(Rachel's POV)

Oh, my dear.

Dear little Miss Tower.

You're so hopelessly unaware.

In fact I'm quite near to taking pity on you, and the ignorance rooting through your heart.

Like a thriving vine lined with blades, as it winds you up whole.

Sinking its shards in you,

penetrating deep through to your mind,

and leaving scars too deep for any hope of recovery.

Yes...and all I can do is hope is that maybe one day you'll understand.

Maybe a time will come where this will all finally come together and make sense for a person like you.

As for now,

please don't keep brewing hatred and anger at the world around you, out of what is only natural fear.

And do not despise what you're only too frightened to understand.

The space in front of, behind, and to the sides of me was painted a sheer and empty black. It went on for what felt like forever, and yet, I felt so compacted from where I stood on swaying feet.

My balance was almost lost for a moment, though I'm not sure where I would have fallen. There was not even ground supporting my weak and wobbly stature. It was just me, with my hands pieced apart, almost recoiling at the fear that someone or something would reach out and snatch me away into the darkness.

Instead of questioning my odd surroundings, I was only curious to know who it was that was talking to me.

My head lifted to the sound of that familiar voice I could faintly recall hearing ages ago, back inside the Egg Carrier. It was when I was lingering in a state between sleep and awake, not quite sure what it was I was hearing, not knowing if it was my imagination or not.

It was a soft, feminine coo of a voice that seemed more fit to belong to a child rather than a grown adult. But for a child, this embodiment seemed to hold more wisdom and composure than I could ever comprehend, and preached it ten times better too.

But I wasn't in the mood to be preached to. Not now at least.

"...Who are you?" I finally said, my own tone dropping an octave or two out of uncertainty. But disregarding that, I noticed my body's strength had finally returned back to its initiative state. I wasn't sputtering my words out like a fool from the cold or numbing pain I'd previously experienced. My quivering jaw and muscles were now locked securely in the warmth. In fact, despite the circumstances, I felt relatively normal in this ebony abyss of nothing.

The same voice from before sighed.

"Well, I suppose I'm whatever you choose to see me as," it said gently. "Perhaps a friend, a ghost, a conscience, a stranger, or an enemy..."

My lips pursed. "Perhaps you could be all five," I said quickly and bitterly, my eyes moving in directions that I couldn't pick apart. "And maybe I would know for sure if I could at least see your face."

I found myself taking a step forward. "So come out," I challenged, even though paranoia was raking ever so delicate chills down my spine.

"Come out and show yourself."

Again, the voice breathed out heavily.

"Oh, Rachel..."

My heart stung somewhere in my chest at the sound of my name, and at how crisply it'd been spoken.

It sounded weird and almost foreign, yet held this nostalgia that ripped apart the stitching of all my fondest memories. Memories of my childhood, of Earth's environment and sweet air, my long forgotten aspirations, the fading images of my family and friends, were all re-saturating and bobbing back to the surface.

I looked down at my chest, noticing how my body seemed to be aglow. I could see it even though this dimension lacked any source of light.

Looking at it now, I was no longer reminded of its intended owner, but instead of someone who was of my own flesh and blood. My grandfather.

I fondled with the blue charm on my necklace, brushing my fingertips past the lustrous stone.

The voice then giggled.

I looked up immediately, eyes squinting.

"Ahaha, my my, you really do take comfort in the smallest things," it noted playfully between short gusted laughs. "Something like that both amuses me, but...I suppose it saddens me as well. After all, it shows that you've been through quite a lot, doesn't it? So much that even the tiniest thing is reassuring, as long as it isn't your impending doom."

I didn't give an answer. My mouth stayed pressed shut, my hand not leaving the pearly little heart. I didn't like how this girl was able to see me, and tell what I was feeling just from the way I poked at a necklace, while my eyes were straining ahead at a completely blank canvas.

"And while I'd like to say that it's all over, that the pain will subdue, and everything will be okay now..." the voice said again, this time speaking solemnly.

"To do so would be telling a lie."

My grip on the necklace fell, and my eyes darted ahead.

"I really don't need you, whoever you are, to tell me that," I said.

"Of course it won't be okay. I'd be stupid to think otherwise. It's clear as day...the fact that my life will never be quite the same again. Clear as the day I haven't seen in God knows how long," I spat, with poison oozing out of my words.

"I'm pretty sure that the normal life I'd grown into was ripped away the moment I stepped into Westopolis alone on that dark, rainy night. Either when I was attacked by the four men, or when I was saved by...by..."

I struggled with my words. The feeling of something thick built around my tear ducts. It didn't feel like I was about to cry, but something was stemming from my emotions, and it was so strong that it had reached the tender corners of my eyes and stained them with immense pressure.

All was silent for a moment or too.

"When Shadow saved your life," the voice finished for me.

I only chewed on the inside of my lip, looking down at my feet quietly as she went on.

