Finally! Part 4 is here! Sorry this took so long to publish, but I found this part extremely hard to write, and so I procrastinated for weeks on finishing it. But, at long last, it is finished. Yay! So, please review, and enjoy the next installment of this little saga!

"Well, if it isn't the heroes," Shadow said mockingly, his face matching his tone of voice.

"Hand over those Emeralds!" Knuckles shouted at him.

"And what makes you think I'm just gonna willingly hand them over to you?"

"Who said you were going to willingly?" Sonic asked darkly. Shadow just laughed at him.

"Isn't this a switch? Usually it's me who gives out the treats. Don't tell me we've strayed from the straight and narrow path? That would be bad for your little reputation, now wouldn't it?"

Sonic responded by charging at Shadow, his facial expression changing to reflect his pure hatred. However, Shadow simply warped away using the Emeralds. Sonic skidded to a halt, looking around for any signs of his nemesis.

"Where are you?!" he shouted to the sky. Nothing but silence greeted him. "Shadow, if you don't come out here, I'm gonna-"

Suddenly, Shadow reappeared directly behind Sonic. Before he could react, Shadow landed a kick to his backside, sending him flying at Knuckles and Tails. They each jumped to one side in an attempt to avoid getting hit. Sonic quickly got to his feet, staring Shadow down, but he just laughed in Sonic's face once again.

"You know," Shadow started, smirking. "I honestly expected more of a challenge out of that. But it looks like I've been shown otherwise."

"If you want a challenge, then I'll be glad to give you one!" Sonic ran at Shadow, but had disappeared again. This time, he reappeared above Sonic, aiming another kick at him. Sonic noticed, however, and managed to back-flip away before getting hit.

"You wanna try fighting fair next time?!" Sonic shouted.

"As much as I'd love to," Shadow said coolly. "I never was one for fighting fair."

"Yeah, because you can't."

Shadow's mood instantly shifted. He dropped the Emeralds on the ground next to him, clenching his hands into fists as anger began to smolder inside him.

"Excuse me?" he asked threateningly.

"You heard me," Sonic began naively. "You don't fight fair because you can't. Cheating like that is the only way you can beat me because you're so-"

Sonic cut himself off when he looked at Shadow; his attitude changing from a sense of superiority to fear. Shadow's crimson eyes seemed to be on fire, fueled by the fury Sonic's words had created. No sooner than when Sonic noticed this, Shadow jumped out at him with lightning-fast speed; faster than what Sonic could have reacted to. In an instant, Shadow pinned Sonic on the ground, with one hand gripped firmly on his throat. Slowly, Shadow was choking the life out of him, and the others merely looked on, feeling as helpless as Sonic was to change the situation.

"Because I'm what?" Shadow started, his flaming eyes burning into Sonic's. "Weak? Is that what you were going to say? Well look who's talking. If that's the case, then how come you can't free yourself, hm?"

Sonic tried to release himself by throwing a punch at Shadow, but Shadow easily spotted it and blocked it with his free hand. He then tightened his hold on Sonic's neck, laughing at his failed effort.

"The answer's easy," Shadow continued, smiling villainously. "I'm simply stronger than you are. It's always been that way, and you've known it, too, but that's something you couldn't afford to have the rest of the world know. I mean, what would happen if the world knew you weren't the strongest? Surely they couldn't depend on you to save them. So then, where would your life be? Simple- you wouldn't have one.

"They all would have turned on you, because if you couldn't be depended on to save them, they would have viewed you as a threat, and therefore something to be destroyed. You've known that as well, which is why you've spent all of these years putting on this pathetic masquerade of being the hero, hoping you could escape that fate. And the world has fallen prey to this little act of yours, but it has been a futile one, because in a few moments, you won't be able to continue this game of yours, for I will fulfill that fate you've tried so hard to evade."

*Oh noses!! Shadow's got murderous intent! : o What'll we do?!*

No one else spoke another word. Tails, Knuckles, and Rouge looked on with horror at the scene that was unfolding before them. Each of them desperately wanted to stop it, but the fear of what would happen to them overrode their ability to prevent Sonic's death. Rouge, however, was the first one to fight against this fear. She had her own reasons to take charge, and they mattered more than whatever fear she may have had. Rouge cautiously began to approach Shadow from behind, much to Tails' and Knuckles' surprise.

"What are you doing?!" Tails asked in a hushed yet frantic tone.

"What you're not," she responded just as quietly.

Rouge continued to walk towards Shadow, and nervously placed a firm, yet gentile hand on his shoulder once she reached him.

"Shadow, don't do this."

At first, Shadow was completely unaware of Rouge's presence; rage had blocked the rest of the world from his mind. However, a strange, yet familiar sensation began to penetrate. It slowly quelled the fury within him, despite involuntary attempts to fight it off. The feeling swiftly spread through Shadow's body, and forced him to release his hold on Sonic. Rouge then let go of Shadow, feeling relieved.

