[MATURE] Shadow/Knuckles
Content Warnings: Injury / Non-Consent
A few days later.
Once again, Shadow tore through the blue sky with Chaos Control and appeared above Angel Island.
Emerging from the distortion in space-time, he slowly descended to the island below.
“Knuckles, how are you feeling?”
“Hey, Shadow. Same as always. Nothing to complain about. Sky’s blue, island’s quiet.”
Knuckles greeted Shadow from atop the altar, his arms folded across his chest.
Shadow sat down in the shade of one of the pillars and, with the wind blowing past him, quietly watched Knuckles’ profile for a while.
Before coming to the island, Shadow had asked his fellow agents to deploy combat drones in the skies around Angel Island.
He had received intelligence that a swarm of drones left behind by Regina—the half-machine woman who had abducted Knuckles—was heading toward Angel Island, and had immediately arranged an interception.
When he first received the information, Shadow had started to move, intending to tell Knuckles at once.
Then he stopped and reconsidered.
Wait. Is there really any need to report every little thing to him when it would only make him worry?
Shadow compared the projected strength of the enemy forces with that of his own side once again, activated the simulation system, and ran several combat simulations.
No matter how many times he ran them, the result was the same: a 99.99% probability of victory.
Needless to say, his own forces were projected to win overwhelmingly.
There’s no need to even report this to him. It would be better to handle it quietly on our end.
As a precaution, Shadow designated the planned engagement point some distance away from the island to ensure that Angel Island would not be caught in the fighting.
He put away his device and, as he prepared to head to Knuckles, thought:
He takes far too much responsibility for everything concerning that island onto himself in the first place. Maybe he thinks his problem is that he’s weak… but he isn’t weak. He’s carrying too much.
Having reached that conclusion, Shadow finished the remaining administrative work and promptly traveled to the island using Chaos Control.
“Knuckles, by the way… what’s the western side of the island like?”
“What’s it like…? Well, once you’re through the forest, there are some ruins, a little spring, and then a field of flowers. If you’re curious, want me to show you around?”
“I’d like that.”
Shadow rose from where he had been sitting in the shade of the pillar, watching Knuckles, and followed him.
The drones should be engaging each other over the eastern side of the island soon. Just to be safe, I’ll keep Knuckles on the western side.
With Knuckles as his guide, Shadow passed through the forest, looked out over the spring, walked among the ruins, and eventually came to a flower field near the edge of a cliff.
“This time of year, these yellow flowers cover the whole place. On a sunny day, it’s perfect for a nap.”
Low yellow flowers bloomed across the entire open field.
Birdsong rang out beneath the clear blue sky, and a gentle breeze swept through what seemed, in every sense, like a field of flowers in paradise.
“I see. It’s a magnificent view.”
Shadow slowly looked across the flower field from one end to the other.
When he turned toward the cliff, a red-furred echidna standing at ease amid the vast expanse of yellow flowers entered the center of his vision.
Surrounded by vivid yellow blossoms and bathed in brilliant sunlight, Knuckles made Shadow’s eyes soften dreamily.
How beautiful he is.
For a while, Shadow lost all sense of time as he gazed at Knuckles.
Then Knuckles looked his way and smiled.
“What’re you spacing out for? Pretty flowers, huh?”
“No. I know something on this island more beautiful than an entire field of flowers.”
The truth slipped reflexively from Shadow’s lips.
The instant he realized what he had said, Shadow startled himself, covered his mouth, and turned away.
“Huh…? Seriously? What is it?”
Knuckles’ eyes widened with curiosity as he came closer.
“N-no, I…”
Shadow’s heart pounded hard enough to make it feel as though it might leap from his chest, and he swallowed.
He lowered his gaze, his expression tense.
Then, just as he steeled himself and was about to speak the name—
A rapid series of explosions echoed in the distance.
Knuckles immediately raised his head and glared toward the sound.
Shadow explained in a low voice.
“There’s no need for concern. The agents’ drone unit has simply begun hunting down the remnants of Regina’s drones in the skies nearby.”
Knuckles stared at Shadow without changing his expression.
Then he turned on his heel and sprinted at full speed toward the sound.
Shadow followed a short distance behind.
By the time they reached the opposite side of the island, the battle was nearly over. From the cliff, they could see the agents’ drone unit circling in formation as it moved to eliminate the few remaining enemy drones.
“Why…?”
Knuckles murmured as he stared at them.
“What’re you doing near my island without telling me anything?”
Shadow spoke from behind him.
