A/N: Some small tie-in to my Christmas fic here; shouldn't be a problem for understanding anything, though.

Thanks much to Guest and princessunicorn! And sorry princessunicorn, but that happens to be my OTP. I can make no promises. :3

The soft thudding of cat's paws filtered gradually closer. A sleek purple form slipped out of the forest, limping only slightly. It paused at a safe distance, ears swiveling, nostrils quivering, sensing for a hidden trap.

Satisfied that Shadow was alone, Fiolet padded closer. He was a little battered and hungry-looking after a day spent in the woods, but his eyes still glinted and his fur still shone with all the majesty afforded to big cats. A fine red collar, set with shining black stones, flashed from his neck; evidently he saw fit to dress for the occasion.

"So," he murmured. "You have come."

"That means nothing," retorted Shadow. "I only wish to hear the terms, I have not yet agreed to them."

"Of course, of course." Fiolet nodded towards the mouth of the cave. "We can speak in there, where we do not have to worry about interruptions. But first!" he added sharply. "I request some small token of goodwill."

Shadow looked at him suspiciously, eyes narrowed.

"You see, I have already demonstrated my trust," smiled Fio, holding up one front paw. The claws were withdrawn into the tender flesh of the toes; when they extended, Shadow winced involuntarily. The tips were all broken, chipped and crumbled away, dull and useless.

"Somewhat painful to enact," said Fio ruefully, demonstrating that his other paw was similarly disabled. "But I hope you will see it as a sign of my good faith. You see that I do not wish to harm you."

"I would rather it was your teeth you disabled," said Shadow tersely. "They're the part I'm worried about."

"I know." Fiolet chuckled in bleak understanding. "But come now, you wouldn't ask me to give up my principal weapon? I don't ask you to give up your Chaos powers. Those shoes would be quite satisfactory."

Shadow bit his lip, considering. That would mean giving up his speed, but in a narrow cave with an enormous cat, he wouldn't really have any use for speed anyway. He hadn't been asked to give up his three Chaos Emeralds, or his new flask of antidote, or even the G.U.N. communicator he wore on his wrist. All of that against a bit of venom, which he was probably immune to anyway—ehh, not a bad deal.

Nodding, Shadow took a deep breath and sat down. Slowly he worked his fingers under the cuff of one jet skate and gingerly pried the shoe off. Then he repeated the process on the other foot. Barefoot, he tossed the shoes aside and stood up again, feeling oddly vulnerable as the panther scrutinized him.

"Fascinating," murmured Fiolet, brows knitted. "Were you born that way?"

"Created that way, yes." Shadow looked away, jaw set. "It's not important."

"Of course, of course. Forgive my undue interest, I was surprised," said Fio apologetically, turning towards the cave's mouth. "Let us begin our discussion."

Shadow followed him in, appreciating the panther's unspoken trust demonstrated by walking in front. Then again, Shadow wasn't the one made of pure evil. The two of them continued quietly through the twisting cave passage, the slapping of paws mingling with the clack of metal.

At last the stifling closeness of the cave walls abated slightly, indicating they had entered a larger chamber of sorts. Fiolet padded towards a wall and tapped at something; a lantern flared to life, illuminating dusky limestone walls and a smooth concave ceiling.

"Now, if you are ready, we may discuss," he said, settling on his haunches and dipping his head. "Where would you like to begin?"

"You've made your own end of the bargain very clear," said Shadow, plunging headfirst into the negotiations. "You've said what you can give to me. Now, what do you want from me?"

"Something of value," admitted Fio. "You see, being trapped in volcanic rock for centuries, one gets a little behind the times. I have only now started catching up on the balance of power in the modern world, the interplay of forces. It is so very different from what I left behind thousands of years ago."

Shadow raised one eyebrow in acquiescence, his arms folded.

"By now I have noticed a strange new power, one that did not exist when I was last free," continued Fio. "It is a marvelous power, though. I believe you call it Chaos energy?"

Shadow swore mentally. This could only end badly.

"I have tried repeatedly to tap into it," said Fio. "But I cannot. I am simply not compatible with Chaos energy, my body—or lack thereof—does not know how to use it. But you—you are the grand master of Chaos energy, are you not?"

