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nichenarratives · 3 months

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Hurricane Heller 24

A Niche Narratives Fanfiction

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Aleichem Shalom (Part 2)

Rain continues to pour, soaking those unfortunate enough to be traversing the cobbled streets of New York City that fateful spring night. Gentlemen keep a hand on their hats, while young ladies struggle with umbrellas often turned inside-out by sudden gales that sweep through narrow streets, though they all march with their heads low, eyes to the streets and shoulders hunched against the chill. Following the curves of the street to navigate their way home in the onslaught of a frosty April shower, none look up to the inky darkness of a cloud-soaked sky to note a strange cloud formation cresting a crescent moon.

Where thick cover had so recently disguised a thin sliver of light, the celestial body now peeks through strings of thin clouds that settle across its surface. To the skeptics, it remains a delicate dance of deep gray tendrils cast across a natural satellite, worthy of a photograph for those blessed enough to own a camera. However, others would skim the outline and notice a distinct shape of a skull etched into the sky, then pray to their respective Gods for ill fortunes to pass them by, bless themselves and move on.

Within the ambivalent formation, orbital sockets set within the skull visage watch not all those mortals scampering below, but specifically events involving Mordecai Heller, in the alley behind his converted townhouse apartment.

The rainfall here is incessant and heavy, dissuading either tom from casting their gazes up as it clatters off of neighbouring roofs and sloshes down gutters in torrents. Even while manhandled into an alleyway towards certain death, Mordecai is grateful for the hat keeping the rain from pounding directly onto his head that night. The splattering of water on cobbles and synchronous clicks of two pairs of loafers aside, the hat allows him to think clearly as he's still urged forwards, dragged by a bicep from the road.

Water collects in sunken pavements and the tuxedo is forced to step in precisely three puddles, instantly soaking his sock through holes in the sole of a shoe he'd booked to be cobbled in two days. Mordecai hasn't time to lament the unfortunate event however, as Gabriel leads him into the relative darkness of the back alley with a firm grip on his bicep. Pulled from the warming light of street lamps, in murky city depths mostly devoid of life and illuminated solely by waning moonlight, the tuxedo shivers from a sudden influx of dread that, thankfully, may be easily misconstrued as a chill.

Planning an escape in the trunk of a car had been far less daunting than facing death. Mordecai can scarcely breathe by the time the persian tells him to stop, the claws in his arm retracting almost as soon as he does so. He shivers in place, ears folded flat to his head and shoulders hunched against the rain, not daring to move as he hears Gabriel begin to go through pockets behind him. The motions are almost drowned by the rhythmic hammering of thick water droplets on the brim of his hat.

Hands deep in his own pockets, the tuxedo traces his thumb against the short blade pressed into his right palm. Mordecai dares a glance over a shoulder at his executioner as Gabriel extracts a new packet of cigarettes and a lighter from an inside breast pocket. The man looks agitated, movements swift and jerky rather than his usually smooth motions, lips pressed into a fine line beneath a broad brim that ensures a smoke teased from the pack remains dry enough to light.

Gabriel doesn't even glance at his charge before taking a deep drag on the gasper, holding it for a long moment before exhaling sharply into the frigid night air. Hot breath condenses with smoke to make a voluminous gray cloud that dissipates into pouring rain almost instantaneously. Only then do haunted yellow eyes edged with deep lines meet olive for a seemingly endless second of eye contact, before the cleaner shakes his head and looks down to take another drag of nicotine, leaving the now smoldering stick between thin lips as he offers Mordecai one from the packet.

“I don't smoke,” Mordecai asserts in a tone almost entirely lost to heavy rainfall. A shudder of light fills the air as lightning strikes nearby, recategorizing the incessant rain to a fully fledged storm, a deafening clap of thunder seconds later desecrating otherwise intense white noise created by the rainfall. His calm words directly contradict how nervous he feels, an emotion that has his soaking tail tip flick from side to side, but he deflects his lingering internal discomfort with a sharp tongue.“It's a disgusting habit I refuse to indulge. If you have any sense, you’d abandon it.”

The persian takes his critical analysis on the chin, a smile curling the edges of his lips as he straightens up and slips the cigarette carton back into his coat pocket, yellow irises gleaming again. “That's what I always liked about you, Kosher.” Gabriel tucks a hand into his pocket and pauses to breathe another lungful of nicotine and tar, expelling this one with no finesse. “Stubborn as a mule, even to the last, so I'll give you until I finish my ciggie instead, for old time’s sake. Sound good?”

Mordecai doesn't respond, brows furrowing deeply with the insinuation there was something here to be appreciated. If Gabriel is offended, he hides it well, a puff of smoke and a tooth grin still on his muzzle. “It would be polite to turn around and face me though,” he says with emphasis, waiting expectantly for the tuxedo to comply before his lips stretch into a smile. “There we go! Ain't that nicer?” Olive eyes flicker to the smoldering stick between thin lips to gauge how much if it is left and Gabriel tuts. “The more we talk, the slower it'll burn, so let's catch up, hm?”

