Bloody Domination 2: Straitjacket

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Bloody Domination 2: Straitjacket

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Well, it’s Wednesday already, and here we are. I myself have updated the Summary, since a few more choices have been made, but we’re still not sure how this is going to end.

Froggy: We see people asking, very intelligently, how Sonadow is possible. As the fanfic goes on, you’ll start to ask “When the hell are they gonna get on with it?”

Harley: This chapter deals with how other people are coping since the events of Bloody Domination 1. Not well, as you’ll see.

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Chapter Three: Coping

Amy looked down into her cup of tea, and then across at Tails, "Let me get this straight," she said, "Shadow is alive, he's locked in a high-security mental institution, and Sonic went to see him - voluntarily?!" The pink hedgehog was resting one hand over her belly. She was only a month into her pregnancy, and there was no lump, but she was still aware of it being there.

"Yeah, that's about it,” the young fox answered uncomfortably, his eyes anywhere but on her. He knew how Amy could get when angry, and this news certainly could make her that way. He found it hard to believe himself, but he trusted his best friend's judgement.

"How could he do that?" Amy asked, her eyes teary, "Doesn't he realise what that... that monster did to us?!" she sniffled, "I have nightmares almost every night!"

"Me too,” Tails replied softly with a shiver, unconsciously crossing his legs, something that was now a nervous habit of his. He and Amy had been through numerous therapy sessions since Shadow's rampage, but those memories would never leave fully. The fox winced, recalling the hopeless terror, the feelings of betrayal, the agony... Drawing a sharp breath, he said, "But that wasn't really... Shadow, you know? He's sick and needs to be made better." Even after having a part of his innocence stripped away forever, Tails' kind nature remained. He was willing to give Shadow a chance. Few people were so forgiving.

Amy patted Tails' hand absentmindedly. It was hard to imagine just how Shadow had been driven to raping and torturing children. It was hard to remember that she was a child herself now, "The other day I told Sonic that I wished Shadow had died in the fall," she said, "And he looked at me as if I'd said I like to eat puppies, or something! It's like he feels sorry for him!"

"He does feel sorry for him..." Tails said quietly, looking away. Somehow, he doubted he could make Amy understand. Shadow had been through a lot, too. So much that he had lost his mind and his way.

"Why?" Amy asked, looking hurt, "And what about you and me? I certainly don't care if Shadow never gets out of that mental institution, ever again!"

"I want Shadow to be better,” Tails spoke again sadly, looking down at the floor, "I want Knuckles to visit again. I want Cream to be..." The fox sniffled, a tear running down his cheek, "I just want things to be normal again."

Amy looked at Tails, crying. She reminded herself that he had been through what she had been through, and her anger ceased instantly, "Oh, Tails," she said, and leant forward to hug him carefully, "I know just how you feel. Remember that."

Sniffling again, Tails wrapped his arms tightly around Amy, whimpering softly into her fur, "I thought he was my friend!" he moaned, remembering how Shadow had deceived and hurt him.

"I know," Amy patted Tails on the back, "I thought he was our friend too. But he's locked up now," she said, "He won't be able to hurt you again." Not physically, anyway, she thought, remembering the nightmares.

Tails clung to her tightly and sobbed, the pain and fear he had felt crashing back onto him. It wasn't the first time it happened, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

Amy forced herself not to cry, for his sake. She shushed him gently, wiping away his tears, "It's gonna be okay, hun," she said softly, "It's gonna be okay... you've got me and Sonic and Knuckles to look after you now. We won't let anybody hurt you."

Footsteps could be heard outside, and through the window, Amy could see Sonic approaching the door. Tails seemed to be calming down slightly as she wiped away his tears, nuzzling against her, comforted by someone who understood the misery he had endured.

"And here comes Sonic now!" she said, trying to be cheerful. She still loved Sonic, but she felt that he didn't understand what she - and Tails and Knuckles - had gone through. He sympathised with everybody. Even Shadow, it seemed.

Tails detached himself from the pink hedgehog, wiping his eyes. He didn't want to fall apart in front of his friend.

Sonic entered the room and smiled at them both, "Hey! I'm back! How is everyone?" He sounded cheerful, but it was impossible to tell if it was real or an act. He always seemed so sincere.

Amy smiled, "All the better for you coming back," she said, trying to keep her cool. Then she lost, "So, you went to visit... him."

Sonic's smile faltered just a moment. He could tell Amy wasn't happy about it, but he stayed cool regardless, "Yeah. Shadow isn't doing so well in there, but I'm sure he can get better. I'm going to visit more often, see what I can do." Amy noticed that the blue hedgehog couldn't meet Tails' gaze.

"What about your other friends, Sonic?" she asked, her hands on her hips, "Sure, it's nice that you're helping Shadow to deal with his murderous rampage, but isn't that what the doctors are supposed to do? And they are trained to do it!"

"I've been with you two almost every day since... you know... and those doctors aren't helping him much. Maybe I can do better,” Sonic said confidently, remaining calm in the face of Amy's rising temper.

