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---XXX---
"I thought you had your eye on Omega this time!"
"I did!" Rouge yelled back at the Ultimate Lifeform, "It's not my fault that we were being shot at and Omega decided to try and blow himself up in the process!"
"Well we need to stop trying to wreck him," Shadow groaned out, "His parts are getting too hard to find, and I'm getting sick and tired of getting screamed at every time something doesn't go to plan."
---XXX---
The sun was setting behind the buildings of the city as Shadow laid on the couch, glaring at his phone that had yet to make a peep. He and Rouge decided that there was nothing worth celebrating over this mission since Omega was yet again out of commission. Besides, Rouge said she already had some plans for night, probably something with the echidna guardian.
Why hadn't Sonic messaged him back yet? It had been over an hour since he told him that he was back and home. It was very out of his character not to answer him back right away saying that he was on his way so they can have their moments with each other, which were getting fewer and fewer with the amount of missions Team Dark had been going on.
A chirp finally came out of his phone and Shadow grabbed it eagerly, only to be disappointed to see it was from his team mate.
R-- Hey. Is Sonic over there?
Shadow frowned at the question.
SH-- No. I haven't heard from him. Is he not with fox?
R-- No. He just message Knuckies wondering if he was with you. They were out checking on old Eggman bases and Sonic said he was gonna stay back, saying he had something he wanted to do.
That worried Shadow. He sucked in his bottom lip and bit down trying to come up with a reason on why Sonic was missing.
But that's when it happened.
A bright green flash of pure energy pierced across the sky. Shadow squinted on how bright it was. As it subsided, the sky seemed to glow a dark emerald green. The light now concentrated on what looked to be an island in the sky.
”This isn't good," Shadow thought to himself, his eyes fixated on where the light was coming from. His phone chirped again causing the hedgehog to jump. He quickly grabbed and answered.
"Did you see that?!" Rouge shouted, not waiting for her team mate to answer.
"How could you not," Shadow answered back, "It lit up the whole sky!"
"Just got an email from GUN. Massive surge of Chaos Energy. Says it's coming from Angel Island. Knuckles is losing it. He thinks someone is using the Master Emerald for personal gain."
"What do you think would've caused that?"
”Think it could be Eggman?" Rouge asked.
"I don't think that the Doctor would come out of hiding and do something this massive. It would cause too much attention, but he still could be a possibility."
"Right. Knuckles and I are going over to Tails and going up to see. You coming?"
"Do you need an answer for that?"
---XXX---
The four of them had hopped off the Tornado that was landed on the outskirts of the jungle that housed the Master Emerald shrine.
"Has he been acting weird since we've been out," Rouge asked Tails, who shook his head.
"Not that I've noticed, but I did go through his recent search history. I know, 'Tails you should trust Sonic more. He's your big brother,' but for what it's worth, he was looking up immortality...which I guess would classify as odd."
"He wouldn't," Shadow said in deep thought as the four of them continued onward to the altar. The light was slowly dissipating causing the echidna to quicken their pace.
"He promised me he wouldn't."
---XXX---
Shadow looked confused when they arrived to see another echidna at the bottom steps.
"I thought you said he was the last of his kind?" Shadow whispered to Rouge.
"He is," Rouge whispered back, "Her name is Tikal, a spirit that resides in the Master Emerald along with Chaos, the God of Destruction ."
"...what?"
"This is a story that needs some explaining some other time. Just know that she lives in the Master Emerald."
"Tikal, what are you doing out?" Knuckles questioned the other. Her eyes gazed into Knuckles' for a second and then down towards the ground.
"I'm sorry," she said softly, but still panicked, "He came, seeking help. I tried but his body rejected it. I knew it would, but he wouldn't listen. This is all MY fault!!!"
Shadow's eyes went wide. He glanced over to Rouge and back to the stairs. Luckily for him Rouge caught on.
"Knux, Shadow can go up right?" Rouge yelled over at him, which took the guardian by surprise.
"Uh...yeah, as long as he doesn't touch the Emerald," he stammered.
