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Entry 25

For Your Sake

''Certainly, if you now look back on it, even with an immensely sad everyday life. At that moment, that night, that instant, the two of us were always together. The sadness that has passed us both will remain forever in our hearts, like the time we met each other, if we are a little bit more honest. I can keep on living, if with you. I will keep on living, for your sake! But I don't know if I can become the way that you wish me to be…''

Midori no Hibi by Sonic X

xXxXxXx

Sonic gritted his teeth, doing a backflip to avoid a leg sweep from Metal Sonic, only to leap to the side to avoid a punch, which splintered the tree bark behind him. Sonic took a moment to breathe, but Metal Sonic immediately turned to him and switched over to firing energy blasts at Sonic. Sonic dashed around them, with the energy blasts leaving small craters in the ground.

''Geez! Couldn't you ease up on the collateral damage?'' Sonic asked, trying to keep the battle lighthearted. Despite his smirk, he had to note that Metal Sonic was somehow much faster and stronger than before. He took a starting position and spin dashed right into his metallic counterpart. However, Metal Sonic managed to block it with his Black Shield, grabbing Sonic by his peach fur and slamming him into the ground. Sonic cried out in pain, squinting at Metal Sonic, who held up his clawed hand, ready to finish him off. His ears twitched as he heard a beeping noise coming from Metal Sonic, and he chuckled nervously.

''Dude… I still cannot understand you.''

Metal Sonic's eyes glowed red, clearly being angry that his attempts at gloating to Sonic were undermined by his rival not understanding a thing of what he said.

''Metal said that it's quite pathetic that you went down so easily,'' Ferra said, hovering above the two on her hoverboard. ''He thinks that a rival of his should do better than this.''

''Thanks for the translation,'' Sonic responded dryly.

''You're welcome,'' Ferra replied sincerely, a smug smirk on her lips. However, both she and Metal Sonic were surprised by the confident smile Sonic had shown.

''Nevertheless, I'm not down for the count yet,'' Sonic responded, kicking Metal Sonic into the chest. Metal Sonic staggered back, but quickly prepared for another energy blast, only to get kicked in the back by another figure.

''What?'' Ferra was surprised to suddenly see Rouge flying up, with Metal Sonic turning towards her furiously, his red eyes glowing. Rouge, on the other hand, appeared to be more amused by the situation.

''My, my, you are quite popular Big Blue,'' Rouge told Sonic as he got up.

''What are you doing here Rouge?'' Sonic asked her. ''Did you decide to back me up?''

''Oh, I'm on a mission of my own,'' Rouge replied, pointing with her thumb behind her. ''Your back-up is over there.''

''Sonic!''

''Lucas!'' Sonic was relieved to see his partner flying into the area on his hoverboard. Ferra frowned, gritting her teeth, wondering how Lucas and Rouge had managed to find them even though they had a jammer that prevented Sonic from calling his friends. She turned to Metal Sonic, who had clenched his fist.

'I want to go all out.'

''I had figured the initial battle wouldn't satisfy you,'' Ferra muttered, smiling as she turned towards Lucas and Sonic. However, before she could continue, she suddenly felt a tug at her hair, forcing her to look up and see Rouge holding her AR Visor. ''Hey! Give it back!''

''I'm sorry, honey, but I'm holding this for inspection,'' Rouge replied, with Metal Sonic suddenly charging at her, only to get knocked out of the air by Sonic. Rouge wasn't fazed by this a bit, opening a holographic screen to check through the data held within the AR Visor. The reason she did this was because of a conversation she had earlier with Lucas as they raced towards where Sonic was.

''I know that Dr. Eggman is behind this, considering how Badniks are attacking our team and Sonic had been snatched away by Metal Sonic. However, Touka and Shadow being suddenly kidnapped doesn't make any sense. I don't think Eggman would be behind that,'' Lucas told Rouge. ''However, if those shadow-like figures are what I think they are and if they're working together with the Badniks, then that's our only clue to finding them, as neither Touka nor Shadow have their trackers active.''

''So, you think Metal Sonic's partner might really have any information regarding their whereabouts?'' Rouge asked.

''I honestly don't know, but I am going to follow my gut feeling. I'm definitely not gonna stop until I know that all of my friends are safe,'' Lucas replied. Rouge was a quite amazed by his tenacity, the look of surprise being quickly replaced by a soft grin.

