Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic, or anything that is an extension thereof. Except for Sonic Adventures 1 and 2 (originals for the dreamcast, oh yeah!) and any other sonic shit I own.

Note: this was again delayed even more than it was originally. I broke my right hand because I slipped up while re-doing the ceiling of my apartment and a joist fell on me. It was my own carelessness, and I apologize for the delay it caused. Thankfully, I can type again now.

Edit: I've completely erased that thing in the earlier chapters about the joke-name I gave the city. I'm sorry, it bothers me looking at it, and all I can say is "I had too much to drink."

Chapter Four: Lights and Darkness

Nighttime in the city was when everything started. Not the public faces, but the true parts of the city. Stores that were open during the day stayed open for the most part, but other, more memorable things happened at night. Bars, black markets, dance clubs, smuggling rings, and everything in between made its way in the shadows. Not that the city was ever completely dark.

Neon lights turned buildings different shades of green, red, purple, every color in the visible spectrum. Commercial signs advertised their wares all over the place. But this lighting, both in actuality and symbolically, cast shadows that were darker, more enveloping.

This was the perfect cover for the duo known in the underworld as "Crusade". Not a holy crusade, but a pair cutting a swath through whatever was in their way, for profit, for power, and for secrecy. The first member, a blue hedgehog in a heavily modified combat uniform, stood on the rooftop of the city offices. The frayed sleeves of his black stealth uniform, cut off to the shoulders, whipped in the wind.

He assembled the sniper rifle he had been given for use in this mission. It was a nice one, with a silencer, semi-automatic fire, a camera that linked its visual feed into his visor, and a five-round clip. More than enough. Just as he finished the final touches for maximum performance, he got the A-okay from the second member, on the opposite building. Walking towards the edge, he pressed a button on his sleeve and disappeared from sight.

Anjou Takinawa, a rising politician, conversed with his contact on the seventy-first floor. He was running for police chief, and was the most skilled man in the prefecture at rooting out crime. Just with the spy in front of him, he had put major heat on the Black Lotus arms smuggling ring, and if he got his wanted position, he would be the biggest threat to crime that the city had known in over a decade.

The information his spy had brought him would cripple another of the runners, a corrupt man who sold out to the mafia. The info would be extracted directly from the man's brain, specifically a chip under his left brain lobe. It would make the data hard to find, and easily recoverable if the spy was killed. However, that would cease to matter when the data was extracted, which would take place as soon as the data cable was connected. It didn't matter anyway, with what was about to take place.

Before Takinawa could do anything, the glass behind him shattered, and his spy, who had taken years to place, was suddenly missing the greater part of his head. The portly man's eyes widened in fear, someone knew what they were doing, and was equipped with armor piercing shots. The second bullet caught him in the cheek, passing through the top of his gray head. The man knew no more as his body thumped to the floor, missing everything above the lower jaw.

The assassin dropped a few more stories, before the jets in his feet, one of the modifications to Metal's parts he had made, stopped his descent. Raising himself up to the level of his targets as he made sure his cloaking was still active, he examined the victims. No eyes were left, so investigators couldn't read the retina, the spy's entire left lobe was gone, and scanners detected no life signs. Taking in a satisfied breath, he flew to the extraction point, where his partner was waiting.

"I take it we had no problems?"

Shadow was indeed waiting at the secure transport car, disguised as a simple limo, in his own stealth-combat gear. Sonic waited until they were both seated in the back, before pouring two glasses of brandy and answering.

"Yeah, both dead as planned. I made sure the chip got hit directly by the shot, even if it was an AP round. No point in taking chances."

Both relaxed as the vehicle blended into the traffic, going the hour drive to the Shinbashi market district. Shadow looked out the window, trying to focus on the passing buildings with their blacked-out windows, most hiding some kind of illicit deal, and not on the hedgehog in front of him. He was slightly bothered by the strange feeling in his stomach that had been recently happening every time he looked at the blue hedgehog.

Either way, he just shook it off and decided to engage in light conversation with his partner. After all, they just netted their usual hundred grand, plus another fifty for the importance of the mission. They lived comfortably on their salaries, and after tonight, they had over five hundred grand, aside from the basic costs and prices of living they deducted from the budget. They bickered jokingly over what they should get, knowing that neither had anything planned that would put a dent in their funds.

