Chapter Text
It was, for once, a peaceful evening. Shadow walked through his apartment feeling at ease, which was rare for him, thinking maybe he could simply relax and read a book for once.
For a few days now, there hadn't been any immediate threat. There weren't any leads that called for his attention, no enemy he felt the need to pursue (whether he actually needed to or simply because he wanted a challenge) so, maybe, it was finally time to get a moment for himself.
Sighing to himself, he calmly made his way to the chair in his living room, sitting down comfortably and getting ready to spend the night with a nice book.
…Until he suddenly heard a loud THUD outside.
Scrambling to get up from his chair, he ran outside of the building to the source of the noise, finding it in a crater on a thankfully empty field near the backyard.
Shadow ran up to it, finding a shade of blue he was way too familiar with lying within.
Ugh.
The one and only Sonic the Hedgehog. Not exactly who Shadow wanted to find on what was supposed to be a relaxing evening.
“Hedgehog. Get up” Shadow demanded.
He better get on with it quickly and explain what the hell was happening this time already.
Sonic's eyelids crinkled. Finally, he opened his eyes and, uncharacteristically slow, sat up while rubbing the back of his head.
Shadow stood and crossed his arms as he waited for Sonic to explain what was going on.
But an explanation never came.
Instead, Sonic started confusingly looking around him without uttering a word. He looked at the grass, the trees, the buildings, the dirt, with this strange expression as if he was seeing all of it for the very first time.
Finally, his eyes landed on Shadow. And, strangely, he flinched.
Shadow remained unmoving, even as he was internally taken aback. Sonic didn't tend to flinch when seeing him. Usually some annoying quip would've already left his mouth. But instead, Sonic just remained looking him over up and down, confusion growing in his features.
“Get on with it. What happened, hedgehog.” Shadow spoke once again, starting to glare at Sonic to hopefully make him stop staring at him like that. “Why are you here?”
Sonic just stared for a second. Then he looked at the ground. Then to his left.
He looked the most lost Shadow had ever seen him. And the way he hadn't spoken at all was starting to become strangely unnerving.
Sonic put his hand on his head again as what seemed like a painful headache settled in. Shadow heard him groaning, which was the closest he got to hearing Sonic speak for the last few minutes.
What, did he forget how to talk or something?
“Where… am I?” Sonic finally spoke as he tried to look around again while still holding his head.
“You're near my house and interrupted my evening. Are you going to spill what's going on or what.” Shadow spat. He was growing inpatient. Part of him felt like just leaving Sonic there if he was gonna be so difficult.
“Oh… I-” Sonic strained, still holding his head as if speaking was difficult. “I'm sorry I interrupted your evening, uhm, sir… uh… I don't… know?”
Shadow paused at the strange title suddenly thrown at him. He wondered if it was some sort of weird joke, but Sonic had no malice on his face. He just looked… dazed and confused. And Shadow was starting to feel like something was very wrong.
“...What.” Was all that managed to leave Shadow's mouth.
“Ah… I'm sorry, uh, sir, but I don't know what your name is, so…” Sonic trailed off, looking around again.
Shadow's eyes widened. He felt as if his entire body was suddenly doused in freezing, ice cold water. He paralyzed in shock, but his expression probably betrayed how offended he felt.
He wondered once again if this was some sort of weird prank. But as Sonic took in his reaction, his eyes widened as well and he looked down as something hit him. Like he suddenly realized he's supposed to know who this is.
Sonic attempted to stumble out of the crater, Shadow not helping or interrupting as he was still momentarily frozen. But as Sonic did so, he found himself looking at a piece of reflective metal that was previously out of view. And stared.
Shadow observed the scene. He thought he could chastise Sonic for admiring himself in the middle of acting so cryptic, if it wasn't for the fact Sonic wasn't admiring himself at all. In fact, he looked even more confused and lost than before.
Shadow looked into Sonic's reflection, watching as he tilted his head to get a good look at himself at various angles. Again, as if he hadn't ever seen his own reflection before.
But as Shadow looked at Sonic's expression, still dazed and confused, he started to get a sense of deja vu.
