First Sonadow, kind of excited for this one :)

Enjoy and review, I kind of need the feedback! This is the first time I truly try to make a romance story. If you like this time of story, I suggest you check out Broken Stream. It has Sonadow as well XD It's lighter to read, but it will get darker and darker as it progresses.

WARNING: Angst, Romance, Yaoi, Lemon, Slow development. May contain character death. Will have dark themes.

[Mobius, Acropolis]

Sonic was getting tired of this.

He twirled and sidestepped the crowd he was currently struggling to run through, his scowl deepening as he got lost in the forest of coats and furs. Elbowing his way through the mass of citizens, the cobalt hero grit his teeth in frustration as the only thing he could see was the back of the human walking in front of him, happily conversing on the phone with his wife despite all the times the irate hedgehog tried worm his way pass the older creature.

The young speedster had never been on the tall side, but he had never hated his size as much as at this moment, where the crowd of people threatened to sweep him away.

Dammit Shadow, you just had to be in the heart of the city. Emerald eyes blazed as he looked around, fuming silently as he struggled to keep his emotions from showing. Didn't his rival know this is the worst part of town to live in, especially in rush hour?! Having a existencional crisis be dammed, that hedgehog was going to be the death of him if this kind of behaviour kept up!

The determined speedster leapt atop of a nearby lamppost, taking a moment to find his balance before he stood up, gazing down at the sea of people that was causing him so many problems. Several heads turned at the sight of the cobalt hedgehog perched precariously atop of the thin structure; as it wasn't unusual for the young hero to use the lampposts littering the city as perches, in no time the flow of traffic resumed, with only a few curious onlookers glancing at the svelte figure overlooking the bustling crowd like a hawk in search of the rabbit.

A blur of black and red among the crowd was caught at the edge his vision, and the Blue Blur let out a loud cheer of relief as he realized those colors was the person he was looking for. Shadow was a rock in a river, the crowd giving the somber-eyed immortal a wide berth. They knew by instinct that he wasn't one to trifle with.

Unfortunately for Shadow, Sonic wasn't one of them.

He slid off the lamppost, smiling as he darted through the mass of humans and mobians. Slipping past a particularly large purple walrus, he waved an fawn arm at the ebony hedgehog, who seemed to be looking into a store's window, examining the antique weapons proudly displayed with a glimpse of interest. "Hey Shads!" The cerulean fighter chirped as he elbowed his way out of the crowd, edging closer and closer to the ebony male. "How are you doing!?"

He caught the glimpse of ruby eyes before Shadow turned around and briskly began walking away, a soft light bursting forth beneath black and red shoes as the Ultimate Lifeform channeled Chaos energy into them.

Oh no you don't.

"H-Hey!" Unfortunately for Sonic, he didn't have the black hedgehog's magical ability to make the flow civilians part in front of him; in fact, those who recognized his bright sapphire pelt pushed to come close, shouting and cheering at him, hands reaching out where Sonic certainly did not want them. "Darn." The disgruntled hero muttered as he skillfully weaved beneath another set of hands reaching out to ruffle his quills. As much as he liked the praises, he was on a mission, damn it!

Sonic broke into a full sprint after his rival, determined to not let his rude rival get away. He used the crowd parting in front of Shadow to quickly gain speed, and within moments he was running side by side the scarlet-eyed warrior.

"Heya Shads! Trying to get away, aren't we?"

The flat look of utter exasperation the Ultimate Lifeform gave him almost made him falter. Almost.

"Leave me alone, Faker." Shadow grumbled, just loud enough for his smaller counterpart to hear it. "Go bother somebody else." With that, the black hedgehog accelerated, quickly reaching the edge of the city's heart; with less people in the way, the darker hero was able to send more Chaos through his shoes. Fire exploded out from beneath the metal contraptions, and Sonic found himself coughing out dust as his rival shot forwards like a bulled, quickly falling out of view.

The nerve! The Blue Blur tried to keep the irritated scowl from growing on his face as he forced his legs to go faster, his form turning into a blur of cobalt as he raced after the other.

Realizing that running wasn't going to help, as the cobalt hero could run just as fast, if not faster than him, Shadow gave out a defeated grunt before coming to a sudden stop. The unexpected movement nearly making his rival crash into him and break his nose had the younger hedgehog not expected this kind of vicious behaviour out of him.

