I was hit by such a large punch of nostalgia when I saw the latest trailer of "Sonic the Hedgehog 3". I literally fangirled when I saw and heard Shadow, remembering how much I love him as he's my number one favorite character in this franchise.

Some of my very old and loyal readers might remember that I once wrote a Sonic X fanfic, but I deleted it a long time ago. Now I've decided to try it again, but this time the story will take place decades later from the anime. This means I'm bringing back an old original character from the death, but with a new version.

I grew up with the American Sonic X cast, so imagine hearing their voices in this fanfic. I'll be adding some other characters later on that never were part of Sonic X.

Also! This is important! The anthropomorphic creatures meaning Sonic, Shadow and their friends, are a couple of years older in this story, so they are taller than what they were portrayed in the anime.

This fanfic will also be cross-posted on my AO3 account in the near future.

I hope you'll enjoy this fanfic!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Sonic the Hedgehog characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter

Another stressful school day was over for Mikoto. She cycled as fast as she could from her high school, Station Square High, eager to get home and clear her overflowing brain. Every single day at school was like going out to war. All the noise and people in the narrow corridors were too much for her senses to process besides everything else she had to learn in classes. Even though she wore wireless headphones that filtered unwanted sound during recess and lunchbreak, it didn't make her feel better as her classmates tended to speak loudly whenever the teacher left the classroom to grab some notes they forgot.

Mikoto cycled to the block where rich families lived and found her home. She held her tag to a panel which scanned it before a red color switched to green and opened the gate. She left her bike in the garage before she walked to the main house. "Tadaima (I'm home)", Mikoto called out after she stepped inside, gently closing the dual door behind her.

The butler, a man in his sixties, walked out from a nearby room. He was one of the very few loyal housekeepers who moved with Mikoto and her father to the US seven years ago. "Okaerinasai (Welcome home), Mikoto-sama. How was school?"

"Same as always, Masato-san", Mikoto replied nonchalantly. "I got a B on my math test."

"That is wonderful", Masato spoke proudly. "Your hardships paid off, Mikoto-sama."

Mikoto snorted with a bitter smile. "Yes… But it's not good enough for my father."

Masato was aware of the estranged relationship his young mistress had with her father. His master had unreasonable expectations on his daughter that she couldn't reach with her mindset. After all, her brain worked in a different way compared with the majority of population.

The butler cleared his throat before he distracted his mistress from the thoughts of her father. "Would you like some afternoon tea?"

Mikoto's eyes lit up at the mention of tea. "Yes, please. I'll have it in the garden. Red tea."

"As you wish."

Mikoto went to her bedroom and tidied herself up by changing out of her uniform. Her father insisted she should wear a traditional Japanese school uniform at school, so hers was modeled after the common sailor uniform with a long skirt. The other students used to make fun of her when she started wearing her school uniform in elementary school, but now that was a memory long gone.

Mikoto's father had control over what she had in her wardrobe, but as she got older she started having her own sense of fashion. She began wearing dark colored outfits whenever her father wasn't around. She wasn't a rebellious girl; she was the exact opposite.

She cherished everything she had and enjoyed helping the two housekeepers to manage the mansion since they were short on people. If she was running errands and spotted somebody in trouble, she swiftly helped them and moved on with her day before her social anxiety could strike. People often mistook her constant stoic feature as unfriendly, but she simply had a hard time expressing her feelings.

Mikoto grabbed a watering can before she tended to her garden. Her interest for gardening started back in Japan when the now retired gardener showed tricks on how to reassure the flowers grew well. Mikoto found herself enchanted by the wonders of nature and read as much as she could to fill her brain to the brim. She even taught herself how to make ointments with herbs and flowers she grew and shared them with Masato and the housemaid. So it was safe to say that two of the few subjects she excelled in and got straight A's every time were biology and chemistry.

Mikoto spotted a few withered petals on a rose bush and gently plucked them. Roses were her favorite flowers. She had many naïve dreams, but one of them was to get gifted with red roses from her future lover. She chuckled lightly and caressed a rose with her thumb, a sad gleam in her eyes.

