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 5;
Ancient Mission
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The next day, Chris found himself alone in the house. Sonic and Shadow had gone racing off that early morning, the blue anthro taunting the other on and on, before having to run to avoid being punched in the face. Though, even with the black hedgehog after his head, Sonic still laughed happily as he went, reassuring Chris of any worry of either hedgehog hurting themselves too terribly. But even so, with Tails and his grandfather, Chuck, watering the Tornado, and Cream and Cheese also outside having tea and cookies, it was rather lonely in the Thorndyke Mansion.
Chris also kept having feeling, deep down, that something was about to happen. And whatever it was, would not be a good thing. But what? That was the problem...
Sighing, Chris turned his attention away from his odd feelings. There wasn't much he could do, how no one would believe he was having such feelings. Ever since Shadow and Sonic-tachi appeared, that feeling was growing more and more... And they had only been there for three days! Three! What sort of trouble could bother him so much in such a short amount of time? And why did he feel that it'd be safer to stay by Sonic and Shadow's sides, instead of in the comfort of his own home? He still barley new them... yet...
'Oh well...' Chris thought with a sigh, shaking his head to rid himself of that train of thought. Turning his blue eyes to the black remote that lay abandoned on the couch, the same couch Sonic and Shadow had sat on either side of him just the day before, the redhead decided to relax to some show on the television. Best way to keep his mind on something else... right?
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In a basket ball court, young boys played. Shoes scuffed and squeaked as they ran and came to sudden halts, all trying to get the ball and through it into the hoops. A few gave breathless laughs, others scoffed and huffed, too busy wanting to win then to enjoy themselves fully. But none of that really mattered. What mattered, was what was hidden under the sewer plate just in the center of their ball court, deep down in the darkness, surrounded by the stench of garbage and shit, and filthy rats that made such a place their home.
For just bellow their game, were two more anthros. One a red echidna, and the other a pink hedgehog in a just as red dress. As the two walked, the silent echidna couldn't pull his thoughts away from an old memory. A memory of when he was just a child, before taking on the responsibilities he took on now. A memory of the last echidna who had once had his responsibility, in guarding, and protecting, the greatest emerald of their world.
In this memory, the old echidna told him of an old tale. A tragic tale, about the keeper of their great emerald, the true creator of their world. Many years ago, even before that old anthro was born, before many old echidna who had their responsibility as guardian, the keeper lived. Back then, it wasn't their job to protect the great emerald. Oh no, it was to protect the keeper. The one who gave birth to the great emerald, and the seven emeralds of chaos.
What bothered him most about this memory, though, was that he had never bothered to think about it much since he had taken the responsibility as the great emerald's guardian. Never once, did his mind ever stray to the forgotten keeper of their world. So, why was it slipping in now? Why was he remembering the tale so long ago? Why did it matter to him? Why was this new world, this place he had never been to, making him remember something so... insignificant?
And why, most of all, did he keep hearing a voice in his head? Calling to him. Calling him by a name he had never heard, but sounded to familiar. Why was is... so familiar..?
"Knux-su..."
Gritting his sharp teeth, the echidna growled, "This is all because of Sonic."
"Its a misunderstanding, Knuckles," the pink hedgehog's voice pierced through the silence, echoing painfully. 'Why does she have to talk so LOUD!' Knuckles thought with a growl. "Eggman being in this place..." she continued to try and reason.
"No." the red echidna stated firmly, not backing down and never stopping in his steps, "If it wasn't for Sonic's nonsense, we wouldn't be here."
Suddenly, the anthro girl came to a stop, raising a fist as she demanded, "How can you decide that!"
Looking about at her with violet eyes, but keeping his back to face her, Knuckles finally stopped. A short pause of silent finally ended as he spoke, "Because these things happen every time. Am I wrong?" Even as a question, he sounded sure of himself, if a bit sarcastic. Like he was just humoring the girl.
Puffing up her cheeks a bit, she turned her head skywards to the side, eyes shut in a show of stubbornness, folding her arms a cross her chest as he huffed, loudly still, "The way you blame Sonic for everything is what I hate about you the most!"
"Its fine if you hate me," Knuckles continued in that non-caring, sarcastic drawl, continuing on his way in the sewer without a thought.
