Shadow liked gazing at the ocean. There was something about the vast expanse of water trailing out to the gentle curve of the horizon and the gentle ebb and flow of the waves that gave him an odd sense of comfort. Perhaps it was that same stretch into infinity that made it seem like the world was standing still, a quiet picture for him to enjoy as everything quietly passed around him. It wasn't unlike staring at the planet from the ARK, from a view so far away that the movement of people and vehicles was imperceptible.

Perhaps that's why he found himself leaning over the hewn white stone railing, staring out into the deep blue dotted with micro-islands, the afternoon sun proudly casting its rays over the entire landscape. Sonic was busy talking on his phone some distance away, and with the brief period he had alone, it felt nice to just... tune everything out and focus on the ocean.

His eyes suddenly clenched shut as his intestines twisted in his abdomen. No, he knew it was wrong. It really wasn't all that different from what he had promised the other hedgehog he wouldn't do again. But... he didn't know what else to do. Shutting everything out had basically been second nature to him ever since he woke up from his cryogenic slumber.

He wished that he could say that everything changed after his promise to Sonic. He wished that he could just... open up and... maybe even be a little more like the blue hedgehog was.

But the pain was still there. His fears were still there. No amount of platitudes and wishful thinking could change that. What his rival wanted from him felt like an insurmountable task, and it still filled him with immeasurable anxiety to even come to terms with it.

He took a deep breath in, feeling the salty air tingle his nose as it rushed through his nostrils. He paused for a moment before slowly breathing out, doing his best to will his heart to a slower rate. With more effort than he'd have liked, he forced his eyes open.

It would be easy to just retreat back into his shell, but... he knew the guilt he would face doing that would overwhelm him even more. All he could do was swallow it down, suppressing everything until something else hopefully filled the void. Something that would be more agreeable with his friends.

"Heya, Shads!" Sonic called out, rushing over as he put his phone away. "I've got a little bit of bad news. Looks like we're gonna be stuck together until further notice."

Shadow turned his head, glancing blankly at his rival.

"...Okay."

"Now I know it's not-" The blue hedgehog immediately protested, before cutting himself off in shock. "Wait, did you just agree to it? No pushback?"

"Nope."

Sonic was clearly taken aback by the complete lack of resistance.

"Well... alright then. I was kind of expecting you to put up more of a fight, but... yeah! Glad we're on the same page!" He awkwardly smiled, his lips stiltedly jerking upward as he scratched the back of his head. "Say, while we're out here, why not grab a kebabwich? It's a local delicacy."

The black and red hedgehog shrugged. "Sure."

Sonic's head jerked back again, but he quickly shook the apprehension away as he waved for Shadow to follow him. They walked along the cobbled stone paths, weaving in and out of tight corridors of alabaster stone dwellings decorated with doors and stairs painted in striking reds and blues. The hero led his companion down a twisting alley, surrounded on both sides by stone walls, beyond which lay a number of houses. On one end of the wall lay an opening, behind which lay a small white bench, surrounded by a manor of various flower vases and large pots. Blue wooden slats laid over the area behind it, casting a fair amount of shade. The bench itself had a number of items laid out on it, behind which stood an elderly man whose face drooped down towards his chin, giving it a relatively rectangular shape. Despite his age he seemed relatively lively, greeting the blue hedgehog with a passing familiarity as he waved his arms to get his attention.

"Sonic!" The man called out cheerfully. "It has been quite a while since you've visited! Why, I remember the world being split open as if it were yesterday!"

"Glad to see you too, Milos!" Sonic replied, giving him a firm handshake as he nodded with a smile. "It's been too long. I hope everything has been okay?"

"Oh, more than okay!" He replied, gesturing to the array of floral arrangements around him. "Ever since that delivery to Ciccio, things have only gotten busier. I can't thank you enough for making that delivery for me."

"Anytime, anytime." The blue hedgehog replied, before looking over to his quieted partner. "I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine, his name's Shadow. I figured while we're out here, I might get him hooked on one of your world-famous kebabwiches!"

Milos laughed.

"Oh, I wouldn't dare take credit for those. That's all the missus doing her work. She just made a fresh batch this morning!" He pointed towards a small stack of pane bread loafs, stuffed brimming with a load of cured meats and vegetables. "Tell you what, you can both have one on the house- it's the least I could do for you."

Sonic was about to grab a pair of sandwiches, only to pause as Shadow walked up to the stand and picked up a small bag made with loosely knit material. He held it gently in his hand, staring down at it for a while before looking back at the shop keep.

"What is this?" He asked quietly.

"Oh, that's a batch of potpourri that I made from some flowers and other plants that weren't sold off in time. I believe that one is a mix of lavender, sage, and a few bits of eucalyptus that I trimmed off. Some other things too but I can't name them off the top of my head."

"...It smells lovely." Shadow noted.

"Do you want it?" Sonic asked, leaning in.

The Ultimate Lifeform's fingers tightened on the package slowly, but he ultimately refused to respond.

"We'll take it." The blue hedgehog answered for him.

