Eternal Guardian

All of it seemed like some crazy dream and Sonic was glad he wasn't the center of attention of it all. But Shadow appeared to be and obviously a ceremony of some sort had taken place. One of great importance that had to do with the Master Emerald, something he hadn't completely put together yet. But come to think of it... after Knuckles had passed, who would be its guardian now? Funny he should think that while in the middle of Shadow being deemed as said likely Guardian in place of the echidna. For Shadow of all people to be chosen seemed rather unlikely though.

It all happened so fast; first he was there, the next moment he was back, back to the familiar surroundings he was much more accustomed to of Angel Island; and with Shadow in an unconscious state.

Sonic was rather disoriented as he tried to piece everything together and make sense of it the best he could. It was then his attention returned to the black hedgehog, his body sprawled on the bottom set of the stone steps, one leg folded beneath the other, and one arm across his chest. He wandered over to him, kneeling down next to his body, and tapped him on his shoulder.

“Shadow?”

Sections of his fur was damp with the morning dew. His breathing was heavy and labored as if it was too much of a task for him to handle. Shadow winced and moaned, almost regaining his awareness, but found it miserably difficult and not worth the trouble at all. Once again, his features slackened and he dreamed of horrors untold to the world around him.

Sonic frowned with a sigh.

Leaning down a little more, he carefully scooped Shadow up in his arms to move him in a better position until he woke up. He didn't plan on moving him far from the site, just into the grass to give his back better cushion. There, he carefully laid him down, and decided then he'd stay with him until the black hedgehog gained consciousness and could fill him in on what he saw. He couldn't get Knuckles out of his mind; and he kind of wished he would have talked to him. At the same time he knew it had probably been the best that he had stayed back and let everything happen without interference.

After a few minutes flashes of color spotted Shadow's vision. There were green and blue and some beautiful color that he couldn't describe, but it was faint. He blinked, not sure just how far his eyes were opened, and saw the same thing again. Shadow growled and pushed himself over onto his side, then sat up, rubbing his eyes in disgust. When he tried a third time, he found himself on the moist grass of Angel Island. The colors he saw were a mix of emerald, the only-slightly-visible sunrise, and someone he really didn't feel like seeing right now.

He knew now that Knuckles hadn't told Sonic anything. Previously, Shadow would be grateful for this. Now, however, he saw his mistake in feeling this way. Someone had to tell Sonic, and if the only other person who understood was gone, it fell on him to do the talking.

He put a hand to his throbbing temple and looked up at at the blue hedgehog, who appeared just as expectant as he feared. He had a rush of emotion come over him as he recalled some of his dream, and he shuddered. All these visions were part of the job, but that didn't mean he had to like them. He turned his gaze from the globally-acclaimed hero and furrowed his brow in thought. Should he tell Sonic now and get it out of the way? Or could he hold off longer with his silence?

Sonic had only then stopped pacing in an impatient circle when Shadow had became aware of reality again. He gave the other little time to himself. “Oi,” His voice broke through the air instead, hitting Shadow's ears hard. “You mind telling me what's going on?” He supposed he should ask if he was okay, but this was Shadow; he didn't have to ask such a petty question considering he already knew the answer. But whatever had happened had to have been pretty bad to knock him out cold like that.

Shadow scowled up at Sonic, “I was possessed by hundreds of echidna souls and the power of the Master Emerald.” In all honesty, it wasn't his intention to snap with such sarcasm at the other like that, but Sonic was pushing him already for answers he didn't want to give. He swallowed thickly, regarding the other's impatience a bit less gruffly, and nodding lightly in the direction of the Emerald, “It needed a new Guardian. Someone had to do it.” He didn't feel like sharing the idea of Knuckles predicting his own demise quite yet.

He removed his fingers from his temple and relaxed both hands on the grass between his spread legs. He dropped his stare to the ground, and allowed his vision to slacken as he found the space between himself and the Earth much more interesting than anything tangible.

Finally, he closed his eyes, and said, “It chose me, in any case.”

Shadow verified Sonic's suspicions. It still left him gaping at the thought, unsure how, of all people, Shadow could have been the one chosen. “Why you? Why would you even agree to it?” Shadow just didn't seem likely to vow the rest of his life to protect this thing when he was so independent. He wasn't sure what he even thought of the news. He couldn't say he liked the thought of Shadow essentially replacing Knuckles but he was right. Someone had to do it. Someone had to guard the Emerald. He just couldn't believe it was going to be the black hedgehog.

