Summary
The Hedgehog Saga: Sonic was getting too cocky, the constant winning going to his head. So when a battle with Eggman goes horribly wrong, and Sonic is permanently blinded, the Blue Blur is left all but abandoned. But when the only person left by his side, was the one sent the kill him, Shadow, it turns Sonic's life upside down.
Chapter Contents
Chapter One – Unexpected
Chapter Two – Changed
Chapter Three – Explosions
Chapter Four – Explorations
Chapter Five – Deceptions
Chapter Six – Reunions
Chapter Seven – Vindicated
Chapter Eight – Renewal
Chapter Nine – Interception
Chapter Ten – Surrender
Chapter Eleven – Companionship
Chapter One – Unexpected
Shadow The Hedgehog was well known for his arrogance but someone else wasn't. It drove the Black Hedgehog spare, because he definitely had it, but it just wasn't that obvious. Sonic The Hedgehog was so incredibly full of himself, but nobody else seemed to notice. The constant winning against Eggman had left that insufferable Blue Blur so unbelievably cocky, that Shadow just couldn't bare being in his presence anymore. His own arrogance was plain for all to see, and he made no attempts to hide it. Shadow enjoyed being sly and manipulative, but Sonic?
He growled. Enough, as he retired to the Ark for the night. The space colony was his and his alone. He won it back from the Mobian Authorities, when they tried to take it from him. Even G.U.N. got involved, but the Guardian Unit of Nations was no match for a very angry Ultimate Lifeform. He still worked for them, but very much on his own terms. Not having much of a choice, they had allowed it. Now the Ark lay where it was bought here, to Mobius, where he and Sonic had Chaos Controlled it from Earth. He heaved. That was a long time ago, back when Sonic was young and naive. But a hero, none the less, able to match him, especially in getting the space colony here. Shadow was impressed at the time, but nowadays, no. Sonic was now just turned twenty and should know better, and he still hadn't defeated the Human. Shadow was beginning to get the impression that the Blue Blur didn't truly want to. Who else would play with him, to the same extent as Eggman does, when the war was over? Shadow scowled, definitely not him. Sonic was such a child, and as for potentially illegally extending the war, that was for the Mobian Authorities to deal with. Not the Ultimate Lifeform. Truthfully, Shadow didn't care, he enjoyed fighting the Human, it was just the Hero of Mobius himself who was becoming impossible to handle.
Eggman's latest schemes against the Blue Blur had all fallen flat on their faces with every single attempt. Either the Human was getting worse or Sonic was getting better. Shadow suspected the latter, again impressive, but it made the Blue Blur's horrendous attitude nowadays even worse. He absolutely believed that nothing could touch him, but Shadow knew, mainly from experience that, that was not the way to win a fight.
The Ultimate Lifeform sighed as he stretched. He threw up his long arms, his fists clenched, and elongated them, arching his back. His jet black fur had darken over the years and his crimson stripes, had a deeper, richer red. He close his glowing red eyes, enjoying the relief of the day's strains. The his black upturned quills still flowed down his back, their red stripes glistening in the lights of the space colony. His brought down his arms, and stretched out his fingers, his gold Inhibitors Rings shining. He rocked slightly on his feet, his long legs strong, his red, white and black rocket shoes as steady as ever. His chest fur was extremely rough at this late hour, and as he finally relaxed his muscles, to his complete and utter surprise, he yawned.
He raised an eyebrow. Well, that came out of nowhere. He must be more tired then he'd realised. It was late, time to get some rest. The Ultimate Lifeform didn't sleep, but did enjoy reading as a form of relaxation. He went to sit, and began a good book. Shadow had gained a lot of weight over, recently, over the last few years. In pure muscle, but it still annoyed him, that Sonic was still several inches taller then him, and faster, no matter what the Ultimate Lifeform did.
But he was keen to rest. G.U.N. had come to him with a proposition that had seriously caught his attention. Normally, he'd have just ignored them, picking and choosing his missions nowadays, but this was entirely different. They had had a series of new recruits, showing serious promise in marksmanship and they wanted Shadow, the best in the business, to put them through their paces.
In other words, teach.
