He sat on a boulder. Not so much a boulder, but more of a large shattered pillar. One of the few things still somewhat intact after his and the doctor's joined destruction.

Nothing.

He had nothing.

He had no ruby, he had no power. Hell, he didn't even have Eggman nor his squad. He didn't know where they got to, or what happened to them. He didn't know if they were still alive, and that was how much it boiled down to. He didn't know anything. He didn't have anything.

Well, that was a lie. He still had his scar, plus a new one from the ruby, and he still had his mask. But what was that? Nothing, essentially. Whenever he looked into the crystal clear waters to take a drink, he could see the reminder. The reminder that he was never strong, and that hedgehog only made it worse. He didn't cause it, no, but he only proved it. The mask was basically ruined beyond repair, and even if was fixed, it held nothing for him other than to hide his scar. From the impact of that last attack, and from Eggman ripping the ruby away from his bosom as if he were a mere toy he was replacing the limbs of, the mask was jostled and slammed against the floor. The doctor had sent him away. Not even the doctor had anything left for him.

All he was used for was a decoy. To cover up the doctor's ultimate plan. He was simply a host for the gem, for the doctor to use later with no care for how the jackal faired afterwards. With probably pure luck and a miracle, he woke up on this same lakefront, on the gravely rocks and smooth pebbles. He didn't know who saved him, but what did it matter now?

He was nothing.

It had been four days, now.

Luckily, the bleeding had stopped, but that was because the fur forced itself to grow and the sabs were forced to split and hang onto whatever was there. His face was torn up worse than his original scar, with more of a deep burn traveling up from the top of his muzzle to creep up his face from the blast of removing the gem. His chest was worse off, as puss leaked from it often from not being able to heal. The fur was always matted, black, and dark red from the blood. It always itched yet hurt to scratch.

He rathered he didn't survive if that meant he had nothing to live for anymore.

"Jackal."

He stilled at the voice, turning his head down to stare at his leather gloves. His hands were shaking, and he didn't blame them. He was weak. He knew it now. He had nothing, was nothing, was worth nothing. If he had the will to cry, he probably would've done so already.

"No one knows any name to call you by other than Infinite, and if you don't correct me, I'll continue to call you that." it was that hedgehog. He was the one that started it, and he was probably right back for his revenge.

...and, to be honest, he wanted it.

"Just do it. Kill me. Knock me in. I want it." He stared into the water. The cold water. It wasn't even that deep for him to struggle to surface, but he wasn't the strongest swimmer anyway. Not like he would struggle.

Shadow didn't say anything. He didn't even know if the other heard him or just didn't care enough to answer, but either way, who cared?

"I'll help you."

The jackal closed his eyes and pushed off the rubble. He expected the cold. He wanted the cold. He wanted the quiet. He didn't want anything else anymore.

And that was exactly what he got. He plunged into the freezing lake, hitting the ground seconds later by smashing his already sore head into the harder surface below. He held his breath instinctively, then, slowly, opened his eyes and his mouth. He watched the bubbles of life float up from his lips and pop at the surface. Turning his head, he could see plenty of more rubble and robots, working or not. More than anything else, there were fish. Fish of all colours. Fish of all sizes. Rainbow fish. Rainbow fish scattering from his splash and fleeing from his body.

The water was cool around him and cool going in, but once his lungs cried out and the cool sensation was replaced with burning, his mis-coloured eyes widened and he swung his feet to hit the ground and push up.

Infinite's boot simply scraped against the lake floor, so full of water and so heavy he was unable to bring them under himself properly. When he finally managed it, pawing at the water pathetically and kicking sloppily, he didn't get very far and seemed to only make himself tired. He didn't want this pain, he didn't want this burning.

He just… wanted it all to stop. He wanted it to stop. He wanted out.