“Catch up?” The torturer mimics incredulously, scowl becoming confused. The only time they cross paths is when he hands off a target to torture, or Mordecai forces himself to attend a Christmas function. “What precisely could there be to ‘catch up’ with?”

The persian looks offended by the question, almost hurt even as his shoulders sag a little. “I thought you were clever,” he comments, then there's a pause as Gabriel sucks on his cigarette with pronounced eye contact. He exhales when he next speaks, though his tone has lost much of its playful warmth. “I read your file, once the boss marked you for death. You got real lucky climbing the ladder, didn't you? Two different bosses who skimmed profits, both ripe for removal just as you could step up into their shoes? Astounding timing.”

When Mordecai’s only response is a tired glare and a flicked ear, Gabriel pointedly moves the cigarette towards his lips, brow raised. The tuxedo doesn't need to be shown the convenience of answering his questions twice. “I was surprised it went unnoticed,” Mordecai responds just before the cigarette reaches pale lips. When Gabriel subsequently lowers it without inhaling, Mordecai elaborates briefly, stalling for more time. “Jimbo was a mshugener; cruel but shortsighted, making him easy to outwit. Fiores was just unfortunate enough to be in the way-”

“I don't get it, Kosher,” Gabriel interrupts, dull yellow eyes meeting olive greens, though the sharp edge that's been present since Mordecai was ambushed has faded. “You were an underboss, an interrogator, compensated well for both, and you were the first Jew to make it into Savage’s circle, yet you threw it all away for money you didn't even spend?” The persian shakes his head and habitually takes a drag on his cigarette, exhaling heavily afterwards. “Why throw it all away for money stuffed into your walls?”

The tuxedo weighs his options briefly; the truth will put his family in danger, yet lies embedded in truth are far easier to maintain than outright fallacy. With that in mind, he picks and chooses what to share. “I have been embezzling for years,” he admits quietly, seeing the slight surprise on the persian’s muzzle. Their auditor had focused solely on his recent, more obvious money siphoning and overlooked the small amounts he'd taken prior. “I've been scraping profits since I took Jimbo’s job.”

“Been in it for the long haul,” Gabriel acknowledges with a soft whistle. Jimbo was murdered eight years prior. It was the first time he's heard of Elijah Katz back then, or the ‘Little Bookie’ as Fiores called him. No one paid attention to the minor shake up until Fiores also died at Katz’s hand, and even then he'd been the victim, not the mastermind. Now that - plus his swift rectification of Fiores’ poor bookkeeping - put the boy on the Don’s radar, which in turn brought him into Gabriel’s radius. “They told me, when I took you on, that you were clever. But you outdid yourself even by their expectations. Until you got greedy-”

“I didn't get greedy,” Mordecai shoots back, his ears folded back and tail whipping irritably behind him in the rain. “Expenses were piling up, my savings were dwindling and I was running out of time to-” He cuts himself off before he says specifics, very aware that Gabriel raises a brow in question. He swallows hard as his gaze closes focus, tone losing intensity. “I’ve people relying on me. With no additional branches of income and fees mounting, I had no choice.”

It's Gabriel’s turn to soften his gaze, his own ears folding back. “You could've asked for help.”

He snorts harshly, an odd sound from a usually stoic feline that has Gabriel scrunching his nose. “From who?” Mordecai motions around the alley in overt exasperation. “Mr Savage? Jameson? You?” He asks incredulously, baring his fangs as he bears the inane question the Persian gainfully ignored. “I wasn't going to get indebted to the mob, Gabriel. I'd end up taking loans every month, paying back more than I made from the deal. I'd end up working just to pay my debts until-”

“I didn't mean borrowing from the mob,” the cleaner interrupts, cutting Mordecai off sharply, though there is little malice in his tone. If anything, he looks tired again, as he had done back at the factory. The lines of his mouth sag with sorrow while Gabriel drags his hand down his face with a sigh. “I would've lent it to you,” he says gently. Mordecai isn't sure he heard him right as his voice is swallowed by rainfall. He has to ask him to repeat himself and Gabriel does in frustrated tones. “I figured we were friends, Kosher. I would've lent it to you, interest free, as a favour.”

Friendship isn't a concept Mordecai is familiar with; he'd been friendly with Natalya only to discover their parents conspired the entire affair. Though he'd not been sociable before, the tuxedo tom had decided friends were too much hassle after breaking their friendship off and had focused solely on his career and his family since. It hasn't occurred to him that a friendship could spawn one-sided, leaving him both perplexed and surprised.

“I knew we'd be a good team from the day we met,” Gabriel reminisces. “You weren't the usual kind of thug I get thrown, the type who takes pleasure in inflicting pain. They chop an’ mangle long after they get what they want from a mark but not you, Kosher. You’re methodical, calculating, precise, causing just enough pain to make ‘em squeal, then hand them off to me. You were a damn artist from day one and I knew right then I wanted to know you better.”