'I doubt there'll ever be somebody who will love me. Otou-sama (Dad) might be right. I'm not a lovable child…'

A meow snapped her out of her negative thoughts. A black cat crawled out from bushes, its fur full of leaves and thorns. Mikoto giggled at her pet cat and crouched down to pluck the stuff off his fur. "Look at you, Kuro-chan. You made such a mess of yourself. Did you go on an adventure while I was at school?"

The only response she got was another meow.

"Don't act innocent, Kuro-chan", Mikoto playfully scolded him. "You know what you did."

Kuro meowed in protest and jumped out of her arms. He ran back to the bushes where he came from and meowed repeatedly. Mikoto wondered if he had found a prey that he wanted to show her. The first thing she saw when she checked the bushes was a large green diamond. The second thing startled her. It was a humanoid black and red hedgehog that was over a meter tall. The creature was unconscious with its fur smelling burnt and gunpowder.

Mikoto blinked her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating things. She had heard rumors of mysterious anthropomorphic creatures that used to live in Station Square three decades ago before they one day vanished into thin air. Some said they were aliens who were brought to Earth by an accident involving magical gemstones and an evil scientist who terrorized the planet with highly advanced robots.

"Could this be…?" Mikoto mumbled softly before she realized the urgency. She gently pulled the hedgehog out from the bushes and plucked the leaves and branches off its quills. Once it was somewhat clean, she turned the creature around so it could rest comfortably on its back. She couldn't remember this particular alien from her research in which she saw pictures of a blue hedgehog called Sonic the Hedgehog. This black hedgehog couldn't be the same unless they were related because they obviously were of the same species.

Mikoto tried looking for a pulse, but those golden bracelets couldn't be removed no matter how much she tried pulling them off so she put her ear on the hedgehog's chest, her cheek tickled by its tuft of white fur, and listened for a heartbeat. She hummed in relief when she felt the creature's chest go up and down for each breath.

'I need to bring it inside so it can rest comfortable.'

She tried picking the creature up, but it was too heavy for her frail yet slight muscular arms. "It's heavy… I need to get Masato-san's help." She snatched a cushion from one of the garden chairs and placed it under the hedgehog's head just as the butler walked out to the garden with a tray of tea and snacks.

"Your afternoon tea, Mikoto-sama", Masato announced. He put the tray on the garden table and cocked a brow when he saw Mikoto aided an unfamiliar animal. "Mikoto-sama?"

"Masato-san, I need your help", Mikoto called out over her shoulder. "This creature is hurt. Can you carry it to my room?"

If Masato was surprised to see the mysterious animal, he hid it well. He too had heard about those aliens that roamed Station Square, but he never thought he would see one in his old days. "Certainly."

Kuro sat next to his owner and wagged his tail while watching the scene unfold. Masato had no problems picking up the black hedgehog and walked ahead to the mansion. Mikoto almost forgot about the green diamond and went back to grab it. She had a feeling it was important to the hedgehog. For a second, the jewel emitted a bright light in her hand before it returned to its usual glow. Mikoto didn't think much of it and hurried inside to give the hedgehog first aid.

She should have paid closer attention to her flowerbed because the flowers that started to wither with their stems bending down mysteriously recovered and became healthy again. Kuro blinked his curious eyes, sensing something had changed in the garden. He caught a whiff of fresh pollen and made a grimace by the strong scent. He let out a loud sneeze and wiped his face clean before he casually walked to the mansion.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shadow's eyelids fluttered as he woke up by soft noises coming from somewhere in the room where he was resting. He blinked to remove the haze that clouded his eyes. He noticed three humans in a corner and swiftly sat up, but that just made him dizzy.

Mikoto heard his soft groan and turned away from Masato and the housemaid Akane who was the same age as the butler. "You're awake". She walked to the bed and sat down on the edge, her lips barely curling into a relieved smile. "How are you feeling?"

