XXXI – Second Date

A corridor without end. Twisting, turning, the ground beneath his feet shifting and rocking, throwing him off balance. A door always in sight but never getting closer, and the fear; the fear clawing at his insides, dragging him down into an abyss of terror.

Now things were different. Polished marble, ornate pillars, total silence, and something in the shadows.

They came one by one, their cold dead eyes pierced by crimson light, and a smile filled with predatory instinct. They closed around him, and his feet betrayed him, preventing him from running.

Before his eyes the blue hedgehogs began to melt, their outlines losing definition as they warped and shifted into shambling, sticky masses that barely resembled his friend. They pawed at him with half-formed hands, globs of their flesh sticking to his sweat-drenched fur.

Slowly the sea of blue parted, and bright yellow light seared his eyes. The form of Super Sonic approached him, blazing with wild fire and baring his jagged bloody teeth. Tails held up his own hands to shield his face, only to see his wrists blackened and smouldering, his orange fur burnt completely away. Tails screamed, but he could not close his eyes.

From nowhere jets of crimson lights surged into the Sonics, blasting them into dust. Rapidly they fell before the crimson onslaught, and Tails saw the figure of a black hedgehog standing before him. With a grand movement of his arms he poured crimson lighting into Super Sonic, and with a deafening roar the fiend exploded with a flash of light, returning the atrium to silence.

Now Tails lay draped in Shadow's strong arms, his arms hanging around his neck.

"Shadow," he said in a dreamy exhalation, "you saved me! How can I ever repay you?"

Shadow said nothing, instead moving his face closer to Tails' own, a longing look in his eyes. Tails slowly moved his face towards him, bringing his pursed lips ever closer until...

"Tails, wake up!"

"Huh?" said Tails, opening his eyes. Above him, the dull grey of the hospital's suspended ceiling greeted him, broken up only by the red of Knuckles, who stood over him with a concerned look.

"You okay, pal?" he said, "the way you were moaning, it sounded like you were having another nightmare."

Tails sat up quickly, turning his head away from Knuckles to hide the crimson blush as red as the echidna himself.

"Er... yeah," he said, "a nightmare. That's what it was... you definitely didn't interrupt anything nice, no sir, you did not." He chuckled nervously, and Knuckles looked at him with confusion, before shrugging nonchalantly.

"Whatever, dude," he said, "I woke you up because you have a call waiting."

"A call? From who?" Tails said, his face lighting up, "maybe it's Sonic!" He leapt over to the other side of the bed, seizing hold of the phone with his heart jumping for joy.

"Sonic!" he cried into the receiver.

"Hi Tails," came a woman's voice from the other end, "it's Doctor Samuels."

"Oh," said Tails, his heart sinking, "I mean, oh! Hello Kate! How are you?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," said Samuels, clearly flustered by Tails' enthusiasm, "How are you though? I heard you got hurt in the fighting, and I was really worried about you."

"Actually, I'm fine. I got badly burned, but then not long ago something amazing happened. A burst of Chaos Energy healed me completely. The doctors can't believe it; they're keeping me in for tests."

"I can't believe it either," said Samuels, "How is that possible? I know Chaos Energy can be applied to regenerate living tissue, but it's an inexact process, the safety of its use is still being debated. The chances of a random surge..."

"I don't think it was random, doc. I think it was Sonic."

"Sonic? But how-?"

"I don't know, Kate," said Tails, meeting Knuckles eyes, which betrayed a hidden sadness within the echidna, "I hate to be so unscientific, but I just know."

Doctor Samuels paused for a long time, and Tails wondered if she was holding back, resisting the urge to whip out her logic and crush his pseudoscientific feelings. It's what he would have done in her place; like the time he criticised Amy's tarot cards and her belief in fate when they were younger. Sonic had admonished him after she became upset and spent a long time crying on Sonic's shoulder, and after that he learned to restrain himself when faced with such things.

"Tails," said Samuels at last, "turn on the TV, if you have one. Tune in to the Channel 5 News."

"Okay," said Tails, reaching for the remote and turning on the small television mounted on the opposite wall.