"You know, even if your blood had not been spilt that night, a part of you would have been killed by those attackers regardless. I think we both know you're not very keen to withstanding trauma. And trauma would have certainly been inflicted had the Ultimate Life Form not answered to your distant cry."

I found myself nervously tearing my lip apart with the force of my upper teeth. "I guess so...but to compare one night of terror to...oh however long I've been here...perhaps nearly a year of terror, is what makes it all the more debatable. It's like choosing the lesser of two evils...and it's what makes me question my trust in that hedgehog every time I do so much as think of his name."

Something in me was wondering why I was confiding so readily into a person I didn't know, or couldn't even physically see for that matter. But if felt good to say my troubles out loud, as if some of the weight was being lifted with my words.

"If there's any case where there are two evils," the voice said, "it would be between Shadow the Hedgehog, and you, Rachel Tower."

My head rose at once.

"Huh? Excuse me?" I asked defensively, suddenly feeling betrayed by whoever was listening. "What is it you're implying?"

"That you are evil," she said casually, as if it was more of a common fact rather than an insult. "Or, you can sometimes be at least. But that's okay. After all, everyone has a little evil in them. And some are more upfront about it than others."

The voice suddenly felt like it had drawn closer.

"You might want to say that evil resides more-so in Shadow as opposed to you, making you the, as you said, lesser. But tell me, how many lives have you saved in your sixteen years of existence, Miss Tower?"

And now, it was standing in front of me. I wasn't given much time to answer. Maybe in a second I could have given a number or name, but I used that second instead to think about it quietly.

"Because that's exactly what he did. He did it thrice before, and now he has done it again. The ratio continues on bent and unbalanced, and yet you decide to be the one who cannot trust him."

I backed away slowly, my fingers falling from the necklace.

"...I may be wrong but, I think you know something that I don't...And you're trying to drop some not so subtle hints," I said carefully. "He's done it again? How do you know that?"

"Yes," the voice answered, throwing me off entirely before it calmly went on.

"I know that Shadow surrendered you to Sonic the Hedgehog's friend so you could be brought home. So you wouldn't die out there amongst the ice and stars, where he would ultimately be held responsible. The outcome is, he's actually responsible for the reason that you are here, right now, sunken somewhere deep into your much needed slumber, safe and out of harm's way. He kept you alive, Rachel. Why have you failed to realize that?"

My recollections were so faint. Earlier, I had been so concentrated on pain, that the situation and Shadow's actions throughout it had not even crossed my mind.

But this voice was right. In a way, he had saved me.

He dropped me right into Knuckles' arms. I remembered the change in atmosphere and sensations...my senses were reading the memory back to me.

I blinked sharply.

Even though it was just in my head, thinking out the scenario didn't make any sense. And I myself couldn't help but be disbelieving of it.

"Listen, Rachel...I'm not asking you to like Shadow," the voice said after I made no other remark.

"But I'm asking you to not hate him."

A pale brown hand then moved forward out of the black towards my face, turned over with the palm up, as if expecting me to take it into my own grasp.

I didn't move away. I only stared back at it in pure shock.

"Please, Rachel. Don't hate anymore. Not after all that he's done. You shouldn't remain enemies like this forever."

Another sigh rang out, this time in fractured echoes.

"He was once my friend, you know. We were very, very close. I learned a lot from him, as he did from me. He even thinks about me from time to time, though it seems to hurt him.

Nonetheless, I know that he's capable of good beyond what some could ever grasp. You're one of those people, just because you're currently incapable of seeing it or accepting it. But it's not impossible. So please...change that. It would be for your own good. You should treat everything you've encountered as a learning experience, to build you to be stronger than who you were before. And one lesson is to never, ever be so-"

She didn't get a chance to finish her sentence, because I had bravely reached forward and locked my grip firmly around the hand's soft wrist, then yanked it towards me with a frustrated, almost frightened cry.

To my surprise, a full body came along with it, pulled straight out of the wispy black. I stopped myself from screaming.

A bright, beaming face, framed by sepia dipped hair that sat cupped in a brown headband, smiled back at me warmly, whilst batting its deep chestnut colored eyes.

"...Blind," she finished proudly.

And then it moved away. The feeling of flesh in my hand disintegrated, and I was left alone in the black.

I had recognized the face the second it came into view. My pulse throbbed loudly in my eardrums as I stood there frozen in total surprise.

Reality then clicked once again. I blinked several times, then reached forward in protest, mouth hanging wide open.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!"

But something very odd happened right then and there.

This is who you are...

The thoughts forced their way through me. My arm reeled back and I grabbed both sides of my head in fear, feeling the voice from before bounce around in whispers that came from within my brain rather than outside it.

This place, it represents you.

I stopped breathing, and instead held the air tight in my chest until I felt I would burst.

A place as black as your heart.

A world for the blind...

And it's all you are now.

And all you'll ever be.

