Chapter 1 The Arrival of the Mysterious One

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Caroline's POV

I woke up gasping for air and sweat all over my body. 'What happened? Oh, it was only a dream.' So many times I dreamed about me and Shadow, but this time it seemed more realistic. I know he's not real but somehow something deep inside me still has hope that he's real. Instead of Shadow and Maria running, it was me and Shadow. And this time I was killed and Shadow lived. What did this mean? 'Well…I'm too hungry to find out!' And so I headed downstairs to the kitchen to have a bowl of cereal for breakfast.

After finishing up my cereal, I went downstairs to watch more of Sonic X, but it wasn't enough. 'Why can't Shadow or any of the Sonic characters be real?!' I questioned and nearly shouted to myself.

Just then, out of nowhere, a flash of light appears in front of me, and out pops out Shadow. 'Hey! I think my wish came true.'

Shadow tries to get up but seems to be in too much pain. Then, I notice that he's bleeding on his side. "Agh…" And with that said, he passes out.

'Yay! Well…Not what I had in mind, but that's okay, he's still hot!' I thought to myself while grinning at the sight of Shadow lying right in front of me on the family room floor.

So, I pick him up and bring him to my room. Then I grab some bandages and wash cloths to fix his wounds. Once done with that, I gently lay him down on top of my bed and head downstairs to start fixing him something to eat.

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After I had left the room for about five minutes, Shadow woke up to find that he was in a small room with pink and purple colored walls and a bunch of posters with animals on it. I look of confusion shown over his eyes as he notices one big picture of him on a wall. There was also writing on this picture in black ink, that read: Shadow and Me Forever!

'Ok…? What happened and where am I? Oh…Yeah…I used Chaos Control and well… I can't remember the rest.' Just then, Shadow gets a flashback.

"Sonic no…!" Amy screams out.

"Amy…I…Love…You…" Sonic slowly replies. And just like that, Sonic is gone (or so they thought).

"Eggman! I had just about enough of you!" 'First Maria, now this!' Shadow then, with much anger, shouts out "Chaos Control!" But instead of appearing behind Eggman and knocking him out like he planned, a flash of light appeared around Shadow and enveloped him inside. He then disappeared without a trace.

End of Flashback

'No! I have to get back now! Who knows what Eggman will do to poor Amy! Now that Sonics gone he'll probably have no problem taking over.' Right after thinking that, he starts to hear footsteps coming towards the room he was in. While ignoring the pain, Shadow quickly got out of bed and glanced towards the door with much anticipation. As the doorknob gradually started to turn, the dark hedgehog got into a defensive position to await the arrival of someone unknown.

The door slowly opened to reveal that the person was someone he'd least expect. It happened to be human girl who looked similar to his friend Maria. Instead of long flowing blonde hair however, this girl had long flowing brunette hair. She also looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old and had eyes that were the mixture of gold and gray. She wasn't too tall or too short and wore a pair of brown rimmed glasses. Her clothing consisted of a navy blue T-shirt with a pink bunny and the words "Let's focus on me" on it, lightly faded flare jeans, and an army green zip up sweatshirt with the numbers 89 on the front in pink.

"Hey Shadow! Are you feeling better?" I asked, while blushing slightly.

"Who… Who are you and how do you know my name?" Shadow asks with a look of surprise and confusion. He had a feeling that he'd be able to trust her, but nonetheless kept his guard up since she somehow knew him.

"Well… My names Caroline and I'm your biggest fan. I've been taking care of you ever since you appeared in my home."

"Taking care of me? Why?" Shadow inquired curiously.

"You were badly injured." Shadow then glances down upon the bandage wrapped around both of his sides. He quickly realizes the reason as to why he was in pain a few minutes earlier.

"By the way, how did you get here?" I ask him.

The ebony hedgehog turned to face the side of the room as he narrowed his eyes darkly. "Why should I tell you?"

At first I was appalled at his inquiry, but then I remembered that this is Shadow I'm dealing with, not Sonic. I sighed and said, "Look…I understand that it's hard for you to trust people, but you know, I did help you. Plus, it's kind of odd that someone like you would just show up in my home."

Shadow then nods his head in acknowledgement, but nonetheless kept his serious composure. "Alright, I'll tell you."

He then glances back at me and starts to explain what had happened in Sonic's world and how he ended up in this predicament.

"So, you mean, Sonic is… gone?" I ask him in disbelief. "That's it! I'm coming back with you!"