"W-wait!" the girl stuttered nervously, stubborn attitude gone and replaced by a scared little girl aura. Raising a hand as if to grab the red echidna's departing form, she called, "You'd leave me here?"
Without faltering, Knuckles returned her call with, "Coming along with someone you hate?"
Not sure how to replay, the pink anthro huffed, hands resting at her hips as she said to herself, "Geez! He's so stubborn!" Shrugging off their little fight, she finally moved again, running in a jog to catch up with her departing friend, calling, "Wait up, Knuckles!"
--
Flipping through channels, Chris was shocked when it changed to the news, showing a tall, but stumpy looking, robot destroying Station Square. An odd looking man was also there, sitting comfortably in a round machine that floated in the air, giving the robot orders every now and then. People screamed through the television, running away as far as they could from this destructive machine.
At the sight, the young boy could feel that deep feeling cry in warning once more. So he wasn't just imagining it! Something bad was really happening! But... what could he do about this...?
'Sonic! Shadow!' Chris remembered with a gasp, jumping from the couch and breaking into a run to his grandfather's garage, where everyone would be, 'I have to tell them..! They'll know what to do!'
"Sonic!" Chris cried out, making the four, three young anthros and one old man, turn their attention away from what they were doing to look at the redhead, "Shadow!" Coming to an abrupt halt closest to Cream and Cheese, he questioned, in a pant, "Wh-where are they?"
"Sonic-san said he was going for a little walk," Cream said, curious to Chris' urgent tone in his voice.
"I told him it'd be hard to find him if he wandered too far..." Chris spoke, mostly to himself.
"Will he really be that hard to find?" Tails questioned, still spraying his blue plane, but attention fully on the young redhead in front of him, "With Shadow after him, they should be easy to find. Right?"
"I don't know, but..." Chris almost seemed to whimper, pouting a bit.
Frowning, displeased with seeing the boy down himself, Tails tried to bring Chris back to the topic of why he had come running in such a worried state. "In any case..." the two tailed fox started, "Do you need him for something?"
Snapping out of his disappointed thoughts of being unable to find the blue anthro, Chris began to fret as he almost yelled, "There's big trouble! I'm serious!"
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Tails flew his Tornado over head, looking through the park from above as Chris and Chuck took to looking for the two anthros from below in the old man's car. Standing out in the open, Chris cupped his hands over his mouth as the cried both hedgehog's name, hoping either one would hear and come to his aid.
"They don't seem to be here..." Chuck spoke finally when it seemed Chris was giving up. Seeing the boy turn his blue eyes towards him, his grandfather continued, "Lets go. We'll find them somewhere."
Nodding, Chris ran around the car, jumping into his seat, too much in a hurry to bother opening the door. With that, Chuck sped off to another possible area. No way was he giving up this search!
Just above where their car had been parked, a tooth paste banner was held, showing a woman with bright white teeth and a beautiful snow covered mountain behind her. Somewhere far away, an exact replica, or more along the lines of the real thing, of the mountain stood, giving Sonic a nice view of this world's possible beauty.
Smirking at it, Sonic turned his attention away from site-seeing as he sensed the black anthro still at his tail, red eyes burning with revenge as he sped up the mountain the blue anthro stood on top of. Waving lazily, Sonic called, "Byee!" before speeding down the other side, jumping into the large gap between two mountains. Falling into the darkness bellow, Shadow gave a grunt in the other's direction. No way was that arrogant jerk getting away with what he had said!
Jumping down after Sonic, Shadow only gave a small thought to what Chris was doing to pass the time without him around. But it was only a fleeting thought, how beating Sonic to a pulp was a lot more fun at that exact moment in time.
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Back in the sewer, hidden in darkness, the two anthros still continued their trek to nowhere. The pink hedgehog now slouched as they walked, looking tired. To prove this, she gave a whiney, "Knuckles, can we take a rest?"
"Its all right if you don't follow me," Knuckles spoke, not stopping at all.
Puffing up her cheeks in annoyance, she finally let that anger die as she thought, 'But I'd worry more with Knuckle's on his own...' Forgetting her bit of rage, she continued to speak, this time with another subject, "Say, do you think we can go back to the world we came from?"