''You and your friends are sure interesting. I'm glad I decided to stick around.'' Lucas was surprised by her response, with Rouge flying ahead of him.

While Lucas and Sonic are distracting the two, I can fulfill my part of the mission, Rouge thought to herself as she read through the recent messages on Ferra's AR Visor, ignoring the fight between Sonic and Metal Sonic below her. She almost immediately came across a message from someone named ''Toshiro'', showing her coordinates to something described as a remote Egg Base at the north of Neos City. '''Don't come here until Mephiles and I are done with Touka and Shadow. It will get messy.' Seems like Lucas' gut feeling was right.''

''Rouge, watch out!''

Rouge flew up to avoid an energy blast, startled by Sonic's warning. She saw Metal Sonic flying right towards her and threw the AR Visor at him, forcing him to stop to catch it, as she already transferred the coordinates to her own AR Visor, an eye-piece with a light blue lense.

''Good luck with the battle, Big Blue!'' Rouge called out to Sonic before flying away. The latter just gave her a thumbs up before confronting Metal Sonic again, who returned the AR Visor to Ferra. She fumed, wondering what Rouge was up to, but given how now Lucas was here to assist Sonic, they had to focus on the current battle.

''I suppose we should just clean things up,'' Ferra replied, still being on her hoverboard, with Metal Sonic hovering next to her, both keeping a distance from Sonic. She extended her arm towards Metal Sonic, who reached for it. ''Chaos Surge!''

''Chaos Surge!''

Lucas and Sonic immediately responded to Ferra and Metal Sonic's move. They both knew that this would happen, and now Sonic, surrounded by neon blue energy was staring down at Metal Sonic, who was surrounded by neon dark blue energy crackling around him like electricity, his red eyes now glowing a dark crimson. They moved, vanishing from their respective spots and clashing mid-air, Sonic's foot being caught by Metal Sonic's claws, the energy sparking between them. Metal Sonic attempted to punch Sonic, but the latter curled into ball, feeling Metal Sonic's fist connect with his spines, but was shielded from the damage.

He landed on the ground, only for Metal Sonic to suddenly appear right in front of him, going for another punch, with Sonic spin-dashing right into Metal Sonic, knocking him back. Before he could make another move, Metal Sonic suddenly fired a bunch of energy blasts faster than one could even register, causing explosions all around the field. However, much to his shock, a blue blur emerged out of the smoke, hitting Metal Sonic at full speed. He managed to remain in the air, but Sonic followed it up with a homing attack, smashing Metal Sonic right into the ground.

He leapt back, placing his hand over his chest and feeling his heart racing. His breath was shallow, having to strain himself to handle Metal Sonic and using all of his power to actually land a hit on him. Still, he smirked as he saw Metal Sonic get up, whose red eyes flashed as he crackled with energy and glared at Sonic.

''Not bad, Metal, not bad.''

xXx

Tomoe Sakamoto took a deep breath, enjoying the soft breeze, her brown eyes closed as she listened to the rustling of the leaves and felt the warm sunlight on her pale skin. She was sitting in a wheel-chair, wearing a light blue sundress with a white blanket covering the lower half of her body. Moving around had become quite difficult for her in the past months, as her illness had spread and weakened her. She yearned to spend as much time outside as possible, especially in such pleasant weather and enjoy the fresh air, but she knew that she had to return to the safety of the Codex Research Facility for the sake of her own health.

Tomoe sighed as she thought about her condition. Since she was a young child, she had spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals, being always sick and the doctors could never figure out what exactly had ailed her. Eventually, her father made the discovery, but unfortunately, there wasn't any cure for her sickness. However, her father had promised her that he would do his best to find a cure… and he had succeeded. Although, it wasn't really the cure Tomoe had expected. She lowered her head, opening her eyes as she thought about the conversation she had with her father.

''I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but unfortunately, your body is just not strong enough to recover on its own, even if I had a reliable cure. However, the kind of ''cure'' I have is more than enough. You'll be finally be able to walk again and go outside on your own, without any assistance,'' Hiroshi Sakamoto told her. Tomoe was silent for a moment.

''H-How long is it going to take until...?''

''Only a couple of weeks more. Then, everything will be over.''

''Will it really be?'' Tomoe muttered. Despite the assurances, she felt there was still a lot of information missing. While her father was transparent regarding the ''cure'', she still felt a pit in her stomach whenever she thought about it. She knew that she was dying, despite her father trying to avoid discussing this topic whenever she initiated a conversation, and she wanted to live, but oftentimes, the idea of a death haunted her mind. If this ''cure'' failed, she hoped that death would be painless, like drifting off to sleep.

