So.
This was inspired by a story I read by Asher the Fox called "Brothers." I found that I sort of liked the idea of Sonic's death and Shadow kind of being there for Tails and decided to try it out for myself. OH! This story has an "Optional Epilogue" that won't wreck the story if you don't read it...it's just something I added for good measure. So enjoy!

I own virtually nothing here. The story idea was inspired by Asher the Fox and "Brothers", the characters belong to SEGA...all I own is the story line...

P.S. Sure, it's a little OOC...but hopefully not too much...

(Tails' POV)

I don't feel anything anymore. I don't want to, I don't need to, I don't have to.

Two years ago, the day Sonic died, I was the only one that didn't cry and when I got home, I laughed bitterly at the thought. I loved him more than anyone else in the entire universe…and still, I didn't cry. At the funeral, I sat in the back and kept to myself, fuming at the pathetic attempt to remember him. If there was one thing I knew about my brother, he wouldn't have wanted to be trapped in a box for the rest of eternity. It wasn't that he was ever claustrophobic, he was simply…free. Whenever he had the choice, he would choose to run, because to him, nothing was better than the adrenaline rush that came from his trademark speed.

And because of his "friends" who decided it would be best to have a coffin, he would never be free again.

They thought I was crazy when I told them they were stupid to put him in a box. I said he should be cremated and have his ashes scattered in the breeze. Of course, since I was fourteen, they thought I was being too morbid and took it upon themselves to decide what happened to him.

After that, since there was nothing I could do…I kept to myself. But that didn't make me stupid. I could still hear them whispering about me and becoming eerily quiet whenever I walked into a room. They tried to pretend they didn't worry about me, but it was clear that they took no trouble to hide the worry in their eyes. And in response, I made no attempt to hide my disgust with them for doing so. I wasn't a baby that they needed to dote over every second of the day. Yes, I may be younger than most of them, but that didn't mean I couldn't take care of myself.

I threw myself into my work. It was the only reliable thing in my world these days. I grew into the habit of working all night and sleeping during the day. At first, everyone would come into my workshop, sit on one of my stools, and stare at me awkwardly, waiting for me to talk. But I never did. And then they'd eventually leave.

One night I had a new visitor. Shadow and I rarely spoke, and our minimal communication had been reduced to nothing after the funeral. But strangely enough, I didn't mind his company all that much. Cream and Rouge were always pestering me to talk, saying that if I let it out, I would feel better. That was stupid. Talking about having your heart ripped from your chest wasn't going to stop the bleeding and patch the hole. Then there was Knuckles, who didn't say much, but didn't offer much "comfort" either. Amy was a complete mess, so at least they could all fuss over her and leave me alone. It was better that way. I could deal with it the way I wanted without being patronized.

Shadow strode quietly into the workshop. I twitched my ears, acknowledging his presence, but made no attempt to initiate anything. He didn't say anything either, but instead of waiting by the door or sitting on a stool like the others, he came up next to me and watched me work. I didn't bother to complain. He would leave soon enough.

Or…not. As I worked, he watched my every movement, handing me the tools I needed when I needed them. He must have had a pretty good understanding of mechanics, seeing as he knew what tool I needed and when. I had just begun to accept the semi-comfortable silence between us when suddenly, he spoke.

"Tails?"

Instead of ignoring him or grunting a response, I turned to look at him. I didn't see what I normally saw in the eyes of the others. There was no worry. There was no pity. There was no hopelessness. All I saw in the deep crimson irises was…understanding…

In a very un-Shadow-like gesture, he placed his right hand on my shoulder, looked me in the eyes, and spoke again.

"I know."

Two words. That's all it took. My charade of pretending like my best friend's death didn't affect me was over. At first I felt one tear, two, five, begin to dribble over my cheeks. In the next moment, I was sobbing uncontrollably, letting the anger and grief and loneliness flow out as salty rivers down my face. The strange thing was, the two words he had said had been shoved at me countless times by the others in vain attempts to break through to me. But I think, as he put his arm around my shoulders and let me cry, he was the only one who actually knew what he was talking about. The others told me they knew, but only because they were going through the same thing I was. When Shadow said it, he spoke it because he had gone through this before and knew that I wasn't crazy, that I wasn't morbid, only that I was hurt, that I was broken. A huge part of my life had suddenly been ripped away from me, and I was still trying to find a way to live without it. But as I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath, I figured that even if I would never heal, I would at least have someone who knew.

~Optional Epilogue

"I'm still worried…are you sure that he's going to be ok?"

The small girl frowned slightly at the blue hedgehog's question, as if he should know the answer himself. "Sonic, I promise, everything is going to be ok." She placed her hand gently on his shoulder and gestured down to the unlikely pair down below. "He doesn't look like it, but Shadow is going to take good care of him."

He sighed. "I know Maria. I just miss him so much already! He shouldn't be crying like this, he shouldn't be so…broken…"

She pulled him into a full hug this time. "Sometimes things happen that we can't control. It's been fifty years, and I still miss Shadow every day." Maria looked back at him, seeing the lingering sadness still on his face. "But they'll be there for each other. Shadow will help Tails heal…and maybe vice versa."

Sonic smiled back at her. "You're right. And hey, it's not like we're really gone…we'll just keep an eye on them until we're all together again."

Maria nodded and turned with him to watch their loved ones. "You're absolutely right, Sonic."

Hmm...what did you think? Review and tell me! (No flames, not now, not ever!)

Also, if you want some more yummy fics to devour, I point you over to Taranea and her stories (and my personal favorites): "Life could have been so different", "Wikipedia: Hedgehogs", and "Fanfic 101". Also, if you've played Sonic Adventure 2 for Dreamcast or Gamecube and want a parody of the Hero Story that will make your sides ache (with laughter!), then go check out "Sonic Adventure 2: Hero Story Abridged" by FPSSteve1. Happy reading~!

P.S. I just want to make it clear that this really isn't supposed to be a spin-off of "Life could have been so different". I started writing this BEFORE I read Taranea's amazing-ness, (because it was inspired by "Brothers" by Asher the Fox) so I'm really sorry if there was any confusion...