"Shh! You must be quiet!"

"Oh come now, don't leap up onto him, he's resting!"

The hedgehog let out a little groan. His ears twitched, his eyes opening slowly. He pushed himself up, blinking a few times until the sleep cleared out of his eyes. Several small and warm things crawled on his legs and arms. Neutral Chao hung from his limbs, cooing and chiming with laughter. The small creatures giggled and looked curiously at Shadow.

The hedgehog cast a scathing glare at them, petrifying the little creatures so they squeaked with worry and tumbled off of him.

The priestess sunk to her knees, giving him an earnest smile as she shepherded the frightened Chao away. "I'm sorry, Mr. Shadow." She said, still smiling. She took a Chao into her arms, rising to her feet. "They must have sensed Chaos and come to see him. He is their protector after all."

"What does that make you then?"

"Priestess to the Tribe. And a good friend to the Chao." She said with a smile. A puddle slithered up by Tikal as she turned to it. The puddle materialised into Chaos 0's form. Shadow held its green gaze as gurgles escaped from the water god's body. He rose to his feet as Chaos quickly reverting back into the bubbling puddle and slid back down the Altar.

The echidna chuckled quietly. "What's so funny?" Shadow asked.

"Oh... Chaos just called you Mr. Unsmiley." She said, covering her mouth to hide her laughter.

Shadow frowned, assuming that the echidna would stop giggling, but she continued until she had exhausted her laughter. She set down the Chao, watching it wander towards the others. She turned to him. "I know you're meant to guard the island while Guardian Knuckles and Miss Rouge search for Master Emerald shards, but I was hoping that you could help me find another home for the Chao?"

"Shouldn't they reside around here?" Shadow asked as the priestess shook her head.

"They explained that they had lived down in the jungle, but they had to leave when people came and started to dig around their homes." She explained. She reached down and gently pat the head of a few. The Chao happily chimed, gaining exclamation expressions atop their heads. "They sensed Chaos and hurried here. They were coming to see if it could protect them."

"If I recall properly from the GUN Map of Mystic Ruins, there's a Chao Garden around here. It'll be safe for them there." Shadow muttered.

"You're right. The Guardian told me."

"Knuckles spoke of it?" The hedgehog asked in slight disbelief. It was hard to imagine the echidna who supposedly sat on watch 24/7 would leave periodically to play with a bunch of Chao. Then again, Rouge had said on her routine drop in checks of Angel Island that the Guardian had been at the Altar of the Master Emerald. But that could've been an easy lie to cover up if she and Knuckles had been fooling around like Shadow hypothesised.

"Yes. It was when I was inside the Master Emerald. He was telling me about all these Chao Gardens opening up." Tikal said as she smiled at the small creatures. They had begun to sing, causing Shadow to groan internally. "They always sounded so lovely... We never had them. The Chao weren't seen often, and usually only came to Shrine Isle to see Chaos."

His eyes wandered to the stone doors that led back to the Mystic Ruins. "I suppose they were hoping Chaos would grant them a new home." She said, gently patting the heads of a few.

Shadow glanced to her, his eyes red and burning. "Do you think we could transport them halfway across the Ruins?" He asked.

Tikal's brow furrowed. "I suppose. They'll get tired, but it's definitely not impossible." She said.

"Good. Let's round them up." He muttered, beginning down the steps of the Altar.

The echidna gently encouraged the Chao to stop playing and begin following Shadow, but with the first glance, the small creatures were cowering behind her.

"You should lead." He said lowly. He brush past her, a breeze flowing against her dreads. "I would, but I don't know where the Garden is." She murmured.

"I'll call out directions from behind. They won't follow me, but they'll follow you." Shadow said.

The priestess sighed. He was right; he terrified the poor creatures. Tikal on the other hand, could walk into an active volcano, and they would follow her right in. Quite the difference.

She began to trek slowly down the Altar, the Chao quickly following her. She crossed the bridge with no fear, whilst a few of the Chao worriedly fluttered above the wooden planks that were oddly spaced apart. Some stopped dead in their tracks and panicked, crying out in worry.

Tikal crossed the bridge, finding a few straggling Chao behind her. She approached to try and herd them back to follow her. "Keep moving!" Shadow gruffly called, stopping her dead in her tracks.

"But they're scared!" She said, as Shadow picked up the few and continued onwards. Some cried out, but the hedgehog ignored them. "C'mon. You're holding us all up."

Tikal's gaze narrowed upon Shadow's before she continued on. He stepped back onto solid land, gingerly setting the creatures onto the grass, allowing them to hurry to the priestess for comfort. "I can't say I agree with this treatment of the Chao..." She said as she continued onwards towards the doors to Mystic Ruins.