He knew those expressions. He had seen them in his own face as he looked at the glass that once contained him inside a secret base, after saving a bat woman that was a stranger but seemed strangely familiar, and attempting to fight a robot that relentlessly shot at him before they made a deal to become a team. He remembered feeling just as lost and confused as nothing on his mind managed to connect to anything, like all the pieces of himself were missing.
Oh.
Oh no…
Shadow finally approached him,crouching next to Sonic to confirm (or, hopefully, deny) his suspicions.
“Do… do you know who you are?”
Sonic looked at him again. There was a strange desperation in his expression, his eyes moving frantically as if Shadow's face concealed the answer, somewhere.
But it seems it didn't. “I… no. I don't think I do.”
Shadow felt as if his insides had dropped like a rock.
His theory was confirmed.
Sonic lost his memories.
“Do… do you?” Sonic remained looking at him, seemingly trying to pull any memory he could. “Do you know me?”
Shadow had to take a second to respond as he was still processing the situation in front of him. “...Yes. I do.” He responded, looking at him firmly.
Sonic sighed a sigh of relief, before looking a little bashfully at him. “Ah, geez… sorry I couldn't recognize you! Seems like I've forgotten my friends as well…”
Shadow grimaced.. “Let's start with that. We aren't friends.” He glared at him to make his point known.
“... I see.” Sonic simply nodded.
Shadow didn't respond. Didn't know how to respond. This isn't right. None of this is right. Sonic is acting so far from himself it's nearly unnerving.
“You just seem a little familiar, is all.” Sonic continued, looking at him intently, even as Shadow's gaze had shifted to the ground.
What should he even do?
He couldn't just leave him here. As much as he wanted to say it was none of his damn business whatever trouble the hedgehog got into, he had to face the reality that, at this moment, Sonic desperately needed help… and Shadow was the only one who could help him.
Internally sighing, he reached out a hand.
“Ok. I'll help you out.”
Sonic seemed to brighten slightly, although still a bit cautious over taking in the hand of someone who was still, to him, a stranger.
Shadow didn't want to think about why that notion felt like it hurt.
“I can help you piece together based on what I know about you. But don't rely on me for everything.” He said as he helped Sonic up.
He would help him out, but that could only get him so far.
Shadow turned back to the crater and motioned for Sonic to follow him into his home.
Because, while showing Sonic where he lived was something he vowed to never ever do, he realized that the current situation takes precedent. They wouldn’t be able to get anywhere just standing here as the evening grew darker.
Maybe he can just move out before Sonic remembers.
Because, if it's anything like what happened to him… it's not gonna happen overnight.
“Your name is Sonic The Hedgehog.”
Sonic hummed behind him. “... Sonic, huh? Heh, I kinda like the sound of that!” He was starting to sound a bit more enthusiastic, now that he had somewhere to go and the headache probably subsided. “And I'm a hedgehog, apparently! So… I'm guessing you're one, too?”
“Yes.” Which was a little misleading, he wasn't a hedgehog in the same way Sonic was, but he really didn't feel like explaining his entire backstory to him right now.
“What's your name?” Sonic started walking right beside him instead of behind him, looking over Shadow as he inquired.
Shadow remained looking forward as the thoughts in his head were still messy. “Shadow. Shadow the hedgehog.”
“That makes sense! Say, are we related or something? We kinda look alike-”
“No.” Shadow’s head turned abruptly towards him, nearly growling at the other hedgehog.
Sonic was slightly taken aback by the vehement response, eyes widened.
“There is no relation between the two of us.” Shadow clarified.
“Damn, is being related to me that bad?”
“Yes.”
Completely ignoring his previous thoughts about not wanting to explain who he truly is to him, he felt the need to make Sonic know his place. “I'm not like you. I was created to be the perfect being, the ultimate lifeform” but Chaos forbid he explain it any more than that.
Sonic tilted his head as he looked at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes. “ ‘The Ultimate Lifeform’? That sounds kinda dumb.” He shrugged.
Before he could properly react, Shadow quickly kicked him in the stomach. Sonic fell down at the sudden pain, and Shadow grabbed the side of his head to hold him against the ground.
“And don’t you forget that.”
