Chapter Text
CONTEXT:
By now Shadow realizes that he has actually been fed other mobians and humans by Fleetway and then the memories of it has been burned away. He has slowly become imune to the process of buring memories though and slowly starts to remember all the recent events. However, now that he is consious of it, he has completly become addicted to the living chaos energy that inside of everyone. It feels like a high of energy. He feels extreme guilt that he is killing those he promised Maria he would protect, and so is on the run.
At the same time Sonic and Shadow have started a romance based on their mutual prowess and ability to keep up with one another, realizing just how important it is to have a true peer. Sonic when realizing that Fleetway is inside of him is given memories by the demon about what he has done. When he realizes that Shadow is missing and the true reason he is gone after their budding romance goes and looks for him, knowing that Shadow can't help what is happening to him.
Story:
Shadow found himself near a farm watching through the window -a young teen arguing with his parents before running out of the house slamming the door- from his perch in a nearby tree.
He had watched this teen for a few days, and noticed that he had been selling some illegal substances to kids a few years behind his own. