"What do you mean, 'it doesn't matter'?!" Rouge gasps, stunned. "I mean--you said--I thought," she keeps re-starting her sentence over and over, trying to find the words.

"Calm down," I smirk, eying her out of the corner of my vision. She's turned to face me, her right knee brushing the side of my left leg, hands gripping onto the cheap cushion beneath us. "You'll burst a blood vessel or something." Confusion still radiates from her, so I continue, "Finding my family isn't the most important thing anymore," I murmur softly, so low that only she with her bat ears can hear me, "because I know that whoever they are, wherever they are, they've done fine without me for this long, and can manage without me for a bit longer. It isn't important to find them--their identities don't define me." She nods, but still doesn't understand; I don't necessarily need her to get it, though. I just need her to believe it.

"Listen, Shadow," she takes my hand in both of hers, eyes gleaming earnestly in mine. I can see myself reflected in her irises, blue-tinted, as she says, "I don't know why you've had such a change of heart, but I'll stand by you. You know that, right?"

"Of course I do," I answer, trying not to grin too widely, but a small smile still sneaks its way onto my face. "That's why I told you about them in the first place."

She smiles. "Good. I was worried you'd forgotten," the white bat quips, winking. "Alright, I'm gonna let you rest until we land. In case you didn't notice earlier, you've got a window behind you, so feel free to look out of it, but I'm warning you, we're up pretty high." Getting up, she ruffles my hair with her hands. "Get some sleep, handsome, you've earned it."

I brush her off with a smirk. "Yeah, yeah," I snort, watching her walk away. I feel guilty for lying to her, but I know I can't tell her the truth. If I did, what would she think of me? How would she look at me? I've already seen fear glowing in her eyes once today because of me. I don't ever want to see that in her eyes again, not by my doing. Pain spears my heart. I still want to be around her, but what if I can't control myself? I don't know what Robotnik did to me. I don't know if I can keep it contained for much longer, or if I can contain it at all. Turning away, I stare out the window, eyes blurred and lacking focus. I can't risk hurting her or Scourge, but I know I'd miss them if I tried to cut ties to them. But I have to keep myself away from the people I care about, I have to lie and tell people I don't know what's happened to me, and I can't go out and find my family. They'll get hurt--I'll hurt them. I have to close myself off from people, because I'm scared. I'm too afraid of what lurks in my soul.

Burying my head in my hands, I struggle to stifle a sob. No, I can't lose it here. I can't start freaking out now. I can't. I bite my lip until it bleeds, the coppery taste coating my tongue. Shifting position, I fold my legs underneath me, and lift my head to gaze at the world again. The window in front of me is a circular porthole, tinted slightly, with a large enough lip that I could easily rest my head on it, so I do, using my arms as a cushion. After a short while of watching the clouds drifting across the sky below us lazily, I begin to feel drowsy. The metal hull and windowsill feel chilly against my fur, familiar in a world so alien to me. I shut my eyes, brows furrowed. Nothing feels right anymore. I don't know who or what I am now, I muse, opening my eyes a crack to watch the Chaos energy's sparks flicker and dance across my fingertips. My entire life, Robotnik's been suppressing something inside me, but what? The monster? Is that what it was...? Why and how did he imbue me with Chaos energy? And how am I supposed to control it? I did so rather readily during that fight, but that was It, not me...

These thoughts weigh heavily on my mind as the plane speeds along, the landscape beneath one of rolling clouds with the occasional peek of dark blue or deep green between their fluffy whiteness. My eyes slowly shut, and I drift off to sleep as the rumble of the engine drones in the background.

------------------

"Wait up!" I cry, stretching my arm ahead of me. It's so bright here. I can't see anything at all, nothing but my own hands and feet and the green blur rapidly disappearing in front of me.

He doesn't seem to hear me, only calls, "Hurry up, Stripes! Ya gonna miss it!" His voice is cheerful, delighted, but I don't know what he's talking about.

"Scourge, wait!" I stumble, struggling to regain my footing. It's just so bright. The light is closing in, I can hardly see him anymore. "What are we going to miss? What's going on?" Panic spears through me when I realize I can't hear his footsteps anymore. "Scourge? Scourge!" I run faster, trying to catch up to him, but I just end up tripping and then I'm falling, falling, falling falling and I scream and scream but the sound doesn't carry, the light fades to blackness as I keep falling further and further. My back lances with pain, and I'm on fire, everything is fire and I can see the world beneath me growing closer and closer. I howl again, terrified, but nothing comes out--my screeches don't even reach my own ears. It approaches, faster and faster, growing closer and closer and I shriek, bracing for the impact, my heart racing fast enough to burst. In a flash, the world goes black, everything crashing to a halt as suddenly as it began. My heart still pounds, arms trembling, breath ragged gasps, as I slowly ease my eyes open. I see a metal floor, made of steel tiles, pressing against my face with an icy chill. It's streaked with crimson, and as pain arches through my back again I realize the rosy hue is my own blood. "Wh-What--" I cough, fluid bubbling in the back of my throat. I lift an arm, bending my elbow and placing my hand palm-down on the ground, trying to get up; I hack, and deep crimson splatters the ground beneath my muzzle. Agony sears through me but I grit my teeth and ignore it, shoving myself to my feet. What I see around me is not what I expected to see. The room is a dark steel pentagonal prism, splashed and stained with blood on every surface; a few flickering bulbs cast eerie flashes of light across it. I shudder, horrified. What happened here? I see a door off to my left, and I drag my feet over to it, still breathing hard. The corridor too is streaked with crimson, but I try to ignore it as I plod along. The end of this hallway is lit brightly, I can see it, but as I get closer I realize it isn't the end at all, just another section. I pause at its edge, confused. Does this hallway ever end? I try to turn back around, but no matter where I turn, I just face the open, empty, dimly-lit hallway. "What is this?" I whisper aloud, baffled. Turning my head, I glance over my shoulder, only to see a brightly lit hallway. Yet I know I was walking here in darkness--how can this be? Twisting back around, I stare at the bloodstained walls. Handprints, dragged forward, form the streaks on the walls, and I shiver. "What's going on here?" I step forward, into the lit area, and the moment my foot hits the ground all the lights go out. I flinch involuntarily, blinking rapidly to help my eyes adjust, but it doesn't work. All I see is black, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. There's something behind me, I know it, and anxiety flashes through me. Heavy breathing sounds, right next to my ear, hissing one word to me.

"Run."

I'm more than happy to oblige, taking off immediately, irrationally. Behind me, I hear thumping, loud and echoey in this never-ending hallway. I pant and wheeze, struggling to move as fast as I can despite my injuries. My breath rattles, blood pooling in my lungs, and I stagger, coughing and choking, but I have to keep going, I have to run, have to get out of here, have to keep going, keep going, just keep going. Something's breathing down my neck, something's catching up to me but I can't see anything, not even my own two feet though I hear my shoes clacking against the steel, perfectly in time with the thudding behind me. Eventually, however, the darkness in front of me fades to a lighter grey, and I hear the buzz of electrical lights again, but the thumping continues, right behind me, no matter how quickly I run. My heart pounds, twice as fast as my feet, and breathing hurts but I know I can't stop. The end is so close, I can feel it! Ahead of me, a few lights glimmer into view, and hope flickers in my chest as I see movement. Is that Scourge? I wonder. Did I finally catch up to him? What would he be doing here? "Hey!" I call out, ignoring the liquid filling my throat. "Hey! Scourge? Rouge? Somebody?"

A warbling, distorted reply faintly calls, "Shadow?" My ears prick up.

"Rouge!" Forcing myself to move faster, I gasp, "Rouge! I'm coming, hold on!" I can almost see the doorway, but why can't I reach it yet? I know I can run faster than this!

"Shadow, help!" She screams, her voice filled with fear. "Help us!"

"Rouge?!" Alarm shoots through me. The door is only meters away. "Hang on! I'm almost there!"

"SHADOW!" Her voice cracks with fear, and then I hear a sickening crunch echo down the hall.

"Rouge!" I shriek, lunging for the doorway. My claws wrap around the edge of the door, and I heave myself into the room. "Rouge!" I gasp, my eyes widening at the horror around me. Blood stains the floor, massive splatters of it, some still fresh, and some older. Shapeless forms lie strewn everywhere, and I choke down vomit, trying to keep myself together. Rouge's snow white fur sticks out, and I dash to her. "Rouge, no!" I cry, skidding to a stop. Her motionless form looks so small, so fragile, her wings lifeless and folded on her body. "Rouge," I breathe, pulling her into my arms as I crouch beside her, as if saying her name over and over again will bring her back. Her once-pristine pearly fur is now streaked with crimson, and as I roll her over I try not to sob.

