Back at the cottage, Amy and Sonic had recovered from their daze of Tails' actions and were now sitting around, waiting. They both felt he had gone out after Shadow to… give him a piece of his mind… for hurting Cosmo… Sonic paced impatiently back and forth as Amy rested by the fireplace, recovering from her shock and made sure that Sonic had dozed off from his headache, having to hit himself with the pipe and all that. Once that Tails and Shadow were coming home, there would be a great deal of scolding for the young fox.

"…but I'm worried too, Sonic." Amy spoke quietly, "We don't even have a single clue of how long they've been out there."

The blue hedgehog turned to her, "Even if so, Tails has no right to be like that!"

"But it's Cosmo who is the reason!"

"No matters, Amy…" Sonic began to turn away, "Tails should be ashamed of himself." Suddenly, Amy grabbed him out of anger, "Amy!"

"Don't you get it already? Tails didn't want to shoot Cosmo back then!"

"But he still-!"

"SHUT UP FOR ONCE!" Amy shoved him backwards, "Cosmo was our friend and that's all you can say? That it's Tails' fault to be like this! You'd be like that too if I sacrificed!"

"Ames…" Sonic grew silent. Maybe he should think things over with Tails and… just then, the door flew open, as a bit of blizzard swirled inside uninvited. They turned, expecting that Tails and Shadow had come in, and first there was Shadow… carrying a bloody, broken-down Tails, who seemed to have a hard time breathing and shaking so damn much.

Sonic was the first to speak up, "Shadow, just what-?"

"Call 911."

"What?"

"You heard me, damn it!" Shadow snarled, clutching the fox boy, "Call the goddamn ambulance!"

As Amy rushed to the phone, Shadow placed Tails' body of wounds onto the couch and Sonic approached them. He couldn't believe it, something had badly injured Tails and only one answer remained on his mind… he glared at the black hedgehog.

"What just happened out there?"

"I'll explain later but right now, Tails needs our help." Shadow wasn't taking his eyes off the fox boy. Tails coughed a little, starting to blink as his vision blurred, "…Sonic…"

"Right here, little buddy." Sonic smiled, half in relief.

Tails then noticed Shadow, jolted and started sitting up, "YOU!"

"Tails, back down!" Shadow didn't want him hurting himself anymore then he had.

"No, not until-!" Suddenly, Tails felt another jolt, inside his chest and he collapsed back down, coughing madly as if suffocating.

"Tails, easy little bro!" Sonic cautioned him, as Shadow held the fox's hand tightly, "Just take it easy."

"Calm down, Miles." Shadow stared as Tails took in a big breath and slowly relaxed.

"B-but… Shadow…" Tails shook madly.

"Just relax, Miles. We'll get you to the doctor's soon enough." The black hedgehog answered.

Amy walked back into the room, "The doctors are on their way, but it might take some time since of the blizzard out there."

"Goddamn it…" Shadow groaned. Must doctors always be so late?

Later in the hospital, Amy, Shadow and Sonic waited by Tails' bedside as the fox was sleeping right now, the sound of the monitor kept repeating its 'beep'. Then, the nurse came in.

"We should let him rest for now." The nurse spoke quietly, not wanting to awake Tails.

Sonic stood up, "Thank you, miss…"

"Just Olivia will do."

They started to leave silently, as Amy frowned, "I just hope that Tails will be…"

"Come back, Shadow…"

They stopped, even Shadow who briefly heard his name being called. Tails had awaked a little, whimpering, "Please… let Shadow stay a little longer… I want him to know something… it's… important for… both of us…"

"I'm sorry, but you young man must…"

"No," Shadow interrupted Olivia, "I might as well keep by him, if no one else will."

"Are you sure?" Sonic didn't seem to completely trust Shadow to do so, "Cause if anything happens…"

"You alert the nurses or doctors, Faker." Shadow said sternly.

Sonic paused for a moment, "Fair enough…" Then he and Amy left with Olivia speaking to them about the fox's condition. Shadow then sighed, feeling that whatever Tails wanted with him now… he pulled up a stool and sat by Tails' bedside. They remained quiet, except for the 'beep-beep'…

"Well?"

"I knew it would come around anyhow… my death…"

"Don't be speaking like that, Miles. We'll find a way soon enough, okay?"

"You're the only one who could help me now…" Tails groaned, "Just one last… favor, Shadow…" He pointed to something, "I need… you… to… pull the plug…"

Shadow looked where the fox pointed… as his eyes widened a little. The plug, Tails wanted him to yank out… was connected to his monitor. But then that would mean…

"N-No, Tails! I am not going to-!"

"You always put people in their unwanted place…" Tails fell against the pillow, with a look of great sadness, "Please, for me?"

Shadow frowned in concern, as he looked from the plug back to Tails… the poor fox had gone through so much and… he just couldn't… sighing, he got up and walked slowly over to the mentioned plug. His hand shook as he began to reach for it… just one yank… a life would be gone… but then his friends… he'd be blamed for…

His hand pulled back, as Shadow stood up, "I'm sorry, Tails… I'm not doing this."

