Jinx: Okay, Mutt brought it to my attention that no one knows why I underline some things and not just put it in italics to emphasize words.
Mutt: You didn't have to put it like that. I just asked why.
Jinx: Anyway, the reason I haven't posted was, one, Curse the people who invented parental controls, where people forget how to turn them off. Two, I busted three computers. Oops… Three, I procrastinate.
Mutt: And she has been working on three other stories. She has been helping me with my writing skills. Yeah, not much improvement… All I could think of was a strange story about high school and Sonic. Strange combo but first chapter coming soon.
Jinx: The other stories are a secret since I'm working with Mutt and my BFF. But if you want to know about either of them send me an e-mail. Also all of you have to thank Starthehedgecat since she is posting my chapters for me since I still can't get around the parental blocks.
Chapter 5
(Sonic's P.O.V.)
"Shadow! We have been running around for almost an hour. If Lardbutt really had a new robot causing trouble in town we would have seen it…oh I don't know… the first hundred times we searched the city!" I shouted, and screeched to a halt. I checked my watch, "Shit! Amy's gonna kill us if we don't get there." I grabbed my ears and sank to the ground on my knees, overplaying it a bit but it gets the message across. "And now we don't even have an excuse to get us out of it."
Shadow stopped and looked around worriedly. Finally, he understands the situation. He scratched his head, "Fine, but…" he snapped his fingers, "I know a short cut."
"Wait!" Knuckles cried, finally catching up. He leaned against the nearest tree, clutching his sweat soaked and heaving chest. "Let me…catch…my breath." He sank down in the shade.
"UGH!" I leaned against a tree rapidly losing my patience. I folded my arms and tapped my foot. I'M DEAD! I'M DEAD! SOO DEAD!! She's gonna skin me alive and use my fur as a throw rug. Occasionally I glanced at my watch. "Sha-" I started angrily, but after a quick look around, "-dow? Uh…Where'd he go?"
Knuckles was sprawled out on the ground spread-eagle, still breathing heavily. "W-water…" Shadow appeared mumbling to himself, holding three bottles of water, glaring at a receipt.
"Here," there was edge still in his voice as he tossed a bottle to Knuckles and another to me. I juggled it a bit trying to get a hold of the gift I wasn't entirely ready to receive. I dropped it, and had to stoop down and pick it up. "Imbecile!"
"Hey, I didn't…"
"Not you!" Shadow snapped, then rubbed his temples. "The damn sales clerk." Brushing off the dirt, I unscrewed the cap. Guzzling it while I listened to Shadow complain of an almost normal matter. "Can you believe he charges 12 rings for one bottle of water? Its probably water scooped up from the puddles in the alleyway."
"GAH! That's gross, Shadow!" I grimaced, gagged, and recapped the water and tossed it in a recycling bin nearby. I then glanced at Knuckles who was still taking long droughts from it. "Didn't you hear him?"
"I don't…care."
"No wonder they call you the red mutt. You'll drink from anywhere."
"I'm not…a mutt!" he tried to be angry but being out of breath couldn't sound it.
"Knuckles, I'm beginning to think you're out of shape." Shadow smirked, taking a shallow sip. "Have you been shirking your duties of guarding the Master Emerald, to chase a fancy?"
Knuckles stood strait up in a fighting stance. Forgetting the water bottle in his right hand, he fisted his gloved hands tight. "I am NOT, by far, out of shape! The Master Emerald is always safe. Why the sudden interest in it? Let me tell you right here and now. If you so much as set foot on my island, you'll be mistaken for an unfortunate black hedgehog, flattened on the speedway." He growled, with new found energy.
"Alright." Shadow agreed without interest, looking at the water through it's plastic container. "But since you're up and seem to have caught your second wind…are you ready to go?" I was still reeling from what just happened. Shadow played Knuckles' gullibility and willingness to guard the Master Emerald like a fine tuned violin.
Knuckles looked at his crushed bottle and the contents on the ground, and pouted. "Fine, I'm ready."
"Finally."
Shadow took off and we followed. Minutes later we were booking it near the river. I slowed down so Knuckles could catch up and so I wouldn't slip and fall in the river. I turned so I could see if Knuckles was following and…
SMACK!!
"Shadow! Damn it!" I grabbed my nose, starting to tear. "Ow. Warn somb'un b'fore yob stop!" I released my nose, "Geeze!" I glared at him
He was on his cell phone, ears drooped. "So are you ready, now?" He looked surprised and angry, "What…Rouge? Why is she there?" He pulled the phone from his ear.