Oxygen felt like a slap to the face as his shoulder was jerked up, a strong hand wrapping around his arm and pulling. It hurt, but he didn't care. His furry side was soon assaulted by rough gravel and sand, but that wasn't the worst of it. Water begged to stay in his lungs and throat and stomach while his body begged for it to leave. It came out in harsh coughs and oxygen clawed its way back in long enough to force more water out, just for the process to repeat itself. Occasionally, a sharp whap to his back would drive out more water, but it quickly stopped before he wanted it to.

The Jackal's nails dug into the rough, soggy floor and he opened his eyes, gasping deeply for a few ticks before gagging and throwing up nothing. Thick spit and small mouthfuls of water, all getting soaked up by the permeable, grey ground below him. Blurry eyes turned around and around in his skull until they focused. But, once they did, he didn't feel much better.

Shadow.

Shadow sat next to him with crossed legs, looking down at him with an unreadable expression.

"Look," Shadow started, and Infinite flinched "I have terrible memory. I can't remember one time events. Regardless of whatever I said, and whatever you did, you don't deserve to die for it."

He just kept his head dowm, shaking it slowly. He didn't believe the hedgehog. What was there to do? Who would he go to? Who would he trust? What did he have?

He found himself scratching at his scabs and scars and wanting to open them back up, to feel something other than the cold, other than numbness.

To take push right up to shove, the hedgehog took a fistful of matted down white hair and yanked him up to sit straight. "Did that feel good? Did it feel nice to drown? Do you really want to die that badly that you're not even listening to me? I came here-- alone. I came alone, unprompted, to find you and help you, yet you wish to die." He let go, and the jackal yelped in delayed pain.

Infinite closed his eyes and shuddered, feeling something warm pressing against his side and back. He could barely hold back his shaking now, so he gave into the fear. He curled into himself and sobbed. Tears finally fell from the corners of his eyes, burning hot and salty.

"...Why are you crying? Why aren't you saying anything?"

"I don't know what to say." He finally responded, barely cracking open a blurry eye. It felt like he was going to pass out. He was sitting in Shadow's lap, his face pressed into the hedgehog's chest fur and Shadow's arm around his back. The jackal wanted to pull away, but he was far too dizzy to focus.

"Why are you helping me!?" he snapped. Shadow shrugged.

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Why are you holding me!?" he tried to get free. Shadow sighed.

"Shut up and stay still."

The crying only got worse, the tears slowing but his breathing not. Why was Shadow doing this? What happened to the Shadow that nearly killed him? What happened to the Shadow that almost cracked his skull open?

Why was he helping him?

His breathing turned from deep and heavy to quick sips at the air, exhaling too fast for the oxygen to be put to use. He felt dizzy and too tight in his own skin. His eyes couldn't focus, and his hands becan to curl and lock in place. Everything crept up as pins and needles, and he faintly heard Shadow talking.

"Stop crying. You don't have enough oxygen nor strength to right now."

Great, even during his most vulnerable state, Shadow called him weak. Again.

"Try to breathe with me."

A clawed hand rubbed under his chin and Infinite enjoyed the scratch, which slowly calmed down his breathing. Shadow's thumb brushed his cheek, pushing him further against his chest fur. He finally understood the reason why; so he could hear his heart amd feel his chest rise and fall. The hyperventilating gasps died down to hiccups.

Cold, wet fur against warm, dry fur. It felt terrible, but he couldn't stop curling into the hold and pressing his face more onto the soft and warm chest fur of the hedgehog that defeated him. The hedgehog that called him weak. The hedgehog that made him react and turn into Infinite. The hedgehog that… the hedgehog that stopped him from killing himself.

He was finally warm when the world grew dark. He heard Shadow talking, but he also didn't hear it. He felt himself getting lifted, but soon darkness curled around him and clawed him deeper into it.

Infinite fell into a black, dreamless sleep.

xox

hey, told you I had another story. of course who am I to post a story without Shadow in it? that's my rule

MO is coming to an end. HM is halfway. T is 3/5ths of the way.