I could take it no longer. I collapsed down to my knees and let out a piercing shriek.

(Travis' POV)

The entire living room was now bathed in a brilliant tinted lighting, as the Chaos Emerald spawned its sparkling glow. It was strong enough to set all of its surroundings on jade colored fire, right down to the pigment in our glassy eyes.

Everyone was gaping at the object like it was a bomb seconds away from exploding. Mom and Dad immediately shot up from the couch and backed away, cowering towards the dining room area together.

"Oh my God..." Dad breathed out as he bumped into the dining table, rattling all the unused dishes atop it. He suddenly latched onto his wife and pulled her close. They both held the same, cowardly expression, sharing the fear mutually like it was two ends of the same stick.

He repeated it again, in a long, breathless clatter. "Oh my God..."

Emma and I remained where we were on different sides of the room. She didn't look as shocked as I or anyone else. Her mouth remained closed, body completely rigid, green shadows dancing around in the highlights of her hair. She almost seemed too calm and silent, like she was in a state of pure shock.

I was the only one who took it upon myself to move closer to the luminescent jewel. I wasn't intimidated by it at all. In fact, it was actually kind of... mesmerizing.

Grandpa's eyes met mine, and a smile suddenly lifted his stiffened features.

Now, I was right in front of him. Just he and I, in the center of the room, with the Emerald glowing between us. My head turned up to stare into it deeply, and a strange feeling suddenly pricked my heart. The swirls of neon color swam around within its glass walls, with spinning shadows and iridescent prisms that grew brighter towards the middle.

I wasn't sure what it was that urged me to take a chance and do it, but when I noticed my grandfather was holding the Emerald still, I lifted one slightly shaking finger up and pressed it against the smooth surface.

"Travis," Mom whimpered anxiously.

Grandpa was apparently ignoring the nervousness in her tone, seeing as he kept his attention locked solely on me and my interaction with the magical jewel.

"It's okay, son," he coaxed gently. "It won't hurt you."

And it was true. The Chaos Emerald didn't burn or shock me in retaliation with my touch. Instead, it was only warm, with a slight prickle that ran in sparks down through my tendons. The green lights seemed to bundle against the area where my finger lye, from the other side, in a never ending twirl of energetic ecstasy.

"Travis!" Mom yelled in a shrill cry.

I broke the contact and moved my hand away, watching as the clumped lights suddenly cut away from the side and went back to spinning around with their neighboring particles.

I looked up at my Grandpa, and saw that he was wide-eyed, with the Emerald's glare flickering in his eyes.

"Oh...I see..." he said quietly.

"So, you inherited the gene after all."

I only gaped back at him curiously.

What is he even talking about?

Emma stepped forward out of the comfort of her shaded corner, gaze still lost and transfixed off into space.

"What gene?" she asked, her distant voice quivering softly.

This time, Mom and Dad both gained the courage to draw near us.

"Father, what's going on here?" Dad asked him, gingerly reaching a hand forward towards the aura of the powerful jewel, but drawing it back almost immediately. "Why do you have this...this...thing here in your house?"

This time, Grandpa suddenly pried the gem back and held it beneath his face so that it set a hazy glow under his chin. He didn't answer the question right away. Instead, he looked down at me again.

"Travis, tell me, do you feel anything odd when you look at, or come into contact with this here Chaos Emerald?"

I looked back at him dumbfounded, not sure where he was going with this. First he mentioned something about genetics, which was something I barely knew about seeing as I was only in the fourth grade, and now he was asking about if anything in me reacted to it. Everything was sinking in at such a snail rate, it still took time to catch up with the details. I finally hacked up an answer.

"...I-I don't know...why? Should I?"

This time, my grandfather broke the intense silence with a long, hearty chuckle. I could see from the side that Mom and Dad had exchanged a glance upon hearing him, as if they were afraid he'd completely lost his mind. To them, this was far from a laughing matter. To them, this was incredibly serious. Dangerous even.

Though I'm sure neither of them knew what kind of danger it was exactly that put any of us at risk.

But grandpa's giggles subsided almost as quickly as they had started.

"That's a very good question, Travis. Should you? Or better yet, why would you?"

He then held the Emerald back out and turned it over and over between his frail fingers.

"I'm not so sure about that myself...I was told that there's some sort of wave frequency that radiated from its power. A power that affected my DNA as a child, because of all the experiments and the gases they produced lingering about in the atmosphere I had been living in. The energy of Chaos, forcibly melded with other elements, produced something strong enough to, upon my exposure, literally affect my core."

He smiled. "And you do indeed have a reaction with it. Meaning your genetic makeup might contain the mutation, and it's something you would've inherited from me."

He held it forward towards my face before I had time to soak in even an ounce of what he'd just said.

"Touch the side of it again."

This time, I found myself catching up with reality. Instead of obeying him immediately, I grew hesitant. A lump lodged its way into my throat.

