Shadow: Another day, another review.

Trinity: You seem board.

Shadow: I am. The story's been moving pretty slow lately...do you have writers block, 'cause I see you're late to update.

Trinity: Yeah, I did for awhile. Don't worry though, I'm sure this chapter will leave you wide awake. Heh heh heh...

Tails: Well, that can't be a good sign.

Nope, still don't own any part of Sega. I'll get it someday...


Chapter 16- Learn to Hate

Back in their room in Hotel Exotica, Tails sat on the edge of the circular bed, swinging his legs back and forth. Shadow sat in a large plushy chair that matched the color scheme of the room. Sitting in the chair across from him was Jake, holding his little sister Annabel in his lap. Annabel, still dressed in Tails red hoodie, rested her head against her brother's chest and listening to his heart beat. The group sat in uncomfortable silence, each immersed in their own thoughts.

When Jake let it slip that the prophecy foretold the end of the world in the base of the Desert Pirates, everybody in the room froze in shock. Shadow grabbed Jake and immediately dragged him away from the base. Tails took Annabel and they rushed after Shadow as he led them back to the seemingly abandoned hotel. Shadow simply ushered Jake into their room, took a sit in the plushy chair and hadn't moved since, his eyes clouded as his mind wandered.

Jake saw that it was foolish of him to mention the world ending to a group of children and had immediately regretted when he saw their looks of shock and fear. He realized now that the prophecy wasn't for their ears, that they would not have been able to handle what it had foretold. Jake himself was still struggling to understand its full meaning. The prophecy left too many holes to be filled, and not enough clues to do it.

Tails was thinking just the same thing. It was only the second time that he had heard Shadow say the prophecy, and it had brought up a lot of questions for him. He especially wanted to know why the others in the room could not understand what Shadow was saying. Tails staring at his feet as he swung them back and forth as he wrested with the new questions and worries that popped into his mind.

Without warning, Annabel jumped up on the bed and sat next to Tails. Startled, Tails stared at her before giving a weary smile and Annabel gave him a smile filled with sunshine and daisies. Jake remembered the last time he saw her broad smile and the joy it brought him. Tails' spirits were lifted a bit higher by her overpowering joy, and he was compelled to chuckle. Annabel giggled with him and the two burst out laughing together. Jake and Shadow stared at the two and couldn't help but chuckle lightly with them.

"Do you feel better now?" Annabel said once they calmed down.

"Yes! Thank you very much, Annabel!" Tails said.

"That's good," Annabel said, looking at her feet. "Mama always said that worrying does nothing but make you old. She said there was no reason to think about all bad things that might happen, and if there's something that you need to do, you should just do it."

"You're right, Annabel. I'm sorry we were so gloomy and worried you," Jake said. He stood up and picked his sister off the bed, giving her a big bear hug.

"Shadow, she just told us to stop worrying," Tails said when the hedgehog returned to staring blankly at the floor.

"I'm not worrying, I'm thinking," Shadow said. "I know what I must do, but I'm still desperately searching for an alternate. There has got to be a better choice."

"Shadow?" Tails said, looking over Shadow in concern.

"Ah, don't worry about it.," Shadow said, catching the look the fox boy gave him.

"What are you going to do? About Heath's proposal I mean," Jake said.

"What do you think I'm going to do?" Shadow said with a snort. "I'm going to flat out refuse him. I'm nobody's servant."

"I see," Jake said with a smirk. "Well, what are you going to do when he throws a little fit? You know he'll take his anger out the city and -."

A gentle knock on the door interrupted Jake. Tails immediately hopped off the bed and answered it with a cheery smile. He was roughly pushed aside and a group of hard-eyed mercenaries dressed in the uniform of the city's night guard marched in. Annabel squeaked and scurried behind her brother's leg. One of the mercenaries dragged a stunned Tails forward, holding a gun to his temple Jake scowled at the mercenaries. , but Shadow kept his cool demeanor, staring down the mercenary.

"I'm really starting to dislike guns," Tails said, glaring at the lynx who had his arm hooked around the kit's neck. "I remember when civilians didn't have guns."

"Shut up!" shouted the lynx. He squeezed the arm around Tails' neck and sneered at Shadow as the kit struggled for breath. "Shadow the Hedgehog- there's a handsome reward out there to return you to your master!"

"My…master?" Shadow asked, delicately raising an eyebrow. "And who might this master of mine be?"

"Don't play dumb!" the lynx snapped. "If you don't want you and your little friend to leave this place as a bloody pulp, you'll come along quietly."

"He's not my 'little friend'," Shadow said softly. Shadow spoke with such a sincere voice and face, it was hard for Jake to tell if he was acting or not.

"You can't fool me! The two of you have been together since you've entered the city. You went sight-seeing with each other. You even checked into this hotel together. What other reason could you have for hanging around him?"

"Oh, I can think of a few," Shadow said as a little smirk spread across his lips. Jake stared at him in shock, struggling to keep his calm.

