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Shadow the Hedgehog dropped right into the middle of a deserted clearing. He tried to contact his partner, Amy Rose, but his communicator was completely dead; just when he thought he had finally gotten it to work, an automated voice ringing in his ear simply informed him that the connection had failed. Shadow carefully pulled the earpiece out and slipped it into his pocket. Ever since he'd lost one of his earbuds and gotten an earful while getting a replacement, he'd been more careful about his actions.
Where am I?
He had been transported here by some mad scientist who claimed to be Sonic's nemesis. The man had said that he couldn't stand the sight of Shadow—that his face reminded him too much of Sonic. Yet Shadow had clearly seen the man subtly wipe his eyes as he said it.
He never should have stepped foot into that trap back then. Still, regretting what was already done wasn't going to change anything. Were the people trapped in that mysterious contraption okay? Amy had been there at the scene too, so she had probably rescued them. All Shadow needed to do now was find a way back.
Shadow walked aimlessly. He walked, and he walked. He could have hurried, but for some reason, he didn't want to. Rushing around might cause him to miss a crucial clue anyway.
It was nice that the streets were quiet, likely because he was quite far from the city.
In that silent street, there was only one object making any noise. It was a digital billboard decorating the exterior wall of a building. Shadow reflexively looked up. The news was broadcasting that a new user of 'Hallucination' had appeared. Strange. As far as Shadow knew, the ability known as Hallucination only manifested in a single person at a time, passing on to the next only when the previous user died. And the current wielder of Hallucination was Villain—Sonic. Had he died or something?
No way.
Smirking wryly at a thought he himself found ridiculous, Shadow came to the conclusion that this must be a time period in the past. It was at least a small comfort that a time paradox likely wouldn't occur, given that "Shadow" shouldn't even exist at this point in time—provided, of course, that he didn't interact with anyone here.
Walking a few steps further, a wooden building that looked like a workshop came into view. Shadow had dropped by this place a few times himself before. It hadn't been voluntary, but it was still a place filled with fond memories.
That kind, gentle blue hedgehog—though he hated being called that—used to bring Shadow here and take care of him whenever he collapsed a few times during his early days due to design flaws. Shadow had genuinely loved that gentleness of his.
Approaching the window to peek inside, he spotted those familiar blue quills. They were so painfully familiar to Shadow—whenever he saw that back, he always wanted to run over, hug him with all his strength, and greet that annoyed face of his with a bright smile.
But right now, things were different. The slightly desaturated, somehow dull-looking quills, and the blanket-covered shoulders rising and falling quite heavily. All of it stirred an unfamiliar ache in Shadow's chest. The blue hedgehog panted heavily, his shoulders jolting violently with the occasional cough. The workshop was a complete mess, with used, discarded bandages rolling across the floor as if he hadn't even had the energy to throw them away.
Even if it was in the past, watching a guy who was usually so full of life in the present looking so sick and frail felt undeniably surreal. Just as Shadow was about to turn back to look for another way out of here—
CRASH!!
At the loud, startling noise, he impulsively threw the workshop door wide open before he could stop himself. Ah, crap. Shadow immediately regretted his actions. How had he managed to make such a stupid mistake just minutes after worrying about a time paradox?
Should I just run for it? As Shadow hesitated in panic, his bewildered eyes caught sight of Villain.
Villain had tumbled right off the bed. His body was covered in bruises as if collapsing like this was a regular occurrence, with not a single spot left unscathed. Crumpled wads of blood-stained tissues lay scattered carelessly across the floor. Looking closely, the dark red staining around his nose suggested the hedgehog had been bleeding from his nose, too. The guy was a walking medical disaster.
Unusually, Shadow found himself unable to move an inch. If he turned around and ran right now, he could escape. He hadn't exchanged a single word with Sonic yet, so it should still be fine. So why—why couldn't he move? It was as if his ankles were pinned to the spot. Sensing intuitively that he might never be able to return to the "present," Shadow stood there awkwardly, frozen with his hand still gripping the doorknob.
Meanwhile, Villain rolled his pale black eyes to scan the uninvited intruder who had suddenly burst in. With a faint, resigned sigh, he pushed himself up.
"Impressive intelligence gathering."
"...What?"
"You're from the Association, aren't you?"
With that, he cast a side-glance toward Shadow's attire. Shadow looked down at the insignia printed on his clothes and let out a soft, foolish "Ah." Unbothered, Villain forced himself upright, heavily leaning on the chair beside him.
"I barely even go outside these days... To track down my whereabouts so quickly, quite impressive."
It was clear there had been a huge misunderstanding, but correcting him felt awkward, and Shadow couldn't come up with a plausible excuse anyway. Shadow squeezed his eyes shut, remaining silent. I should've run when I had the chance.