"A mutation?" I asked almost in fear. "Does that mean...I'm like a monster or something?"

This time, Dad stepped over and grabbed me by the shoulder, pulling me to the side.

"Travis. Don't go anywhere near that Emerald thing again," he instructed angrily.

His wildly frightened, yet also enraged eyes fell upon the elder still standing innocently in the center of the living room.

"What exactly is going on in your head?!" he demanded. "Our son is perfectly fine! What is it you're trying to accomplish? Because you're...you're scaring all of us, Dad!"

Mom then walked forward, hand over her chest.

"Exactly what kind of mutation are we talking about here?!" she squealed out in horror. "Because I very well remember Travis' birth, and there was nothing reportedly wrong with him, or his DNA! Same with his sister, who, might I add, is his twin! So how can he be affected whereas she wasn't! Where's the logic in that!"

Grandpa had visibly no reaction to being shouted at by the people he loved the most. He only sighed through his nose, looking down at the Chaos Emerald, and widely mouthing the words 'Fraternal Twins'.

"And another thing, how long have you had that!" she went on ignorantly, gesturing to it. "How long has it been in that couch, right underneath our asses! Why are you pulling it out into the open now, of all times!"

Suddenly, our heads all lifted when a sharp odor lurked about the air. Mom's nose wrinkled and she sniffed carefully, looking towards the kitchen and noticing that there was black smoke pouring out in thick clouds from beyond the swinging panel doors. Her eyes widened immediately.

"Oh god, the lasagna!" she cried, running away from us and diving through the smoke.

Her coughing was heard right away, then the sound of an oven being pried open and drawers being prodded through, possibly in search of a towel, or maybe even an extinguisher if our ex-dinner was actually on fire.

Dad reluctantly stared back at his father before turning around to head off in the same direction.

"Splendid, Dad! Really, a big bravo to you!" he yelled. "If you're not revealing these crazy secrets, you're trying to burn the house down! Keep this up and you'll be the one to get us all killed!"

He then trotted off into the smoke without another word.

It was silent after that. Just me, stumbling to keep up with the situation and everything building up to it, all the while staring into the Chaos Emerald like I'd been struck by a trance, and Emma, awkwardly tip toeing at a rounded angle around the room, as if avoiding said gem.

Grandpa breathed heavily.

"And Rachel, too."

Emma stopped dead in her tracks, gaping back at our grandfather from behind her tangled mess of hair.

I too shot him a hard look of wonder.

He sniffled, his grasp on the Chaos Emerald suddenly loosening as his curled fingers began shaking violently.

"Perhaps she has that gene as well..."

The Emerald began to tip out of its hand, the shadows all around the room shifting in correspondence.

"That would explain..." his eyes creased shut and his head dropped. "...so many things."

And then it fell. The Chaos Emerald toppled from the security of him palm and fell down to the wood floor with a loud clank.

"Such as how Shadow the Hedgehog was drawn to her, and only her. Both here, and on that train."

I ended up ignoring the fallen jewel, and glared at my grandfather, a soft gasp pulling past my mouth.

"Is that...your theory or something?" I asked in a shaking voice.

I noticed that clear liquid was now leaking from both his eyes, his thin lips pursing and loosening.

"No. Because I'm ninety-nine percent sure it's the truth..."

His eyes then shut completely, forcing out whatever water had been sauntering behind them.

"God help her," he said brokenly.

(Shadow's POV)

It was beginning to physically hurt. The way these shameful thoughts were tossing around inside my head until they left me sore in the temples. The more I tried to relax, the more tense I became. I tried everything in my power to shove my emotions aside, and forget about what just happened.

Forget about what I just did.

I tried concentrating on anything that could distract me and lead my attention elsewhere. I looked rigidly out the window towards the snowy ground, where its glittering textures were becoming more and more faint as the Egg Carrier rose up into the black sky.

I then looked up at the ceiling towards the lights, which had returned to their previous white color after the power was switched back on.

After that, my eyes darted to my own two feet. There was nothing reportedly interesting about them, but I ended up forcibly captivating myself with the design and colors.

I wanted to run. Oh, how I wanted to run so badly.

But then, everything would blur. And then there would be nothing worth looking at.

I would then have no choice but to delve back into my own thoughts.

So I walked slower, and slower, still fixing my gaze heavily on the shoes, and then at the floor paneling, and then at the long hallway ahead.

But no matter what I looked at, it still wouldn't go away.

All I could think was, she's gone.

She's gone now.

Gone.

Gone...

I couldn't shake it off. Everything I tried to focus on, no matter the shape or color, I was only reminded once again of that human girl's absence. I was reminded of how it was my own fault, and I'm sure that's what ate away at me more than anything.

There wasn't a single word I could use to explain my emotions at this point. I was permanently locked in this mood that I didn't even know was capable of existing. It was like when I would constantly reminisce about Maria Robotnik. Except this time, something hurt a little bit harder, and in a different way, in knowing that this girl was unreachable, but not because she was dead.

