Chapter Seventeen: A Question of Causality

"Come on Tails. She's standing there waiting for you to make your move. Go ask her out." Tails looked away from the computer parts he was examining and gazed across the store to the clothing section Amy and Zooey were browsing.

Tails blushed upon seeing Zooey, then he looked away towards the ground. Tails' face tensed and his brows furrowed as he contemplated what he should do. His heart pounded in his chest, his neck and back ached, as if the weight of the world might be placed upon them.

"Admit this was a set up." Tails said.

"It's not like that at all-"

Tails glared at Sonic.

"-Okay, so it's exactly like that. You and Zooey hit it off great at her concert. She really likes you buddy."

"Yeah, well, I don't remember any of that."

Sonic chuckles, "Tails, you worry too much. Don't think. Just ask her out already." Sonic punctuated his sentence to Tails with a friendly elbow to the fox's ribs.

Tails stared at Zooey, he clutched his Tail and fiddled with it nervously. His breathing picked up until he was conscious of it and nervously held his breath.

"Tails. Come on. You can fight Eggman but you can't ask a girl out? Really?"

"It's not that Sonic. It's just… you wouldn't understand." Tails said quietly.

"W-what do you mean Tails?" Sonic asked with a hint of hurt pride.

"I mean, you're really popular. You could have anyone you want, yet, clearly you're fine with being voluntarily claimed by Amy. She's a tough girl and can protect herself. Zooey on the other hand…"

"What are you talking about? So Zooey is a little more traditional in the feminine department. A little more delicate flower as opposed to a raging inferno. That's cool. Nothing wrong with that."

Tails groaned irritably, "You don't get it. Just forget it, Sonic." Tails turned away and looked at random computer parts to pretend he was busy.

"Of course he doesn't get it, he gives hedgehog-kind everywhere a bad name." Shadow said as he appeared on the second floor, looking down upon the pair, from seemingly out of nowhere causing both Tails and Sonic to jump in surprise.

"Look who decided to show up. If it isn't the faker."

"If it isn't the bug in my ear. Oh, and hello Tails."

"Hey Shadow."

Shadow jumped off the second floor and landed next to Tails and Sonic.

"What a fool, how can you not understand what is bothering Tails, Sonic?"

"Look, no one cares more about Tails than I do, I'm trying real hard here. I want to help him. I just don't see why he doesn't ask her out. She likes him. He likes her. Where's the problem?"

"Simple, simple, Sonic. Don't worry, let Shadow here handle this one."

Sonic took a step toward Shadow and was about to start arguing back with him, when Sonic spared a glance to Tails. His little buddy's body leaned forward like a lifeless husk. His eyes wandered aimlessly while his two tails stood rigid and lifeless. At that moment Sonic realized, maybe there was more that he didn't understand, and if Shadow could help his best friend, where was the harm in that?

Sonic raised his arm and slapped it onto Shadow's shoulder, "I'm counting on you Shadow." Shadow nodded. Sonic looked over to Tails and said, "Tails, if you need anything at all, I'm always here for you. I only want you to be happy." With that said, Sonic turned and called out to Amy, before he ran over to chat with her and Zooey.

"Let's go for a walk, Tails." Shadow said.

Shadow and Tails exited the shopping mega store and began to walk around the busy urban area.

"I heard things went well with your date." Shadow said.

"So I keep hearing."

"You don't seem happy about it. Why is that?"

Tails and Shadow turned and walked down an alleyway, one block over from the store.

"Will you… keep it a secret?"

"I promise."

"You won't tell anyone. You'll take it to your grave?"

"Hmph. Yes. I promise."

Tails stared at the ground as he walked. Not bothered enough to look ahead.

"I was really happy when I heard the date went well. It's every kid's dream to have their crush mutually like them. I was over the moon. Then…"

"Then… what?" Shadow said.

"I got a note I had written. I don't know when I wrote it but it said-"

Tails stopped walking and leaned along a brick wall. He cleared his throat and slammed his fist against the brick wall.

"-It said, you can't protect everyone. Everyone you love will become a target of manipulation and death. It actually said that. My own handwriting. What the heck was I thinking?"

"I… couldn't say." Shadow said.

"The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. If Zooey and I get married. Had children. How many psychopaths are going to want to hurt Zooey and our children to get back at me? How easy would it be for Eggman to kill any number of us, just to… to… to get off on watching our hearts break?"

"That's… tough. That's a tough call to make Tails. Though, only you will be able to find an answer."

"You know what I do remember? I remember distinctly, like it was only a second ago, that Sonic was going to die. That my big brother was going to die. That he would be buried, and I would never see him again. Do you know what that's like, Shadow? To see your life on the precipice of disaster?"

Shadow stared at Tails, his face neutral, unmoving. "I do."

"I don't know if I can handle the pain. I don't know if I have it in me. I… I think I'm going to tell Zooey… It… it won't work out. We won't work out."

