This chapter's going really fast, and I apologize, but it has to. I can't update quickly anymore. Sorry! Waah!
Shadow: Phew, we dodged that bullet Sonic.
Sonic: But... Sonadow is awesome...
NO FLAMES!
...
During the night, Sonic opened his eyes and found that he was latched to the side of the elder male. Shadow didn't seem to care though, subconsciously letting his hand stroke Sonic's powdery blue arm. Sonic smiled dreamily, closing his eyes and nuzzling his face into Shadow's silky chest fluff.
...
"Mmm?" mumbled Sonic, rubbing his eyes tiredly. He looked around sleepily. Emerald eyes widened in panic as he found that he was alone.
"Shadow?" he whispered. He blinked the light shining through the window out of his eyes. Light...
Oh. Hell. No.
"Shadow!" he yelled. Sonic bolted out of the room, running like a bat out of hell. He ran to the room where he heard a small girl screaming. Cream.
"Cream?" he yelled. The small rabbit was trying to open a large coffin centered in the middle of the room.
The room had small candles lit around. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Small trinkets decorated the room. Rosemary and thyme were placed on certain shelves. A small cup of salt was placed on the windowsill. Cream was pounding her tiny fists against the coffin. "Open up!" she screamed.
Sonic walked over, eye ridge raised. "Cream? Calm down, bud. What's this?" he asked.
Cream looked up at his with large, watery eyes. "Mr. Shadow went in here during the night!" she cried. "It won't open up!"
"Leave it closed," Sonic said. "You don't want him to come out in..."
"Will you two stay quiet?" demanded a voice, muffled by the lid of the coffin. The door slammed open, and an enraged –and tired –looking Vampire with glowing ruby eyes stared them down. "I mean, yeah, I have a lot of tolerance for younglings, but this is too much!"
Sonic blinked. Shadow looked completely transformed.
The Vampire from last night was a six foot ten tall vampire, bulky and strong. He seemed ageless, lethal.
In front of him was a teenage hedgehog. Scratch that, a peeved hedgehog.
"What are you staring at?" he spat irritably.
Sonic's mouth just gaped open. "You... You're not... dust!" he gasped.
Shadow looked puzzled. "Well, yeah. Dust does not work well with me. And garlic either. I won't even try to tell you how many times a human has thrown garlic at me in their vain attempts of escape. Pathetic humans," he sneered. He looked down at the mobians, looking sleep deprived. "Well?" he demanded in a sour tone.
"Mr. Shadow, you look different!" Cream said happily.
Shadow raised an eye ridge, looking at Sonic. "Is she always like this?" he asked coldly.
Sonic looked pissed. "Hey, she's just a kid!"
Shadow rolled his eyes, crimson catching the glare of the sun. Shadow hissed in pain, shying away.
Sonic's eyes widened. For some reason, he wanted to help the vampire.
"Are you okay?" he asked soothingly.
Shadow gave Sonic a glare. "Of course I'm not, fool. The sun; it's searing me."
Sonic looked hurt. "Fool? Yeah, right. And you can't feel anything, remember? No prob."
Shadow hissed at the wolf children, leaning forward, showing them his teeth. Slowly, like a knife being unsheathed, his fangs lowered. "Go," he snarled. A shaking gloved hand covered his mouth as a growl passed his lips. "If you fear your own deaths, young ones, you must leave," he snarled.
"What's happening, Sonic?" Cream asked, tears picking at her eyes.
"I don't know. Follow me!" he commanded, grabbing her hand.
Shadow lunged, missing by only a few inches as Sonic sped by. His fangs grew larger. "Insolent children," he laughed sadistically. "Don't you know to never visit a vampire during their resting time?" his right fang scraped against Sonic shoulder, splitting the skin.
Sonic gasped in pain, but kept running.
"After all, a vampire loses all sense of worth during daylight hours," Shadow said, stalking them through the house.
Sonic finally broke the door down, Shadow's head whipping over to look at them; that same murderous, sadistic grin plastered to his face. "The blood lust is stronger than the vampire itself. It was your king that ended my family, so now I shall end you."
Cream was starting to cry. "Sonic, why is he doing this?" she yelled.
"For the eightieth time, I. Don't. Know!"
Sonic cursed as he found that Shadow was just as fast as he was.
Finally, Shadow became bored of this little game. It was time for the hunt. His throat was burning, a fiery ache that hasn't been quenched for a long time. Too long.
Shadow lunged.
He tackled the blue hedgehog to the ground, the rabbit girl tumbling to the ground as well.
