Thank you AstralDragoness for the amazing Deviantart fanart! it looks like a disney cartoon with all those lovely colors (:
also, if you have made fanart and want to be called out, please post it somewhere i can see it! that way i can show other people what you've done

The East gate was…underwhelming to say the least. It had become more than apparent that the North gate, which Silver had entered, was the main gate to Savannah city and held the most impressive architecture. The same could not be said for the eastward access. Even from a distance, the young hoglet could tell that the side entrance to the city was less than optimal for tourism. Heck, it was less than optimal for anything. It only seemed to be good at one thing. To keep things out. With a patchy looking log door and a questionable guardhouse on top, it seemed that's all the East entrance would ever be doing. Keeping things out.

How disappointing.

"You're going to alert the whole neighborhood if you keep sighing like that." Shadow whispered, crouching lower on the rooftop as he surveyed the distant structure.

"It's not pretty…" Silver grumbled. "The other gate was pretty."

"It's not supposed to be."

"Why not?"

"Why not?" Shadow frowned. "Not everything can afford to be aesthetic, Silver."

"Aesthetic?"

"A concern of beauty, or congeniality to the eye."

"Con gee nee al itty?"

"Oh for- just keep quiet."

With another dissatisfied puff, Silver laid his chin on the elder's shoulder - watching the distant gate for…something. Why was Shadow so far away anyways? Shouldn't they be storming the guardhouse for the Emerald? Sitting 5 blocks away watching the main road for nonexistent movement was feeling like a waste of time. The sun would start rising any minute now and candles were already beginning to appear in various windowsills around the city.

"Are we-"

"Shh."

Frowning heavily, Silver slammed his forehead into the metal shoulder guard. The hoglet felt he would explode if they had to sit there for another achingly long minute. Why on earth was Shadow waiting anyways? Frustration and boredom crept up his fur as the seconds ticked by. Slowly, his fingers began to tighten, grasping around the adult's cloak with juvenile claws. Hissing through pursed lips, he strained his tense body. A soft scraping noise emerged from the fabric as he closed his fingers tighter and tighter, angrily clenching his teeth with bulging eyes and a frustrated-

Crunch.

Something in his mouth loosened, jaw sliding abruptly to the left upon the unexpected noise. A pinch of pain jolted through his gums as a familiar taste began to fill his mouth. Warm….rich…thick…metallic…

Face growing pale, Silver loosened his lips - watching as a dark substance dripped down his muzzle and onto the leather below. The scent of blood wafted through the night air as Silver stared at the droplets; increasingly aware of a new object in his mouth. Nervously, the hoglet opened his jaw. Sliding his tongue forwards, he pushed the hardened thing out - cupping his left hand to catch it on its way down….

White.

Ivory white bone.

Silver inhaled, only giving himself a brief second before a shrill shriek emerged from his body - piercing the air for only a fraction of a moment before a leather glove slammed over his mouth. Like a shadow, the elder slipped behind a box. Eyes wild and fur puffed, Silver attempted to scream once more only for the ranger to tighten his grip with a growl.

"What are you doing! You could have…."

Angered red eyes dulled to confusion as Silver began to cry. Fear and panic shook through the hoglet's body once more, surging hard as he closed his bloodied hand tight. Glancing over the box to the abandoned road, Shadow scanned the surroundings. Empty, of course.

"What's wrong?" Shadow sighed, pulling the frightened child off his shoulders and onto the rooftop.

"My mouth…its...my…I…there's a crunch…and then blood…I felt..I…" Silver whimpered out, unable to form a straight sentence as he held his fist tight to his chest.

Looking left and right, Shadow scanned the environment once more.

"What is it?" The ranger whispered, lowering his voice even further.

"My blood..and…and…then..I.."

"Calm down and tell me what happened."

With a sob, Silver held out his fist. Concern laced Shadow's brows upon spying the blood-marked fur. Yet, before the ranger could examine the ivory paw, Silver opened his hand; revealing the lump of bone nestled in his palm.

"...that's all?" Shadow frowned, ears drooping slightly under the hood as his body slumped in vexation.

Silver merely nodded, wiping away a thick tear before it could roll off of his face.