Shadow felt disorganized. The last thing he remembered before he lost consciousness was he had been in the middle of a battle with Sonic and his friends in one of Dr. Eggman's many fortresses to rescue Cream and Cheese who were held hostages. Another reason why they attacked the fortress was because the madman had found the seven Chaos Emeralds for his conquest over Mobius. Sonic went ahead to rescue the hostages and get the Chaos Emeralds, but clearly something went wrong. Shadow didn't recognize where he was or the people who had taken him in and treated his wounds. The only logical explanation was he and, maybe, everyone else had experienced Chaos Control and got teleported to another world.

'Of course Sonic would be reckless and make a mess.'

Mikoto tilted her head when she didn't get a response from the black hedgehog. "Um… Do you understand me?"

"Yes."

Mikoto felt a chill run down her spine by the hedgehog's voice. She swiftly shook herself to get rid of the goosebumps. Now wasn't the time to indulge herself with deep and cold voices. "Do you feel pain anywhere?"

Shadow got out of the bed and put his Air Shoes on before he flexed his muscles. Besides from sore bruises, he didn't feel any broken bones. "No. I'm fine." He looked around in the bedroom and found a balcony. He walked out and looked at the darkened sky. The moon was visible, but half of it was replaced with a steel bar sphere.

Mikoto walked up to the Mobian and looked at the natural satellite. "The moon has always looked like that long before I was born. They're saying half of it was destroyed due of a terrorist attack."

'There's no doubt.'

"I'm back", Shadow spoke out loud.

That verified Mikoto's suspicions. "So, you have been here before?"

"Yes."

"Are you one of those anthropomorphic creatures that saved Station Square and the rest of the world three decades ago?"

Shadow blinked his eyes. "Three decades ago? What year is it?"

"Here on Earth, it's year 2039."

Shadow did a quick calculation. Last time he was on this planet, it was year 2003 going 2004. He heard from Sonic about the time difference between Earth and Mobius. Apparently, when Chris visited their planet, he was actually eighteen years old at the time, but his adult body reverted into his pre-teen self. If six months on Mobius was equal to six years on Earth, then that meant one Mobius year was equal to twelve Earth years.

"So much time have passed on Earth…", Shadow commented.

He looked down when he sensed something soft rubbing his leg. Kuro purred and nuzzled his head on the hedgehog, meowing with large gold eyes. "This is my cat Kuro-chan", Mikoto explained while she picked him up, gently cradling him like a baby. "He found you in the garden and alerted me."

"I see", Shadow hummed, his eyes softening at the innocent cat.

Mikoto tucked her hair behind her ear when a chilly wind blew by. "Do you remember what happened before you ended up here?"

Shadow didn't really want to give the strangers any details. He didn't know if he could trust them. Then again, the human girl and her caretakers had looked after him in his unconscious state, so he owned them an explanation.

Before he could speak, a hungry grumble echoed from his stomach. A light blush spread across his muzzle, embarrassed by the sudden noise. Mikoto giggled softly at his reaction. "You must be starving. Why don't we have dinner first before you tell us your story?"

"Is that okay?" Shadow wondered.

"It's the least we can do for you", Mikoto replied just as Kuro jumped out of her arms and landed on the railing. "Besides, you need to take it easy and recover from whatever you were involved with."

Shadow held back his tongue. He was the Ultimate Lifeform and recovered faster than normal Mobians, but he didn't have the heart to tell his savior that. "Then I shall take up on your offer."

"Great", Mikoto nodded and reached her hand out. "My name is Nakashima Mikoto. My given name is Mikoto."

Shadow eyed her hand before he shook it and introduced himself. "Shadow the Hedgehog."

XXXXXXXXXX

Mikoto, Shadow and the housekeepers ate dinner together before they moved to the living room where the Mobian told his story for the humans. Mikoto, Masato and Akane listened attentively to every word from the battle back on Mobius to how Shadow ended up in the garden. Kuro sat on top of a chest of drawers and cleaned himself.

"So, that Chaos Control was caused by seven colored emeralds and they sent you to our planet?" Mikoto spoke up before she took a sip of her green tea.