Shadow looked down with a smirk. "For centuries, I have thirsted for revenge on your kind. I smell the blood of an heir to the throne," he purred.
Sonic looked confused. "Okay, if they were echidnas, I think I know who you're looking for. Not the brightest bunch. But I wouldn't ever want to hurt your family!" he gasped. He looked at Cream, shooting her a: RUN!
Cream looked at them. "He was so nice last night!" she sobbed. "Mr. Sonic, I'm NOT leaving!"
"Then don't just stand there, get help!" he shouted back.
Shadow rolled his eyes. "Hey, this is a murder scene, kid! Get moving or wait until I finish the hedgehog off," he said.
Cream got the message.
She ran off into the woods.
Shadow sighed. "Now that she's gone..."
Sonic screamed. His neck exploded with pain as Shadow bit down into him.
'Dear lord, I am sorry for pushing Knuckles off that cliff, but he was really annoying. And I'm sorry for running away from Amy and ALSO pushing out of the top window of my house, but hey, she liked it. I was the first person to sign her body cast. And they one time I stepped on Tails' favorite robot and I blamed Knuckles, yeah, that's a good one to put in there...' Sonic thought. He knew he was going to die. Shadow was going to kill him.
Wow. He lasted ONE day being King of the Werewolves. THAT was a new record.
At the scream, Shadow's eyes widened and he forced himself away. A shaking hand went to his head in confusion. Where was he? What happened? Why was Sonic bleeding?
He groaned, placing a hand on his teeth.
"F-fuck," he cursed. His eyes darted to the panting hedgehog on the ground. He had to make a decision. Either, A, leave him there and go back to the palace; his fiancé was probably inside the coffin staring at a watch. Or B, bring the poor hedgehog out of there, risking his life yet again. He decided on B.
Shadow mentally cursed. He was trembling slightly as he lifted up the writhing creature, turning around and running home.
...
Sonic groaned as he tried to open his eyes. He licked his teeth, which were cold and smooth as ice.
Sonic shot up, head throbbing in pain doing so. He wasn't dead, which he hoped was a good thing. But he sure would be when he got back to Werewolf country!
Sonic's emerald eyes gazed around the room, focusing on one large, black figure leaning against the wall, arms crossed.
"Why...?" he croaked.
Shadow looked up at the ceiling. "They say that Vampires lose their minds when turning 300 years of age," he said, not meeting the other's gaze. "They cannot control themselves anymore. During the day, an elder will attack anything within reach. We lose all humane thought."
"So..."
Shadow gave off a cold, bitter laugh. "I am an elder. I was never the one to wake up early, and so I lost al humanity and just... attacked. You are lucky that I care for you. Centuries ago, I wouldn't even blink before slaying you."
"Is that really a good thing?" asked Sonic. Yeah, he was trying to lighten the mood.
Shadow walked over. "Drink this," he commanded.
The glass was filled with a strange substance. Sonic looked at it, confused. "This isn't poison, right?"
"On the contrary; it's an... experiment. To see if I am truly as horrible as I think I am. Drink it," he said, giving an encouraging nod.
Sonic looked puzzled as he put his lips to the glass. The liquid was strange –like he was drinking rust. But it was... good. He downed the drink, head cocking as Shadow scowled. "I don't get it. Why'd ya make me drink this? It tastes like fruit juice and motor oil. It was good and all, but.
Shadow grimaced. "Well, I didn't kill you, which I suppose is a 'good thing.' But the thing is... I suppose that every night you become some... Vampire/Werewolf hybrid thing."
Sonic's eyes widened. "What? I –I can't! Vampires are our enemies!" he cried.
"Calm down," Shadow sighed. With the other so tense, he just rolled his eyes and sat near the other. Gently, his fingers touched the bites on Sonic's throat. The other male stiffened.
"Just Relax..." Shadow whispered in a soothing tone. Sonic couldn't stand it, though.
Would he still be able to feel? Would he kill his friends? He was shaking slightly.
In desperation, he grasped Shadow close and buried his face in Shadow's white chest fluff. His fingers clutched Shadow's dark pelt tightly.
The Vampire was curious as to why the younger one was doing this. He cocked his head, puzzled, as he gently hugged back. When the other's breathing calmed, Shadow gently pushed the other back onto the bed with a frown.
"So?" asked Shadow. "Can you feel?"
Sonic looked at his hands. "I'm not too sure. Err; ya got something to do a touch test with?"