With a sigh, Shadow reached behind his back. Seating himself on the dusty rooftop, Silver watched as the ranger began to dig in his pouch - shuffling about various things before pulling out what was left of the bandages. With a wave of his glove, Shadow's fingertips sparkled to life with the familiar Chaos energy. Despite witnessing death and destruction with such power not an hour earlier, Silver felt comforted by the soft glow of the buzzing power. Its gentle light illuminated his eyes with a warm vibrance as the ranger cut a small strip from the bandage.

"Let me see." Shadow ordered, waving his glowing fingertips about in a gesture for Silver to open up.

Peering inside the hoglet's mouth, Shadow let out a small sigh.

"Put this where your tooth used to be." The ranger whispered, handing the rolled up strip to the young hedgehog. "Your new molar will start to erupt within the month."

"New?" Silver sniffled, voice slightly lisped by the cloth in his mouth.

"Your body begins to repla-"

Snap.

In a flash, Shadow pressed himself against the rooftop - pulling the confused child down with him. What light that the ranger had been emitting snuffed out in milliseconds as a shuffling noise echoed down the abandoned nighttime road. Grumbling and muttering filled the air as a disgruntled figure began to approach the East gate.

With a gesture to follow, Shadow began to crawl along the rooftop. Like a snake on the forest floor he slipped across the distance, stopping at the very edge of the roof in order to spy upon the approaching person. Silver did his best to copy the adult's precise movements. Flattening his back and spreading his limbs wide, Silver skittered across the adobe.

"Take it to East Gate, Phantom." The figure mumbled sarcastically to himself, kicking a stray rock until it clattered against a nearby wall. "He'll never suspect it, Phantom."

Shadow narrowed his eyes, gesturing once again for the hoglet to watch as a familiar blue hood meandered into view.

"Idiots." The Captain hissed. "He's way smarter than that."

Clank.

Like a discarded ragdoll, a pair of keys hit the floor - dropping through the weasel without an ounce of grace.

"Brilliant." The Captain growled.

Leaning down, the weasel attempted to pick up his keys, fingers sliding through the metal ring on each attempt.

"Ugh- Come ON!"

Frustrated, the weasel began to scratch at the ground. Claws drawn and eyes wild, he scraped at the floor. With each failed attempt, he grew visibly more frustrated - black-tipped tail flicking and foot tapping in anguished resentment.

"Do I have to start sleeping with my keys now too?" He hissed, pulling at his face with an exasperated huff. "I can't keep doing this…"

"Stay here." Shadow mouthed, speaking without words to his prodigy as he tapped his finger against the rooftop.

Slowly, the ranger reached behind himself, searching around the adobe structure until he found a fair-sized pebble. Upon bringing it in front of himself, the ranger carefully loaded it between his fingers. Silver hunched his shoulders and sucked in his cheeks, watching and waiting to see what the elder would do. Red eyes squinted as Shadow carefully selected his target. Any second…Any moment…

Flick.

Clack.

The pebble bounced against a wooden barrel - flinging across the roadway into an alleyway with echoing clicks.

"Who's there!" Phantom shouted, drawing his blade and turning to the alleyway with wild eyes.

Within the blink of an eye, Shadow bolted across the roadway - slipping behind the Captain and snatching the keys off the road without as much as a gentle blow. Before the weasel turned back, the ranger had already scaled another wall. Slipping behind a barrel, Shadow made eye contact with his prodigy - gesturing once again for the hoglet to stay put.

"What the-" Phantom gasped, turning to his keys only to find them no longer present. "Who?"

Silver slapped his hands across his mouth. If the Captain heard him now, he would be done - through with. Absolutely dead.

"Shadow." Phantom growled. "I know you're here."

Whipping around, the weasel pointed his knife at the alleyway. Frantically, the captain twisted and turned - pointing his blade at various objects as his eyes grew wider and wider.

"Shadow!" He shouted. "Show yourself, you coward!"

"Oh Phantom." Shadow spoke. "You know me too well."

In a black blur, he dashed - disappearing from his place in a brief afterimage.

"What do you want with me, Captain?" He spoke again, voice echoing from below as Silver frantically looked around for his mentor. "Haven't you gotten what you wanted?"