“I didn’t want to place any unnecessary burden on you. As you can see, the agents’ forces won overwhelmingly on their own. There was no need for either you or me to get involved. And in the first place, you take far too much responsibility for everything concerning this island onto yourself—”
“Don’t decide that for me!”
The force of Knuckles’ shout seemed to shake the air around them.
He stormed toward Shadow, each step heavy with anger.
“I’m the guardian of this island. The island, the Emerald, anyone who comes after either of them—those are all my responsibility in the first place!”
“I know that. That’s exactly why—”
“Then why didn’t you tell me there was gonna be a battle in the skies near the island!? Did you take me to the other side on purpose too? …Because I’m weak? Because you can’t rely on me? Did you think I’d just get kidnapped by drones again and end up pathetically crying my eyes out?”
A sharp pain stabbed deep into Shadow’s chest.
“No… That’s not it, Knuckles. I would never—”
“Then why’re you sneaking around behind my back and doing whatever you want!?”
Knuckles’ purple eyes bored straight into Shadow.
Shadow trembled as though a spear had pierced his heart. Unable to move, he barely managed to take half a step back before lowering his head.
“…I’m sorry. I won’t overstep again.”
Shadow said nothing more and simply stood there with his head bowed.
Knuckles let out a long sigh, then stomped away toward the altar.
For a while, Shadow remained where he was, standing in the wind like an empty shell with its soul torn out.
The notification on his information terminal sounded, finally bringing him back to his senses.
He returned to the agents’ facility using Chaos Control, but that night, Shadow could not sleep at all.
I hurt Knuckles deeply.
Central City, later that afternoon.
At a chili dog shop on the outskirts of the city, Sonic was happily stuffing his face with his favorite chili cheese.
“I need your advice.”
A low voice suddenly came from behind him, and Sonic nearly spat out the cheese in his mouth.
“D-don’t do that! …Shadow, I tell you this all the time. If you’re gonna talk to me, come at me from the front. Especially when I’m eating a chili dog…”
“I said I need your advice.”
“Yeah, yeah, I heard you! Sheesh! …Still, this is rare. You coming to me for advice? Is it about a mission? Or is the world ending?”
Sonic instantly switched gears, joking around as he put the straw of his cola between his lips.
Shadow sat down in the chair directly across from him and got straight to the point.
“I made a careless decision and hurt Knuckles. I want to know how to resolve it.”
Sonic stared at Shadow with slightly widened eyes, then popped one of the fries from his meal into his mouth, rested an elbow on the table, and said:
“That’s it? Just apologize. Tell him you’re sorry and you’ll be more careful next time. Knuckles isn’t the kind of guy who’ll drag something small out forever.”
“There is nothing small about this. It concerns his pride.”
Sonic tossed the last of his chili cheese into his mouth, thought for a moment, and said:
“You know… what exactly are you to Knuckles?”
Shadow silently glared at Sonic. Murderous intent poured without mercy from his sharp red eyes.
Sonic grimaced and reluctantly tried phrasing it another way.
“Do you like Knuckles?”
“‘Like’ is far too vague and abstract an emotion to—”
Shadow stopped himself, then added with a perfectly straight face:
“I can say with certainty that I dislike you.”
“Yeah, that part came through loud and clear. Thanks. That’s not what I’m asking. Knuckles…”
“I’m interested in him. But I don’t want to hurt him.”
Shadow glanced away.
Sonic bit into a fry and watched Shadow’s profile as he spoke.
“Why’ve you already decided that liking him means you’ll hurt him? You don’t know anything about Knuckles in the first place.”
Still facing away, Shadow shot Sonic a sidelong glare.
Sonic leaned back in his chair with a crooked grin, deftly waving the fry between his lips.
“You don’t know how he feels standing on that island. You don’t know what he’s been through. You don’t know what he’s trying to carry all by himself. You don’t know a damn thing about him.”
Sonic noisily sucked down some cola, tossed the rest of his fries into his mouth, and continued with a smug look.
“…What I’m saying is, there’s no reason to rush. You and Knuckles can just spend time together, take it slow, get to know each other little by little, and eventually, I’m sure you’ll—”
He looked up again with a smile.
Shadow was gone.
The chair across from him was already empty.
“Man, you’ve got no patience! And that’s coming from me!”
Sonic’s irritated shout echoed uselessly through the noisy restaurant.
Several days passed.
Shadow all but stopped appearing before Knuckles.
Knuckles stood before the Master Emerald with his arms folded, turning his head every time he heard a sound.
But the black hedgehog who always carried himself so calmly and looked at him with that gentle gaze was nowhere to be seen.
Knuckles sighed and continued standing alone in silence at the top of the altar.