Shadow set his teeth, recalling the dexterity with Chaos Spears he had demonstrated to Fiolet only yesterday. There was no use making denials.

"Yes," he said flatly. "Several of the others have some degree of control over Chaos energy, but I am designed to take full advantage of it in every way."

"Hmmmm." Fiolet purred with satisfaction. "Very good. Now, I will tell you what information I have gathered—correct me if I'm wrong. This Chaos energy is present in small concentrations almost everywhere, like radiation. It also radiates strongly from these large colorful gems that you and your friends seem to covet so greatly. Almost nothing can stand up to attacks by Chaos energy, except a certain form of rare stone known as Ordonium, which repels it."

Shadow started. How did Fio know that?! Ordonium was a closely-guarded secret; G.U.N. was still running tests on it and researching the massive military potential of a mineral that could disable not only Chaos energy, but all other forms of energy around it. Only Shadow and a few of his closest friends knew about the rock, after Shadow had inadvertently run into a lode of it last Christmas.

Fiolet noticed his discomfiture and laughed softly.

"Yes, well. One gets certain . . . stealth benefits, when one can take any form. Perhaps your superiors at G.U.N. should consider checking if the building is . . . rat-proofed?"

Shadow muttered several curses of varying colors. If Fiolet had been traipsing around G.U.N. disguised as a rat, who knew what kind of highly dangerous confidential information he'd gotten hold of? He could start the next world war if he gave it away to the wrong people!

"Oh, I couldn't care less about politics," scoffed Fiolet, waving a paw. "What I want is the Chaos energy."

Shadow sighed.

"And I suppose that means I can somehow give it to you?"

"Yes, I think so." Fiolet twisted to scratch under his collar with his undamaged hind foot. "You have Chaos. I have the eddy of life and death. There is an ancient ritual, the exchange of souls, with which I am familiar; with it we could share parts of our beings. You would grant me the ability to use Chaos energy. I would grant you mortality."

"And what would you do with this Chaos energy?" asked Shadow carefully. Fiolet shrugged.

"Whatever you and any others do with it."

Shadow leaned back against the cave wall, chewing his lip.

"That would not bode well for the others, would it?"

"Perhaps not. But remember, I have promised you the safety of one friend, no matter what!"

"But for the rest of them?"

"If they opposed me . . . " Fio shrugged. "Well."

"Then . . . you are essentially asking me to seal their fate," said Shadow slowly.

"Oh, come, it's not quite that dramatic." Fio stood and loped slowly over to Shadow, subtly beginning to circle him again. His voice dwindled gradually to a soft, persuasive hiss. "I'm quite reasonable. If the others did not try to hinder or harm me, I would have no reason to harm them. They could continue to live safely and peacefully, providing they . . . cooperated."

"Submitted to your will," murmured Shadow.

"Well, yes."

Shadow gave him a cold look. Fio only tossed his head dismissively, his collar jangling.

"And why not? I am offering you your fondest wish, Shadow. Do you have any particular reason to concern yourself with the others' fate?"

Shadow looked away, realizing he was venturing into hypocrisy.

"I . . . couldn't do that to them. They trust me."

"Yes." Fiolet's voice was barely a whisper. "And that puts you in perfect position to betray them."

There was no mincing of words here. No sugar-coating. He outright admitted that Shadow's cooperation would be wrong, traitorous—and yet he expected him to do it anyway.

It was oddly compelling.

"You are no hero, Shadow the Hedgehog," said Fiolet quietly. "You calculate, you manipulate, you use even your own teammates as a means to an end. You walk the line between good and evil, but ultimately you serve only yourself. Your alliances have shifted before, have they not?"

"They have," whispered Shadow.

"You admit that you side with whoever makes you the better promise?"

"I do."

"Then you are willing now to make the choice that serves you best?"

Shadow drew in his breath.

"I am."

Fiolet's teeth glinted in a smile.

"Your offer has been most detailed and clear," said Shadow quietly. "I see both choices laid out before me. Were I to refuse you, I would face not only your enmity, but also eternity. That would mean losing all that I care for, regretting it for the rest of time. I'd like to avoid that."

"Yes. Then shall we cement our agreement?" purred Fiolet. Shadow held up one hand.