"What. Do. You. Want."

Straight to the point, apparently. Sonic wasn't expecting anything less from the black warrior.

"Well, since the city is alien-free and the repairs are nearly done, Acropolis will be launching a firework show tonight." The unimpressed stare Shadow gave didn't make him falter. He merely grinned up at the older male, enjoying the frustration practically radiating from the other."We'll be having a party in the outskirts of town, near that tree you love so much-" The black and red hedgehog's eyelids twitched at the comment but he did not try to strangle the blue hedgehog, which was a good sign according to Sonic...or he didn't try to maim him because he didn't want witnesses, but either way this felt like a win for the Blue Blur. "-so, are you coming? Cream's cooking, so it's bound to be good!"

Shadow's frown deepened. "...I don't go to parties." The Ultimate Lifeform bit out, looking miffed.

"...I kind of figured." His younger rival with a flat tone, before smiling once more. "But what else can you do today?"

"I could do a assignment from GUN-"

"They gave you the day off after you shoved a Chaos Spear through Doom's skull." Sonic shot back, grinning both childishly and victoriously at the dark glare his counterpart gave him.

Shadow cleared his throat before continuing, hands twitching with the need to call forth a fleet of his signature weapon. "I could help the citizens rebuilt the-"

"That's bullshit and you know it."

Carmine eyes narrowed dangerously, looking down at brilliant jade with a glower. "I'm still not going."

"Oh come on, Shads." The way the larger male bristled at the nickname only made his smirk grow. "You don't have anything to lose!"

"My sanity, for starters. The amount of chaos you and your band of misfits create is horrendous." At the dry comment, Sonic squinted his eyes at him.

"...stop using my weakness of big words against me." He visibly brightened, a hand shooting out and grasping red-striped wrist. Surprisingly enough, the ebony warrior did not tear his arm off upon contact, merely staring down at him with a mixture of amusement and irritation. "Now come on! The party doesn't start for an hour or two, so we have plenty of time for a race!"

Shadow didn't even twitch at the sharp pull that followed on his arm.

"Urgh! Why are you so heavy?!"

"I have a higher bone density than regular mobians." Shadow said as he watched the smaller male struggle to pull him along, even pushing with his whole weight. Fawn cheeks reddened as the cobalt hedgehog looked up at him with narrowed eyes, annoyed by his indifference. "Why do you even try to drag me into those social events of yours?"

"Maybe if you were less of a frustrated pile of drama I'd -hey!" The Ultimate Lifeform had the absolutely brilliant idea to take a step forwards, obediently follow his counterpart. The sudden lack of resistance sent Sonic sprawling back, but since he was still holding onto his rival's wrist, the ebony immortal was dragged with him.

Shadow however was not as easily startled as the blue menace, immediately lowering his foot forwards and regaining balance. His free hand instinctively shot out and wrapped itself around the waist of the cobalt hero, preventing him from eating a mouthful of dirt.

It also left them in a quite compromising position, unfortunately.

A tan muzzle twitched with the need to snarl as their owner glared down at a sufficiently cowed blue hedgehog, who was dangling in the obsidian male's grip with a sheepish expression. "Huh...Shads, I should remind you that murder is-"

"If you take the picture, I will wring your neck." The black hedgehog suddenly growled, eyes still drilling holes into jade, making the Blue Blur jump. Huh? What was his rival talking about?

...wait. Picture?

Reluctantly turning his eyes away from his rival, Sonic was mortified to see a small crowd of humans had stopped to eavesdrop on their conversation. One teenager had lifted his phone, finger hovering over the press button for what the blue hedgehog believed to be a camera.

Ruby eyes shifted from their captive to the mammals gazing down at them from a secure distance. Immediately they scattered like birds, dropping any desire to capture the unfortunate position the two hedgehogs were in and spread it around. For once, Sonic was glad that his rival could terrify nearly everyone with a simple look. He wouldn't have been able to live it down if this ever got slapped in the morning newspaper.

He looked back at his counterpart's face, noting the strange glimmer in the older male's eyes as they settled back on him, emerald reflecting in carmine. Shadow sneered at the cause of all of his misery, slowly lowering his head closer to his in a attempt to scare him. The sapphire speedster refused to give in however, meeting his glare with a amused grin.