Truly, Shadow had acted purely on instinct. He was used to this song and dance, where Sonic starts teasing him about something and gets met with an appropriate (in Shadow’s eyes, at least) violent response. Sonic would continue to say something witty with a smirk on his face, counterattack, and they would engage in one of their usual spars or challenges.
However, that is not what happened. Instead, upon his head hitting the ground, Sonic simply… froze.
Shadow looked at him still expecting some sort of reaction, that dumb smirk that would make him mad and justify his course of action, but instead, all he saw were eyes wide open in surprise. And, perhaps subtle enough that he wasn't sure that he wasn't just seeing things, there was a hint of… fear.
As much as Shadow wanted to claim a victory over seeing Sonic looking defeated and frankly really pathetic, fearful of him, he couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of guilt. Their banter had become such a routine for him he let it slip that, right now, he was basically a stranger violently attacking him without precedent.
(The fact that was literally how they first met notwithstanding.)
And so, after what felt like hours but was probably only a few seconds, Shadow let go of Sonic’s head and got up. “... Apologies. I forgot that you-” he wasn’t even sure of what. “Nevermind.”
Sonic got up, rubbing the side of his head and holding his stomach, while groaning. “What the hell, man.” He looked right at Shadow again, still slightly on edge. “Is that what you do to everyone?!”
“... Not everyone, no.” He walked past Sonic again, feeling slightly embarrassed as if this wasn’t basically normal behaviour for him.
“Ok, so just me then?” Sonic started trailing behind him again, probably knowing he still had no choice but to continue to follow Shadow. Unless he wanted to get himself lost in the woods in a world he didn’t know. “Did you just tend to beat me up before, is that it?”
“We tend to fight a lot.” Shadow decided to state simply, not wanting to have to put into words the complicated web that is his and Sonic’s relationship, that not even he can properly understand.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding. We really aren’t friends.”
Shadow simply hummed at that.
“So then… Why are you helping me?”
Shadow had to take a moment to think over his response, and how much he wanted to share about himself. “... I have lost my memories before, too. I understand what it's like to feel lost with nothing on your mind to be able to grasp.”
Sonic perked up at that, going back to walking beside him. “You’ve lost your memories?”
“Yes.”
“So, then… how did you get them back?” Sonic got straight to the point, while fidgeting with his glove.
“Well… there wasn’t any one moment where everything came back. It all returned to me slowly as I interacted with things and people that reminded me of my past.” And the fact that an alien invasion had taken place led by what was basically his father that forced him to face his past and identity and choose who or what he wanted to become. But that wasn’t particularly relevant to this situation.
“So, if i just manage to interact with things of my past and talk to people I know, I will start to remember things?” Sonic looked with hopeful eyes at him.
“You might.” Shadow knew damn well not to make any promises.
Finally, they arrived at Shadow’s apartment.
It was on the ground floor of the building, as Shadow knew he needed to be able to leave quickly in case any sort of mission came up, even if he had quit GUN long ago.
He didn’t spend that much time in the apartment, though, so it was sparsely decorated. He didn’t have that many personal belongings to keep track of, either.
Sonic started looking around the place, as Shadow placed his keys on the keyholder and hoped that Sonic’s amnesia would make him unable to judge his decor. (or lack thereof.)
“...Nice place.” was all that left Sonic’s mouth regarding the apartment, thankfully.
Shadow simply motioned for Sonic to sit at the couch while he had to gather some things that might help.
He made his way to his room and grabbed the things he needed. Mainly, two notebooks, one blank and one so used it was nearly tearing apart, and a map.
He came back to find Sonic with his feet up on the couch as he leaned his chin on his knees in thought.
“Get your dirty shoes off my damn couch.”
It was like Sonic suddenly woke up, looking up and realizing what he was doing. “O-oh.” He lowered his feet back on the ground and tried to sit like a normal person while looking at Shadow sheepishly. “Whoops, sorry!”
Shadow simply sighed and walked over to put the things he was carrying into the coffee table near the couch.
Before Sonic could react to any of the things he brought over, Shadow handed him the blank notebook and a pen.
When Sonic simply stared at the offering like he couldn't figure what he was supposed to do with it, Shadow sighed once again and explained. “Use this to write down anything you remember or find out about yourself. That way you can make sure you don’t forget again.”