On the screen, an austere-looking human with greying hair and a chiselled jaw stood behind a podium, dressed in a dark grey military uniform festooned with glittering medals. Behind him the wall displayed the GUN logo, and in the foreground journalists could be seen milling about and waving their cameras. When Tails saw the banner splashed across the screen, he nearly leapt into the air in joy.

BREAKING NEWS: SONIC & SHADOW ACQUITTED

"...we have received new evidence," said the GUN Commander, "that we believe exonerates Sonic & Shadow, the hedgehogs, of all responsibility for the attack on Station Square and the attack on GUN Headquarters in the city. The evidence strongly suggests Sonic & Shadow have been the victim of a malicious and calculated attempt to slander their reputations, which we believe to be beyond reproach. Therefore, we are dropping all charges."

The press began to burst into thunderous clamour.

"What about Shadow's involvement with terrorist activities in Central City?"

"Will there be any compensation for the families of those killed?"

"Who is your lead suspect now that Sonic has been cleared?"

Tails flicked the TV off, cutting the tumult short.

"This is incredible!" he said, "how did this happen?"

"No... no need to thank me," Samuels said, and Tails thought he could hear her blushing.

"You? You did this for Sonic?"

"I did it for you, Tails," said Samuels, "the way you spoke about him back at the GUN base, I've never heard anyone such genuine adoration for another person in my life. I knew he couldn't be the awful person they were trying to make him out to be."

"Really?" Tails said, blushing himself, "I didn't... he's just my friend, that's all."

"Tails, people don't talk about their friends like that. You love him, Tails. In that brief time I met him, I could see it in your eyes. That's why I went back into the base when things got crazy; I had to recover my data on the Chaos Robots, so I could prove him innocent and bring him back to you."

"You risked your life for me?" said Tails, pangs of guilt tugging at him, "Kate, you shouldn't -"

"You inspired me, Tails," she interrupted, "you never gave up, even in the face of all that danger. I couldn't run away after seeing your strength. It seems only right the one who inspired that strength in you should still be around to keep doing so."

"Kate..." said Tails softly, "thank you."

"It's been a pleasure. If you're ever in Empire City, swing by GUN HQ, maybe we can catch up."

"I'd like that," said Tails, "Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Tails."

The phone went dead, and Tails handed the receiver back to Knuckles.

"Isn't it great, Knuckles?" he said, "Sonic's been cleared!"

"Yeah, great..." said Knuckles, staring into space.

"What's wrong? You didn't believe he did any of that stuff, did you?"

"What? No, of course not, there was just... some other things I need to talk to him about."

"Like what?"

Knuckles stared into Tails' eyes, biting his lip and looking like he desperately needed to say something.

"Nothing," he said after a long pause, "it doesn't matter."

"Whatever, Knucklehead," said Tails, "it won't make any difference if we can't find him."

~o~

"Woah! What happened here?"

Before the two hedgehogs the facade of a concrete building lay in a grim shroud of decay. The gleaming glass doors lay in pieces, the windows had become jagged openings of shattered glass, black scorch marks adorned the walls, and yellow police tape snaked around the entrance.

"This must be the result of the attack Metal Shadow was boasting about," said Shadow.

"Looks like he wasn't pulling any punches," said Sonic. Behind the tape some police officers eyed them suspiciously, fortunately seeming to have missed their sudden arrival by Chaos Control, and nearby a digger unloaded a pile of broken silver robots into a skip.

"All this just to get at me?" Sonic said, shaking his head, "I can hardly believe it."

"Hmm," agreed Shadow, "Robotnik's gone too far this time. I hope our friends got out before things became too heated."

"Our friends?" said Sonic, turning to face Shadow with a facetious smile, "I thought I heard concern in your voice then, Shads. You really are a changed man."

"I know how much they mean to you, Sonic," said Shadow, folding his arms and trying to look stoic, "I mean, I really know. I still think of them as irritating pests who I wish would leave me alone, and yet... I love them as much as you do. This is a strange sensation; to hold two conflicting emotions about one thing."

"Cognitive dissonance," said Sonic, "Like just now; I both understand and don't understand what that means at the same time. This is going to take some getting used to. Maybe Tails can come up with some device or..."

Sonic's face dropped, becoming frozen in terror.