"Thank you," Shadow breathed out in relief.
"Communicator on and tell me what you see when you get up top. Now go."
---XXX---
Shadow reached top of the alter and took a few deep breaths in. The air was thick with Chaos Energy that it was starting to make him feel nauseous. He took in his surroundings, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary when ruby eyes spotted the figure face down on the ground, that was glowing blue from expelling excess Chaos Energy.
"Damn it Sonic," Shadow his through gritted teeth. He pushed his way through the thick air towards him. Once reaching the hero, Shadow got down on his knees and flipped him over as the glow dissipated off of him.
"At least he's breathing,” Shadow thought as watched the other's chest rise and fall steadily.
"Did you get up there?" Rouge yelled through the communicator.
"Yes," Shadow sighed, "Idiot is alive."
"Good to hear. I'll let the other two know he's okay. If you got a Chaos Emerald, which I'd be more surprised if you didn't , take him home. We'll be over in a couple days . Go easy on him."
"Roger that, over and out." With that, Shadow pulled the green emerald out and lifted Sonic up close to his chest and in a flash, the two were gone.
---XXX---
Every inch of his body screamed at him when the blue blur's eyes fluttered open. His body felt cold even though he was sweating and everything was so dark and there was something heavy at the end of wherever he was as he tried to push himself up.
"What the hell were you thinking?"
Sonic's breath hitched as his eyes gazed up to meet with Shadow's.
So he was at Shadow's and he was pissed. Noted.
His gaze dropped down towards the floor, no longer wanting to see how mad the other was with him.
"I'm sorry," he muttered
"For what?!" Shadow snapped causing Sonic to wince, " The fact that you lied to me and got caught? Or the fact that you could've died tonight?"
"I wasn't going to die!" Sonic yelled back, which caused him to get flung down onto the mattress below him, Shadow pinning his shoulders down.
"You don't get it do you?! Your body REJECTED the energy it was being given because it was being OVERLOADED! If it kept trying to hang on to it you would have died! Do you not get this! You can't MAKE yourself immortal Sonic so just DROP IT!"
The two sat in silence, neither of them moving from where they were.
"I just don't want you to be alone," Sonic whispered.
"And I would like you not dead so we can make it a year together," Shadow sighed, finally letting go of Sonic's shoulders, "Hell we've been together for almost nine months and I still don't know when your birthday is!" He looked over at Sonic, who had his knees up to his chest, slightly rocking, took a big sigh and pulled the blue one over so his head was resting on the Lifeform's chest.
"Look," Shadow started, petting Sonic's quills, "I know how being overloaded with Chaos Energy feels. The amount of times I've gone through it on the ARK with the Chaos Drives, it was one of the worst pains I've ever felt and it never got easier the amount of times that it was done to me. So...when I saw you lying on the ground...I was...scared. Scared that you overloaded yourself to death, which can happen. I've been on the brink more times that I would like to be."
"But...I thought you couldn't die?" Sonic asked, bring his gaze up to Shadow's.
"I cannot die by aging," He told him, "Being shot, drowning, overloads. There all things that my body can't handle and I'm sure there's more that I'm missing."
"So...you're not really Ultimate are you?"
"In a sense...no."
The two sat in silence for a while.
"June 23rd."
"What?" Shadow uttered, looking down at the hedgehog looking up at him.
"You asked me my birthday," Sonic said, "It's June 23rd. I'll be 25 this year. What about you? Do you have a birthday...or something equivalent to that?"
"June 21st was the day I woke up on...so I guess that would be it? But I wasn't really born, more like created..."
"We'll just say it's your birthday then," Sonic laughed, wincing at the pain his body was feeling causing Shadow to smirk.
"Don't worry...you'll feel ten times worse tomorrow," he half laughed.
"...Shadow?"
"Hm?"
"You...still love me?"
Shadow sighed at the question. He lifted Sonic's head up to bring peach lips to his tan ones. As they part, Shadow gave one of those genuine smiles that only Sonic got to see.
"Of course."