Chapter 1 ~ The Darkest Flames

-separater-

A/N:

This is my first try at a Sonic fanfiction so be nice. I'm not going by any particular time line, 'cause I don't know a lot about the show. I just had an idea I had to write down.

Warnings:

This is yaoi. The main pairing is loosely Sonidow, but not quite. You'll see what I mean after you read some more. There may also be ooc characters. I am gonna try to keep some characters in canon with their personalities but it's not always going to work. Some of the situations will call for them to act out of character.

Pairings:

Sonidow [shadow's reincarnation sort of and Sonic]

May have Knuckles with someone, but not sure yet. If anyone knows of a good yaoi pairing with Knuckles that isn't Sonic, let me know.

Now … on with the story.

-separater-

Sonic the hedgehog stood on top of a building watching the glittering stars. It had been over two months since he'd battled Shadow for the last time. How did he know this? He wasn't completely certain but that's how Eggman had made it seem. Whether or not the excentric doctor was finished driving him up the walls was hard to determine. If there was one thing Sonic could give the crazy man, it was persistence and a weird drive to control the world. No matter how many times Sonic had destroyed his plans the man kept bouncing back.

He sagged slightly as memories flooded his mind. He closed his eyes and sat down on the rooftop. There was no point in trying to will them away. He had been trying to do so for the past two and a half months, and it hadn't gotten him anywhere. He slid back to allow his arms to support him as the images surfaced as if they were happening right before his eyes.

He had seen the black hedgehog near the master emerald and just watched him. It didn't seem like Shadow was up to anything, and without that there was no reason for a fight. As much as Sonic loved the adrenaline rushes, it was pointless. It was rare, but sometimes Shadow just came to stare at the master emerald, not wanting to fight.

Sonic thought this was one of those times when a loud crash came from somewhere above. He looked to the sky and saw bright flashes of silver. The silver things landed and Sonic could see robots, with sharp pinsers, missle launchers, and thick plated armor. So Shadow wasn't alone after all. Sonic's head snapped forward as a low growl was heard from the black hedgehog. Was Shadow expecting the robots? Judging by the angry expression and growling, it didn't seem that way.

Green chaos energy was in the hands of his rival, glowing menacingly in the sunlight. A few balls of energy were thrown at the robots, as Sonic's speedy instincts kicked in. he was next to Shadow in a matter of seconds, beginning to launch kicks and punches at the robots. The black one gave him a fleeting glance and then started to fight the robots himself.

This went on for quite some time, neither hedgehog willing to submit to the metallic monstrocities. Sonic's body was covered in sweat, and a quick glance at Shadow confirmed the other wasn't in any better shape. Sonic's eyes widened as an explosion rocked Angel Island, forcing both hedgehogs to the ground. There was another explosion before smoke and debris covered the island. A black cloud hung in the air as pieces of twisted metal and gears rained down on the hedgehogs like shrapnail.

When the smoke cleared one robot was still standing. Sonic couldn't tell what had caused the disturbance at first, but a destroyed and soot covered robot's head gave him the idea. Eggman had never used explosions to destroy his own robots, but the blue hero wouldn't put it past him. What really shocked him was the shape of the other hedgehog. The ultimate life form lay on the ground, broken, bleeding, and looking like he should be dead.

Sonic was unsure of what made him, but he found himself next to the lifeless Shadow. He shook the hedgehog gently, and put a hand to the neck to try and find a pulse. When there wasn't one he grew panicked. Shadow was his rival, but he had never wished him dead. Then a soft, almost audible beat could be heard. Sonic's hand pressed down gently, hoping it would come again. To his surprise it did. The hedgehog was alive.

The remaining robot knocked Sonic aside and gripped Shadow's prone body in one of its massive hands. It had then taken to the air and disappeared in the clouds. It occurred to Sonic that there was still hope for Shadow. Sure the black one was his rival, but he had been the only one who could match him in nearly everything. To have that lost … it would really suck.

"Sonic the hedgehog." Said a loud voice. Sonic's head craned to try and locate the noise. A screen appeared in the air with the face of a grinning Eggman displayed.

"Now that I have your attention … This is the end of Project Shadow. When you see me again I'll be much stronger. I'll have something much worse for you to deal with." Said Eggman. Sonic nodded and snorted.

"… like to see you try." He mumbled under his breath. The doctor's screen faded away, leaving Sonic to his thoughts.

A shooting star crossed the dark sky as Sonic opened his eyes. Now that Shadow was gone there wasn't much in his life. Amy's advances had gotten more and more persistant, now that there was nothing for Sonic to destroy. This meaningless, dull, void of action life was driving the hero mad. What else was there for him to do if there was nothing to destroy or no one to save?

Sure there were small crimes to deal with. That could only amuse him for a short time however. Between that, Amy's advances, and his boredom the blue hedgehog was losing the will to live. As the star passed over his head he made a wish.

Can't there be something to give life meaning …

-separater-

The next day Sonic was running around the city. He had begun to do this every morning since Eggman's declaration. There wasn't much else to do, and it gave him a reprieve from Amy's whining voice for a time. That, at least, was a relief. The girl was sweet, but her interest in Sonic wasn't healthy for anyone.

His ears twitched as a loud explosion could be heard. He lifted his eyes to the rooftops, hoping he was just hearing things. To his surprise smoke was rising from a building. He looked down, noticing he was in one of the more uninhabited parts of the city. This particular section of the city was full of mostly broken down buildings. He jumped onto a rooftop, trying to get a better look at the scene. His red and white shoes made small squeaking noises as he gripped the side of the building and kept jumping until he reach the roof.