Turning violet eyes towards her, he replied, "Don't think we're going back, we ARE going back."
"Why is that?" she questioned in return, still uncertain.
"That's what I'm looking for," he told her honestly, with no jibe or bite in his tone. "If any case, if I..." he continued to speak, thoughts of him guarding the great emerald returning to him, "...can't go back, I won't be able to go there. Because I... must protect it. Better to die then not be able to do my job." With a short pause, he finished, "That's why I don't have the time to linger around this place." 'And I must figure out who's calling to me...' he reminded silently to himself.
Suddenly, a loud pounding was heard from above, shaking the ground they walked. Gasping from shock, Knuckles turned his head up to the source of the noise, seeing a pothole that could lead them out of the darkness. Running to the metal ladder, he questioned, "What is it?" The pink hedgehog followed close behind, but remained silent, for once.
--
Having just seen Dr. Eggman's face over the Thorndyke's television, both Tails and Chris went rushing to the Tornado, jumping in as quickly as they could. Chuck, standing by with Cream and Cheese, demanded, "Tails, take good care of Chris," as the said redhead was buckling himself in.
"I will," the two tailed fox nodded, returning Chuck's stern look with one of his own. Returning his attention back to piloting, Tails cried, "All right! Lets go!"
Hearing a gentle, "Un!" from behind, Tails finally took off, heading quickly in the direction of a bank building, that stood rather high for such a building. Silently, the fox anthro prayed Sonic, or even Shadow, if he must, would hear of Eggman's sudden appearance in Station Square.
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Laughing happily, Sonic sped across road after road, Shadow quick on his tail. They had been at this for hours on end, and yet the blue anthro still found entertainment in teasing the other. It was a lot easier to do this without Chris' sweet voice trying to reassure Shadow that the blue anthro was only playing around.
A faint cry that sounded oddly enough to be Chris' said voice, Sonic came to a quick and sudden stop. Turning his emerald green eyes towards a small crowd of people, the blue hedgehog jumped into a tree just over them to see what they were looking at. Good thing, too, how Shadow almost slugged him in the back of the head if he remained standing there with a blank look on his face.
Shocked, Sonic saw on a couple television screens that the Tornado, with Tails and Chris inside, were flying quickly to dodge attacks from a new robot, most likely made by Dr. Eggman. The plane was a little damaged, having been hit by the time Sonic had ran by, hearing Chris' worried cry as they had almost lost control of the Tornado. From bellow the tree, Shadow could barely make out the television screen himself, but knew something bad was happening. Without concentrating on killing the other, he could sense Chris' panic not too far from where they stood.
Turning cold red eyes up to meet friendly green, the two gave each other a nod. Their fight would be put to a hold, for now. Chris, and Tails, needed their help.
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"LET AMY GO!"
"Wait, Knuckles!" Eggman's voice cut through, floating quickly to stand between the red echidna and the pink hedgehog, who know was held tightly in the robot's grasp. Doing as the fat man commanded, he continued, "Or his hand will squeeze a little bit more..." As if to demonstrate, the older man snapped his fingers, cuing the robot to prove his point as it, indeed, squeeze Amy harder.
"Nooo! OW!" she cried, feeling the sudden pain of bones wanting to break.
Growling, Knuckles gritted his teeth, not knowing what to do without putting Amy's life in any more danger then it already was. "You coward!" he finally yelled, "Let Amy go!"
"Coward?" Eggman repeated, still grinning despite the insult, "I'm only holding the girl to protect E-23!" Looking around, he spoke to himself, "He's not here..."
'Is he talking about Sonic..?' Knuckles wondered. Usually when Eggman talked about the blue anthro, there was always spite in his tone, but... The way he spoke, it was more of a need. Like he wanted whoever this person he spoke of was.
Suddenly, as if seeming to remember, Eggman gave another look around, saying, "There's still that hedgehog..."
It only proved Knuckles correct. The Doctor wasn't just looking for world domination... but something else as well. But WHAT?
Still flying over head, Tails and Chris watched the stand-still that was bellow them. "Sonic still hasn't come..." Tails spoke, worried for his friends.