She was still out there somewhere. She was going to return to Earth and live on, go about with her constant hatred, and try her hardest to forget me and everything that happened in the past six months. Treat it like it was all one long, horrible nightmare. Where she was the defenseless damsel, and I the terrifying monster who tried to kill her and everything she held dearest.

And sooner or later, she would be able to trick herself into believing it never happened at all.

My brain started stabbing through its files, in search of any word I could possibly use to sum up everything that I was feeling. Because right now, it felt like I was being bled dry by my own self torture.

The only word that kept coming up was vulnerable.

Vulnerable, vulnerable, vulnerable.

You are vulnerable, Shadow the Hedgehog.

And you should be ashamed of yourself.

No. I insisted. Vulnerability translates to weakness. And I know I am not weak. I'm not. I...I couldn't be. Never.

I then stopped right there, realizing suddenly how heavy my breathing had become.

Maybe I'm just weak when the situation regards Rachel.

It hurt to let her name slip by my mind, even if it was only once. It made me think about everything once again. Just those six letters and two syllables. Capable of bringing me right down to my knees.

I looked straight ahead with an iron glare.

I think that maybe, it's time I pay a much needed visit to the Doctor.

Only he will know what to do now.

And with that, I started off in the same direction, cautious to now look no where but at what was in front of me. Because now, I realized that I had subconsciously wandered into the B-sectioned area. And right about now, I was possibly passing the very room I dreaded to see.

My heart burned hotter and hotter. I could feel myself going by it.

But I went no where near that door. It took everything I was made of not to barge into that room, filled with anger and the strangest desire.

But then I would expect to find her.

Sleeping,

sitting,

sighing,

singing,

seething.

Anything.

I would want to step towards her and release everything I was holding in. Through words, through actions, through anything that offered relief.

See her flash that smile that was almost as rare as mine.

And that glisten in her eyes would spark once again.

But she wasn't there.

Just the four walls and floor.

So I kept on going.

Going.

And going some more.

(Rachel's POV)

Everything was milky white for a good second and a half.

"Huh...Guys...look! She's moving!" a girlish voice shouted, sending a painful shock-wave ricocheting through my eardrums.

I stirred a bit more, mumbling nonsense.

"Hm. And it sounds like she's trying to speak too," another one said, except this voice was roughly edged like that of a male's.

The seam of my eyelashes finally parted, allowing light to pour into my already sore and pulsating eyeballs. Everything was just a mess of colors. Some red, pink, blue, and a hint of yellowish orange. But then I blinked several times, so that the abstract forms suddenly thinned and compacted together, creating actual bodies.

My shoulders hunched as I struggled to sit up straight, but instead found myself bound by thick leather strips.

"Hey, relax," a soft voice said.

My tired focus arched up, only to find Sonic the Hedgehog looking back at me, wearing a relaxed, reassuring expression.

"You're safe now," he coaxed. "You don't have to worry anymore. No one's going to hurt you here."

Amy appeared next to the idolized hedgehog before I had a chance to utter a response. In her hand was a dainty white cup.

"It's so good to see you awake, dear! You must be thirsty! I know it's probably been a long time since you last had a decent beverage. So would you like some tea?" she asked, her jade eyes flickering with empathy.

"It's freshly brewed. I thought you may need something to warm you up."

Without thinking, I fought against my binds again, this time poking my shaking arms out between their cross hatches to hungrily accept the drink. Inside the cup, I could see a clear, golden liquid steaming and bubbling as it sloshed against the porcelain walls.

My fingers reached out and brushed against the cup's edges, and Amy's grip on it started to cease and allow the object to fall into my own grasp. Except, she quickly scrambled to catch it, as I had snatched my hands back with a quiet yelp after having been stung by the hot surface.

A few beads of tea dripped down the sides of the cup as Amy cradled it back to herself, eyes wide and fixed on me. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry! I suppose you're still defrosting from earlier...so it probably feels hotter to you than it does me. Gee, didn't think about that now did I."

She stepped away from both me and Sonic, who was eyeing her with a small hint of annoyance, as she shifted to the side of him.

"I'll just set that down here and let it cool," she said, lowering out of view. There was the sound of a clank, and she rose back up empty handed.

"Is there anything else you might need?" she asked quickly. "I mean you are cold still, so how about a coat to cover yourself with? Or a fluffy pillow to rest your head?"

"Amy, just leave her alone," Knuckles said tiredly from behind her.

I found myself looking up at him, as he hovered around what looked like the inside of a cockpit, where Tails was sitting, handling some complicated controls.

"Give her a chance to breathe."

Amy sighed, turning her back away. "I guess you're right. My bad," she said shamefully, marching off to what looked like an airplane passenger seat. One that I noticed, was incredibly similar to mine.

