Chaos Needs a Leash

Ch.7

Before the two sped off, Sonic and Shadow had to navigate through the maze of scraps again. Once they made their way back to the front door, Sonic opened the outward-swinging door with caution.

The two had passed the threshold of the door merely a millisecond before speeding off towards Rouge's apartment, located in the thick of Station Square.

The race went rather smoothly, despite the usual competitive nature of theirs', the race was pretty lax, with neither really trying too hard to win.

The two decided to take a detour through a nearby forest, when Shadow realized what he had got himself into. He had literally just agreed to have his chaos energy tracked. He hadn't even asked about any privacy concerns! Shadow started slightly panicking, slowly coming to a stop as he did. Sonic, of course, took notice to the dwindling speed of the other, and sensed his concerns.

"Look, if this is about the tracker, it's perfectly safe. Trust me, if it wasn't, Eggman, and probably everyone else, would already know about my predicament. Im fairly sure that not even Rouge knows, and we all know how great of a hacker she is." Sonic slowed to a stop as well to comfort the anxious hedgehog.

Shadow was noticeably less anxious after Sonic comforted him, but a thought struck the ebony. Why was Sonic having such an effect on him? He knew it probably had something to do with Tails' earlier observation, and of course the uncanny tranquility, but Shadow really didn't want to think about it.

"So, uh... Shadow?" Sonic asked nervously, tapping his two index fingers together.

"Hmm?" Shadow already knew what Sonic was going to ask, unfortunately.

Shadow knew what was coming, but he still couldn't really prepare for the question. "About earlier, when I uh... touched your shoulder? What happened back there?"

Shadow's face went blank, obviously having trouble answering.

"I mean, you don't have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable." Sonic's voice was gentle, and caring. He used a calming tone that Shadow noticed he really only used with Tails. This elicited a reaction from Shadow.

"Seriously, why are you always being so considerate towards me! I don't get it!" Shadow screeched, confused and even slightly afraid. The sudden outburst was unexpected to Sonic, who jumped slightly.

"Shadow..." Sonic paused, reaching his hand towards the other, before the ebony flinched away, fear evident in his eyes.

Sonic cast his eyes down and sighed. "Because I care about you, and I refuse to believe you are a monster." Sonic responded frankly, surprising Shadow somewhat.

"I understand if you don't want to tell me, but I just want to help you." Sonic looked Shadow dead in the eyes, gaze softening slightly.

Shadow breathed out heavily through his nose. How could he possibly tell Sonic? Something inside of him desperately wanted to tell Sonic, but he couldn't formulate the right words. Even though the sudden cloudiness in his head, Shadow still tried to tell Sonic. "Not even I really know what it was. It was just... extremely sudden."

Sonic took a step backwards. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" Sonic's eyes counted a look of horror, as if he was actually afraid that was the case.

Shadow quickly interjected. "No no no... that's not it. It's just..." Shadow took a deep breath. He didn't want any more troubling misconceptions. "Quite the opposite." Shadow Closed his eyes, prepared for ridicule.

"So I didn't hurt you? That's a relief." Sonic leaned down to do a few stretches, easing the tension out of his muscles. Sonic, evidently noticing the tension in Shadow's form, continued with, "so how about we continue this conversation once we get back, or in the morning? Whichever's most comfortable." Sonic stood up, and offered Shadow his hand.