A/N: I want to thank Crazy Muffin Assassin again for moral support and proofreading. I would also like to thank my readers. Just saying here, a review wouldn't hurt. I'm not complaining but it would be nice.
Sky's POV
Last. Night. Sucked. I did not get one wink of sleep because I stayed up worrying about all the despicable things Blaze might be doing to him in the next room. So for twelve hours I rocked back and forth in bed in the fetal position. Despite all the disturbing thoughts racing through my head, I was hungry. Silver, what am I going to do with you? Apparently, I inherited out father's intelligence. I had to force myself to walk downstairs and force myself to go see them. They were sitting next to each other at the kitchen table, eating breakfast.
"Good morning" Silver greeted warmly. I said nothing as I took a seat across from him. I just stared at the table, contemplating what might have transpired last night.
"Have fun last night?" I asked Blaze. Blaze just glared dryly at me.
"Sky, stop. I hate it when you two fight" Silver intervened. "Would you like something to eat?"
"Sure" I said. He walked over to the fridge and tossed me a blueberry muffin. Yum, my favorite.
"And Sky?"
"Yeah?"
"Shadow's coming by; he wanted to talk to you"
"Who?"
"The black hedgehog from last night"
"Oh, that guy" I wolfed down my muffin and figured I'd go outside. I love looking at the sky and watching the clouds roll by. I was so eager to go outside that I failed to notice the person standing on the doorstep. I bumped full into them. His fur was soft, but his body was firm. I fell on my rear; he didn't even stumble. I was once again reminded of how short I was; he was a whole head taller than me. His fur was black as night with crimson highlights. My eyes worked up his body to his face. He wore an angry expression. His eyes were incredible. They were deep, both in hue and emotion. His face might have been despondent, but his eyes showed a slight glimmer of caring and kindness. If he hadn't been so attractive, he would have been terrifying. Wait, no, he's still terrifying, but I wasn't gonna tell him that.
"Sky, I presume?" his voice was deep and rich. I could only nod in response. My heart was beating like a snare drum, loud and fast. My hands were unsteady and sweaty.
"Come with me. Can you keep up?" again, I could only nod.
"We'll see" he smirked. A challenge! What does he take me for? Little does he realize that I'm faster than both Silver and Blaze.
Shadow's POV
I was in the mood for a little competition. I skated off at about sixty mph, an easy jog for me. I looked back, expecting to see her trailing me, desperately trying to catch up, but she wasn't there. When I reallocated my attention, she was running backwards in front of me, keeping up easily. I smiled to myself, and put on more speed. This is going to be interesting. Finally, we came to a stop in the middle of the Emerald forest. I sat on the low branch of an oak tree.
"Why are we stopping here?" she asked. Her innocent blue eyes explored mine. I still couldn't decide what shade of blue her eyes were. They ranged from cobalt to sky blue. I decided on sky blue; it was the most prominent
"You and I are going to talk. I know you're not from around here; do you have anywhere to stay?"
"I'm with Silver and Blaze, but…"
"…It would be awkward staying up at night, listening to the happy couple…expressing themselves"
"Ugh…"
"But, you can stay with me. There is a vacancy of sorts at my place"
Sky's POV
"If we're going to…co-habitat, then maybe we should get to know each other," Whoops. That just kinda slipped out.
"Ah hem… well, Silver and I are fraternal twins. We used to live in Crisis city. We spent years fighting Iblis until it was sealed away. Other than that, I'm smart and good with machines. Unlike Silver, I never inherited the psychokinesis. Instead I have power over electricity. Not much to tell, right?"
"My back story is much longer; why don't you make yourself comfortable?" he motioned for me to sit next to him on the branch.
"sixty three years ago I was born, on the Space Colony ARK. I was intended to be nothing more than a research experiment; the ultimate life form…"
Silver's POV
The doorbell rang. Again. At the door were Amy and Cream, looking extremely excited. I cringed.
"Who is it?" Blaze called from the kitchen.
"Amy and Cream" I hollered back. Even here, her sigh was audible. She clomped her way over to the door and began answering questions, even before they were voiced.
"Sky is the maid of honor, Sonic is the best man, you and Rouge are bride's maids" she directed at Amy. "Shadow, Knuckles and Tails are groomsmen, Charmy is the ring bearer, and you, Cream, are the flower girl. We are in the middle of finding a priest, florist and a band. Happy?" Amy and Cream were both stunned by her outburst. Cream recovered first with a gleeful 'yay'.
"If you're stressed out, Blaze, maybe I could help" Amy offered. Blaze cast a distressed glance at me. We had just stared planning and deciding on the preparations earlier today, and we were already stressed out.