"I am not finished. I also see the results of the other choice. Me a mortal, and you endowed with Chaos powers like mine. I see what you would do with those powers. I see my friends dead around me and my world in rubble at my feet. I see that one friend you promised to spare, hating me for what I've done. Yes, it would be a finite life, but a life not worth living. And when I die, again eternity—in the seventh circle of Hell."

Fiolet blinked at him silently.

"It's a rum deal, Fiolet," gritted Shadow. "I'll take my chances with immortality."

More silence.

"Then you refuse the offer," said Fiolet quietly.

"Unequivocally, yes."

"That is unfortunate," Fiolet sighed. "The soul transfer only works if both parties are willing."

"Tough," retorted Shadow, trying to get past the cat to leave.

"But then again," Fiolet continued, blocking his path, "I have ways of making you willing."

Shadow snorted and impatiently tossed a Chaos Spear.

Or he tried to. The energy fizzed from his hand briefly, then died. Startled, he tried again, and again the Chaos Spear died before it could leave his palm. Fiolet chuckled.

"You remember I researched Ordonium? . . . "

Shadow's heartbeat flew into overdrive as he looked around.

"But there's no Ordonium here! The cave is lime . . . stone . . . " His voice trailed off as his eyes fell on Fiolet's collar—and the black stones embedded in the leather. Damn it.

"So now the fight is uneven again," smirked Fiolet. "I give up my claws, you give up your shoes. You give up your Chaos powers, I still have my venom!" He lunged, driving Shadow farther back into the chamber, sliding into a smooth catlike crouch.

"But I'm not going to use it, no," he hissed, his tail lashing. "I need you all in one piece to complete the soul transfer. By the time I'm done with you, you will be begging for death."

"That's what they all say!" snapped Shadow, pushing off the wall to gain force. Chaos powers or no, he was far from helpless; this was a hedgehog who could flip cars like tiddlywinks when properly motivated. And he was sure as heck motivated right now.

He succeeded in further injuring Fio's burnt foot and smashing in one side of his face, but it was still no contest. The panther was at least three times Shadow's weight, could cover seven meters in the time Shadow—without his rocket shoes—could cover three, could exert equal force in much less time. One well-aimed swipe from a heavy paw, and Shadow slammed back against a wall, quills crunching against rock. Before he could regain his breath, another blow sent him tumbling across the floor.

Fiolet pounced and pinned the hedgehog down with his massive forepaws, batting and worrying at him deftly. Shadow's Chaos Emeralds clacked across the floor uselessly, and his communicator flew off and skittered into a corner.

Twisting violently, Shadow broke free. He lunged for Fiolet's throat, hoping to rip the collar off and fling it away—but Fio moved faster. Shadow found himself crashing backwards against a wall again, this time with Fio's forepaws pressing against his shoulders. Hissing, the giant cat pushed Shadow up the wall until his feet dangled uselessly a meter above the ground. The hedgehog's eyes directly met the glowing yellow orbs in the panther's battered face, and the musky purple-scented breath blew rhythmically over his muzzle.

"Yes, just hold still," whispered Fiolet. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to bite you."

Shadow glowered back at him silently. What then, if not biting? He couldn't do much without sharp claws.

Fio simply dug in with the dull ones.

Shadow's head snapped back reflexively, his eyes flying closed, his throat constricting. His feet lashed out of their own accord, flailing just short of the panther's body.

"Struggling only makes it worse," scolded Fiolet. He withdrew his claws slowly, but didn't release Shadow from the wall. "That was only a foretaste. It could be the last of it, if you change your mind. Surely you'd find it more advantageous to say yes now?"

Shadow shook his head firmly.

"I warn you, I will continue until you give up," said Fio darkly. "And then perhaps a little longer. It is going to be excruciating."

Shadow shrugged, then gritted his teeth as the claws dug in again, probing through his skin, twisting in his flesh.

"And you still think this is better?" hissed Fiolet. "You're only delaying your agreement, not preventing it. I will break you, Shadow the Hedgehog."

The pain was blinding by now. Some hysterical corner in the back of Shadow's mind flailed wildly and screeched to give up, make it stop, make it stop hurting, just make it stop!

