AP: Hello peoples! Thankies for your patience with this story. I know I kinda left you all hanging for a while.

Shadow: Several months is more like it.

AP: Shush! You're not helping! Be useful and do the disclaimer!

Shadow: Yes your highness. AngelicPuppy does not own me or any Sonic the Hedgehog characters, we belong to SEGA. She does, however, own Mari, Karo and his alien race.

The pod fell towards Earth with incredible speed. The pressure made me float to the top and I felt close to passing out. The pod began to hit the atmosphere and just as I was about to faint…

I snapped awake. I gasped for breath and coughed as the room spun. The hospital was filled with the cries of the wounded and dying, though I could hardly hear them over the pounding of my heart in my ears.

I felt a gentle hand on my arm and I grabbed it. The person tried speaking to me, but their voice was muffled beyond recognition in my ears. My vision was blurry and still spinning, my mind whirling in tune with it. I tried to clear my mind, but I was so groggy it was nearly impossible.

"Shadow! Are you ok?" The person said. They had to have been shouting, because their voice was still muffled but I could somewhat hear.

"Mari?" I choked out, looking at her, but not quite seeing her.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She said, annoyance obvious in her voice.

I frowned, but said nothing. I preferred to focus on clearing my head enough to see straight. Mari walked around the bed, though I tried not to focus on the movement since it was giving me a headache. I felt a cool cloth on my head, an instantly soothing feeling. As she held the cold cloth to my head, my vision began to steady and my mind cleared.

"You have a horrible fever; I'm surprised you're not dead." Mari said sharply.

"Nice to know you feel some sympathy towards me." I muttered.

"At least you can hear me better." She said, taking the cloth away and dipping it in a bowl of ice water. "It's not like you'd want the sympathy anyway."

"Not the point." I said, lying back down. She put the cloth back on my forehead and we glared at each other for a few moments.

This girl reminded me horribly of Knuckles. To an outsider Knuckles and I seemed like the bitterest of enemies, but I was actually better friends with him than I was with Sonic. She was like a horribly pretty, terribly smart Knuckles. The idea of it made me gag for two reasons: because Knuckles was a guy, and to compare her to the moron was disgusting. The second reason was that I was most likely in love with her, which made me despise her even more.

"You get on my nerves." She said.

"I hate you."

"Liar."

"Look who's lying now." I said, rolling my eyes.

"So you admit it then?"

"Admit what?"

"That you're a liar and you don't hate me."

"I never said any of that."

"Liar, liar, fur on fire."

"You're a childish wench."

"Oh my Shadow, such cruel and evil words. How could you speak to a lady that way?"

"Good thing I'm not speaking to a lady."

"You're a horrible little cockroach."

"Drop a nuke and you'll be my food for a couple of years."

"Scathing words, you never hold back with anyone." Mari said, twisting a quill in her fingers.

"Why should I? People don't hold back with me." I said calmly.

"Compassion? Mercy? Love?" She asked, still twisting that quill.

"I've only received compassion from the others. Never mercy or love from anyone. Unless you count the love of two chibis adopting a big brother. Little children can break even the strongest walls with a plea and a hug." I said, looking at the opposite wall.

Mari was silent for a few moments and I wondered what she was thinking. Just when her silence was beginning to unnerve me, she spoke.

"You're not as much of an asshole as I thought. You've just got so many scars that you can't tell what you really look like anymore." She said quietly.

"Philosophy, straight from the horse's mouth." I said with a chuckle.

Mari punched me in the shoulder, sending a shockwave of pain straight through me. I was barely able to contain it, though the damned heart monitor gave me away. I glared at her with a murderous intent and her face was full of sorrowful surprise. I had no time to yell at her though.

"Saddo! You wake! Daddy, Tay, Sonic, he wake!" Karo yelled in his baby voice.

The little dragon bounded over to my bed and nipped my ear. He was bouncing like a rubber ball, the irritating click of his nails on the tile ringing in my ears. I placed a hand on his head and pressed down until he stopped bouncing. Sonic, Tails, and Lirias came in the room.

My relief at seeing that stupid hedgehog was annoying, especially since I felt like crying. The last time I cried was when Maria died and that was more than fifty years ago. I glared at Sonic, who was wrapped in bandages. He cheesed, as was expected.

Lirias was a surprise though, why was he still here? A fully-grown dragon creature, he was Karo's father and was almost twice my height. Unlike Karo, who was a light blue, Lirias was a deep sapphire with broad wings. Karo only had small wings that probably wouldn't get the baby dragon more than a few feet from the ground. Karo was about as tall as I was, though his tail was fully the length of his body. I wondered how he avoided tripping.

"What a surprise to see you general." I said to Lirias. "I had expected to find you and your son gone to your own planet."