''Tomoe!''

Tomoe let out a sigh as she heard her father calling for her. She may have been outside for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, far shorter than usual. She turned her head around, seeing her father approaching her and grabbing the handles of her wheelchair.

''How do you feel?'' Sakamoto asked her.

''Tired…'' Tomoe murmured. She always felt tired, her legs being paralyzed and suffering from muscle atrophy. ''Couldn't I stay outside for a bit longer? Please, Daddy?''

''I'm sorry, but you have to go to your check-up,'' Sakamoto replied. A shadow fell over Tomoe's face as the green grass and trees and warm sunlight was replaced with the coldness and sterility of the Codex Research Facility. She knew that she had to stay inside for her own health, but she hated it. Being inside made her feel more sick than she already was. She wanted to be outside, able to go wherever she wanted rather than cooped up in her room. She wanted to experience a normal life, but until she finally was cured, that would be impossible. She took a deep breath, feeling a piercing sensation in her chest, but did her best to ignore it. It wasn't the kind of pain she usually felt when she had trouble breathing. Instead, it was this suffocating feeling, as if someone placed a heavy stone on her chest. She gasped, trembling as a tear flowed down her cheek.

I want this to end.

''Tomoe…'' Sakamoto gently called for his daughter, but the response he got were quiet sobs. He didn't say anything as he silently wheeled her towards the med bay, feeling devastated. He could only observe as his daughter wasted away, her skin sallow and dark rings under her eyes. Her body was failing her, acting like a prison and he knew just in how much pain she was, even if she tried not to show it.

Please, just stay patient for a little longer. Soon, you will have a new body.

xXx

''Tomoe?'' Sakamoto stared at the girl before him, his daughter, being shocked not only by her appearance, but also by the look of confusion and disgust on her expression. ''You're here… You're alive… It worked!''

''Wh-What are you talking about?'' 'Tomoe' asked, her tone being distrustful and too formal. Sakamoto raised an eyebrow. His daughter never addressed him like this.

''Have you forgotten? I gave you a new, better body after your illness almost killed you,'' Sakamoto explained. 'Tomoe' shook his head, trembling. Rather than relief, she was horrified. ''Tomoe, what is wrong-''

''Don't call her that!''

Sakamoto was stunned when a black and red hedgehog growled at him, standing protectively in front of 'Tomoe'. It took Sakamoto a moment to recognize him, but he then realized this hedgehog was the result of Project Shadow; Subject S-2005, as he called him. Sakamoto's eyes flicked back towards 'Tomoe', the gears in his head turning as it slowly dawned upon him. He glared at the hedgehog, now remembering what had happened all those years ago.

''You! You ruined everything because of your silly outburst!'' Sakamoto growled, pure hatred in his eyes. Shadow just glared back at his creator.

''You owe us answers,'' he responded in a cold and demanding tone, with the teenage girl behind him speaking up, ''Why are you calling me Tomoe?''

Sakamoto gritted his teeth. How foolish of him to mistake this inferior copy for his daughter! Of course, he hadn't seen Touka in ages, so it was no surprise. The resemblance was uncanny… and it disgusted him.

''I suppose I cannot hide it anymore. I have lost everything, after all,'' Sakamoto grumbled. Toshiro and Mephiles, who were standing behind him, exchanged smirks, clearly looking forward to this conversation. ''More than 10 years ago, I had a daughter, Tomoe, who was my pride and joy. Unfortunately, she suffered from an illness that caused her body to deteriorate, becoming a prison for her mind. She was wasting away, confined to a wheelchair, and there was no cure for this illness, leading to a slow and painful death.''

Sakamoto shuddered at the memory of his daughter lying in bed, already at death's door. ''I had to find a way to save her, and my path led me to eventually working at the Codex Research Facility, who provided me with all the materials I needed to find a cure. Since there was no vaccine nor surgery that could cure her, in my desperation, I started to eventually construct an artificial body for her, one that resembled her old body and was genetically the same, except I added special modificiations to it so she wouldn't suffer from any kind of illness ever again.''

Touka felt a cold chill flowing down her spine as she listened to Sakamoto's explanation, her heart-beat increasing and her breath shallow. She felt numb, unable to say anything as she just stared at the Professor's eyes, now cold and dead as he lost himself in his memories.

