Disclaimer: Sonic and anyone related belong to SEGA. Chelsea, Bulge and Darren belong to me.

Shadow: Now, they have to witness how much I hat everyone. i'm going to sound like a big emo. Thanks, thanks a lot.

SunLove: Hey! It's all part of the story line buddy. Don't get all snappy on me. Just because I made you cry that one time doesnt mean you get to be...mean

Shadow: Yeah, whatever. Don't talk to me.

Chelsea: Shadow...be nice, baby.

SunLove: Haha.

Shadow: Shut up, idiot.

Chapter 17: What other feeling have they not felt?

Walking, that's all he intended to do for the time being. For the longest time he walked on. He walked for so long, he barely remembered when he started running….er…gliding? He didn't know. He didn't even know how long he'd been on his feet. All he knew was that his feet wanted to get to someplace he really didn't know. An unknown destination.

It sounded better than where he was.

At least that's what Shadow thought for the first few hours. But now, he didn't know what to think. I mean-he was outside the house, runn-gliding to someplace he didn't know and on top of that he didn't even know if he was stable anymore. All his thoughts were jumbled up into one massive lump in his brain, which was giving him a killer headache. The emotions he never knew existed flooded the depths of his heart and stomach. But there was one thing he did understand. And there was so much of it.

The hate.

It was overbearing. It was as if it had the capacity of the Pacific Ocean yet it still fit inside his body. But, there was one thing confusing the ebony hedgehog. What was the hate directed towards? Of course, the first answer was directed towards his mother-well, caretaker. That's what she wanted him to call her. He didn't have the right to say that word anymore. Yeah, the hate was targeted on the dark-skinned human. It was only normal. Oh, how he hated her right now. She screamed at him, disowned him, and made his heart break into a million, irreplaceable, pieces. So, yeah, it was only normal that this amount of hate was directed towards her.

But, there were others to blame.

Like himself for instance. He wasn't entirely sure of why he hated himself. He didn't do anything. It wasn't his fault she'd blown up. So why did he feel so guilty. Why was he regretful of everything he'd ever said to anyone? Maybe it was because he never considered the consequences of his words. No, that couldn't possibly be it. Shadow was always told to be honest and when he wanted to be honest, he was sure to let it show. After all, honesty is the best policy. What an annoying phrase.

There weren't enough answers. There were never enough answers. All his life he was told to just keep looking forward. At least, that's what he told himself. Never look back on the past because you'll only regret it. That only applied to people who had a reason to regret their past doings. A category he deemed himself a part of.

There was one thing bugging him tremendously though. From what Chelsea had said; no one was put through any type of situation without cause. God does not just put anyone through a good or bad situation just for the fun of it. From what he'd learn, God always did put someone through something to benefit them in the end. That person may have received something or just learn something new. Whatever it was it was, it still did them good.

So what was the point of this? Shadow had gone through the situation as clearly and thoroughly as possible. He'd made out all the different possibilities of the ending of this problem and yet, none had seemed to benefit him. It didn't look like he would learn anything from this. It just didn't make sense. And for that, he blamed God.

What kind God put his children or loved ones through this kind of pain? It was unbearable. Shadow had always thought if you were to follow his word, obey his laws and just love him in general everything would work out for him. But, no. This wasn't right. What kind of loving father makes his children, who loved him with all their heart, go through pain like this? This wasn't love. It just couldn't be. Teach him a lesson, sure, but don't teach him like this. He would've gladly taken any other punishment instead of having his heart ripped raw from his chest.

His aching chest. It just hurt to think about anything because everything led back to the one's he loved. And as much as he hated to say it, he still loved his mother. Even if he hated her at the same time. Even if she abandoned him. Even if everyone abandoned him. He still loved everyone he's ever come to known. And he hated himself for that. It just didn't make sense anymore. Nothing made sense anymore.

He didn't make sense anymore.