"It's going to take a while, isn't it?" murmured Fio, shifting his claws to find new purchase. "You're strong, Shadow. That's what makes it so fascinating to watch you crumble. There's a certain dark thrill people get, watching the strong ones breaking . . . "

The hysterical corner had taken over a large portion of Shadow's brain by now. Tell him tellhimtellhim! Please! He doesn't know about the Master Emerald, tell him about that! Tell him! Stop him! At least scream!

Claw scraped bone. The world blurred and melted into a rippling pattern of blinding lights and throbbing darks. Shadow gagged, struggling to force the words back down his throat; he wasn't about to talk, and he wasn't about to scream, hell no. He could feel the little tendrils of madness seeping into his brain, but he couldn't let them in, if he started babbling he would give it all away.

Godammit. He'd rolled his eyes when they taught him this back in G.U.N. training . . .

Slowly he unstuck his throat, waited for the latest wave of pain to subside slightly.

"Shadow the Hedgehog. Class 1 Combat-Stealth. Five Oh Seven Seven Six Three."

"That old game, hm?" snorted Fiolet, twitching his claws deliberately. Shadow hissed and kicked for a moment, but resumed doggedly.

"Shadow the Hedgehog. Class 1 Combat-Stealth. Five Oh Seven Seven Six Three . . . "

It was amazing how much it did for him; it let him release some of his agony through speech, gave him something steady and solid to focus on, distracted him from the pain and the urge to give up. It helped, it helped a lot.

The minutes dragged by. The world kept spinning, blurring, flashing, the only constants being the pain and the chant, name-rank-serial number, again and again, till it became a mantra without meaning.

Suddenly a new sound cut into the lime-scented cave air, a loud persistent cheep cheep cheep cheep. Fiolet's ears turned towards the sound, and Shadow froze as he recognized it himself. That was his G.U.N. communicator! No, no, no! If the caller found out and tried to come here, Fio would easily slaughter them in this enclosed space.

The sound persisted. Fio drew back and let Shadow slide down the wall to collapse half-conscious on the floor. He tried to get up, but Fio was already studying the little chirping communicator, reaching out delicately with one bloodied claw—and already the "talk" button was activated.

"Hello?" said Fio ironically. Rouge's voice cut briskly from the speakers.

"Look, the transfer request needs the signatures of both teammates to—" She broke off as she registered that the answering voice had not been Shadow's. "Hello? Hey, who is this?"

"I believe you mortals refer to me as Fiolet." He tilted his head drily. "Just thought you'd like to know, I happen to be in possession of a Shadow the Hedgehog, Class 1 Combat-Stealth, five-oh-seven-seven-six-three."

Silence on the other end of the line. If Fio knew Shadow's rank and serial number, Rouge knew what that meant.

"Still alive?" she said at length.

"Oh, I think so. If you want proof, I suppose I could make him squeal a bit."

"Don't waste your time," retorted Rouge. "He won't make a sound to save his life."

"Yes, he has proved rather uncooperative," sighed Fio. "I suppose you'll be wanting to come pick him up now?"

Don't come, thought Shadow as hard as he could. Don't you DARE come. Don't. You. DARE. Come.

"How do I know it's not a trap?" said Rouge slowly.

"Do you really want to take that chance?" grinned Fiolet. "I have your teammate here. Would you leave him to be tortured?"

Rouge hesitated, then sighed.

"I'll have to speak to the commander. G.U.N. policy doesn't allow more soldiers to throw themselves after one who's been captured."

"Oh, come now." Fiolet raised his eyebrows in exaggerated disbelief. "You'd rather follow protocols than save one of your best friends?"

"He got himself into trouble," said Rouge tightly. "It's no good endangering more lives to get him out of it."

Abruptly she cut off the call. Fiolet glanced up at Shadow and raised an eyebrow.

"And this is what you suffer for."

"Nahhh," rasped Shadow, grinning darkly. "I told you, I'm only in this for myself."

"She didn't even ask to know where you were," said Fiolet pityingly, loping back to loom over Shadow again.