Said hedgehog snorted, leaning his weight forward onto his palms. Shadow climbed to his feet and dusted his gloved hands together before he realized how little progress he was making with regards to the dew that had soaked dirt up into the cloth. Frowning at blue, he took a couple of steps to close distance between them. Sonic held his ground, arms crossing coolly over his chest, waiting to hear him out.

“I didn't have a choice, for one.” Shadow raised a brow, “And as for why it chose me...” He almost blushed as he lost his voice and his determined attempt at eye contact. It was increasingly embarrassing to even think about this part, and he settled with a neutral answer that only fulfilled a fraction of the true facts. “It's because of my inability to die of natural causes.” Maybe Sonic would take that as the full story and leave, after all, he doubted the hedgehog even knew why he was still alive, or even what the 'Ultimate Life Form' actually meant. The only other person who knew this secret was Rouge, and she pretended to find no profit in telling GUN. He wondered at times whether she might pity him, and it was at those times he grew impatient with her the most.

Presently, though, he held his ocular focus on anything other than the blue-furred being before him. His mental image, however unfortunate, remained with him. Whether Shadow liked it or not, he was just slightly curious to hear Sonic's reaction to the unveiling of his own immortality.

Needless to say, it was of reasonable surprise “You're... immortal?” It made Shadow cringe with the way he said it but he pushed the uncomfortable feeling away. Why should he care if the hedgehog was disturbed by this? It was his life, and he didn't care what anyone else thought about it. Right?

Sonic's tone was meant to me one of just innocent realization. That was something of a shock (though did explain some things). Sonic really wasn't sure what to think about it, like everything else that's happened so far. He supposed Shadow's title made a little more sense now aside from the fact he was generally more powerful than he was anyway. Now this definitely settled it. The black hedgehog couldn't die and that seemed like a pretty good choice for the Emerald to make. Although it seemed unlikely it was the only reason.

Despite all he was thinking about, Sonic kept a pretty straight face, arms uncrossing. “Is... that the only reason why it picked you?”

Shadow glowered, wondering why he had to pry into his business. “What does it concern you, faker?”

“Oh.” Sonic looked casually the other way, disciplining Shadow by sparing him from his attention, though it lasted very briefly. He intended to respond to his snappy retort, his usual collected tone of voice a bit more edgy than usual. “Although you could never replace Knuckles...” Sonic eyed him, bitterness resonating somewhere in those pools of emerald. “You are taking his position here and I'd like to know just what the Emerald was thinking to choose you for the job.” Perhaps he was still upset over Knuckles's demise, it did lead him to pry further into this ordeal than probably necessary already, but he wanted to know why. Why him? Why not someone that at least held respect for all the echidna did and the Master Emerald he protected? Somehow he doubted Shadow really understood just what an honor he was given. Somehow he doubted that he cared at all.

Said hedgehog's quills bristled. He felt maybe Sonic was trying to pick a fight with him. If that was what he wanted, then he was getting close to obliging him. He had tensed aggressively and clenched his fists. His chest rose and fell roughly as he felt his expression sharpen.

Almost as soon as the anger appeared, it was gone. Still tense, Shadow turned away from Sonic and huffed, “I don't have to take this from you.” He stomped to the base of the steps and sat down heavily. His arms crossed his chest in defiance and he closed his eyes, brows still clenched together, in thought of what to do at this point.

What did Sonic think he would achieve by comparing him to Knuckles? Shadow knew he wasn't Knuckles. How absurd to even bring it up. He had half a mind to tell the hedgehog just how little the late Guardian had cared about him. About how long they'd been training. About how long the echidna knew his death was just over the horizon. About how he didn't give enough of a damn to tell his self-proclaimed friends.

Shadow could laugh at the concept, but he didn't. He understood so much more than the immature punk watching him with scrutiny. Knuckles enjoyed his solace. There was no need to inform the hedgehog and his little buddies of anything. All that would have changed was their pathetic whining would have become more prominent than usual. Didn't Sonic get it? He didn't know anything because no one wanted him to know.

Sonic didn't seem to care how riled up Shadow was getting about all of this. His face remained the same as he watched the black hedgehog though bordered on his own frustration when he decided to be obnoxiously stubborn. He wanted to know. He felt as if he had a right to although it probably wasn't any of his business.

He stalked after the ebony and crimson striped figure as he went to the base of the steps to sit down. He had stopped just a couple of feet behind him, watching and waiting for him to spill his guts – as if he would. When he didn't, he decided to be obnoxious too.