Many years ago, Shadow would have just turned them down flat, but nowadays, older and wiser, having spent almost of the decade with a certain Blue Blur, Shadow had learned to give the younger generation, their try. Surprising sometimes, even himself. Now he was deeply curious as to what these recruits had to offer, and the thought of scaring them witless, did seriously appeal. Shadow with his two semi-automatic revolvers was considered, worldwide, the best shooter in marksmanship on the planet, and his skills were highly sort after as a professional killer.
He very rarely worked for G.U.N. nowadays, he schedule was so busy with deleting targets, but the recent lull had been very refreshing. Even killing, which he absolutely loved, could become tedious if it went on for long enough. Constantly executing one target after another, was wearing Shadow down. It paid extremely well, that's why he did it, but he was desperate for a break. So the opportunity to teach, got his attention. It wasn't killing. Well, almost. He smirked. That depended on what the students did. First thing in the morning he was due at G.U.N. Headquarters. His smirked broadened, as he settled down for the night. Yes, he would be there.
Shadow walked up to the tall building of the G.U.N. Headquarters, the following morning, for the first time, in what felt like an age. It had been years since he'd set foot in the place. Too busy killing, and that knowledge was very widely known across the whole of G.U.N. as everyone respectively gave him an extremely wide berth. He smirked, letting them. Thousands of targets had died by his hand, so he wasn't that surprised. But he was surprised, however, to see a certain Bat, still working here. He was convinced she'd have long since moved on by now.
Rouge was still her old self, had grown a lot, into a stunning woman, but not in her usual attire. Her short white fur shone in the electric lighting as her larger ears were pricked, and her deep teal eyes with eyelashes were pointing to the fellow G.U.N. agent she was talking to. Her small black nose sniffing occasionally. She wore short black top and trousers with white flowers, both of which left her belly bare, with pink and white shoes, and white gloves, with pink cuffs. Shadow smirked. Her old extreme gear outfit. He always loved her in that outfit. It made her look gorgeous, but try as Shadow might, he never did get her into his bed. She fought back too hard and he had too much respect for her. So in the end, nothing happened.
But in Rouge, he definitely was still interested, as he silently sneaked up directly behind her, his smirk broadening. Suddenly, Rouge's comrade suddenly fell very silent, backing away very quickly, both his hands up, absolutely terrified. She frowned, staring at him, when out of nowhere, the coldest voice on the whole planet hissed into her ear, making her jump a mile.
"Still here, I see?" He sniggered, as Rouge squealed, taking to the air, and was left flapping her wings, in mid air, near the roof, panting hard and she looked down to see a very amused Ultimate Lifeform. She stared at him. She hadn't seen him in years. She heaved.
"Shadow!" She panted, landing next to him. "I thought you had quit G.U.N." She gulped. There was a definite note of fear on her voice, that Shadow was very unsure whether he liked. But then his just sighed.
"No." He smirked. "Still on their books. We have an arrangement. I pick and choose my missions, and nobody dies." He hissed, smirking hard, but Rouge just growled.
"That's not funny, Shadow." She squealed. "Everyone here knows the successful assassination of the Chief Executive of the Mobian Authorities was you." She grilled. Shadow smirked broadened. That was indeed true. One the best and most enjoyable jobs as a professional killer he'd ever taken. Paid almost a million Mobian dollars for it, and despite it's intense difficulty, he'd succeeded, with ruthless efficiency, a bullet perfectly between the eyes, like always. He'd hated that Lion with a passion, and had wanted him dead for years, then when he got the excuse, he wasn't going to turn it down. Unfortunately, in order to kill the Chief Executive, Shadow had had to slaughter all of his family, staff and bodyguards. Oh, what a pity. He leered but Rouge just rounded on him.
"Why are you here?" She spat. "I'm just passing through. I've got a new job, so I have just handed in my resignation." She demanded. But Shadow just walked around her, in the now somewhat empty foyer, eyeing her all over. He curled his lip.
"Apparently, G.U.N. has had some recent recruits showing some promise in marksmanship, and I've been asked." He paused, suddenly pulling out a fully-loaded revolver, and pointed it straight at Rouge's forehead. "To show them how it's done." He added. Rouge gulped, shaking with absolute terror. But despite her intense fright, she heaved, still believing that Shadow would never actually hurt her, despite his horrendous reputation. Holding her nerve, she moved around the gun. Shadow didn't move a muscle. He just followed her with his eyes. She sighed, relieved, but then frowned.