His emotions were just confusing. That's why he stuck to two, the basics. Love and anger. He was going to be honest; he wasn't one to show the first. In fact, the ladder was something he was commonly known for in his used to be family. Nevertheless, there was no confusion with that feeling. He knew when he felt love and unknown to everyone he felt that everlasting, heart beating, sensation every day. There was never a time he felt indifferent. It was a mask. Simply a mask. The swing of emotions never ended, never died. They were all there.

The anger though…

He didn't feel the need to think about that. It was self-explanatory. Sometimes, his anger got the better of him. He wasn't afraid to admit that but, he always had a reason. A reason that was logical, at least to him. Sometimes he didn't know where the anger came from. It just…he didn't know. All he knew was that even after a few minutes of contemplating he still had a reason. Moreover, it was always a pretty good one too. No matter where the anger was.

Speaking of which, where was he? Shadow blinked taking a moment to observe his actions. He was still gliding, although he would have to figure out why, that was a start. He slowly minimized the speed of which his legs were going until he went into a complete stop. The ebony hedgehog stood with an o shape formed upon his lips in wonder. His quills swayed along with his head each time it moved.

A forest.

He was in a forest. It wasn't hard to tell. The mass overload of trees and leaves left the burning sun to minimize its shine to a lamp. The ground was heavy with sticks, dirt and dead leaves making Shadow question himself on how he got through it so easily. He would've guessed running in this would be a bit difficult. Well, how would he know? He's never exactly been in a forest before until now. And that in all sort of freaked him out. Well, maybe not freak him out but more so create a bit of panic.

What was he supposed to do now? Where was he supposed to go? He sure as hell wasn't going to go back to his former home so, what now? There was nothing he could do. He could barely see through the dense forest. It was so thick and heavy it almost made it impossible to see. He couldn't stay here. That was a no brainer. But, where would he go? Yes, he was the proclaimed 'Ultimate Lifeform' but that was in an anime. A show drawn for the entertainment of kids. As much as it hurt his pride, he was no Ultimate Lifeform. He couldn't battle robots, he could barely poke a straw into a Capri Sun!

This was not good. He hadn't really thought about what to do after he left. He just went up and walked out. That was really it. All that ran through his head was to get out of there and fast. The stress, pressure, anger and sadness had overwhelmed him to the point where he questioned his sanity. Right after he bellowed at his younger sibling he immediately took flight. He knew if he stayed one more second bad things were bound to happen.

Shadow shook his head of the azure hedgehog. He'd hurt him, he knew that. It was a horrible feeling. But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. He had to think of something or, he'd surely die soon. With a heavy sigh at his upcoming journey, with only his wits and a will to survive, Shadow trekked on. He walked slowly wanting to observe the new surroundings. Like mentioned before, he's never been in a forest so, this wasn't an opportunity he was going to dismiss. And plus, nature sort of had this thing about him that made him feel…...weightless.

Maybe that would take his mind off his, two ton, heavy conscience.

Silver and Sonic collapsed on the bed. The azure hedgehog huffed heavily as the silver one's eyelids drooped heavily. It had been another day of thorough searching. Again, like any other day, Chelsea had brought them on another day that ended a failure.

It had been three whole days since Shadow's disappearance and ever since he disappeared, nobody's been the same. It was obvious to the naked eye that Chelsea wasn't taking this very lightly but, what of the boys?

The two hedgehog's were in their room, the clock read 12:57 a.m. Three minutes till one. Silver, who still lay face up, sighed heavily. He was exhausted. Three days of barely any sleep was really killing him. But, he couldn't be selfish. Shadow was out there by himself. He probably hadn't gotten any sleep. Yet again, who would when your 17 and alone?

Silver shivered.

The feelings his older brother must have must've been frightening. What if he was seen? What if he was kidnapped or worse? What if he was starving? What if he was cold? What if he was hurt? What if…what if he felt abandoned? Silver couldn't deal with the question. It was a what if question but, they held some possibility. No one should feel abandoned. And even if everyone were to abandon him, which would never happen, he should know one person would always be beside him. And that was God himself.

