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Fighting off a handful of tacky robotic copies hardly counted as a challenge for the Ultimate Lifeform. Initially, anyway.
Shadow would sooner eat a fistfull of dirt than admit it, but when the number of encroaching enemies became something closer to that of a horde, there was..a slight increase in difficulty. It didn't take long before he was forced to act defensively, evading attacks rather than leaving fist-sized dents in metal skulls like he'd prefer. The loss of control was grating on him quickly, and while his stamina was strikingly higher than most organic beings, several hours of close-quarter combat left Shadow facing the consequences.
He was growing tired.
The revelation seemed to trigger a chain of events seemingly out of nowhere. It was an unrelated happenstance, surely, but the timing couldn't be ignored. Shadow dodged a sharp right hook, delivering one of his own before something out of place drew his attention. There was a new sound in the ravine – a familiar one. The agent only spared a second to the noise, eyes flicking up towards the commotion just in time to catch a glimpse of cobalt blue and dodge another kick. The hedgehog was here.
Finally. Took him long enough.
With additional assistance, the battle would come to a close much more efficiently. Not that Shadow needed the help – it was a simple matter of growing bored with putting his foot through the same shiny screens over and over again.
Regardless of his growing annoyance, Shadow continued to do exactly that, kicking a clone hard enough that its head dislodged from its body and rolled into the ever-growing pile of scraps surrounding the lifeform's feet. A sense of satisfaction followed that particular victory, especially when Shadow noticed the bots were beginning to dwindle in numbers. Only four remained.
Unfortunately, the jubilant feeling didn't last long. As the dark hedgehog lit up the surrounding stone with sparking remains, a pained sound bounced off the walls of the narrow passage. He didn't pay any mind to it until it was followed by another, then another –
Just what was Sonic doing?
Shadow pried his eyes away from the bots in search of an answer, and after a moment, he found it a little ways off in the opposite end of the chasm. A single clone had Sonic cornered, pinned against a pile of debris as it wailed against his face. Shadow took note of the bright red spatter that coated his rival's muzzle before turning back to his own fight, eyes alight with something dangerously focused. He needed to make this quick.
That was no problem for a superweapon.
With a newfound surge of adrenaline, Shadow shot at the 4 flimsy copies like a bullet out of hell, aiming for their cores, their heads, their throats – anything that would deliver the quickest and deadliest results. It was over before the clones even knew it'd begun. Shadow panted, breathing in the dusty air as he stood triumphantly amongst the wreckage of Nines faulty army, a small smirk adorning his features.
The dark hedgehog was viciously reminded of the reason behind his sudden urgency when a growl reached his sensitive ears, the sound being completely foreign from the hero. Shadow whirled around, and was met with something..unexpected.
His rival wore an expression that Shadow could only describe as hateful. Sonic's teeth were bared in warning, sharp and bloody from what he could only assume was a bitten tongue. Blue ears pinned back, quills stood on end – hell, even Shadow had to admit that he looked oddly intimidating like that.
Or, well, he might've, if it wasn't for the far away look in his eyes.
Shadow only realized he'd wasted time staring when the clone reared its leg for another blow – the final blow. Red eyes widened.
To an untrained gaze, it might've looked like Shadow had simply disappeared.
The clone certainly didn't see him coming.
The world blurred, wind whistling in his ears, and then metal was folding under the sudden weight of the dark hedgehog's heel, the force sending scattered chunks of the final soldier's metallic frame in all directions. Shadow thinks he might've yelled. He couldn't be sure, not when he'd been locked in a strange sort of tunnel vision, his eyes trained on one thing and one thing only: the crushed bot below his smoldering shoes. What was it about this moron that made his head so..empty? Acting without a thought behind it – without a plan. It was..grossly familiar.
Shadow didn't like it. He refused to think about the implications any further.
"Don't make me regret that," The agent said instead, fixing his rival with an unimpressed stare. The blood was..unsettling. There was more than Shadow had initially thought now that he was closer, bubbling in lazy streams from a nasty cut on Sonic's temple, and even more from his nose.