"Oh, if he's a friend of yours I insist you take it for free!"

Sonic shook his head. "No, I insist. I can't just let you keep giving me favors like that. How much?"

"Well, normally it's about 150 rings..."

Before the hero could do anything, Shadow quickly handed over the money and put the bag of dried leaves and petals away. It wasn't long after that that Sonic ushered him away, wishing a farewell to Milos as they found a place to sit and eat their food.

The hybrid slowly nibbled away at the kebabwich, taking in the mix of flavors as it coated his palette. He normally didn't eat food- he was designed to primarily live off of chaos energy anyway. He wasn't really accustomed to the act of consumption like this.

He glanced over at Sonic, who was greedily taking chunks out of his food, entire portions of it practically disappearing as he engorged himself. By the time he had finished a quarter of his meal, his rival had made his practically disappear.

He shoved his head down, trying to avoid eye contact as he focused on his own food. He could feel the other hedgehog waiting for him, sparking his anxiety further. He quickly sped up the pace of his consumption, not wanting to converse but also not really wanting to make his rival wait.

Once Shadow finished, he heard Sonic take a deep breath as he began to speak.

"So... Is everything okay? I know a lot's happened in the past day or so, but... I dunno, are you sure you have no reservations about us having to be together?"

The black and red hedgehog shook his head.

"I'm fine. And no, I don't."

The hero raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips as he leaned back.

"You know, we should go running." He sighed, looking out towards the sprawling white housing that covered the island. "There's some lovely paths down here that are so fun to speed through!"

"...Sure." Shadow replied, glancing away.

"Actually, I changed my mind." Sonic tapped his foot against the ground. "We just ate, it's probably not the best idea to do that until it's all settled."

"Makes sense." The black and red hedgehog quietly mused.

"Aww, but you know what, it would be a waste not to run!" Sonic exclaimed, jumping out of his seat. "And look at the view, too! It would suck if we wasted the sunlight."

"Alright." Came the reply, the hybrid pushing himself off the bench.

"Still, maybe not. How about we climb up some of the windmills? Sure, we're not supposed to do that, but it's not like anyone could stop us!"

"...If that's what you want."

Sonic sighed, shoulders drooping as he turned to face his rival.

"Is that what it boils down to?" He asked, his tone slightly embittered as he glanced annoyedly at his rival. "I was wondering why I kept feeling off since we came back- when I said I wanted to find another way, that wasn't supposed to mean 'Let everyone else walk all over you.'"

Shadow looked away, eyes pointed down at his shoes as he struggled to come up with a response.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You do , though." Sonic insisted. "Even when we were discussing how our response to GUN should be, something that directly impacts you , you didn't jump in at all. Even now, it seems like you're just going with whatever I or someone else tells you."

The black and red hedgehog couldn't find it in him to fight back. He kept his eyes elsewhere, his childish response taking root as he felt his rival's stare burrowing into the side of his head.

"Shadow, do you even care if GUN captures you?"

"I do." He quietly replied.

It wasn't technically a lie. Getting captured and potentially imprisoned for life would hurt the people close to him. He didn't want to see Rouge, Omega... or Sonic upset over that.

But he knew that's not what the blue hedgehog was asking for. Not that he needed to know that.

"...If that's how you feel, then that's fine, I guess." Sonic sighed, letting his arms rest against his hips. "But please just remember that I'm here for you- if there's anything you'd like to talk about, I'll be more than happy to listen at any time of the day, okay?"

"...Okay."

"Good." The blue hedgehog concluded, smiling but still clearly not buying what the other hedgehog was saying. "Now, let's go home. Honestly, I think we both need some more rest."

Once again, Shadow complied with little resistance, nodding slightly before taking off in a race back towards Tails' and Sonic's house.

The race back home felt... one-sided, to be quite frank. Shadow knew he wasn't giving it his all. His muscles did not ache, but he couldn't bear to bring them to the power he knew he could.

Sonic kept his pace, however. Another sting of guilt as he wondered why the hedgehog didn't take the initiative and make his dominance in speed known. He knew the real reason, of course, and that knowledge only led to more emotional turmoil.

It felt like torture, tolerating their presence when he knew he deserved none of it.

Thankfully, the relatively slower pace did not prolong their race for too long. Within the hour they had made their way halfway across the continent, back in the rolling grassy hills and watching the familiar house come closer.

As they entered the home, they were greeted with strained smiles and weary gazes. It was clear to the both of them that the brainstorming session between Rouge and Tails did not go according to plan. Their stopgap plan to keep the two hedgehogs chained to each other didn't inspire confidence in anyone, though it was at least something actionable.

Shadow glanced to the side, feeling his heart sink further as he noticed the all too familiar Piko-Piko Hammer near the entrance to the hallway, the comically large mallet resting on its floor with the upturned handle leaning against the wall.

The last person he wanted to meet at this time was that pink hedgehog. He knew she bore no ill will, but her tact was as blunt as her weapon. While it may have come in handy during the ARK incident, he knew he would not be able to stomach the kind of forceful passion for affection that she carried in much of her life. The lingering smell of baked sweets only exacerbated it, turning his stomach as the sickeningly sweet scent only continued to grow stronger.