Sonic nodded and slowly grabbed the notebook and pen. “You think that will help?”
Shadow took the notebook that was about to burst open with the sheer amount of notes in it. “It helped me.”
“... ok, i see.” Sonic said as he opened the notebook and started to write in it. Shadow was glad he didn't argue (and that he seemed to remember how to write, at least) but it felt strange to see Sonic easily comply with what he demanded.
“Let's see… my name, it’s Sonic the Hedgehog, right?”
“Yes.” Shadow stated simply as he opened his own journal, trying to find his own notes on Sonic.
“Ok… what else?” Sonic looked up at him again expectantly after writing his own name.
“Hm…” Shadow hummed as he found the page on Sonic in his own notebook. Skimming through the writings on the page, though, he wondered if they would truly be helpful at all. Since his description of the other hedgehog started with ‘annoying and obnoxious’.
It was true (in Shadow's eyes, at least) but he figured throwing insults at him wouldn't take them anywhere and only waste more time than he already had with this situation. So he kept reading the notes until finding something useful.
His main attribute is his speed. Somehow, despite being simply a normal hedgehog as far as I'm aware, he can easily manage to keep up with me.
“...You like to run. A lot.” Shadow felt wary about telling Sonic about his speed, afraid of what he would do with that information at the moment, inside of his home. Thus, he decided to be vague for now.
“Running… ok, gotcha!” Sonic said as he wrote. “Hmm… would you happen to know where I live? Maybe there's more clues there.” He offered, seeming to notice Shadow struggling with his notes.
Shadow paused to think it over. It's true, if they went to Sonic's place, it'd be sure to have plenty of information about him. However…
“...I can't say I do.” Shadow had absolutely no idea where Sonic lived, in fact he couldn't even remember a single moment where Sonic even mentioned his home. Shadow seemed to run into him in completely random places, none that gave any indication of even a particular area he could be found in.
“... Dang.” Sonic slumped further into the couch, staring at his lackluster notes.
Meanwhile, Shadow went back to trying to find something in his, hidden between the insults and descriptions of Sonic's abilities (why did he even write about that?) when he came across probably the most obvious clue about Sonic's life he could have, that he should have thought to mention a long time ago.
Sonic is almost always accompanied by his fox friend, a kit named Miles Prower (commonly referred to as “Tails”). They seem to share a close bond that could be described as brotherly. (More notes on Prower in the pages ahead)
Of course, mentioning his best friend seemed like crucial information. “You have a very close friend named Miles Prower. You usually call him by the nickname “Tails”.” Shadow explained.
Sonic had started to write, but halfway through Shadow's sentence, he simply… stopped. And stared into nothing.
Something was going on in his mind.
But before he managed to get any conclusion to whatever train of thought he was going through, Sonic started groaning. He closed his eyes and placed his hands on his head, lowering it and curling into himself.
He looked… in pain.
“Sonic?” Shadow asked with a small tinge of worry in his voice.
Sonic didn't stop groaning, and now he was shaking slightly too. But the strangest of all was an energy that was starting to surround him. These otherworldly black and red lines went over his body, in and out, while Sonic kept his eyes forcefully shut and held his head like it was about to burst from pain.
“SONIC!” Shadow shouted, and, without thinking, reached out to him and shook him by the shoulders.
Somehow, that seemed to have worked, as the energy disappeared and Sonic slowly untensed and opened his eyes, attempting to focus on Shadow.
“...Sh-” Sonic tried to speak, but it seems he still had a headache as he leaned his head further into his own hands.
“Sonic… what happened?” Shadow asked as he leaned back and removed his hands from Sonic's shoulders, failing to make his worry inaudible in his voice. “What was that?”
“I…” Sonic groaned, looking back at Shadow “I don't know…”
Shadow tilted his head at him “Did you… remember something?”
Sonic stared at the ground again. “...The person you mentioned… Miles… he's a fox, isn't he?”
Shadow was taken aback for a moment, before nodding. “...Yes. Did you remember anything else?”
Sonic slowly shook his head. “No… everything else feels blurry. That's all I could get.”