From day one, Silver believed that if the whole world was against you God would still stand by you. He might not agree with your actions but He still loved you nonetheless. The metallic colored furry had no doubt about that.

With a satisfied feeling suddenly filling his stomach, he turned his head to his brother. Sonic lied there, sweaty with labored breathing. Silver's ears lowered a bit as he smiled in understanding. He was exhausted. Anyone could tell. The poor hedgehog ran around for the entire day. Silver could almost feel the pain in the azure hedgehog's legs. Sore. That's all he could think of when he looked at Sonic.

"You must be tired," he spoke, feeling the need to start conversation.

Sonic shrugged, breathing less heavier, "I am but I don't care." He put his hands on the back of his head and shuffled, getting comfortable, "It's for Shadow. I would run around the whole world if it meant getting him back."

Silver's smile widened and he didn't exactly know why. He already knew Sonic felt that way, as well as everybody in this house but something just made his heart warm when he spoke. He couldn't exactly find the words to describe the feeling but it was similar to how someone would feel after a mother was reunited after years of separation. It just made your heart tickle with warmth.

"I know how you feel. It's just hard to fathom the idea of not having him around. It's just…lonely."

The cerulean male nodded breathing back to normal, "Yeah. At least we don't hafta' worry about getting attacked when we call him an emo," he added with a chuckle.

Silver thought that was supposed to be funny. Unfortunately the amount of melancholy the voice held deceived the purpose. He just smiled a small one and faced the ceiling, once again.

He wouldn't mind his older brother attacking him. He wouldn't mind Shadow scolding him or even putting him down. He also wouldn't mind the ebony hedgehog hating him or being upset with him. At least he would be able to hear his voice. At least he would be able to physically see him.

At least he would be here.

It's kind of hard imagining a world without Shadow. As much as it would lighten up the scenery (no offense to him or anything) it just wasn't possible. Sometimes, a picture needs the dark colors to contrast the lighter ones. Otherwise, the picture is not complete. No matter how much we may hate or despise the darker parts it still makes the image whole. It still made them beautiful. Shadow made this family complete.

He made them beautiful, in his own way.

Why won't he just come back?

Why couldn't humans just check in when they were supposed to? This would've never happened. Those unintelligent, stupid, things could at least do what they were told. What a waste of breathe.

Darren's eyes narrowed at the screens in front of him. He clenched his teeth in irritation and squeezed the remote in his hand almost to the point of destroying it. He pinched the skin in between his eyes and sighed heavily.

Why couldn't anything go his way?

Bulge, the mole, trembled with fear as Darren suddenly started to shake with uncontrollable rage. He gulped before asking, daringly, "I-is e-everything alright sir-"

He jumped back and gasped as the ebony hedgehog slammed his fist on the desk where the monitors lay. Darren growled, furiously, at the trembling mole and bellowed, "Of course not you idiot! This impeccable waste of life has just lost one of our projects and you have the ignorance to question my sanity!? I should kill you on the spot!"

Where was Anthony when you needed him the most? Bulge's teeth chattered with high speed and he gripped the clipboard as if his life depended on it. He shook his head and shakily replied, "N-no sir! I wasn't questioning your sanity. I just… I just…" he trailed off not knowing what the next word of his sentence was. He just stood there, sweat running down his temple. If he said anything wrong, at this rate, he would surely be gone by sunrise.

"Well then," Darren huffed, "Because I have so much to deal with, I will spare you." He turned his back on the brown mole ignoring him completely. He crossed his arms and glared at the screen. There were two hedgehogs, a blue one on the floor and a silver one racing into the room. He eyed the screen carefully before switching over to another one. One with a darker human being wrapped up in lavender colored sheets. He growled at the picture and bared his fangs.

Oh, how those specimens bugged him.

Just looking at them made his skin crawl. But how much he hated them wasn't going to solve the current situation at hand. He needed to think of something. Right now, this so called female caretaker, which he had yet to learn her name- although he didn't think it was useful- was now in a state of sadness. He personally has never gone through such emotions so he didn't particularly care how this human felt. He just needed to use this to his advantage. But how?

