Okay, I would have gotten this done sooner, but I had to go somewhere today, so my chappies were lateish. Don't fear, for now this story gets Chapter 2, as well as an inkling of why Shadow's missing. Oh, and if the lines seem kinda' odd, teh Document Editor wouldn't let me make the lines, so I had to imporvise. Yoi.

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It was now one a.m, and Rouge was still not asleep. She wished that she coul just doze off, but her mind was preoccupied. There was another reason that tonight had been such a hard night. It was exactly two years ago that Shadow had left them. The white bat remembered it clearly, for the sky was exactly the same: all covered in a blanket of clouds, no light whatsoever.

No one had ever been sure why Shadow had left. Rouge didn't remember any indications at all, no hints. She just remembered waking up one morning, all alone in bed. The only company she had was a note on the bedside table, explaining that he would be back in a few days. Rouge remembered waiting, her and the kids anticipating that he would return soon. But the black hedgehog never arrived, and life went on.

"Where did you go Shadow?" Rouge asked, but there was no reply. Same as last year. Oh, she hadn't forgotten him. She had gone to search for him, but there was no indication as to where he had gone. She had even asked Tails to search with his computer, but it seemed that the tracking device he had placed on Shadow previously had fallen off. It was as if the Ultimate Lifeform had disappeared in the blink of an eye, now just a fadeing memory. The kids had almost forgotten what it was like living with him, for now they were used to only having Rouge and Ciel around the house. They still remembered their father too, but they didn't know where he had gone. Rouge never told them, knowing that they woul most likely get in trouble trying to search for him.

The Master Theif's ears twitched. Did she hear footsteps? Maybe Ciel had finally made it back. She turned her head to see a dark figure in the doorway. It wasn't Ciel, for this hedgehog had actual quills. He took another step, the light from a nearby lamp illuminating him, revealing bright red stripes, with matching eyes.

"Shadow?" Rouge got up, eyeing the hedgehog in front of her. There was no mistaking it, he looked exactly like her husband. Everything was the same, even the faded scar on his arm from when it had been severed at the hands of Super Sonic about fifteen years ago.

"Oh Shadow, I knew you'd come back someday," Rouge cried, embracing her husband in her grasp. "Where'd you end up? You said you'd only be gone a few days, not a few years."

"We must leave," Rouge stopped, registering what he had just said.

"What, now?" Rouge exclaimed. "Whatever for Shadow? Let me guess, you'll explain on the way. Alright, I'll go grab the-" Before she could finish, his gloved hand was over her mouth, wrapping his other arm around the unsuspecting bat.

"Zynth requests that you come to his domain immediatly. You will comply," He said calmly. Rouge looked into the crimson eyes, instantly realizing it was not her lover. The eyes staring back at her were cold and stern. He was obviously following the orders of this, "Zynth," but why did he resmble Shadow so? Before she could try to escape, he dashed off at speeds only Sonic and Shadow could hope to reach, not leaving a trace as they were enveloped in the night.

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Akumu knew something was missing as soon as he woke up. He could feel it, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was. Grabbing the purple emerald, the black bat walked into the kitchen, where his sister was eating a piece of toast.

"Morning," Akumu greeted. "Where's Mom? Shouldn't she be up by now?" His sister shrugged.

"You heard her," Yume said after chewing her food, "She had a night last night. Besides, don't you remember what last night was?"

"The anniversary of Dad's disappearence?" Akumu guessed.

"Bingo. She was probably up worrying about him all night, and got to bed late. We should let her sleep in."

"Oh, okay," Akumu replied, sitting down at the table. The feeling that something was wrong still irked him.

"What's even weirder though," Yume said after a while, "Is, well, I had a dream of Dad last night."

"So did I," Akumu answered. "We often share dreams, you know."

"You didn't let me finish," Yume retorted. "Anyway, I was half awake at one point, and you know what? I think I heard him."

"What?" Akumu stared at his sister in suprise, as she nodded.

"Yeah, I heard Mom talking to someone, and it wasn't Ciel. It sounded sorta' like Uncle Gemini, but a bit deeper. Remember that video we have of our parents and the gang? It sounded just like Dad. Akumu, I think Dad came back last night."

"That means that either he left again, or he's still here," Akumu noted.

"Let's sneak into Mom's room, and see if he's there." Yume smirked happily at her brother's shocked expression.

"B..but that's off-limits!" He stammered. "What if they're doing something in there, like...y'know, 'it'?"

"At seven in the morning? I don't think so Akumu," Yume stood up, marching over to her parent's room. Akumu, not wanting to miss out on anything, followed behind. Meeting in front of the door, Akumu put his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything. Nothing. Nodding to his sister, the twins opened the door. Inside was an oddly empty room, colored in a dark purple Club Rouge style. It looked as if it hadn't been touched since the night before last.

"No one's here," Yume muttered, closing the door. "Maybe they went out. There's probably a note in the living room. Come on, slowpoke." As they entered the living room, they did indeed see a note on the table next to the couch. The paper looked old and faded, with unfamiliar handwriting on it. Slowly, Akumu picked it up, reading it out loud.

Rouge,

Something's not right. I've been having images pop up in my head again recently, but something's been off about it. I think Eggman's finally up to something, and it's dangerous. I'm going to check it out, and I'll hopefully be back in a few days. If I'm not...don't worry, that shouldn't happen. I am the Ultimate Lifeform after all, right? Anyway, see you soon dear.

Shadow

"So," Yume said, "Dad went to check on someone called 'Eggman.' I wonder who he is?"

"I think I heard the faker mention it once or twice," Akumu muttered, referring to Sonic. "Either way, Mom must have been reading this last night, and then something happened to her. And you know wherewe need to go to figure out where?"

"The Prower's House?" Yume replied.

"Exactly. The Prowers are incredible with technology, ya' know. They probably have something to track Mom and the others."

"Sounds good to me," Yume said, grinning in anticipation of an adventure. "Let's do it."

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No real comment, but I would like to ask for one itty bitty thing. I'd like to know what everyone thinks of this so far! So, even if you aren't a person who normally reviews stuff, I'd like to hear your opinion! Thank you, kind people! Anyway, see you Tuesday.