A few hours later...

Runa's eyes began to flutter open. The first thing she noticed was a stone gray blur. A groan escaped her mouth as consciousness slowly washed over her body. Her left forearm lying on the ground began pushing herself up. Now, her lower limbs made contact with the ground.

The next thing she saw before her eyes was some sort of light yellow blur. After a few seconds, her vision became clear. Right before her was Bianca glaring evil death daggers at her. With her whip on her head.

"Runa the Hedgehog, you've got a lot of explaining to do," she said.

Somewhere in another dungeon...

Shadow had finally picked up his senses when he heard whispers ringing in his ears. He too felt consciousness washing over him. His body began to twitch and his eyes fluttered open. And when his eyes fluttered open, the first thing he could see was a black blur. And feeling the rough texture was the next thing he noticed.

He was lying on the ground.

When he's finally conscious, he could still hear voices. But this time, he was able to catch those words.

"Chao-chao, chao. Chao, chao! Chao-chao!"

Roughly translated, "Wake up, Shadow. Shadow, please! Wake up!"

He pulled himself into his kneeling position and managed to push himself in his standing position. All by himself.

Once he's on his standing position, his misty and teary vision had turned into a clear one. Right beside him were Shania and Darkly. With concerned looks on her face. Once their eyes were set on each other, a light sound of relief escaped Shania's mouth.

"Chao-chao! Chao-chao-chao-chao, chao."

This is translated to, "Thank goodness. I thought you'd be too unconscious for electricity."

But the only reply from Shadow was "I'm fine. Don't worry."

Surrounding them were Rosy, Mystico, Bearace, Rouge, Tangle, Whisper, the wisps, Reuben and Savvy slowly coming into consciousness.

Once they're all fully conscious, Tangle was the first to ask them, despite being a little dizzy "Everyone... alright?"

"We're fine," replied Rouge.

"Chao-chao," the chao replied in a bit of dizziness.

"We're all fine," said Reuben.

Savvy nodded in agreement with Reuben. Then, checking if everyone was present, her face changed from her normal expression to a suspicious one.

"Wait a second..." she muttered.

Checking if everyone's present, she felt a suspicious feeling about something as a certain member of the whole group was missing.

"Where's Runa?"

"What?" Shadow asked in quite a shock.

"Where could she be?!" asked Tangle.

You can notice how Whisper's body was shivering in fear. It is, as a matter of fact, like how she felt when she's about to lose another friend.

Before anyone can reply, a deep, manly and raspy voice had caught their attention. "Oh, don't worry now. She's in a safe place."

Everyone turned their heads around to see a black-hooded person with a staff in his hands. The stem of the staff was made of wood and it's carved like a rod. The top of the stick was similarly shaped like a diamond or more like a mix of rhombus diamond and vertical hexagon. The specks were detailed on that same shape on top of the staff.

Once all heads turned to the black-hooded person, Shadow, Rouge, Bearace, Shania, Darkly Juniper and Savvy formed their battle stances with Reuben, Mystico and Bianca going into their defensive position and Rosy hiding behind Mystico. Then, all eyes were glaring at the black-hooded position.

"Who are you and what do you want with us?" asked Shadow.

An evil laugh was heard from the black-hooded person in reply, "You already know who I am, Shadow, Rouge and Darkly, but not that much."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Rouge.

In response, he removed his hoodie shocking everyone completely.

"You," said Shadow.

With Runa...

Runa was now in her sitting position backing away from Bianca in fear. It brought her into more fear when she saw her walking straight towards her.

"I-I don't understand! I told you to move on, but why can't you get over him?!" she asked Bianca in fear.

As she said this, a snap from the whip was heard.

"You were lying, Runa!!! You lied when I asked you if you're so close with Shadow!!! I just know it!!! I've been watching every moment you had with Shadow!!! You said from before that you two were just friends, but now, you look like you're become lovebirds!!! I knew you two have something with each other AND NOW, I'LL GIVE YOU THE PUNISHMENT IN MY WRATH!!!!!" Bianca yelled at her angrily as she made another snap with her whip.