I could barely hear Rouge yell, "And what is so wrong with me being here?! HMM?"
He growled, putting the phone back to his head, "Nothing…"
Knuckles caught up…finally… "What about Rouge?"
Shadow hung up and opened his mouth to say something, but a branch cracked above us. It was all a blur. Even for me! But a thin branch with a squirrel, about 6 years old, attached to it landed on ol' Shad's head.
"Sorry, Mister." the very jittery squirrel apologized, hopping up. He was wearing baggy blue jeans and a t-shirt that said: Not Weird. Wired!
Shadow looked like he was seeing stars. He was laying down, with his quills embedded into the ground. I looked over to Knuckles, who was trying to hold back laughter. We both broke out laughing.
"Whoa…Mr. hedgehog person…" said the squirrel pointing at Shadow, "you look just like my sister!"
I couldn't help laughing harder, my sides felt like they were busting. Shadow sat up with a whole section of dirt and grass clinging to his quills. "Wha?!" he mumbled in confusion while holding his head. I couldn't breath, I was laughing so hard.
"Hi! I'm Comet." the squirrel said excitedly, extending his hand for Shadow to shake. Shadow slapped it away and the boy couldn't take it. Comet broke out in tears, and zoomed up a tree.
"Wow, Shadow. Harsh!" I said wiping away a tear.
(Comet's P.O.V.)
"Tosca!" I shouted through hot tears. I rapidly knocked on her workshop door. My kitsune sister answered her door finally after the 36th knock.
"What is it, Comet?" she was annoyed, her three arctic-blue tails swirled. Seeing my distress she picked me up and hugged me, "Better?" I nodded and she set me down. "What's the problem, Speedster?"
"There are three men near the river and the one who looks like big sis…hates me." I sniffed. I may not actually be 6 but I can act the part.
(Tosca's P.O.V.)
I felt my ears droop and I sweat dropped, "Grreeaat, making new friends." I gave the squirt another look. "They scared you good, huh?
He wiped his eyes, "No! They scared me bad. Not good." I reached in my mini-fridge, with my center tail, and pulled out a Redbull. I patted his head, smiled, and handed him his most favorite drink in the world.
"I'll take care of them." I stepped out grabbing my leather jacket. I locked my shop door, and started to fly off, tying my hair back.
"ThankyouTosca! YouknowKatanawouldnever --" When he gets excited, his words run together so I don't even try to listen.
Flying towards the river and landing on a treetop, I finally spotted them. Since that incident a few jobs ago in that scientist's lab…Dr…Eggman or something like that…well it gave me a few extraordinary powers, why not use a few…
(a fly's P.O.V.)
I always seem to be in the right place at the right time. Sonic and Shadow were fighting…verbally, Knuckles was looking at something under his glove, and an icy-blue, three tailed kitsune just, literally, disappeared…literally! I landed on a berry bush to watch things unfold.
I saw the leaves part in the tree and thought I heard giggling. Well there she is.
"Shut the hell up, already! Damn!" Shadow shouted in Sonic's face, "He landed on my skull, so therefore I had the right to brush off the damn kid!"
Sonic stepped backwards and waved a hand in front of his nose, "PU! Shadow, haven't you ever heard of mouthwash?!"
Shadow reared back his fist to hit Sonic, but stopped and turned. Sonic sighed from relief…
WHAM!
Sonic went flying and Shadow shook his left hand. "Never let your guard down, faker. You should've been glad that I didn't just blow the kids brain out, and let it lie." He growled.
SPLOOSH! Heh, HA, HA!
Man, I love this chick! She snuck up behind Knuckles and shoved him in the river. It caused me to end up laughing, too. Knuckles shot straight out of the water with a fish clinging to one of his dreadlocks and one huge fish, with sharp carnivorous teeth, chomped away at his twice bent or broken tail. I started to laugh harder, which forced my original shape, and I fell into the bush.
(Shadow's P.O.V.)
I was sweat dropping as Knuckles ran around screaming like a little girl. Sonic came back in a kind of drunken daze. And on top of that I was going crazy. I could hear the laughter of nonexistent women. I slapped my forehead and groaned.
"Someone get this fish off my ass!" shouted Knuckles.
"Okay…right after the earthquake stops." Sonic mumbled sliding down the trunk of a tree.
I turned around and proceeded to hit my head against the nearest tree. I did this three times, then someone placed their hand in my forehead's way.