“At least it's something.” Shadow stopped for a moment, contemplating how this seemed to be of enough importance to garner a reaction like that. “If only the fox was here, too…”
…Wait. Of course. He should contact the fox. In fact, he should've thought of doing that long ago. Prower was Sonic's best friend, and a genius kid too, he'd probably have a much clearer idea on what to do.
…Maybe Shadow could simply leave this problem to him and still manage to have a peaceful evening after all.
“I'll try to get in contact with him.” Shadow stated, and Sonic noticeably perked up, as his headache subsided.
He didn't have Miles’ contact saved, however the fox had already called Shadow before, so he tried to find that number through his communicator and call him.
…
…
… Nothing.
He tried again. Still nothing.
Maybe this number was incorrect. But it was the only number Shadow had, so he would have to try another way. He thought about trying to find him in person, even if it was already getting late… but, just like Sonic, he wasn't sure where Miles lived. He had guesses, but the fox seemed to have multiple different labs in different locations, Shadow would have no way of finding which one was the correct one.
So he stopped to think of another way out. Maybe he could try and contact a different friend of Sonic that he could get a hold of and throw this problem onto them instead.
…Amy Rose called him before. She and Sonic also seemed very close (specially with her very obvious infatuation towards him), she could probably also help in some way. Maybe she'd even know where the fox is.
So, retrieving her number, he called her.
…
…
…
… Nothing. Again.
He kept trying to call her, but she never seemed to pick up.
It was a little strange, but he figured she may be simply too busy.
But this left him at a dead end. He didn't know who else to contact at the moment, and the fact he barely ever talked with anyone made his contacts list nearly barren. He didn't have many people he could reach out to.
But while he was trying to figure out his next step, Sonic tapped him on the arm.
“Hey, uh, Shadow? Would you mind if I… just lay down here on the couch for a bit? My head still hurts a lot…” Sonic looked at him pleadingly.
At first, Shadow simply glared at him. But eventually, finding no other way out of this either, he agreed. “Ugh. Fine. But take your shoes off.”
Sonic sleepily nodded, taking off his shoes while keeping his socks on and laying down, burying his face onto one of the couch's cushions.
Shadow groaned. He was not looking forward to having to clean his couch to get rid of Sonic's smell that would inevitably get in it, as well as having to pluck blue quills stuck in the black fabric.
But that could only be done after he took care of this situation. Right now, as he looked at his nearly empty contacts list, Shadow sighed as he realized he had no other option than to contact someone he really didn't want to be talking to this late. Someone who tended to have plenty of information over other people's lives.
And so, he tapped on the contact named ‘Rouge the Bat’.
…
…
… “My my, look who it is calling me this time!”
“...Rouge.” He responded dryly.
“I'm guessing you have a reason to be calling me, you never reach out just to say hi, but this is perfect timing! There's a situation I've been meaning to discuss with you about, Shadow.”
“Before you say what it is, I need something. I need a way to get in contact with either Miles Prower or Amy Rose.”
“...Oh.”
She went quiet for a second.
“...What is it, Rouge. Do you not have a way to contact them?”
He heard some shuffling from the other side of the line. “You see, this is actually what I've wanted to talk to you about.”
“...What do you mean?”
“Well…”
“Well?”
Rouge let out a sigh “Sonic, Tails, Amy and Dr. Eggman have all been reported missing for the past week.”
Shadow's eyes widened. Instinctively, he glanced over at Sonic laying on the couch before addressing her again. “...What?”
“All of them simply disappeared. No one can get a hold on them. Usually it's not that big of a deal, they get on weird adventures all the time, but no one has heard anything from them in days.”
Shadow thought back to the past week. It's true, he hadn't heard from any of them in a while.
Rouge continued “I was thinking of telling you about this to see if you'd be interested in helping with a search before G.U.N. gets their hands on this case, but I figured you wouldn't want to get involved in whatever Sonic and his friends got themselves into.”
That's true, normally Shadow would say the troubles the hedgehog got himself into were none of his business, but it seems he didn't have a choice now.
“Unfortunately, it appears I already got myself involved.” Shadow sighed “I found Sonic. He's here with me right now.”
“Wait, you found him?” Rouge raised her voice. “Where?!”
“I don't know, he simply fell from the sky into my building's lawn!” Shadow was starting to get irritated at the entire situation once again. “That's why I wanted to contact Miles and Amy.” He sighed.