"Shadow," she rasps haltingly, lifting one hand up. I gently take hold of it; her grip is so weak.

"Rouge," I whisper, staring down into her glittering blue eyes, so filled with pain and fear. "What happened?"

"You," she chokes out, struggling to stay alive. "You...did...this..." She wheezes, the glimmer fading from her eyes.

My body goes cold. "Wh-What...?" I gasp, horrified. She doesn't answer as the light behind her eyes dies. "Rouge? Rouge!" I shake her, but nothing happens; her eyes are dull, lifeless, and glassy, still staring up at me. Shaking, I gently put her back down, staggering backwards with one hand clamped to my mouth to keep me from screaming.

"She's right," a familiar voice snarls, and I turn to face my emerald best friend. His fur, too, is streaked with crimson, and his legs wobble. He stands half-upright, one arm wrapped around his torso, blood streaming down his body. "This is all your fault," he hisses, glaring at me, accusing; his teeth are clenched in a grimace to hide his pain. I stumble back as if stung, baffled. "You did this," he growls, stepping forward unsteadily. "When will you quit running from yourself?" He wheezes as his legs give out and he falls to the floor, never to rise again.

"Scourge?" I whisper, tears flowing down my face. What does he mean? What did I do? I'm immobilized, staring at his limp form. He looks so tiny...

"Why the long face, brother dear? Don't look so sad," another voice purrs, off to my left, and I whirl to face Heather, sitting on a heap of bodies. Her purple fur is bloodless, pristine and untouched by the nightmarish blood coating everything. "Isn't this what you wanted?"

"What?!" I exclaim, stunned. "N-No! What are you talking about?" My voice trembles, fear chilling my bones.

"Oh?" She tips her head to one side. "Then why did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why would you do this," lifting one purple arm, she sweeps outwards from her body, gesturing to the massacre; her green scaled shirt clinks softly as she continues, "if you didn't want it?"

"I-I didn't do this!" I stutter, horrified.

"Really?" She grins. "Take a closer look. Maybe look down for once..." Confused, I open my mouth to argue, then shut it again, looking at my feet in confusion. To my horror, my hands are soaked in blood, with crimson splattered all over my body. My legs feel weak, and I can't breathe as my heart thunders in my ears.

I tremble, falling to my knees. "No..." I whimper, still staring at my hands. "I couldn't have... I wouldn't..."

"Aw, c'mon, Shadz!" She sings, "You didn't do half bad! Pretty decent work!" She smiles sunnily at me. "Just like the good old days, huh?" Hopping down off her perch, Heather grins at me, but I can't bring myself to meet her gaze.

"Why would I do this?" My voice is barely audible, even to me, but she hears it and chuckles.

"Why indeed?" She smirks, placing one hand on my shoulder as she begins to walk around me. Her delicate fingers trace my bloodstained shoulders, and wherever her claws scrape I feel pain blossom. "When are you going to stop running from yourself?" She sighs, draping her arm across my shoulder and sitting down next to me. "This is who you really are," she takes my chin in her hand, her tone earnest and her emerald eyes glittering, strikingly contrasted by this red haze. "This is what you were born to be." She whispers, her eyes insistent, and my stomach drops. In a flash the world vanishes, leaving only she and I, and her gentle smile turns sinister, bearing razor-sharp teeth, as she shoves me. I feel myself falling again, endlessly into an abyss. I scream, reaching out to her, trying to save myself, but she writhes out of my grasp, still smiling evilly as I fall to my doom.

-------------------

Someone's calling my name, insistently, and shaking my shoulder. I cough, eyes flying open to a blurry mess of red and black fur settled on metal, and after a few blinks I realize Rouge is the one attempting to wake me. "Shadow, come on, get up already!" She snaps, and I groan, sitting up. My spine aches, a dull throbbing pain originating from the center of my back, near my old injury. I cringe, peeling my arms off of the metal windowsill. Pins and needles lance through them; they must have lost blood flow while I was asleep.

"What?" I growl, shaking myself off. "What is it?" Slightly disoriented, I stare at her, not comprehending. How did I get here? Wasn't I falling?