"Stop it, Shadow." a familiar voice said. I spun around.
"M-M-Maria?" I stuttered, "No it can't be." I backed up against the tree, that I was previously hitting. She sounded and looked exactly like Maria…minus the cat tail and tiger markings.
"Yes, I was the Maria you knew, but my name is Aurora." she smiled, removed a ring and a few bracelets that had some chaos power to them. She placed them into a strange bag and closed it. Her hair and eyes immediately turned brown.
"B-b-but…" This was giving my brain a workout. She bent down slightly and patted my head like Maria used to.
"So did you protect the world from ol' pinch face?"
"Uh…"
"Black Doom." I nodded. "Good 'cause I would have had to explain to him why I didn't complete his mission." she sighed in relief. "Although, I might still have to in another 50 years." she grimaced.
"Huh?!" I was confused. Sonic snapped out of it and started helping Knuckles. She raised her hand freezing time. "Whoa!" my voice echoed slightly. Chaos Control.
"They were distracting…ah-ha! There she is!" She pointed to a half visible fox. "Oh, anyway. To get some things straight: I was the Maria you knew, but I am not…lets repeat…not Maria. She died when she was 5. Black Doom asked me to become her for…a personal reward… So I lived her life, pretending to have N.I.D.S. went through several treatments. He had the professor create you, him thinking you were the cure and Blacky shaping you into his warrior. Although, the Doom-dude created an opposite from your shape and created…Light. Light was accidentally woken up a couple weeks before you. But after you and Light were born, I was shoved into a room that slowed time with you two. And…" She looked around. "Where is Light."
I folded my arms and glared at her. "I wouldn't be caught dead with him. Besides you can't possibly be Maria."
"Okay, let me say this once more. I RAISED YOU AND YOUR OLDER BROTHER!! SO I AM MA-RI-A!!" She folded her arms and tapped her foot.
Flashback:
"Shadow!" Maria shouted from another room. I was about 5 or 6. Hiding behind the couch, I thought I found the cleverest of hiding places. I saw her walk in, from between the white cushions. She had my brother beside her, rubbing his eyes with his balled up red fists, the black streaks on his hands were covered in soot. So was the burnt and broken bi-plane toy that Maria was carrying. She sat the toy down on the coffee table, folded her arms, and tapped her foot. I stepped out from behind the couch, head hung low. "Dark Shadow Hedgehog, why did you break your brother's toy?" she cocked an eyebrow.
"Err…" I couldn't come up with anything. She took my arm and took me to my room. "Maria, I didn't mean to it just…" She pulled out her jewelry box from under my pillow. "Uh-oh…"
"Yeah, 'Uh-oh'. Why do you have my jewelry box?" She still hasn't released my arm, which means only one thing. If I didn't think fast I was going to get a spanking.
"I was curious what was in the box…I pulled out those blue things and…all I did was look at Light's plane and…boom!" Light was in the doorway, he was only a few weeks older than me, but Maria said we were twins. I never saw how…he was red with black, were I was black with red.
"Yeah, right! You always make up stories to get out of trouble." He was shooed out by Maria and she looked back at me. "No fair! You never punish him for anything."
"Like Light said, I'm not going to punish you." I sighed my relief. "But next time you ask before taking things." she picked up the box and turned to door, "Just apologize to your brother."
End Flashback.
"M-Maria?"
"You were always the dumbass of the family." she mumbled, scratching her head and smiling.
"Yeah…" I said without thinking. Wait a second. "Hey!"
"Yep, it's you, Shad. Ya don't have to prove it." she said as she patted my head, shaking hers. I growled a little, yet she picked me up like a rag doll and hugged me.
"Let me go, vile woman!" She gave me a noogie, causing all my quills to stick strait up, then released me. She smiled and time began again.
"OW!" the girl yelped as she walked from the tree, holding her head, "SON-OF-A…" she looked up noticing we were staring. She release her head with one hand and waved. "Hi!"
"Who the hell are you two?!" Sonic yelled pulling the last fish off of Knuckles' ass. He was hugging a tree for support while Sonic pulled it.
Jinx: Well…it was short and sounded slapped together in seconds…but I did promise myself to edit it no more than 13 times so…
Mutt: It kinda' doesn't have that flow...
Jinx: -jumps up and down in a hyper moment- Review please! And give a hug or a can of tuna to Starthehedgecat.
Mutt: Ugh…tuna!