He pauses to take the last toke of his cigarette, then tosses it to the ground and stubs it out with his heel. Gabriel then reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a very familiar gun, the one Mordecai purchased for self protection when he took Fiores’ job. The tuxedo shrinks back a step as Gabriel checks the chamber and hums softly. Two shots, Mordecai recalls as the chamber is closed and the pistol raised between his eyes, just a foot away from touching his flesh.

“I didn't want it to end like this,” Gabriel laments on the other end of the barrel. The dark and the barrel shield his face, but he sounds regretful as he pulls back the firing pin with a definitive click. “Even back in the factory, if you just said where the money is, it could've been different. Instead, you made us drag you all the way back to the city. All for your Ma. It's sentiments like that have got you here, kid.”

Mordecai doesn't have a plan; his assailant is too far back to attempt an attack with the little blade inside his pocket. Gabriel has him at gunpoint within range to cause immediately deadly damage. Olive eyes go wide as pupils constrict, heart racing and chest tight with sudden anxiety that regardless of all his plans and contingencies, there's no way out this time.

A pale finger flexes on the trigger. Mordecai flinches and squeezes his eyes shut, a cry of fear on his lips as he turns slightly away from the gun barrel. Time seems to slow and a millisecond becomes sluggish, stretching into eternity until a sudden pop has his ears to ring. Stiff muscles jerking in anticipation of impact, the tuxedo gasps and prepares himself for the inevitable.

He waits for the pain, or for nothingness to take him, to suddenly forget he exists like the morphine had robbed him of consciousness. Mordecai silently prays that it will be swift as his chest heaves and his heart thumps in his jugular, body shaking with an unsuppressed fear he's not permitted to show until his last second on earth… a second that becomes two, then three. White brows pull into a frown as three becomes five and he finally feels something, but not what he expects.

Olive eyes snap open as dry lips press to white, his breath finally caught but heart still hammering in his neck as Gabriel leans closer, yellow eyes closed as a hand comes to cup the tuxedo’s jaw and tilts his head up to deepen the kiss, a deep purr rumbling in the persian’s chest. Mordecai can only stare, his lips still with shock against moving whites, his body rigid and ears turned aside in confusion, wondering for a brief moment if he’d actually died and gone to hell.

Then his fingers brush the knife in his pocket and it drags him far more firmly back to reality. Gabriel had shot a bullet wide to fake his execution then stepped close to kiss him, either oblivious or uncaring of the danger he's put himself in while doing so. Now fully conscious and aware again, Mordecai isn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Ripping the knife from his pocket, Mordecai plunges it into Gabriel’s neck hard enough to snap the flimsy blade clean off the handle.

Gabriel jerks violently as pain explodes in his neck, hand leaving Mordecai's chin to shakily grope at the wound in his throat, feeling the jagged blade left deep within soft tissues before pressing splayed fingers either side of the wound, applying pressure. He tries to scream in agony but gurgles a bubbling wave of fresh blood onto white lips instead, a stream that stains his teeth and soaks his chin in a terrifyingly dark crimson beneath lunar light, yellow eyes tinged with betrayal meeting fearful olives.

Mordecai steps backward, lips tingling with residual heat and breathing hard as he watches his victim’s reaction in real time, time suddenly speeding back up as Gabriel gurgles and spits blood. When their eyes meet, honey and olive both glimmer in the low light, white fur of opportunity dyed crimson as the skull visage looks on in disdain.

The blade handle drops from a shaking hand to the alley cobbles with a clatter that echoes ethereally in heavy rainfall, somehow exceptionally loud in the darkness. Tuxedo stares at bloodied persian for a fleeting moment, a shared silence in the shadow of betrayal. On the precipice of his own mortality just seconds before, Mordecai still shudders, frozen with the fear of taking another's life on a whim, unseeing while his head thumps with his own pulse.

Gabriel struggles to level the gun with his chest with his upper body slumped forward, his own world off kilter from the shock and pain, unable to raise his arm to aim when it feels learn at his side. Mordecai just stands there, lost in his own terror until by some unfathomable fortune light flicks a nearby apartment and startles him to his senses. He sees Gabriel take aim, hears his pseudonym called from the end of the alley, smells the fresh blood flowing from his former friend’s maw mixing with the heavy scent of midnight rain, turning puddles red in the moonlight.

Adrenaline finally turning freeze into flight, Mordecai turns tail. Hat fluttering off his head, he sprints for the train station without looking back to see his fedora flutter into a puddle, white felt turning bright crimson as it soaks up the bloodied water.

#niche narratives #hurricane heller #no beta we die like atlas may #lackadaisy #mordecai heller #lackadaisy cats #tracy j butler #fanfiction #lackadaisy mordecai #fanfic #pre canon #told you i wasn't dead

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tales-of-green-hill · 2 days

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Shadow Arc

[PREVIOUS]

[FIRST]

[MASTER POST]

Once Starline goes on hiatus, he uses the time to go to Gerald Robotnik's laboratory. Starline had already studied up on Gerald Robotnik through Emerl's backed up memory files. Starline is searching for a secretive endeavor for an immortal being, putting a high concentration of Chaos Energy into a man-made human, a homunculus, Project Shadow.