Shadow began to stand up, slightly dazed by what he just experienced. He walked over to where the Emeralds laid, picked them up, and motioned for Rouge to join him. She nodded, and moved next to him. Shadow then grabbed her wrist, and instantly disappeared in a flash.

*There are two things that I could say here, depending on whether you like Sonic or not. If you do, then, "Phew! That was too close! Good job, Rouge!" If not, then, "Arg! So close! Why'd you go and do that, Rouge?! Curse you!" Take your pick.*

Tails and Knuckles rushed to Sonic's side as soon as Shadow and Rouge left. They tried to help him up, but he angrily shook them off.

"What?" Tails asked, confused by Sonic's coldness.

"Oh nothing," Sonic said sarcastically, standing up. "You two are just something else, that's all."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that now you guys decide to help me, rather than a few minutes ago when I really needed it. Do you want me dead or something?"

"Of course not, but-"

"I wasn't finished. If you couldn't bother to save me, the least you could've done was grab the Emeralds. Then we could've had some sort of advantage over those two. But no! You guys just stand there like statues, and let them get away!"

"But Sonic-"

"What Tails, what?!" Sonic snapped, practically in Tails' face. Tails gave Sonic a terrified look, and then stared at his shoes, whimpering.

"Nothing," he said quietly, and then began to cry to himself. Sonic immediately softened; guilt coursing through him. That was the second time he had scared Tails.

"Look, Tails…" Sonic began, but Knuckles cut him off.

"Quiet," he said sternly. "I think you've said enough." He then placed an arm around Tails' shoulders, trying to comfort him. Tails' crying subsequently became louder, making Sonic feel even worse.

"You know," Knuckles said. "You sounded just like Shadow for a minute there."

Sonic became extremely offended. How could Knuckles say that? He knew that he and Shadow were complete opposites. And what's worse, Shadow was the evil one. So how could Knuckles go so far as to… compare them?

"Take that back!" Sonic shouted. Before Knuckles could respond, a shrill voice rang through the air, growing louder as it neared them.

"Sooooooooonnnnnniiiiiiiiccc!!!!"

"Oh no…" Sonic said nervously.

A pink hedgehog wearing a bright pink dress came running at the threesome with open arms and a huge smile on her face. Sonic tried to make a run for it, but was too late. The hedgehog had wrapped her arms around him and refused to let go. He tried desperately to escape from the embrace, failing miserably, however. All the while, Tails and Knuckles were laughing uncontrollably, much to Sonic's disapproval.

"Stop it, guys!" Sonic said. "It's not funny!"

"Actually," Tails began, laughing hard. "From where we're standing, it's pretty hilarious!"

Giving up on them, Sonic focused his attention on the girl, who was still latched onto him.

"Amy, let go of me!"

"But Sonic, it's been too long!"

"It's only been a week, Amy."

"A long, lonely week! I've missed you!"

"Well… um…" Sonic stammered, unsure of how to respond.

"Didn't you miss me?"

"Listen Amy," he started, changing the subject. "Please tell me there was a reason behind you chasing me again."

"That didn't answer my question," Amy said, frowning at him. "Didn't you miss me?"

"Well, I…"

"Didn't you?"

"I, uh… maybe… a little…" he lied. Luckily, Amy believed him.

"I knew it!" she said, hugging him tighter.

"Now Amy, there was a reason you were following me, right?"

"Oh right! I almost forgot!" Amy finally released her hold on Sonic. "I heard from my friend who heard from her friend who heard from her friend that you guys were looking for those Emeralds again, and I wanna help."

"Thanks Amy, but we don't really need it."

"Oh, so that means you've already found a lot of them?"

"Well, no, but-"

"So you don't want me around, huh? Then I guess you don't want this, either." Amy reached behind her and pulled out a sparkling white gem- a Chaos Emerald. Everyone looked at her in disbelief.

"Amy!" Sonic said, shocked. "Where'd you get that?!"

"I found it while following you guys. So, you really want it then, hm?" Amy dangled the Emerald in front of her, smirking. Sonic reached out to grab it, but Amy snatched it back.

"Not so fast. I'll only give this to you under two conditions."

"C'mon, Amy…"

"No, you c'mon, Sonic! Now listen. The first thing you gotta do is let me join you."

"Ok, and what else?"

"And Sonic, you've gotta kiss me!"

"What?! No way!!"

"Fine, then no Emerald."

Sonic hesitated for a moment, then finally gave in. For the world's safety, sacrifices must be made.

"Fine…" he sighed. "Stay there…" Nervously, he leaned in towards Amy, but she jumped at the opportunity. She ran at Sonic, and forced their lips to meet. Sonic stood there with wide eyes as thousands of waves of shock, surprise, confusion, and similar emotions ran through him. Tails and Knuckles watched with eyes as wide as Sonic's, and with just as much confusion as the event continued on. Eventually, Sonic regained enough control to push Amy away from him.