I looked down at the strips again and pulled at them gently, suddenly realizing that it was in fact a seat belt. So I was in a seat just like hers.

"I can only imagine how confused you are. You must have a lot of questions," Sonic said, stepping closer, but making sure to keep comfortable distance.

I eyed him, trying my hardest to smile, but I couldn't find it in me to muster up even the tiniest and most pathetic of smirks.

"And I take it you have all the answers?" I asked, more hopefully than factually.

He laughed softly. "Possibly. I'll try the best I can."

Before anything else was said, my eyes rolled down to the seat belt again. For whatever reason, it was a bit too tight for my liking, as if it was restricting my breathing. My fingers traced across my lap until they reached a button that connected to the belts. I pushed it, and with a click, they unfastened and swept past my stomach in a vicious motion back into their hidden compartments.

One scratched across my abdomen a little too harshly, and managed to slice against the damaged skin of my scar.

It was too late for me to attempt maintaining the little jolt of pain. I hissed quietly, bringing one arm around the area as if to keep contents from seeping out of the already healed cut.

Sonic gave me a look that shot a million questions. But his mouth only spoke one.

"Hey, why did you just-"

"I'm sorry," I cut him off immediately, my facial muscles tight as the sharp pain began to die down. "I just felt...I don't know, constricted by those straps. I felt like I needed more room to move..."

"No," he answered, gesturing to my wound arm. "You seem like you're hurt."

I just stared back at him blankly, unsure of where to even begin with that light, understatement of a word.

"It's coming from your stomach, isn't it?" he said with genuine care.

He knelt down on one knee, nose pointed to wear the hidden scar lye, and raised one hand slightly.

"Mind if I check?"

At first, my mouth only hung open, as I waited for a response to find its way through my windpipe. But instead, my eyes widened, and I gasped out loud.

"Lift up your shirt so I can see it," he said.

I knew I wouldn't get anywhere by resisting, and carefully brought my hands down to the hem of my shirt, hesitantly tugging it halfway up so that my torso was visible. My eyes suddenly pulled away from Shadow's after he had dropped his own to inspect the scar.

I could see that he felt guilty.

It was written all over his face.

"Nnn-" I choked up, my eyes squeezing shut as the sickening dizziness shot through my head like a bullet.

Sonic's eyes turned down.

"Is everything okay?"

His hovering hand suddenly made its way towards me, specifically my shoulder, as if to give me a reassuring pat.

I tensed up again.

"Chaos Spear!"

All my senses went dead. The pain faded away and was replaced by a warm, numbing feeling. The last thing I remember was stumbling forward and collapsing right on the spot. But instead of hitting the floor, something caught me in mid-air.

"Please stop," I said quickly, shooing him away with an open palm.

"I'm sorry, Sonic, but...please,"

I gritted my teeth, fighting back the wandering memories. I couldn't conceal the hostility in my tone.

"Please get away from me."

The next look on the cobalt hedgehog's face said it all. He looked downright betrayed, and I couldn't blame him. What with him having gone through Hell and back to rescue me, and now being under the impression that I lacked trust in him. I never imagined such a single expression of hurt could kill me so much.

Oh, how I wanted to tell them all about what happened to me. How I wanted to go on a nonstop ramble from start to finish, inform him of all the neglect, the occasional abuse, even the security offered by a certain dark hero, and the wicked romance that he provided somewhere in between.

But I couldn't. I just kept it bottled up, compacted deep in my head and heart.

As much as I wanted to tell them, I couldn't. I simply refused to.

It would hurt too much. And the last thing I wanted was to feel anymore pain...specifically the kind that trails in emotion.

I knew I would never forget everything, but I felt it better, also, if they just never knew.

Despite how the twinging muscles in Sonic's face displayed how deceptive he thought I was being, he still held this faint look of understanding. He could never come close to comprehending even a fraction of what it was that I endured, both the good and bad. But he thought he did. He thought he had it all figured out. And to me, that's all that really mattered.

"It's fine. I get it," he assured me, "I really do. If you don't feel it's the right time to talk about it, I'll respect that."

He turned around and looked at Knuckles, who was leaning against the wall with an agreeable smirk, and then Amy, who flashed a bright, bubbly grin. As if to make me feel...I don't know...more at home I suppose.

I was able to smile this time in return. A real, big, content smile.

But it couldn't have been anymore forced.

I just tried reminding myself over and over that I was here, and that I had made it this far. I was now in the care of Sonic and his friends, and more than likely we were going back to Earth and would be there in a matter of time.

But what really helped the smile build was the reaction of amusement to Sonic's claim.

He really had not a single clue.

"Amy," I said calmly, leaning forward and taking a moment to look out the framed window, towards the clusters of stars and the black nebula residing behind it. The darkness of it reminded me of some place I may have been before, but I couldn't put a finger on it.

I didn't dally on it any longer. When I turned back and saw the red of her dress at the edge of my vision, I sighed tiredly.