A few days later, Sonic invited Knuckles down to Central City.
A huge flea market was being held there, and Knuckles had come to look for bargain tools he could use to repair the altar and the ruins.
As they wandered leisurely through the market, Knuckles happened to glance toward the outdoor seating of a café right beside it.
A black hedgehog was sitting at one of the tables, speaking intently with a woman Knuckles had never seen before.
Knuckles stopped without thinking and watched Shadow.
There was something almost feverish in Shadow’s expression as he listened intently to the woman’s explanation. From time to time, he asked a question and entered something into his information terminal. He seemed completely absorbed in what she was saying, without even touching the coffee on the table.
“What’s up, Knuckles? What’re you looking at?”
Sonic popped his head out from behind Knuckles and spotted Shadow in the direction he was staring.
“That’s Karana. Didn’t know she and Shadow knew each other.”
“Who is she? Sonic, you know that woman?”
“Met her on an adventure a while back. She’s an archaeologist. …Oh, right. She knows a ton about ancient history and culture. Shadow’s probably getting her to teach him about the Echidna tribe.”
Sonic put his hands behind his head and grinned.
He remembered what he had said to Shadow the other day.
You don’t know how he feels standing on that island. You don’t know what he’s been through. You don’t know what he’s trying to carry all by himself. You don’t know a damn thing about him.
Maybe those words had struck Shadow more deeply than Sonic had intended.
“Hah! Shadow’s really going all out, huh? Studying history in a café in the middle of a gorgeous day like this.”
“If he wants to know about Echidnas, he could just ask me…”
Sonic blinked and looked at Knuckles.
His tail hung straight down, his shoulders slumped, and he looked thoroughly dejected.
“Knuckles. Listen, Shadow might not look it, but when it comes to you, he…”
Sonic hurriedly started to explain, then stopped himself.
Shadow had been thinking seriously about Knuckles in his own way. He had worried over it, failed to find an answer, and eventually come to Sonic for advice.
And now, surely because he wanted to understand Knuckles better, he had sought out an archaeologist and was desperately trying to learn about Echidna history.
It wouldn’t feel right for me to butt in and put Shadow’s feelings into words for him.
Sonic folded his arms and hummed thoughtfully for a moment.
Then his face suddenly brightened. He threw an arm around Knuckles’ shoulders and whispered into his ear.
“Hey, Knuckles. Forget about Shadow for now and come have some fun with me. Let’s go all out!”
Sonic grabbed Knuckles by the arm and, half dragging him along, brought him to a small amusement park tucked away in a corner of Central City.
“This place is small, but it’s got a pretty good variety of stuff to do.”
Sonic bought two all-day passes, then pulled out his information terminal and sent someone a message.
With a sly grin, he grabbed Knuckles again and dashed toward the rides.
He shoved Knuckles into the passenger seat of a bright blue go-kart and took off at full throttle.
“Woo-hoo! Check out these sweet driving skills!”
Sonic worked the wheel with gleeful enthusiasm.
Knuckles gave him an exasperated look.
“What’s the point of this toy car? You’d be faster just running yourself.”
Sonic let out a short breath and smirked. Then, deliberately, he yanked the wheel hard and rammed the kart into the low barrier along the side of the track, jolting the whole vehicle just to rile Knuckles up.
“Whoa! What the hell’re you doing?!”
“Please be advised of sudden bumps! If you’re scared, you can hang on to me, Knuckles, sweetie.”
“Don’t screw with me! That’s it, gimme the wheel.”
“Hey, idiot! You’ll break it! You’ll break it with that grip of yours!”
One way or another, the two of them ended up laughing their heads off as they raced around the track.
But as they entered their third lap, Sonic glanced sideways at something, then gave a casual whistle.
“What?”
“Nothing. C’mon, let’s hit the next place.”
Sonic got Knuckles out of the go-kart and led him over to the ball pit, an enclosed netted space packed with colorful plastic balls.
He gave Knuckles a light shove into the pit, then launched himself headfirst into the sea of balls after him.
“Yeah! If we played baseball in here, you could rack up hits with your eyes closed!”
“What is this, some kiddie playground?!”
“Here, try and hit this one back! My ultimate breaking ball—‘A Whole Lotta Balls!’”
“You just threw a bunch of balls at me!”
Laughing and carrying on, they pelted each other with balls and dove into the pile.
Knuckles lost his footing on the balls, toppled over, and burst out laughing by himself.
Sonic glanced behind him, grinned, then gently put his arms around Knuckles and helped him sit back up.