As Chris watched, concerned as well with the safety of Sonic's friends, the redhead suddenly felt two presences drawing near. Turning his attention away from the action bellow, he could see two blurry trails, one blue and the other black. 'Sonic and Shadow!' he realized quickly. Smiling, he shouted for Tails to hear, "Tails! Sonic and Shadow are here!"
"All right!" Tails cheered, maneuvering the plane so they flew past the two almost as car level.
Chris, leaning half way out of the Tornado, held two hands out as he cried, "Here! Take this!" towards the two anthro hedgehogs. As they both reached out to take the offered item from the redhead, two gold rings entered both white gloved hands, giving the two an extra boost of energy to take out the madman Doctor without a problem.
Smirking at Chris, Sonic yelled, "Thank you!" as Shadow gave a grunt of gratitude before the plane was out of ear range, speeding their separate ways; Sonic and Shadow heading for the building, as Tails and Chris continued on, returning to the air to fly high above and watch the action take place.
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"Our battle isn't over yet!"
Flying away, smoke trailing behind Eggman as he went, Sonic smirked happily at the man's retreating back. Shadow, on the other hand, remain uncaring, attention turning to the plane flying over head and the young boy that sat happily within. It was only when the pink hedgehog cried out Sonic's name did the black anthro give any attention to the two other anthros.
The pink hedgehog came running up to Sonic, wrapping her arms around his neck in a choking grip as she cried, "I'm so glad to meet up with you!" Ignoring Sonic's annoyed, "H-hey--!" she continued on, "I really thought I wouldn't see you again!"
"Hey-- that hurts..." Sonic mumbled out, gritting his teeth in pain and annoyance.
Just then, men in black came charging onto the roof, aiming their guns at the four anthros as one man ordered, "Raise your hands!"
Glaring at them, Knuckles calmly demanded, "What do you want?"
"Just do as we say!" the same man responded, never faltering.
Glaring now with rage, teeth bared in warning, a powerful aura surrounded the red echidna as he yelled in rage, "You guys are pretty rude, aren't you?"
Sweating now in nervousness, the same man in black questioned, "Wh-what are you doing?"
"Sonic!" Tails' voice sudden broke out through the air, pulling Sonic, Shadow, and Amy's attention away from Knuckles and the men in black. "Catch this!" As he yelled, the three spotted a rope ladder flying through the wind, attached to the plane as it flew closer to the roof.
Doing as commanded, Shadow jumped as high as he could to avoid a collision with Sonic and Amy, who subconsciously wrapped an arm around her waist as he grabbed hold on the rope ladder as it flew past with ease. Besides, the black anthro reasoned, he wanted to reach Chris before the blue hedgehog anyways.
Seeing Knuckles had yet to move, Sonic yelled at his friend to get his attention, "Knuckles! Hey!"
Noticing that the red echidna still was yet to budge, Amy cried, "Knuckles! Hurry!"
Finally, Knuckles growling stopped as he gave the men an arrogant smirk, before making a mad dash after the rope ladder as it was making its way away from the root top at that moment. The man began to fire at the red echidna's heels, hoping to knock him off his feet and capture the creature, but each shot was easily dodged. Making a dramatic leap, Knuckles just barely snatched the end of the rope latter, dangling there as Tails piloted away into the distance and just out of town.
"Lets go back to my house!" Chris called down to the others, helping Shadow out as he had climbed his way up the ladder to sit in the redhead's lap comfortably.
Besides him, Tails called to Amy, "Cream and Cheese are waiting for us!"
"Eh, really!" Amy squealed happily. She missed her little girl friend and pet chao. "Everyone will be together again!"
"Sorry, but I have my own things to do!" Knuckles told them, before letting go of the ladder.
"Knuckles!" Amy cried, watching the red anthro fall backwards in the air.
"Farewell!" he yelled to them all, before turning his back to them so he could concentrate on his descent. To Chris, he almost looked like an animal version of Superman, hands out stretched in front of him as he "flew."
"Knuckles..." Amy spoke softly to herself, only Sonic able to hear, "Why...?"
With a slight pause, Sonic responded, "Because he's got his own mission to fulfill." Turning green eyes to look up at Chris and Shadow, he silently spoke, 'Just as I do, in winning this boy's heart...'
And so they flew, Tornado flying smoothly into the sunset as the day finally came to an end.
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-tsuzuku-