"Still... I didn't expect them to send a hedgehog who looks so much like me. Like a reaper."
Resigned to the belief that he would soon be dragged away, Villain tossed out the dry remark. When Shadow didn't respond for a while, Villain spoke up again.
"...Are you actually the Grim Reaper or something?"
"No, I'm..."
Shadow glanced at Villain's weak frame. He looks like he's struggling just to stay standing... Giving him a gentle nudge, Villain sank back onto the edge of the bed without any resistance. Though the glare he directed at Shadow remained as lethal as ever.
Having seated Villain on the bed, Shadow suddenly threw out a question.
"What do you think is the opposite of the Grim Reaper?"
"What?"
"Because I didn't come here to kill you. In fact, I'm more on the side that wants you to live."
The look on his face that practically screamed, 'Why would you?' was pretty amusing. Keeping his guard up while suspecting an ulterior motive, yet unable to completely push away someone showing him kindness—that indecisive, conflicted stance. Shadow found every single one of those traits that made up Sonic utterly endearing.
"I'm suddenly curious. Don't you think so? What's the opposite of a Grim Reaper?"
"None of my business. Nor do I care."
"Since it saves lives... a doctor?"
"...Is that the best you could come up with?"
Villain turned his head away, looking as if he couldn't stand playing along with this absurd banter any longer.
"I decline such a quack doctor. I'd rather take the Grim Reaper."
Shadow chuckled softly. Grim Reaper, then? Fine. Let me pretend it's something like that.
"Then I guess I have to call your name three times, huh? Sonic."
"..."
"...Sonic?"
It happened in an instant. Moving like lightning, Villain lunged forward, grabbed Shadow by the collar, and slammed him hard against the wall. For someone who had looked so weak just a moment ago, the movement was extraordinarily swift and aggressive.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Ugh, hey, let go first...!"
"Are you going to keep playing the Grim Reaper? I suppose the Hero Association exists in the underworld, too?"
"Well... pr-probably not. I guess..."
"Identify yourself."
Shadow gritted his teeth and let out a muffled groan. He couldn't exactly tell him straight up that he was from the future.
Even talking face-to-face like this left some room for Villain to brush it all off as a dream once Shadow returned. Or at least just think he'd run into some crazy hedgehog.
But a time-traveling intruder revealing the truth himself was a massive event, enough to truly warp space and time. It might even ruin the future along with it.
Born as the Ultimate Life Form, Shadow used his brilliant mind to calculate a way out of this situation quite rapidly.
"...Would you believe me if I said I was an angel?"
"Hah..."
The grip on his collar loosened. Shadow could have swatted the hand away and put some distance between them right then and there, but he chose not to. He didn't want to provoke that wariness any further.
Eventually, Villain fully withdrew his hand, using it to run through his own quills instead.
"Forget it. There's no way someone this sloppy came to capture me. Right, so what brings a noble angel to my doorstep?"
It was a sarcastic tone, but the atmosphere was much softer than before. Shadow scratched his head and offered a sheepish smile.
"What brings me, huh... honestly, I didn't have much in mind."
"..."
"If I had to give a reason... 'just because'?"
Shadow shrugged his shoulders.
"Because I was worried about you."
Once again, a sloppy excuse. Even so, Villain had no choice but to accept it. The reason being, he had already seen eyes like those countless times. They reminded him of a certain fox who always lived with worry while staying by the side of a free-spirited hedgehog.
Of all things, Shadow's eyes were also blue, unnecessarily bringing Tails' eyes to mind. Those two eyes, holding the deep blue sky, stared directly at Villain.
"Then, Sonic, I can call you by your name now, right?"
"...You already did."
"Oh, right. You're giving me permission anyway, yeah?"
"You really are an odd one."
Villain trudged back to the bed, looking exhausted. In the meantime, Shadow straightened his collar. I thought he'd like it if I used his name... If I knew he was going to grab me by the collar, I would've just kept my mouth shut.
"Oh right, I have a question."
"...Speak."
"What were you doing before I got here? You were passed out on the floor."
Villain silently averted his gaze toward the cupboard. Shadow walked over and opened the door in his stead.
"Candy, snacks... and some gummies?"
"They're probably expired anyway."
"Then why were you looking for them? Don't tell me you were going to eat them?"
"Beats dying right this second."
True. The current Villain looked like he had starved for days. Of course, he must have tried to ingest something, but in that state, it was highly doubtful whether any food actually made it down.
Even Shadow knew the basic fact that a patient needs to eat well to recover. The assumption that this rule wouldn't apply to an artificial life form like himself had long since been shattered by the blue hedgehog of the future.
