I know that perhaps this is going a little slow, but I enjoy writing this! It's not the angst bag that HP is (would you even call that angst!?) and I have fun :) though I should probs be doing chapter 10 of HP and not tormenting the Sonic of There's Something In The Shadows (if you can think of a better abbreviation for that other than TSINS then please let me know :P ) I am enjoying myself :) Ahs wells. Hope you enjoy!

When the screaming started, Sonic was barely aware of it happening at all.

All he could see was scale. The scale of everything around him. He got it now. Shadow wasn't really tall, it was he who was really small.

He'd always been a little small for his age. Malnutrition in his younger years had seen to that. But this was ridiculous! Ungloved fingers gripped at his neck, scratching his collar bone with the unsheathed claws. He couldn't breath, he was so small, everything was circulating above his head!

Shadow tore downstairs. He stopped abruptly at the bottom, left hand holding his body upright as it gripped the pillar for the bannister. His crimson eyes surveyed the area and found the source of this commotion curled up caught between the wall and a table dedicated to the phone and a dish for dumping stray coins, keys and pocket lint in. With grace that said he should have been a ballerina, Shadow traversed across the room to bend down to Sonics current hight.

When Sonic realised he was screaming, he realised that he wasn't stopping of his own accord. There was stuffed cloth in his mouth,, dulling his efforts. It didn't taste particularly nice, so when he stopped screaming in favour of gagging, his tongue trying to push the offending party out of the ring, the distraction seemed to calm him down enough to take in where he was. Where he was, being the middle of the threadbare red rug on his living room floor. In the middle of 4 black and red tentacles.

Wait.

"Gahk!" He tried to escape, he really did, but Shadow just kept him on his knees as he sat cross legged on the floor. After the fifth attempt, Shadow just grabbed his pudgy stomach and tucked his flailing legs beneath him, Sonic was finally tired.

Shadow was fixed with a stern glare from his captive, the pouting Sonic merely raised an eyebrow on the elders head.

"Great, so I'm stuck this size, huh?" The frown staining his features seemed to defy his statement by letting on that he had yet to come to term with his... condition. He huffed a little before turning to Tails with the cutest expression the fox had ever seen on his older brothers face. Quivering lip and all, the hedgehog said "You can fix it right? You can make me normal again?"

Shadow thought it was debatable whether the hedgehog was ever normal to begin with, though chose not to voice this comment. Tails struggled to compile a sentence that wasn't a complete lie but would still appease the adorable child in front of him. After a few false starts he managed to intelligently come up with an "Of course I can!" complete with smug, overconfident grin. When Tails cracked his eyes open, it was to see The Ultimate Life Form grimacing. Confused, his eyes glanced down to the boy held in place in said forms lap. His eyes were bright, ears to attention and stumpy blue tail wagging like a broken metronome. "Yey! Come on! Lets go make me big again! I bet you got an invention for just such occasion huh!?" Large yellow ears drooped at this. A few failed attempts later, the fox managed to shut the little blue ball of fur up enough to be heard. "I didn't happen to have much info on this kinda thing, let alone something fix it right now!" Sonics face fell. "But I'm sure I can do it! You just gotta wait a little while is all." Cue supportive smile. "And in the mean time, you can have all the good things about being a little kid, with the added benefit of not really being one! Think of all of the fun you could have with this!"

Shadow pulled an expression that silently said 'Oh, he will will he? Thank you for putting ideas into his impressionable blue head.'

"Yeah... Yeah! I could, couldn't I?"

"Hmm. And while your meanwhile-ing there will be some rules to abide by, but I'm sure you were a little angel at this age, weren't you?" Shadows sneer spoke otherwise, but Sonic either didn't notice or didn't rise to it.

"Rules?"

"Hmm? Oh yes, rules. You didn't think being a kid was all fun and games did you?" In all honesty Sonic would have answered yes, but Shadows patronising air told him not to venture down that route.

"But I'm not really a little kid. I'm in my twenties, remember. I'm just hight challenged at the moment." Despite his cool and nonchalant appearance, there was a worrisome woodworm eating away at his planks of peace.

"You are? Oh, yes, I almost forgot, what with this... new... form, of yours. But you have to remember-they don't know that." With that Shadows right hand, glove still soggy from muffling the hedgies screams, gestured in a wide swoop to the outside world that lay beyond the front door.

"They?" A toothy grin graced the blue one as he twisted to look at his rival more clearly.