The hedgehog in question finally seemed to register who had spoken, and suddenly, Shadow was staring into hazy green eyes. They seemed a little more lively at the very least, but the fog seemed to return when Sonic tried to sit up on shaky arms. He managed it anyway. Always does, Shadow thought, unbidden. He did his damndest to ignore the intrusion, and instead focused on the way the others ears flicked up like they hadn't been pressed to the back of his skull moments ago. Frazzled quills slid back into place, and that damn smile –
"Shadow!" Sonic rejoiced, and oh, here he goes again. "You're alive!"
"No thanks to you."
"Hey, I was helping! Kept that last guy nice and distracted, actually."
Shadow scoffed, eyes narrowing into an accusing glare. He couldn't be serious.
"By letting it knock whatever sense you had left right back out of you?"
"What goes around comes around, right? I'm sure I'll find some more along the way." Sonic said, flippant, and the sheer audacity he had had to roll his eyes had Shadow gritting his teeth.
"I highly doubt it."
The start of a laugh bubbled up in Sonic's throat, but the sound cut itself short, his hand finding its way to the side of his head with a wince. Shadow watched on as he eventually pulled it away, studying the red that painted his glove with a small frown.
"Oh..yeah, that tracks," Sonic mumbled, before using the already stained glove to wipe at his muzzle, smearing the red even further. The color didn't suit him.
With a low sigh of resignation, Shadow dug blindly into his quills, searching until he found what he needed: a small roll of gauze and his last remaining alcohol wipes. He crouched in front of Sonic's unsteady form and swatted the other's hand away, which had only served to smear dirt across his face, haphazardly mixing with the crimson there. He looked stupid. Shadow tore open one of the alcohol pads with a little more aggression than was probably necessary.
"You're only making it worse. Don't move,"
Sonic stared up at him with an unreadable expression as Shadow brought the small cloth to the side of his face, deciding to use the first one to remove the grime that wouldn't have been there in the first place if Sonic didn't act like-
"I can do this myself, y'know."
Shadow's hand stilled, his thoughts halting to give space to the intrusive voice. If he'd been anything other than briefly mortified, he might've realized that he was suddenly holding his breath. A twinge of something ugly coiled beneath his ribs, settling with the weight of the world and the heat of the sun.
This action was a habit, an instinct, one that didn't see its share of practice anymore. This sort of..care, this drive to fix, to heal, to reach out and make something better..
It was something that had been lost over 50 years ago.
Slowly, Shadow exhaled. It didn't have to mean anything. He was just..out of it. That was all.
And yet, some part of him knew that wasn't entirely true.
"Just shut up and sit still. I don't trust your judgment for what constitutes a clean wound."
"Alright, alright, yeesh.." The hero mumbled, looking away with a tight smile. Somehow, that fake grin suited him far less than the red that stained his face.
With a shake of his head and more effort than should've been needed, Shadow disregarded the strained expression and continued cleaning the crimson away with practiced swipes. He should've been more than alright with the following minutes of quiet. After all, it was a rare occasion to see the blue hedgehog actually shut his trap. But, strangely enough, it was growing hard to focus on anything other than the sullen silence that fell between them. The agent's eyes flicked over for a brief moment to study the hero's foggy emerald greens, and found that Sonic's hazy stare was distant; almost bitter. Between the unnerving quiet, the grating sound of Sonic's incessant fidgeting with his gloves, and the droop of the others ears, Shadow had enough.
"Spill it, hedgehog," He bit out, unraveling some gauze with a quick tug. "Something happened, and I'm not going to ask again. It's now or never."
Sonic's ears flicked at the accusation, brow twitching into the beginnings of a grimace. He didn't let the expression hold; instead, he did what he did best and finally opened his mouth. Shadow would sooner hang up his shoes than admit to the relief that washed over him right then.
"Nine.."
Nevermind.
He couldn't resist the urge to deadpan at the fox's name. Of course it was the traitor that brought on such an uncharacteristic gloom. Nine seemed to be the only thing Sonic was capable of thinking about, or caring about, anymore.
This time, Shadow allowed a scowl to form while he tore some of the bandage to an acceptable length, moving to place it over Sonic's temple.