"Funny… you wanted to put Cosmo in her place, but you won't put me in mine?" Tails reached out a shaking hand, as Shadow grasped it, sitting back down. "You pretty much do care, don't you?"

"I feel bad enough for attacking someone you cared for but don't force yourself into this." Shadow's eyes wavered a little, "Miles, there was something out there, wasn't there? Not just us fighting, but you were… and then the shot…"

Tails gave a quiet laugh, "You'd… have to look in my memories for that, now wouldn't you?" His hand tightened on Shadow's a little, "Besides… I should be feeling bad… I insulted Maria and that Molly…"

"No, no, Tails." Shadow's head hung for a brief minute, "I should be apologizing more then this… I can't… take back anything that I've done to you and…"

"I know that…" Tails laughed again before he cringed really hard, in pain and suffer.

"Miles!" Shadow stood up, as Tails clutched his chest, groaning and whimpering, "Just take it easy, Miles. If it hurts much, we'll get the nurse in here."

"No… no need…" Tails began to grow sleepy, "If I had any other last words… for you and the others… I'm sorry…"

"Tails…" Shadow shook his head, "Stop acting like this, this can't be what you really want, is it?"

The fox remained silent, growing sleepier…

"Tails…?"

"Can… can you hear me…?" Tails groaned. Shadow twitched his ears at this. Was he talking to him or to himself?

"Miles?"

"Please… you can hear me… Cosmo?"

"Miles!" Shadow grew a little frantic, "Snap out of it, you're not dying!"

"I'm coming… to be with you again… forever…" Tails' eyes grew tears as he weakly smiled, "I… really missed you…"

"Damn it, Tails!" Shadow leapt up, as the fox looked at him slowly, "Knock off the crap, you won't die!"

"I want to…" Tails' eyelids wavered, "I want… to see her again… to see Cosmo once more…" He whispered the next words, "Good… goodbye…"

"Miles, no! Don't you dare, damn it!" Shadow shook his head. Tails had to be kidding here!

"…goodbye… Shadow… the Hedgehog…" His eyes dropped… and so did his head… his hand slipped out of Shadow's, onto the bed, lifeless. Shadow grew in horror of this.

"Tails, no! Open those eyes! Damn it, Tails! Wake up!" The beeping increased wildly and Tails wasn't responding… "Tails! Wake up, Tails!"

The nurse, Amy and Sonic ran in from hearing the commotion, as Sonic yelled, "What's going on?"

"Shadow! Is Tails?" Amy cried.

The black hedgehog looked at them, "He fainted or something! He just won't wake up again!"

"Let me check!" Olivia went over to Tails, taking his hand for a heartbeat… "I don't feel anything."

"Little bro!" Sonic ran over, kneeling by Tails' side, "Tails! Come on, Tails!"

Olivia turned to him, "I'm sorry, but I must ask you to…"

"Oh screw off!" Sonic snarled, protectively before looking back at Tails, "Tails, I know you can hear me, come on, little buddy."

Beep-beep-beep…be-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e…

They turned in alarm at the sound. The beep grew longer… then that meant… that really meant that… but no… no he couldn't be…

Olivia turned to them sadly, "I'm sorry… we've tried everything we could…"

Sonic gaped at this, before looking back at Tails, just lay there… so stiffly… lifeless… and now… Amy started to cry and Shadow looked more horrified then he ever had. Tails wanted him to stay… to apologize… and put him in his place, but…

"You…"

Shadow stared at Sonic, who got up slowly… and suddenly jolted a finger at him, "You did this Shadow!"

Shadow turned away, his hand on his face, "No…"

"You know it was you! Why else was Tails injured out there?" As Sonic ranted, Shadow began to boil up angry and upset. Amy backed away, as did the nurse.

"And I swear, that you were to ever-!"

Shadow finally roared at him, "HAVEN'T WE ENOUGH OF YOUR GODDAMN TRASH TALK!"

Sonic backed away, startled. Shadow just frowned at him. How dare Sonic speak like that?

"Alright, you listen here and listen good!" Sonic jabbed at Shadow's chest, "I don't want to see you anyway near Tails' funeral! None of us would want you there!"

Shadow argued back, "Fine enough, Faker! Miles wouldn't want me there, even in death!"

Olivia spoke, "Gentlemen, if you could just…"

"BUTT OUT!" Both hedgehogs snarled at the frightened nurse and concerned Amy. Shadow began to speak up again, "Just tell me, Sonic, because I'm curious." He walked towards Sonic, making him back up, "Did you think, for one damn minute, that Tails would still be alive if you haven't let him down in the first place!"

"Guys, please don't fight…" Amy was about to break down again.

"Seriously, are you that damn blinded?"

Sonic tried to defend himself, "I believe that there was hardly a time I ever let Tails down!"