Runa put her left hand up in defense with fear overtaking her. Her other hand pushed herself backwards until her back hit against the wall. "Wait, hold up! You don't understand! I can explain everything! There are times when leaping into action first leads to consequences!"

"Well then, you should explain! Shadow's supposed to be mine and no one else!" said Bianca.

That's when Runa explained the whole story quickly while stuttering in fear,"Wh-Wh-When we first met in person, w-we respect each other and communicate with each other m-making us more c-comfortable with each other. Th-That's when we were considered as friends."

"And then..."

"A-And then, we s-started getting to know m-more of each other. Fr-From time to time. One time, we helped each other battle Metal Sonic b-before New Year's Day! We're literally just friends! Honest!"

"So that's what this is all about, huh?!?! Shadow paying more attention to you than ME?!?!?!" asked Bianca angrily. But before Runa was given a chance to reply, she continued raising her whip. "SHADOW IS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A DATE WITH ME AND NOBODY ELSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

With that being said, she started whipping her.

Back with Shadow and the others...

Everyone was still in their signature battle stances after the black-hooded person revealed himself.

"Rover. I knew something's going on with you," said Rouge glaring at him.

"Not to mention, she's not the only one," said Shadow.

"Chao-chao!" Bearace agreed glaring at the certain backstabbing lizard.

The black-hooded person was revealed to be Rover indeed, but instead of having the same colors and looks as he was when Rouge and Shadow first met him, he was a dark green lizard with green muzzle and rounded spikes going from the top of his head to his tail. His eyes were rather like Dark Sonic. All white. No irises. No pupils.

This time, he was wearing black short-sleeved gloves and matching boots. In his hand was the same staff we already saw.

In Rover's reaction, an evil laugh escaped from his mouth. "Who's Rover? I'm known as Nixue Spage! It's ridiculous for me to see this whole time. Now, let me tell you what really happened before now."

With that, he began to explain the whole story. "It was the beginning of time when Runa was born and my father was still wearing the same hood. He was hired on a mission to spy on her. Every scene and every moment of her life, he wanted to seek information, so that he could find a way to hangout with her as best friends."

"You mean your father was stalking Runa this whole time?" asked Reuben.

"Why yes, he did," he replied. "Anyways, ever since he first saw her, he became obsessed with doing anything in his power to grab Runa's attention, but to no avail."

"Chao-chao-chao!" Shania glared at Rover.

"Silence!" he roared. "I'm not done yet."

He then, continued to explain the whole story.

"As you became more popular with a certain best friend of hers, my father felt like being forgotten. All except one gorgeous woman whom he fell in love with. They overcame obstacles, kept up their courage to confess and eventually, I came into this world. Growing up, I've been doing anything in my power to grab everyone's attention. Even the famous blue hedgehog himself. But still, I feel like I'm invisible to all. Well, all except for a certain someone being obsessed with the Ultimate Lifeform."

Shadow gave Nixue a death growl as he shot a death dagger glare at him.

"But still, no one and I mean no one cares to notice me," said Nixue.

"And why is that?" Reuben asked him.

"Because of you! All of you! You've become popular enough to catch everyone's attention! Nobody even cared to notice me! Not even a single inch! And so, I decided to study on how to erase memories. Then, I found a way to do so: to retrieve the Staff of Memories. After that, I went on a mission to go to the ancient temple in the forest and retrieve it successfully. Then, Bianca came to me again, but this time, she want me to help her pursue you. And in return, it will give me the best opportunity to be unforgettable!"

An evil laugh was heard again, this time, a deeper, manly and raspy laugh similar to Black Doom. Gasps of shock escaped almost everyone else's mouth to hear Nixue's words.

"Chao-chao," the five chao said in shock.

"YOU ARE THE WORST!!!!!" Tangle yelled at Nixue.

"Chao-chao!!!" Bearace, Juniper and Shania said.

"Whatever."