"What the heck was that?!" he shouted

"What do you mean?" Amy asked innocently.

"I mean, what were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking that I couldn't really trust you to handle that."

"What?!"

"Think about it. If I had let you do it, all I would've gotten was a little kiss on the cheek, and that wasn't gonna work for me. I did you a favor by doing that; I got what I wanted, and you got what you wanted." She tossed Sonic the Chaos Emerald. "You're welcome."

Sonic looked at the Emerald in his hand, and smiled with satisfaction. It was well worth it. However, that feeling left when he began to realize something.

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it?" he said, anger slightly noticeable on his face.

"If you mean ever since I found that Emerald, then yeah," Amy said, still acting innocent.

"Amy, you used me!" Sonic was growing angrier.

"No, I just took advantage of an opportunity. The Emerald was my chance to get what I always wanted, and I wasn't about to pass it up."

Sonic then closed his eyes, thinking deeply. After a time, he reopened them and let out a sigh.

"Amy," he said quietly but angrily. "I don't want you with us."

"Is that so?" she said, obviously hurt. "Then I'll just take that back then." She grabbed onto the Emerald in Sonic's hand and tried to take it back, but Sonic refused to let go.

"Sonic, give it back!"

"Why should I?"

"We made a deal!"

"Since when?!"

"Since you committed to do half of the deal! You can't just go back on it! And since you're apparently failing to hold up your end, I don't have to hold up mine! Now give this back or be called a liar for not keeping your promise!"

That had done it. Sonic's anger became full-fledged rage.

"Don't you EVER call me that!!"

"Why not?! It's true!"

"No it's not!!"

"Is to, liar!!"

"Stop it, Amy!"

"Why should I, liar?!"

"Just STOP IT!!!"

Suddenly, all was quiet. Sonic saw that Amy was no longer standing in front of him; rather, she was lying on the ground a few feet in front of him. At first, he couldn't understand why, but when he looked upon her face, the awful truth became clear.

One of her cheeks had become a brilliant red color, and the hand that held it was turning the same. Amy felt something on that hand, and when she looked at it, her eyes widened with shock. It was tainted with blood. Her eyes then laid on Sonic, not wanting to believe he was responsible. However, the evidence rested in Sonic's hand.

The Emerald's tip, she had noticed, was the same color as her hand. It was obvious, then, that he had attacked her with it, voluntarily or not. Amy continued to gaze upon the Emerald, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Sonic noticed Amy's stare and followed it with his own eyes, only to regret it instantly. He looked at the Emerald in his hand, and cringed at the blood-stained tip. It was all his fault. He had hurt yet another person he cared about and not just emotionally but in a way that would leave a permanent reminder of what he had done. The guilt he was feeling was the worst that he had ever dealt with, and it only continued to get worse. Soon enough, the pain became so great that Sonic did the only thing that he felt he was able to do: run.

He sped past Amy, and quickly left the city behind him. He had no idea where he was going, but it didn't matter. He just had to get away. Maybe then he could find a way to resolve the current issue that was tearing him apart.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Everyone stared in the direction Sonic had ran, shocked by what had just happened. Tails and Knuckles went to Amy's side and helped her get to her feet. She gratefully accepted their help, although her eyes never shifted from where they were looking.

"How could he do that?" she asked, still keeping her gaze in the same direction.

"I don't know," Knuckles said. "Something's gotten into him."

"Or someone," Tails said.

"What?"

"Shadow."

Amy whipped around, looking Tails in the eye.

"Shadow? What does he have to do with this?"

"You must not have seen," Knuckles began. "Before you came, Shadow and Rouge showed up here with two of the Emeralds; they're after them, too."

"And before that, me and Sonic ran into them, and they took the Emerald I had." Tails cut in.

"So," Knuckles continued. "Maybe a little of Shadow is rubbing off on him, I don't know. But, I'm sure it's nothing too serious. What we should be focusing on right now is getting that cut of yours fixed. C'mon, there should be a hospital somewhere…"

Knuckles took off toward the city, with Tails and Amy following behind. Despite what Knuckles had said, they all knew well enough that this was very serious, and each of them was starting to fear what Sonic was becoming.

*Wow… That was bad… : o But don't stop now! You're getting close! Please continue on!!*

Shadow and Rouge instantly reappeared inside the all-too-familiar confines of their room in Eggman's base. Shadow irately threw Rouge's hand to her side, and began to make his way toward the door. Rouge immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What?" she asked, slightly offensive. Shadow ignored her, slamming the metal door behind him. Rouge stood there for a brief moment, bewildered, then proceeded to follow him into the hallway.

