Teardrops and Bloodstains. – Chapter 7

Hello again! Don't get confused with this one, it's Shadow speaking, not Tails at first. I thought a small recap would be good, from Shadow's point of view.

Cream: Hello people of the world!

Cheese: Chao chao!

Cream: 'Giggle' None of the characters in the Fan-Fiction belong to Blood Wren! Apart from Dark, Twin and Super the chaos!

Cheese: CHAO! CHAO!

'''

Shadow:

"I don't know what's going on in my head… I'm confused.

"Shadow? Can you hear me?"

"Ngg…"

"Can you stand? Shadow? Don't go to sleep… please!"

"Y…yeah."

"Can you walk?"

"SONIC! KNUCKLES! HELP!"

Why is she helping me? I don't get it…

"Shadow..."

"Don't move... please don't move"

"Why... why do I feel like this?"

"Eggman took your Emerald, but I've got it now... hold still."

Again… why?

"Shadow?"

I could feel her, trying to get through. She grabbed my ungloved hand, and she, she shared my pain.

"Tails…. Stop it…"

"…"

"…please?"

"Let…go!"

She didn't… It stopped on its own.

"Tails... what did you… do?"

"I don't know."

She was sacrificing herself to help me? What am I feeling?

"Shadow?"

"Knuckles? Shadow's down here, Eggman hasn't given up on him yet."

"The blood... who's?"

"Both... Eggman can now fully control him..."

"...No..."

Tails?

"Tails!"

"Yeah, I carried her here."

"WHAT! After how she is?"

"I had to! She needs to see him Sonic! Have you not been paying attention to her?"

She… needs to see me?

"STOP IT!"

"Ngg..."

"Shadow?"

"Shadow, do you know who I am?"

That's what Sonic had said.

"Yeah..."

"Good, your voice is normal again, do you know what happened?"

"Eggman tried to control me again?"

"Well, yes and no. He did try to control you, and... he did"

What! No… this wasn't happening!

"What? I don't remember anything!"

"Shadow?"

My ears involuntarily prick up at her voice.

"Tails?"

Knuckles let her down, she was weak, and she fell on me, but she had made the effort to get herself here, she was worried?

"Why didn't you come and see me?"

"I couldn't... I didn't want to hurt you so... I stayed away."

I was confused, but it was… the truth.

"You could have told me though... about Eggman controlling you now."

I can still feel the pit of guilt in my stomach…

"This is a first... I'm sorry."

And then the Emerald did what it did.

"What's going on?"

"I... I don't know"

Was I… feeling proper… love?

"My Emerald was protecting us."

"What? It knocked us out cold!"

"Yeah, but we were glowing until we woke up."

As soon as I woke up, I stayed with her, my brain was swimming. I'd never felt like this before, and I know we where going out but… I've been out with other people and, I've never felt like this towards any of them. Tails was… different.

"Well, I've gotta go and check on the others, this kind of mayhem, the chaos don't like it, neither does Cream. Do you wanna come too then?"

"Yeah, but...will my legs cope?"

"Should do... come on."

She stood up, wobbled a bit, and fell onto me, her hands on my shoulders and her muzzle on my chest.

"Whoa! Tails? Are you alright?"

I had put my hands on her back to keep her steady. She looked up at me, I was blushing… I took one of my hands off her back and lightly pushed up her chin. Then, I kissed her again. After a while, we broke up. She was shaking, again.

"Are you ok?"

I spoke softly into her ear, making her shiver a little.

"Yeah"

"Shall we go up?"

"What? Oh... yeah."

I loved her, and… I think she loved me back. This is unusual for me, I'm not like this.

I don't think I've cared some much about something in my whole life.

I had put my hand to her mouth, or we'd be heard.

"Don't wake them up. They're not in danger. I have to go... Alone Tails"

She pushes my hand away.

"Why alone?"

"Tails... Eggman can see me... the small chip in my head sees to that. And he's worked out that where ever I am, you are. He's not stupid, and he's not after Sonic, me, or even Amy this time... he's after you."

Twin sits on her lap, and she tries to avoid my gaze.

"I know..."

"I've gotta lead him away from here, away from you..."

She said she felt ok, but she seemed… scared. I'm sure she's ok with us being this way. She's used to Sonic and Amy… and she's always around us boys so… wait, does she know… has she ever been with anyone before? Is that why she's scared? I've been so stupid! Of course!"

Tails:

"I don't think he's realized how scared I am… I never know what to do. Sonic keeps telling me not to trust him, that he says he doesn't really care about me. He's lying, he doesn't understand, he doesn't know what Shadow's really like!"

Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to sleep. My pillow is still damp from my tears. What Sonic said was… it was horrible. And now Shadow's gone! All because of … I'm never gonna forgive him, never. He started an argument with Shadow, blaming him for everything that's happened recently, the whole 'Eggman finding us' thing. He didn't know he was putting us in danger, and we got out ok, didn't we? We're safer now than we were. When Shadow left, he told Knuckles to look after me… I might never know why.

"Tails?"

"Go away, Sonic"

"Tails, I've said I'm sorry!"

"Yeah… so what? That's not going to bring him back is it?"

"You make it sound like he's dead!"

"Oh, I bet your crossing your fingers for that! But he's been gone for weeks!"

"What! You know I'm only thinking of you! I didn't want him to hurt you!"

