Nine

Chapter One

"Sonic, I need to speak to you in private."

Blinking, he frowned and sat up. "How come?" Then, "Is the prism okay?"

The setting sun clearly shone on the black hedgehog's stoic face. "There could be other reasons I need to talk to you about."

Right. Wrinkling his mouth, Sonic stood up, brushing the sand off his body as the waves lapped at his kicks. "There's not much."

Crossing his arms, Shadow said gruffly, "Follow me."

Hesitating for a second, Sonic shook his head and trotted after him. What could he need me for? The only times we ever talk to each other is when something breaks, is broken, or I got into yet another mischief he's going to yell at me about. "I didn't do anything."

"I never said you did," Shadow deadpanned, striding onward towards the mountain. His bracelets flashed menacingly in the light.

"And I have had no participation if something broke," he added quickly, his feet kicking up plumes of sand that fell gracefully back to the floor.

"Nothing broke. Yet," the black hedgehog said, flexing his fingers before relaxing.

"I don't know anything about it," he was quick to say, his nerves running on edge like always around Shadow.

He grunted. "That's why I'm going to be telling you about it." And in a flash, he raced away, becoming just a black smudge. With a tilt of his head, Sonic took off only a second behind.

"I don't understand," he started when he caught up. The wind brushed through his face, trying to steal his words, and filling him up with an excitement he always thrilled at while the world blurred by. He gasped. "Unless you did something—"

"I didn't!" Shadow hissed, glaring over his shoulder. His red eyes burnt into Sonic, reminding him of the time in the shatter space when he had first seen Shadow there. For a second, the same energy of hate and distrust clouded them before it was gone. "Technically, you broke them in the first place."

He felt his heart stop. "What happened to the shards," he demanded, his fingernails digging into his palm.

Shadow sighed. "So I lied. Yeah, it's about the shards."

"But what happened to them?!" he half shouted, his blood running cold. "I can't save multiple worlds again! I can't go off, forced to save any other friends that might appear! Did the Chaos Counsel get to them? Did Eggman? Did they break again? I thought you chaos controlled them to a safer spot?" he asked. The mountain came into view from around the trees, and it made his stomach churn.

A laughter rang through the air, their slick smiles goading Sonic to go on, to use his power up. From up high in the testing chamber, he smiled right back at them, even as his legs shook and his brain slowly tried to straighten out. "I could do this all day!" Sonic shuddered.

Shadow grunted, snapping him back into reality. "None of that happend. But I'm telling it to you now, in case something does."

"Oh, thank goodness," he breathed out, sagging from relief as much as his speed would allow. "You made me worried there, Shadz."

Finally, he crashed out of the trees, speeding into the plains that lay just before the mountain, still following Shadow's lead. The jagged edges combined with the smooth slopes would be one that he would never forget.

"Oh, we still need to worry about this," Shadow said dryly, taking the first step up the large piece of stone. Tightening his mouth, Sonic ran up, heading straight for the gaping hole that yawned near the top.