Starline had researched for several years prior, and he found Gerald's old laboratory that was used after the raid on the ARK, but prior to Gerald Robotnik's execution. It has since been abandoned with Shadow inside, the lab's design keeping Shadow hidden from anyone without the proper information.

Starline drove to the coordinates listed, and when reaching the facility, he searched the facility, following the map that Emerl has in his data. Finally reaching the room with Shadow, Starline looks around for files on Project Shadow, getting a more vivid idea of Shadow, his capabilities, weaknesses, and character.

The notes shown a few things, such as Shadow's inhibitor rings, which had 3 main purposes: keeping Shadow's Chaos Energy in check, as he can be dangerous to himself and others; It can keep Shadow from getting close to the wearer of a separate ring if they subconsciously want him to stay away, which was useful to keep Shadow from playing too rough with Gerald's granddaughter, Maria Robotnik; and finally, they have a kind of magnetic force, but due to it being different to normal magnets, they don't attract the same materials, but it can be used for locking down Shadow for certain tests, so he doesn't squirm.

Starline searched for the ring that Maria had once worn, the one that protected her from Shadow. He eventually found it and equipped it. He turned to Shadow's stasis pod, and awoke him from it, now feeling safe because Starline knows he's untouchable due to the ring.

As Shadow wakes, he looks at Starline, his eyes narrowing. Shadow would hesitantly ask Starline who he was, and Starline would introduce himself as a doctor, which made Shadow visibly uncomfortable and tense. Shadow asks about the Doctor, Gerald Robotnik, which Starline states he has been executed, which seemed to bring Shadow a sense of ease. Starline then began his monologue about how Shadow will help him in his efforts against Sonic, which is what he emphasizes on.

Shadow asks what would happen if he doesn't agree, in response, Starline shows his hand and the gold ring Maria had used to wear on it, saying that Shadow shouldn't decline this offer. Shadow takes a few steps forward, looking at the ring, before sighing and agreeing to ally with Starline, referring to him exclusively as doctor throughout their exchange.

Starline escorts Shadow out of the laboratory, and Shadow was surprised to see how many rooms he has never been in. Once the two exit the lab, Shadow is surprised to see how nice it looks outside and takes time to appreciate the nice breeze as Starline tells Shadow to get in the car. Shadow enters the passenger side after seeing Starline enter the driver's side, and the two head off to Green Hill, and during the long car ride, Starline talks about what Shadow will be dealing with.

Shadow will be passing off as Starline's foster child, will be enrolling in Green Hill Highschool, and is not allowed to talk about his past to anybody else. Shadow shouldn't try to get any attention, so he doesn't draw suspicion. Then Starline gives more miscellaneous information, mostly about the school and how the world has changed since the 50's.

Once Starline and Shadow arrive at Starline's house in Green Hill, Starline shows him around and assigns him the guest bedroom. After that, Starline calls Rouge and asks her to come over so she can meet Shadow. After a while, Rouge arrives, and Starline introduces the two, and gives quick introductions to one another before departing. The two continue conversing, Shadow seeming more open around Rouge. Rouge tried to tell Shadow about anything Starline missed, and even taught him how to use a cell phone. Rouge also decided to take Shadow shopping for some clothes that suit his style. Starline gave permission and they went ahead, and Rouge helped Shadow to pick a cool outfit she thought suited him. Rouge also taught Shadow about the social side of high school, so he'd better fit in. The two go back to Starline's house, and Rouge leaves.

While the two were out, Starline made plans to enroll Shadow in school. Starline knew it would be an easier process in Green Hill as opposed to most places due to the fact Starline was a teacher and the fact Green Hill has a lot of students without parents or guardians, and the school lets all children in so they can get proper education. So, Shadow and Starline go to enroll Shadow in the school, and Shadow is told he will start the following Monday.

With Sonic and Co. celebrated defeating Emerl, but Tails reminds everyone that Starline could come back, and Sonic dismissed the worry, asking why he'd risk coming back and starting Starline is a coward who ran away. Tails seems to reluctantly accept that, but he still wants to prepare for the worst.

Knuckles begins to educate Sonic about the Chaos Emeralds further, because if Starline did come back, he would likely be after them, knowing Starline was already in possession of one. Sonic didn't see the point until Knuckles explains how Chaos Energy and Gateway Rings are connected, saying that if powdered by enough Chaos Energy, a Gateway Ring can open a portal to a mirror world, and how that caused the battle between Tikal and Chao, due to Chaos being a monster of the other world. Sonic starts to grasp the gravity of the situation and tells Knuckles that they need to find the Chaos Emeralds before Starline does. With proper discipline, the Master Emerald can sense the location of the Chaos Emeralds it's linked to. Sonic agrees to that being the best option and asks Knuckles to help him figure out how to do that.

During this brief time, the school announced the date of an upcoming school event, the Spring Fling, which occurs the Friday before the week before spring break. They announce that they will be setting up volunteer opportunities concerning the dance, and how it will be organized by students.