The previous silence returned with a vengeance. Shadow waited for the teen to continue, letting the quiet ring until it made even him uncomfortable, but Sonic's feeble attempt at an explanation was quickly abandoned. It didn't matter. Shadow had given him a chance, and that was more than he should've offered in the first place. Even if that strange expression was back.
The quiet carried until the striped hedgehog broke it with his own voice, the final bandage now neatly in place.
"Now that you're not bleeding all over the place, we need to get out of here and take care of the fox." Shadow urged, rising to stand before begrudgingly offering a hand. "This isn't over yet."
It hovered there for one second, then two, then three.
Sonic made no move to take it. His legs were drawn close, arms banded tightly on top of them. His head rested there, where he then refused to meet the dark hedgehogs eye.
Irritation flared in Shadow's core as he retracted his offering with a growl, turning on his heel. His hover shoes activated with a burst light.
"Fine, do what you want. I'll take care of Nine on my-"
"I wasn't fast enough," Sonic mumbled, and if it wasn't for the agent's keen hearing, he might've missed it.
The tense interruption wormed its way into Shadow's ears with little resistance, because like it or not, the admission was enough to give him pause. It was something that he should've cracked a smirk at. It should've been amusing. But Sonic's tone was enough to set his quills on edge, as it spoke nothing of a bruised ego. Instead, it spoke of finality.
It spoke of failure.
Shadow closed his eyes with an annoyed frown, forcing his shoes to power down again. He stood still with his back turned. Waiting.
"Explain." Shadow insisted, though his voice held no edge. The faster he could get this setback over with, the better.
He heard Sonic take a steadying breath, and the sheer amount of effort it required was enough to concern him. A broken rib, perhaps? Regardless of the could-be injury, a whisper finally weaved its way through the air.
"They sacrificed themselves. They're gone."
Shadow's eyes snapped open, and despite himself, his head turned on a swivel to face the hero. Sonic was glaring daggers at the blood stained dirt.
"Mangey and Sails died, Shadow, and I.."
Sonic trailed off, shaking his head with a storm in his eyes. He didn't seem like he could finish the thought.
So Nine had killed people.
Shadow had no idea who Sonic spoke of, but it didn't matter. Any death would shake him – his infuriating hero complex knew no bounds. it was a big part of what got them into this mess in the first place, but before Shadow could think any more on the subject, those guilty greens finally met his own steady reds.
"They looked like him – like Tails, and Nine wanted me. He sent his whole army at them and I wasn't fast enough to.." Sonic looked away, and if Shadow didn't know any better, he would say the hedgehog's eyes grew shiny.
"There was nothing left."
That was it, then. The reason behind the quiet. The far away looks, the distraction in battle..
Sonic couldn't save the variants that shared the face of his brother.
Slowly, Shadow turned around to fully face him. He understood that pain better than anyone he knew. Even if it wasn't really Tails, even if it was some messed up copies in a sea of dimensional nonsense, to Sonic, that was still his family. Just as the one who brought about their untimely fate was still someone worth fighting for. Shadow could never live the way the hero did – he could never..care, so much. About so many.
Because this is what such a thing does. It clouds your mind, it destroys your judgment. It destroys you.
So why do I still..
The thought didn't have a chance to complete itself before he was moving, body striding forward of its own accord. He stood a pace away from the other now, who had taken to burying his head in his arms in an effort to save face. Much too late for that.
A quiet breath left him. He wasn't good at these things – emotional situations. Shadow mulled over his options. None of them were decidedly pleasant or comfortable, but if he didn't do something, they were gonna lose their shot at going home. Pride, ego, and grudges be damned. For the sake of the universe, Shadow would just have to endure.
Dropping to a knee, the agent gently pulled at Sonic's wrist until the hedgehog looked up, and it was then that Shadow understood that unreadable expression from before. It was grief. It was haunted and angry and vacant all the same.
He should've recognized it sooner.
He always sees it in mirrors.
The thought skipped in Shadow's mind like a terribly scratched record, and for the very first time, he pulled his rival into a tight hug.