Shadow nodded with a frown. "If my suspicions are correct, Sonic and his friends got caught in Chaos Control and are somewhere on this planet too…including Dr. Eggman."

Masato hummed while brushing his grey moustache. "If they were on Earth once before, the first thing they might do is finding their old human acquaintances for assistance."

"That is a logic idea", Shadow nodded.

"Do you know any names, dear? We could look them up for you", Akane suggested.

Shadow recalled the human boy who Sonic became friends with and who helped him remember Maria's true wishes before she succumbed to her fatal wounds. That was a tragedy he never wanted to witness ever again. "I only know of one name. Christopher Thorndyke."

Mikoto could have sworn she had heard that name before. "Thorndyke… There is a girl in my chemistry class who has that family name. She might be related to this Christopher-san."

"Mikoto-sama, Christopher Thorndyke-san is the president of Thorndyke Industries who invented those headphones you use on a daily basis", Masato informed her.

"So, the boy has grown up and owns a company?" Shadow crossed his arms, a little impressed by Chris's achievements.

"I believe there is a Thorndyke family living a few blocks from here", Akane said. "I'm not sure if it's the same family, though."

"I can try confirming that at school tomorrow", Mikoto suggested. "I'll ask my classmate if she's the daughter of president Thorndyke and we can go from there."

"Are you sure you can do it, Mikoto-sama?" Akane asked with a concerned expression.

"I… I'll try", Mikoto swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling a little dry despite she had just drank a whole mug of beverage.

Shadow arched a brow at the confusing reaction. Mikoto looked uncomfortable at the mention of approaching a classmate. He shrugged and chugged down the last drop of his tea.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shadow got his own bedroom to sleep for the night, but he couldn't fall asleep yet. He went out to the balcony and stared at the moon in the starry sky. He thought about his memories from more than fifty years ago when he lived on the Space Colony ARK together with Dr. Gerald and Maria. His whole meaning of existence back then was to find a cure for Maria's incurable illness. Now he was honoring Maria's wish by protecting people from danger.

His thoughts strayed from his old memories and concentrated on what happened to him in the last twelve hours. He was back on Earth because of Chaos Control. In order to get back to Mobius, he needed to collect the seven Chaos Emeralds and use their energy to warp himself through time and space.

He didn't move his eyes from the moon when he heard light footsteps behind him. Mikoto was about to go to bed when she decided to check on her guest. She stood next to him wearing a morning coat over her nightgown while staring at the sky.

"Do you need something?" Shadow asked.

"I just wanted to see if you're okay, Shadow-kun", Mikoto replied, digging her hands in the pockets of her coat.

Shadow sighed, a little annoyed by the unnecessary concern. "I'm fine. I'm coming up with a plan on where to start looking for the Chaos Emeralds. Once they are together, they will scatter across the planet, so they could be anywhere."

"So, it's like an eternal treasure hunt…", Mikoto mumbled.

Shadow nodded. Rouge told him once it was part of the fun hunting down the magic gems. His bat ally was so obsessed with jewels she didn't hesitate to steal them once she set her eyes on a target.

Mikoto fingered the gemstone in her pocket. She had waited to give it to Shadow and now was the correct timing. "Shadow-kun… About those Chaos Emeralds…"

The hedgehog turned to her, his intense crimson eyes sparkling like a pair of rubies in the darkness. Mikoto felt a light blush warming her cheeks up. There was something about Shadow's presence that made him attractive like the vocalists from her favorite rock bands. She collected herself and pulled out the green Chaos Emerald. "I found this next to you. Is this a Chaos Emerald?"

Shadow was bewildered to see one of the Emeralds already within his possession. Was it a coincidence? He had no idea, but he didn't care about the details. He took the gemstone, its immensity power heating his palm. "It is."

"So… One down and six to go?" Mikoto wondered.

Shadow nodded. "Having one already will ease the search immensely."

"Is there anything I should look out for?"