"He murdered my best friend, Sonic!" Amy said, "He raped Tails! I'm having his baby! I'M TWELVE YEARS OLD!" Tears were filling her eyes, "How can you just forgive him for all of that?"

"I just... do, Amy!" Sonic told her, "Hate and revenge were what caused this in the first place. Giving it right back will just make this worse."

"It's all very well for you, he didn't hurt you!" Amy said.

Now Sonic's calm facade fell away, "Yeah, I had a real blast watching all my friends suffer,” he retorted, his voice lacking the bitter venom of his words. He shook his head, visibly wounded by Amy's accusation.

"Well, I've made a decision about the baby," Amy said, calm again, "I'm having it, as you know. And then I'm going to give it up for adoption. That way, it will never have to find out what sort of monster sired it."

"Shadow isn't a monster! He's a person just like you and me!" was Sonic's impulsive response. The blue hedgehog walked further inside and paced across the room, troubled, "...We could raise the child, Amy. All of us. We'll all be its family. You don't have to give it away."

"He wants that baby," Amy said, "I saw it in his eyes, when he came for me again. He wants that baby for himself and I won't let him get to it! Even if I have to give it up to stop him!"

Sonic looked at Amy, trying not to show the anger he felt, "So that's what it's about, huh? You don't even care about what's best for the baby. You just want to hurt Shadow in the only way you have left. You know GUN is probably never going to let him leave, too." The hedgehog slowly shook his head in disappointment.

"This is Shadow we're talking about, Sonic!" Amy replied, "Since when did he let any amount of security get in the way of what he wanted?" She had apparently forgotten that Tails was sitting just a few feet behind her.

The little fox just watched them both silently, unsure of who to side with or what to say.

"You can't live in fear of him forever!" Sonic objected, "And you certainly shouldn't force the kid to live with someone else because you're afraid!"

"Well then, would you like to be the one to tell the baby that it was an accident, conceived in rape?" Amy asked him, "Don't act as if I haven't thought this through, Sonic."

"Yeah, I'll tell the baby when it's old enough if you don't have the guts!" was Sonic's reply, "And how can you possibly think you know what's best for this kid before it's even born? You're only 12!" He quickly added, "No offence, Tails."

The young fox just shrugged, still watching.

"You can talk, you're just 15!" Amy replied, "You've only ever shown fear of commitment, and now you think you can bring up a baby?!"

"I’m almost 16!" Sonic swiftly corrected her, anger finally starting to show on the hedgehog's face and in his voice, "And just because I don't fall for you simply because you want it doesn't mean I'm afraid of commitment! You want to know about commitment, Amy? Try commiting yourself to saving a world that doesn't want to be saved!" The blue hedgehog sucked in a breath, recoiling from his own words as if amazed that they came from him.

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked him, "Of course the world wants to be saved!"

It was a private thing to Sonic, something he had never said out loud. Many such feelings were buried inside him where only he could see them, but now, one of them demanded to be let out, "Then why does it keep tearing itself apart?!" he shouted, "Everywhere I go, I see people hating each other and being hated in return! Why can't anyone just forgive, huh? Why can't anyone let go? Now I see it in my own friends! Haven't you learned anything from me?" Sonic quickly turned and walked towards the door, "I need to go for a run,” he muttered. Life was so much simpler when he ran.

Tails looked back and forth between Sonic and Amy before loyally going after his best friend, "Hey, wait up! I want to go running, too!" he said.

Sonic couldn't help but smile, reaching down to pat the fox's head, "Ok, little buddy. You can come with me."

"Well, this is my body!" Amy said loudly, "And it's my baby! I'll decide what to do with it! The only reason I didn't have an abortion was because the baby didn't do anything wrong!"

Standing in the doorway, Sonic called out, "You know, even if you give the kid away, Shadow will still track it down. Who do you think your baby will be safer with?" Not giving her a chance to answer, Sonic took off running, fast enough for peace of mind, slow enough that his pal could follow him.