''Once the artificial body had been finished, all that was left to do was to use the technology we had in mind to digitize Tomoe's memories and consciousness and transfer it to her new body while her old one perished on the surgery table,'' Sakamoto continued in a cold tone.

''Y-You mean…'' Touka trembled, her eyes wide in horror as she realized what this meant for her.

''When this 'body' awakened for the first time after the surgery, I had questioned it to see if it was successful. To my disappointed, the person before me wasn't my beloved Tomoe…''

Touka was now shaking, feeling cold. Her eyes were wide and her irises have shrunk. She remembered that moment vividly, having awoken and seeing Sakamoto sitting by her bedside, asking her questions about whether she knew who she was and who he was.

''N-No… I don't…'' she responded, staring at the man before her, the glint of hope now replaced with disappointment. She didn't understand why, but the man looked furious, trying to hide his rage under a cold mask. ''D-Do you know who I am?''

The man was at first hesitant to answer, but then responded, ''Your name is To-'' He stopped, as if having second thoughts, then continued, ''Touka. Your name is Touka, and you'll be staying at this facility for the foreseeable future.''

''I was shocked to see that the artificial body had gained a sapience of its own,'' Sakamoto continued, snapping Touka out of her memory. ''I believed that this lack of memory was only temporary and that Tomoe's true self would eventually resurface, but she never did. Instead, I was stuck with a failed project and a dead daughter.'' He frowned, growling, ''I should've terminated you when I had the chance!''

Touka recoiled as the man yelled at her, unable to respond. Her legs felt weak and she could barely comprehend what was going on. Toshiro's words echoed in her mind, ''You are not real. Your whole existence is a mere accident. Any memories you might have of a previous life are completely fake.''

''I'm not… real…'' Touka muttered quietly to herself in shock, feeling a wave of cold overwhelming her. She wanted to scream, but she was paralyzed, unable to move at all.

''If you really wanted to kill off Touka because she was a failed project, why did you keep her around?'' Shadow suddenly asked, drawing everyone's attention. He glared at his creator, hands balled in fists, completely enraged by what he just heard. However, he wasn't going to walk away without all the answers. Sakamoto hummed, sounding too serene for his comfort.

''The reason for that was that the government branch I worked for took note of my the artificial body and my failed project, now codenamed 'Touka'. We discovered that she had an unusually high amount of BioEnergy, probably because of all the modifications done to her body, and they wanted me to use her in tandem with another research focusing on the Irregulars and their connection to BioEnergy, with the eventual goal being to turn her into a weapon. This is how Project Shadow came around, but unfortunately, I had no way of creating an artificial Irregular,'' Sakamoto explained.

''Considering how I exist, you have clearly found a way to make it work,'' Shadow replied in a dry tone.

''Indeed. I had the aid of another contributor, who had provided me with the necessary data and process of creation,'' Sakamoto responded.

''Who is it?'' Shadow asked in a demanding tone. Sakamoto remained silent, hands crossed on his back as he observed the two, as if debating whether he should tell them or not.

''This person had told me to call them Saiba. Whether it is their real name or a pseudonym, I don't know and I believe that it doesn't matter,'' he said, tapping on his glasses which also doubled as an AR Visor. ''I will finish what I had begun. Your existence has come to an end.''

To Shadow's surprise, several Egg Pawns sporting lances entered the room. He knew that he could take them out, being more worried about Mephiles, but when he turned to Touka for support, he realized that she was in pain. She was shaking, eyes screwed shut and hands pressed against her temples, not even registering the danger they were in.

''No… I don't wanna… I'm not…''

Shadow realized that the situation was more dire than he thought at first, turning to his head to the Egg Pawns who charged at them. ''Chaos Spear!''

The spear of energy collided with the Badniks, creating an opening, with Shadow grabbing Touka's arm, dragging her along as they ran past them. Sakamoto frowned as he realized that the two escaped, then glared at Toshiro and Mephiles.

''What are you waiting for? Go after them!'' he yelled at the two. Toshiro and Mephiles simply exchanged glances, as if holding a conversation in their heads, with Toshiro shaking his head, much to Mephiles' clear disappointment. Instead, they headed outside, following the Egg Paws as the hunted down Shadow and Touka.

''You know, we could've been done with this by now,'' Mephiles told Toshiro.

