Project: Hedgehog

Chapter 14

Running down the hallways hand in hand, the two red-faced hedgehogs navigated their way to a airlock doorway, Chaos Emeralds in Shadow's free hand. Reaching a nearby airlock room, the two stopped and stood side by side. Shadow placed down the case and grabbed the Chaos Emeralds in his hands. He looked at Sonic, admiring his emerald green eyes for a moment, memories of waiting for Sonic to first wake up flashed through his mind. He blinked and spoke.

"I'm not sure how we're going to do this... and I'm not sure if we can do this... but we're going to try... for Henderson and for humanity..." Sonic stared at Shadow for a moment and nodded, his heart racing as he stood next to the ebony hedgehog, not only from nervousness from what they were about to do, but something else... something... unfamiliar...

Then, Sonic remembered something from long ago. When Emerson was as normal as he could be. The time he read a word he didn't understand in a book.

*  *  *

"I believe it's said as 'love'...?"

"Yes... that word is not one that you are meant to know."

"But why not?"

"Because you will never experience love. You have not been permitted to. Same as Shadow,"

"But we can feel other things. Why aren't we allowed to love?"

*  *  *

"It's just not something that we thought should happen..."

Sonic held his breath. Was this what love was. His heart calmed and he smiled at Shadow, taking the ebony hedgehog's hand in his own and gave said hedgehog a peck on his tan cheek. The older hedgehog's face was red as Sonic pulled back and the azure one giggled a bit in amusement. Shadow softly smiled.

"I don't know what that was, but I appreciate it..." he murmured. Sonic blinked at him.

"It's just something I learned. I believe it's said as 'love'?" Sonic gave him a cheeky smile. Shadow sighed before he became serious again, letting their moment pass, but not forgetting it.

"We need to do this now... and fast..." Sonic nodded, his face hardening in seriousness as well. Both hedgehogs closed their eyes, somewhat out of instinct. The Emeralds began to glow in Shadow's hand before they levitated in a circle around them. the two opened their eyes and their mouths opened in awe at what they were seeing. They soon seemed to be absorbed into the two, and they themselves levitated. Sonic's quills lifted upwards and his fur turned into a golden yellow, his eyes becoming a ruby red color, much like Shadow's eyes. Shadow's fur became a pale yellow, almost white, while his eyes and stripes remained their normal ruby color.

They landed once again and looked at each other, shock and awe in their eyes. Shadow smiled at Sonic as he gazed at him.

"You're still beautiful... and you seem to have my eye color, it suits you..." Sonic smiled at him and Shadow held his hand out, a smirk on his face. "Now, let's go and kick this doctor's ass." Sonic laughed and took the ebony hedgehog's hand.