Rivalry of the Heart

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Pairing(s): Sonic x Chris, Shadow x Chris

Summary: What if it wasn't Sonic who fell in Chris' pool, but instead... Shadow? And what if Chris had a special connection with the Chaos Emeralds? Eggman isn't going to like this...Or is he..?

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Chapter 3;
Rescues Plan for Creamy Bunnies and Cheesy Chaos

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"Due to incredible speeds, it's difficult to make out the image. Here are interviews with the people who were on the scene..."

"It's about this big, blue, and looked like a hedgehog. And there was another one, that looked just the same, only black with red streaks." Said a chubby cop, showing the height with his hand that showed about it being higher then his waist line.

"It went really fast, it passed by me going "screeeech" that way!" Spoke a civilian still in his own car, moving his hand past his face in a speedy show to state his point.

"I'm not kidding! I think it was going faster then Mach Five!" A chubby civilian, leaning against his own car, spoke seriously, yet still skeptical.

"Well, it could be a 'U.M.A.'" started a skinny scientist who held a hyper monkey that had a fetish with the man's glasses, "If you're wondering if it can be a being from earth, then... my answer is 'no.' The fastest animal is a cheetah but they don't run faster than a car. An animal with such speed does not exist."

"Is it tasty?" came Chris' curious voice over the TV's volume.

"It would be easier to simply think it's a machine," the same scientist finished.

"More or less," was Sonic's simple reply.

Shadow, on the other side of Chris, grimaced at being forced to have to listen to Sonic's endless munching on those...ugh... chili dogs. 'How can he EAT that crud?' the dark furred hedgehog wondered, glaring with a disgusted look on his face at the other.

Suddenly, another sound caught his black ears. And this one not as disgusting, but more troubling. What with that fact that they were suppose to keep hidden, and the sound of someone's footsteps quickly heading their way wasn't a good sign.

"Hey, Chris..." Shadow started in a soft voice, making sure Sonic didn't hear the worry in his tone.

"What is it, Shadow?" Chris asked, turning his attention over to the other hedgehog for only a second, as the sound of the door to his right being shoved open quickly caught his interest.

"Did you hear, Chris?" an old man cheerfully shouted, running into the room like a child would on Christmas morning, "They said that what could most likely outrun the S Team was some kind of machine!"

Suddenly looking down at the blue critter at the boy's side that the older man had over looked when first barging in, the look of shock surprise wasn't far off from his features. Looking from the hedgehog to the TV, a connect was finally made!

Acting quickly, Shadow snatched a pillow and tried to hide behind it, but was discouraged from that plan as the redhead snapped it from him, throwing it over the other hedgehog in an attempt to save Sonic from being discovered. Too bad Sonic wasn't in the mood to participate in being suffocated by a pillow. Something that made Shadow very disappointed in.

"HEY!" was Sonic's muffled cry, "What are you doing? Take it off!"

The old man blinked in slight confusion, looking at Chris with curiosity as the said boy gave a nervous chuckle. Things weren't looking up, especially when Sonic finally got up enough strength to toss the pillow off of himself and out of Chris' own grip.

Huffing when finally freed, Sonic crossed his arms, pouting stubbornly. How dare that kid do something so cruel to him! He was Sonic the Hedgehog! He deserved better treatment then being killed by a freakin' pillow! But then, the kid was lucky to be too cute or else Sonic would of whacked Chris on the back of the head as a warning. 'Curse the cuteness factor!'

Shadow wanted to burst out laughing. Mockingly, of course. But even for him, it would be a feet he'd rather save for a more... serious time. Like when he finally showed that idiot how more superior he was. But in the mean time, he let a smug grin grace his lips. Things were getting interesting by the minute.

The old man, still a bit skeptical, slowly scanned Sonic over. Starting from head and moving down to his spiked tail, he slowly whispered out, "Blue... Looks like a hedgehog..." A gasp passed his lips as he straightened from his leaning position over the hedgehog, before a second, and louder gasp rose as a wide smile curved on his lips.

As quickly as he entered, the old man pounced on Sonic, wrapping his arms around the other to keep the blue hedgehog from escaping. Chris scooted back a bit, not wanting to be in the elder's crossfire, while Shadow tried to suppress a content smirk at having the boy sitting way closer to him then before. And that same smirk only got wider as he watched the old man's next action on his good ole "friend."

"Hey-hey-hey! Wait!" Sonic snapped, trying to shove the elder man away but failing badly.

From out of nowhere, the man pulled out a screw driver, holding it up for all to see as it sparkled like some holy item. Smirking to himself, the old man went straight away to trying to find the "machine's" screws to open it and see how it was made.

"What is this thing made of..?" the elder mused to himself aloud.

"AH! Stop!" Sonic yelped, a look of utter discomfort falling over his features as he continued to try and struggle out of the man's relentless grasp. And luckily for him, this time, the blue hedgehog was able to achieve just that, what with the man's other hand being too busy trying to poke holes into his flesh. Jumping high, the disturbed hedgehog landed safely around the table that kept him separate from that crazy old man.

Shocked at first, the older man quickly snapped out of it as he pointed his screw driver in the other's direction, demanding, "Don't run away!" in a challenging voice. At his side, Chris silently watched in curiosity and worry and Shadow silently cackled at Sonic's misfortune.

Suddenly snapping out of his own confusion, Chris took this time to save the poor hedgehog as he gently spoke up, "Umm... Grandpa..."

'GRANDPA!' both hedgehog's thought with shock. This kooky old man was the grandfather to their perfect angel? Holy shi--!

"He's..." Chris started again, interrupting both their thoughts, "Sonic isn't a machine."

