Into the Unknown, Chapter 1

It was the anniversary of the ARK incident that happened a year ago. It was important to the hero, but not because he saved the world.

It was because that was the day Shadow died.

Sonic was at the cemetery, his hands crushing the flowers he brought as he approached the grave. His hands were shaking, his lips trembling as he inched towards Shadow's resting place.

He stared blankly at the headstone. RIP Shadow the Hedgehog- The Ultimate Lifeform. Created by Professor Gerald Robotnik. 58 years old.

Sonic grimaced. GUN sure made it seem like Shadow was nothing special.

Sonic bent down, moving the grass away from what he wrote on the headstone: 'Died a hero.'

He sighed, sitting down. "Hey Shadow," he said shakily, patting the grass. They never did find his body, but who would be able to survive falling from the atmosphere? Sonic pulled out the small shovel, starting to dig a hole for one of the flowers. "I came by again. But I do every week," he said shyly, as if Shadow was actually there, listening to him. "I don't want you to be lonely," he said quietly, clenching his eyes shut at the threat of tears.

After a few breaths, he was talking again.

"And I got you flowers, too. I don't know if you like flowers, but I wanted to get you some. It was looking too dull around here," Sonic said with a sad smile. He planted the roses on his grave, admiring their crimson red color. "I remember how you had stripes like that," he chuckled, sighing. "And they're red, like your eyes were. They were amazing," he said with a small smile. "You had such beautiful eyes..." he murmured, shaking his head. He put a small daisy in, staring at its white petals. "White like your chest fluff," he remembered with a bright smile. "I always wanted to touch it, you know. I think I dreamed about running my hands through it." He blushed, looking down.

"You know… when you died, I wouldn't leave the house for three solid weeks. Then Tails said we could come out here. Do you remember?" he asked, lying down on the lush grass. He closed his eyes. "I do, too. I felt relieved. But that's when this obsession hit me the worst. When I couldn't stop thinking about you and hacked GUN for photos of you. And then I realized, hey! I'm in love with Shadow the hedgehog." He swallowed thickly. "Then I realized you're dead. It's a dead relationship. One sided, you know?" he asked. He turned, rolling on his side, curling up. "But I still love you," he said quietly. "I probably always will."

His cheeks were soaked with tears, his eyes bloodshot. This was how it ended every time, though for some reason this was the first time he had the guts to tell Shadow he loved him.

The worst part was that he'd never get an answer back.

Sonic rested there with him until maybe an hour later. He finally forced himself to get
up and walk back home, though he kept looking over his shoulder, back at the cemetery.

He went inside, turning on the television and rummaging through his pantry for a snack.

Sonic sat down on the couch with his bag of chips, watching the Television without even really paying attention. Something about him saving the town like five months ago. No big deal, but it did feed his ego. He didn't mind watching, not one bit.

"Breaking New Cast!"

The hero sat up, watching intently. Maybe he'd finally have something to do. You know, OTHER than saving a kitten from a tree.

"The Ultimate Lifeform, Shadow the Hedgehog, was found in a crater today! GUN has taken him into their custody..." Sonic blinked, seeing the images of the broken hedgehog sprawled across the ground. Apparently this news report was several months old, all the way back to month eleven. The hero was enraged, talking to the grass when the real Shadow was out there, almost dead. He could have saved him!

The Commander came up. "As an experiment of a mentally distressed individual, GUN has decided to take him in for further research." The screen was littered with diagrams of the ebony hedgehog, showing the devastated hedgehog.

The chips were crushed.

Sonic couldn't believe he was seeing him again! The pictures he nabbed from GUN were nothing compared to this! He moved, scrambling to the TV.

"Now we have fast forwarded into the research process, and have found that the hedgehog has something called the Healing Process. This means he can heal abnormally fast. From having second degree burns, broken bones and a fractured leg, Shadow the Hedgehog has completely healed within the span of three weeks. Over here on the hospital bed, Shadow lays dead to the world. We... Oh my!" the news reporter gasped. "He's... He's moving! The Ultimate Lifeform is beginning to wake up!"

The cameras moved in quickly to the sleeping hedgehog, Sonic sitting up straight and moving towards the TV. There was Shadow, strapped to the table, but alive! A smile broke out on his face, stretching from ear to ear. "Shadow!" he yelled happily. His hands were on the screen, nearly shaking it. "Shadow! I'm coming!"

Shadow's ear twitched, his fingers digging into the table. He winced, writhing under the bright lights.

"Everyone, shut up!" the reporter shrieked.

Shadow sat up with a groan, holding his head. His ebony lids lifted slowly, his crimson eyes unfocused but bright, burning like a star.

"Now, we will hear what his first words are!"

Shadow blinked, his eyes focusing on the word GUN. His eyes widened in horror as his muscles flexed underneath his bindings nervously. He looked at the camera, confused, before groaning, "Aw... damn it."