"May I have the tea now? I'm ready to drink it."

She didn't answer me out loud, but I knew what her response was when she quickly fluttered by in a rush of valentine colors, and snatched the cup ever so carefully off whatever she'd set it on, bringing it towards me.

The remaining steam in it seemed to have misted away. I couldn't distinguish any vapor rising from within the cup. Therefore, it was ready for consumption.

She placed it in my two curled hands, which were still a bit frostbitten, but not nearly as horrendously frozen as they'd been earlier. The warm porcelain settled against the grooves of my palm, as I brought the drink carefully towards my mouth.

I glanced inside the cup at the amber fluid splashing around. An invisible tail of scent slithered under my nose and implanted a strong smell that was both sugary with a little touch of spice.

I briefly reflected back on Sonic's recent words, before holding the cup to my lip and tipping the tea down into the dry cavern of my mouth.

It will never be the right time to talk about it.

(Shadow's POV)

"Ah, I was waiting to see how long it would take before you showed up here," the old, mustachioed scientist sighed with his back facing me. "And it's about time, too."

He was still sitting in his chair, typing away like he always did. It was almost like he'd been absent for the catastrophe that had just happened, and was completely oblivious to our setbacks. Because he did nothing to show urgency or disappointment. It was unbelievable.

I myself still didn't know what to say, or better yet what to even do. I knew Eggman was upset. He had yet to look me in the face, after everything in this ordeal had played out. Somehow, he seemed to know it was me the moment the doors slid open and shut. And now I was waiting to receive his criticism, even if it was delayed.

Then the wheels in his chair creaked loudly. The seat did a full three-sixty so that he slowly and painfully came around and glared at me from behind the heavy tinting of his indigo spectacles.

"So tell me..." he started out slowly, in a voice that was almost to casual to be bought completely, "...how does it feel?"

My fists were tempted to close, but I kept them plastered against my sides. Now I knew for sure that the scolding was coming, although I wasn't sure how brutal it would be, or what the ending outcome would be.

My goal from the start had been to obtain Eggman's Chaos Emerald, along with the ones I had collected so far. But in some strange parallel way, I was feeling too drained to threaten his life over them. I was too drained to do anything at all.

So if he decided to go back on the deal and keep them all for himself...I didn't even know what to do.

"How does what feel?" I finally asked, my attitude spiking.

His face remained expressionless. It was somehow more intimidating than his usual sadistic grin. Because now, he was unreadable. It was impossible to see what it was he was thinking crypted into the structure of his eyes and mouth.

"How does it feel to have single-handedly screwed everything up?" he said. "Yes. You're just a little furry timebomb, aren't you? Simply an accident waiting to happen."

I frowned at him. "Alright. You can throw your petty insults at me as much as you desire," I stated calmly in an effort to keep my fury at bay. I crossed my arms and slanted my gaze off to the side. "But they mean nothing to me. So it's pointless."

Then, this glint of emotion sliced across the Doctor's features. His hand snaked across his armrest, where there were a series of iris-sized buttons.

"Ah, but the real question is...what is meaningful to you?"

His index finger gently mashed a bright yellow one, and suddenly, every monitor hanging above his controls burst into a blue glow of rippling static. The lighting effect caused his form to become a dark silhouette contrasting against the pixel storms flashing behind him.

"Because it seems..." he said slowly, jabbing at another unseen button so that the monitors emitted a squeaking sound, and replaced the static with actual frozen images taken from different camera angles, each passing by in milliseconds.

"What you should care about is this," he said, quickly clicking something so that one of the screens stopped on one particular picture.

It was an image of me, clutching the red Chaos Emerald, looking off into another direction.

"Those Emeralds," he clarified, turning slightly to gesture at the subjected computer. "Were the reason for this whole mission. The reason behind the collaboration between you and I."

His hand fell and coiled back to his body, his face hardening.

"They are also the reason why we took a hostage in the first place. They were the center of all your ambitions, which, might I add, you have never revealed to anyone including me."

He then gritted his teeth angrily.

"And for whatever reason, they seem to have completely lost their value to you! Because of your stupid tactics, and failure to heed my commands, two of those sought after jewels are now in the hands of my biggest enemy!"

My head suddenly snapped up. My defensive nature kicked in.

"I beg your pardon, but I believe it's my stupid tactics that got us this far!"

"But they also set us back quite a distance," he interrupted, which angered me even more.

He leaned forward, raised his arm and made an incomplete circle with his thumb and forefinger.

"We were so...so close, Shadow. I don't think you realize this," he stated plainly, drawing the aforementioned fingers closer and closer together so that they nearly touched as he spoke.

"Seeing as my plans for the Super Nova Cannon are free of any evident holes, you could've helped me to create it after all had been said and done," he said, still holding his fingers close, and even bringing them nearer to one another. "All the while, finally having fulfilled your desire of ceasing every last Chaos Emerald across the universe."