“What's wrong, Shads? Not looking forward to your life long endeavors to protect the Master Emerald? I wouldn't expect you to. But it's an honor you've been given and if you don't want to tell me why that's fine. It's not like you have very many other qualities to choose from anyway. I can guess; but it still looks like a mistake to me.”

Shadow's expression hardened before he opened and lifted his eyes to meet Sonic's. His scowl was unrestrained and he was on his feet in an instant. Since the 'faker' really wanted to fuck with him, Shadow would give him a taste. It didn't occur to him that the scenario was all too familiar with the respect to the former Guardian. The only thought that crossed his mind was short, simple, and straight to the point. 'Show him.'

Shadow twisted his upper body to the right, pulling back his gloved fist with a speed that only one other living creature could match. He flexed the muscles in his arm and shoulder as he brought the fist forward into a quickly-aimed strike, primarily directed at the blue hedgehog's middle region. He waited for impact, hungry with anticipation.

Though Sonic had been smug about getting under Shadow's skin, there were of course consequences for messing with someone who could easily outmatch yourself. Something he dismissed and decided to toy with anyway. It's not like he had anything else to do but feel miserably guilty about Knuckles's death. No, this seemed like a good outlet, and a distraction. He already figured Shadow would act negatively to the last thing he said so he wasn't entirely surprised when the other immediately tried an assault. At the very least he managed to move and let Shadow's fist graze him in comparison to a full-on direct blow that would have hurt a hell of a lot more.

His stomach tensed at the last second which avoided a loss of air that would have been crushed out of him. Shadow still sent him flying but he managed to keep a cool exterior. He let himself roll backwards along the ground and catch himself in a kneeling crouch, one hand on his knee to balance himself while the other ghosted just about the ground. He did wonders to mask a look that reflected the pain he felt and instead did the opposite. He looked amused.

“Testy, aren't we? Looks like you're a little more upset over this than I thought. Or is it just me?” Another grin, one the hedgehog knew he shouldn't push. It all seemed so ridiculous to fight over but if Shadow wanted to brawl then he wouldn't decline the invitation. Now it was his turn.

In a blink of an eye, Sonic left his spot and gave little evidence to his whereabouts aside from the blue blur that streaked vaguely behind. He appeared to his far left, closer towards the Emerald. Instead of going at him in a straight line, as he might expect, Sonic jumped two to three places to disorient him before his speed landed him close enough to strike him with his leg, aiming for the same spot Shadow landed on him moments before.

Shadow wasted no time in getting his typical upper-hand. He smirked in the time frame that Sonic flashed out of sight, and he confidently called out, “Chaos Control!”

Nothing.

Shadow's eyes widened with shock as he cursed himself for his own ignorance. Of course Chaos Control wouldn't work without an Emerald, and he'd already forgotten that he had to surrender the Chaos Emerald's power to become Guardian. He panicked in a moment before he realized he was too late to even regain his composure, let alone keep up with where the other was.

And then he was in Shadow's face. Surprise still obvious on his, his mouth opened as if to object to Sonic's appearance. 'No,' he sounded mentally, but before the word even touched his lips, he was slammed into the altar's crumbling staircase. Sonic took Shadow's place and stood where he did just seconds before. He watched the hedgehog's painful collision with a triumphant look on his face. It became evident to him then that it didn't appear he had a Chaos emerald he could use to aid him; and if that's the case, he had more of an advantage over Shadow than he thought. For Sonic had a Chaos emerald he could use at any time.

Shadow hissed as he was winded, then thrown into the hard and unlevel surface. He coughed at the piercing feeling in his lungs, then wiped away some of the saliva the blue one managed to extract from him. He climbed to his feet and spat, “Dammit. Don't think you'll be able to pull that one off again.” No, Shadow wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

Shadow flipped back onto the first landing, then pushed himself off, aiming a head-on kick with both feet at his rival. Perhaps he couldn't use his Chaos powers, but Shadow's jet shoes were pretty tough, too. Sonic's guard was up though, looking ready to jump at the sound of a pin dropping. At the glimpse of Shadow's deadly approach, he moved. Not to counter attack but to just run.

He ran to the right and jumped, going around the debris Shadow's collision stirred before running back out in front of the Master Emerald as though he meant to turn this into a game of cat and mouse, meanwhile looking for an opening to strike.