With that being said, the latter snapped his fingers and the whole group — including himself — was teleported in the big space. Right in the middle of a room where you can see multiple stairs before your eyes after you enter a mansion.

"So, now that we're here, let's have a little showdown, yes?" asked Nixue.

With that, he snapped his fingers again. This time, nothing magical is happening. Instead, a huge familiar robot came out and stood behind him. Gasps of immediate shock escaped everyone's mouths. Most especially Shadow's and Rouge's.

"OMEGA?!?!" they all reacted.

"Yes. Even the tin can—" Nixue turned to Omega with an evil smirk on his face and knocked his metallic chest with his fist. "—cannot resist my Memory Staff."

Just then, he was hammered on his right stomach resulting in being swung to the ground. Once he looked up, right before her eyes was Whisper, her eyes open and shooting death glares at him angrily.

"Well, you've done a pretty good hit, haven't you?" he asked her.

"You erased his memories?" she asked him in a plain voice.

"Oh, right. Now, the fun is on," said Rover with an evil smirk , then his facial expression changed into a serious voice. "Take them, Omega!"

"Affirmative."

With that being said by Omega, he began to shoot his bullets at the group.

Savvy was seen flipping herself away from the bullets flexibly. Reuben managed to dodge between the bullets. Same goes with Tangle, the six chao and Shadow. Whisper managed to dodge the bullets by hovering over them with her wispon. You can see Rouge flying above Omega calling out to him, "Omega! I know you're still in there! You have to fight it!"

"Negative," he said still shooting bullets.

After a while, both Shadow and Whisper noticed Nixue running in the northeast direction behind Omega. They both narrowed their eyes and had death glares on their faces. Just as Whisper was about to take the first step, a gust of wind moved past her face.

Then, she looked over and saw Shadow gliding his way towards Nixue. Then, feeling the presence of how Shadow feels towards Runa, she continued dealing with Omega while watching the whole scene at the corner of her eye.

His left hand grasped his chest and pinned him against the wall. His other hand held his Chaos Spear as the deadliest glare shot through him.

"Where. Is. Runa?" he asked him darkly.

"Uh, I-I don't know what you're talking abo—"

"Tell me. Now."

You can notice him sweatdropping as nervousness began to wash over him. "Well, she's in another dungeon. I-In the right corner at the door and—"

A cleared throat was heard. Both of them turned to Shadow's left to see none other than Bianca. With and evil smirk on he face. She was seen currently cleaning up the whip with her hands.

"Is it done?" asked Rover with an evil smirk.

"Yes. It is done," she replied.

Seeing how Bianca cleaned her whip, Shadow's eyes widened in shock, then his facial expression turned into a meaningful death glare. His hand loosened his grasp and threw Rover down harshly. Then, he delivered a direct punch towards Bianca's chest. After that, he glided his way towards the door at the right corner as told by Nixue.

Soon...

Once he's in the secured dungeon, his eyes widened in complete shock and gasped horrifyingly at what he just saw. Runa had many bruises and scratches all over the body and the only bruise she had on her face was her left cheek. She was seen lying down on the floor with tears streaming down her cheeks and sniffs escaping her mouth.

Shadow immediately glided towards Runa, kneeled down near her body and shook her gently.

"Runa, what happened? Did Bianca beat you up?"

She turned to see him worried as more tears rolled down her cheeks, then she crawled herself to his body. She, wrapped her arms around him and her face was buried in his chest fur. "Shadow... thank goodness you're here. All Bianca wanted was to... make you hers. That's why... we're here. I wish... I wish none of this would've happen. I... I....." Then, the rest of her words were barely audible. "I'm not worthy to be yours."

With that, she started crying on Shadow's chest fur.

Hearing this shocked Shadow even more. How could someone like Runa say this? To his reaction, he wrapped his arms around Runa for comfort.

"Listen to me, Runa. You are worthy, okay? You helped me discover the ways of protecting humanity. You helped me balance life and make right decisions. Especially with what you did last year in New Year's Eve. And overall, you've changed my life."