"What? You, teach?" She asked, dumbfounded. Shadow sighed, lowing the gun, and putting it back into his quills. He heaved.
"Yes. There had been a recent lull in my current work, and fancying a change, I decided to take up G.U.N.'s offer. Someone's got to scare those kids witless." He sneered. But Rouge just giggled.
"Missing bullying Sonic?" She smiled, but Shadow just swore at her, extremely hard. So hard, in fact that Rouge was left somewhat stunned, blinking at him. He growled.
"There is only so much of that Blue Blur's dam ego I can take." He roared. He'd had enough of it. He no longer wanted to know. He'd been incredibly close to putting a bullet between the eyes of that insufferable Blue Hedgehog, but in the end, he'd decided that Sonic was just worth too much, to too many people. Being a professional killer was one thing, but being permanently hunted as the killer on the much beloved Hero of Mobius was quite another, and something Shadow didn't fancy. He did respect him, even if that respect was incredibly thin these days.
Rouge frowned. She knew Sonic was bad, but not that bad. But Shadow had been missing from the Blue Blur's most recent victories against Eggman, and they had been spectacular, Sonic only barely surviving, let alone winning. As far as she was concerned, he'd earned his bragging rights. Apparently, he'd been suffering with horrendous nightmares from those battles, according to Tails, and the ego was his way of dealing with it. But it seemed that, regardless, Shadow had just lost his patience with him. Rouge sighed. Maybe there were better off apart, for now. Both of them had issues to deal with, but as Rouge silently backed away, letting Shadow pass, she was deeply curious, as to what Shadow was going to do with the new recruits. She ran after him. She heaved.
"Hey, can I come with you?" She asked. "What are you planning on doing with those kids?" She admitted. Shadow stopped, turning to face her. He hadn't decided on that himself, but the Bat was butting in somewhat. He hissed.
"Technically, you can't. You've just resigned." He growled, but that Rouge bit her lip, looking somewhat sheepish. She gulped.
"As your guest?" She hoped, but Shadow just sighed, rolling his eyes. Rouge was blinking at him, with the pouty mouth and everything. That move never worked on him, but it always amused him, and for old time's sake, he agreed.
"Fine. But don't get in the way." He hissed, to immediately be grabbed by the arm, and cuddled as Rouge had finally gotten her confidence back with him. Maybe, a little to much. She giggled.
"Thank you. Shady-poos!" She grinned, but that caused the Ultimate Lifeform to immediately loose his temper with her, and at lightning speeds, Rouge found herself face-to-face with Shadow and a fully-loaded gun under her chin. He growled, heavily roaring under his breath.
"Call me that again, and I'll..." He hissed. Rouge gulped, now in absolute fright, tears streaming down her face. Suddenly, without warning, Shadow cocked the gun and pulled the trigger, causing Rouge to squeal and cry. But nothing happened. The revolver just clicked. Then Shadow held up his other hand, which contained the magazine of bullets. He'd pulled it from the gun, at the absolute last minute. Suddenly, his temper vanished, as he smirked, evilly.
"Gotcha!" He hissed, to a somewhat stunned Bat. He sniggered. "You underestimate me, Rouge." He growled. "But seriously though, don't call me that again." He spat, leaving the Bat just stand there and nod, gulping hard. The Ultimate Lifeform having a sense of humour, yes. Funny, no, and Rouge realised she had to tread very carefully from now on. Shadow, stuffing his gun back into his quills, he walked off, towards the firing range.
G.U.N.'s firing range was in a separate building to the rest of the Headquarters. A long, narrow, single storey building, with a small storage room at one end. Here, the firearms were signed in and out, as well as ear defenders and as well as the firing line, which was split onto open sided cubicles. At the other end were the targets. All paper, showing the upper torso of a Mobian, and various concentric rings surrounding the heart area and a smaller target across the head. Some of the targets were set on a electronic pulley system, allowing them to be moved around, giving more a challenge for the shooters.