Sonic's knees unfolded when he finally understood the gesture. He leaned into the embrace, burying his forehead into the crook of Shadow's neck, and it was..surprisingly okay. Two shaking arms squeezed around the dark hedgehogs back as if he were Sonic's only lifeline, and Shadow squeezed in return. If this was what Sonic needed to get back out there, then the typically distant lifeform would just have to provide it. And maybe, if he forced himself to entertain the thought, Shadow could believe that he might've needed it too. How long had-
The agent twitched.
"I understand," Shadow grumbled, voice low. He had to keep this moving. "But now, you have to fight. And you'll fight like hell. For home. For them."
A shaky inhale, a 3 second hold, and finally, a steady exhale. Sonic nodded, and to Shadow's half-baked relief, the other pulled away. Shadow could still feel –
"Look," He instructed, and for once, Sonic listened. His gaze was steadier than before. Shadow's, on the other hand, was resolute.
"We aren't done yet. And as much as it pains me to admit it, I'll need your help to fix our world and get back home. So focus," He finished, but somehow, it felt like a bitter end. Wrong, in a way that it shouldn't.
Shadow looked anywhere but the other's face. His ear flicked. "Alright?"
There. Good enough.
The hero seemed to think so too if his barely-there laugh had anything to say about it, his green eyes suddenly shimmering with mirth. Shadow scowled with a quick hiss of offense.
"What?"
That seemed to do Sonic in, and now, he was entirely lost to a laughing fit he couldn't seem to control. Perfect. The Ultimate Lifeform turned Laughing Stock.
"You-" Sonic tried, but a snort cut him off for a moment before he tired again. "You looked at me like I was gonna bite you for a second, and-"
And then he was laughing. Again. Shadow rolled his eyes and pushed Sonic over with a grunt before moving to stand. So this was the thanks he got for being stupidly mushy like Sonic's moronic friends. A terrible choice in the long run, proven just now. He would blame the supposed "Hero of Mobius" for any future social fumbles, and if that meant Shadow was the bad guy, well..
Sonic's fault, really.
"Remind me to never do this again," Shadow muttered, crossing his arms and turning to face the opposite direction. He pointedly ignored the slight warmth in his ears. He felt stupid. This was unprofessional and out of his area of expertise. He should've just taken off when he had the chance instead of making a fool of himself by pretending he knew the first thing about –
"Hey," Sonic said, suddenly close. When did his rival even get up? Lost in thought as he was, Shadow didn't seem to notice when the laughter had stopped either.
A hand squeezed his shoulder with just enough pressure to be grounding. It wasn't..awful. Begrudgingly, Shadow turned just enough to see Sonic's eyes, and was struck by how sincere they were. It wasn't an expression he'd ever experienced directly, only seen second hand when the teen would look at his allies. His friends.
"Thank you, Shadow. Really. I was just pulling your leg – I know how you are with the touchy-feely stuff. I feel a lot better now though, and that's what you wanted to do, right?"
The agent looked away. This was strange. He'd never been subjected to one of the "talks" before, but he knew they happened. It was why everyone looked up to Sonic despite all his faults, because no matter what, where there was cobalt blue, there was hope.
Chaos. Shadow was going to lose his mind.
He nodded. Sonic pat his shoulder in return.
"A job well done, then. And if it's any help, I tend to laugh at the worst times. It drives Tails crazy."
Shadow couldn't help but smirk at the image the admission painted. A memory.
"When I was small, I once laughed so hard I nearly passed out when Gerald slipped in his own spilled coffee. The doctor was far from pleased, so I suppose I can understand in a way. I'll let it slide, this time."
If he'd bothered to look behind him again, he might've caught the stars in Sonic's eyes. But he didn't. Instead, his vision clouded with dust as his shoes reactivated with a blast of light.
"We need to rejoin the fight. I expect you'll at least try to keep up?" The agent challenged. He barely caught the tail end of Sonic's affronted scoff before he blasted up the wall and shot out of the canyon. He did, however, catch the echo of a laugh.
And, strangely enough..it didn't make him angry this time.