''I thought you wanted to traumatize them as much as possible,'' Toshiro responded. Mephiles snorted in amusement at his comment, with Toshiro adding, ''There is still more that we can do.''

''I suppose you're right.''

xXx

Lucas could barely follow the battle between Sonic and Metal, as they entered hypersonic speed, only hearing the sound of clashing and seeing sparks of neon blue energy before they vanished and clashed again. He could feel his own BioEnergy being drained much faster than before, as Sonic fought Metal Sonic with all his might. Lucas hated that he couldn't help much here, but he understood that he'd be in Sonic's way and the last thing they needed is him being hit by Metal Sonic. He had to wonder how Ferra was doing, though, as she too probably felt exhausted from allowing Metal Sonic to use so much BioEnergy.

Sonic gritted his teeth as Metal Sonic charged up for another energy blast, with Sonic preparing for the hit. However, it took him a moment to realize that the blast would be strong enough to also affect Lucas. ''Watch out!''

Sonic grabbed Lucas arm, quickly dragging him away just as Metal Sonic fired, the explosion leaving a huge crater where they stood just a moment earlier. Sonic and Lucas took a look back, with Sonic muttering, ''This was close.''

He looked up at Metal Sonic, who was charging up again, but when looking at Ferra, he could see that she was getting really tired, yet she wasn't letting go off the connection they created via Chaos Surge. He glanced at Lucas. ''How are you doing?''

''Using up more BioEnergy than I'm used to, but I guess that's necessary to take down Metal Sonic,'' Lucas replied, giving him a thumbs up. Sonic felt a sting of guilt, wondering if he should just de-power.

''We lost the advantage of the Chaos Surge, that's obvious,'' Sonic furrowed a brow, adding, ''Maybe I can tire him out.'' He and Lucas suddenly had to leap to the side when Metal Sonic fired another charged shot, but this time weaker than the previous one. Sonic then shouted at Metal Sonic, ''Hey, Metalhead! I bet you can't catch up to me even with the Chaos Surge boost!''

It was enough to get Metal Sonic to follow him, with Sonic speeding through the streets of Neos City, followed closely by Metal Sonic. Lucas, meanwhile, turned towards Ferra, who was now on the ground, leaned against a tree, hand over her chest as the bursts of energy sparking around her body grew weaker.

''You're not going to last long if you continue like that,'' Lucas told her, with Ferra shooting a glare towards him.

''Don't worry, I can handle myself,'' she told him between breaths. ''I'm surprised you aren't trying to attack me.''

''We both know that this battle is between Sonic and Metal Sonic,'' Lucas responded calmly, folding his arms across his chest. Ferra just glared at him, but then the energy surrounding her vanished, severing her connection with Metal Sonic. She gasped, feeling exhausted, eyes widening in worry as she realized Metal Sonic didn't have her support anymore. However, she did feel a sense of relief when Lucas also stopped supplying Sonic with his own BioEnergy.

''Looks it this fight really is between just Metal and Sonic,'' she responded.

xXx

Sonic was racing through the streets, feeling more in his element in the bigger space, even though he had to avoid crashing into cars and pedestrians while Metal Sonic attempted to blast him again. He reached an footbridge, running up to it and using it to spin dash right into Metal Sonic, knocking him into a building, much to the surprise of the pedestrians. He took a deep breath, grinning as Metal Sonic de-powered, only to feel the Chaos Energy leaving him as well. ''Oh, well… I guess we're back to the usual.''

Metal Sonic recovered a bit too quick for Sonic's comfort, flying right at him and kicking him onto the street. Sonic hit the ground hard, shaking his head and quickly rolling to the side when Metal Sonic punched the asphalt, now clearly frustrated that his counterpart wasn't going down as easy as he hoped he would. Sonic, meanwhile, realized that he needed a change of tactics if he wanted to take down Metal Sonic, only for Lucas' words to intrude his mind, ''Your strategy is literally run fast and spin-dash into your opponents.''

''Yeah, Lucas is right,'' Sonic grumbled, doing a one-hand backflip to avoid Metal Sonic's punch and kept dodging the latter's attack. However, something popped in his mind. ''But, maybe, that's what I'm supposed to do?''