One of the students who helps organize it is Amy, since she eagerly volunteered. This would pack Amy's schedule further, so she has less time to train.

On the Monday that Shadow got enrolled, Starline asked Amy to show Shadow around, which is partially a ploy with the end goal of getting Shadow close to Sonic, using Amy. Amy happily agreed and showed Shadow to his classes and around the school, mentioning how nice the school was and how there were a lot of good opportunities. Shadow enjoyed Amy's enthusiasm, reminding him about how excited Maria would get when talking about Earth. Eventually, Amy and Shadow would run into Sonic, and Amy would introduce the two. Sonic would quickly warm up to him, trying to be friendly to him, until Amy mentioned Starline, and that would make Sonic tense up. Sonic said it was nice to meet Shadow, but insisted he needed to leave.

Sonic would text Tails about Shadow, and how Starline is back. Tails would eventually respond, asking if he could ask Amy for any information she could gain from Shadow. After Sonic left, Shadow would ask Amy about him and respond with general stuff. Sonic is nice and caring, super cool, her friend, and he's on the track team. During the conversation, Amy would try to ask minor things about Starline, but Shadow would only vaguely answer.

Later, Sonic would text Amy, and Amy would reply with she hadn't found much yet, except for him asking about Sonic in return. She said if she notices anything of value in the future, she'd notify Sonic.

Sonic's science class was tense for him, as Starline knew Sonic knew about everything. Starline wasn't going to hide his passive aggressive side from Sonic, but he'd do it just subtly enough, so other students didn't pick up on it.

After school, Sonic went straight home to go see Knuckles. He told him Starline was back, and he brought some teenagers with him. Knuckles is confused about the part with him bringing someone new, and Sonic says his name is Shadow. Knuckles tells Sonic to be cautious, since Shadow could be a potential adversary if he's allied with Starline, and now that Starline is back, everyone needs to be on guard.

The following day, Starline would tell Shadow that he needs to be perceived as a threat by Sonic. Starline is used to Emerl's methods, so he tries to push them onto Shadow, which grows resentment towards Starline, as Shadow hates being treated like a tool or weapon.

In the afternoon, Starline stayed after school to catch up on grading and had Shadow stay until track practice had concluded. Once it was over, Starline tells Shadow that Sonic should be packing up to go home. Shadow nodded and grabbed a green emerald that's smaller than the Master Emerald, and put it in his pocket, before walking out of Starline's classroom.

Sonic gets everything together, and makes his way home, cautious due to Starline's reappearance. As he gets to a place not visible to the school, he gets an eerie feeling of being watched. He stops for a moment, and turns to look behind himself, and while he's turned, he gets a strong punch to the face from his new blind spot, sending himself to the ground. As Sonic looks back in front of himself, he sees Shadow standing there, seemingly having appeared out of thin air. Sonic tried to regain his bearings, shouting at Shadow, asking what the hell that was for. Shadow couldn't answer, having just been put in this situation with little real reason besides him having been told to. Sonic took the time to get up and the two would fight, Shadow being physically stronger but Sonic being more experienced. Sonic would ask Shadow if Starline told him to do this, to which Shadow would respond it's none of his business, which Sonic took as a yes. Sonic would pull the Master Emerald out of his bag and transform into his super form. Shadow would be stunned for a moment, but then his focus would be set on grabbing the Master Emerald, which he would end up doing, and then he would turn into his own Super form, which would completely shock Sonic. Shadow would use the form to intimidate Sonic, but Sonic would notice how Shadow's arrogance left himself more vulnerable to attacks, which allowed Sonic to win the fight, grabbing the Master Emerald and fleeing. Shadow wouldn't even chase, he'd just let Sonic go, and then return to Starline. Shadow would be nervous about telling Starline about how he didn't even understand the objective, but Starline would dismiss it, saying that just letting Sonic know Shadow is strong was enough.

Once Sonic got home, he would go to Knuckles, who would be shocked at his battered state, and ask what had happened, tending to Sonic's injuries, despite most being just scrapes. Sonic would explain that Shadow fought him, and Shadow was able to go Super as well. Knuckles was surprised to learn of this information, but Sonic continued without giving Knuckles a chance to reply, saying that Shadow seemed to have appeared out of thin air right before their fight. Knuckles asked if Sonic was sure, and Sonic said that he was pretty sure. Knuckles asked if he was in super, and Sonic looked confused, replying with no. Knuckles stopped for a moment, and told Sonic that this could be more dangerous than he thought. Sonic wearily asked what Knuckles meant, and Knuckles said that it sounded like the power of the green Chaos Emerald was at play, time stopping which could be used as teleportation. Sonic asked if Shadow being in possession of the emerald is what was concerning, and Knuckles said that wasn’t the main concern. The real troubling part was that Shadow could do it without being in super. Sonic asked why, and Knuckles told Sonic that the reason Sonic can go super is due to Sonic’s ability to naturally control Chaos Energy, and how it was a rare thing to be able to do, hence why Knuckles can’t go super. Sonic asked where he was going with this, and Knuckles further explained that humans don’t have their own Chaos Energy inside them, they get it through external means, such as the Emeralds. The Master Emerald is the only emerald that can singlehandedly allow someone to go super, due to its high concentration of energy. With the Chaos Emeralds, they don’t have enough energy on their own to power someone to super, nor do they have enough energy to reach their full potential. Unlocking their full potential allows for one power up depending on the emerald. Sonic takes a while to process the information, before asking if Knuckles is saying Shadow must have either his own source of Chaos Energy, or if Shadow isn’t human. Knuckles said that either could be true, and only time would tell, but it’s imperative that they get the Chaos Emeralds before Starline does, especially now that Shadow is in the picture. Knuckles emphasizes that Starline and Shadow opening a gateway to the other world can lead to catastrophe, one which was told in stories passed by generations, a fable of an eternal night.