"Yeah. She did the right . . . thing . . . " Shadow fixated on the glinting collar around Fio's neck, so close, just out of reach . . . maybe just within reach . . . He made a wild attempt to heave himself up on one elbow and snatch the collar away, but the gouges on his chest and shoulders reopened and the world suddenly went dark.

He woke up slowly, vaguely surprised that he was still alive.

"Ah, you're back," said Fio pleasantly. "I was waiting for you to wake up."

"I bet," spat Shadow, reaching up to rub his face without thinking. His shoulder twinged slightly, but it seemed to have mostly healed. He glanced at it, surprised.

"You were out for at least half an hour," said Fiolet, noticing. "Your rapid healing capability is remarkable, but I must admit my patience was wearing thin."

"So sorry to inconvenience you," muttered Shadow.

"Yes, well. Now we can begin again. Unless you have changed your mind?"

Shadow's only response was to get up and flatten himself obligingly against the wall.

"Blast, it will take a while to break you," sighed Fiolet, and pounced. Shadow slipped under his paws to snatch at his collar, and succeeded in yanking it off the panther's neck.

"Ah!" scolded Fiolet, twisting around and batting Shadow the floor. "Now then!"

He stepped heavily on Shadow's hand, prying the collar from between his fingers. Shadow fought furiously, but he soon lost his grip on the collar and couldn't kick it far enough away to stop it from affecting him. Despite his best efforts superior size triumphed once more, and he again found himself pinned up to the wall by a set of dull claws, already searching for barely-healed scars to reopen.

He'll give up eventually, Shadow told himself, licking his lips in preparation for name, rank, and serial number. If I can just hang on long enough, it'll end.

Five minutes. It seemed so very infinitely long, five minutes. It wore you down, sandpapered away your defenses. The hysterical faction in Shadow's brain had given up the pleading and instead turned to outright sullen rebellion, muttering and gnawing and snarling at him to do as it said. You never got used to the pain, only grew tired of it, even as it sharpened every second into its own exquisite little hell. He wondered vaguely if it was a good or bad thing that his blood production could keep up with the loss.

"Still won't agree?" said Fio, twitching his claws. Shadow shook his head doggedly.

Suddenly there came a faint sound, the clatter of a pebble being kicked aside. Fiolet started.

"Put him down slowly now," said a sharp voice. "I've got a loaded gun pointed at your back. Don't make any sudden moves."

"What's death to me?" scoffed Fiolet, and lunged to sink his teeth into Shadow's arm.

Nothing happened.

"Ahh, bluffing, are we?" chuckled Fio, releasing Shadow and turning around. "No weapon, Miss?"

Rouge swore. Before Fiolet could pounce, Shadow grabbed the collar from the ground and threw it across the cave.

"Get it out of here!" he shouted.

Rouge nodded and whisked back the way she'd come. Fiolet sprang after her, snarling, but Shadow could already feel Chaos rushing back into his body as the Ordonium got out of range. A bolt of green light, and the panther lay dead upon the floor. Shadow slumped back against a wall, breathing hard.

Soon the clatter of boot heels sounded back down the passageway, and Rouge returned.

"You all right?" she asked.

"Yeah," panted Shadow, watching as the world slowly came back into focus. "Just . . . lemme get a Chaos Emerald . . . "

"Hold still." Rouge picked her way across the room, scooped up the nearest Emerald, and handed it to him. Shadow gripped the cool facets gratefully, letting the Chaos energy mediate his already-rapid healing process. Rouge crouched next to him carefully.

"You're not scared?" he mumbled, realizing there was blood all over the floor.

"Oh, I will be, in a moment," said Rouge wryly. "The adrenaline's—" She retched slightly. "S—sorry."

"Go on." Shadow nodded towards the exit. "I'll join you once I heal up."

"I'll be fine," she retorted. "I'm not completely useless."

"Hmm." Shadow drew a deep breath, feeling the scars on his shoulders throbbing and fading. Slowly the blurry bedlam in his mind subsided; it felt unbelievably wonderful just to lie still, breathe deep, and not hurt.

"Omega's on his way," said Rouge quietly. "I was just faster than him." She glanced at Shadow's arm. "Fio bit you, didn't he?"

"Yeah." The heal completed, Shadow tossed aside the Chaos Emerald and gingerly sat up, pushing off the wall. "Assuming I'm not immune, how long do I have?"