"He's never hurt me! NEVER! YOU KNOW THAT!"

"Don't shout…"

"Never! He's never hurt me!"

Fresh tears are making their way down my face.

"But, whenever you're with him, something happens to you! You can't deny that surly!"

"I know!"

"Chaaaooooooo!"

"Hmm…"

"Dark? He… he left you here? All this time?"

"Chao…hao…"

"No, he took him with…"

"Dark? Where's Shadow?"

"Chao!"

"Dark! Wait, I can't run!"

I have to take to the air, my ankle was, as Shadow had said, broken.

"Don't go!"

"Sonic, he could be hurt!"

"But…"

"I DON'T CARE!"

And I race around the corner.

"Tails, I'm coming too!"

Cream seemed to have heard the whole conversation between me and Sonic.

"No, Cream it's too dangerous!"

"But I've got Cheese with me!"

"…"

"Please?"

"Ok… but be careful, and if I tell you to run, you will do it?"

The young rabbit nods.

So we speed after Dark, out of the base and into the forest.

"Tails, I'm scared… what if Shadow's not ok?"

Then it hits me. Shadow is scared… actually scared of forests, ever since the beach party. He wouldn't come in here, unless he was desperate.

"Chaooooo!"

"…….Dark?"

"Shadow?"

I fly over the bush that Dark is now zooming through. Shadow's lying on his back, with his hands behind his head.

"Are you ok?" he asks

"I was about to ask you the same thing! But… I'm ok. You don't mind if Cream's here?"

"No… not at all. Sit down, please, you're making me feel uneasy."

"CREAM! WHERE ARE YOU?"

"Oh no! Amy must have heard me leaving!"

"What? You didn't tell her?"

"No, she'd tell me not to go. I'd better lead her away..."

"Thanks Cream..."

"No worries! AMY, AMY I'M OVER HERE!"

And she dashes into the path, and we hear her footsteps fade.

"Why did you leave?"

He looks a bit stunned at my sudden question.

"Sonic was right, I am dangerous, to everyone..."

"Sonic ISN'T right, he wrong... it's not your fault!"

"It is! If I didn't collapse at the party, you wouldn't have been attacked! If I wasn't as stupid, you wouldn't have had to come and help me when Eggman stole my Emerald!"

"Shadow! Stop it! It's not your fault! At the party, I was going to the forest alone! It would have got me anyway!"

"But..."

"But if you hadn't come and found me, Sonic wouldn't have been there to get me to hospital, I would have died!"

"Tails?"

"Why did you send Dark to get me?"

"I need to see how you are... I've missed you."

"Shadow, you've changed since I first met you."

"I know"

"Come back... please?

He looks into my eyes. His eyes have changed too, not permanently in a frown, they've relaxed, making his face kinder altogether.

"Tomorrow..."

"Why not tonight?"

"I heard you arguing with Sonic, I think I should let him calm down again before I come back."

"...Ok..."

I can feel my tiredness creeping up on me again, making me close my eyes and yawn.

"Sorry, I haven't been sleeping well. But I don't want to go back tonight... not with Sonic like he is."

"Well, stay here, sleep. I'll keep watch."

"No, I couldn't."

"Yes you could. Go on..."

"I'm not gonna win am I?"

"Nope."

"Ok then... later though, I'm not that tired yet."

I stand up, forgetting about my ankle and try to walk onto the path Cream left on. I limp past Shadow, but falter when I get to the bush between us and the path. I step back with my good foot, and try to steady myself. I fall, but Shadow is already standing behind me, ready to catch me.

"Where were you trying to go?"

"Just checking to see if Amy's found Cream."

He sits me back down and goes to check for me. He really is cute in the dim light. And now, I'm not embarrassed to think it. I'm easing up a bit... being more relaxed around him. He drags his head back through the hedge.

"She's gone, her light is back on in the base."

I sigh.

"Thanks"

"You should keep off that ankle, try not to make it worse, ok?"

"Yeah..."

My ears turn and flatten on my head as I look down, with my eyes closed. I feel Shadow sitting beside me.

"What up?"

"Nothing."

I don't look up. His hands hold onto my shoulders and he gently turns me around. I open my eyes and lift my head.

"Nothing." I repeat, and my ears flip black to normal.

His hands slip off my shoulders and down my arms, making me shiver, and eventually holds my hands.

'BANG!'

The noise makes me jump, so much that I almost fall backwards. Shadow stands up, helping me up at the same time.

"EGGMAN!" HOW DID YOU FIND US?"

"I've had this building rigged with life-sign cameras! Do you think I'd be as stupid as to leave your old base alone? When I knew you'd come back! HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Tails, stay here, stay low and out of sight."

"No"

He turns to look at me.

"AAAHHHHHH!"

"Sonic! Shadow, I'm going whether you like it or not!"

"But you can't walk!"

"I can fly!"

"But you'll get tire.."

"LET'S JUST GO!"

Before he can argue, I take to the air, and fly over the bush. As soon as I can see the base... it's... it's in flames? No... Cream! Knuckles! EVERYONE! Did they get out? I try to fly towards it but... I'm getting sleepy... no... I'm falling...

"Tails? TAILS! Don't sleep now! What? Gas? No!"

I feel a soft thud behind me.

"Tails... don't slee..."

Then, everything went black.

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Yay! Another weird ending! Review please!