Chris' now known grandfather stood up from his position on the couch, screw driver forgotten as it slipped through his fingers from the shock of this newfound information. Silence greeted the room then from the once wild activities that had taken place. And thanks to this newfound silence, the TV was once again dominating the living room.

"Stay away, please!" came a gentle voice of a little girl, "I'm scared!"

"Chao!" was the girl's odd reply.

"Huh?" Sonic blinked, shocked to hear such familiar voices that he did not expect to hear while in this world. Turning sharply to the TV, Sonic glared at the picture that presented itself.

"Please, stay away!" the same girl cried, hugging a blue creature close to her as she shivered in fear, sitting on top of a bulletin board that promoted some soda pop.

"Its Cream and Cheese!" Sonic gasped out, shocked to see the two on the Thorndyke's television tube. 'They're here, too...?'

A soft gasp escaped Chris' lips at this, curiosity once again taking over as he asked, "You know them?"

"Ya, its the idiot's friends," Shadow finally spoke up, looking bored at the TV, "Or at least two of them. And the youngest of the group, too..."

"Ah! Th-there are two hedgehogs here!" Chris' grandfather yelped, shocked to have not noticed the silent other.

"So I wasn't the only one who came to this strange world..." Sonic whispered to himself aloud, a determined look crossing his features, totally ignoring everyone else in the room. "All right, wait for me!" he suddenly announced to the girl on the TV, quickly making his way out of the manor with great speed.

Shadow blinked in slight shock at the sudden depart, only to quickly jump off his own seat to follow the redhead as Chris made a quick dash towards the front door. Watching from Chris' side, the young boy called after the disappearing form of the blue hedgehog, yelling, "Do you even know where it is?"

Watching as the reckless hedgehog destroyed a neat line of bushes in his rush, Sonic skidded to a stop only to quickly dash back towards the other two watching after him. It was only until he reached Chris once more did the blue anthro stop, finally, shrugging with a silly grin on his face.

'Its just like him to act without thinking...' Shadow huffed, glaring at the other with distaste, 'The mindless fool...'

Silently, Chris almost agreed with the black hedgehog, only with less hatred and more amusement.

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In the garage where Chris' grandfather, now known as Chuck, had most of his knickknacks of inventions, reminding Sonic greatly of his missing two tailed partner, the three found themselves in full attention to the elder man. Sighing in great thought, the old man started off with his plans to help the anthro save his friends.

"Okay," he began, talking on the phone with one of his old friends he had asked for help, "Yes, that'll be helpful. Sorry, I'll treat you to lunch next time." Putting down the phone, Sonic turned his attention away from one of the many devices to give the elder half an ear to see what the man had picked up. "The police said they were transferred to Area 99."

"Area 99?" Chris repeated a little defeated.

"What's Area 99?" Shadow questioned, raising an eye in query.

"Its a military laboratory," Chris explained, turning to his grandfather for reassurance, "Right?"

Looking up at Chris with a blank stare, Sonic wondered aloud, "Military?" 'What is a military..?'

Turning his attention to the blue hedgehog, Chris gave a small nod. "Yes, the National Defense Force with tanks, armed cars, and other weapons."

"Almost sounds like Eggman's place," Shadow mused over, before adding, "Well, besides the fact that he cares more for robots then anything else. As long as it can crush you, Sonic, he doesn't care."

Growling at the other, Sonic turned his attention back to the redhead and his grandfather. "I hate to admit it, but Shadow is right," Sonic huffed, "It really does sound like that creep, Eggman.."

"To be taken to the military's laboratory means that they want to research them," Chuck interrupted Sonic's sulking, returning full attention to himself, "Like aliens from outer space or-" looking down at Sonic's curious green orbs, "some kind of biological weapon that another country developed. But what really happens there, eh?"

"Like I'd know," Sonic shrugged off, putting up the look of not caring for a word the old man spoke anymore. It was getting rather annoying, anyways... "Well, now that I know where the place is, I'm going."

Marching his way to the exit of the garage, Chris' worried words followed after him quickly, "But if you do that, they'll catch you, too!"

Smirking in bemusement, Shadow responded calmly, "Let him go. He's just a pain in your neck if you let him stay. He'll only complain and whine until he gets his way."

"Stop talking about me like I'm a spoiled brat, Shadow," Sonic snapped, before smirking in reassurance towards the young boy as he replied to his earlier worry, "And don't worry about me. They can't catch me if they catch match up to my speed." With that, the blue hedgehog turned to leave, only to find the garage door close in front of his face. Growling deep in his throat, an annoyed look crossing his usual carefree features, Sonic snapped his head around as he snapped, "What're you doing?"

"I-it wasn't me!" Chris yelped, waving his hands in front of himself as his only defense, not use to Sonic's glares. It was only after his grandfather chuckled did the culprit to Sonic's capture make itself known.

"It was me," Chuck announced proudly. Seeing Sonic's dumbfounded expression, Shadow almost mirroring that same look, only from behind Chris' form, the old man continued excitedly, "It looks like fun! My blood is excited!"

"Even you, Grandpa?" Chris questioned with shock and worry. It was odd how he was stuck with the oddest family members... Even if most of them were always away, working.

Smirking down at his grandson, Chuck announced for the boy, "You're also going. Don't you always tell me you refuse to have a boring life like your father?"

"Tha-that's a secret!" Chris smiled shyly, chuckling lightly as he joked with his grandfather, "You can't say that to Papa!"

Chuck laughed good naturedly as he agreed, "I know."

Silently, both hedgehogs watched the small family bond the two shared, curious with this new fact about Chris' dream life. 'So the boy wants a more interesting life, eh?' Shadow and Sonic both thought almost as one, smirking with interest, 'That can be arranged...'

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-tsuzuku-