Over the course of weeks, several things occurred.

Amy slowly befriends Shadow, he's pretty closed off and cautious, but Amy breaks through his barriers with the power of friendship. She's extremely sweet and bossy, reminding Shadow of Maria.

Sonic and Shadow get into more fights, which ends up drawing the two oddly close, Shadow eventually looks forward to fighting Sonic, being fond of the adrenaline rush and outlet to let off steam he provides. Shadow and Sonic develop a friendly rivalry, Sonic constantly cracking jokes and having fun banter while Shadow pretends to hate it. One thing Sonic makes a note of is that sometimes, when their fighting is more intensive, Shadow’s eyes would sometimes turn a golden color, one that greatly matched the color of the rings he wore.

Amy and other volunteers help set up and plan for the upcoming spring fling.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles racing against Shadow, Starline, and Rouge to get the remaining Chaos Emeralds. Sonic sees that Shadow has a green Chaos Emerald in his possession, which grants him the ability to stop time, giving the illusion of teleportation. Sonic would eventually pick up on this ability and be able to use it too. Each of the seven Chaos Emeralds offers a unique ability to the user. Knuckles is already aware that Starline already owned the white emerald, having noticed it when they had fought against Emerl.

Eventually Espio, who shares a class with Shadow, starts to become curious and suspicious about Shadow due to several factors, including Shadows inhibitor rings, his sudden appearance with Starline, and Shadows constant cycle of minor injuries caused by his fights with Sonic. Espio would consistently ask questions, only receiving vague answers, which would further his curiosity.

With the night of the dance approaching, Amy asks Sonic to go with her, to which he obliges, saying they can go as friends. The insistence on it being platonic dented Amy's confidence, but she was happy to go either way.

But on Friday afternoon, as Sonic was about to get ready, Knuckles told Sonic there was a change of plans. Since Starline is likely going to be attending the dance, since he is a part of the school staff, then it would be a good idea to retrieve the white Chaos Emerald while he's out of his house. Sonic tries to say that he's going to meet Amy, but Knuckles asks what's more important, a dance that'll come around again next year, or the potential fate of everything. When given the choice, Sonic had to choose staying home, and he called Amy, telling her about what Knuckles had said. Amy responded surprisingly well, saying it was fine, and there'll always be dances in the future. Sonic thanked her for understanding, then requested she keep an eye out for Starline and Shadow at the dance. Amy agreed, and said she'd text him, before hanging up, and just holding her face in her hands for a few minutes, trying to gather the courage to go alone.

Amy wanted to go with Sonic, but he's not going. She doesn't want to tell Sticks and Sally that Sonic stood her up. She eventually gathers the courage to go alone and dresses up as pretty as she would be if she went with Sonic.

Amy goes to the school and helps get everything in order, and then mingles with people as the dance starts. After a while, she just stood by the drink and snack table, not feeling up for socializing any more as she stayed glued to her phone. She informed Sonic that she had seen Starline, and then she noticed Shadow sitting on the bleachers. She sends Sonic a text saying Shadow is at the school, and then puts her phone in her bag as she grabs herself a drink from the table, and then one for Shadow, just to be nice. She goes up to him and greets him, offering him one of the sodas she picked up. He was flustered by the gesture, but took it, thanking her. Shadow asked where Sonic was, and Amy said he couldn't show up. Shadow accepts the answer, and the two make further small talk.

Eventually, a slow song would play, one that several people would slow dance to, and Amy would drag Shadow onto the dance floor so they could dance together, since a dance with Shadow is better than no dance at all. During the dance, Amy is pleasantly surprised by how coordinated Shadow is. Once the dance concluded, Amy compliments his form, and Shadow dismissed it, saying he used to dance with a childhood friend. Amy was curious, and asked Shadow about the friend. Shadow reluctantly says that her name was Maria, and she was like an older sister to him.