Instead of hitting their target, Shadow's feet met the ground from where Sonic had fled from. He took his example of staying out of the way of vulnerability. His black fur was on edge against the wind – he was prepared for any changes in the environment to let him know he was under attack – until he spotted Sonic and kept his eye on the blur. It didn't take Shadow long to catch up with the hedgehog and match his pace, glowering over at him while he copied his every move. Sonic appeared to be enjoying the situation by the expression on his face. Like a kid annoying an old man. Although Shadow shouldn't be taken so lightly. He wasn't letting him out of his sight this time.

He closed his elbow in on Sonic's body and tensed his shoulder, preparing himself. Eyes still locked on, Shadow threw his weight over at the other, hoping to force him off balance and leave him open to attacks. Sonic attempted to stop suddenly when he started to initiate this assault. He kicked off with his feet at a split second change of mind to bound to the side in order to avoid being knocked into. At the same time he used this for a counter attack.

Sonic rolled into a ball, quills out. He bounced onto the ground to give him a boost back in the direction he was scared away form, doubling his speed, and launched himself like a cannon at his opponent.

Shadow, however, who had no intention of being the victim, jerked his body erect and reached out with both hands on either side of the hedgehog. Whereas he would usually counter Sonic's homing attack with the same, Shadow found himself lacking in time, and attempt to use a mix of friction and his own speed to stop and capture the other in mid spin. He felt the heat burning through his gloves but held fast, fingers trying to find a grip on the thin tan shoulders without risking loss of digit, or worse, a hand.

His face was twisted in concentration as the blade like spines drew near enough to force a breeze through his fur. No doubt if Shadow couldn't stop him soon, things wouldn't be pretty for him. Sonic never intended to stop spinning either, brewing smoke from the gloves that tried desperately to stop him from plowing forward. He could tell Shadow was struggling and he hoped if he persisted he'd be able to go through with his attack.

Shadow bared his teeth and his eyes widened as his gloves were inevitably ripped through. His hands felt like they were on fire.

'No. damn it! I'm stronger than this pathetic faker!'

He dropped onto his back and rolled up onto his shoulders, planting a foot firmly against Sonic's body. He kicked the hedgehog not unlike a soccer ball into the air and away from himself as he removed his stinging palms from the blurry ball. He took a deep breath before rolling over into a crouch. He stood and glanced over his shoulder to see what surely would be a rough landing for Sonic.

He was moving too fast to be able to stop himself from impacting the ground so quickly. He caused dirt to fly up, a large hole forming from the collision like a mini crater. For a second Sonic just laid on his back, staring up at the sky. His head hurt like crazy but he managed to sit up, stifling a groan in his throat. He rubbed the side of his head and looked towards Shadow, thoroughly irritated he managed to avoid his attack. Pain was evident on his face but as fast as it appeared Sonic masked the expression once more with aggravation. “Bastard.” He grunted to himself and stumbled to his feet, his hand lowering from the side of his head and balling into a fist. But he didn't make a move.

Shadow half-snorted, issuing a noise that contained amusement at the same time. Was that all the hedgehog had to say after all that? Satisfied, Shadow tread over to his place at the base of the altar and reseated himself. He removed the remaining shreds of fabric from his hands and tossed them aside, studying his wounds coolly.

If Sonic thought he couldn't handle the job, well, he dared him to come over and tell Shadow off again. Shadow would have to remember how to use the Master Emerald eventually, because he was very insecure fighting with sheer manpower alone. He stole a glimpse at the hedgehog across from him before going back to testing the flexibility of his injured hands.

Sonic grit his teeth, annoyed by the other's nonchalant behavior. Just because he got one good hit on him didn't mean he was giving up. Perhaps the black hedgehog was underestimating him.

Pulling out something rather sparkly with an ominous glow, Sonic held a green emerald in his hand with a wicked, knowing smile on his face. With Shadow immortal and all, he didn't have to hold back; he could beat him to a bloody pulp and have no regrets! And since Shadow couldn't use Chaos Control, this gave Sonic just the upper hand he needed.

“Chaos Control!”

Shadow casually looked up at the other upon spotting the movement. His bored expression didn't change until he saw the Emerald in Sonic's hand. He stood at once to threaten the cerulean-furred lookalike with his facial expression. Something in the pit of his stomach knotted however when the hedgehog said that first word.

'Please use Chaos Blast,' he thought. But Sonic never used Chaost Blast. That Shadow could handle. But if that 'moron' used Chaos Control on him, Shadow couldn't keep up. In that split second, Shadow racked his brain for any recollection on how to use the Master Emerald. All of it still required deep meditation on Shadow's part, and even so, he couldn't get out any of the words before Sonic said that final one.

