Clunk clunk clunk clunk

The only sound that could be heard through the silent space ARK.

Clunk clunk clunk ~whoosh

The clunking stopped, to be replaced with a smooth hovering noise. Shadow the hedgehog. A loner and someone who liked to keep to himself. He was running circles around the space colony A.R.K., looking for items that might have survived the explosion. Robot parts, wires, ash, it was all just laying there around the entire colony. Shadow slowly stopped and bent down to pick up a single, rusted old power ring under the rubble of an old robot. The only one left around the entire colony. He knew. He had checked. The ring reminded him of the one hedgehog that had made him happy in all the adventures. It was so lonely up there. All alone with nothing but memories. He did nothing all day but restore what had once been a thriving colony of scientists and experiments, now cold and dark remains. He slowly walked through the dark hallways, looking at the old rusted power ring, thinking of the soft blue fur of the hedgehog he admired so much. No matter how much he ran his fur was always so soft and in perfect place…..

Shadow shook his head to get the image of the blue hedgehog out of his mind. It had been 10 years. Sonic had a family now and 2 children. Everyone had a family…except him. It was just him and all the broken machinery of the ark. He hadn't seen any of his friends in 10 years. The only reason he had gone down to earth is to only get necessary parts with the teleporter he had built. And every time he went down to earth, he would see at least one friend. It could be Tails working on a car, or Knuckles walking with Rouge in the square, and he even saw Amy with two small purple hedgehogs, but he never saw the blue fur that he loved so much. Sometimes he would feel a breeze and have a small hope, only to have it shot down. One of the reasons he tries to limit his visits down to earth. Shadow was older now. Smarter, faster. He wasn't going to let himself get old and out of shape in any way. His quills were the same but there were just a few hanging in front of his eyes. After a small incident with a machine, he realized that his skin wasn't impenetrable, and decided to actually wear clothes to protect himself. Black baggy jeans and a black button up short sleeve shirt with a collar. They stopped him from catching on fire or getting serious injuries.

It was usually silent up there on the colony, besides the tap and clank of his shoes on the metal floors. The power grid was far from being restored, so he would look around the colony for smaller tasks. Most of them consisted of finding robots with small crystals or simply cleaning up. His life seemed so…uneventful since he escaped to the ark. Without all his friends, he had nothing to do with his life. He had come to terms with Maria's death, and had found out who he was. Frankly, he was bored. The only thing that stopped him from going insane, was the thought of that blue one. His green eyes. The eyes that always cared…

He threw the rusted ring into the box with the others and laid back on the black old worn down couch he had found, and closed his eyes. He sighed as he remembered the adventured they had together. More than once he had thought to just, go and find him. To tell him how he felt. But, what about his family? What if Sonic didn't feel the same? He didn't want to ruin the hedgehog's life just to say 3 simple words.

Tak tak tak tak tak tak

He sat up and his ear twitched. " Who the hell…"

Tak tak tak tak tak

He jumped off the couch and stood still, listening to the sneakers tap on the metal floor. They sounded confused. Whoever was up here was looking for something and didn't know where it was. He decided to find it before it found him.

He searched around the entire space station, while the sound got louder and softer, quicker and slower, he ended right back where he started and the sound slowed greatly, and was loud. It was right behind him. He immediately turned to kick the culprit in the face, but his attack was copied exactly by a red shoe with a white strap and yellow buckle.

"Sonic?"

"Hi Shadow.."

The hedgehogs put their legs down and stood in front of each other, observing what the past ten years had done to each other. Sonic's shoes and quills had stayed the same, apart from the quills hanging over his right eye, covering it completely. He wore blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a simple blue hoodie with a white zipper and string.

"What are you doing here faker?" Shadow had no idea how Sonic even got up here.

Sonic had sincerity in his voice when he spoke. "To see you. that's why I've been gone. I was trying to figure out a way to get up here."

"I don't believe that. The last thing you would want to do is come after me, just to say hello." He turned his back to him and started walking." So you should just go home to your family.

"Shadow I don't want to." Sonic started to follow him. " Now I came all this way up here the least you can do is have a conversation with me. I haven't seen you in 10 years, I want to know what's happened."

Shadow sharply turned around to face him." nothing's happened! Look around you! THIS is what I've been doing for ten years! Fixing up a piece of junk, that I can never succeed in finishing!" In frustration he kicked a robot head clear across the hallway, and It landed out of sight in the shadows. " While you were with everyone and starting a family, I was alone up here. I was by myself." He turned around and started walking again, and as before, Sonic followed him.

" But that's not nothing! Shadow only you can turn something big into some no big deal…….just have a conversation with me. I miss hearing your voice."

Shadow stopped walking and turned around. Sonics cheeks were red after realizing that he had just said that out loud. Shadow showed no signs of emotion. "You came here for only yourself. To give yourself reassurance. I considered your family, and I considered your feelings. I didn't just go to your house unexpectedly just to hear your voice Faker." Shadow was actually happy Sonic was here. Very happy.