Shadow walked next to Tails, his face and gait perfectly neutral, not betraying one iota of preference or bias.

"Aren't you going to say something? Try to change my mind?"

"Why? You've made up your own mind like a real Man. There is nothing for me to say one way or the other. I must respect your decision. Just know, like Sonic, that I am here should you need an ally to depend on."

Tails smiled genuinely, "Thanks Shadow."

"Shut up."

When the pair entered the mega store again, Zooey and Tails went to a corner of the store to talk, while Sonic, Amy, and Shadow regrouped where they could observe the pair near the checkout area.

"What did Tails decide to do?"

Shadow crossed his arms. "What he felt was best."

"Oh, by the way." Amy began, "A couple days ago Jet was looking for you Shadow. He said he wants to race."

"Hmph. I'm busy tomorrow. Maybe another time he can humor me."

"Can't say I feel sorry for him." Sonic said.

As the trio looked out at the two love birds, Zooey turned and ran off with tears in her eyes. Tails himself, turned and walked away aimlessly, looking like he too was on the verge of bursting into tears. The two heartbroken kids exited the store, alone, using one of the many exits.

"Oh, crap. Ames, we gotta get movin." Sonic said.

"I'll comfort Zooey, you help Tails."

"I'm on it." With that said, Sonic and Amy rushed after their target in the hope of easing their pain.

Shadow was then left all alone. He felt someone step up to the counter beside him but gave it no mind. Maybe it was for the best? A part of Shadow doubted that. Shadow was so deep in thought he did not hear the little girl nearby speaking to the store owner.

"Is this a prank? That is ridiculous. I can't possibly sell you that many. How will you even leave with them, little girl?"

"That is not a concern of yours."

"Listen kid, run off to your mommy and daddy. If you try to prank me again, I'll kick you out of the store."

The little girl puffed up like an angry pufferfish before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a giant red ruby. "I'll ask again. I would like to purchase every CPU you have in stock."

The shop owner raised an eyebrow, "You want to buy over twenty CPU's? You don't even want to know what model they are?"

"I need every CPU you can sell me. The ones in the back too. My brother and sister will deal with transporting them."

Shadow's curiosity was piqued, he turned and looked at a small fox, she looked like a smaller, younger version of a female Tails. She was clearly blind, her eyes being a murky white. Shadow wondered how she had managed to get here with so little ruckus.

The shopkeeper's demeanor changed instantly once he realized this customer was not joking around. "I think I can help you out, miss…?

"Smith. Of the Smith family."

"You're brother and sister must have quite the project in mind to need that much processing power."

"So, do we have a deal?" The small fox held out her hand.

"We do." The shopkeeper shook the offered hand. With that the girl turned and walked out of the store, only bumping into the wall next to the door once, then turned the corner.

Shadow, now intrigued, followed but kept his distance…

"Is that all we need?" A male voice said from outside the store and around the corner. Shadow leaned out the doorway and focused intensely to better hear them.

"No, we need ten more."

"Ten more CPU's? You have to be kidding me."

"I meant, we need to hit ten more stores just like this one. Maybe more. Then we might have enough."

An older girl's voice spoke up, "We need to hurry, the longer we're here the more dangerous things become. I feel like someone is watching us."

An agitated male spoke up, "Oh, don't be so cliché. No one knows we're here. It's just your imagination. I'm going in to finish the deal then rush to the loading dock area to receive the goods. You two head to the next store. I'll meet you there after I drop the goods off at the base."

"Don't steal the cart again. That's messing with causality." The older girl said.

"No it's not." The male replied.

"Yes it is. Besides we're Pr- we're Smiths, we don't steal."

"I agree. You should return the cart-" The youngest girl said.

"Fine. I'll return the cart when I'm done.. Sheesh. So what do you think? Was it causality breaking or not?"

The youngest girl spoke up once more to answer the males question, "Maybe? I don't know-"

"- Oh whatever. Smiths... Scatter."

"You don't have to tell us to Scatter. You're not being cool. Just talk like a normal person. Say something like, "We'll meet back later."

"I thought it sounded cool." The young girl said in the male's defense."

"Like you know what cool is, nerd. Now Smiths, scatter."

Shadow turned and rushed back inside the store doors. He stared intently at an inflatable pool box display as the male fox walked into the store. He wore a large black coat and his Tail was hidden under it. To Shadow's trained eyes, the fox looked like he was concealing a minimum of one weapon. Shadow stared at the mysterious fox from the corner of his eye as he walked by, only to see a sharp imposing eye staring back at him as he did the same. The silent exchange lasted only a second but the message that had been sent was clear.

The fox nonverbally told Shadow, "Mind your own damn business."

Shadow rolled his eyes at the pathetic attempt at intimidation.

Shadow scoffed, "What a weird group of people."