Finally, the limo pulled into a garage, one privately owned by the Metropolis mafia. Since Eggman was thankfully out, they dropped the papers on his desk, and left via an alleyway, wandering into the market, now dressed in casual clothes. Both had worked up a considerable hunger, and walked into a simple sushi bar, ordering the house special. Shadow munched on his food, pretending he didn't notice the pensive look on his counterpart's face. Just an hour before the sun would rise, both hedgehogs returned to their apartment.

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Espio the Chameleon sat in his chair, holding his head. Vector ate all he could find, not speaking a word. Even Charmy the Bee was silent, staring out the window. The team had received a contract the type of which they had dreaded ever having to do. The murder of a friend.

They had to investigate the rather grisly killing of the small rabbit Cream. Amy Rose had called in the case just a few hours before. Amy was sure it was Shadow, and, much to the protests of the team, decided to accompany them, since, while not skilled as a detective, she was fairly skilled with her piko-piko hammer. She wanted to assist in taking down the black hedgehog herself. The team doubted her accusation, but listed him as suspect number one.

While Amy arranged for the team's arrival in Metropolis, they called in reinforcements they would need if they were to take someone on Shadow's level. Fortunately they had convinced Knuckles to carry a cell phone, using the master emerald to carry the signal. After Knuckles, an old time friend of the Chaotix, had arrived, along with the ex-Chaotix, Mighty the Armadillo, they set off, boarding a plane from Station Square to their somewhat infamous destination.

XXXXX

Shadow was wakened by the screaming of his friend. Sonic turned over and jolted all over in his bed, still fighting against the hidden attacker of his dreams. Shadow grabbed him by the shoulders and tried to shake him awake. This was starting to become a nightly incident!

When Sonic opened his eyes, Shadow heaved a sigh of relief, only to be forced to jump back as the metal arm slashed at him and cut several gashes in the wall. After a few seconds of panting, Sonic's eyes cleared, and his head drooped. Stumbling forward, he again shocked his partner by giving him a tight hug.

"Shadow, I'm sorry. I think I need to do something now, or else you might die."

Shadow stared at the hedgehog attached to him, feeling dread rising up in his chest at the look on the hedgehog's face. It was a determined look, half-crazed, and half sad.

"I need to go on a trip. I don't know how long I'll be gone, but I need you to wait for me. I should be able to get back soon if I hurry and I'm lucky. Will you wait for me, Shadow the Hedgehog?"

Knowing the look in his friend's eyes, Shadow could tell the matter was grave, a journey of soul-searching, and a quest for something. Sensing that nothing more should be said, Shadow nodded and smiled, knowing his comrade would return as surely as the sun would rise.

Sonic gave a smile, and then jumped out the window. Shadow watched in amazement for a moment, watching the blue hedgehog fly over the ocean, a speck of light blowing waves of water in his wake, off into the horizon.

He wasn't going to hide this time. Shadow knew his friend well enough to tell. Turning around, he walked over to the desk Sonic kept important documents in. Sitting on the top was a newspaper. The headline read something that Shadow didn't quite understand. It told of the reappearance of "the little planet", whatever that was.

The newly launched cruise ship, Anatolia, sailed out at sea, littered with people smiling and lazing around. A blue flash shot by, and a sonic boom blew most of the people above deck over or into whatever they were doing. Traveling by, Sonic didn't feel he was going fast enough. With a grin, the jets on his feet began to glow as a sudden burst of speed blasted him higher into the air, now traveling a fair rate above the speed of sound. He had to make this fast.

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A/N: That last part was intentionally rushed, since I felt the overall theme needed to be "speed", rather than drama or action. Since I'll be working on writing the next chapter right after I upload this and take a break, it will be out soon.

Next Chapter: Sonic visits the place of his first major battle against Metal, the Chaotix team arrives in Metropolis, and Shadow reflects on his time spent with Sonic.

Thank you for reading, please review. Praise, constructive criticism, flames, and credit card numbers are all welcome.