Shadow looked confused. "Like what? If you haven't noticed, I'm a bit out of Sorts today, and have been for quite a while."
Sonic bit his lip, discovering that maybe it wasn't the best idea. His teeth were so sharp now.
"Like another pillow and another fabric?" he suggested.
Shadow nodded. "I'll be back in a moment," he sighed.
Sonic looked around the room. Lit with candles, again. Sonic was trying to get a hold on this. Just breathe, he told himself. At least Shadow wouldn't try to kill him. He'd only try to strangle him of he woke up early.
Shadow came back with the requested items, laying them in front of Sonic. "Go ahead," he sighed.
Sonic smirked. He touched the pillow, smiling. He definitely felt that. "Egyptian cotton, Shads? Sweet!" he crowed. He looked at the other fabric curiously. It was a sky blue ribbon. He held it between his two fingers.
"Where'd ya get this from?" he asked with a mischievous grin. "Girlfriend?"
Shadow snatched it away from the youngling. "Do not accuse me of such things," he grumbled. "It was a ribbon of an old friend of mine. A sister," he said.
"So no girlfriend?" asked Sonic.
"No, something worse," Shadow snickered.
"Worse?" Sonic asked, confused.
"Yeah," he laughed. "My fiancé."
Sonic was quiet at first. Why was a feeling of dread crushing him? He shook it off. "Oh?" he asked shakily. "Good for you, man. How'd you guys meet?"
End of happy mood.
"Ah, well... I wouldn't say it was the most... Romantic way," Shadow said, struggling for the right words.
"... Go on," Sonic said. Out of nowhere, a box of popcorn appeared in his hands, and began munching on the crunchy snack, listening.
Shadow raised an eye ridge, but let it go. "Anyways, my father had cruel ways of getting rid of people. This girl's family was an irritation to my father, so he got rid of them. He gave me the girl –still alive –to do with as I pleased. She was so scared. For once, I didn't feel the need to kill a mortal. And if you relate me to Frankenstein when I said I made her my wife, so help me!" he threatened.
Sonic chuckled. "Have any pictures of her?" he asked.
Shadow looked confused. "Pic... tures?" he asked.
Sonic laughed. "Yeah, pictures. Like... Ya know, her, but on a piece of paper."
Shadow looked like he was having a horrible headache. "Is that some kind of torture?" he asked.
"Wow, you really need to catch up on the times," Sonic said, bewildered. "How old are you anyway?"
Shadow looked embarrassed. "You don't want to know that..." he muttered.
"Of course I do! C'mon!" Sonic pleaded.
"No, you really don't," Shadow argued back.
"PLEEEEEAAASSSSEEE~!"
"Fine!" Shadow yelled. "I'm... 823 years old," he sighed. He looked away from the hedgehog.
"What? You don't look any older than a teen!" Sonic protested.
"Hey, I am what I am!" he growled back, feeling like he was being accused for something. "It's not like when I was a kid, I told my sister: 'Hey, I wanna be an ancient Vampire, the oldest of our kind!" he left out the part that said "Most powerful."
"Wow. Ya look great! What kind of moisturizer you using?"
Shadow rolled his eyes. "To get away from my age, tell me; do you have a girlfriend?"
Sonic blushed. "No... Well, this one girl thinks she's my girlfriend, but I just think she's crazy."
Shadow looked confused. "Don't you have to be married at age 16? You definitely look it."
"Well, the girls pretty much suck where I come from. Only looks matter to them."
"Sounds like my fiancé," Shadow chuckled.
Sonic blushed at the other's laugh. "You have a nice smile, Shads," Sonic said.
Shadow smirked. "Do I? I haven't smiled in what seems like centuries. Ever since I met you and Cream, I've been feeling much better."
Sonic smiled as well. "Hey, Shads?"
"Mmm?"
"Can I come for like...? I dunno, Vampire lessons? If I have to be part Vampire, I should at least know how to be like one."
Shadow put a finger to his chin. "Seems... reasonable. But won't your family be missing you?" he asked.
"I'll come at night," Sonic said. "Tell them I'm spying on ya guys or something."
"You are not to speak a word of what I teach you, boy," Shadow growled. "What I am showing you is the living styles of my nation. You are being blessed with the information of a culture older than Christ himself –and by the way, don't throw any holy water at me –it smells weird."
Sonic nodded eagerly. He wanted to be around Shadow, and now he was learning all about Vampires. They'd finally defeat them!
As you can see, some words went in through one ear and out the other.