"Huh. I guess pets really do take after their masters," the lynx said, ignorant to the flash of anger behind Shadow's eyes at being called a pet. He once again tightened his arm around Tails' neck, grinning when the young fox continued his struggles. "Well, I guess we'll just hold your boy toy hostage until you cooperate with us."

"See if I care," Shadow said. "I'm through with him anyways. You can have him."

The mercenaries whooped with glee and pounced on the fox boy. Tails' wide, frightened eyes stared wildly at Shadow before disappearing behind the rush of bodies. Jake realized Shadow wasn't going to do a thing to help him, but when he made a move Shadow sent him a cold glare that rooted him to the spot. Behind the wall of bodies, Tails could do nothing more than plea pathetically for the mercenaries to stop as they grabbed at him fur and clothes.

"Shad up!" said a burly tabby cat, smacking him with the butt of a gun.

The tabby let out a yowl that was reduced to gurgles when Tails grabbed his neck and thrust his thumbs into his throat, burying his claws into his jugular. The lynx let go off the kit in surprise and another pair of bodies fell to the floor in an instant. One mercenary had his skull smashed in by the kit's fist and the other was left whimpering and wheezing on the floor with gashes across his chest and an arm ripped clear off his shoulder.

Spattered with blood, fear quickly replaced shock in the mercenaries and they made a mad rush for the door. Tails made to go after them, but changed his mind and turned his icy eyes on Shadow instead. Shadow matched his cold fury with a calm, almost empathetic look of his own. The kit leapt at him and Shadow made no move to defend himself as Tails knocked him over and pinned him on his back.

"You…you bastard!" Tails roared in a voice quiet unlike his own, laced with an unspeakable power and rage. "You-you were me friend, and you just stood there and tossed me to the dogs! You sold me out!"

"And I thought you were strong," Shadow said in a surprisingly gentle voice, like an adult trying to comfort a distraught child. "But you've been living in Sonic's shadow for so long, you don't know how to fight for yourself, even after he's gone. I'm not Sonic, and you can't expect me to protect you all the time like he has. You have power now, kid, and it's time you learned to use it."

Tails eyes widened. Slowly, Shadow sat up and the stunned kit that had been preparing to kill him collapsed into his lap. Tails, his eyes slowly returning to their clear blue color, gaped at Shadow, transfixed by his words. Shadow had struck a cord in the kit, as his words had rung true in his mind, and he stared up into the dark hedgehog's eyes. Shadow sat silently, as if carefully choosing his next words before he spoke them.

"If hatred and anger is the key to unleashing your strength," Shadow said, his voice hardening, "then I will make myself that key. While I liked being your friend, I would rather be your enemy until you can call upon your power on your own."

Shadow stood suddenly and the stunned kit tumbled out of his lap. Without saying a word to neither Tails nor Jake, Shadow walked out of the hotel room, stepping over the dead bodies in the doorway. Jake watched Shadow go feeling like he left a bad taste in his mouth. Still sitting on the floor where he feel, Tails stared blankly at where Shadow was just standing. Tears welded up in his eyes and began streaming down his cheeks.

"Come on," Jake mumbled. When he pulled on Tails' arm, the kit refused to move. "Get up!"

Tails flinched and finally let Jake pull him to his feet. Jake picked up his frightened sister and led the kit out of the room. Silent tears continued to pour from his eyes and blurred his vision as they walked down the abandoned hallways and left the hotel. Tails paid no attention to the streets that Jake pulled him through. He was hanging his head and simply trudging behind him miserably.

There was only one thought the kit's mind as they walked through the empty streets: Shadow left me.

-0-0-

Silence fell over the military camp set up outside the city of Calor. Walking out of the twilight and past the rows of tents was Shadow. He marched straight for the captain's tent in the middle of the camp and let himself in. It was dark and empty inside, so Shadow seated himself on the couch and waited for Heath's arrival. Sure enough, five minutes later the fox appeared, leading Fang and Kan.

Heath let his surprise show for a moment when he spotted Shadow slouching on his couch. A wide smile quickly cracked across his face and he threw his arms wide open, as if he was receiving an old friend. It was obvious that the moody hedgehog wasn't going to move, so Heath let his arms fall to his side but kept up his smile as he strode forward and sat next to him on the couch.

"When I said I expected your answer soon, I didn't expect to hear from you by the end of the day," Jake said, leaning against the arm of the chair. "Well, have you come to join me?"

"You sent bounty hunters after me," Shadow said, his eyes flashing at him in the gloom of the tent. Heath's smile faltered, but he immediately picked it up again.

"Well, I did hint that I would do anything to get you to join me," Heath said carefully, "but I most defiantly wouldn't send bounty hunters after you. I wanted you to come-."

"I will not work for you," Shadow said. Heath's smile dropped off his face and his eyes hardened. Fang and Kan laid their hands on their swords. Shadow ignored the tension sparked in the dark tent and continued. "I serve no one and I will make no exception for you. If you get in my way again, I will kill you."

