Author's note: Ok! Sequel to SD is up, for all who care. Sorry about the delay for this story, but I'm trying to do a lot lately and it is summer, meaning I actually have LESS time. I do need to pick up the pace, though, because I need to finish this and have the next story up by Band Camp!

Chapter Seven: Hunt for Blue October

I rubbed my head and looked around the city. "Tails," I muttered, "We should have gotten an earlier start. This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack." He shrugged. "Meaning it's going to be impossible! When did you take that picture?"

"About a year ago," Tails muttered. I sighed loudly. "Shut up! It's the only lead we have. Do you have a better idea?" I shook my head, defeated. "I didn't think so," Tails said. I wanted to rip his throat out. He had grown up, sure! That's great! He also turned into a big fat jerk along the way. I knew it was partially my fault. Left alone, he went to the only friends he could find, and they turned out to be bigger jerks, and when you throw a good apple with bad ones, it'll rot, and that was the sad truth. Tails had been thrown in a barrel of bad apples and came out a jerk.

"So, who wrote what was on the back?" I asked. I was trying to make up for slapping him two days earlier.

"Sonic," Tails answered simply. "He snuck in my house a few weeks after the picture was taken. He had apparently seen me taking pictures. He rummaged through my picture box until he found it, wrote what was on the back, placed it in a frame and disappeared before I knew what was going on."

"How do you know it was him?"

"He left another note explaining that he came in to borrow a few things from me."

"He stole from you?" Tails nodded sadly. "He must be desperate. Were you mad?"

The fox went silent and looked around at the skyline. After a few minutes, he nodded. "Yeah, I was angry. I was angry at him for everything he did to me. He just left, just like you, but no one was after him. He thought he could hide from his problems. He killed a man and now he's trying to hide from his mistake. We can't do that, Knuckles. We can't just run!"

I did, I thought. I sighed and looked at him. "I'm really sorry about leaving, but it was all I could think of."

"You did the right thing. I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at him," Tails growled angrily. I rubbed my head and allowed my mind to wander. I followed the fox blindly, like a lamb to the slaughter. I was beginning to regret my choice to come home. I had been thrown into a world that I didn't even know anymore. This was my home, but it didn't feel like it. I was shocked at what it had fallen in to. I left for three years and they destroyed everything and now I felt like I had to fix it. That was too much for me to handle. "There," Tails whispered. I looked up to see a run down hotel.

"He's here?" I asked. The fox shook his head. "Then what are we doing here?"

"You'll see," he said and led me into the hotel. I followed quietly. Tails didn't stop at the front desk. The women there waved slightly and he nodded back at her. I cocked my head, confused. Tails walked up the stairs and led me to a room in the back. He opened the door without knocking. "Sid?" He asked. An odd looking human boy looked up from where he was sitting in front of the computer.

He smiled. "Fox-boy! What brings you to Metal City?" He then saw me. His smile faded and his already dark eyes darkened more. "I told you to only come alone," he snapped. Tails shrugged.

"Sid, calm down. This is Knuckles and he's my friend. I just need some information and you won't see me again."

"Twenty-bucks up front, kid," Sid said. I glared at Tails. How did he know this guy?

Sure enough, Tails threw down a twenty. Sid smiled and nodded. "I just need to know about Blue October," Tails said.

"Blue October? That guy? I thought you were through with him." Tails shrugged. "But if you really want to know, he's still hanging out here. I see him every now and again."

"Last spotting?" Tails asked.

"Last night."

"Where?"

"That'll cost you extra, kid," Sid said with a glare. Tails sighed and put down a ten. Sid smiled again. "I saw him near the Town Center. I hear now and days he's taken up residence with someone."

"Really? He's been on the run for a few years. Who's he living with?"

Sid laughed and Tails rolled his eyes and threw down another ten. Sid nodded and wrote down an address on a piece of paper. "Pleasure doing business with you, Fox-boy. Say hello to October for me."

"This better not be a scam, Sid. I'm under a secrecy oath, but my friend isn't. If he hasn't been seen anywhere near here in the past week, you'll be spending the rest of your days in jail!" Tails spun and walked out. I smiled weakly and chased after him. When we were well out of ear shot, Tails began cursing. "Forty bucks! That no good, stinkin' freak charged me forty dollars!"

"Where did you dig him up?" I asked.