"Yes! They! Your general public, they don't know what happened. What would they say if they found out that their hero had been reduced to a mere infant?" Sonic squinted some. "They, your enemies. How much damage do you expect little chubby arms like this can do eh? I'm sure the doctor would enjoy experimenting on you, especially since your so compact. He could just store you in a pet carrier till he wanted to test your buoyancy!" Sonic reared back a little, hands fisted at his sides."They, your friends, I mean can you imagine! Knuckles would have a field day, oh the jokes we could share, and all, dear Sonic, at you expense! That reminds me, Cream was looking for a new dolly, are you auditioning? I hope you like tea. And dress up. Oh and Amy, wouldn't she just love to eat you up right now! Why I reckon your just short enough to fit in her handbag! Not to mention that with those stubby little limbs of yours you could not hope to push her away as she smothers you in her kisses..." Shadow was enjoying this. Sonics muzzle was going red like a sponge wall with rising damp. His ears on the other hand were scarlet. Shadow took this moment to firmly stroke the child's forehead and quills several times, in a parody of comfort, relishing how the heat from the two pointed little ears burned through his cotton gloves.

While this was somewhat amusing to Tails, he had to remember which side he was on. His loyalties remained with Sonic. "So to that end Sonic, we thought you should stay with someone who can look after you real good." Shadow composed himself and stared levelly at the fox. "Someone who can give you their undivided attention." Shadow frowned. "Who'll answer all those awkward questions for you. Who is a hermit with little to no family that they have limited contact with and the rest of us know nothing about. That way they can have a random relative, a nephew, cousin ... son." Shadow drew his lip back. "Some one strong and wise who can protect you when you can't." Was he trying to butter him up or...?

"But, can't I look after myself?"

"If we are not going give the game away, we have got to make it look convincing. What 4 year old runs their own house?" Sonics lips pursed in agreement.

"Besides, we think that you haven't just shrunk, you know?" Tails chipped in this time, more apprehensive than Shadow was. Taking the lack of interruption to mean 'go on' he started "Well look at your self. If you were just smaller wouldn't you still have your stupidly muscular legs? Solid abs?" Looking down , Sonic realised his figure was a little plumper than he had been. Poking his index finger into his stomach, he could test his plumpness. … Yeah, he was pretty soft and squishy now, no muscle here. "And before, when you've just woken up? Both times you were disorientated and confused, like a little kid when they wake up from a nap." Rubbing his peach arms awkwardly, his gaze fell to the pale green pyjamas still lying dishevelled behind the arm of the sofa. "Maybe your kid sized because you're body's been made into a kid again."

Sonic raised his gaze to stare into his brothers swimming blue eyes. He meekly hummed under his breath. "Your mind seems largely unaffected, for now. Shadow'll need to get you checked out to make sure there hasn't been any damage or alterations to your brain, just in case."

"Shadow? Why would he-"

As Sonic turned around to talk about Shadow in the third person while giving him the hackiest of looks, Shadow took this opportunity to drag a battered old case along the floor. It came out of hiding from behind Shadows dark form to bask in the hedgies gaze.

"I think you can guess where you, this case and this conversation- are going."

Sonic had to bite his lip to hold back another scream.

And more screaming... sigh. 0 points for shaking it up :p Hope Shadow wasn't OOC, just enjoying patronising and teasing Sonic. Poor lil fella, don't worry he shall soon have his revenge mwahahah! Did I spend an unnecessary amount of time explaining that Sonic wasn't shrunk he was actually a kid now? Yes, yes I did. Did you already know this? More than likely. BUT Sonic didn't. That is the important thing, plus it gave me leverage to introduce him to the idea that he's not gonna be treat like a tiny adult, but a slightly smaller than average little boy instead. I don't think he is best pleased... :S

Hope you enjoyed and things will start picking up... yeah... they will... at some point...

Please leave me a review and let me know what ya think :)

Bletherskite

(P.S. If you don't have an account on I can pm please know that I still value your reviews! I just don't want to put my responses in chapters for fear of forgetting someone. I like to respond sooner rather than later and with the shocking memory I have and lack of regular updates forgetting someone is likely to happen a lot :S

I also can't use OC's because I feel like if I write them, I may be distorting the character you have created and thus not doing them justice- I need to have gotten to know a character and gotten a feel for them first to feel as though I'm not butchering them (hope I don't do that with Sonic :S) But if you see a part of one of my stories you'd like to see your OC in, why not try writing a oneshot or extra to my story that has your character in it yourself? Please send me a message to ask for permission to use an idea of mine, letting me know first would be nice and then I can read you piece when it comes out :) That way I can still read and see your idea, your OC is used and my story can have a little pal :)

Hope that sounds like a plan ;)