowing look. Entranced, Silver watches him and wonders how he could've caught on so quickly. Then it hits him that Sonic would not be saying these things, if he knew the truth, and Silver reminds himself that he simply cannot tell the truth, as much as he hates lying, "But, if you do turn out to be an evil villain who's trying to destroy the universe, you can say 'I told you so'."

"Thanks," Silver wishes that he could say something more poetic, but hopes that his grateful smile is enough, because Sonic really doesn't know how important those words are, to him, "I promise that won't happen, though."

"I believe you." I don't deserve your trust, "So, why're you after him? What's so important about Shadow? Apart from the obvious."

"O-Obvious?" Did he know? Silver knows that subtlety is completely out of his reach, but he'd hoped that Sonic might've mistaken complete adoration for strange fascination. So much for that; they probably all knew! "What do you mean?"

"You really don't know?"

"I-I don't think so..."

Their journey had resumed, a short while ago, but Sonic's steps are now slowing, as if his disbelief is tampering with his speed, "Then how do you even know about Shadow?"

"It's—"

"Complicated?"

"I'm sorry, Sonic."

"You're not giving me much to go on, here. And Shadow ain't gonna settle for anything less than a full-blown explanation, you know that, right?"

Silver sighs, "I know. And I promised you answers, too. I will explain, I swear; but I have to find Blaze, before I do anything else."

"You guys are pretty close then?" Sonic steps into a faster pace, when he's satisfied that Silver can keep up. He can, but anything faster, and he'll need to tap into his powers, again. He really doesn't want to do that, though, because Tails is right: he's still in a pretty bad way, "Is she your, uh...?"

"Oh, no. No, it's not like that. We're just friends," Silver isn't surprised when Sonic asks, however. He knows that he's found a kindred spirit in Blaze; someone he'll trust with absolutely anything, including his life. Vice versa, he hopes. He's always slightly in awe of her, even now, after however many years it's been. They haven't ever really discussed the subject of romantic partners (it had been the last thing on their minds, what with fighting Iblis and then dealing with Mephiles), but Silver has never felt an undercurrent of attraction, in that way. Blaze is his best friend; he just doesn't see her like that, though he knows that whoever she does fall for is extremely lucky. Besides, if there ever were any doubts, then Silver had banished them, when he'd met Shadow, because he'd instantly known that that was attraction.

"I gotcha," Sonic smiles, "Is she from the future too?"

"Yes. She came with me, in Chaos Control."

"Can Blaze use Chaos Control?"

"No. I mean, she's never tried, but I'd be surprised if she could," Silver pauses, wondering if Blaze will be angry with him, for revealing information about her. He doesn't think she'll mind too much and he needs to offer something to Sonic, instead of fobbing him off with excuses and awkward pauses. He needs Sonic to trust him, but he also wants Sonic to trust him, "I'm from the future, but I still belong to the same dimension as you — Blaze doesn't; she comes from a different dimension. Where she's from, they don't have Chaos Emeralds: they have Sol Emeralds. I think they're pretty similar, from what she's told me, but they use a different type of power. She's their Guardian."

"Wow. My head. Ouch," Sonic clutches at his forehead and offers a lopsided grin. He winks, too, and Silver chuckles.

"It took me a while to understand it."

"Guardian of the Sol Emeralds, huh? Hey, maybe she'd get along with Knuckles!"

Silver ponders this thought. He supposes that Blaze and Knuckles are quite similar — they both have an incredibly stubborn, closed-off demeanour, but are loyal to a fault, and relax, considerably, once they've gotten to know someone — but he's concerned that they might end up butting heads, because of it. Blaze is much more amenable to someone who quietly composes themselves before putting their thoughts forward. From what he's gathered, Knuckles is not like that.

But, he has to admit, he would never have seen himself getting along with Shadow. Prior to their meeting, he would have been discouraged from engaging with someone who says less than two sentences at a time. He would have found the intense, analytical glare hard to stomach and would have avoided talking to him altogether (Silver knows that he's a coward, despite what Blaze says, but — like a coward — he doesn't want to face that). But it isn't like that. He finds the stare unbelievably and attractively intriguing; the silence comes across as intelligent and it gives power to the words that he does say. Opposites attract, apparently, and perhaps Silver's finding some truth, in that.

"Maybe they would."

"I bet they'll be swapping stories in no time," At Silver's bemused look, Sonic admits, "Okay, maybe they'll need some pushing. A lot of pushing."

"I think they'll need more than a lot."

"Whelp, we've got time!...Hey, what's goin' on up there?"

Silver's gaze follows the incline of the street, where Sonic is gesturing, and lands on two figures, facing each other. He squints at them, tingling with a sense of familiarity, and then chokes on nothing, when the shorter one throws their hands out, flames dancing on their palms.

"BLAZE! NO!" He yells, flying like a bullet towards the lavender feline. She charges the fire up, ready to attack, but is knocked to the ground, when Silver tackles her around the waist. They land in a heap together, groaning against tarmac.

"Silver, what in Iblis' name are you—?!"

"You."

Silver freezes.