His brow creased. "But no, you just couldn't help yourself. You had to ruin all our hard work. You had to become infatuated with a human and mess. Everything. Up."

With each word, his gloved fingers parted in jagged breaks, until they were completely adjacent. Each one hit me harder than the last.

The fury had been unknowingly building, and was now completely boiling over. Without thinking, I pulled my hand back and equipped myself with the strongest Chaos Spear I could muster, flicking my wrist in his direction.

Instead of verbally calling the energy forth, it somehow conjured itself in my palms, shot out at the scientist, and all I did, was grunt loudly.

Eggman quickly scooted his chair to the side with a yelp, and the Chaos Spear soared past him and hit one of the screens. Flickering beams rained out between the broken glass and severed wires.

"YOU SHUT UP!" I shouted in rage. "Do you really think I'm not aware of all this!"

I shot another spear towards him. He managed to evade it once again, and another monitor was smashed.

"Do you think I don't realize that I've made countless mistake after mistake after mistake!" I demanded, this time, turning my attention to all those rows and columns of screens. I noticed how the recordings were playing in reverse, playing shuffling pictures of Sonic running down the halls, Bokkun sneaking into a closet and yanking out plugs, Tails landing his aircraft onto the Sky Deck, and me slamming Rouge against a wall.

Instead of shooting anymore of my darts at him, I aimed them all at the monitors, blasting them out one by one.

"It's not my fault!" I yelled. "It's not my fault that I've changed!"

My energy suddenly strengthened, so that I was nearly blowing holes straight through the wall.

"It's not my fault that I've become so human! I didn't plan for this to happen! It's just how I'm programmed!"

Another monitor was wiped out. Sparks shooting out in every which way like white fireworks.

"I was told this would happen..." I seethed. "I was told that as time progressively went on, I would become more and more like an actual person. I would feel emotions that I wasn't made to feel. Unless...unless...I keep close contact with all seven Chaos Emeralds in order to reset the effect and return to my initial settings."

And then another screen exploded with the impact of my Chaos Spear. "I was told this by your grandfather, Eggman!"

Eggman's face had fallen. "Wha-...Initial settings?"

He jumped out of his chair, fists balled.

"Shadow, are you out of your mind! That's your reasoning behind getting the Chaos Emeralds? You're daft! Don't you realize how long it's been? Your reaction to such powerful invincibility might wash you out completely. If you do that, you could lose your memories!"

He ducked momentarily as a spear soared over his head and blasted another monitor.

"WHO CARES!" I shouted.

The strangest feeling came over me. It was like water, glazing over my eyes. I ignored it the best I could, and used my blurry focus to zero in on the final screen, which was still idly playing back the recordings.

Dr. Eggman quickly reached over and smashed his whole hand against a button so that the images came to a halt and landed on one specific picture.

My readied hand froze.

"YOU DO!" He cried out, panting with rage.

The screen was a picture of Rachel Tower, looking over her shoulder and staring back at the camera cautiously, green eyes vacant and mouth slightly open.

And then it came out all at once. A pair of heavy tears flowed down my tightened face, my frown still firmly intact as I gaped at her still face.

"You know you don't want to forget her!" The mad scientist declared, pointing a finger in the screen's direction.

"AND, you should probably show more generosity towards the Chaos Emeralds, because they're the reason you've connected with her!"

I couldn't tear my eyes from the ones looking back at me on the screen. But I had heard him loud and clear, and my mouth formed its words like molasses.

"What do you mean..." I asked quietly. Almost silently.

For the first time since I'd entered the room, Eggman lost his crazy scowl and moved it up back into a soft smile.

"All will be explained in due time. So fasten your seatbelt, hedgehog."

He fell back into his chair and flipped it around.

"We're going back to Earth."

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(A/N) So guess who saw Wreck it Ralph last night and exploded a little bit more every time Sonic was on screen? (Even if it was for brief moments) Amazing movie, by the way. I recommend you all should see it if you haven't already. I don't usually laugh in movies, but I laughed a lot at this one.

Anyways, about the story, I've been struck with the worst writer's block ever. So that's why the quality of my chapters are starting to fall. I hope you still find it to your liking.

SYMBOLISM. IT'S EVERYWHERE.

You might still have questions about things mentioned here. Like, who was that girl in Rachel's 'dream'. Why didn't she mention it when she woke up, (even in her thoughts). What is this about the Chaos energy and DNA? What's this about Shadow wanting to be 'reset'. Why is the author such a nutcase.

Well I will explain as the story nears its close. If you still have questions, everything will be explained in the final author's note. It will just mean I had failed in delivering the information.

You can have your own hypothesis as to what the bloody hell is going on.

Anways, you can find me on deviantART now. I have yet to draw a picture for this story. But I really want to.

Thank you all for reading. Review if you have time. (I might come back and edit this later)

Bye bye ~