Soul Eater but it's Sonic

Chapter 22

 Shadow left nurse Tikal's office after completing an uneventful follow-up exam. They were becoming tedious by now. He felt fine, aside from the nightmares. Tikal asked about them, but he wasn't interested in going into too much detail. She told him not to worry, but he did.

They always ended the same. With Sonic dead. Sometimes, he'd cradle his meister in his arms and cry. Other times, he'd gleefully continue ripping him to shreds. It was painful and exhausting to think about. He'd just ignore them until they went away.

Shadow reached the end of the hall, then saw Blaze sitting cross-legged in a chair around the corner. She glared at him right as he came into view. Shadow got the impression she had been waiting for him.

"What did Starline tell you about the Black Arm series?"

The abruptness of her question gave Shadow pause. "That they were powerful weapons that--"

"They were monsters,"

Shadow glared at the princess. "So what?"

"So, the meisters who wielded those weapons end up becoming corrupted. Black Arm weapons don't just destroy their enemies. They destroy everything,"

"I'm not like that,"

"Oh really? What was that ambition of yours Sonic mentioned? To become the ultimate death scythe? Why would a dangerous weapon with no memories have an interest in obtaining ultimate power?"

"I just..."

"Sonic suddenly has a real interest in obtaining more power as well. Is that really such a good idea?"

Blaze glared at Shadow for a few seconds to give her question some time to sink in. After seeing the black hedgehog falter and look away, she left him to stand in the hallway alone. His gut felt tight and heavy. Sonic was waiting for him outside. Shadow hoped that lingering in the hall would save him from having to face his meister. In the end, he walked out to meet him.

"Hey. Starline's setting things up for our training," Sonic said.

"Not interested. Just go without me,"

"He said it's for both of us. Come on,"

Sonic started walking, stopping again after he noticed his weapon was hesitating. Shadow relented and they walked to another building. Their walk ended after reaching a small, dimly lit room.

"Starline should be here in a bit," Sonic said.

Shadow examined the room with arms crossed. He noticed various incense burners and candles forming a half circle opposite the door.

"This room smells,"

"You smell,"

Sonic grinned and searched for some indication that his weapon wasn't as troubled as he suspected. No such luck. Shadow refused to look at him during the few minutes leading up to Starline's arrival.

"Good, you're both here. We can get started right away,"

What Starline hadn't told them was that the incense burning in this room was part of their training as well. It was a substance that would heighten the emotional responses of those who breathed it in. Now that Sonic and Shadow had been in this room for a few minutes, there was now doubt they were under its effects. If the two could maintain their resonance after working through their heightened emotional state, their resonance would reach new heights.

"The exercise is simple. Start by sitting on the ground so you're facing each other,"

Sonic and Shadow did as instructed. Sonic checked his weapon's expression, then saw that he was still avoiding eye contact.