Amy gritted her teeth. She loved Sonic. But she was not going to let him tell her what to do with her baby.

~~~

Leaving Amy's home behind them, the pair took off into the city. Sonic dodged and weaved around pedestrians and vehicles as he took to the streets, leaping through the air and running along the side of a building. The rush of the wind blowing past, the sun on his face, the sheer, exhilarating speed... it made Sonic's troubles seem far away, made the world make sense to him. Here he was in his element, doing what he was always meant to do.

Close behind him ran Tails. The kitsune was concentrating on keeping up with Sonic. Somehow that made the memories of what Shadow had done seem far away. Even if he couldn't run forever, at least he was thinking of something else. It was one of the reasons he had been working so hard in his lab lately.

Sonic glanced behind him at his friend, noting how he used his spinning tails to keep pace with him, flying above obstacles that proved more difficult for the gravity-bound hedgehog. It was good to see that despite how bad things had become, Tails hadn't lost his touch. Spying the tallest building in sight, Sonic ran up the side of it, coming to a stop on its roof. He paused to let Tails catch up, enjoying the view. The noise of humans and their technology was inaudible that high up, replaced with the peaceful sound of the whistling wind. He liked it up there, a pocket of isolation in a sea of civilization.

Tails arrived at the top, almost out of flight time at that height, and came to a stop beside Sonic, panting softly, "One day... I'll beat you," he said, breathing hard. He straightened up and looked over the city.

Sonic smiled at the thought, looking forward to that day. He had no doubts that one day Tails would overcome him in a race, and when it happened, it would be something to be truly proud of. He walked to the edge of the room and sat down, letting his feet dangle above the street, "...So what do you think, Tails?" he asked, "About Amy and the baby, I mean."

Tails hesitated, "I don't know, Sonic," he said, "I mean, it is her baby..." Sonic had to remind himself sometimes that Tails was only eight years old and wouldn't really be able to grasp the complexities of Amy and a rape child, even after his ordeal with Shadow.

"Never mind. Forget it,” Sonic said. It wasn't a topic either of them really wanted to discuss, in any case. He was up here to forget, "I'm kinda surprised that Eggman hasn't taken advantage of all this yet."

Tails shrugged, "Well, I dare say he's waiting for the right moment. You know how he likes to make a scene. I'm not quite sure how he would take advantage of things right now."

"I mean us. How Shadow has managed to... divide us,” Sonic shifted uncomfortably on the ledge, "Just seems like something Eggman would be waiting for."

Tails sighed, "Well, I'm still your friend, Sonic. And I always will be. And Amy loves you still. She's just... angry... at everybody, I guess."

Sonic wasn't surprised. Still, anger was an improvement over the sobbing, terrified mess Amy had been. Shadow had messed her up bad; the news that she was pregnant had made it ten times worse, "She'll be ok,” Sonic said, adding the word 'hopefully' in his mind, "She's got a lot to deal with."

"I kinda don't blame her for not wanting Shadow to meet the baby," Tails said, "Maybe she's afraid that if it does, it will turn out like him."

Sonic let out a soft chuckle, "Oh, that's silly,” he said, waving the notion off, "The kid's life will be totally different from Shadow's."

"It was just a suggestion," Tails said, looking slightly unhappy.

"And it's probably what Amy thinks,” the blue hedgehog admitted, reaching over to pat the fox on the back, "No worries. I just think she should rethink what she's doing with the baby. I mean... a kid should know his real parents, you know?" His green eyes looked blankly out into the city, as if contemplating something else.

"I... I never really knew my parents," Tails said, "Am I messed up, Sonic? I mean, was I? Before all of this?"

"What are you talking about? You're fine, Tails! Always have been,” his friend told him cheerfully, squeezing his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess," Tails said, trying to smile, "I mean... maybe if I'd known my parents... things would be different now..."

Sonic realised that Tails was blaming his lack of parents for being raped. Turning the kit's face towards him, Sonic looked into his eyes and firmly said, "Tails, what happened to you wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's fault but Shadow's, understand?"

Tails nodded, looking into Sonic's eyes, "But... but maybe if I was a different person, he wouldn't have-"

"Of course he wouldn't,” Sonic interrupted, "He went after you because you're my pal, because you matter to me. Don't be ashamed of who you are, Tails, and don't blame yourself for what happened. I... I should have been there. I should have been faster..." Sonic pulled his friend into a hug.

Tails froze up for a second - he always did now - and then hugged Sonic back tightly, snuffling quietly into his chest, his fingers tugging at Sonic's blue quills and fur.

Sonic swallowed, knowing that for that split-second, Tails was thinking of Shadow, of being hurt, of their bodies grinding together painfully... The hedgehog sighed, rubbing Tails' back as they embraced, "It's going to be ok," he said softly.

"Uh-huh," Tails sniffled, "H-he can't hurt anybody n-now..."

"That's right,” Sonic whispered, "He can't hurt you. You're safe." Leaning back slightly, breaking the embrace, he spoke, "I know this may seem very soon, but... I'm going to visit Shadow again next week, and I was wondering if you'd like to come with me."

“Me?” Tails' eyes widened, "Visit Shadow?" he asked, as if not quite sure he had heard what Sonic had asked him correctly, "B-but... what if he..."

"He's locked in there, and he can't get out. It's ok,” Sonic quickly assured him, "I just thought it might be good, you know, to face him."

Tails squeezed his eyes shut. In his mind's eye he could not only remember what Shadow had done, but he could also visualise what he would do... he would look at him, in that way he had, all sneering and cruel and powerful... he could almost see him, leering. It didn't matter if he couldn't touch him... he would be there and he would remember and... and... "No! I can't!" Tails burst into tears, "I can't! I won't!"

Sonic pulled the fox into another hug, shushing quickly and whispering, "It's ok. You don't have to go. It's ok..."

Tails flinched again, then hugged Sonic back, "I want to go home now," he said softly, "M-maybe some other time?”

"Yeah, that's fine. It was just an idea; you don't have to go at all,” Sonic repeated, patting his back. Inwardly, he kicked himself. He should have known better.

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Harley: Well, next chapter comes another visit to Shadow. Life is always complicated when you’re incarcerated, but hey, what’re you going to do?