Trinity: I'm surprised how many people were worried I was going to kill Tails.

Shadow: Yeah, there's alot of people who love the little guy.

Tails: I'm wuved!

Shadow: (smirk) Not as much as I am!

Tails: (growls)

Trinity: I was refering to the fact that they thought he could die. He's practiclly a demi-god. He ain't going anywhere!

It with dismay that I say, Sega and co. are not mine in any way.


Chapter 10- Attack on Flora City

During their first 2 days in Flora City, Shadow and Tails continued to feel some hostility from Harold and other adults. However, after spending time with them at the great get together commonly called "dinner" (the kids called it food fight time), they became part of the family. Tails fit in with younger kids and teens with ease, and he ran around with their packs in the streets when ever Shadow wasn't looking. Shadow, being the loner he is, usually just walked through the town alone, but he never passed up a change to sit and talk with some of the older residents.

"All these young girls around here can't help with the cooking," Annabel would grumble when she took a break from the kitchen. She would stand in front her house, getting fresh air and watching the dirty kids run around. Tails was only just distinguishable by the flash of white bandages in the crowd of bodies that ran jumped and tackled each other. When Shadow walked by, she'd beckon him over and they'd have a little chat.

"Speaking of young girls," she started one day, "who you trying to pick up with that outfit."

"Nobody ma'am. These are the only clothes I have and they were given to me by a group of village girls."

"Oh, well that explains everything," Annabel said with a chuckle. "I really didn't notice how many young girls there are around here until you showed up with your tight pants and little ear ring. They're all over the place now, watching you from every window and corner."

"So I've noticed," Shadow said, shifting uncomfortably. There was a crowd of them at a window of a building across the street that Shadow imagined had the best angle. "Why haven't those girls been put to work?"

"Supposedly, they're all babysitting or watching over the kids."

And then, some other older women would come from the kitchens, or a face would disappear from the window and they would come from the nursery. Every once and a while, an old man with a walking stick would come by during the morning breaks and they'd all lounge around talking about anything and everything. When the pack dispersed and feel apart and Tails tumbled out of the pile of kids giggling like mad, everyone went back to work. It was an hour between the falling apart of the mass of bodies and dinner, so people would retreat to their bedrooms during that hour of twilight.

And so it was for at least two weeks. By that time, the flash of white bandages disappeared from the crowd of children, and Shadow would send one less worried glance into the mass of bodies. Tails even played during the heat of high noon, jumping on the older kids' backs and had them carrying him around everywhere. When the sun sank behind the buildings and the sky turned orange, Tails would skip and jump and walk backwards, talking the entire way to their little "apartment."

For once, the kid is actually being a kid. Shadow thought as Tails babbled on about Timmy doing this and how Johnny could do that.

It was during their third week in the town when they turned the corner to find a young man waiting for them at the front door. He was a black rat, wearing the same worn, ripped, dirty attire that was the norm in this town. He sat on the front steps with his forehead resting on his knees, tracing a pattern in the dirt with his fingers. The rat looked up at them with deep brown eyes when he noticed Shadow and Tails coming down the street and rose to his feet.

Shadow gave the rat a nod and he nodded back, stepping out of the doorway. Tails rushed into the house first, feeling the need to tidy up for the guest. Shadow held the door open for the rat, and the teen went in next, taking a seat in one of the chairs. Shadow let the door slam shut behind him, sitting across from the rat. For the first time, Shadow noticed how worse for wear he looked. A scar ran from under his left eye down to his jaw and above his eyebrow to his mangled ear. He looked like he was just starting to recover from a sickness and was very thin underneath his clothes.

"My name is Jake," the rat said in a solemn voice. "I'm Annabel's brother, and I've come here to thank you."

"You're her bother?" Tails said as he entered the room. He stretched out on the couch, lying on his side. "I didn't know she had one."

"Yes. Annabel doesn't like to talk about me much to strangers. I'm the only family she has left."

"Oh, I didn't know," Tails said, looking away.

"What did you want to thank us for?" Shadow asked, wondering what good deed they might have done.

"For saving Annabel, though I don't think she realized she was in any danger. And for being her friend," Jake said, nodding to Tails. "She's so timid most of the time, she's usually ignored by the other kids."