Sonic dodged another swipe coming from Metal Sonic, kicking his metallic counterpart in the chest, causing him to stumble back. To Metal Sonic's surprise, Sonic started to run once again and he quickly followed his counterpart. Sonic then focused, running as fast as he could, his heart racing and his surroundings being slightly distorted. Suddenly, a blue projectile-shaped energy shield appearing around him, with Sonic knowing that this was it. Taking a sharp turn, he spin dashed right into Metal Sonic, knocking him into the street, cracking the asphalt. Sonic came to a stop, taking a deep breath as he observed his metallic counterpart. The energy shield vanished and he realized that this time, Metal Sonic wasn't getting up. He looked at himself, his hands slightly shaking, as he wondered what he just did. It felt similar to Chaos Surge, but it was something he himself generated. It was as if he unlocked another level of his speed, but it also drained him of energy.

''I'm just glad this is finally over,'' Sonic sighed in relief.

''That's what you think, rodent!''

Sonic heard cries of surprise, followed by the sound of engines and turned around, stunned to see Dr. Eggman flying an aircraft of some sorts. The aircraft resembled a fighter, having drills on each side and a large rocket thruster on the rear. Sonic's jaw dropped, his expression screaming 'Are you kidding me?!'. He clearly wasn't in the mood to also deal with Eggman as well. Dr. Eggman, meanwhile, laughed in glee.

''Ohohoho, I see that you didn't expect me to appear! What do you think of the Egg Hornet? Quite an intimidating aircraft, isn't it?'' he said. Sonic just rolled his eyes.

''I'm surprised that you decided to make a live appearance, Egghead,'' he replied. Eggman ignored the nickname, grinning.

''I was just taking the opportunity that Metal Sonic and Ferra presented me on a silver platter. Not only are you exhausted from your battle with Metal Sonic, you cannot use Chaos Surge, and your friends are nowhere in vicinity to help you. You're roadkill!'' Dr. Eggman was lording over Sonic, who tried to keep his usual cocky demeanor.

''Is that all, Egghead? I'm getting bored here,'' Sonic responded, grinning. However, he knew that Eggman was right. He was exhausted from the battle and his new ability drained his energy further. However, he wasn't going down without a fight. Eggman's eyes narrowed, but he kept the smug smirk.

''As you wish.''

xXx

Shadow dragged Touka into a room, slamming the door behind them and hoping that the Egg Pawns hadn't noticed where they ran to. He spotted a bed in the corner, along with a dresser, figuring that this was where Sakamoto was sleeping. Taking a deep breath, he turned around.

''Touka, we have to… Touka?''

Shadow stopped, staring at Touka as she was sitting on the ground, back leaned against the wall, head sunk and arms hugging her knees as she stared ahead blankly, her eyes having no life in them. Shadow observed her solemnly, feeling a constricting sensation in his chest. He tried to push it back as he contemplated on what to do. His ears suddenly twitched as he heard stomping outside, and he stared at the door, fully alert and waiting for the Badniks to break in. However, to his relief, they just walked past the room. He turned back to Touka, who still stared ahead with that blank look.

''Touka…''

''I'm not…'' Touka whispered, screwing her eyes shut and clamping her hands over her ears, pressing tightly against her head as if trying to drown whatever voice was inside her head, sneering at her gleefully and relishing in her pain.

''…'' Shadow once again felt the constricting sensation in his chest, this time stronger. He knew he had more pressing matters, like finding a way out of this place, maybe caving in Mephiles' smug face with a well-placed punch, but at the moment, he knew that he needed to help Touka. He had never seen her act like this, so unresponsive. Even if Touka refused to talk to anyone else, she would still talk to him. But, now, she only resembled a shell of her former self, and Shadow knew that it was all because of what Sakamoto had said. ''Touka…''

He gently touched her shoulder, but she didn't react. Shadow sighed, looking around the room as if hoping that there was something that he could help him. He had to be honest with himself, he was never good at emotional comfort and support. It was always the other way around, with Touka being the one to comfort him. She was the one who had greater emotional strength and stability, and Shadow admired her for being able to bounce back from almost anything. He wished that he could do the same she did for him.

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, Shadow preparing to throw a Chaos Spear at the intruder. He didn't follow through with it, as the identity of the intruder genuinely surprised him.

''Rouge?'' Shadow's eyes widened in surprise, only to narrow as Chaos energy crackled in his hand. ''What are you doing here?!''

''Hey, hey, easy there, dear, I'm here on a mission.'' Rouge held up her hands in defensive manner, her tone assuring. ''Your friends asked me for help, so I went to find you.''