Upon the word “Control,” Shadow felt his insides falling away, and he looked around desperately trying to find Sonic. He really didn't like losing face for even a second, and this was not his cup of tea.

As skilled as he was, Sonic knew his victory was inevitable. There was no way he could keep up with Sonic's incredible pace. And without any warning did the blue hedgehog attack, plowing a fist across his jaw as he appeared a nano-second later in front of him, dark intent in his eye. Now normally he wouldn't push things too far  but lately things haven't been normal for Sonic. He never was good at dealing with stress and the fact Shadow was so vulnerable may never ever happen again. So he might as well take advantage of it, right?

Shadow heard the hedgehog's warp next to his velvet black ear, and he reacted instinctively by spinning his body around to face the oncoming attack. His stance staggered automatically as surprise conquered his face right at the second of impact. His weight was thrown onto his supporting leg and he skidded, tearing into the gravel and rubble beneath his feet. His head was forced to twist dangerously on his neck and his heart stopped when he felt his spine crack a little.

Relieved that it was just that, and not anything breaking, and scolding himself for both expecting serious damage from the hedgehog and not anticipating Chaos Control, Shadow growled. He tasted metal, and fished around the blood for a minute before he snapped his face around at Sonic's chest and spat.

He corrected his posture and made level eye contact with him, daring Sonic to try it again.

The azure hedgehog snorted, ignoring Shadow's foul reaction, and stood there calmly – though his feet were just dying to take off again. He seemed undaunted by the look he was given, but luckily for Shadow, ceased his attacks for the time being. “Tell me what I want to know, Shadow. Apologize while you're at it and I won't embarrass you further.”

'Absofuckinglutely not,' Shadow answered mentally. His blood lust crimson eyes narrowed as he burned holes into the emerald ones before him. He bared his teeth and lowered his head aggressively before peeling his gaze away. Did that faker really think Shadow would give him the satisfaction? Did he expect Shadow to even give him the time of day after all this? 'Pathetic.' “Preposterous.”

When Shadow looked away as he did, Sonic was already well aware of the answer before he said it. It was a rather bad move on Shadow's part. What with him not looking now, Sonic took advantage of it by rushing at him, and practically throwing himself on him.

He used his shoulder to ram into his chest and then his hands grabbed for his arms to pin them down and force them into the ground. The two were standing so close even Shadow didn't have time to react. His hardened expression faltered as he saw something flickering in the green eyes that made him uncomfortable. The next thing he knew, the back of his head collided with the stone altar behind him. He grunted, blinking away the blurred vision, and finally bringing his attacker into focus. His chest ached and his breathing was slightly labored, something of an impressive achievement for the weaker hedgehog. Despite the fact that his neck was bent awkwardly, Shadow managed to fire a look of hate at the lookalike. He reached his blistered hands up and wrapped them around Sonic's arms.

“Mmph,” was the sharp, casual reply, appearing unphased by the look and whatever plan may be formulating inside Shadow's mind. Sonic felt he was in control and he made sure to rub that in his face by absurdly offering a smug smile that contorted across his mouth.

He leaned down, ears pinning while his eyes locked onto Shadow's underneath him. His fingers flexed into his skin, tensing the air before he said something.

“Still looks like a mistake to me.” He cooed in an obnoxiously charming fashion only he could manage.

Shadow swallowed and forced himself to speak, despite the pressure on his vocal chords due to the position his neck was in. “What do you think you're going to achieve by being an ass, hedgehog?” He would have snorted, but it came out more like a strangled cough. “You're pathetic, depending on this little bit of power you think you have over me. We both know I could kill you. Why do you take the risk?” Shadow returned Sonic's gesture of tightening his grip. In his case, there was nothing between his claws and the faker, but he didn't expect a reaction out of it.

Like predicted, Sonic maintained his current expression, not so amused by what Shadow had to say either. In fact, he was terribly bored by it. “You know, you're the one who started this. I asked a simple question and you had to be a drama queen about it. But that's just like you, isn't it?” 'So emo.' He felt like adding but only in his mind.