Amy notices his hesitation when saying that, so she pulls him into the hallway outside the gymnasium so he has more room to breathe, and they can talk more comfortably. Amy asks about how Maria was like, and Shadow says she was kind and bright, book smart, clever, and daring. She was his only friend, and that made Amy's heart melt. Amy asked more questions, which Shadow always seemed hesitant to answer, but oddly comfortable. Eventually, Amy asks what has happened, and after several seconds of silence, Shadow replies with "She was sick." That admission made Amy's heart stop for a moment, and profusely apologized for being so insensitive, but Shadow said it was okay. The two would continue talking for a while, where Amy would see Shadows more vulnerable side as he becomes more comfortable with her. Shadow and Amy would discover they have more in commission than they thought. Eventually, Amy feels her phone vibrate in her bag, and she excuses herself to the bathroom, but before she left, she would tell Shadow that Maria would be proud of him, before going off.

Amy's words stuck with him, as he thought about what she had said. Would Maria be proud? Shadow regretfully thought she wouldn't be, as he's been nothing but a problem to people he's grown to care for, and he's been puppeted by Starline. Shadow's mind racks with thoughts about how all he wants is to be rid of Starline, but with Starline wearing Maria's ring, there's no true way to being free. His mind looks for solutions, and only one is a possibility. Sonic.

Amy goes into the bathroom and checks Sonic's messages, and he sent a silly and blurry selection of selfies about their job well done, they successfully retrieved the white Chaos Emerald from Starline's house, which made Amy smile. Amy congratulated him and said that all was well at school. Sonic is glad to hear that, and Amy sends Sonic a selfie in her dress with a thumbs up, before putting her phone away, and sighing. She hadn't thought about Sonic since she had danced with Shadow, which was a surprising realization to make.

Amy went back to Shadow, who looked lost in thought. She greeted him, and he nodded, and after a while, asked about Sonic. Amy got a bit tense, since she had just talked to Sonic, but what she wasn't expecting was Shadow's questions. If he had a problem, would Sonic help him fix it? Amy said he would, but also insisted that she was also someone Shadow could reach out to. Shadow appreciated the offer. Amy decided not to press it, instead just letting Sonic deal with it in due time.

Amy and Shadow continue to talk until Starline calls Shadow, saying it's time to go. Shadow tells Amy goodbye, and Amy thanks Shadow for making this night feel special. He thanks her in return, saying that she was the one who made everything more interesting, then left. Amy was glad to know that she made him feel happy and went to go help clean up everything before going to Tails house, still all glamoured up. (The houses are walking distance from the school.)

Amy greeted Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, and they all commented on how nice she looked, and Sonic said he was sorry he couldn't attend and gave Amy a hug. Amy said that it's okay, and she had a fun time talking to Shadow. Sonic said he's glad they both had a good time. Tails showed Amy the white Chaos Emerald, which is their sixth. All they need now is the green one. Amy's mind wanders to how Shadow mentioned asking Sonic for help, and Amy wonders if she should tell Sonic. She decides against it since it's not her place. Knuckles asks what Amy was thinking about, and Amy hesitates, before saying it was nothing. Tails says it's late, and Amy might want to start heading home. Sonic offers to walk her home to make up for the time they didn't spend together at the dance. Amy graciously takes up the offer, and the two go off, and Amy talks about how nice the dance was. Sonic asks about Shadow since he has been brought up earlier. Amy thinks for a few moments, wanting to inform Sonic but not wanting to betray Shadow by telling Sonic anything that wasn't his business. Amy eventually decided to just say that Sonic should befriend Shadow in a way outside of fighting. Sonic chuckles, saying sure. The two eventually get to Amy's house, where the two hug each other goodbye, and Sonic apologizes again for standing up Amy. Amy says it's fine and not to worry.

Sonic goes home and then talks to Knuckles and Tails about what they should do with the Emeralds now that they have six of them. Sonic asks if Shadow could keep the green one, and Knuckles insists that it's a bad idea because it's the green one, and that's the one which is the easiest to steal with due to the time stopping ability. Sonic reluctantly agrees, saying that'll be his focus. Tails also brings up a note he stole from Dr. Starline that listed coordinates, which Tails wants to research.

The three continue talking until they all go to sleep, but Sonic finds it hard to fall asleep as Amy's descriptions of Shadow keep replaying in his mind, and he's not sure why.

On Saturday and Sunday, there's not much happening, but the same could not be said for Monday.

On Monday, Shadow would approach Sonic during lunch, asking to talk alone. Sonic obliges and follows, assuming Shadow just wanted to blow off some steam, but he's surprised when Shadow instead asks him for help. Shadow says that the ring Starline wore belonged to his late sister, and it was the only remnant of her he had. Sonic is surprised, but sympathetic as Shadow asks if Sonic can retrieve it for him, since he can't do it himself because of the properties of the ring. Sonic asks how Shadow expects him to get it. Shadow shows Sonic the green Chaos Emerald, telling him to use its ability to steal it. Shadow says it's the only way he can finally be free of Starline. Sonic takes the Emerald and tells Shadow that he'll do it. Shadow looks away and thanks Sonic. The two then walk back to the cafeteria to resume their day.