"You, mole," he pointed his voice sharp. The mole jumped from doodling on the clip board and exclaimed, "Y-yes sir!"

Darren rolled his eyes at him. If he was so scared of him, why was he here? He narrowed his eyes before saying, "Do you know the effects of the emotions running through the caretaker? What will happen after her tears have dried?"

The mole almost questioned his question; key word being almost. Except, he was smart enough to bite his tongue and answer what he needs answered.

"U-um I have observed that certain types of emotions can have a lasting effect on humans."

Darren growled with impatience, "Yes, yes but, what are they, boy? Answer my question!"

"The ones Chelsea is going through right now, I believe are stress, regret and unhappiness. I'm sorry but, I'm not 100% sure on what the effects are but they usually cause depression, anxiety and distrust in one's self. Some may or may not reach self-harm but that is only in extreme cases."

Who knew? No wonder this useless race is so weak. They can't even fight against their own feeling, which harvest within them. The ebony male chuckled at the last sentence. 'Some may reach self-harm.' It would be pleasurable to see all of them kill and torture their own-selves because of these emotions. But this was not the point.

Now that he knew what….Chelsah?... was going through. He needed to form a plan. Get the project back and then destroy her self-trust so that she is forced to think she cannot handle the three. After that his plan might as well be done.

He was such a genius.

"What are the relationships they survive on?" He had an idea.

"There are spouses, family related items, friends, a temporary or long lasting partner-" Bulge said before the other's voice cut in.

"What do you mean by temporary partner? Don't they stay with the person they have relationships with?"

"Yes but according to studies, this certain types of species have a different system then us. Although we do walk, talk, etc. We do have some animal instincts. Meaning, we do follow certain customs, in relation any other animal. To us it is alright to see another person but," Bulge's face flushed red, "once the two have mated then they are like spouses. Although some may leave each other it is looked down upon, it's very rare though. Anyway, humans don't exactly follow these customs. After any sort of intimacy they are not obligated to stay with the person they mate with. It is accepted that they may separate, before and after courting."

"Do all humans do that?" He may have to tweak his idea.

"No. Not all. Most do but, if you want to know about Chelsea, I can tell you she will not do this. There are certain types of people, do to religion, that wait for any sexual contact. Meaning, she will see a person for some time, and marry before mating."

He had to admit, this mole seemed more useful than he looked. His little lecture just gave him a plan which would guarantee success. Or the first time since he landed on this miserable laboratory, Darren gave the biggest smile he'd ever have. It was the kind without any genuine mirth. It was the kind without any holy joy. No. His smile was poured in and saturated with sadistic joy and happiness.

It was the kind that scared the hell out of Bulge.

Before anything could happen Darren pointed towards the mole and exclaimed, "I need you to bring me the Captain of the camera center. I believe a word with them has been well overdue."

Chelsea: Now you two, what have I told you about fighting?

SunLove & Shadow: *Dully* it only makes eveything worse. We're sorry.

Chelsea: Good. Now, SunLove, you go and give your note and, baby, you go and play with your brothers or something.

SunLove & Shadow: Okay...

Well, now that that's over why dont we go over some stuff, huh? Well, sorry this is so short- well at least to me. I'm getting bombarded with homerwork and...well... it's not pretty. All i have to say is that i hat school. Yeah, i think that sums it up. Anyway I'm trying my best to upload stories and I can only say that I can get one chapter done each week. Maybe two? But, now to the story, we have learned a bit more about Bulge and Darren. Well, we all can infer that Darren is, of course, the bad guy. He despises humans and any other species that's not his. it's really weird actually. We also saw a bit of Shadow's whole intake on this. And please excuse the title. I'm running out of creativity.

Dang school.

Anywho, that's all I'm saying. Hope you enjoyed!

Thank You. R&R

~God Bless You~