Smoke, flames, and a dark presence met his eyes. The presence was weird, it almost made him feel fear. It was dark, seemed to be a part of the flames, and looked to be chasing something or someone. What could be of interest to something like that?

He started toward the building to assess the damage. The thought to call the fire department crossed his mind but something was drawing him to the burning building. He ignored the growing apprehension in his mind and braced himself on the roof. He closed his eyes and propelled himself into the air.

When his eyes opened he was falling. His target had been the building's side, but that was quickly crumbling into ash. He hesitated for a moment, remembering that fire was almost as bad as water, and he hated water with a passion. This thought was brushed aside as he saw a dark shape in the flames. It was different than the embers licking at the building and ground, and Sonic's curious side wanted to figure out what it was.

Cursing his curious tendencies he forced his body through the haze of heat that shimmered around the building. He cringed as he could smell burning fur and flesh, but kept moving. If he could figure out what he was seeing and get out of here quickly, he might just survive. The dark presence almost seemed to grow angry as he came toward the figure. It wasn't by sound e could tell, but by how the negativity pressed down on him like water, like waves …

Shaking his head he forced his legs to move faster. When his hands touched something slightly furry and solid he looked down. There, on the burnt ground, was some kind of creature. He pushed some debris off the creature and could tell it was a hedgehog. The quills and shape were enough to convince him of that. He wrapped his arms around the hedgehog and started to run.

He ran faster as he could feel the presence trying to prevent him from leaving. It fought, tendrils of dark energy biting and ripping at him like knives. He grit his teeth from the pain and jumped over an obstacle. He scaled a wall that looked sturdy and grimaced as it collapsed beneath him. If things were collapsing at his touch the fire must have been created from non-normal means. An oil fire maybe …

He gripped the hedgehog in his arms tighter as he flipped to avoid an arc of flames that came at him. Cursing his distracted mind he started to run fast. It wasn't until he broke the sound barrier that he slowed down a bit. He jumped onto a rooftop and headed for Tails' workshop.

-separater-

Tails wasn't there when he arrived. He opened the door and laid the injured hedgehog on the couch in the living room. He quickly locked the door, letting his breathing slow down. The injured furry was still on the couch, and Sonic was grateful for that.

He went to the bathroom and found the first aid kit, bringing it back with him. He put it onto the small coffee table in the room and went to find some wash cloths to clean up his patient. He hadn't really gotten a good look at the injured furry, but the appearance of his charge wasn't going to be a mystery for much longer.

When he came into the room he held back a cough. The other hedgehog's body was covered in burns, cuts, slashes, and ash. The combined smell of burning fur, burning flesh, blood, and ash was enough to make him wish Tails used air conditioning. Sighing he made his way over to the other hedgehog and turned him onto his back. He couldn't see much but there was a lot of blood, that was for sure. Sonic's cloth began to clean up the other, hoping that there wasn't as much blood as there seemed to be.

An hour later he had the ash and blood cleaned off of his patient. It seemed, that the hedgehog he had found was a black or very dark red color. If red was the color, it reminded him of Knuckles. He gently ran a hand through the quills on the furry's head, marveling at how soft they felt now that he had cleaned up the creature the best he could. He pulled bandages and ointment out of the first aid kit, and skimmed through the manual. Dressing wounds wouldn't be that hard, he'd done it before..

Tails came home an hour later, to see Sonic and the injured furry on the couch. Well … it was more like Sonic leaning against the couch and the other on it. He ran a hand through the tuft of fur on his forehead and nudged Sonic's side. The hedgehog had dressed the other's wounds, and in typical Sonic fashion, ignored his own.

The blue hedgehog cracked open an eye and groaned.

"Tails …"

"Sonic get up. You can sleep more after I take care of your wounds." Said Tails. Sonic grumbled but stood up. He winced as the action set his burned flesh on end. His quills had raised, and he forced them back down. If Tails was going to help him there was no point in fighting him. It was Knuckles he fought when it came to stuff like this. The achidna liked cramming herbs and medicines down his throat, an experience Sonic had never liked.

Tails dragged Sonic into the kitchen and left him sitting in a chair. He went into the living room and came back with the first aid kit.

"Was he that bad?" asked the fox kit.

"Yeah, I'm surprised he's still breathing." Sonic replied. Tails nodded and started on Sonic's wounds. The hedgehog cried out every time a particularly painful spot was touched, but made no move to fight the kit. Getting the wounds infected would hurt more than now. He knew that from his many experiences fighting against Eggman and other various villains.

Tails nodded to Sonic when he was finished.

"I have some machine parts to get from the stor. I came back to see if you'd gotten home yet. I'll be back in a few hours." Said the fox. Sonic odded and rose to his feet. He winced as his legs tried to give out on him. He gripped the edge of the chair tightly and groaned. His arms were where most of the burns were, and putting them through the stress of movement sure hurt like hell.

Tails chuckled and gently pulled Sonic into the living roo. He threw a blanket at the blue hedgehog as he left the house. Sonic yawned and draped part of the blanket over the other furry before leaning into the couch. He snuggled under the rest of the blanket and closed his eyes.

-separater-

A/n:

Hopefully this wasn't too bad. Before anyone tries to tell me that Shadow's character is out of characterI'll say one thing. This isn't exactly Shadow. For those confused, you'll see what I mean in the next few chapters. Flames will be fed to my roommate's cat Mannard. He eats anything that's interesting.

R and R