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you live an endless life forever

[ For Shadow, as far as he'd met, there were two Sonics that he trusted more implicitly than the rest. Implicit trust did not come easily for the black hedgehog, and trusting enough to tell another some of his past, though mild, was more trust than he'd give anyone casually. One Sonic he met while in Johto, who he was able to share some of his story with, and come to a point of understanding, especially at a time when he was trying to decide what to do with himself since two very important people had disappeared from the world.

The other blue hedgehog was one that had found him while Shadow had been suffering from hallucinations and intense fear, showing a side he never showed anyone else. That Sonic had stayed by him and managed to bring Shadow back to his former self.

Now, Shadow had holed himself up in a Station Square library, reading a few books. He had a pile of them on a table and was steadily working through all of them... But at the same time, he thought about his recent actions, recent decisions. Was he becoming what the Professor wanted him to be? What Maria wanted? Was Sonic right; that he should be whoever he himself thought was best? Living for oneself was something Shadow never did before. It would certainly take some getting used to.

He flips another page, catching up on history and technological advances made by mankind and different parts of the world. The information was greatly appreciated, allowing him to learn about the people he was supposed to help... for Maria's sake. ]

... Hmph.

[ He reads a quote at the bottom of one page. ] “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” Mother Teresa... [Shadow leans back against his seat, thinking about the quotation he read.] Is that really true, I wonder.

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[ Shadow looked at his shoes, then at Sonic. ] The Professor designed them for me. For emergencies, if something went wrong, I'd be the first to be there.

[ At least, he wished that's what they were for... The Professor had a bad habit of not telling him things. ]

I'm ready.

Huh. Cool... [That solved one mystery, and he didn't inquire further about it. Sonic had never seen anything like those shoes, nor did he ever think that he himself needed them. And now it was as though Shadow had something from his past, something physical, like a gift, always with him.

Sonic decided to ask about the second mystery later. For now, there was something much more important to take care of. He gave another grin to his rival turned friend.]

If you are, then so am I! Bring it!

[That should have been sign enough to take off. And took off Sonic did as he sprinted along the course, having more than the confidence or enthusiasm necessary for this race.]

[ Without waiting another moment, Shadow sped off after Sonic, making use of the springs around him to give him some leverage. Feeling the fresh air in his quills made him more motivated to run.

He narrowed his eyes somewhat, picking up the pace. His shoes sparked, flames bursting out of them, tearing up the path. He smirked, running onto the wooden boardwalk. ]

Hey! Don't set it on fire! They kinda don't like random destruction of public property here!

[But he had to laugh as he said it. Not that Shadow would really care. Not that the boardwalk didn't get repaired over and over again anyway. But it was exactly like with the roller coaster railing. He had to use those jets to glide or grind to where he wanted to go. Either way, Sonic found it highly amusing and just as Shadow's shoes sparked, Sonic's own determination sparked even brighter. He had to beat him this time.]

Oh, by the way... See ya!

[Once the wooden path ended, Sonic raced over to one of the accelerator or dash panels on the ground to help propel himself through the upcoming loop.]

[ Shadow didn't mind Sonic's quips, instead watching the blue hedgehog run over a dash panel. He smirked, following right along, hurdling through the loop, his entire world turning upside down for a few seconds before returning to normal. Though he never expressed it, Shadow enjoyed that feeling. Not many people could say that ran so quickly they went upside-down and didn't fall.

He looked to Sonic, then around at the seagulls in the air, the dolphins in the water...

and was that an Orca? ]

Hm? [ Shadow had never seen one up close before. He could only see its fin at the moment... ]

[Sonic loved going through the loops, especially ones that had another dash panel to send him flying through the air to land on another part of the coast. They were back on another wooden boardwalk right now, still head to head. Shadow was doing well keeping up, but that was to be expected.

What Sonic should have also expected was what he had warned the black hedgehog about before. The wooden panels of the pier subtly rising and falling should have given him enough of a clue.]

Here we go again!

[Sonic was all for Shadow being curious and inquisitive. But now was a really bad time to be so, as thrilling as it was to outrun a vicious, carnivorous sea creature. He also smirked, having done this before.]

Time to hightail it outta here unless you wanna be on the menu!