"But what about the Metarex? And the death of that Plant Girl?"

"But I'm not the one who tried to force Cosmo into her so-called death!"

"BUT YOU'RE THE ONE HE BELIEVED IN!"

Shadow's last words made Sonic grow silent at last. Shadow continued, "Believed in you for being there… for being a brother… for being a hero…" He pointed to Tails' body, "Face it, Sonic! He trusted you to save Cosmo, but you did nothing… but stay there… and when I pushed you out of the way before you did anything of the matter…" Shadow began to shake, "…should've stopped me…"

Sonic didn't know how else to argue, since he didn't really realize that… Shadow was right. He had let Tails down, he believed in him for everything. As the nurse placed a white sheet over Tails, for the last time, Shadow turned for the doorway before Sonic called out, "Shadow…"

"Forget it!" Shadow turned to him, "I'll just go. Don't bother finding me at his funeral, because I already made him suffer enough…" He started to close the door, "…like I did…" a single tear slipped down his face as the door shut. Sonic felt guilty…

"Sonic…" Amy spoke to him, "Go after him…"

"I will." Sonic left.

Shadow kept walking down the hallway, head hanging down, and eyes closed tightly…

"Shadow! Shadow, come on! Wait!"

Sighing, he turned to face his rival, "What do you want?"

"Can you tell me… at least the truth, of why you attacked Cosmo in the first place…?"

Shadow sighed, 'I do have a reason, but I won't tell you what it is…'… "Fine."

"Well?"

Shadow began the story, as he saw a flashback of a red-haired girl smiling at him for the last time, "It was Molly… we were fighting most of the Metarex but then she… might've died. So did the other men who were with her." He pictured Rouge and he standing by the trees, where the men were enclosed in them, "I was furious that time, I wanted to give the Metarex a piece of my mind, but then…" He pictured a very familiar plant girl, "…your friend, Cosmo, was revealed as their spy and I just thought that you would thank me afterwards but instead… Tails wouldn't let me get near her… I should've thought things over back then." He frowned, "I didn't even bother seeing the fear, the anger, the protecting back then… I was just… being selfish…"

"Shadow…" Sonic took it all in, "Tails wasn't really happy about it."

"I should've known. It was so much like me and... and Maria…"

"You two could've had something in common, if you both saw it that way back then…" Sonic then sighed before he spoke, "It's not your fault…"

"…what?" Shadow didn't hear him before.

"It's not your fault."

"Yeah, I know…"

"It's not your fault…"

Shadow glared at him, "I said I know…"

"No, Shadow, please… it's not your fault."

"Didn't I just say-?"

"It's not your fault…" Sonic continued to repeat this, as Shadow backed away, thinking it over… "It's not your fault… it's not your fault…"

Shadow then saw what Sonic was trying to do, "Don't you screw with me, Hedgehog…"

"It's not your fault…"

The black hedgehog pushed him, "I swear, if you screw around with me!"

"It's not you, Shadow and it's not your fault."

Finally, Shadow just gave up… the thoughts of Molly… of Maria… of Tails protecting Cosmo… and both of them had… cried over the ones they… putting his face in his hands, he began to sob.

Sonic put an arm around the shaking black Mobian, "It's not your fault…"

Shadow just pulled Sonic closer, throwing his arms around his rival and sobbing, as Sonic rubbed his back, "Oh god, I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Tails! I'm sorry…"

The two stood there for a long time…

That same night, after Tails' funeral, Sonic, Shadow, Amy and Rouge began to walk off, nearing Tails' grave. Shadow stopped to look a little longer, as did the others.

"Shadow…" Rouge felt bad for her companion.

"I know…"

Well, we have just one problem left…" Sonic carried a familiar flower in a new flower pot, "Someone's got to take care of Tails' rose."

Shadow stared at the pink blossoming flower, and thinking silently… "I'll do it."

They looked surprised at this answer.

"Are you sure, Shadow?" Rouge asked.

"Honestly?" Amy added.

"Very honest…" Shadow held out his hands for it, as Sonic hesitated… but finally gave him the flower, "I do have to make up for what happened."

"Good luck then, buddy." Sonic nodded. Shadow nodded back at him, and as the others pressed on for home, Shadow stayed behind again, kneeling by the grave of the two-tailed fox boy…

"Listen, Miles…" Shadow spoke in a soft whisper, "I don't know if you or Cosmo can hear me but… I really apologize for everything I've done to harm either of you… especially you, Cosmo." He stared at the flower in his hand… and slowly yet gently took one pink petal before placing it on Tails' grave, covering it a little with the dirt. A raindrop fell onto it and Shadow looked upwards. Staring to rain… or perhaps Tails and Cosmo have heard him, with tears of happiness to be together…

"Shadow!"

Rouge's voice called to him and Shadow walked on to follow them, taking one very last look at Tails' grave… and then walked on, clutching the flower close to him…

'May you and Cosmo always rest in peace… Miles 'Tails' Prower…'

To be continued…