Tails sighed. "Sid is an old friend of one of my friends. He knows the underground news of this city, but the way he acquires it is why we can have him in jail before he has time to think."

"So, who's Blue October?" I asked.

Tails smiled. "That would be Sonic. In the underground society, he's known as Blue October to keep the cops away from him. Most of the scum running the city are trying to protect him. I don't know if he knows about the nick-name, but if he does, I hope he doesn't mind." I nodded. We had already left the hotel. The sky had become darker and I figured it had to be around eight or nine. I knew we should have gotten an earlier start. There was a loud crash behind us. I spun around to see a black figure fleeing from an over turned trash can. I shook my head. If they were following me, then I was in a lot of trouble.

"Tails, when do you think we'll get there?" I asked. Tails shrugged and continued down the street. After a few minutes, we entered the nicer section of town. Tails looked from the paper to the houses as we walked down the street. I still felt we were being followed, but I didn't lose my cool. We finally reached the house with the matching address. Tails took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

When it was opened, all I could do was stare. "Shadow?" Tails asked before I could gather my thoughts. The black hedgehog looked around us wildly.

"Are you two alone?" He asked. Tails nodded and he ushered us into the house. The place wasn't a wreck, but it wasn't perfect either. It could be told that either Shadow slept on the couch, or someone else was living with him. There were folded blankets on the sofa and a pillow placed neatly on the blankets.

"So, you finally bought a house," Tails said.

Shadow dismissed the statement. "You're here for Sonic, aren't you?" Shadow asked. Tails and I nodded. "Well, he's not here."

"Where is he?" I asked, getting tired of all these dead ends.

"How should I know? I'm not his keeper!"

"So you sleep on the couch?" I snapped.

"No."

"Then why are there blankets?" I pressed.

"Quit badgering me, Knuckles," he growled. I glared at him. His ice cold stare didn't falter, but his tone lost its deathly ice. "I leave the door unlocked and food on the table. He comes in at night, eats the food, sleeps on the couch and leaves before I ever wake up. Every morning I wake up to find the pile of provided blankets stacked and folded neatly. He's never taken more food than what I set out for him. I don't understand him, but if he wants my help, then I'll give it to him."

"Why did he start coming here?" Tails asked before I could get anything out.

Shadow shrugged. "As far as I know, someone tipped him off that I was living here and he snuck in one night. He got here before I did and I found him sleeping on the couch when I returned home. I didn't wake him up. I just went off to bed. The next night, before I went in for the night, I folded two blankets and placed a pillow on the couch, along with a note saying Use the door next time. It'll be unlocked. He wrote thanks back. About a week later, I had gotten used to refolding the blankets. When I walked out one morning, they were already folded. At first I had thought he didn't come, but there was another note on the pile. It read I'll continue folding if you'll leave some food out. I did."

"He comes here every night?" I asked.

Shadow shook his head. "Nah. Sometimes there'll be food left on the table."

"So have you two spoken?" Tails asked. Shadow shook his head again.

"Just those three notes we wrote." He looked up at the clock. The sun already down. He walked into the kitchen and pulled out a plate with tin foil covering it out of the microwave. He left the door open and turned out the light. "You two are welcome to wait for him. There's no guarantee he won't run when he sees you, or that he'll come at all. Night!" The rest of the lights went off. All that was left on was the microwave light. Its eerie yellow glow gave the room an unnatural feeling. Tails was settling down on the sofa. Before long, I heard his breathing become regular. I knew I should try and sleep, but I didn't want to. I continued to stare at the yellow light.

My head jerked up as I heard a noise. I looked at the clock. It was two. I hadn't realized I had nodded off. The door had been opened. The yellow glow wasn't there anymore. I realized then that the noise was the microwave running. I listened silently to the sound of silverware hitting the glass plate. The sound was muffled in the silence. I shook my head and sighed. The noise stopped. I heard a chair scrape across the floor. A darkened figure appeared in the door way of the kitchen. I recognized it instantly. I stood up and the hedgehog backed away. I could see his eyes and he could see mine. His darted toward the door. I took a step toward him. He backed away another step. I sighed again.

I turned on the light in the living room. The light flooded the kitchen as well, but what I saw standing before me shocked the breath out of me. "You're supposed to be dead," he growled.

"So are you…"

Author's note: Sorry about the delay!