"Good," Shadow sighed. "Your lessons begin tomorrow."
"Why not today?" asked Sonic.
Shadow scowled. "Well, ah, I'm still tired. And I have to get back to Rouge. She's expecting me. So... this is farewell. For now," he said, putting his hand out.
Sonic grasped it gladly. "See ya, bud."
And they departed.
...
When Sonic got back, all his friends tackled him to the ground.
"Where have you been?" cried Amy, tears splattering all over his face. "Do you know what would happen if you died? My love, my wedding dress would have gone to waste!"
'Is that all she ever thinks about?' Sonic thought.
Knuckles growled, hoisting Sonic up. "Where have you been? Cream's been screaming about a vampire that was 'nice.' What the hell was she blubbering about? You know that her mom had to lock her in her room, Sonic?" he asked.
Sonic felt bad now. "Ah, no, I didn't know she was there. And, yeah, there was a pretty... decent vampire..." as he spoke, the bite marks hidden under his fur throbbed. He felt guilty.
"The elders are upset," Tails said. "They were planning the war strategy, and without our king, it's kinda ... ya know, it just doesn't work."
Sonic nodded absently.
Tails and Knuckles frowned –Knuckles lifted his nose and sniffed the air. "I smell a vampire's scent!" he roared. "Vampire venom, I smell a bloodsucker!"
Sonic felt slightly offended by the names, but calmed the echidna down. "Don't worry. I got in a fight with a vampire on the way here. Creamed him, boys! Man, that was easy," he said cockily –though lying his whole way through.
Tails smiled, but the happiness faded. "You look... different, Sonic," he said uneasily.
Knuckles frowned as well. "You're freezing, Sonic. What did that leech do, shove you in a meat locker?"
"I wish," Sonic muttered. He absently rubbed that one spot on his neck.
"You okay?" asked Tails.
"Well... I don't really feel too well –"
"The King doesn't feel well!" somebody crowed.
"Get Lady Vanilla!"
"Where's my underwear?"
Sonic was overwhelmed with the treatment, but was a little freaked out by the last remark. "Guys, seriously, calm down. I just have... a cold! Yeah, that's it!" he said nervously.
Amy clung to her 'love.' "Oh, Sonikku, I will spoon feed you if that is what you desire!" she announced.
Sonic pulled out a crowbar and tried to get her off his leg. "No... *grunt* thanks, Ames, I can handle that... ah... myself," He said, whooping in happiness when she finally released him.
She pouted. "Oh, fine. Anyway, Go to the Council of Elders. They're waiting for you."
Sonic watched her walk away, and tried to think of her as his wife. He shuddered. He didn't love her. No way...
True, she was pretty during the day, with that bright red sundress and big emerald eyes, but she was annoying as hell. Sonic declared he was marrying somebody older.
The first image to pop into his head was Shadow –but he just reassured himself that that was because Shadow was marrying a girl much younger than he was.
Again, that strange feeling coursed through his body and ravaged his mind as he tried to picture a girl worth Shadow. She has to be beautiful, a challenge to Aphrodite herself, Sonic thought. She had to be graceful, charming, and clever. She had to love jewels, for no gem could math those blazing rubies.
Sonic wondered how Shadow could be the oldest Vampire in existence. He didn't look a day over eighteen.
When Sonic pictured Vampires, he thought of cruel, uncaring creatures. But now there was that strange black and red hedgehog.
Sonic scowled. Oh great. Now he was the weird dead dog.
As a part Vampire, Sonic wanted to grow larger or he'd want a refund. Everybody else was taller than him, except Tails, he whined in his head.
As you can See, Sonic never stays on topic for long.
When Sonic finally arrived at the Council of Elders, he plopped don in his throne of flowers and twigs, looking bored. "So what's our war strategy?" he asked.
This was chaos. Sonic hated coming to these things. All these old geezers were out of their minds.
"We don't know how to fight them!" one of the elders cried.
"We will all perish by sundown!" another groaned.
Sonic stood up. "Calm down, everybody!" he said. "Actually, I'm going into the Vampire country as a spy, and I'll be able to tell you how they fight and everything. Can I go?"
The elders looked uncomfortable. "...Perhaps... it would be best if we send another to go there?" one asked.
Sonic shook his head. "Only I can go there," he said. He smiled. The elders gasped when they saw his fangs.
"You are one of them!" they cried.
Sonic smirked sheepishly. "Half of one, my friend. And anyways, I'm still me. I still have a beating heart and all."