“All right, you’re good, Knuckles. Whenever you take a tumble, I’ll always be right here to pick you back up…”
“Knock it off. What’s with you all of a sudden? Creepy. C’mon, let’s get outta here.”
Knuckles gave Sonic a light shove and headed for the exit.
For a split second, he thought he saw something black move near the way out, and rubbed his eyes.
“Hm…?”
Sonic gave an awkward smile, put an arm around Knuckles’ shoulders, and steered him toward the exit.
“If you thought you saw something, it was probably just your imagination. Anyway, teacups next.”
Sonic got Knuckles into one of the teacups and reached for the wheel in the center, ready to spin it as hard as he could.
Knuckles immediately shoved Sonic aside and cranked the wheel at full force.
“Aaaaaagh! That’s way too faaaaaast!”
“Wahahaha! How’s that, Sonic? Now you know what I can really do!”
Knuckles roared with laughter as he spun the wheel with all his strength.
Before long, though, his eyes began to lose focus, and he collapsed hard against the back of the spinning cup.
“Ugh… ngh… gonna be sick…”
“You overdid it, seriously.”
Sonic spun the wheel in the opposite direction, somehow managing to slow the cup down.
“You okay? Just lean back and take it easy.”
“Ugh… damn it… I’m not gonna lose…”
“What are you even fighting against?”
Sonic gave a wry smile and helped the groaning, frustrated Knuckles recline on his back.
Then he glanced around and sighed.
“Man… Guess I’ve gotta really push it, or I’m just gonna leave him hanging.”
Sonic looked at Knuckles and placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Hey, Knuckles. We’re pretty close, right?”
“Huh? How should I know when you spring that on me outta nowhere…?”
“I mean… like this!”
Sonic leaned forward and planted a big kiss on Knuckles’ cheek.
Knuckles stared at him, mouth hanging open.
Then he touched his cheek, and just as he was about to say something—
A sudden gust tore through the ride.
With the impact of a shock wave, Sonic was blasted sideways and went tumbling across the platform.
“Sonic?!”
The instant Knuckles shouted, a black hedgehog dropped neatly onto the broad platform where the teacups were spinning.
“Sh… Sha… Shadow?!”
Shadow was breathing hard, his shoulders heaving as he glared murderously at Sonic, who lay sprawled where he had been sent flying.
“H… how dare you… touch your lips so casually… to his cheek…”
For a moment, Knuckles could not understand what Shadow meant.
He stared at him, forgetting to breathe.
Then he finally snapped back to himself, leaned forward, and shouted:
“Shadow! C-calm down! Why the hell are you the one getting mad?!”
Shadow shot Knuckles a sharp glare.
“You should be angrier with Sonic.”
“Wha— I-I don’t really… Wait, why are you even here?”
The question brought Shadow rapidly back to his senses.
Then all the color drained from his face.
“N-no… I-it’s not what you think. I… You’ve got the wrong idea. I wasn’t following you. I just happened to be walking nearby…”
“Nearby…? Shadow, this is an amusement park. Did you buy a ticket and come here for a walk all by yourself?”
Knuckles tilted his head and asked the question in complete innocence.
Still deathly pale, Shadow finally bolted from the scene like a gust of wind.
“Ah… w-wait, Shadow…!”
As soon as the teacup stopped spinning, Knuckles hurried out of the ride and ran after him.
In fact, Sonic was the one who had lured Shadow there.
The moment they arrived at the amusement park, Sonic had sent a message to Shadow’s information terminal.
I’m about to go on a date with Knuckles at the little amusement park north of Central City. You’ll just get in the way, so don’t you dare come!
Before Knuckles could catch up to Shadow, Sonic sprang back to his feet, raced past him, and launched himself at Shadow’s waist.
“Quit running away! You didn’t like what I did, right? Then try getting close to Knuckles your own way!”
Sonic hoisted Shadow up and ran back toward Knuckles.
Carrying Shadow under his right arm and pulling Knuckles along with his left hand, he charged straight into the line for the Ferris wheel.
“You three there, please board the next gondola.”
Before the attendant had even finished the drawn-out announcement, Sonic shoved the other two into the gondola, hopped in after them, and quickly shut the door.
“Off we go!”
At Sonic’s cheerful call, the gondola carrying the three of them steadily climbed higher and higher.
For a while, Sonic gazed casually out at the scenery. Then he glanced at the two of them, neither of whom had said a word, scratched his head, and spoke.
“C’mon, Shadow. We’re on a Ferris wheel date here. Okay, so I’m tagging along too. Say something smooth or whatever.”
Instead of Shadow, who sat in silence with his fists clenched on his knees, Knuckles complained irritably.
“What date? You’re the one who shoved us in here!”