Hearing the bright sound of his voice made his heart skip a beat. Sonic seemed hurt at Shadows words.

" Well Shadow I'm not you….and it was all I could do to get away from Amy. I just………Shadow I needed to see you."

Shadow sighed and decided to listen to Sonic. The sooner Sonic got it out of his system, the sooner Sonic would leave and take Shadow out of this torture.

"Alright. ONE cup of coffee. That's it"

Sonic smiled and followed Shadow to the kitchen, one of the only two finished rooms on the whole ARK. He sat across from shadow on the island in the middle of the kitchen and drank his coffee slowly. Shadow didn't touch his. " So, faker. What was your real reason for coming up here?"

Sonic put down his cup and looked at Shadow. "I can't take it anymore. The good act the daddy the uncle the friend the husband. I can't do it! It's not who I am Shadow and….I don't know what to do." Sonic put his elbows on the island and puts his head in his hands and stared down at his coffee. I'm stuck at one job, one house…one life one place……Eggman….is dead……and no one is trying to take over Mobius anymore……I'm……….I'm unhappy….I have two children that I don't think are even mine…..and a wife that constantly gets on my nerves…everyday………" Sonic took his head out of his hands and put them down on the table" No one was the same….the day that Eggman Died……….everyone changed that day…."

Shadow was hearing about this for the first time. Of course, now he could get codes and keys to all the software and repairs in the ark, but that was besides the point." What happened that day Sonic?"

Sonic looked at Shadow with his chin in his hand. " It was normal that day. Eggman attacked us with some badnik, but it was stronger….it hit me pretty hard each time it even touched me….I was a mess and wouldn't let anyone help because they would have gotten killed, but then, it just, lost control and landed in a mess….the hull opened and he was just laying there. Eggman was laying there, hunched over the steering wheel…….he looked like he was sleeping…he knew he was going to die that day….that's why he spent so much time on this robot…he really wanted to see me die before he did…….but he just got in a couple of good shots…."

Shadow had no expression on his face as he got up off his chair.

"Shadow?"

Shadow walked over to him and gently moved the hair away from Sonic's eye. Sonic slightly flinched but let Shadow's soft gloves touch his face. His eye had a scar running through it. It changed. It wasn't the beautiful emerald green like the other, it was red and glazed over.

Sonic pulled away from Shadows hand and let his quills fall over his eye. He was so embarrassed about it and disappointed how he let someone like Eggman change him in such a way. Shadows eyes saddened. Seeing Sonic like that hurt him inside.

"Can you see?" Shadow said as he sat next to Sonic.

"Not out of that one….." Tears started to flow from Sonic's eyes." It effected my running……I can't run straight anymore. I haven't run over 20 miles an hour in 8 years.."

Shadows ears went down and had a look of sadness over his face. Running was who Sonic was. Having that taken away from him, Shadow knew that he wasn't the same. He slowly wrapped his arms around Sonic and hugged him gently. His fur was still soft…

Sonic didn't even open his eyes. He just latched onto Shadow like he was drowning and shadow was a life preserver, and he started to cry. In the 16 years Shadow had known Sonic, Sonic had never cried. Not once. But to take away running from him….well that would make him cry. And it did. And Shadow just let Sonic cry. He held on. Even after Sonic had calmed down. The truth was neither of them wanted to let each other go. Sonic leaned back and looked at Shadow, and Shadow looked back. Into that emerald eye that defined Sonic so perfectly, the eye that had with it's twin, would put a smile on your face and help you know you were safe, because Sonic was there. They slowly leaned into each other, held on tight, and as their lips touched just barely, Shadow quickly let go and turned around and got off the chair. They couldn't do this. He knew Sonic was unhappy, but he couldn't just shrug off everyone else. Amy and his children, if they were his, still loved him and he couldn't break that.

" You shouldn't have come here……….go home…." And he sped off. As he thought he lost Sonic he slowed to a walk, which was a bad idea. A blue blur came from behind him and tackled him onto the black worn out couch.. Shadow was in shock. Sonic held onto Shadow almost crying. "Shadow please….don't make go back there….it's torture I can't take it………. You're the only thing that ever made me happy. Shadow I love you please don't make me leave you…….please.." Shadow pulled Sonic up so Sonic chest was on his and hugged him gently. He closed his eyes and rested his cheek on Sonic's head. He whispered in Sonic's ear. " I love you too you faker….." It's all he ever wanted to say.

Sonic straightened his arms so his face was right over Shadows." Really?…."

Shadow wiped the tears from Sonic's face and puts hi hand gently under his quills on his cheek. " You're the faker…..not me…" Sonic leaned down and kissed Shadow sweetly, and Shadow held him tight. Sonic stopped slowly and looked into Shadow's eyes. " So shadow…what do I do?.."

Shadow calmly spoke, " You stay up here, with me, and we'll live happily, and you can run, all you want….no more one job or one family. No strings to hold you Sonic."

Sonic smiled and kissed the black hedgehog once again. It was the first true happiness they had felt in years, and it was something they were never going to let go of..