Chapter 7 - Expecting The Unexpected

"Wait, let me get this straight… Rex can golf?!" The ebony hedgehog exclaimed as he sat himself up suddenly, causing himself to choke on his cold glass of water, which he almost dropped in the process.

"Easy Shadow. You don't want to choke to death." The grey vixen next to him giggled trying to contain her laughter more over the hedgehog than Rex, who in the mean time sat with his arms folded casting an unimpressed glare at Shadow for his immature nature of the situation.

"Yeah, like that's possible for someone like me." The hedgehog then huffed sarcastically as he wiped his muzzle clean.

"Can we focus, Shad?" The wolf growled as shook his head with disappointment.

"As I was saying." Rouge cut in. "If we get it passed weapons department and the science block then its home free from there." The bat smiled as she finished drawing with purple marker between the many small lines and symbols. The strong aroma that emitted from the small marker pen made Shadow cringe every time she took the lid off, so Rouge decided to try and only use it when she had too mark out something important.

"Right then." Cass smiled as she rubbed her hands together eagerly. "I think Shadow can come with me back to the were house to take care of the mess he made." Rouge had to ponder for a brief moment, but soon nodded in agreement understanding what she meant.

"Shore. What ever." Shadow commented with a slight shrug as he rose from his seat. Cassandra happily took the hedgehog's hand and pulled him towards the door.

"We could use some quality time, Shad. Just you and me." She almost laughed as she opened the door and disappeared out of it, along with her ebony friend dragged close behind her.

"Is she always this weird when they get 'quality time'?" Rouge giggled as she relaxed herself back. Rex smirk widened as he rose himself from the comfort of the fluffy cousins of the sofa and gave a long yawn and stretch. The ivory bat could tell that was probably a yes as she sat up and made herself comfortable in that position. "So.." She began. "…You golf then?"

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Later, The two team mates arrived at the shaded were house. Cassandra carefully inspected the entrance of the stone and metal building, one of the large metal shutters that separated the cold alley air from the warm indoors.

"What's this?" She growled with confusion and curiosity as she bent down to the corner of the entrance. A rather large tare in the metal, scratches along with a large chunk ripped out, had been roughly torn from the frame.

"What the bloody hell is that?" The hedgehog besides her questioned sharply as his eyes widened to it. "Cass, what the hell is going on?" He demanded but got no answer except a small 'hmm'.

Both of them stood in almost silence for a brief moment as the grey vixen attempted to squeeze her form threw the hole without catching herself on any small shards or the sharp metal edges. She slowly made her way towards what she felt was the location of the light switch on the wall, flicking her wrist to turn it on. Shadow also managing to fit threw the tight gap and gazing upon the newly lighted room, still slightly dull from a light bulb that had burnt out long before they moved in.

"Is there anyone here?" Cass whispered as she directed herself to Shadow, whom gave an un-shore look.

"I'm not shore." He replied as his scarlet eyes examined the room.

"What do you mean? Yes or no?" She spoke in confusion as she too observed the room. A certain two crates had been opened, more or less the same way as the door, and the contents missing apart from a few small rips of bloody clothing and peaces of wood littering the floor. "Who or what…?"

"I don't know." The dark hedgehog finished after Cass paused, expecting what she was going to ask. "I cant sense anything." Shadow took a few small steps forward, his eyes still exploring the room. He could suddenly feel a strange presence of another aura in the room besides his own and Cassandra's, the feeling that someone was once again watching them, a heavy and dark feeling, like a chain around his chest slowly tightening till he could barely breath, dawned on him once more. The same feeling he had gotten in the house across the road.

"Shadow…" Cass nervously spoke at she lifted a finger and pointed towards the rafters of the ceiling. Shadow directed his attention above him as she did so, his ruby eyes widened while he shakily began taking a few steps backwards towards the grey fox.

Sat rather comfortably on a thick wooden beam was a dark scarlet bat, dressed in a short leather vest, long black trousers with chains connected here and there, and large black boots laced with small metal spikes. Also having large black wings on his back, his eyes pitch black with a slight glow and two long knife-like fangs that hung from his mouth almost passing his chin.

"Well hello my old friend." He smirked as he lifted himself from his seated position and dropping down to the floor, planting his heavy boots into the concrete a few feet in front of Shadow with a loud 'thud'.

"Drake." Cass whispered in worry and she tried to make herself move but was frozen as she couldn't take her eyes away from his glowing black ones as he passed his glance towards her. As soon as their eyes met, Drake's ebony eyes faded to a softer glow of crimson.

"Ah… That fear again. As sweet as it was those few years ago." Drake then commented as he began to pace himself forward, to the side of the motionless hedgehog who continued to stare passed him as too not meet his gaze. "But I must say that I'm displeased with your progress. Shadow the hedgehog." He spoke as he leaned near his ear, his smirk dropped slightly. "That is what they call you, isn't it my servant."

"He doesn't serve a monster like you anymore!" Cassandra snapped as she took a few quick steps forward getting the bat's attention. He straightened himself up as he focused his attention to the fox.