Rouge hated the firing range. She found it far too noisy, as all of the new recruits were in there practicing and immediately ran for some ear defenders as soon as they arrived. But she also had fond memories of the place. When Shadow first officially joined G.U.N. all those years ago, he lived in the firing range. Nowadays, the mighty Black Hedgehog hadn't set foot in the place in years, and got instant silence as soon as he entered. Absolutely everyone knew who he was, the Master, as Shadow's name topped every single leader board in the entire range. In years, and the hoards of people who had come through the range, no had come even close to the incredible skill of the Ultimate Lifeform.
But Rouge frowned. She'd never actually seen it. Saw him practice here, sure, but that was a long time ago. She'd never actually seen the incredible skill that got him the ruthless reputation as the best professional killer on the planet. Shadow was aware of this. Rouge had her back against the wall of the storage room, looking down the range, holding the ear defenders in place. Shadow smirked, not saying a word. He walked right up to her, a cold expression on his face, his eyes fixed on her, the range extending out behind him. He then suddenly stopped, and out of nowhere, he grabbed a revolver from out of his quills, and proceed to cock the gun. He shot a singular bullet, with an enormous bang, behind him, straight down the firing range. Between two empty cubicles, and into one of the randomly moving targets, still with his eyes fixed on Rouge. He hadn't even bothered to look first.
Suddenly, the target was moved towards the firing line, for a closer look, as Shadow smirk just broadened, to much gasping and swearing. A perfect shot, right between the eyes. His calling card. That was how good he was. Now he was being stared at in complete awe. All of the students and their tutor. But as Shadow put these new recruits through their paces, he knew that no matter what they did, they would never get as good as him. Shadow had one significant advantage over them. E.S.P. His Extra Sensory Perception was off the charts, with Super-Speed that was unrivalled. Well, not exactly. Sonic could match him, and in some cases, was better. But Shadow heaved, as he watched yet another missed target from the students, as annoying as the Blue Blur was at the moment, he, at least, did what Shadow asked of him.
But these new recruits, no. There were good, yes, and Shadow understood why G.U.N. had asked him in, but they were not as advanced as the Ultimate Lifeform was hoping. Surprisingly, he actually enjoyed giving his first lesson as a teacher. He had complete control of the entire group, and every student did try their best for him, it just the standards weren't high enough. He was actually quite patient with them, again the Blue Blur rubbing off on him again, and as he taught them different firing techniques, and the art of patients and stealth.
He was there all afternoon, until finally, it was time to leave, and as Shadow let himself out, with Rouge still following him, her jaw dropped. He growled.
"What?" He spat. But the Bat just giggled.
"I'd never thought of you as a teacher." She admitted, but Shadow just smirked in response.
"Neither did I. I guess we both learned something new today." He sniggered. Rouge was going to comment further, but got cut across, by a two tailed Fox, desperately running towards them, with security in hot pursuit of him. The Fox had a unique mutation of two tails instead of one. He had mostly yellow-orange fur with white fur around his muzzle, front torso, and the tips of his tails. He had blue eyes. He wore white gloves and red shoes with white toes. Tails screamed running straight for Rouge's arms. He was badly beaten up and bleeding. He immediately cried his eyes out all over her.
"Please help." He stammered. But Rouge frowned.
"Tails. What happened?" She stammered, but the Fox looked up. He gulped.
"Please, it's Sonic. We were attacking one of Eggman's bases, and now he's trapped. He's in the middle of a massive fight with him in there, and it's all going horribly wrong. There are Badniks everywhere. Me and the others only barely got out. It was getting too dangerous to stay." He stuttered, but Rouge gulped.
"Then send in a rescue party." She ordered. But Tails just outright panicked.
"We can't. The security is so tight, that only someone with enhanced Super-Speed can get in." He whimpered. There was utter silence.
Despite Super-Speed being a relative common Chaos Power, it normally tops out at two hundred miles an hour. But that was not what Tails was asking. Not why he was in G.U.N. He was looking for someone with the enhanced Super-Speed that could match the Blue Blur himself, and that meant only one person on the whole planet.
Absolutely everyone turned to face him, and he growled, rubbed his face and ran his fingers through his quills.
Shadow.
He swore.