"That was entertaining." Sonic chirped happily, earning a growl from the darker male.

"You're a stupid little shit, you know that?"

For answer, Sonic had the brilliant idea of using his trapped position and closeness to the older mobian's face to poke the biological weapon's nose with his tongue.

The fight that followed was legendary.

xxxxxx

[Mobius, Near Acropolis]

It had been hell in a basket to do it, but the end they were all here.

From the original trio to the rambunctious Chaotix, Sonic was pleased to see them dancing, partying and laughing, relishing the fact Mobius would exist for another day, free from the tyranny of Black Arms.

They had chosen a small, isolated hill situated a mile away from their hometown of Acropolis as the designated meeting point, overlooking the city while allowing them to breathe in the fresh air of the forest. It had a beautiful view of the metropolis and seeing as a firework show sponsored by the mayor was due soon, to celebrate the reconstruction of the city, it was the perfect location to spend the evening.

The reason of the celebration was the defeat of the horrible aliens known as the Black Arms. Black Doom and his putrid minions were history, thanks for a certain black and red loner. Just when they thought the battle would be hopeless, as they were being swarmed by the endless hordes of aliens, the ebony hedgehog stormed into the battlefield, singlehandedly ending the war by defeating his genetic 'father', Black Doom in a devastating battle that had levelled an entire mountainside.

Sonic had really tried to help; Shadow however had been determined to put him in the sidelines, to his confusion. Even after he managed to figure out the truths in Black Doom's lies, the black warrior had refused his help in the final battle against the creature. The cobalt speedster remembered the battle very well, and not in a good way. He had been trapped in one of the Black Comet's chambers with the rest of his friends, with those strange, slug-like creatures slowly sucking the Chaos out of him.

To make matters worse, during the two hours he had been trapped there, unable to move, he could hear his friends' cries of desperation, as well as the continuous explosions that signified that the battle between Shadow and his genetic donor was well under way. The alien slimes resting atop of him, crushing his chest and making breathing difficult hadn't helped.

His torment finished when his rival teleported into the room with a flash of heavenly light. Their gazes had connected for the smallest of moments before the Ultimate Lifeform flicked his hand above the group, performing a silent Chaos Control that landed them atop of a mountain near Acropolis. The black hedgehog had then left once more, returning to the Black Comet to drag it to space, so he could destroy it with the fabled Eclipse Cannon.

It had been revealed during the week-long invasion that it was Eggman of all people that had kept Shadow in a cryogenic tube after one of his robots had spotted and saved the Ultimate Lifeform in the aftermath of the battle against Dark Oak. It had been one of the only things done by the obese scientist that the mobians were grateful for, but it didn't meet that they owned any favours to the man.

The crazed human wasn't mad enough to ask Shadow to return the favour -despite that he had done so by saving their collective asses- knowing that the black warrior would mercilessly flatten him at the slightest sign of being manipulated. Unlike the cobalt hero, the Ultimate Lifeform wasn't so keen on letting his opponents live.

A loud bang drew his attention away from the crowd of mobians; Sonic watched with wide eyes as the last of the fireworks were set off by Acropolis' workers, to the delight of many. He heard his friends laugh and cheer at the sight of the projectiles flying high above them, leaving trails of glimmering particles that painted the night with their bright coloration. Sonic joined in, laughing carelessly as the bright flashes of light overtook his vision.

The projectiles exploded violently with sharp sounds that made more than one mobian flinch, yet the beautiful burst of colors that decorated the ink-black skies made it worth it. Blasts of lights, ranging from red to yellow to green and everything in between lit up the dark night sky, casting luminous shadows on the cheering mobians below.

Sonic found it ending too soon. At the end, it was the Chaotix that left first, needing to take a uncooperative but sleepy Cream and the remaining food with them to drop the young rabbit at her house before the night got too dark -it was more than sure that Vector would take advantage and try to woo Miss Cottontail while he was at it, and the Blue Blur lamented the fact he wasn't there to see the amusing scene. Sonic knew Vanilla well enough -or rather, was dragged to her house by Tails so he could get his wounds stitched up often enough- to know she wouldn't bat an eye at the emerald-scaled reptile. She was too focused on her daughter to look around. Poor, unfortunate Vector.