"But she's so nice! I bet she'd bake everyone cookies if she was older, 'cause she's so sweet."

"What did you mean when you said we saved Annabel?" Shadow asked, interrupting Tails' ramblings.

"You see, a year ago, there was never any talk of bandits. We were pretty sure we were the only establishment of living people for miles around." Jake said. He suddenly frowned, thinking about the past. "But then sands started blowing in from the deserts. After sitting through our first sandstorm, the adults started getting nervous, and whispered to each other about the dangerous outside world. The closer the desert came, the more nervous everyone was.

"I'm not sure, but some sign of the outside world must have blown in with the storm and warned the adults of bandits outside our walls. The ruins around the center of our town are our only protection between us and desert, and that worries some of us. So naturally, when Annabel started wandering out of sight, I started to worry as well. I had no idea she was going to the ruins. But you gave her such a scare, that I don't think she'll be wandering back out there again."

"I'm not sure if there are any bandits out there," Shadow said, "We've been walking through the desert for days, but we haven't seen any sign of other living people. How could they survive?"

"They same way you have, on limited provisions," Jake said. "However, they would rather steal their supplies from others, instead of finding a place to get them legally."

"People have forgotten the laws without any authority to back it up. Only those who live in isolated towns like this one live peacefully," Tails said gloomily. "Its gotten to the point where everyone started to call it the 'Old Ways', as if we'll never go back to being a civilized nation."

The three sat in silence. Golden rays of sunset streamed into the windows slanted, broken by the tops of surrounding buildings. Tails sat up, swinging his legs back and forth, watching the speckles of dust that could be scene floating in the light. Jake sat slumped in his chair, looking gloomy, unaware he was under inspection. Shadow watched the black rat with interest, the side of his fist pressed against his mouth.

It was a while before they took notice of commotion steadily growing louder outside. A shrill scream brought the three out of their individual thoughts. Shadow was on his feet in an instant, throwing open the door and looking down the street in alarm. The sound of shouting and panic were much clearer now, coming from the center of town. Tails and Jake joined Shadow, standing in the entry hall.

"It seems the fear of bandits was not unfounded," Shadow growled.

Jake pushed passed Shadow, jogging down the street. Shadow and Tails paused, then went after him. The three moved quickly but quietly down the street, looking this way and that for anyone who had gotten that far into the city. However, for three blocks, they didn't see another soul, and they didn't seem any closer to the cries and shouts of battle.

There was a scream again, closer than before.

"ANNABEL!"

Jake streaked down the street, recognizing his little sitter's voice. Tails and Shadow exchanged glances before running after the distraught rat. Jake skidded to a halt at the corner, peaking around it cautiously. An arrow streaked passed his pointed nose, followed by a roar of laughter. Stumbling back, Jake clutched his bleeding nose and pressed his back against the wall.

"Come on out boy! Annabel wants to talk to ya!" A voice called mockingly. He heard a small squeak and a muffled "brother" from the small mouse girl.

"Let my sister go!" Jake called back.

Only a roar of laughter answered him, mocking him. He felt a pat on his shoulder and watched amazed as Shadow strolled coolly past him and around the corner. Jake looked at Tails, and the kid just gave him a reassure smile. Grinning, Tails grabbed Jake's arms, and started to carry him up to the top of the building. With all eyes on the bold hedgehog, none of the bandits ever noticed the two taking position on the roof.

Shadow stood in the middle of the street, undaunted by the number of bandits. At least thirty bandits stood crowded in the other side of the street, standing on rubble or crouched like sprinters. Many had knifes or sabers in their hands. Most had bows, arrows trained on Shadow with deadly accuracy.

Shadow glared at Annabel's captors from under his eyebrows. Five bandits crowded around her, one holding a knife at her throat and a hand over her mouth. Annabel's teary eyes begged Shadow for help. The snickering bandits dared Shadow to try to take them all on. More bandits appeared in the windows, armed with longbows, oblivious to the two just above their heads.

The chuckle of their leader, a fat bore dressed up in lavish robes, dredged up bad memories for Shadow and Tails alike.

"You dare to challenge us, the Desert Pirates? Aren't you a stupid one."