After school, Sonic goes to his track meet, and after stops by Starline's classroom to see if he's still at school. He is, and Sonic takes the opportunity to steal the ring using the time stopping ability. He successfully gets the ring and texts Shadow, saying he has the ring. Shadow says he's at the bridge by the school, which happens to be along the river Sonic had almost drowned in earlier that year, but at a much shallower part. Sonic says he'll meet him there and goes off to meet him.

Shadow looked down at his reflection in the water, and turned to face Sonic as he heard him approaching. Sonic held up Maria's ring, and Shadow felt a rising feeling of anxiety as Sonic approached, and Shadow felt like he couldn't stay put, and he rushed at Sonic. This startles Sonic, and Shadow knocks the ring out of Sonic's hands, and the ring drops into water below the bridge.

Shadow tried his best to grab it, but he just couldn't reach. This was his last remnant of Maria, his best friend, his sister. She's gone, he lost her again. Shadow's knees buckle, and he falls to the ground, devastated at the loss. It felt like a stab in the gut. Sonic tries to comfort Shadow, but he's met with a hostile shout from, telling Sonic to get away from him, whose voice was strained from his distress. Sonic could see the bright golden glow in Shadow's eyes, a glow he had briefly seen during their fights. Shadow tried to hide his face, but Sonic could tell. Sonic looked down at the water below the bridge, and wished he could retrieve the ring, but just the idea of swimming makes him feel sick. Seeing there wasn't much he could do to alleviate Shadow's grief, he left, knowing Shadow would probably hate to be seen like this.

Sonic went back to Tails' house, feeling awful about what happened. He felt like Shadow didn't deserve being used as a pawn by Starline, and how everything was caused due to Starline's obsession with whatever was happening on the other side of the rings. Sonic had all the Chaos Emeralds, not giving Shadow's back to him yet. As he got back to Tails' house, he used the green Chaos Emerald to stealthily grab all 6 of the remaining Chaos Emeralds from Tails' safekeeping and got the Gateway Ring. He knew what he was going to do, and felt it'd be evil to leave everyone wondering, so he wrote a note, placing it where Tails kept the Emeralds. Sonic took a deep breath, and used the Chaos Emeralds to activate the Gateway Ring, and stepped through.

All of the Emeralds and the ring fell to the ground.

That evening, Shadow walked in the door to Starline's house, and threw down his jacket as he headed to where he heard Starline working. Starline greeted him, not stopping what he was doing, nor turning back to look at Shadow.

"It's gone." Shadows had a soreness to it, still, he talked clearly.

Starline halted his work. "What's gone?" He hesitated.

"Maria's ring."

Starline's eyes darted towards his hand, and sure enough, the ring had disappeared. The pure dread Starline felt in that moment, the feeling of imminent danger, the feeling of the inevitable.

Shadow took his first step forward, causing Starline to spin around to look at Shadow, who looked back with nothing but hate, mumbling threats.

Before Starline could plead for mercy, Shadow lunged at him, but he was quickly met with a kick from Starline, who lodged his heel spurs on the back of his boot into Shadow's leg. Starline muttered something about knowing they'd come in handy, before taking off running, leaving Shadow briefly incapacitated.

As Starline fled his house, he grabbed his phone and car keys. Once he got into his car, he called Rouge, saying that Shadow was dangerous, and he was going to have to leave Green Hill because Shadow was out for blood. Rouge was baffled by the call, as Shadow was never violent to her or Starline before, he was well behaved. She decided to see what was going on, and an hour later, after Shadow should've cooled down, she went to Starline's house, then to Shadow's room. Shadow sat on his bed when he heard the door open, looking at his wall.

Shadow mumbled that Rouge should just leave. Rouge approached anyways, and she just hugged him from behind. She assured him she wouldn't leave him alone. Shadow reluctantly leaned into her, being considerably calmer now. Rouge asks some questions about what happened, and Shadow tells her what happened, and tells Rouge the significance of the ring to him, it being the last thing he has that belonged to Maria, and how he knew he'd never feel free with it in someone else's possession. Rouge promises to get the ring back, and Shadow is speechless at the offer, but eventually says that would be great. She then leaves to let Shadow go to sleep.

Once Rouge closes the door behind her, she thinks about what to do, and she decides to go see Knuckles. As she goes to Tails' house and goes into the backyard just to talk to Knuckles, who initially antagonizes her and tries to fight her, but after she explains what happened, Knuckles remarks that he hasn't seen Sonic since the morning. Rouge paused for a moment before she asked Knuckles for help with finding the ring for Shadow. Knuckles is reluctant, mentioning how she's asking help from an enemy, and explains that she was never loyal to Starline, disliking being a lackey, but she did what she had to. Now Shadow takes priority over her pride. Knuckles told her he'd think about helping her.

#I've got a LOT more solidified now than I did when writing previous arcs!!#I told you I wasn't dead!!#human sonic #sonic au #sonic fanfiction #sonic highschool au #sonic the hedgehog #miles tails prower #tails the fox #knuckles the echidna #Sonic #Chaos: Tales of Green Hill #starline the platypus #dr starline #doctor starline #rouge the bat #story #shadow the hedgehog

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