"A little less than ten minutes," said Rouge. "Here, try the antidote preemptively anyway, just in case. If it doesn't work, you can drink mine after the transformation." She hesitated as Shadow drained his flask. "You're going to lose your Chaos powers, I guess?"

"Maybe," said Shadow. "Fio seemed to be making a big deal about my immortality, though. I don't know if the opposite of 'immortal' is 'mortal' or just 'dead'."

Their eyes met for a bleak moment. Rouge bit her lip and turned aside briskly.

"Here, put these back on. It's a good thing you left them outside the cave, the communicator's tracking signal was a mess—must have been all the rock."

Shadow nodded and put on his jet skates carefully. There was a hiss and sparkle of electricity as wires reconnected; Rouge winced.

"It doesn't hurt," said Shadow quietly. "It's not that different from a prosthetic limb."

"How . . . far up do the wires go?" Rouge ventured, not sure if she was unnerved or fascinated.

"Only up to here." Shadow tapped halfway up to his knee. "They connect to a regular nerve there. Just a mechanical extension of the normal nervous system."

From his tone it was clear he didn't like discussing the subject. Rouge let it go.

"Look there," murmured Shadow suddenly, nodding. The panther's body had dissolved into purple slime a minute ago; now it whirled into a thick purple mist, which twisted swiftly down the passageway leading outside. Shadow and Rouge followed.

"Not taking his chances, is he?" remarked Shadow angrily, watching the mist wisp off into the woods. The sight of his tormenter sailing safely away right in front of him was infuriating.

"Smart of him," said Rouge. "Omega's coming. If he caught sight of Fio in solid form, they'd be able to see the explosions from outer space."

Shadow relented with a soft breath of amused acknowledgement.

"He ought to be here soon," said Rouge awkwardly. "Maybe before . . . anyway, soon."

"Mm." Shadow leaned back against the rockface. ". . . Thanks."

"Hm?"

He glanced away.

"For coming."

"Oh." Rouge shrugged, leaning back next to him. "Well, I'd still like to punch your lights out, but fair's fair. You might have used me like a chess piece, but you didn't leave me to die." She snorted bitterly. "See, I can be just as calculating as you."

"Congratulations."

They were quiet for a moment. The seconds ticked by almost audibly. Rouge glanced over.

"What were you even doing in there?"

"Fio wanted to trade my Chaos powers."

"For?"

Shadow waved the question away.

"Doesn't matter. It wasn't a good deal, so I said no."

"All for your own good, naturally. Not like you were trying to protect the rest of us or anything," said Rouge drily.

"Of course not."

"Sweet Mobius, I hate you sometimes." Rouge flung back her head and surveyed the stars grudgingly.

The seconds continued to tick away. Shadow looked over, but Rouge answered before he could ask.

"Forty seconds," she said, still watching the sky, arms folded, leaning the top of her head against the rock. "Give or take."

Shadow nodded. He knew she was avoiding eye contact as much for his sake as for her own.

"You think it'll be the immortality?" she asked quietly.

"Who knows? Don't get so tense. It'll only make you look stupid when it turns out I'm immune."

"Well if you're not immune, all hell's about to break loose," murmured Rouge. "You know Fio. Are you up to it?"

Shadow snorted.

"Do I have a choice?"

The last second slipped by. Rouge didn't look down, but her hand suddenly snatched Shadow's, squeezing as if to make sure he was still there. Just as abruptly Shadow shook her off violently.

"Get back Rouge," he gritted, jerking away. "Something's—not—right—"

The phone clanged shrilly through the four A.M. silence, sending Tails crashing out of bed in a tangled bundle of blankets. He stumbled to his feet and flailed to answer, groping through the dark.

"Hello? Hello?" he panted, finally fumbling the receiver to his ear. "Who is this?"

"It's Rouge. Sorry to call so late hon, but we're going to need some help over here. Shads just got bit, and he's not immune."

"Ohmigosh ohmigosh oh no," breathed Tails. "Was it his powers? Did he lose his Chaos powers?"

"What? Oh." Rouge laughed dully. "No, no, he didn't lose his Chaos powers. Just his ability to control them."