There was nothing wrong with her, nothing about that part of her was a vice or malignancy. But it was too much for him to bear already.

It wasn't long before Amy emerged from the hallway, two plates in hand as she quietly nodded to everyone in the room. With a skip in her step she walked to the black and red hedgehog, showing a slight smile as she tilted her head. He could only look back wearily at the saccharine expression.

"Hey, Shadow." She greeted quietly. "I heard that you were going through some stuff. I know we don't talk much, but... here."

She held out one of the plates in front of him. He did his best to grab it, trying not to breathe in the process.

"I know you're not too big of a sweets fan, so I added some extra dark chocolate and cut out some of the sugar from this batch." She explained, gesturing at the food on the plate. "Let me know if it's good, and if you ever drop by a cook-out or something, I'll make a few just for you!"

"...Thanks." He felt his lips jerk awkwardly as he replied, carefully grabbing one and putting it to his lips. He took a small nibble, letting the extra dark chocolate melt onto his tongue. It was strikingly bitter, almost stinging to the tongue. Then, as soon as it arrived, a small bit of sweetness quickly wiped it away. It... was quite good. She must have put in a lot of work to balance the flavors out as well as she did.

The fact that she must have put that kind of effort in still weighed on him. It left an uneasy mix of positive and negative feelings in his head, leaving him feeling more strained than ever. But he could only grin and bear it to avoid starting any suspicions that would make the poor experience even worse.

Amy had already moved on to Sonic and the others. She quickly handed Tails and Rouge some of her standard recipe for them to enjoy, but for the blue hedgehog she attempted to hand feed it to him herself. He very quickly rejected the idea, opting to just grab some off her plate and stuff a few in his mouth as he exclaimed about how good they were. She simply smiled, laughing as she placed the rest of the sweets on the coffee table.

The pink hedgehog glanced back at Shadow for a moment, before huffing and patting down her skirt.

"Well, I would have loved to stay..." She began, idly scratching her cheek. "But I think with how late it's getting I should probably head out. I can drop by again later and we can discuss what to do with GUN. Does that sound okay?"

Shadow wanted to point out that the sun was still well in the sky by this point, but a glance at the others in the room told him all he needed to. Everyone looked like they were on the verge of exhaustion, no doubt a result of the long mission that Team Sonic had undertaken in his recovery and the long wait they must have gone through as a result of their fighting.

"Yeah..." Tails yawned, stretching his arms over his head as he hopped onto his feet. "I think we are all deserving of a good rest."

"Agreed." Rouge sighed, her torso leaning back and forth ever so slightly. "I know I'll be sleeping like a rock tonight. I'm going to head out with Omega."

"I DO NOT REQUIRE SLEEP. I WILL STAY HERE." The robot called back, optical sensors focusing back and forth rapidly.

"Oh, no you don't." The bat replied, waving her hand in a familiar annoyance. "You may not sleep, but you definitely charge. We can come back later- I'm sure tails is going to have tons of stuff you can help out with later."

"...ACKNOWLEDGED." The machine replied eventually, reluctantly following Rouge as she walked towards the door.

As she passed Shadow, he looked over to him, raising both her eyebrows as she leaned in.

"Hey, we need to talk tomorrow. Should be about the same time, yeah?"

The Ultimate Lifeform nodded, folding his arms across his chest as he watched his former team members go. Amy was quick to follow suit after, giving everyone a silent wave as she disappeared through the door.

"I grabbed some sheets and put them beside the couch." Tails explained, going over to the door to make sure it was locked. "It's not a fold-out sofa or anything, but... it'll do okay in a pinch. Feel free to use the kitchen too if you get hungry or thirsty."

The tired fox finished his explanation, stiff body stumbling towards his bedroom as he disappeared inside.

The blue hedgehog waited for his brother's door to close, after which he turned to face his rival. He opened his mouth to say something, but found himself unable to actually speak the words on his mind. With that he just shrugged, huffing as he shook his head and stepped towards the hallway. He paused for a moment, turning back to Shadow as he tried to speak again.

"Listen, Shads... If you're ever feeling down about something, please just... consider telling me. Please?"

The other hedgehog quietly nodded as he turned back to face the couch. He could hear the sound of Sonic's footsteps moving further into the house, stopping shortly after the sound of a bedroom door closing. True to the fox's word, there was a set of folded linens set aside for the couch, ready to make it a makeshift bead. Within minutes he had spread it out, laying down on the soft and cool fabric before curling up into a small ball.

Despite the lack of necessity, he couldn't help but feel the exhaustion creep up on him, slowly lulling him into a state of slumber that tugged his eyelids down until they were closed.

Sleep sounded nice. Perhaps it was just another extension of his tendency to shut everything out, but at this point he could hardly bring himself to care. He just let the waves of slumber take him away, hoping that whatever dreams may come, if any, give him the chance to recover.

He had to try to be better, even if it hurt.

It's what his friends would want.