"We'll get back to you on that" I answered. Amy and Cream bid us a cheerful farewell and departed. Great, now back to finding a band, priest, and florist.
Shadow's POV
"…And then I destroyed the Black Comet from the Eclipse Cannon on the ARK"
"Wow, that's amazing" Sky murmured, her gorgeous blue eyes trained on me. There was just something indescribable about her that I found so appealing. Maybe it's how her blue eyes sparkle with excitement at my story, or the way she laughed at the Chaotix's numerous antics during our campaign against Metal Sonic. Only then did I realize how close we were sitting. Our thighs brushed against each other's. Our gaze's traveled from the contact up to each other's eyes.
Sky's POV
What was he doing? Our eyes met and we just looked at each other. I blushed, but refused to back down. Then we moved in closer, and our lips were about to touch. At the last second he pulled away.
"Shadow, what're you-"
"Sky, I'm sorry. I can't. I'm sorry," he said, turning away from me. His voice became regretful and sad.
"Shadow, what aren't you telling me?" I asked, trying to put authority in my voice. I put my hands on the sides of his face and turned it towards me.
"It's nothing" he lied. See, like Silver, I've got above average endowments. I can read peoples minds, only if their weak minded, or open minded. Unfortunately, Shadow's neither.
"Shadow, if you don't tell me-" the look in his eyes turned harsh.
"It's nothing" his voice felt like a slap in the face.
"I'm sure Maria wouldn't think so," a dark voice chided. We both looked in the direction of the voice. The source of said voice was the most horrific figure I could've imagined. He was the spitting image of Shadow, but on him, Shadow's features looked evil and sadistic. Standing in the shadows of the trees was Mephiles the Dark. But how is this possible? Silver and Blaze sealed Iblis away a long time ago.
"Mephiles, how are you-"
"Here?" he interjected. "I am a shadow, cast from the light. The light can be extinguished, but the shadow will always remain"
Shadow's POV
My every instinct was telling me to take Sky and run, but I had to hear him out first.
"How do you know about Maria?" I asked. I knew I couldn't tell Sky about Maria. Nobody likes hearing about old relationships, especially when they end badly.
"My dear Shadow, I am omnipotent, I can travel through time, to the past and future. Your past is no exception" slowly I started to back away. I had to take Sky and run. He's not nearly as fast as me, so I should have no trouble outrunning him.
"Sky" I whispered. "We need to get out of here. He's dangerous. I can't protect you"
"Oh, I have no intention of hurting you. Yet" Mephiles told us.
"This bastard has been nothing but trouble for me and Silver. We can take him!"
"No, Sky, no!" but it was too late; she charge at Mephiles. Against my better judgment, I followed. I aimed a punch at his face. His clawed hand grabbed my wrist and twisted. In one fluent motion, he threw me. I might be a bit more durable than the average mobian, but I could feel my ribs crack when I slammed into the tree. Sharp pain ricocheted through my chest, and a small trickle of blood dripped from where I bit my lip. Even the tree sustained physical damage. For what seemed like hours, I could only lie on the ground and try to force air into my lungs. The whole horrible seen unfolded before my eyes. I could see it coming the whole time. Mephiles kicked at her, she stopped his leg with her arm. She punched at him, he grabbed her fist. I forced myself to stand and run to her. I have to protect her. If she dies, or is injured, Silver will try to kick my ass, which will prove to be hazardous to his health. His hand shot forward, claws raking across her unprotected stomach. She stumbled backwards clutching at her wounds and gasping. She was bleeding heavily. I caught her just before she touched the ground. Mephiles cackled madly, and seeped back into the shadows on the ground.
"Damn it! Hold on tight!" I swore. I picked Sky up bridal style and ran off. This whole vicious scene brought up unwelcome memories. Maria dying right before me. Her pushing me into the escape pod. Her final words. The only person I ever loved forever gone. Then I snapped back to reality. Her blood was radiating from three good-sized gashes on her stomach. She was bleeding to the extent that it was starting soak in to my fur. Great, another innocent person will die on my account. No, if I say she'll die, then she will die. She will not die while I'm here. Sky looked up at me. My heart broke just from the way her eyes looked. They looked dull and they lost their usual beautiful luster. Fierce anger and determination took over, fueling my adrenaline. I ran god only knows how fast, making it to Silver's place in seven seconds. I opened the door via my shoe without even a hint of hesitation.
"Silver! Blaze! Get a basin of water and gauze! It's Sky!" I shouted, running up the staircase to the guest room. Clamor rose from below as Silver and Blaze rushed around. I pulled of Sky's jacket and amulet and set them on the nightstand. Then I looked at myself; I don't recall having red highlights on my torso. The slamming of the door marked the arrival of Silver and Blaze. Silver very nearly dropped the basin when he saw the condition Sky was in.