"That is where you are wrong, nieve little pup. You see, you may have noticed his slight slips every now and then. As much as you think he can control his true demonic side, he wont be able too for long with the Ambrose Diamond's affects fading day by day." Drake laughed as he herd a slight growl from the obscure hedgehog beside him. "And you know it, don't you?"

The hedgehog gritted his fangs together roughly as he attempted to hold back the sharp pain in his throat. Drake smirked as he turned once again to face Shadow.

"Go to hell." Shadow growled as he turned to face the bat besides him, whom almost laughed at the comment.

"Been there, done that." Drake spoke as if he had been thinking back hard into his memory for the words. "You of all people should know what hell is like after all." He took a step back. "See you around. Shadow." He chuckled, Spreading his large wings and disappearing in a flash of red, leaving the two in the room alone once more.

Cassandra took a moment to clear her head before rushing to the side of the ebony hedgehog. The pain he had felt soon faded once the bat had left.

"Shadow, are you alright?" She requested as she hugged him softly. He nodded faintly as she let go.

"Lets just get out of here." He commanded as he took Cass by the hand and led her quickly back to the entrance.

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Meanwhile, Rouge had gathered up her things and had prepared herself for the trip that the team of four where going to embark on, when the ash-coloured fox and the darker hedgehog returned.

"All set?" She asked softly as she packed the remaining of her equipment into her small bag. The wolf nodded as he opened the door with the map in his hands, carefully tucking it away snugly into his belt.

"Yeah, lets get moving when they return." He suggested whilst opening the door, greeted by a panting fox and a uneasy looking hedgehog behind her.

"Rex! It's Drake, he's back and I think he wants Shadow and the Vampire crystal and-"

"Whoa! Easy Cassandra slow down!" Rouge interrupted as Cass relieved herself of words for a brief moment to breath and calm down. Rex soon bringing himself to understand what she had said.

"Drake, huh? I thought we left him in Rome." He spoke as he folding his arm across his chest, tapping his muzzle with his finger as if deep in thought.

"Please Rex, we need too call Drano and Frazer." She pleaded. Rex thought for a moment and shook his head.

"We cant just call them and expect them to be here over night." He pointed out as he returned his arms to his side. "Besides, Drake is powerless for the moment. Drano said he would keep the Vampire crystal safe by sending it here, and he has the Angel crystal half way across Mobius. Without the two together Drake cant do any harm. Unless… ya know."

Both canines gazing back at Shadow as he leaned against the small garden wall. "Angel crystal?" Rouge asked out of curiosity. Rex nodded.

"Yeah, there are three main crystals around the world. The Soul, Angel and Vampire crystal." He began. "The Vampire crystal, as you know already, can drain the life force of any being, weather they be living or un-dead... And possibly kill if over used."

"Yeah, and what are the other two for?" Rouge questioned hastily, eager to know more about the dangers that the crystals could bring. Cass took a deep breath as she attempted to relax herself before Rex finally continued.

"The Angel crystal used to create or enhance life force. Sort of like an energy boost, again if over used can give almost total immortality." Rouge's ears twitched to the word as she stood herself up straighter, her mind realising and imagining what could possibly happen if that got into the wrong hands.

"That's bad." She thought aloud as she relaxed herself back against the door frame. Cass and Rex nodded in sync with each other, yet neither realising it as they were too deep into there own imagination. "Then where is that crystal?" The bat finally asked.

"Drake got hold of it once, that's the main reason he's survived for a good few hundred years so far, like Drano and Shadow, along with Drake's other minions that he created with it."

Rouge raised an eyebrow at the mention of Shadow's name. She knew Shadow had been working for Drake once, but she didn't expect him to be a few hundred years old as she gazed back at him, still leaned against the garden wall.

"Drano and Shadow you say?" She repeated getting the attention of the dark hedgehog.

"Almost 312." He indicated whilst tilting his head to one side to get a good view of the bat's almost shocked looking face.

"Really? I wouldn't of taken you for a day over 250" She joked with a slight laugh, then directing her attention back to rex. "And Drano?"

The wolf nodded and thought back. "Drano worked for the head church of Mobius around… 1210 AD I think. Around the same time as when Drake came on the scene. It was only chance that they both came across the Angel crystal at the same time."

"I see. So what about the last one?" Rouge folded her arms across her chest neatly as she listened in carefully, feeling that this one was going to be a lot of trouble.

"The Soul crystal, its way smaller than the two other crystals, but it's way more powerful, able to manipulate large energy sources and control, drain or enhance it anyway the user wishes. But Drano destroyed it years ago so that one isn't a problem."

Rex paused as he stepped towards the door. Rouge following. "So I suppose Drake found out about the Vampire crystal too." She pointed out as she closed the door behind her and made shore to lock it. "That means we need to get too it before he dose."

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Well have to say it, my computer sucks. As it seems to be running really slow and being difficult…

And I've only just checked my reviews and I honestly wasn't expecting any o.o (As it seems my sister found out my email password and has been deleting most of my emails evil sis..)

So thanks allot for all the nice and helpful reviews!