The Mobian looked at the girl like she had grown a second head. "What do you mean?"

Mikoto twiddled her fingers nervously. "I…want to help you, Shadow-kun. If you are the only one here on Earth, you're going to need some help."

"I appreciate your concerns, but this isn't your responsibility", Shadow shook his head.

"Yes, it is", Mikoto insisted. "While you may be familiar with the planet, it has changed a lot since last time you were here. You could still end up getting yourself in danger because the mankind can be very ugly." She held back her emotions from imploding while she was reminded of the dark side of humanity. "I…may not be a perfect human being, but I want to help to the best of my abilities. Please, Shadow-kun."

Her eyes glowed with determination, something he hadn't seen earlier. Back in the living room, she lacked that confidence. Now, a small fire had ignited in her green eyes. It was weak, but it was there hiding behind an invisible barrier that held her potential back.

Their eyes didn't stray from each other. Mikoto fought hard to show her determination, even though she was terrible at expressing her feelings. She hoped Shadow could see her hidden message and give her a chance to be useful for once in her life for somebody else besides her caretakers and father.

Shadow considered his options. While he preferred doing things alone, he might require some assistance from allies for his quest of locating the Emeralds. He didn't know what Mikoto and her housekeepers were capable of, but they had been extremely helpful so far by providing him food and shelter.

'Perhaps I should put my trust in them for now.'

"Very well", the Mobian finally spoke up. Mikoto's eyes lit up in relief when he accepted her help. "But if it ever turns out too dangerous, I need you to stay out of my way."

"I promise, Shadow-kun", Mikoto nodded. "And you can stay here for as long as you want. My home is your home."

"I accept your hospitality", Shadow nodded back. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask…"

"Yes?"

"Why do you call me Shadow-kun?"

"In Japan where I was born, it's customary to address people with honorifics", Mikoto explained. "It's the equivalent of Mister or Miss here in America. When adding -kun to a person's name, it's usually for young males, so Shadow-kun is young ."

Shadow crossed his arms with a frown. "I'm not young. I'm the Ultimate Lifeform created by humans over eighty Earth years ago."

Mikoto's eyes widened slightly, puzzled that Shadow was actually older than her by a mile. "Eighty years ago…? You don't look that old."

"Because I was put into stasis for fifty years before I was released from my deep slumber. My body hasn't aged because of mixed blood and the result of years of medicinal research. I might even age slower than other Mobians."

"Then how old are you?" Mikoto wondered cautiously.

"I'd say around eighteen years old", Shadow answered.

"So, you're one year older than me…", Mikoto nodded.

A random meow erupted behind the duo. Kuro had snuck into Shadow's room in search for his owner. He jumped up on the railing, staring at the human girl and Mobian with his eyes glowing in the darkness like ambers. Mikoto picked him up and touched his nose with hers. "Were you looking for me, Kuro-chan?"

Kuro meowed back.

Shadow looked back at the moon. "It's late. We need to sleep."

"Yes…", Mikoto agreed. She had school tomorrow and Shadow needed to get some sleep so he could start looking for those Chaos Emeralds. "I'm sorry I kept you awake."

"I couldn't fall asleep in the first place", Shadow shrugged. "But we have a long day ahead of us. We need to conserve our energy."

"Right…", Mikoto nodded, her eyelids drooping. "I'll see you tomorrow, Shadow-kun. Good night."

"Good night."

Mikoto walked back to the guestroom with Kuro who fell asleep in her arms. A gentle breeze ruffled her long morning coat. Shadow blinked when he spotted the mark of scar on one of her calves. Not just one; there were signs of several healed scars. He hadn't seen those before because she wore thigh-length socks. Or was it just the lighting that played tricks with his drowsy mind?

He rubbed his tired eyes and walked back to his bedroom once Mikoto left. He shut the glass doors and pulled the curtain before he reclined on his bed. He allowed his mind to relax and soon he wandered into a dreamless sleep.

XXXXXXXXXX

You can find Mikoto's biography on my DeviantArt page so you can have a better picture of her appearance.