Back then, Villain had quietly watched from afar as Shadow was surrounded by mechanics, only approaching once everyone had cleared out. Toward the black hedgehog happily wagging his tail at him, Villain hadn't taken any technical measures; he had simply handed over a takeout bag from a nearby store.
Shadow had asked what it was. Villain hadn't answered. Shadow had popped the lid off the container and put the unidentified food into his mouth. It was warm, soft, and delicious.
Even so, he couldn't help but point out the facts to him. He was truly grateful for the thought, but there was no need to do this. Unlike ordinary life forms, something like this had no effect on his recovery.
Villain had scoffed at those words. Shadow initially thought it was an expression of annoyance, only to realize later that it was a smirk born from anticipating exactly what would happen next.
Sure enough, the food Villain gave him didn't have much of an impact on his actual recovery. However, incredibly strangely, the thought of that food refused to leave his mind all day. Even though the act of eating wasn't strictly necessary at the moment.
In the end, Shadow raised the white flag and begged Villain. Okay, I think I need it. It's not useless. So, could you please bring it to me just one more time?
As if he had seen it coming, Villain immediately placed another shopping bag on the table and said, "It's not 'that,' it's called 'porridge.'"
Right, porridge! With that, Villain would be able to get his strength back. Just like I did back then. Shadow immediately got ready to head out. Villain, still lying on the bed, asked.
"Where are you going?"
"Going out to buy some porridge!"
"...Why porridge? More importantly, there isn't a place that sells porridge around here."
Shadow despaired, smacking his forehead hard. No wonder. That shop near the Association was way too clean. It must have been brand new. It doesn't exist yet!
Furthermore, Sonic's standard of "around here" covered a pretty massive radius. If there wasn't one even within that range... Anticipating a serious hurdle, Shadow slumped his shoulders.
"Forget the porridge. If you're really heading out, grab me a chili dog."
"A chili dog...? That thing you love?"
For a second, the thought 'Is a patient supposed to eat something like that?' crossed Shadow's mind, but figuring Villain probably knew what he was doing, he simply nodded. And a short while later, Shadow had two chili dogs in his hands.
Villain pushed himself up from the bed and spoke.
"You're back quite fast. Can you move at high speeds, too?"
"Still nowhere near as fast as you. Anyway, let's eat!"
The chili dog Shadow handed over visibly lacked any heavily seasoned sauce. Is this his way of being considerate? Even as he suspected it might be poisoned, for some reason, the hand holding the chili dog moved toward his mouth without the slightest hesitation.
It's all because of those damn eyes. Pointlessly making me think of Tails.
Unlike Villain's complicated mind, Shadow was perfectly nonchalant. Shadow took a huge bite out of his chili dog.
"Mmm, so this is what it tastes like."
"...You're eating too?"
"Why? I just wanted to try the food Sonic loves so much."
"No, it's just that I didn't think a Grim Reaper needed to eat."
Choking instantly, Shadow coughed and thumped his chest a couple of times. Then, he whipped his head toward Villain, eyes watering.
"I keep telling you, I'm an angel!"
"Angel, my ass."
With that, Villain lightly crumpled his empty wrapper and tossed it into the trash can. Startled that his chili dog was already completely gone, Shadow kept glancing back and forth between Villain and the trash can.
Villain walked past Shadow and slowly approached the window.
"Finish eating and get out of here, kid. I think I've entertained you enough."
"Wait, kid?! I'm... Oh, wait, am I?"
"For an angel, you don't seem to have lived that long."
Villain offered a faint smile as he gazed out at the setting sun through the window.
"If you're really an angel, shouldn't you be heading back to heaven or wherever it is you came from? Don't tell me you plan to crash here indefinitely."
"Hmm~~ I dunno? If that's what you want, I could totally do that for you."
"...You cheeky little brat."
"I'll take that as a compliment!"
Leaving Villain's piercing glare behind, Shadow hastily stuffed the rest of the chili dog into his mouth and stood up. He was already starting to miss his "Sonic" anyway. Why were these blue hedgehogs always so ridiculously perceptive?
But I guess that's part of Sonic's charm.
Shadow opened the door to the workshop. The sun had already set completely, and the crisp night air brushed against his cheeks. From behind, he could feel a gaze rushing him to leave.
He took a step outside. At the exact same moment, Shadow vanished from Villain's sight.
"...See you around, angel."
Villain stood in the spot where Shadow had disappeared, taking the cold wind head-on as he sniffled.
"I'll manage to stay alive until then."
The hedgehog gave a violent shiver. Maybe I should make some hot cocoa for the first time in a while. I wonder if the cocoa powder has all clumped up by now, he thought, pulling the workshop door shut.