"Always a warm welcome from you star-creature. I would have left, except for two things, three really." Lirias said with the even tones of a seasoned soldier. He was the highest ranked general in Clarostra's army.

"So what are these three things?" I asked, truly curious.

"My son is a pain in my ass, my wing is broken thanks to you, and my leader is dead. That's another of your doings."

I couldn't help but snicker at the first comment, but then it struck me. I had killed Clarostra. Was he truly dead, or just playing possum? I couldn't know unless I asked.

"He's dead?" I asked, obviously incredulous.

"Burned to a greasy heap of ash. My soldiers have spent the last week cleaning up. Another week and we shall be away forever if you so wish. We will take all of his remains with us; you have no need to worry about that." Lirias said calmly. His poker face was as good as mine, hardened by years of warfare.

"What about me daddy? I wanna stay here!" Karo whined.

"If they'll allow you, for a few months. If they'll have you, a few years, though I'll be coming to check on you. Your mother will burn me crispier than that greedy garasque if I don't." Lirias said, slight annoyance in his tone.

"What is a garasque?" Tails asked. He was so quiet I had forgotten he was in the room.

"A disgusting creature on my planet that eats its weight in trash. It has fewer manners than those things you call pigs and will eat itself to death if given the chance."

"What does it look like?" Sonic asked.

"I'm not sure how to describe it. It has a long nose, its tail is long and furless, fangs and sharp teeth, four legs, most are a black or brown furred." Lirias said thoughtfully, scratching his neck.

Lirias had never liked Clarostra obviously. However, he had to obey his leader, and as strong as that monstrous beast was he could not lead a revolt. That was interesting and explained a lot about why Lirias had told me so much about his planet in the beginning. My stomach practically roared just then and sharp hunger pains stabbed at my abdomen and my brain.

Everyone in the room stifled laughter and they went to fetch me some food, except for Sonic. Sonic walked over to the window by my bed and stared out of it. I followed his line of sight to the absolute destruction on the other side of the window. The city no longer existed, every building having been decimated.

A giant mound of greasy ash lay in the middle of it, with humans and aliens alike cleaning it up. The sight of the horridly shiny black pile made my stomach lurch. I couldn't stop myself from throwing up, but Sonic had miraculously gotten a bucket. Quite frankly, he barely made it with the damn bucket.

"Funny, me and Knuckles had a similar reaction. He's still in bed too, though with what Rouge has been doing I'm not surprised. How's that Mari been huh? Tails was telling me she's been annoying you. I don't really know her too well; she's more Rouge and Amy's friend."

I coughed as he spoke and spit into the bucket. There wasn't much in my stomach for me to throw up so that was a bit of a relief.

"You're telling me this why? I hate that girl."

"Yeah, that's what you said about Amy."

"You're a turd."

"Am I an easy turd, a constipated turd, or a diarrhea turd?"

"You are the most disgusting being on the planet!" I said through laughter.

"Nice to see you're feeling better." Amy said from the doorway. I'd know her voice anywhere.

She walked over to us with a tray of food; Mari was behind her with another tray. Sonic pulled over a chair and sat down with an exaggerated sigh of contentment. Amy put the tray on a nearby trolley (those movable tables) and pulled it over. Mari handed me the tray and sat at the edge of my bed. I paid her no mind, instead watching Amy talk to Sonic.

I wasn't listening to their conversation at all; I was simply watching them interact. I did the same thing to Rouge and Knuckles, because it was fascinating. If you ever watch two people who are in love talk to each other you notice all these minute details such as posture and small changes in facial expression. Their eyes are usually locked on each other, but they flick to other parts of the body occasionally. Even their tone of voice can change when they talk to each other. It was all very, dare I say it, cute.

"Ever heard that staring is rude?" Mari said loudly. Sonic, Amy and I all turned towards her. I glared at Mari, though the other two were rather puzzled.

"Mari, he always watches us. Well, except for the important stuff." Amy said, giggling with her last comment.

"Yes, because at that point I'll need a video camera." I said vehemently.

"Why can't you two just get along?" Sonic asked.

"Don't ask me, ask her. I have never been rude unless she was rude first." I said matter-of-factly.

Mari huffed and turned away. Amy and Sonic sighed in unison, Sonic making a wry smile afterwards, and they left the room.

"Jerk." Mari whispered.

"Whatever, I don't have time for children. If you're going to act like an immature baby, you can leave." I said.

"You're such a jerk!" She said. She practically choked on her words and I didn't have to see her face to know she was crying.

"What could you possibly like about me? You call me names all day!" I said, exasperated.

"Knuckles and Sonic call each other names, but they're best friends!" She said angrily.

I could barely contain my laughter as she sniffed and wiped her eyes. It was hilarious and annoying at the same time. She was so tough, but so emotional.