Friends? Shadow raised an eyebrow, his first instinct being to correct Rouge on Team Neos being his teammates, not friends, but he had more pressing matters to deal with. ''How did you find us?''

''One of Eggman's Enforcers had the coordinates for an Egg Base at the north of Neos City and I followed them as quickly as I could. What happened here?'' Rouge asked, looking at Touka, who didn't seem to even register Rouge's presence, looking almost catatonic. Shadow noted the look of pity she gave Touka, only to turn to the ebony hedgehog for answers. Shadow shook his head, with Rouge realizing he wasn't going to explain anything. She sighed, pressing her hand against her temple. ''Fine… I'm here, we need to get out. This place is crawling with robots and your kidnappers are searching for you. Your friends are currently occupied with the Doctor's forces, so they won't be be here anytime soon. Do you have a plan?''

Shadow still glared at her, clearly distrustful of her, and Rouge couldn't blame him. After all, she didn't leave a good impression on him or his friends. But then, to her surprise, Shadow spoke, ''I can Chaos Control Touka and I out of this place, but you will have to find your own way out.'' He furrowed a brow. ''I'd rather leave this place in ashes, though.''

''Chaos Control?'' Rouge rose an eyebrow. Shadow didn't answer, with her just shrugging, figuring that he wouldn't be explaining things that didn't concern her. Instead, Shadow charged up with Chaos energy. Since Rouge had told him that they were still at Neos City, he could warp himself and Touka outside safely. However, just as he attempted to perform it, nothing happened. The Chaos energy fizzled out between his fingertips, much to Shadow's confusion.

''What happened?'' he muttered, snapping his fingers as he tried to charge up again. He then gritted his teeth, fangs visible, as he realized what was going on. ''He's blocking my Chaos Control!''

''Wait, who is… hey, wait!'' Rouge groaned as Shadow walked up to the door, poking his head into the hallway to see whether the air was clear. It was, and he glanced back at Touka, feeling a sting of guilt regarding what he was about to do. He didn't want to leave her alone, but he had to find the source of what was blocking his powers. He doubted anyone would search for her in this room.

Rouge, who was still trying to figure out what Shadow was planning, followed him. She believed that this would be an easy mission of breaking them out, but things really took an unexpected turn. It was kind of… exciting. Both stopped when they heard the sounds of footsteps, peering into the next hallway. It were a pair of Egg Pawns, with Shadow making a split decision and spin dashing into one of them, shattering it. He was about turn towards the other, only to be surprised when Rouge kicked the other robot, knocking it down. Shadow gave her a questioning look, with Rouge just shrugging.

''We're both stuck here. Better work together, right?'' She smiled, placing a hand on her hip. Shadow just rolled his eyes and kept walking.

''There is a control room further down the hallway,'' he told her. Rouge nodded in response, glad to get an answer out of the dark hedgehog. They quickly arrived back at the control room, which was surprisingly empty. Both stared at the room suspiciously, exchanging glances as they assumed that it might be a trap.

''I hate to say it, but we will have to go inside, trap or not,'' Rouge told him. Shadow had to agree and they walked inside, moving quickly to the computer. Just as he assumed, there was some kind of weird counter-wave blocking out his Chaos Control. Considering how much time the Professor spent time studying him, it wouldn't be too surprising that he would also figure a way to block his powers. However, just as Shadow was about to turn it off, the door behind them slammed open and Egg Pawns poured in.

Shadow and Rouge turned towards them, with Rouge about to fight, only for Shadow to extend her hand to stop her. ''Turn the counter-wave off. I'll cover you.''

''Roger that,'' Rouge saluted, turning to the computer and quickly getting to work. Shadow, meanwhile, smashed through the Badniks. He could still use his Chaos Spear and Chaos Blast, so the fight was rather easy… or at least, it was supposed to be. Shadow gritted his teeth as more Egg Pawns entered the room, forcing him to dodge the laser blasts they fired at him, overwhelming him with their sheer numbers. To make things worse, Sakamoto followed them inside, clearly outraged. However, Shadow was to busy fighting the Badniks to pay attention to the Professor.

''No matter what, you just refuse to quit making things worse for yourself,'' Sakamoto commented, venom in his voice as Shadow found himself surrounded by Egg Pawns. He punched one, but another swung the lance, hitting Shadow in the stomach, causing him to recoil in pain. Sakamoto smirked, clearly enjoying the sight of Shadow falling on one knee, holding onto his stomach. Rouge glanced back, making a move as if wanting to help, but before either could make a move, another figure ran inside.