“Aw, c’mon, Knuckles. Didn’t you have something you wanted to say to Shadow a little while ago?”
Sonic’s prodding left Knuckles at a loss for words.
Then, as though gathering his courage, Knuckles faced forward and began speaking to Shadow.
“Shadow. Were you looking into the Echidna tribe or something? I saw you talking to that woman at the café. …Why didn’t you just ask me?”
Shadow’s head snapped up.
“Th-that was… well… I realized I don’t know anything about where you come from, or the history of your people.”
His gaze wandered as he continued.
“I realized it really was disrespectful of me to give you my opinions when I knew nothing about any of that. So I thought that, at the very least, I should try to learn something about you. I asked an expert in ancient cultures to tell me about the Echidna tribe.”
Knuckles leaned toward Shadow with a scowl.
“Ask me. Directly.”
“R-right. Yes… you’re right. I’m sorry…”
Knuckles gave a small huff and leaned back against his seat.
“It’s fine if you don’t know stuff. I don’t know everything about you either.”
Shadow hunched his shoulders and lowered his head.
Knuckles shifted uneasily and scratched his cheek as he spoke.
“You stopped coming to the island after I got mad at you the other day. Then today, I saw you completely wrapped up in listening to that archaeologist woman talk about the Echidna tribe, and… well… I thought maybe you didn’t need me anymore.”
“That’s not true…!”
“But you wanted to hear it from her instead of me, right? Doesn’t that mean you don’t need me?”
“You’ve got it all wrong! Do you have any idea how much time I’ve spent in remorse and atonement, just so I could bring myself to return to that island and see you again?!”
“A-atonement…?”
Knuckles looked utterly bewildered.
Unable to hold back any longer, Sonic cut in from the side.
“So basically, you both wanna make up, right?”
Shadow and Knuckles looked at each other.
Then, awkwardly, they both turned their eyes away.
“All right, you two. I’ll turn around and close my eyes.”
Sonic turned toward the window and covered his face with both hands.
Knuckles kicked him in the rear, sending him face-first into the window.
“What the hell was that for, you blockhead?!”
“I don’t know what the hell you’re getting at, but I know you were making fun of me!”
“Man, my sincerity just doesn’t get through to you! It was just encouragement, congratulations, and a little provocation!”
“So you were making fun of me!”
In the end, Sonic and Knuckles kept bickering noisily until the gondola reached the bottom.
Seeing Knuckles looking so lively again, Shadow quietly breathed a sigh of relief without letting either of them notice.
The three of them stepped off the Ferris wheel and headed straight for the amusement park exit.
After stretching, Sonic turned toward the other two with a grin.
“Hey, Knuckles, Shadow. Next time, let’s come back and actually hang out—all three of us.”
“If I feel like it.”
“If Knuckles wants to go, I’ll consider it.”
Sonic casually raised one hand in farewell, then took off running into the distance.
“I’ll take you back to the island with Chaos Control.”
“Yeah… sorry to trouble you.”
The setting sun shone against their backs.
Knuckles turned around and stopped to watch the sunset.
Shadow’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Knuckles’ fur glowing gold in the evening light.
Then his gaze shifted to Knuckles’ cheek, and he remembered what Sonic had done only moments before.
How dare he… so casually… put his lips to his cheek…
On impulse, Shadow grabbed Knuckles by the arm and pulled him close.
“Knuckles…!”
“Huh…? Wha…?”
Shadow took Knuckles’ face in both hands and pulled him in until their faces were nearly touching.
Their faces drew closer, until their lips were only a breath apart—
And Shadow suddenly shoved Knuckles away with all his strength.
“Guegh!”
Knuckles went tumbling across the ground, slammed into a wall, and dropped into the gutter at the side of the road.
“K-Knuckles…! I’m sorry. Are you hurt?”
Shadow rushed over in a panic, helped Knuckles up, and hurriedly checked him for injuries.
“Y-yeah… Was there something on my face or something?”
Knuckles scrubbed at his face with both hands.
Shadow stammered out an excuse.
“Ah… n-no. It was nothing. Your fur was glowing in the sunset, so…”
Knuckles gave a small huff and, as though nothing had happened, placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder.
Shadow desperately maintained a poker face and used Chaos Control to take them back to Angel Island.
I want to protect him. I don’t want to hurt him. …But that isn’t enough. I want more…
After seeing Knuckles safely back to the island, Shadow returned alone to the agents’ facility operated by the world government.
Remembering Knuckles’ fur glowing in the sunset, he made a quiet vow to himself.
Next time I see him, I’ll try to face him honestly.