"No!" Phantom hissed, pointing his knife at a box. "I-I'm not through with you!"

"What more could you possibly want from me?" Shadow asked, slipping behind Silver with a bored tone. "I have nothing for you."

"Show yourself!"

"Why?" Shadow asked, somewhere across from the nervous hoglet. "Why should I play fair with you after that stunt you pulled with my Prodigy?"

"I-I can still take you!" The Captain shouted. "I can still fight!"

Silver held his fists to his cheeks, fighting the instinctual need to curl in an effort to see what would inevitably happen.

Two glowing red eyes sparkled to life from the alleyway, prompting the weasel to point his blade at the approaching ranger. Daggers drawn, Shadow stepped into the moonlight - hood down and face in full view for the young captain to see. Baring his teeth, the weasel pulled himself to a fighting stance.

"It's over, Phantom." Shadow growled, turning his blades slightly so they glistened in the setting moon. "You know you can't do this."

"It's not over." The Captain hoarsely hissed, wiping his nose. "I beat you once - I can do it again!"

With a yell, the weasel lunged forwards. His screaming dagger sliced through the air in its ghoulish howl, aimed straight for Shadow's head. With a bored blink, the ranger turned. In the small motion, Phantom slipped right past the ranger and into the alleyway - unaware as the hedgehog lifted his boot and spun around in another roundhouse kick.

Smack.

Phantom's blade hit the floor in a whining clatter, knocked from its owner's hand as the ranger's kick flew through the intangible captain. Turning on his heel, the weasel flung himself at Shadow. Like a bowing performer, the hedgehog ducked - reaching up with dual blades and slicing the cobalt blue cloak into half. Phantom roared as his prized fabric fluttered to the ground, settling onto the dust in a crumbled square.

"You-"

"Where is your fight, Phantom?" Shadow asked, falling from a bow to a kneeled position. "You can't be tired already, why have you given up?"

"I haven't given up." The weasel growled, voice shaking and fists quaking. "I'll never give up…not until I beat you!"

In an enraged scream the weasel aimed a kick at the ranger. With a sturdy forearm, Shadow blocked the blow - only showing mild surprise when the attack went right through.

"And what will that give you?" Shadow asked, ducking another punch and slipping past a kick. "Bragging rights? A fancy title? If you fight merely to fight, you get no joy from winning or losing."

"I hate you!" Phantom screamed, sweeping at the Ranger's legs only for the hedgehog to hop his kick. "I hate you so much and I'll prove it!"

"What have I ever done to you, Phantom?" Shadow asked, attempting to grab the weasel's wrist only for his gloves to phase through. "What did I do to destroy you this much?"

"That attack on Central Base…" Phantom wheezed out, hissing through gritted teeth as he swiped at the ranger's ears. "You burnt the place to the ground…you took down one of our most fortified bases….and I survived."

Shadow slashed at the weasel's wrist - cutting loose one of the buckles that held the glove in place.

"You took everything I ever knew." The Captain continued. "You destroyed my home - my childhood!"

Losing the damaged glove, Phantom kicked his knife off the ground - slashing at Shadow in a flurry of sweeps and swings. Stepping back with the blows, Shadow blocked the screaming blade with his own. Expertly the two combatants slipped back and forth.

"That's not why you're angry." Shadow stated, halting a strike to his face with a raised blade. "You saw something that day."

"You're right." Phantom growled, pushing off the elder. "I saw you."

Whirling his boot around, he kicked at the hedgehog.

"I saw power unlike anything I've ever seen." The weasel growled. "I had been told I was undefeatable - unkillable - the ultimate syndicate soldier!"

Sparks illuminated the roadway as blades sliced along each other in a horrendous screech. With a whine, Silver rubbed his ears - spine tingling at the mere noise of metal on metal.

"But then you showed up!" Phantom shouted. "Knocked everything down!"

Red stared into silver as the daggers crossed once more.

"Who was I against the Ultimate Life Form."

"That's not the whole story." Shadow stated, narrowing his eyes. "You saw something - I see that look in your eyes."

With a growl, Phantom pushed off of Shadow's blades once more - spinning around and around as he attempted to slash at the ranger again and again.