“What?!” Shadow snapped venomously. “I was going to let you off with a warning, and you come over here trying to pick back up a fight you know you can't win, and I'M the drama queen?” His deep voice boomed, scratching where he couldn't get enough wind behind it. A low growl rumbled deep within him. Shadow wasn't one to talk more than a few keywords unless he was wound up, and that was exactly how Sonic had gotten him. He dug his exposed claws into the hedgehog and arched his back, pushing himself off the ground enough to line his head up with the other's. “Then answer me! What are you going to achieve? Your life is pointless, you know – I could just crush you out of existence! Is that what you want!?”

Sure, he was a devil to be toying with, but Sonic loved flirting with disaster. However, he rolled is eyes at his remark, quite tired of Shadow's proclaimed power. Even if it was true. But once again he had no answer for his question. When it came right down to it, Sonic really didn't know what he wanted. He thought he wanted an answer to his own question but it was becoming more evident that it lacked importance and wasn't worth this battle. Although he could easily continue their brawl and argument, Sonic decided to back off.

“Forget it.” He grunted, “I've got enough answers rather than waste anymore time with you.” He rolled his shoulders with a crack and stood up. “Enjoy your solitude, Shadow. It's all you have to look forward to.”

Shadow's face fell. Sonic was just going to stop? He relaxed some, but frowned as he got to his feet. His eyebrows gradually knotted again in concentration as he stared at the ground next to his rival. He pursed his lips, the awkward silence stinging at the back of his mind, mingling with what he knew he should say, but he wasn't sure how to go about it the right away.

Even though he spent almost a year with Maria, it still wasn't enough for him to know how to communicate with just anyone. Even then he couldn't have broken bad news to anyone, let alone her. Shadow shook his head, not quite sure what telling Maria something possibly upsetting had to do with this situation. Sonic was kind, but he could never be as compassionate as Maria. Especially, Shadow brought his train of thought back to reality, not the way the hedgehog was behaving today.

He sighed, brushing debris from his ebony fur to distract himself, “He knew it was going to happen.”

Sonic was about to just run off in an attempt to put this mess behind him but suddenly hesitated, feeling a little chilled. He looked at Shadow, a hand falling casually to his hip as an eye ridge rose in question, trying to maintain his composure. “What do you mean?” The hand fell as fast as it was put there as his mind stirred up eerie thoughts revolving around Knuckles.

Shadow closed his eyes before gradually lifting his gaze. “He knew. Knuckles. And he brought me here to train.” He turned his back to the hedgehog as he drug himself back to the bottom of the pyramid. He had taken quite a beating, but if asked now, he couldn't explain why he didn't fight harder. He did have to brush up on the Master Emerald's powers, but Sonic still was coming out of the fight looking better than he should have, all things considered. Well, he had more of an answer now. “Happy?”

Sonic frowned, at first glance not at all appearing so. His eyes strayed from Shadow as he pondered what this meant. Why didn't Knuckles tell any of his friends? He couldn't imagine keeping something like that to himself aside from telling Shadow, of all hedgehogs...!

“How did he know?” He rubbed his head, all of this a bit hard to swallow, but somehow he believed Shadow, without a doubt. It was just disappointing that Knuckles didn't care to share any of this information but he supposed he had his reasons. It eased some of the guilt on his shoulders as well. But he still wondered if there was a way to have stopped it from happening; and why Knuckles didn't try harder to do so himself. Or maybe he did? Who knows what was going on in that echidna's mind.

Shadow took a deep breath. “The same way he knew anything else, I guess. Probably the Master Emerald.” He sat on the lowest stair, knees level with his chest. His elbows leaned on them and he fidgeted with his sore fingers while he waited for Sonic to respond. He still avoided the hedgehog's gaze – adding to the tension was undesirable.

Silence brewed in the air between them before Sonic sighed. He spared Shadow a glance, rather surprised that he had given in. He supposed he owed him something for that. “Thanks,” He grunted under his breath and looked the other way, knowing nothing really kept him here now.

Light suddenly filled Shadow's vision that he hadn't paid attention to up until now. He blinked slowly as he realized that daybreak had arrived. The sun was glowing just on the horizon and the sky above him was almost empty of pinks and yellows. He looked back down and noticed Sonic's back was to him. A light pang of guilt hit him again, and he blushed, embarrassed with himself for being so touchy. He didn't have to fight with the other, but he had, and he regretted whatever adrenaline-induced toxic pleasure he held during the brawl. Sonic just wanted to know the truth.

A feeling Shadow was painfully familiar with.

With this concept echoing around in his skull, Shadow no longer found it hard to swallow his pride. He just didn't want to talk about it, and because of that he'd punched the very same person he allowed into the forbidden realm of Guardian initiation. “No. Wait.”