Despite her words,Tikal was surprised, shocked even. She comforted the frightened Chao, her eyes wandering up to the hedgehog. His gaze was focused on the stone doors.

"Keep going." He murmured lowly. Wordlessly, she continued forwards, pushing the stone doors open.

It was mid afternoon by the time Tikal and Shadow had managed to shepherd the Chao to the tunnel that led to the Chao Garden.

The two had begun to load the mine cart with the Chao. Once full, the two began to push the cart through the dark tunnel. The Chao cried out in fear of the darkness. Shadow quickly drew a Chaos Spear, allowing for some light to be shed around them. The creatures' cries ceased as the tunnel glittered wildly.

Using one hand to push the cart seemed difficult for Shadow. The Chaos Spear he held in one hand flickered and dimmed each time he pressed onwards.

Tikal gently nudged him away from the back of the cart. "Walk in front." She suggested. "You'll calm them down and keep the path lit."

Shadow's gaze narrowed, but his grip on the Chaos Spear tightened, illuminating the tunnel. Tikal let out a small grunt as she pushed the cart forwards, hearing the satisfied chirps of the Chao.

"Just a little farther," Shadow encouraged. His voice was slightly gentler, softer in a way.

The echidna grit her teeth, heaving the cart forwards. The wheels whined against the rails. She kept her eyes shut tight for what seemed like forever. Although she'd been exposed to harsh training regimes as a youth, it had all rusted and withered during the centuries she'd spent trapped inside the Master Emerald.

She heard a few Chao cry out and chirp loudly. Light invaded her shut eyes, and she felt resistance on the cart's behalf.

Tikal straightened up, her vision falling upon a lush grove, filled with fruitful trees and green grass. She stood breathless, gaping at the serene beauty of the island.

"This... Is the Chao Garden?" She asked.

Shadow crossed his arms, a scowl on his lips. "It's much smaller than the one in Central City." He muttered.

Tikal practically leapt forwards, laughing. She let out a squeal of delight, twirling in a centre before falling to the ground. She took a deep breath, the warm air filling her lungs. She sighed happily and sat up, looking towards Shadow. "Isn't it magnificent, Mr. Shadow?" She asked in wonder.

The hedgehog shrugged. "I suppose to some." He muttered. He forced open the door of the minecart, allowing the Chao to exit. A few tumbled out and hurried towards the Garden.

Tikal sat on her knees, opening her arms wide to greet the small spirits. "Welcome to your new home friends!" She exclaimed.

The Chao cheered happily as they rushed into the garden. Many embraced the echidna and chirped loudly with happiness. She giggled and pat the heads of a few as they began to explore the Garden.

She smiled as she watched the Chao experiment in the water and begin to eat fruits from the trees. Her eyes wandered over to Shadow, who had taken a seat underneath a tall palm tree. A single Chao sat on his lap, nuzzled into his stomach.

A smile crept across Tikal's muzzle as she rose to her feet. She walked towards Shadow, his eyes opening as she loomed over him. "Looks like you've made a little friend, Mr. Shadow." Tikal chimed, bending down to greet the Chao.

The Chao smiled at Tikal, showing a set of sharpened teeth. She looked curiously at it before smiling. "A dark little friend indeed!" She added, patting it's head.

Shadow frowned. "It was one of the Chao who didn't want to cross the bridge." He muttered. "It wouldn't leave me alone."

The Chao chimed and began to sing, causing Shadow to frown and cross his arms. He glared at the Chao. "And stop doing that."

Tikal giggled as she took the Chao into her lap. It's body was the regular blue, although the tips of it's limbs were tinged magenta. The small ball that hovered atop the Chao's head was slightly spiked, and too was turning magenta. "Your friend looks a lot different than the others," she remarked, smiling at the creature.

"It's because she's a Dark Chao." He muttered, removing the Chao from his lap. The creature merely clambered back onto his lap, receiving a glare from him.

"A Dark Chao?"

"You haven't heard of them?"

"No. I thought all Chao were the same."

He shook his head. "They separate into Hero and Dark. You've only raised Neutral Chao." He said. He pointed towards the ends of the Chao's limbs. "They're all the same, but their personality and alignment relies on whose raised it."

"I see." Tikal said as her gaze wandered from the Chao to him. Her eyes hardened. "Mr. Shadow... I don't mean to intrude upon your personal life... But are you evil?"

His eyes pierced his. "I've done... Dishonourable things." He said.

The echidna moved closer to him. Her body met his as she pressed against him. Tikal gently rested her head upon his shoulder, her body curling against his. His musk filled the air. His fur was soft against her muzzle. Her eyes grew heavy.