"Shadow," she kept calling to him. "Shadow, wait!" However, Shadow made it seem that he was oblivious to Rouge's presence. He continued to march down the cold corridors, taking every twist and turn available, as if trying to shake her off.

"Shadow!" Rouge persisted, managing to keep up with him. Shadow suddenly turned to face her after a time, catching her off guard. Rouge stumbled to a stop, narrowly avoiding running into him.

"What do you want?!" he snarled at her.

Rouge paused a moment before responding, slightly put off by Shadow's tone of voice.

"Answers, mainly," she said. Shadow closed his eyes, let out a sigh, and continued to walk down the hall. Rouge sighed as well, and began to chase Shadow again.

"Why won't you talk to me? Is it something I did?"

Shadow instantly stopped, his anger vanquished. Strangely, that question bothered him. He didn't want her to think that it was her fault. Especially when it was the exact opposite. Shadow turned around to face her again.

"No, you didn't do anything. It's just…" He was unsure of how to finish that sentence, or even if he wanted to.

"Just what?" Rouge prompted.

"Never mind," Shadow said quickly. "So… what did you want to know?" Rouge smiled a bit, glad she was getting somewhere.

"Lots of things, really," she began. "But mainly, why do you find it so hard to talk to me? Do I bother you that much?"

Shadow grimaced. She still felt that she was responsible for all this, and that fact was hurting him.

But why? he thought. Why?! As he searched his mind for any sort of explanation, the image of him sitting in the hallway reemerged. Then, that startling theory he had come up with the night before appeared.

That must be it! Shadow reasoned. It explains everything!

"Shadow?" Rouge asked, noticing how Shadow hadn't made any response. Shadow continued to ignore her.

But… is that even possible? he wondered. He thought about the idea for a moment, and a warm wave of emotion surged through him. Then, a smile slowly crept onto his face. Yes, very possible.

"What is it?" Rouge asked. Shadow looked at her, her face filled with confusion.

Shadow took in a deep breath, and slowly began to walk towards her, until there were only a few inches of space between them.

"Listen," he started. "I need to tell you something. I think it will explain everything I've done to you these past two days. This may sound completely irrational, and you may think I'm crazy, but… I can't deny it any longer."

"What?" Rouge questioned softly. Shadow closed his eyes and said,

"Rouge, I think I-"

"There you are!" another voice called to them. Rouge and Shadow looked down the hall to see Eggman coming towards them.

"I've been paging your room for half an hour now! Since you didn't come, I thought I'd look for you, and here you are."

"What do you want?!" Shadow snapped.

"I need you two to come back to my office. I've found something interesting."

*Mwa ha ha!!! You think that I'm gonna spoil things this early in the game? I think not!!

: P But don't freak out, 'cause it ain't over yet!*

About thirty minutes later, Shadow, Eggman , and Rouge had reached the circular room. The doctor led the way to one of the tracker systems, which had a bright white light in the shape of a large gemstone on the screen.

"You see," Eggman began. "My radar has picked up the location of an Emerald."

"So? What's the problem?" Rouge asked, her voice slightly edgy; she hadn't forgiven him for his interruption. However, Eggman was oblivious to her tone.

"The problem is… it's moving."

"Moving?!"

"Yes, and at an incredible velocity. I don't understand it."

Everyone stared at the screen, watching the Emerald race across it, unable to come up with a solution.

"Wait a sec," Rouge said, deep in thought. "I have an idea. Doctor, can this thing track heat signatures?" Eggman was taken by surprise.

"I think so, but I don't see how-"

"Oh, just let me see!" Rouge pushed Eggman aside, and began to press numerous buttons on the keyboard below the screen. Eventually, a red-orange flashing dot was moving with the Emerald, and just as fast.

"How did you do that?" Eggman asked, shocked.

"Years of practice," she said with a satisfied smirk on her face.

"So, someone's moving the Emerald?" Shadow asked.

"Mm-hm."

Everyone was silent, pondering about this new information until,

"Sonic," Shadow growled. Eggman looked at him, confused.

"Sonic? What do you mean?"

"He means," Rouge cut in, sighing. "that Sonic's the only one who could be going that fast."

"Exactly," Shadow said.

"So," Eggman mused. "Sonic has the Emerald…"

"Yes, which means that he's after them too." Shadow said, a villainous smile spreading on his face.

"What is it?" Rouge asked, seeing his smile.

"Oh, nothing, it's just that this little game of ours has gotten to be much ."

*Fini!! I don't know about you, but that was intense!! I mean, Sonic almost dies, he totally hurt Amy, Shadow realizes his feelings, it's a lot of stuff to take in! And I'm not gonna lie to you, Part 5 may take as long to write as this one did, but I will get it on here as soon as I'm done with it. So, thanks for sticking with me even through this obnoxious wait, and see you next time!*