[Or drown. It cannot be said enough that drowning is not all that appealing. Really. As they sped along, moments later that black and white killer whale decided to make its presence known by completely annihilating part of the wooden boardwalk they had just occupied.]

... I kinda think you what to do now. RUN!

[ "here we go again"...? Shadow was about to ask, but that Orca following them... It was heading for the boardwalk! Shadow focused on speeding up, not really intent on becoming someone's dinner.

Once the Orca had bashed through part of the boardwalk, Shadow felt his right eyeridge twitch. He didn't need a reminder, pouring on the speed to get away from the creature. ]

Why do I have this feeling that this isn't the first time the bridge has been rebuilt!

[This should be serious. He thought he should be much more serious about this. Granted the first time it happened Sonic was surprised and, dare he say it, scared, but now? It was normal, and that orca could never catch him. He could outrun it any day. The only problem was that the killer whale was hellbent on wiping the bridge out of existence, which meant nothing to block him from falling into the water. Shattered and splintered pieces of wood impaling him was also something he didn't want.

Sonic laughed. In a way, it was to reassure the black hedgehog that they got this. It was under control. Or at least there was the illusion of it.]

Just a feeling? Should be obvious that it happens all the time!

Oh, yeah, and get ready to fly!

[At the edge of a bridge was always one of those reliable dash panels. It would propel them far away from the wrath of the pursuing orca.]

[ Shadow thought about this. ]

Why don't you just take it out? It looks easy to defeat.

[ He managed to ask this question before being hurled through the air, away from the orca and the shattered bridge. Whether the creature was inherently evil or not, if this wasn't the first time it attacked, why hadn't anyone acted on it? It was dangerous, yes, but Shadow didn't think it to be too tough. He'd taken out guard robots and Big Foots. ]

[Sonic heard that question over the destruction going on behind them, but decided to answer once they were back on the ground and safe. Back on solid ground, the sandy shore, the blue hedgehog pointed back out over the ocean where the orca had been.]

Wait, you're just jokin', right? That thing can swim. We sorta can't, remember? Besides, why would you want to hurt it? It just sorta... yeah, it likes to take out the bridge when anyone is on it.

[He rubbed the back of his head. It was usually only him anyway.]

[ Shadow held up his right hand, yellow energy sparking from his palm. ] I could easily take it out with a few of my Chaos Spears. Besides, a killer whale this close to land is dangerous, even for people.

[ He briefly wonders why no one has done anything. ] Perhaps humans are masochists as well.

[Sonic furrowed his eyeridge. While it may have been true that it was dangerous, people just had to keep their distance. He knew it was his fault that the bridge kept getting destroyed. But no reason to hurt another living creature over it.]

You shouldn't have to hurt it. It's just doin' its thing.

[He shook his head.] I... doubt it. I would think most of 'em wanna avoid getting hurt or being in pain. That's just kinda the way things work with anything or anyone that's alive.

Then maybe it would be a better idea to not build a bridge in the whale's territory. [ Stupid humans. ] If it's kill or be killed, there often isn't another option. Sometimes you can't escape it.

[ He watched the Orca destroy the rest of the bridge and frowned. ... How were they supposed to get back exactly. ]

[And they keep rebuilding it over and over again in the same way. How strange. Sonic also watched the bridge collapse into the sea. Every living creature eventually died, and death was just another sign of life, not so much a consequence. Present company included from what he knew. But every living being had a right to live as well.]

Yeah, I know. That's... also just how it works.

[Sonic knew a way back. Thinking about Shadow's words made him recall his past though, which was essentially Shadow's future.]

... Hey. I didn't really get to ask until now. You wear those bracelets. What're those for?

[ Shadow looked at Sonic, then down at the bracelets. His flame ring was still glowing brightly, but he knew that's not what Sonic meant. The black hedgehog looked at Sonic again. ]

Mementos.

[ He wasn't going to say anything he didn't feel had to be said at this time. Even the Ultimate Life form had his secrets. ]

[He remembered holding onto one. Besides Sonic's memories or all of his friends' memories combined, it was all that remained of the black hedgehog. Sonic was satisfied with the one word answer. There might have been more since he didn't think Shadow was the type to equip or wear anything frivolous or anything without meaning or purpose, but he didn't question it any more.]

