Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and related stuff do not belong to me.

A/N: Okay look, I'm not good at titles, okay? So gomen ne in advance if it royally sucks. XD
Well, this is another short fic by me! Slight hint of shounen-ai. So blah. And ya know what?! It's not all horror-ish and bloody like my Illusive Images fic! *sweatdrop* This is dedicated to a special friend o' mine... you know who you are! ^_^V Enjoy!

] -~*~- [

Sonic moped quietly around the house, stopping by the window to watch the rainfall softly outside. The night sky was clear from stars and was just plastered with dreary-colored clouds.

A black and red hedgehog watched him from the living room, worry clearly washed over his sharp features. 'He hasn't slept or eaten much for days... I'm really getting worried.' Shadow thought sadly.

Getting up from the couch, Shadow walked towards his friend and placed a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Hey... are you all right?"

... No response.

The rain was pouring heavier than before, and it looked like a storm was on its way. Shadow withdrew his hand from the blue hedgehog's shoulder and was silently watching him with ruby red eyes. "Sonic, it's almost 9. You should get some rest. You look a little worn out." A little worn out? Not even. More like a lot. However, Sonic didn't need to know that.

"Shadow..." Sonic turned to him with his dull green eyes and managed a forced smile. "No. It's okay. I'm fine here."

The older hedgehog shook his head. "I don't believe you." Sonic just fake smiled once again and turned to the window, his grin washing away completely. Shadow frowned and both stood there for an awkward while. Sonic then decided to sit on the space next to the window, his eyes never leaving the view outside.

Walking into the bedroom, Shadow took a blanket and came back out, handing it to Sonic. "Here. You might get a cold." He said it softly, as to not disturb Sonic out of his thoughts.

Emerald eyes looked up at him, showing mixed emotions. He accepted the blanket and wrapped it around himself, mumbling a faint 'thanks'.

Shadow continued staring at Sonic. Why was he acting like this? Why won't Sonic just tell him what's wrong? Maybe... maybe a bowl of hot soup would make him feel better. It sounded stupid to him, but he wanted to cheer up his friend in any way possible. "Hey Sonic-kun, want some soup? I could easily cook you up a bowl if you'd like."

There was silence. "... That would be nice, Shadow, but I already checked. There's no more left."

"Really? No more?" Shadow frowned. Just when Sonic finally wanted something, they had to run out, didn't they? He paused for a while and then smiled at his roommate. "That's all right. I'll go get some more from the market." Shadow went to the coat hanger and wrapped a blue scarf around his neck. Sonic had especially chosen that scarf for him when they once went "shopping" together. Though the color didn't match his fur at all, Shadow wore it anyway just for his pal. Besides, he didn't mind.

"No, don't." Sonic's strangely quiet voice temporarily halted Shadow's actions. "I... I don't want to cause you any trouble. It's raining pretty hard," His glance shifted to the window. "And I don't want you getting sick because of me. I know you hate water."

A grin from the black hedgehog made Sonic manage a slight smile. "Nah. I'll go to the market. Just for you."

'Just for me...'

Shadow grabbed a nearby umbrella and opened the door, eyes widening at how harsh the weather was treating them. "... You weren't kidding. It is raining hard." He turned his head to smile at Sonic. "That's okay. Rain won't kill me." He winked and opened the umbrella, stepping out of the decent-sized house they both lived in. "I'll be back soon, all right? Take care of yourself." With that, he closed the front door and Sonic was left to himself.

'Take care of myself...'

Sonic watched the door for a few seconds, and then his eyes traveled to the window, where he could see Shadow crossing the street, making his way to the market. 'Such a good friend... crossing this weather just to get me some soup.' He laughed nonchalantly. Eventually, it died and left Sonic to the stillness of his empty house. The more he stared outside the window, the more bored he became, though his depression seemed as if it would never leave. Sonic looked around the room. Isn't there anything he could do?

Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a light blue envelope on top of the coffee table. 'What's that?' Reluctantly getting up and removing his blanket, Sonic walked over to the table and picked up the envelope, reading the handsome cursive writing on the center of it. Sonic, it said. 'For me?' He thought. Sonic's gloved hands gently opened the cover and his eyes fell upon the same handsome writing he saw on the envelope. Except this was a letter and it was written very neatly in red ink. He read it carefully, eyes changing emotion every second.

Dear Sonic,

You have no idea how lucky you are, and you impress me so much. You have so many friends... sometimes I wonder how you can be so depressed with all your friends by your side. I, well, I almost have no friends... and I mean friends that I can really trust. Though I do know plenty of people, I don't know if I could tell them the same things I could tell you.

The point of this letter is, I just want to say how much of a special person you are, and how blessed I am to know a person like you. It just suddenly dawned on me how much of a wonderful person my hedgie friend truly is.

Put aside all of the problems you think you have about yourself, and just trust me when I say that you're beautiful.

I love you like a very, very close brother and I wouldn't know what to do if I ever lost you. You are the one person I trust the most and I can practically tell you anything I want, unlike with other people I know, except for... her... perhaps. However, she is gone.

I feel that I have known you longer than any other person I've known since I was only a baby. To me, it doesn't matter that we've only met not too long ago. I'm glad that we decided to side on one side, to fight evil.