"WHAT DO YOU SEE, SHADOW?" He screamed, kicking and swiping as the hedgehog dodged each blow. "WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY SEE IN A WRETCH LIKE ME?"

"I have something you want." Shadow stated, twirling on his toes and slicing the buckle off the other paw. "I have something you desperately want."

"WHAT COULD YOU POSSIBLY GIVE ME?" Phantom screamed, eyes bloodshot from rage and strain.

"What did you see that day?" Shadow asked, calmly pointing his knife at the weasel. "What did you learn that made you so broken?"

"I was obsessed with you!" Phantom screeched, sliding off his glove and assuming a fighting stance."I dedicated my life to being better than you! To prove I was worth something!"

"What do I have that warrants your dedication, Phantom." Shadow pressed, opening his posture to expose his chest. "What did you see?"

"I read everything about you." Phantom hissed. "I studied you - Signal - Axon - Tone…"

"What did you see?"

"I needed to prove I was good enough - I needed to prove…I needed…"

"Silver, stay where you are." Shadow ordered, making eye contact with the hoglet as the child attempted to move off of the rooftop.

"You don't know what it's like!" The captain shouted, pointing his bare claw at the ranger as he dropped his blade to the dirt. "To be shouted at every day - to starve in a cell for not performing everything just right…"

A scrunching thump sounded in Silver's ears as Phantom sunk to his knees before the ranger.

"And then you march into that place…set everything ablaze..kill everyone…and pull out those kids…" Phantom choked. "You don't know what it's like!"

Shadow lowered his blades.

"To not be able to hug your own mother…o-or go days without food because you couldn't even pick up the spoon…" Phantom sobbed. "And then you…"

"You…"

Phantom let out a hiss as he slammed his fists against the ground, teeth bared and eyes glistening from the moonlit air. From his place on the rooftop, Silver felt a twinge of sorrow pang through his heart. There was something about the weasel that tugged at the young hoglet. But what was it? Unsure of what to do, Silver shuffled closer to the edge of the roof.

"This isn't about being the ultimate soldier." Shadow stated, relaxing his shoulders and crouching down to the distraught weasel. "This isn't about proving yourself…is it."

"You took Tone from Central Base." Phantom hoarsely growled. "You took him from my own captain."

Slowly, Silver slipped off the roof - claws scraping loudly against the bricked walls as he clambered down the uncomfortable distance. When his boots scrunched onto the dirty street below, the young hedgehog turned to face the two only to be met by one of the harshest glares he had ever seen. Without moving his eyes, and without moving his lips, the adult demanded that Silver stayed directly where he was in the most violent stare imaginable.

"He killed people, Shadow, he killed his own dang parents!" Phantom screamed, looking up into the elder's red eyes. "And yet you took him…"

"Tone had no control over his own power." Shadow stated. "I was the only one who could surv-"

"Neither did I."

Phantom gripped his fallen knife.

"My mother sold me, because she couldn't care for me." The captain hissed. "I spent every day with those…those…those monsters as they scolded and berated me."

"Why are you here, Phantom?" Shadow asked, meeting the ghostly gaze straight on. "Why are you telling me this, explain your reasoning."

"You trained Tone…" Phantom growled, gripping his knife even harder. "You took him in and pulled him from that dark place…"

"That was forty years ago, why are you obsessed with it?" Shadow pressed, adjusting his hold on his dagger. "What did I do there that warranted your wrath before you were born?"

"I trained every day, to prove that I was better..." Phantom whispered. "To prove that I was good enough…"

Silver froze as the captain deeply inhaled. From his place nearby, the hoglet could see the trembling muscles tense and the black-tipped tail twitch. What was he…?

"To prove I was good enough for you!"

With the scream of confession, Phantom swung his knife - aiming straight for Shadow's neck as tears of rage streamed down his ghostly white muzzle. Sparks sprung from between the figures as the ranger blocked the blow with a reaction time only afforded to a supersonic hedgehog. Following through with the motion, Shadow twisted his dagger. Silver squeaked as the elder fully extended his arm; directing the loosed knife and flinging it before the young hoglet. Wordlessly, the shaken child seized the captain's blade from the ground- holding it close to his chest with Shadow's approving stare.