“Well, it seems you're out of luck… none of the others seem to have fallen from the sky anywhere.” She chuckled slightly, before returning to a more serious tone. “Hasn't Sonic told you anything about what's going on? Or did you immediately fight him when meeting him?”
Shadow rolled his eyes, both at her teasing and the fact he was gonna have to explain the strangest part of this entire situation. “He doesn't remember. In fact, he doesn't remember… anything. His memories are all gone.”
“...Sonic has lost his memories?!” She gasped, sounding genuinely taken aback. “What the hell have they gotten themselves into…”
“I have no clue…” Shadow groaned. “And now I'm gonna have to take care of this mess.”
“Well, at least Sonic will have someone with experience losing their memories, maybe it will be fine. Maybe you needed an amnesia buddy too, Shadow!”
If only Rouge could see the glare Shadow was sending her way.
“Where even are you two right now, anyway?”
“At my home. We might have to start investigating this tomorrow, it's already late.”
“Wait, you let Sonic into your apartment?! Wow, this is big.” She chuckled again. “Can't believe you guys will be having a sleepover this soon! You better not stay up late, dear!”
Shadow simply groaned.
“But you know, I've been thinking…” Rouge continued. “if Sonic, Tails and Amy have disappeared… what are the chances the echidna has vanished as well?” The playfulness did not leave her voice while saying that.
Shadow sighed “...are you off to claim the prize?”
“Well, someone has to go and check if he's still there, right? And if he's not… someone is gonna have to protect that emerald, you know…” She sounded a little too excited about her plan.
“...So you're off to claim the prize.”
“Honestly, I think the master emerald and I have missed out on a lot of quality time together, wouldn't you say? Especially since I won't be able to get my hands on the other emeralds anyway…”
That perked Shadow's attention. “Hold on, what was that about the emeralds?”
“Oh, right, you don't know about that either. It seems that, along with the Sonic gang, the chaos emeralds have been missing as well.”
“That… That's very important information you should've told me by now!”
Shadow couldn't believe it. The chaos emeralds have also disappeared for days. Just what the hell was happening?!
“Regardless, the situation with the chaos emeralds is probably related to whatever made Sonic lose his memories and made the others disappear. So you should probably look into that as well.”
Yes, obviously. “I'm trying to jog Sonic's memory, but to be honest, I don't know much about his past. Would you know where he lives or his place of birth?”
“Now, that's a loaded question. I don't think Sonic actually lives in one place, and I have no idea where he even came from. It's like that guy simply showed up one day.”
Shadow ran his hand to his face. Of course. “However,” Rouge continued, “I do have some information on Tails. While he has different labs he seems to alternate between, he is originally from Westside Island. And I believe he did actually meet Sonic there. I think you might find something useful on the island.”
“Westside Island… got it.” He's never been to the island himself, but he has heard about it and knows where to find it. “...Thank you.”
“I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, this situation is eluding all of us.”
“I'll take what I can get. We'll find a way to head for the island.”
“If you need transportation, I believe I can get you access to a G.U.N. plane. Just contact me when you need it.”
“...I do not understand how you're still employed.”
“I'm simply too valuable to be thrown out, they know better than to make me their enemy~”
“Hmph.”
“We can talk about the details of that later. Good luck, hun! Have fun on your little boys night, and don't you two make any irresponsible choices!” Her teasing tone was insufferable.
“Goodbye.” Shadow said, and turned off the communicator before she could say it back.
As much of a mental rollercoaster that that conversation had been, at least now he had a plan. He just needed to relay it all to Sonic and then head out.
Looking over at Sonic, though… Despite saying he only planned on laying down for a bit, the hedgehog was completely asleep on his couch.
Shadow sighed, but figured this was probably still the best case scenario. It was late, and he figured it was best to go early in the morning. He could simply explain the situation to Sonic then, after they've both rested.
Besides…Sonic looked fairly comfortable and peaceful in his sleep, and Shadow felt he probably shouldn't interrupt.
Realizing he might've been looking at him for a bit too long, Shadow turned and headed for his bedroom. But he still chanced a glance at Sonic, before hesitantly closing the door and finally going to bed.