One of the humans –Ivo –shook his head. "You're a Vampire. We can no longer trust you."
"Hey, if I didn't kill any of you yet, and I'm STILL King, you better listen to me. And I'm getting our troops information, you old prune! So listen up! I'll be leaving at night, and come back in the morning," he said. He didn't like Ivo, and the two constantly fought.
Without another word, Sonic raced back to his home. He was a light sleeper, and the effects of the change would wake him up.
...
Shadow was back at the Palace, getting fitted for all his robes and such. He hated it.
Rouge was deciding on which Crown he should wear for the Coronation.
"This one is nice, but as heavy as that Big the Cat fellow we met a few months past. Oh, and this one is gold with beautiful, sparkly gems... And I also like this silver one," she said, holding each crown and inspecting them.
"Rouge, each crown you've chosen is for a female. Pick one for my gender," he snapped. The Coronation was in a few days, and he couldn't wait to get it over with.
The sun made his mind feel like mush.
During the day, since he was so ancient, he would not turn into dust by the sun –but he lost all sense. He would kill until he was filled to the brim with blood, and only would that wake him up. He frowned as he looked out the window, staring blankly at the sunny fields.
The last time he felt warmed by the sun was so long ago... It almost ached to think about it. His mortality... to feel, to live... to smile, and mean it.
Shadow's thoughts turned to Sonic as he looked down at the meadow. Emerald green, soft and gentle...
Shadow shook his head and bared his fangs. "Release me of such thoughts," he whispered.
Rouge gave him a weird look. "Shadow, what are you talking about?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure that this dress isn't see through..."
Shadow would have blushed, the opposite happening. He was chilled. "It's not that," he said. "I need to leave tonight."
Rouge pouted. "That's the eighth night in a row you've left me alone..." she whined.
"I'm training a secret troop," Shadow said.
Rouge rolled her eyes. "Just come back sometime. We ARE getting married, and I'd actually like to SEE you at our wedding," she laughed.
Shadow nodded.
Rouge sighed. "Well, we're done here, sugar. Go ahead, run to your secret... Whatever..."
Shadow smirked and kissed her head lightly. Before he left, he said, "Oh, and tall Blaze and Espio they can lead the army to the border of Werewolf territory. We are prepared to attack."
...
Sonic looked up at the sky; It was sunset.
He ran as fast as he could to the tiny house hidden in the dark forest, his heart hammering in his chest.
He wanted to see Shadow. He wanted to tell him everything he's done today, what horrors Amy brought to him.
She... she wanted him to... buy her makeup...! The horror!
Sonic opened the door quietly, walking up the stairs silently. "Shadow?" he called.
"In here!"
Sonic opened the door to the bedroom. Shadow was struggling with his black and red button down shirt. "Damn buttons," he muttered. He looked up at Sonic apologetically. "Eh heh. Lesson #1: Never let a girl dress you, no matter how well the outfit may suit you."
Sonic smirked, walking over to the older hedgehog. He smirked as he began to undo the small, glistening red buttons. He stared into Shadow's ruby red eyes.
"Hey Shadow?" he asked.
"Yes?" Shadow breathed. 'So tired...' he moaned in his head.
"How do you kiss someone?"
The question totally caught The Vampire Lord off track. "Huh? Why would you want to know that?" he asked.
"A ... whatcha ma callit. Err... what's it called? A guess?"
"A hypothesis?" asked Shadow, confirming his suspicions.
Sonic nodded a small smile on his lips. "Yeah... that. So?"
Shadow looked puzzled. "Well, it's rather hard to explain. You have to experience it yourself," he said. He knew Sonic had never kissed anyone –it was obvious.
"Well? Then show me," Sonic challenged.
Shadow blinked. "Are you sure? You don't want to wait for anyone else?"
Sonic laughed. "Well, you won't kick my ass if I get it wrong, right?" he asked happily.
Shadow pursed his lips. "I suppose..." he locked eyes with Sonic. "You sure?" he asked again.
"Go ahead," Sonic allowed.
Curiously, Shadow placed a hand on Sonic's cheek and leaned close, their lips brushing against one another's. Sonic's breath quickened from... excitement. Yes, that was it.
And then, carefully...
Shadow kissed Sonic for the first time.
...
So this is where it ends! Well, not ends –ends, but where the chapter ends!
Shadow: Thank god.
Sonic: Hey, I am an AWESOME kisser!
Shadow: ... Whatever you say, Sonic dear.
Sonic: Read and Review, people! NO FLAMES!