"We've landed," she answers, pulling me to my feet, off the bed I was sitting on. "And can I just say, I'm really confused as to why you fell asleep on the windowsill when you had a perfectly good bed beneath you." Her statement holds the inflections of a question, and as I rub my eyes I try to think of an answer; finding none, I just let it slide as she drags me through the ship. I'm still a bit half-asleep, and as a yawn stretches across my face I wonder where we've landed. Guess I'll find out soon, I muse to myself as Rouge continues to guide me. She's saying something, but I'm too busy looking around to really pay attention to her; all around me, G.U.N. officials bustle around, some packing up their things, others simply straightening up a bit, and a few more preforming what appear to be minor modifications to the plane's interior. After a short bit, her voice comes back into focus, and I flick my eyes back to her. She's chattering excitedly about the plane, her eyes glimmering with pride. "...Don't have much in the way of furniture yet, but they're gonna turn it into some kind of massive five-star cruiser, all classy and stuff. I can hardly wait 'till they do, honestly! This is such a cool idea, and it's just so innovative..." Bored, I go back to ignoring her. Why would I care about this plane? And what's so innovative about a plane that can act as living quarters? Robotnik's done that since forever.

"Hey, Rouge, Shadster!" Sonic calls out, and I wince. Oh, great, this guy again... "What's up, guys!" The blueberry annoyance skids to a stop in front of us, and I wiggle my hand out of Rouge's grasp before he notices.

"Oh, hey, Sonic!" The white bat chirps cheerfully, paying no mind to my hand's absence. I cross my arms, adopting my usual standoffish posture as she continues, "We were just about to get off the plane. I'm hoping to skedaddle before someone asks us to help clean."

"Why don't we accompany you?" Tails suggests, though I know he's just looking for an opportunity to start quizzing me again. I suppress a growl; confrontation between our two groups would not be a good idea right now.

Rouge, astute as ever, notes my discomfort, but unfortunately she can't do anything other than agree to this proposal--well, truthfully, she could just say no, but she doesn't want to appear rude, and I respect that. It's up to you, I think at her. "Sure," she smiles at the orange fox. "C'mon, let's go!" She flutters her wings, adding a spring to her step as she walks forward. I stick close by her, Knuckles taking her other side; as expected, the kitsune bounces up to my free side, with Sonic right next to him.

"Uh, Shadow," Tails clears his throat nervously, his tails swirling uncomfortably. I glance down at him, raising an eyebrow in silent invitation, and he continues, "Do you remember any of what Robotnik did to you, now that some time's passed?" His fur stands on end in slight fear, but once the azure hedgehog places a reassuring hand on his shoulder, the orange fluff dies down a bit.

I smirk inwardly. How adorable. They really are like siblings. Slight envy flashes through me as I think, just as Heather and I were. The thought sours my stomach; turning away, I avert my gaze to focus on the floor instead. "I don't recall much of anything," I reply distantly. "I just remember an awful lot of agony." The lies keep falling from my lips so easily, but they taste like honeyed poison. I do remember, I silently say, but I don't want to. And I don't want you to learn of the ordeals I endured--that's not something a kid your age ought know. My ears flatten and I grimace. Though it is true that I was as old as he is when all of this horror started...

The ever-cheerful kitsune's voice distracts me. "That's alright," he answers; while the child tries to keep the disappointment out of his voice, he's still young and not experienced with camouflaging his emotions. Not like me, at least, but somehow I'm oddly reassured by that fact. It reminds me that not everything in this world is hell--some are still innocent, not dripping sin as I am. "It'll come back eventually, I guess." He continues, smiling up at me, and I flick an ear, snorting in response. I don't really want to talk to you. And I'm not the sort of person you should associate with, so get lost.

"Hey, Shadster," Sonic starts, but I cut him off with a snarl, red eyes flashing.

"I thought I told you not to call me that," I snap, fixing a flaming glare on him.

He cringes, but doesn't seem too apologetic, really. "My bad. Anyways, I was wondering, why were you hanging out with my brother? Y'know, before all this mess."

I sneer, turning my nose up. I don't have to answer this. "That's none of your business, Blue," I hiss, looking away with a haughty air. Rouge, beside me, smirks, but I don't bother to ask why.

Annoyance flashes in Sonic. "What, you couldn't beat me, so you teamed up with my twin?" He jeers, and now it's my turn to get angry. Is he implying that somehow Scourge and I are lesser than him--that we should even compare ourselves to him?! Our other companions slow down, backing up, to put some distance between themselves and the fight brewing.