"Tails!" he cried, seizing Shadow by the shoulders, "where's Tails? Is he hurt? Is he trapped under some rubble or... I've left him all alone!"

"Faker!" yelled Shadow, "get a hold of yourself! We saw Tails on the monitors back when Metal Shadow tried to torture us. He's in a hospital with Knuckles, he's alive."

"But what if that was just a trick?" said Sonic, his lip quivering, "more robot duplicates trying to get me to, I don't know, attack Knuckles or something?" He let go of Shadow grabbing hold of Metal Shadow's head on Shadow's shoulder, lifting it up to look into his blank eyes.

"What do you want from me?!" he bellowed.

"Sonic, stop it!" yelled Shadow, loud enough to turn the heads of the nearby police officers. Sonic looked up in a daze, staring curiously at Shadow.

"Shadow?" he said, "are you crying?"

"What?" said Shadow, raising his hand to his eyes and feeling the previously unnoticed wetness clamming up his cheeks.

"How in the- ?" he said, "why am I crying?" Sonic regained his composure, smiling knowingly at him.

"Tails," he said, and Shadow understood.

"Damn," said Shadow, wiping his cheek, "you really have made me soft."

Shadow snapped out of his sniffling when Sonic's open palm struck him across the cheek.

"And you've made me tough," said Sonic, quickly averting his gaze, "I mean, tough-ER. I've acquired your talent of being cold and unsympathetic when the situation calls for it."

"This is just great," said Shadow, nursing his cheek, "I've got you inside me." Sonic snorted, covering his mouth to try and stifle a laugh.

"If you say so, Shads!"

"What?" Shadow searched his own feelings, allowing the Sonic part of him to comprehend the statement. Laughter swelled up within him, and his cheeks flushed red with heat.

"Oh. Double Entendre," he said tersely, suppressing Sonic's sense of humour within him, "I can see why you'd find that amusing."

"Don't sweat it, Shads," laughed Sonic, "the Shadow part of me is telling me that I'm an immature imbecile. I've got it just as bad as you."

"Great," drolled Shadow, "now we're both screwed-up in equal measure."

"Don't you see, Shadow?" said Sonic, calming himself down, "it's the best of both worlds. Whenever we feel ourselves faltering, we can find the part of the other within ourselves that gives us the strength to beat it. If I worry myself sick over Tails, I can balance it out with your cold logic. If you feel like a failure, you can call on my optimism to see how much you mean to everyone around you."

Sonic marched forward, placing his hands firmly on Shadow's shoulders.

"We don't have to look at ourselves anymore and find faults. When I look at my reflection, I won't see me anymore, I'll see you. That's what my subconscious was trying to tell me:"

"You're my mirror image, Shadow." Shadow looked up, staring into Sonic's eyes.

"You're trying to suggest we were meant for each other?"

"Don't be stupid," said Sonic through a laugh, "You know I don't believe in 'the one' or 'love at first sight.' What I mean is, if I had merged with someone just like me..."

"You wouldn't have gained any new insight," interrupted Shadow, his mind in line with Sonic's thought process, "you needed someone with a different outlook on life. I can give you that, if nothing else. I thought I understood you, Sonic. I thought I had you all figured out."

"And you were a little bit smugly proud of yourself for being so clever, weren't you?" said Sonic with a cheeky smile.

"Yes, I was," said Shadow, taking the blue hedgehog by the hand, a warm feeling rising with him, "but I've never been so glad to be proven wrong in all my life."

~o~

"I'm afraid we don't have anyone called 'Tails' checked in with us at the moment, sir."

Sonic gripped his hands against the edge of the hospital reception desk, glaring at the racoon receptionist trying to placate him, while his knuckles turned white underneath his gloves. Behind him, Shadow stood with his arms tightly folded, while Metal Shadow's lifeless frame lay propped up on a plastic chair, eliciting strange looks from passers-by.

"Calm down, Sonic," he said, "maybe they took him to a different hospital."

Sonic closed his eyes, allowing Shadow's calm demeanour to sweep into him. The tension uncoiled from his muscles as he saw the situation with Shadow's pragmatic logic instead of assuming the worst. With his mind clear, a new approach occurred to him, and he opened his eyes to smile at the racoon.