This may sound corny, but I feel that we're somehow connected. That we're both bonded somehow. It's strange... but in a way, satisfying.

I can't find the words to tell you how thankful I am to know you. And how lucky I feel just to know you're there for me. I've had no other major problems in my life so far, except the one you know so much about, but I know that something else will come up in the future. And I know that you'll be there for me, to comfort me, to cheer me up, to make me feel better.

It's hard to think that someone as upbeat and cheery as you could ever get as depressed like this. I know how you feel. Really, I do...

When you feel sad or your self-esteem has sunk remarkably low, always remember to look at this letter and remind yourself that you're never alone.

Perhaps I am turning too sentimental to think of concepts like this. Oh well.

The reason I changed my ways was because of you. You helped me see the light. You helped me out of the darkness. I owe you so much. I owe you my life, to tell the truth.

I'm just telling you this in advance just in case I ever forget, which I probably won't. Still, I can't think of a way to thank you except the old-fashioned way...

Thank you. Thank you for everything.

P.S. ...

Never forget that you're never alone. Come rain, shine, hail, snow, whatever... just remember that I'm here for you.

'Did Shadow write this...?'

Crystal tears filled Sonic's lime eyes, which were suddenly filled with the spark it had before he had suddenly become depressed. The sadness he felt in his heart had vanished, and all he could think about was one person...

'Shadow...'

The front door to his house creaked open, and a spiky black and red figure with a blue scarf around his neck entered, holding up a brown paper bag. "Hey Sonic, I'm back! The market was packed today and..." His voice trailed off as he saw Sonic's trembling hands, which were barely holding up a piece of white paper with scarlet writing on it. Shadow froze for a second, but then walked over to the coffee table where Sonic was standing. He lowered the paper bag on the table and grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "So, you managed to find the letter, ne? I was planning to give it to you later, but... I guess now is a better time."

Sonic looked up at him, eyes watery, bottom lip quivering. The older hedgehog's smile melted away and he frowned, moving closer towards Sonic and cupping his chin in his gloved hand. "Oh Sonic... I didn't mean to make you cry..." He wiped the tears away with his thumb. "Hey..."

Shaking his head, Sonic wrapped his arms around Shadow's waist and pulled him into a tight embrace, the black and red hedgehog shocked at first, but then returning it whole-heartedly. Sonic rested his spiky head in the crook of the other hedgehog's shoulder, sighing deeply and inhaling Shadow's lovely scent. 'What kind of cologne does Shadow wear? It smells good,' Sonic thought, smiling. "Ne, Shadow... i-it's okay... I also want to say something to you." Both let go and stared at each other for a small while before Sonic placed a hand on Shad's shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "I want to thank you too. I, too, feel blessed and thankful that I have as good as a friend as you, Shadow-kun. Thanks. A lot."

Shadow's face lit up, as he was able to see Sonic's very first smile in weeks. "No prob. Thanks to you, too."

Sonic grinned back and lowered his arm, both hedgehogs standing calmly opposite each other. Just then, the blue hedgehog raised his arms again and smiled faintly. "Aww... give me another hug." He already missed Shadow's aroma. 'He smells like flowers.'

Laughing lightly, Shadow wrapped his arms around Sonic's waist and he hugged his comrade, Sonic being able to sniff the wonderful scent again. He thought it was somewhat dim-witted of him because he loved Shadow's smell. "There you go. Feel better?" He could feel Sonic nod in his shoulder. "That's good..." Both let go. "Would you still like some of that soup? I got your favorite, Chicken Noodle-"

"Chicken noodle? Aww yeah! That's great! I'll help!" Sonic happily said, both interrupting and surprising Shadow very much. He didn't expect that a simple letter from him would cause Sonic's mood to change drastically. 'Well... I'm glad I wrote it.'

"You'll help? Really?" He put on a challenging smile. "Race ya to the kitchen!"

"What? But the kitchen's right there," Sonic said, pointing a little ways forward.

Shadow's grin widened even more. "Okay then. Race ya past the kitchen, out the back door, around the alley, through the front door, and then to the kitchen!"

Sonic smirked. "Let's rock!"

"I'll start the count. Ready," Both kneeled down on one knee. "Set," Both crouched up. "G- H-Hey! Wait up, you cheater!"

Sonic laughed heartily as he sped past the kneeling hedgehog. "Ha ha! Catch me if you can!" Shadow grinned and bolted up, chasing after his blue friend. He'd even let Sonic win this race... but only this race. Everything was back to normal...

Sonic was back to normal. And Shadow was glad.

] -~*~- [

A/N: The End! ^_^ I didn't think it was that good. It seemed depressing, then too corny, then too happy at the end. It feels rushed. x_X;; Also, it seemed a bit confusing, ne? I thought it did. *nods* And hey, didja notice that itsy bit of humor there about the cologne thing? *grins* I couldn't help it, I'm a humor writer. ^_^V

Sonic: He smells good! ^_^ And for once, Shadow isn't a moron!
Shadow: SHUT UP! *smacks Sonic*
Sonic: *smacks Shadow*
Shadow: *smacks Sonic*

A/N: *stares, then looks at reader* Oh well. R+R.

~ L-Gurl