"The true fool is the one who underestimates me," Shadow said calmly.

Shadow didn't even bother to drop into a fighting stance. He could tell these people had never been in a true fight, feeling strength only in numbers. The leader, feeling Shadow was trying to taunt him, stepped forward, blowing hot air out of his nostrils. Pitiful, Shadow thought with disgust. Cowards, every one of them.

Shadow was standing in front of the boar in a blink of an eye. Astonished by his speed, the fat man squealed and stumbled backwards. On cue, the archers in the windows let loose their arrows, which the black hedgehog dodged with ease. In an instant, Shadow was next to the man who dared to hold a knife to Annabel's throat, snapping his neck.

Shadow grabbed the mouse girl and he weaved through the arrows back down the street. He put the disorientated child on her own two feet around the corner, safe from the whirring missiles. Tails left Jake up high and landed at Annabel's side quietly. Without a word, Tails grabbed her and lifted her up to the roof, handing her over to her brother. Jake embraced his sister and Annabel whimpered into his chest.

"Stop shooting! Don't waste your arrows on a coward who won't show himself!"

Seeing Annabel safe in her brother's arms, Shadow appeared at the corner with renewed loathing in his eyes. Red eyes burned in the minds of the bandits and several declared him a demon on the spot. With a start, they noticed Tails standing at his shoulder with eyes of ice. The two walked into the middle of the street, and stood waiting side by side, Tails with his hands in his pockets and Shadow with his arms crossed over his chest.

Impending doom was the only phrase to describe the feeling sweeping through the crowd.

"I'm sorry," Shadow said in a deadly soft voice, "But did you just refer to me as a coward? I believe you are sorely mistaken."

Blood hit the ground before he even finished his sentence. Tails had launched himself into the air and came down on in the middle of the crowd, clamping his jaws down on one poor man's neck. The commotion in the middle distracted the bandits and gave Shadow a chance to attack. Using just his two fingers of his right hand, he moved through the crowd, slicing jugulars and piercing hearts with his wicked claws.

Tails was ripping bandits apart left and right. Blood covered his hands and muzzle as he dodged arrows, jumping off walls and using the bandits as shields. Without any weapons, he fought with tooth and claw and pure rage. Fury at the bandits for pulling such an underhand trick gave him power, but the knowledge of Annabel and Jake hiding so close kept him in check, even though the taste of blood was maddening.

Shadow on the other hand, killed his opponents with subtle movements. Only his right hand was slick with blood; the other was held behind his back. His speed gave him the advantage of surprise, and most of the bandits had collapsed before he plunged his claws into their throats. Shadow ignored most of the arrows nicking his body, but any arrow with a true aim was caught between those same two fingers and thrown back to the shooter.

By the time the street was cleared of bandits, the number of bloodied bodies littering the ground was over thirty. Several bodies lay detached from the group, with arrows Shadow had thrown in their backs. The bodies of archers hung from windows, blood dripping from the arrows in their chests or heads. Shadow stood in the middle of the carnage, clean left hand behind his back, and the bloodied right hand hanging at his side. Tails sat on a piece of rubble, splattered in blood, staring at the bodies at his feet.

Jake stared at the two of them, a foreign feeling overtaking him. Annabel buried her face in his chest, whimpering and crying. Jake squeezed her closer, but she had already seen too much. The sight of her friend turning into a demon was too much. The scent of blood and death floated up to them and the eerie sound of a drop of blood from Shadow's finger tips dropping into the puddle below filled the air.

Shadow looked up at the black rat. He walked toward him, then, picking up speed, ran up the side of the building, shooting over the top and landing crouched next to the young man. Annabel squeaked, and hid behind her brother. Jake matched Shadow's stare with a steady look of his own. The browns of earth met the pools of blood calmly.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Shadow said, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"About what?"

"About the Desert Pirates."


Trinity: Mwah ha ha ha! Return of the evil ones!

Tails: Yay! I'm evil!

Shadow: Yay! There is blood!

Jake: Yay! I'm here!

Annabel: Yay! Plot device!

Trinity: (O.o) ...Plot device?

Shadow: We beg for reviews!

Jake: (Begging motions) Please! Please give us reviews!