"His real name is Miles Prower," said Sonic, "M-I-L-"

"Sonic?" a voice called to him from across the reception. Sonic turned to see Knuckles staring at him in wonder, and his heart skipped a beat; if Knuckles was here, so was Tails.

"Knuckles!" he cried, walking quickly over to greet his friend, his arms outstretched to administer a man-hug. To his surprise, Knuckles huge hand seized around his neck, swinging him around and slamming him up against the wall.

"You've got a lot of nerve showing your face around here after what you've done!" barked Knuckles, his eyes blazing with anger.

"Knux!" gasped Sonic, clawing at the hand around his throat, his legs kicking futilely at the air, "What's the matter with you?"

"You abandoned us, Sonic!" yelled Knuckles, "you ran away to chase after your girlfriend, while the rest of us fought for our lives! Tails almost died because of you!"

Sonic glanced past Knuckles shoulder, where the dark form of Shadow seemed to tower over the physically larger echidna.

"What are you gonna do, Shadow?" asked Knuckles, turning to look back over his shoulder, "attack me again? Is violence the only thing you understand?"

Sonic wanted to call Knuckles out on his hypocrisy, but decided he wasn't in the best position to discuss semantics. Shadow slowly turned his piercing stare to meet Knuckles own, and Sonic struggled against his grip, desperate to stop the imminent bloodbath.

Shadow slowly placed his hand on Knuckles shoulder.

"Knuckles," he said in a calm, quiet tone," Sonic didn't mean to leave you. He was captured by the same villain who attacked GUN. It was designed to get him away from where he was needed the most. He's done everything he can to ensure your safety, and to come back to you, because he loves you all. He would die before he abandoned Tails."

"Or soon after," growled Knuckles.

"He loves Tails," continued Shadow, "and he loves you, Knuckles. I hope you appreciate how special that makes you." Sonic and Knuckles began to glow bright red, looking at each other with uncomfortable aside glances. Knuckles released his grip, and Sonic dropped to the floor with a gasp.

"Shadow?" asked Knuckles, "what's the matter with you? Why are you being... nice?"

"It's a long story," said Sonic, "I'm not even sure I understand it myself."

"Well, I'm not complaining," laughed Knuckles, "maybe I might like you if you're not such a jerk. I could get used to -"

"Oh, by the way, if you ever touch Sonic like that again, I'll shove the Master Emerald into somewhere Rouge will never be able to find it," said Shadow.

"Okay, so... still a jerk?" asked Knuckles.

"It's okay, Knux," said Sonic, getting to his feet and putting his arm around Knuckles shoulder, "don't you see? It may have been a threat, but it was a joke as well. The old Shadow would have just threatened to pull off your arms and beat you to death with them. He's actually got a sense of humour now. Well, technically he's borrowing it from me."

"Huh?" asked Knuckles.

"Long story," said Sonic, rolling his eyes in a way that would make Shadow proud.

"So, who was behind all this crazy stuff?"

"Over there," said Sonic, motioning towards the chairs where Metal Shadow rested, "it's okay, it's deactivated."

"Woah," said Knuckles, bending down to examine the robot, "it's like, some kind of Metal Shadow or something. Where did it come from?"

"Eggman built it," said Sonic, "turns out he wasn't quite as dead as we thought. Metal Shadow staged Eggman's death to shift the blame onto us."

"Well, he did a good job," said Knuckles, "Even I was suspicious of you." Sonic glared at him with a sardonic expression he hoped said 'really?'

"Knuckles, you're suspicious of everybody," he said, "you think you're own girlfriend is trying to steal the Master Emerald from you."

"She is!" Knuckles snapped, quickly turning away and looking sheepish, "I mean... she's not my girlfriend."

"No," said Shadow, "that would be the Master Emerald. Trying to steal it is the only way Rouge can get your attention. It's infuriating, the amount of times she's gone running off to make a try for it when she should be focusing on her work. Maybe if you remembered to keep Angel Island's defences active once in a while she wouldn't..."

Shadow stopped, his accusing finger hovering in mid-air, and his face slowly shifted from righteous indignation to a knowing smile.