Heh, kinda like your shoes. Don't lose 'em then since they mean a lot to you.

[Sonic beckoned with his hand for Shadow to follow him.]

C'mon, let's get outta here! You wanna get back, right?

[ Shadow was satisfied now that Sonic stopped questioning him. Some things were better off unsaid. Instead, the black hedgehog nodded his head, interested in finding a way back that didn't involve being chased by a killer whale. ]

Let's go.

It seems like a long way, but it's not! Heh, it never is.

[The blue hedgehog turned and led the way to the main part of the coast. He held off on racing, just enjoying the weather and the beach atmosphere now as he clasped his hands and placed them behind his head as he walked.

Maybe it wasn't so bad in this other world. But then again, it wasn't home. And he knew that he would have to go back eventually. That world needed him. But what would it mean for Shadow? Would they remember any of this? Would any of them want to?

But his thoughts were getting away from him. He glanced over at the black hedgehog. And he had to laugh, not mocking or ridiculing, but much more lighthearted.]

... You shoulda seen the look on your face when that killer whale was after us.

[It would be worth it to remember.]

[ Shadow had also thought about it... What would happen if he were sent home immediately? Where was home to him now? He was without one when he arrived in Johto, he was without one when he came here.

The black hedgehog did not consider the Doctor or the traitorous bat to be family. But Sonic had considered him thus, even if they were willing to fight to the death before.

It was all so confusing. Shadow is disturbed from his thoughts when Sonic laughed at him, joking about the Orca from before. The black hedgehog returns the smile, though it's not as lighthearted. Perhaps Shadow was incapable of that kind of response. ]

You should see your face when I beat you for the second time.

[ With that, he quickly sped along the coast. It didn't matter if he wasn't here before, the coastline wasn't that hard to get lost in. ]

[Things had changed. Everything changed. Circumstances were different. Sonic made the most of his time anywhere he went, and he had to do the same here without exception. No, it wasn't home, but right now he was with a friend, or even family; he was with someone who knew him, shared similar experiences with. He couldn't ask to be anywhere else but with his friends.]

Hey! This whole givin' yourself a headstart is gettin' old! Makes it seem like you need them!

[But Sonic let out another laugh and sprinted off, sand flying behind him as he pursued the black hedgehog along the shore.]

If I remember correctly, both times we've raced, you've taken the head start, blue hedgehog! [ Shadow skated along, fire bursting forth from his shoes. Sand was a little harder to skate on, but not impossible. They had something like a hover feature, so he wasn't completely hopeless.

Just as for Sonic, sand blew out behind him, perhaps creating a bit of an obstacle. Looking out at the water as he ran, Shadow saw the dolphin again (maybe it was a different one?), swimming alongside them as they raced. ]

Knowin' the course isn't the same! You were the one that took off the first time, pal!

[Sonic was somewhat behind Shadow as they raced, and had to avoid the sand being kicked up and flying about. He had to move off a bit to the side and not be directly behind his rival.

This wasn't the first time he noticed Shadow looking out toward the water. The blue hedgehog kept running, but also took a moment or two to look out at the ocean and then at Shadow.]

You've never seen them up close, have you? We can stop and to sightsee if that's what you want!

[ Shadow watched the dolphin a little longer before staring ahead again. ]

No. [ He didn't want to do anymore sightseeing today. He had to return those books to their appropriate places. Then it would be time to go somewhere else. ]

There will be plenty of time for that some other day.

All right, suit yourself!

[Sonic raced along with Shadow, seeing that they were going in the right direction to get back to where they started. As fast as they were going, they made it there not too long after they picked up from where they left off with the blue hedgehog coming in as a close second, which seemed to end up as rather normal now. That would have to change. Definitely have to change.]

Heh, we need a rematch. So this means I will hafta track you down so we can have it.

[ When Shadow stopped, he carefully removed his shoes, stepping on the warm sand in his bare feet. He's casual about lifting up the runners and shaking them, getting stray sand out. After a moment, he replaces them, adjusting their tightness. ]

Very well. But not today. I've had enough exploring for one afternoon.

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