"I needed you!" Phantom shouted. "I saw how you handled your prodigy and I needed that!"

Shadow leaned back on his heels as a softer expression lined his stone features.

"You don't know what it's like!" The weasel sobbed. "My whole life...agony…"

Silver flinched as the captain slammed his fists back into the ground.

"Always screaming… never knowing… you'd spend the night wondering if you'd die from the next day and I was trapped!" Phantom yelled. "You don't know what it's like! I needed you Shadow! I needed you!"

"I do know what it's like." The ranger spoke, voice slow and easy to hear. "My earliest memories are of restraints and needles."

Sniffling, the young captain rubbed his eyes.

"Electricity, drowning, bullets, knives…all of it to test my endurance and strength." Shadow continued. "You had been starved and berated, I had been deprived of autonomy and tortured."

Slowly, the hedgehog stood from his place on the road - never taking his eyes off of the disparaged weasel.

"I'm sorry, Phantom." He spoke, sheathing his knives and pulling his cloak to hide them from view. "I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you, and I'm sorry I couldn't rescue countless others."

Phantom only remained, shivering from rage and despair.

"I cannot help you." Shadow sighed, pulling his hood up. "Any involvement of mine would do more damage than harm."

"I hate you… so much…" Phantom sobbed, grabbing at the dirt only for it to pass through his fingers. "Take your Prodigy…Take the Emerald… Just leave and never come back… Never show your face to me again…"

"Phantom…" Shadow spoke, crouching back down to the young captain. "You don't have to stay with them."

"You don't understand…" Phantom hissed. "They'll hunt me down…they'll skin me alive - they've done it before…"

"They can't, and they know it." Shadow growled. "You can barely control what you touch, let alone what things can touch you."

The quivering eyes looked up.

"Run from here." Shadow ordered, pointing towards the gate. "Make for the South Sea and cross until you reach the Hidden Island. There is a village of humans there who will take you in."

"Why are you doing this…?" Phantom asked, wiping his nose. "Why must you show pity?"

"I couldn't save you then, and I cannot save you now." Shadow explained, standing once more. "The best I can do is get you on the track to forge your own destiny."

Nervously, the captain rose to his feet, straightening his face and brushing the droplets from his muzzle. With a slow pivot, Phantom turned towards the gate.

"Wait!" Silver piped up, holding the knife closer to his chest as he slowly stepped closer to the two adults. "It's not safe out there…"

Shuffling up to the older weasel, Silver held up the whistling knife. Wordlessly, Phantom stretched out his hands - aiming to take the precious blade only to phase through its surface.

"It's been off my body too long…" He sighed, waving his fingers through the hardened metal. "I can't pick it up…"

"...I didn't know other people could hurt in that way…" Silver pondered, holding his hands in place beneath the knife. "Worrying about food every day…I mean…"

"There isn't a person who doesn't hurt in some way, Silver." Shadow pointed out. "Everyone has their burden to bear."

"When you can't be kicked or punched, the only thing that works is starvation." Phantom sighed, continually grabbing at the knife until his hands picked it up. "I'm sorry you had to go through that…young Prodigy…"

"I'm getting used to food." Silver smiled. "I'm sure you can too someday."

"...yeah I'm sure I will…"

Turning towards Shadow, the weasel opened his mouth.

"The Emerald is in the third box on the top row - left side." Phantom nervously directed, sheathing the knife at his hip. "Diamond key."

"As soon as the city is out of sight, lose the hood." Shadow ordered. "Change your appearance as much as possible and do not look back."

Phantom only nodded.

"The road to recovery is long and hard - ridden with setbacks and pitfalls that drag you back to the beginning." The ranger explained. "Your past as a Syndicate Captain does not define you, and your actions and atrocities are of brainwashing and conditioning. You will feel struggle and regret after leaving, but do not look back. Give yourself some time and you will find structure outside of the Syndicate."

Phantom nodded once more, tears welling at his eyes in a surge of emotion.

"I'm sorry I couldn't rescue you." Shadow sighed, reaching down and grabbing Silver's paw before the hoglet could wander off. "It is now up to you to rescue yourself. Travel light, and travel fast."