Tails and Big left shortly afterwards, the first because he wanted to wake up early for a project he was demonstrating to GUN and the purple cat due to him realizing he had forgotten Froggy somewhere in Mystic Ruins -a mistake that wasn't very new and happened in an almost regular basis.

Shadow soon left with Rouge, as the bat wrapped her arms seductively around his neck to the Ultimate Lifeform's obvious sneer of displeasure, the winged thief doing so to arouse some death glares from Knuckles. Sonic had crackled silently at his rival's uncomfortable expression, and unfortunately, he hadn't been quiet enough, as the fuming echidna had punched him on the shoulder for his troubles. Both the white bat and the ebony hedgehog were gone in a blinding flash of light, warping away with the ever so useful Chaos Control.

The scarlet Guardian of the Master Emerald left soon after, muttering about a certain irritating female and that he had been away from his island for too long. This left a content but tired Sonic laying about on the grass, happy with watching the stars until sleep whisked him away.

The blue hedgehog yawned sleepily, his emerald eyes shining like the stars he was admiring as he fell back, curling up in the comfortable grass. He felt tired, his muscles sore from the entire day he spent running around helping the construction workers here at Acropolis, not to mention finding each and every one of his friends and letting them know about the party. The blue speedster decided that he could stay here for a few more minutes. After all, it couldn't hurt. The vegetation beneath him felt soft and spongy, almost as good as a mattress. It wouldn't be the first time he slept beneath the stars, and it surely wouldn't be the last.

Just when he was about to doze off however, a nearby bush began to rustle, startling the tired azure speedster back to reality. Sitting up, the young hero looked at the offending vegetation in confusion, frowning as the plant went quiet once more. The Blue Blur stared at it, perplexed; his body unconsciously tensing from years of sneak attacks Eggman liked to throw at him, especially in the early mornings.

As the Blue Blur was about to ignore the bush and fall back to take the much needed snooze, the vegetation began rustled once again, more wildly. It was almost as if it was trying to get his attention.

This time he had enough. He pinned the offending bush with a jade-colored glare, eyes narrowing as it went still again. "Hey there, if you could be quiet I'd love that very much." As if to mock him, it began to tremble and move again, settling only when the speedster let out a sharp bark. "Hey! That's enough!"

At least it confirmed something Sonic already knew. He had no green thumb, but he did possess a exceptional talent for saying the right things at the right time. The sapphire mobian stood up and cautiously walked towards the plant, brushing away the thick leaves and branches in search of the source of the commotion. He kept his hands in front of him, open and ready to deflect any attack that came his way. With years spent under constant attack, it was a habit that saved his life time and time again.

Nothing. The bush didn't move again. It sat there, silent, blissfully innocent of how eerie it had become in the jade eyes of the Blue Blur.

Huh. How curious. Not to mention, really creepy.

"Is anybody here...?" The azure hedgehog muttered almost hesitantly, his eyes narrowing in a effort to find what was causing such a ruckus. An animal that had smelled the remains of the food? Sonic eyed the vegetation warrily, his body poised in a manner that would allow him to leap away at the slightest hint of danger.

Don't tell me Eggy decided to make another bid for world domination...I thought I had a break...

A flash of red was his only warning.

Sonic wasn't quick enough to avoid it.

It latched onto his wrist, tightening just enough that he thought his limb was going to snap off. The cobalt hedgehog let out a shout as he fell back, free hand rising towards the strange material that was wrapped on his arm. This only made things worse however, as the scarlet object stretched, splitting in half. There were now two tendrils of red, one on each of his wrists, each threatening to tear his arms away.

Sonic shrieked as scarlet light invaded his sight, blinding him. He felt more of the strange, heated material grasp onto his body, coiling around his neck so tightly he could barely breathe. He struggled weakly in it's grasp, left blinded by the sharp flash of light, defenceless. The panicking blue hedgehog tried to move, to squirm, anything, but when he opened his mouth to cry out for help, he could only gag as the material liquified around his face, sinking into his eyes, nostrils, ears and mouth. It burned like the hottest of fires, leaving him in agony and helpless to stop it.

The sapphire hero was barely aware of the burning, acidic pain shooting up throughout his entire body before he finally knew no more.

He's not dead, don't worry.