"Uh-oh," said Sonic, stifling a laugh, "looks like the penny's finally dropped."

"You turn them off on purpose, don't you?" said Shadow, "You want her to make a play for the Master Emerald. It's like a game of cat and mouse to you. I wonder, how does she reward you for catching her?"

Knuckles had turned so red he now resembled one of Shadow's Chaos doppelgangers, and Sonic imagined plumes of smoke billowing from his friend's ears.

"Look over there!" yelled Knuckles, pointing behind Sonic, "it's Tails!"

"Nice try, Knucklehead, but I'm not falling-"

Something leapt onto Sonic's back, and he tumbled forward onto the polished hospital floor. Rolling over onto his back, he looked up to see a pair of shimmering blue eyes, and the most adorable face he knew he'd ever see.

Sonic laughed, overcome by pure happiness, and began to ruffle his friend's fur all over. Tails giggled with childish glee at being tickled, and began to tickle Sonic in kind, leaving both boys rolling on the floor laughing. Noticing the strange looks the people in the reception area were giving them, they rose to their feet and embraced tightly, pushing their fur together and sharing the warmth of their feelings.

"I'm so glad to see you again, Sonic!" cried Tails, nuzzling against Sonic's chest.

"Me too, little buddy," Sonic said, feeling his eyes beginning to well up, "I've missed you so much. I'm sorry I had to leave you."

"I always knew you'd come back for me, Sonic," said Tails, pulling away from the hug, "I never doubted you, not for a second."

The two boys stood arm in arm, staring longingly at each other, while in the corner of his eye Sonic noticed Knuckles gazing at them, a look of guilt on his face undercut with another that Sonic couldn't quite identify.

"Oh, Hi Shadow!" said Tails, looking around Sonic's torso, "how are you?"

"I'm fine," said Shadow, "it's good to see you are not hurt."

"Well, I was, but Knuckles took care of me."

Sonic nodded towards Knuckles, and the echidna nodded back, the two silently exchanging appreciation of the other.

"Say, Shadow," said Tails, "you look different somehow, did you do something with your quills?"

After a long pause Shadow spoke.

"No," he grunted, "should I have?"

"Oh," said Tails, and Sonic noticed the fox's face flashing crimson as he avoided Shadow's gaze, "never... never mind, then."

"Hey Tails, look at this," said Sonic, trying to snap Tails out of his funny turn, "I got you a present."

He led Tails to where Metal Shadow lay, and the little fox's eyes lit up in wonder.

"Wow!" he said, pawing at the bot and examining every screw and bolt, "a customised X-32 series robo-hedgehog with a modified power-chassis. Neat!"

"This is Metal Shadow," said Sonic, "or what's left of him. This bucket of bolts was the true mastermind behind all the doppelgangers. I thought you might want to take a look at him."

"You bet! Eggman's creations always fascinate me, even more so now there aren't going to be any more of them."

"Yeah, sorry," said Sonic, rubbing the back of his head, "Eggman's still alive."

"What?! But I saw him -"

"Long story, little buddy," said Sonic, turning to look at Shadow, who was talking with Knuckles, "We've got a lot of things to catch up on."

"Don't worry, Sonic," said Tails, smiling warmly, "We've got all the time in the world." Sonic smiled back, but his smile quickly faded when he caught Shadow walking out the hospital door in the corner of his eye.

"Shadow, wait!" he cried, zipping over to him and grabbing his arm, "where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Rouge," he said, "Knuckles told me she's gone to Empire City to check in with GUN."

"Okay, I'll see you later then." Shadow's face grew cold and distant.

"Actually, Sonic," he said, not looking into his eyes, "I think it best if we spend some time apart after I come back."

"What?" said Sonic, panic rising in his heart, "that's it? After all we've been through, you're leaving me?"

"You know why I want to be alone Sonic," he said, looking sternly into his eyes, "even with your personality inside me, I can't supress those feelings. You must understand this."

"Yeah," said Sonic, frowning, "I do... I guess."

Shadow took hold of Sonic's hand in both of his and held it tight.