''Stop it!''

To Shadow's shock, Touka stood in front of him, arms outstretched in a protective gesture as she faced Sakamoto. She was wearing a light blue sundress with short puff sleeves over her regular outfit, making Shadow wonder where she got it, only to realize a moment later that he saw that outfit somewhere before.

''T-Tomoe…'' Sakamoto stuttered, staring at the teenager in front of him in complete and utter shock. 'Tomoe' clasped her hands in a prayer motion, giving Sakamoto a pleading look.

''Please, Daddy… Please, stop this,'' 'Tomoe' said, her voice quivering. ''Please, stop hurting people.''

''Tomoe, I…'' Sakamoto stepped forwards, with Shadow and Rouge noting how the Badniks stepped back, being relieved that at least they didn't have to worry about them. Rouge used the situation to finally de-activate the counter-wave and making sure it couldn't be used again, while Shadow stood up, glad to see that his Chaos Control ability was back. His attention turned back to Sakamoto and Touka, or rather Tomoe, suddenly feeling a pit in his stomach.

Something felt very wrong about this situation, and Shadow had to wonder whether Touka's mental breakdown resulted in her regaining Tomoe's memories and personality. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but he felt very uncomfortable by this situation.

''I'm so glad that you're back, Tomoe. I had been missing you so much, my dear,'' Sakamoto towards out, arms spread out to hug her. He was joyful, the spark returning in his tired eyes as he was only a step away from the person he loved the most. ''I- agh!''

Touka and Shadow's eyes widened in shock as Sakamoto suddenly stopped, his irises shrunk and blood flowing down the corner of his mouth. He tried to say something, but all that was heard was the sound gurgling as he sputtered more blood, then looked down. Crimson petals flew around as the flower of blood on his chest grew bigger, smearing Touka's sundress and leaving droplets on her face, as if someone took a brush and threw red paint at her. A sharp crystal, which had grown from the ground, pierced through Sakamoto's body, holding him in place. Life was leaving his eyes quickly.

''To-Tomoe…'' Sakamoto coughed up blood, trembling for a moment, before slumping over. His body was still in a standing position, held up by the crystal, like some sort of macabre statue.

Touka just stared at the man whom she once called her guardian, her irises now dots. Tears started flowing down her cheeks, turning red due to the blood smears. She was trembling, falling on her knees as she cried, sobbing uncontrollably. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. She couldn't handle it anymore. She didn't want to deal with this anymore. She hated being here. She hated Sakamoto for what he had done. She hated herself for who she was. Yet, she couldn't voice any of these thoughts. She cried and cried, but was unable to get it out; the silent scream.

Shadow felt like he was hit by a truck as his mind replayed the memory of what just happened. Sakamoto's blood dotted his black fur and quills, but he couldn't care less about his appearance. He was just as shocked by his creator's death as Touka was, feeling quite sick at the sight of his dead body. He stared at Touka, who was crying her heart out, too traumatized to respond in any other way. He then turned back to the figure behind Sakamoto, feeling a wave of rage overwhelming him.

Mephiles just sneered at him. ''That's all what the Professor was useful for.''

Shadow was about to murder Mephiles, but was stopped when Rouge grabbed his shoulder. She too was in complete shock and disbelief over what just happened, but managed to keep a clear head. ''We need to leave. Now!''

Shadow stared at her for a moment, realizing that she was right and that he couldn't let himself get lost in blind rage. He grabbed Rouge and Touka's arms, just drawing enough of her BioEnergy to allow him for a warp.

''Chaos Control!''

Mephiles just stared at the spot where Shadow, Rouge and Touka disappeared in a flash of cyan light, then waved with his hand, letting the crystals vanish and Sakamoto's body fall on the floor with a hard 'thump'.

''Pity,'' Toshiro muttered, walking into the room. Mephiles gave him a curious look.

''Don't tell me that you feel sorry for him. Admittedly, he was technically your father,'' he noted.

''He was my father just as much as he was Touka's. As you said, this was the only thing he was useful for,'' Toshiro replied. ''I suppose I should give my older sister some time to fully process this. It wouldn't be fun to fight her when she's catatonic.''

''Not to mention, Shadow losing all sense of reason. I wanted to mess with his mind just a bit more,'' Mephiles added, laughing sinisterly.