Shadow slowly gets up and grabs his Chaos Emerald. "Sorry, but I have to go back, alone…"

I couldn't believe that he was going to leave just like that. I mean, I knew his character by heart and understand his reason for being so abrupt, but I just couldn't let him get away so easily. And well, when else would I get the opportunity to go to Sonic's world. I felt like my emotions were taking over once again, but I ignored it and spoke to him anyway.

"Shadow, wait! Your too weak to go anywhere at the moment! Please don't go!" Tears then start forming in my eyes. "I didn't even know you existed until now!" Before I even knew it, tears started pouring down my cheeks as well.

'I don't have time for this!' Shadow thinks to himself in frustration. 'Huh?' The red streaked hedgehog glanced down to notice that I had pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Please don't leave without me Shadow! I love you!" I pleaded desperately. I'll admit that it was a bit silly, but a knew that if I didn't try, then I would regret this forever.

'What is with this girl?! Oh well… I guess she can come.' Shadow finally sighed in defeat, as he realized there was no way he could ignore this girl's actions. And well, there was something about her that somewhat reminded him of his friend Maria. "Fine, you can come. Just stop doing that and stay out of my way. I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

"Whatever you say Shadow." I rolled my eyes but then gazed off to the side as I sighed in delight. 'An adventure with me and Shadow? It's like a dream come true!'

Shadow quirked his eyebrow at my weird behavior, but quickly dismissed it since he had more important things to worry about. The dark hedgehog's facial features turned to that of impatience, as he noticed I was still gazing about in my thoughts. "Could you please get a move on? I don't have all day you know." Shadow answered while crossing him arms.

My thoughts were quickly ripped away as I recalled that Shadow was standing right in front of me. "Oh, right! Sorry." I looked down in embarrassment, but at the same time couldn't help but slightly smile at his angered actions. 'Still the same old Shadow, I see.'

A loud 'Humph' was all I could hear from the red and black hedgehog. His actions seemed to change however, for he realized that in order for the both of us to get there, I'd have to hold onto him. Shadow wasn't much of a person to have close contact, yet at the same time he couldn't just leave this girl here. There was something in the back of his mind that told him she needed to come with. Logic also seemed to show that maybe he ended up in this girl's home for a reason. With a deep sigh and much hesitation, the dark one finally spoke. "You'll need to, um… Hold onto me if were going to get there."

While gazing into his eyes I could tell that he seemed to be struggling a bit due to his anti-social personality, so I decided not to say anything more except a quick okay and a nod of the head. I then walked up to his side, while trying not to blush at the fact that I was so close to him, and finally brought my hand to his shoulder. I grasped onto him firmly as I awaited for the 'Chaos Control.'

Once Shadow knew that I was ready, his eyes were brought to a close as he concentrated on the chaotic power of the emerald. Then, when he finally focused in on the location he was thinking of, his eyes abruptly opened as he spoke his famous trademark words. And in an instant, we disappeared into nothingness.

Caroline's POV

I woke up thinking that I was still at home in bed. My eyes opened up and I glanced around at my surroundings. A grassy field stretched out for miles and a fully wooded forest was behind me. I could hear the sounds of chirping birds, feel the sun on my face, and the soft wind in the air. I backed up into the tree behind me as realization dawned on my face. This wasn't home! This was… At this point I began to remember all that had happened just a few minutes ago and who I had met.

It was hard to believe that all of this before me wasn't a dream and that someone who I never thought existed had suddenly appeared in my home. Yet here I was. I was out of my house and no way near any civilization that I knew. Although I could be in the same world, right? I turned in every direction searching for the one who had supposedly sent me in hope that I was wrong, and that I was in a new world and not my own. My gaze finally focused in on a short black figure standing in the distance. He looked as if he was brooding over something because his head was facing down and his arms looked like they were crossed. I decided to walk over to him and find out just what this dark hedgehog was thinking.

Shadow Thinking

'I can't believe that I was actually dumb enough to bring this girl with me. What if she gets hurt, or worse, dies just like Maria?' Shadow grimaced. 'Agh! I don't have time for this! I need to hurry up and find Amy! I'm sick of losing everyone whom I love!' He thought in annoyance.

Caroline's POV

"Hey Shadow. Something on your mind?" I ask him in the sweetest voice I could muster.

"Oh…Nothing…" He slowly drifts off. 'Nothing at all… Just wondering why the hell your bothering me!' Shadow angrily answers in his head.

"You know Shadow, all this is so strange to me. Somehow I always knew this world existed. I just never knew you'd appear to me." I then start to blush a little, but hide it right away by saying, "Well…I'm glad! Cause this place is wonderful! I never thought I'd be saying this, but lets go kick some Robutnick ass!