"I will come back," he said, "at the first sign of trouble, I'll be back to fight alongside you. You were right, I do enjoy getting into danger with you. In fact, it's probably the only time I do enjoy myself. I just can't... handle the quiet times in-between. Even knowing how you feel about me can't fix that."

"It's alright, Shadow," said Sonic, patting Shadow's shoulder with his free hand, "I've felt what it's like to have that cloud hanging over you. I'll be supporting you, even from a distance. If you ever need me, you'll always know where to find me."

The two stood in silence, staring into each other's eyes and contemplating the other.

"It's funny when you think about it about, though," said Sonic, "all this crazy stuff; getting captured, fighting copies and insane robot overlords, nearly dying or going crazy a dozen times over."

"How is any that funny?" asked Shadow.

"Well," said Sonic, blushing slightly, "technically that was our first date."

Slowly Shadow began to smile, and he embraced Sonic, holding him close and nuzzling his fur.

"Yes," he said, "I suppose it was."

Shadow pulled away, then moved back in again, pressing his lips against Sonic's own. As their tongues embraced in the heat of each other's mouths, a harmony spread between the mingling flesh. Sonic had experienced his kisses from Shadow's perspective, and knew every subtle like and dislike, passively compensating for his own inexperience. He knew Shadow did the same, and the movements of their lips became in perfect sync, touching and brushing against each other in total sync, while neither tongue fought for dominance, instead forming a passionate partnership within them, with even their heavy breaths rattling in harmony. Though they had shared something greater than physical pleasure, the intimacy of that union made the kiss something greater than Sonic had even experienced before

As Sonic opened his eyes, climbing down from the heights of his ecstasy, he noticed a group of kids holding their smartphones up and giggling amongst themselves.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer!" said Sonic, sticking out his tongue.

"That's what we are doing," said one of them, a St. Bernard pup in a purple beanie, "this is so going on the internet."

"We knew you never did any of that stuff, Sonic," said a female squirrel amongst the group, "you wouldn't attack the city, you're a hero! Can we get your autograph, please?"

"Anything for a fan," said Sonic, letting Shadow go, "got a pen?" The kids eagerly whipped out pre-prepared pieces of paper and pens, their faces beaming as Sonic began signing.

"Same old Sonic," said Shadow, shaking his head "I know you love the attention, but I really have to go now."

"Okay, see you later," said Sonic. As crimson light began to envelop Shadow, Sonic felt a weight of sadness begin to press down on him.

And then he had a brilliant idea.

"Shadow, wait!" he cried, dashing away from his confused fans and putting out his hand to stop the black hedgehog. The crimson light faded, and Shadow turned to look at him.

"What is it?"

"Eggman still has the lifeform data he stole from Metal Shadow," said Sonic, "if we don't hurry, he'll use that info to create more copies of us."

"So..." said Shadow, the gears of his mind clearly turning, "you're suggesting we run half-cocked into Robotnik's lair, make our way through his deadly security devices and an army of Badniks, probably fall into a trap he's set for us, bust out of it, wreck his plans and escape, preferably by outrunning the base's self-destruct?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Sonic said with a wink.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to spend more time with me, Faker."

"You got me, Shads. Guilty as charged," Sonic marched up to Shadow, holding out his hand, "are you coming?" Shadow smiled a devilish smirk.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said, shaking Sonic's hand.

"Hold on just one sec," said Sonic. He turned and dashed back into the hospital reception, planting a kiss on Tails' forehead, and one on Knuckles despite his squirming, and despite having to stand on tiptoes to do it.

"Okay gotta run see you later love you bye!" he chattered as he zipped towards the door.

"Sonic, wait!" cried Tails, making Sonic stop on a dime, "you're leaving again? You only just got back! What's so important you have to go right now?"

Sonic puffed up his chest, grinning from ear to ear.

"I'm going out on a date!"

THE END.

~o~

Author's Note: That's it! It's done, it's finally done! I can relax at last XD.

It's been a heck of a lot of fun writing this, my first ever story. I hope everybody enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!

A big thanks to everyone who read, followed, favourited and reviewed. Your support has been simply wonderful, and I'm glad you took the time to read this tale.

If anybody has any questions about the fic, please do not hesitate to PM me. I'll help in any way I can. :)

All the best,

Sonic the Dovahkiin