He gently pulled away the hug and his right hand cupped Runa's cheek. Her face was plastered with surprise. "What I'm trying to say is... I..."

He leaned over and kissed her. Warm and passionate. His left hand was wrapped around her waist.

Runa's eyes widened in complete shock by Shadow's actions. The feeling she felt in her completely washed over her. Now that she understood what he's trying to say, she closed her eyes and wrapped her left arm around his waist. Then, her right arm began wrapping around his shoulder.

The kiss lasted until they pulled away for breath. Then, their foreheads were leaned against each other.

The next thing Runa could hear from Shadow was "I love you, Runa the Hedgehog."

Runa's lips immediately stretched out a warm and genuine smile. With that, she immediately lunged forward into a big hug. With tears of joy in her eyes. "I love you too, Shadow."

Shadow was tensed when he felt her arms wrapped around him, then after hearing her words, he returned the hug.

After they pulled away, Shadow lifted her up bridal style. "Let's get you to the hospital."

Runa nodded weakly.

"Chaos Control!" Shadow said teleporting themselves to the hospital.

Back with the others...

While trying to deal with Omega, Nixue and Bianca, Whisper noticed the Memory Staff right in the corner of her eye. As she picked it up, she knew what to do with it. Whisper placed it down and Blue started possessing her wispon. That's when she hammered the top of the staff. Repeatedly. After at least 15 times, a single crack was made. After another 15 times, it was completely shattered.

Then, everything went white.

A few moments later, all glaring eyes shot their directions toward Bianca and Rover. The two sweatdropped in nervousness.

With that, the group sent the two to Everhold Prison.

Later on, in the hospital...

Runa was now lying in the hospital bed with the liquid running through the tube. From the bottle to her body. Sitting beside her bed was Shadow himself. Their hands were seen holding each other. On the other side were the six chao and behind Shadow were Tangle, Whisper, Rouge, Omega and of course, her adoptive parents.

"We tried our best, sweetie," Pearla told Runa.

"Yeah, your mother's right. Bianca threatened us to tell her where you've gone and we did because we have no other choice," said Bruce.

"But at least you got through in the end, right?" asked Tangle.

"Yeah," Runa said weakly.

"Will you be okay?" Whisper asked her.

"I will, Whisper. I will."

Then, a blue wisp flew over towards Runa with sadness on his face. Runa gently slipped her hand away from Shadow and gently stroked Blue's head.

"Don't worry. I'll come back safely, okay?" she reassured him in a whisper.

With that, the blue wisp made his way back to Whisper before Runa's hand landed back on her bed.

"You're doing great, hon. Though the darkest hour is upon you, you always come through in the end," said Rouge smiling at her.

"Thanks, Rouge," Runa said weakly.

"Take care, Runa," said Omega.

Runa lightly chuckled. "I will."

With that, Tangle, Rouge, Omega, Bruce, Pearla, Whisper and the wisps said their final goodbyes to Runa and a few others before leaving the hospital room.

Now, Runa's eyes landed on Shadow. "Thanks for keeping me company, Shadow."

"No, thank you. For what you've been through with me," said Shadow, blushing slightly.

Runa let out a chuckle. "No problem."

"Chao-chao-chao?" Rosy asked her if she's going to be okay.

Like I told Whisper, don't worry. I will be okay," Runa reassured Rosy.

After a week and a few days, the medical certificate was finally paid and received. Then, they all came out of the hospital. This is the beginning of a new life!

(A/N: Before you ask me about Dr. Starline appearing in this fanfic series, I'm not so sure if his plan goes as successful as planned or not. Sure, he has some plan in "Imposter Syndrome," but I'm not sure if Sonic and his friends can make it through this obstacle. At least, I hope so. Hehe. So for now, I'm putting this story on hold until I learn what happens to Starline after the results of his plan. Then, depending on what happens, I will make some minor adjustments in this chapter. Then, I'll either mark it completed or write and publish a few more chapters with Starline in it. Thanks for your understanding!)