I shoot him a malicious look, slowing my pace slightly. "You're implying that I even care about whether or not you think I'm inferior," I bite back. "Why would I concern myself with your opinion of me? I know I'm superior to you," I cross my arms behind my head, leering at him, eyes closed; every bit of my body language gets on his nerves as I act as though he's just some smarmy kid, far beneath me (which is, as far as I'm concerned, absolutely true). "Lions don't concern themselves with the opinions of sheep, and I'm certain it's clear even to you who the lion and the sheep are here." I end my insult with a smirk, flashing my fangs to him as I peer down, crimson eyes aflame with my wit.

He clenches his hands into fists, riled to the point of no return. "You know what they say about you?" He grins at me, too pleased by his own cleverness to keep a frown. "You're just a cheap knockoff of me," jabbing one pearly-white gloved finger at me, he stops walking, and yells in an accusatory tone, "a faker!"

My eyebrows raise, my ears shooting up as I stop dead in my tracks as well. He truly is arrogant, isn't he? "Faker?" I echo in a vaguely mocking tone, a smug snarl slipping across my muzzle. He grits his teeth in fury, and I suppress a giggle. You're too quick to anger, Sonic--toying with your emotions is almost too easy! "I think you're the fake hedgehog around here." I stand tall, proud, the polar opposite of his relaxed slouch, with my ankles touching each other. "You're comparing yourself to me? Hah!" I let out a harsh, fake laugh, startling him as I sneer, "Don't make me laugh. You're not even good enough to be my fake!"

"Why, you--!" He roars, lunging at me with outstretched arms, but with a leer I vanish, reappearing directly above him in the same stance. Turning, I elegantly stretch out one leg as I spin backwards; he's leaning forward, still falling, and while he may be the fastest thing on Earth, he can't control his speed when he's not on the ground. My foot connects with the back of his head at the end of my flip, slamming him to the ground, and I land on top of him in the same pose I held before teleporting. He growls, frustrated, and I smirk pleasantly, smug.

"Had enough?" I reply. "Or should we do this again?" He can't beat me now. My smirk turns into a full smile, eyes glittering wickedly. For once, I'm rather pleased by what Robotnik's done to me. However it is that he imbued the Chaos energy in me, I'm grateful for it. I don't think I'll ever suffer defeat again, not when I can put Sonic down this quickly. To emphasize my point, I dig my toe-claws into his skull and he stifles a yelp, struggling to get up and shake me off. Just as one final jab, I leap off his head, smashing him back down to the floor as I sail elegantly through the air, landing lithely in a crouch, knees bent, just in case he charges at me for a round-two skirmish. Fortunately (for him), he seems to have enough brains left in his head to give up; he shoves himself to his feet and rubs his aching forehead, glaring at me with a mixture of rage and ruffled pride. I get up, tipping my head to one side, smirking sadistically. Doesn't feel to good to lose, now, does it?

"Shadow, what was that for?" Rouge scolds, hands on her hips in her usual lecture posture. She scowls at me, and I'm taken aback by it. What's she so peeved about? "Seriously, can you two not be in the same room without starting a fight?" She turns her glare on Sonic, who shrugs sheepishly.

"Hey, he lunged at me," I answer, shaking my head. "Don't blame me for his death-wish."

"Can it, Shadow!" She snaps, and I flinch, affronted. "I don't care who started it, but I'm finishing it! You two are on the same side!" The white bat crosses her arms. "You need to get along better."

"First off, I'm not on anyone's side," I rebut, "and second off," I pause, glaring out of the corner of my eye at Sonic; after a millisecond, I look back to Rouge and finish, "no."

"No?" She shoves her face in mine, trying to intimidate me with her height, "What do you mean, no?"

"Consult a dictionary," I quip, turning away. "While you do that, I'll get off this plane." Stalking off, I throw another venomous glare at the azure hedgehog, and he gives me an ugly look in turn. To my amusement, both his friends seem exasperated, though I'm not sure if they're more frustrated with me or with him.

"Hold on a minute, grumpy!" Rouge snaps, rushing to catch up to me.

I quicken my pace. "Leaving now!" I call over my shoulder, trying to keep out of her grasp--I know her well enough to know that she'll drag me back over to that insufferable blueberry stain and try to force us to 'make up' and apologize. That is so not happening!

"Shadow!" The white bat yells, agonized, as she starts to jog.

"Bye!" I duck around a group of humans in lab coats, muttering half-assed apologies for disrupting them. Few protest, however--with Sonic on board, they've undoubtedly gotten used to hedgehog-centered shenanigans.