"You…you are so much like…like…me…. I never thought I'd see the day that I'd find someone so much like me. At least you're not all evil and full of angst due to a horrifying past."

"What are you talking about?" Mari asked, looking at me questioningly. Her eyes were red from crying and rubbing them.

"It's not a story I enjoy telling, so don't bother trying to ask. The others will hesitate to tell you, at best." I said, rubbing my temples.

"You're so weird it's ridiculous. How do people stand you?"

"I don't know, you tell me. What do you want from me anyway? I can't fathom your mind."

"Gee, you always seemed the type who could read other people like books without covers."

"Trying to read a girl is like trying to read a dead language that no one has ever seen before."

"It's not that hard."

"You're a girl; it's not hard for you to read another girl. You all think similarly."

"Well, boys are as hard to figure out as decoding the dead language no one's ever seen before."

I laughed at the last statement. This bickering was completely ridiculous and useless, yet all I could do was laugh. I hadn't laughed so freely in years and I was thoroughly enjoying it. When I was finished, I noticed she was glaring at me. I also noticed Tails and Karo peeking around the doorframe at us.

"Are you coming in or are you going to stay by the door?" I said to them.

Tails cheesed and they came in. Mari's expression instantly changed when she looked at them. Thankfully, I wasn't paying too much attention to her being all big-sisterly because Tails handed me a tray filled with food. I didn't so much as look at anyone until I finished eating. At least, not until Karo stole my ham and cheese sandwich with mustard, lettuce, and horseradish. I know it's disgusting, but I never really cared what other people thought.

"Good food, yes? I have, please?" Karo asked after he had swallowed half the sandwich.

"Well, you took it already and ate half of it; you might as well eat the rest." I said, rolling my eyes.

Karo squawked happily and gobbled up the rest of the sandwich. Tails made a face; he hated my "novelty" sandwiches. I heard Knuckles calling for some water and Tails ran to his room. Karo looked at me, then at Tails and followed him. The little dragon-alien was so nosy.

Once they were gone, Mari turned to look back at me. I was munching on a slice of cake; pound cake from the taste of it. We stared at each other for a minute while I finished the slice of cake.

"What are you staring at me for?" I asked calmly.

She shook her head. "No reason. No reason at all."

We stared at each other for a few more moments before she shook her head again and left. I watched her leave and stared after her for a long time, wondering if she'd go talk to someone about me. So many things to consider after everything that had happened and now the most complicated creature in the universe, the female, was making things difficult.

"May I enter?"

I looked up at the door-I didn't even realize I had looked down-to see Lirias in the doorway. I waved him in and laid back against my bed, adjusting it so I could see him.

"You seem troubled Shadow." Lirias said, sitting down. I imagined that's how a dinosaur might have sat, legs tucked under him and arms crossed on the ground for balance. His long neck still saw over the bed.

"How exactly do you know English?" I asked.

He shook himself, scales ruffling like feathers before yawning. "I do believe you've asked me this before, but we learn many languages of other planets; we've gotten a few transmissions here and there. I think it shouldn't be that surprising since we had the technology to visit you after all."

"And just like when I asked you before, you haven't answered my question. Run into the Commander yet?"

"I have not answered your question and you have not answered mine. And yes, I have. He's a wretched creature, though we've come up with a name for my people in your tongue."

"Oh? Which is?"

"Darraki, after the name of our star Draco Arrakis. Rather unimaginative, but my soldiers do not mind it, so neither do I."

"The Commander has always prided himself on being 'rational' rather than imaginative. I guess that's why twice now he's failed to protect the planet from an alien invasion. It is a bit of an interesting name though. I would ask you how your people got here, but I think you'll give me a roundabout non-answer like you did with my language question."

Lirias chuckled, "Pardon me if I think more strategically than the Commander and desire to keep my secrets to myself. Besides, I'm sure your darling charges and my own son can figure it out."

"Charges?"

"Yes, the children who follow you, I am not sure what they are. Or what you are now that I think of it."

"Ah, the older one, the boy, his name is Miles, though he prefers to be called Tails. He's a fox. The younger one is Cream, she is a rabbit. Me, I'm a genetically engineered hedgehog with a dark past and super powers."

"Oh yes, nothing unusual about you, nothing at all." Lirias said sarcastically. We both chuckled for a while before falling into silence, both of us thinking.

"I will assume your blue friend, Sonic correct? I will assume he is also a hedgehog, though more natural than you are. What are the others?"

"Knuckles, the red one, he's an echidna, his story is complicated. Rouge is his wife, mate, something, I'm honestly not sure, but I know they love each other. She's a bat, a thief, and a spy. Amy is Sonic's girlfriend, she's also a hedgehog. Mari is the white one, she's a hedgehog too. I don't really know her; she's Tails' tutor and Amy's friend."

