Sonic knocked on the door of Club Rouge, a few short raps echoed through the empty street. It was a weekday, so the Club wasn't open to customers, and the bat didn't feel confident enough to open it anyway after the sudden and unexplained loss of her friend. The blue hedgehog and his young friend waited for the door on the side of the building to open. The setting sun shone down on the two of them with it's orange light, Sonic couldn't wait to get inside and in the shade.

Sonic hoped that Shadow had returned and Rogue was no longer upset, otherwise him and Tails would be obligated to stay with her until late.

The latch turned inside and the door opened. Rouge stood at the door looking confused.

"We came to see if you're okay," Sonic explained when he saw her face expression. The bat gave a warm and thankful smile.

"Thanks Sonic… but I'm fine."

Sonic sighed with relief, no longer worried that he would have to spend the night with a sobbing woman. Unless, it was one of the lies women told… when they're fine, they really mean-

"It's just… I don't understand why Shadow would leave me like that." Rouge sounded frustrated. At those words, Sonic cancelled the night's plans he had in his head. "He's either really rude… or in serious trouble,"

"Maybe Eggman's death has something to do with it," Sonic said. "Tomorrow, we could investigate." Sonic sensed there was a hope for escape from this situation. "We'll drop by tomorrow morning, okay?" Sonic turned to leave.

"Don't you want to come in, you've come all this way…" Rouge sounded fragile. Sonic sighed, he wanted to go home badly but Rouge looked like she needed company.

"Of course Rouge… thanks," the hedgehog said with a sigh and came inside. Tails followed silently. They were invited upstairs into the apartment.

"Do you want a drink?" she asked.

"Yeah, got any soda?" Sonic asked. Tails looked at him with a raised eye brow as if to say 'More soda, after what happened to you earlier?' Sonic shrugged at him when Rouge turned her back to look into her cupboards.

"I have none," she shook her head.

"I'll go out and get some then, my treat!" Sonic exclaimed and ran to the door.

"Sonic, don't leave me here alone!" Tails exclaimed but he was gone.

Sonic was glad to get out of that house, he actually planned to return with the drinks, he wasn't that rude. If only his curiosity hadn't gotten the better of him.

Being in station square, so close to where Eggman died, he wanted to check it out. Now that he was alone with no one to hold him back, he ran over to the grave yard. The blue blur sped over to it. All authorities had cleared out, leaving the cemetery in it's normal state. The blue hedgehog slowly walked inside. His feet padded along the grass, making little sound, disturbing no one.

Sonic walked over a patch of newly growing grass, he then stopped in his tracks, feeling uneasy. The blue one looked down, surely he wasn't standing on a grave, there was no grave stone, he thought to himself, but the grass did seem awfully new and show compared to the rest of the cemetery. He immediately leapt off of it. The hedgehog felt as if it isn't such a good idea to be in a grave yard as it was getting dark. Despite being powerful fast and able to beat anything that stood in his way, his superstitions and natural fear took over his mind and he turned to leave.

But it felt like… something was calling him.

"Shadow… was here," Sonic said, while deep in thought. "Maybe he was the one who pushed Eggman in… and now he's gone away with chaos control until the heat dies down…"

"Sonic!"

The hedgehog looked to the gates, a member of GUN was standing at the entrance.

"Eggman had this when he fell into the grave," he said and held out and emerald, a green emerald. Sonic's eyes widened, he walked over to him.

"But… that's the emerald Shadow had. I know it, he used in our fight a week ago." The blue hedgehog took it cautiously.

Sonic had no idea what was going on, but he knew he had to sort it out quickly. Shadow wouldn't have just left Rouge like that without a word, and Eggman had his emerald.

"Thanks," the hedgehog said breathlessly and sped back to the inner city where Rouge's apartment was.

Many thought went through Sonic's head as he ran through the dark streets. If Shadow didn't have his emerald with him, there would be no way to track him. At least if he had the emerald, they would have been able to sense it with the other emeralds and find him. Another thing was that, if Eggman had Shadow's emerald, he probably had something to do with Shadow's disappearance, and the only way to find out what happened to Shadow would be to ask Eggman, but that was impossible because Eggman was dead.

Sonic stopped on the spot as all of the events and information was all unravelling, he added it all up in his head. The grave yard, Eggman's death, Shadow's disappearance, the emerald, the shivers that went down his spine when he stepped on the unmarked grave.

"No… way…" Sonic breathed. "Shadow couldn't have been… he wouldn't let that happen to himself… he's stronger than that-"

Sonic looked at the emerald which he was holding in his left hand, he took out his blue emerald and held it in his right hand. His heart stopped as he realised he'd stopped in the middle of a road, he looked to his left to see headlights getting closer.

Then nothing.