"I thought you said you were going to talk!" Silver accused.
"I will answer your questions later. Give me the damn cloth" I walked back to Sky and grabbed the hem of her torn shirt. As I pulled it up her hand stopped mine.
"We…don't know…each other…that well…Shadow…" Sky rasped. Every word meant a substantial part of consciousness that was drained from her.
"If I don't stop the bleeding you will die," I said, harsher than necessary. I immediately regretted it. She got a distant, glassy look in her eyes. Quickly I wiped the now drying blood away from the wounds. She gripped the bed sheets in pain and arched her back. Her face was beaded with sweat and deathly pale. I wiped the last of the blood away from the wounds. The bleeding was slowing ever so slightly. Afterwards I wrapped layer upon layer of gauze over the wounds to sop up further bled blood. Her blue eyes gave a silent 'thank you'.
"It would be beneficial if you slept" I suggested. The thank you vanished. Instead, she gave me a look like you can't be serious, but reluctantly, she fell asleep.
"Will she be ok?" Silver asked, wringing his hands.
"She should. She just grazed her superior mesenteric artery"
"How did she do that?" Blaze inquired. At first I just stood there, contemplating the best way to break the bad news. I figured it would be best if I just said it.
"It's Mephiles," I said finally. "He's returned"
"W-what?" Blaze sputtered. "How is this possible?" Maybe I should have been subtler.
"He said some crap about extinguishing the light that leaves the shadow to remain" Silver put two and two together.
"So in getting rid of Iblis we got rid of Iblis, and only Iblis?" he groaned. I nodded.
"Shadow, are you injured?" Blaze asked. My hand subconsciously rubbed my rib cage.
"No, I'm fine" maybe I'll go for a run. That usually takes my mind off of things.
Silver's POV
"This cannot be happening! We worked so hard to get rid of him!" I exclaimed.
"There has to be a reasonable explanation. We'll just ask Sky when she wakes up" Immediately I felt more calm. Blaze always knows just what to do.
"I guess you're right" I smiled.
"You guess? Ye of little faith" she lightly punched my arm.
Sky's POV
I was in pain, and if possible, more tired than when I went to sleep. How does that make any sense? I slept through the whole night. I'm still at Silver and Blaze's. I sat up in bed, immediately wishing I hadn't. I was surprised to find I was wrapped in bandages and my shirt was torn and covered in dried blood. Oh, yeah, Mephiles slashed me yesterday and now I'm an invalid, stuck in bed. Ugh. Maybe Shadow'll stop by. Only after several eventful hours of staring at the ceiling fan did he stop by. He looked sad and regretful, just like when he was about to kiss me.
"Good morning Shadow," I said as cheerfully as I could muster.
"Good morning" he said, his voice barely a whisper.
"What's going on?" I asked. He walked to the bedside before talking.
"Unwrap the bandages. I might be able to help," he whispered. Obediently, I unwrapped the bandages, exposing the gashes. Shadow put his hand to my stomach and closed his eyes. I winced slightly; his hands were like ice.
"Shadow, what are you going to do?" I asked meekly.
"Chaos control" he whispered. An intense green glow enveloped his hand and the gashes. My stomach felt weird; like being heated, cooled, stretched and squeezed, followed by a slight tingling, like when your foot falls asleep. I didn't dare look down for fear of what I might see. When I looked down the gashed had healed significantly. They were still there, but they looked as if a month of bed rest and doing nothing had taken place in a matter of seconds.
"What did you do?" I questioned, completely bewildered.
"Chaos control. I sped up time on the injured area so it would heal"
"That's so sweet" I purred. "I don't get why everyone thinks so poorly of you" his expression lit up momentarily, like striking a match, then dropping it in water.
I frowned. "Tell me what's bothering you right now"
"It's nothing," he repeated.
"Shadow, I care about you. Spill it" a small beeping noise rang out.
"Thank god" he whispered.
"What?"
"It's G.U.N., they need me for a mission"
"I'm so bored! Can I come?"
"It'll be dangerous and you're still injured" Shadow pointed out.
"But what about you? Will you be ok?" a small smile crept it's way onto his face in a mischievous sort of way.
"Don't worry; I can't die" seizing the opportunity, I planted a kiss on his cheek.
"You'd better not" his hand touched his cheek where my lips made contact, like he couldn't believe what I'd done. Definitely reluctant, he exited the room.
Shadow's POV
My scowl returned when I left her room. Damn G.U.N. They always interrupt at all the wrong times. With that thought still fresh in my mind, I took out the green chaos emerald and chaos controlled over to G.U.N. H.Q. Maybe they'll give me something short and easy for a change.