"Hmm, you are complex creatures indeed. And outnumbered on this planet too, I have to wonder how you got here. Perhaps I will speak with Tails and find out more, but that is not the important situation is it? No, the important situation is, now that we have been defeated by you, where do our planets go from here? I would ask that you keep my son, he is fond of you, and that you would allow my people to help you restore order to your world."

"Well, I cannot say for sure whether you can stay and help clean, something tells me the humans would not like that. I would be glad to keep Karo, except for initially trying to kill me he has been nothing but sweet. I don't know how well I'd be able to take care of him or teach him though."

"I am sure we can take care of that. If nothing else my mate will be here within a year with my head under her feet to take her child back. Perhaps a tutor like Miles has? Yes, I could send someone here to teach him and help care for him. I will try to keep Siseria from coming to snatch him back."

"Thanks, because something tells me your wife will be far more terrifying than you." Lirias erupts into laughter at that and I shake my head, completely serious. Even I know you don't play with mothers trying to save their babies, they will kill you.

"Well, I have to admit females are scarier than we give them credit for, but she was happy to let him come for an invasion. Then again, I did promise her he wouldn't leave the ship until it was over, but alas my son is intelligent and had a servant help him get out. He is so curious, but still a baby. I'm sure you noticed he speaks poorly, he is only four, and I do believe my planet's year is shorter than yours. I will send someone here to help you or bring him back. I will decide once I return home."

"Good luck with that."

"You have yet to tell me what troubles you."

I sighed heavily, where on earth would I even start? There was the destruction of the city, that dream of Maria, Mari, Karo, just so much. I put my head in my hands, a headache starting. I could probably care for Karo just fine; I'd only want someone to teach him about his people because it was likely the longer he stayed the more likely he'd stay for his whole life. Mari, well girls were just complicated, I could figure that out eventually.

"Shall I come back while you sort your thoughts?"

I sighed again and looked up at him. "Well, there's your son, cleaning up the city, dealing with the Commander and other humans. There's Mari, I'm not sure what's going on there. I dreamt of my first friend. She's been dead many years, but in the dream she was Death and I'm not sure what it means."

Lirias thought for a moment, "In my culture dreams of Death are complicated. It depends on context, because some dreams mean Death is being kind to you, and others mean she is searching for you."

"I am certain she is looking for me, because the last thing she said to me was 'sayounara, until we meet at my door again.'"

"Sayounara?"

"It means goodbye in Japanese, that's this country's native tongue. English is slowly becoming a general language, but it is not my first language."

"I see. What else happened in this dream?"

"It started out happy, blue sky, Knuckles and Sonic about to have a wrestling match. I went outside and sat under a tree, and then Maria came. She had never been to earth, never seen this tree, and never met my family. We walked for a while, she told me the sky was beautiful and asked if I liked Earth. Then I was on the spaceship ARK. It's mostly destroyed now, you probably passed the debris. It was the last few moments before she died, before Maria died. There was no noise except her voice, telling me to leave, the same dialogue from the day she died. Except near the end, she told me I needed to go back to my family. Said if I stayed there I wouldn't see them again, not until they joined us in the afterlife. She hugged me and was cold and threw me in escape pod. Her eyes were red and glowing with power and she told me goodbye until we meet again. I woke soon after that."

Lirias listened silently and remained that way, staring at the floor. I watched him think, listening to my heart monitor beep steadily. He was silent so long that my skin started to crawl and I fought not to scratch.

"Well? What do you think?" I asked.

He shook his head slowly. "I do believe it speaks for itself. That is a dangerous dream Shadow, I suggest you be careful. It seems Death has come to be fond of you, you have nearly died too many times, be cautious lest she have you."

"That doesn't sound good. Are you ok Shadow?" Sonic was standing in the door, looking worried.

"I'm fine, Lirias and I were just talking, but he should probably be going to talk to you and Amy about Karo."

"Karonisi."

Sonic and I looked at Lirias.

"His name is Karonisi. He gets his full name when he first hunts on his own."

Sonic and I looked at each other for a moment. He raised his eyebrows and shrugged; then, Lirias stood up abruptly and turned towards the door.

"Well Sonic, shall we go then? If my son is to spend time here there are things we must discuss."

"Alright, you catch some z's Shads, Lirias you'll want to talk to Amy and Rouge, I'm not much for taking care of pipsqueaks."

They left and I could hear Lirias down the hall asking what a pipsqueak was. I chuckled, then, slowly built into an exasperated and tired laugh. How was it that my life was still able to get more complicated? I laid back against my pillows and laughed until I cried.

AP: Well, here's the end to Blood Fire!

Shadow: Geez, this is so complicated…

AP: Shadow, you were born to be complicated. I will soon be working on the sequel, as will my sister Mirror the Fox be working on its parallel sequel. Thanks for sticking with it this long!