"Now, Shadow," Heath said gently, as if he was explaining something to a child. "No one said anything about you serving me. I want to work with you- work as your partner."

"No. I work alone," Shadow said, getting to his feet. "If I want to take over the world, I will do it with my own two hands, and I will crush anyone who opposes me."

Shadow turned and left Heath to seethe in the dark tent, strolling past the wolf and hawk standing next to the tent flap. The two watched him walk past, gripping the hilt of their swords as if they expected him to surprise attack them. But Shadow left the camp as quickly as he had entered it. The soldiers half dressed in uniform and the guards standing along the rock formations watched him he headed back to town in nervous silence.

Shadow, however, never made it back to town. He instead took a detour and went deeper into the barren wasteland. As the last of the sun's rays faded, the temperature dropped significantly. Dark clouds gathered on the horizon and shielded the moon from lighting the land. Shadow, remembering the dangers of the yellow gas he knew was swirling around his ankles, Shadow sought out a high cliff to rest on.

In the darkness, he found an opening to a small cave a few feet above the ground. As Shadow climbed into it, he was reminded of the first night he spent in the empty wasteland with Tails. The fox boy was so cold, he cuddled up against Shadow, despite being wrapped up in fur and blankets. Shadow couldn't help but grinning when the kit peaked at him, as if asking if it was okay to cuddle.

(If you liked him so much, why did you leave him?)

Shadow frowned at the thought that popped into his head. Because he must learn to stand on his own, like all growing children must.

(He's been alone for so long already, forced to abandon everything during that terrible war. Wasn't that enough for one little boy to go through?)

At first, it was. It was what awakened his powers, Shadow said. He leaned back against the rocky wall of the cave and peered into the inky black sky, searching for stars. But now, he must learn to stand with the weight of his power on his shoulders. He has so much potential, but he's afraid of it and refuses to develop it. If I become his enemy, then he will have to become much stronger.

(Why does it even matter? Isn't it enough that you're there for him, like friends are suppose to be?)

That's the problem. I cannot always be by his side, holding his hand. There are those weaker than him with more control over their power than he has- this Heath character is one of them. I fear that I won't be able to be there for him, that I will let him down and I will lose him like I have lost so many others.

The clouds broke and tiny pinpricks of light flickered in the night sky. Shadow stared at the twinkling stars until the clouds came together again and hid them from view. But Shadow's mind stayed high above the planet and travel someplace far away, to the Space Colony A.R.K. I couldn't stand it if I lost anyone else because I failed to protect them.

-0-0-

Tails was lying in an old cot in a dark, damp room. Annabel was sound asleep next to him, wrapped up in old, torn sheets. Jake had led Tails and Annabel out of the hotel safely, and paid a visit to the old, eccentric weasel. Jake begged and pleaded, but it wasn't until a few pretty pennies exchanged hands, that the weasel agreed to watch over Annabel and Tails. Jake left shortly after Annabel was settled in bed and Jake had the weasel's word that he wouldn't speak of them.

Now it was late into the night, and clouds blotched out the skies above the quiet city. The old weasel sat outside on the porch, rocking back and forth in his creaky, old chair. Tails stared blankly out the dark window, waiting for the rains to come. His tears had stopped a long while ago, but his mind was still slow to take up the events of the past hours.

Shadow left me…why? He said I needed to get stronger, to learn how to call upon my power…

(Yes, to fight and kill on your own,) whispered a voice in the back of his mind. Tails shuddered, remembering the last time he heard the voice.

He didn't say anything about killing!

(But he implied it. You must be able to defend yourself from those with more power than yourself, and that means killing them.)

No! Shadow said that I had to learn how to use my power. I remember he mentioned that Heath used a sort of mind control and Shadow knows loads of Chaos moves. What do I have? Nothing. An evil son of a bitch like that bastard fox, who is supposedly weaker than me, could probably beat me senseless, then make me his mindless slave!

(If Shadow only wanted you to become stronger, couldn't he have just stayed and trained you? No, he left you and broke what little spirit you had left in you. He wants you to become empty and cold, to learn to fight and kill without mercy!)

"Maybe," Tails whispered out loud, "Or maybe he just doesn't need me anymore."


Tails: ...WHAT. THE. CRAP?

Shadow: Wow... Heh, I'm so mean.

Tails: YOU LEFT ME, YOU DAMN PRICK!

Shadow: Hey, 'damn' is my word...

Tails: AND THE BAD VOICE IN MY HEAD IS BACK! DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!

Jake: Don't you think you're over-reacting a bit?

Tails: MACALAKA!

Shadow: Maca...laka? What?

Annabel: He's lost it. (Turns to Trinity )What do you have to say for yourself young lady?

Trinity: (puffs up her chest) I'm very proud of it, if I do say so myself!

Annabel: (sigh) Fine, just cut to the Reveiw Pleading.

Tails: GIVE ME REVIEWS! I MUST GET SHADOW BAAAAAAAACK!