"Shadow... I don't think you're evil. I think you're a good person who is just... confused. You just need to..." She trailed off, her words becoming lost in his fur as she drifted off to sleep. Shadow didn't say anything, allowing the girl to sleep, knowing that pushing the cart had drained her of energy.

When the echidna woke up, she saw hiding several Chao laying in slumber across the Garden. Dusk had fallen and night had taken over. Her eyes traced the skyline as she yawned quietly.

Her eyes wandered back to the being she slept against: Shadow. His eyes were shut, arms crossed, his lips turned into a slight frown. He looked so calm and peaceful for once.

The priestess lightly shifted against his body, hoping not to disturb him. She quietly stretched out as she noticed the hedgehog's red eyes open. He stared at her as she greeted him with a smile.

"Rest well?" She asked in a voice above a whisper. He nodded silently, the echidna cracked her knuckles. "I suppose we led by example."

She gestured towards the garden of sleeping Chao. With a quick glimpse, both Shadow and Tikal could tell that a few of the Chao had been nurtured by Shadow and became Dark. "We should return and prepare to hunt through Red Mountain." Shadow said.

"I agree." She whispered, rising to her feet. She held out her hand to the hedgehog. He glanced at it for a moment before pushing himself off the ground.

Tikal began towards the cart, giving a long stretch as Shadow approached. "It'll probably be easier this time around with the both of us pushing," she noted.

"That won't be necessary." Shadow said, producing the green Chaos Emerald.

Tikal's eyes widened as she recognized the jewel. "You're got a Chaos Emerald?" She gasped.

The hedgehog nodded. "It belongs to GUN. I've been issued it for my mission." He said, beginning to walk inside the tunnel. "We can use it to induce a Chaos Control and teleport back to Shrine Isle."

Tikal stopped in her tracks. She rested her hands on her hips, shooting a look at him. "If you had it with you this whole time, why didn't we use it before?"

"Because a Chaos Control requires a lot of energy. It's a stretch to try and teleport two people back to Shrine Isle." Shadow retorted, his voice scathing. His passive nature had been but a blip, and he reverted back to his constantly annoyed mood. "I wouldn't have been able to use it to teleport you and I and all those Chao."

The priestess crossed her arms. "I would've appreciated it if you had have informed me of it earlier." She said. Shadow began to trek inside the tunnel, leaving her behind. She hurried after him. "Where are you going?"

He shot her a look that said 'are you really THAT stupid?'. "If I Chaos Control right here, I'll wake the Chao." He said.

Tikal blushed in embarrassment. "Oh." She murmured. The hedgehog held out his hand to her. She glanced at it and then to him. "C'mon."

She took his hand and he pulled her into the darkness. He had a very strong grip and his hand was freezing cold. Tikal stole a glimpse at their hands, interlocked as they walked.

The tunnel was pitch black and only a small glimmer of light was emitted from the Emerald's glow in Shadow's clenched hand. He stopped dead in his tracks, causing Tikal to bump into him.

Expecting one of his infamous glares and a grunt to match, Tikal was instead met with a touch on her arm. Her eyes flew wildly to it, watching as an icy hand tucked gingerly around her lithe waist.

She felt her cheeks burn, her eyes flashing up to his. His crimson glare remained. "Shadow, what are you-"

"We need to be close for this. Bear with me." He muttered. His voice was gentler, a little softer. She let her body lax a little, her muscles slackening.

Their bodies curved together and Tikal felt herself blush again. Every time they'd touched before was her decision, her move. But now it was on Shadow's terms. His moves, being so bold and making such choices... It made Tikal nervous. Or worried. Or excited. Hell, the girl was just confused.

Her eyes wandered up to his. They momentarily kept their gazes locked for a moment. For once, there was no trace of anger or hatred from his eyes. Instead, Tikal saw tenderness.

Shadow broke his gaze and shut his eyes tight. He raised the Chaos Emerald into the air. "Chaos..." He murmured.

Hello again!

Been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that. I've been busy keeping real busy... I wrote this sucker back in march as a chapter apart of a bigger fic. I might post it if I can get my shit together, but it's all up in the air right now. It's called Peacemaker, and it's a semi-platonic semi-romantic Shadikal fic (since that's another niche ship...)

I really want to get something up before the end of the summer, but my motivation to write has been real low lately. I have a big idea for the post SGW and lil bot that I adore, so hopefully I can work something out!

Also, someone on Youtube was gracious enough to do a dramatic read of one of my fics! I'm not gonna lie, I almost screamed when I got the PM from the person. I'm still in shock over it... If you'd like to check it out, here's the link: /watch?v=t7XcL0QiGwA

Thanks for reading~!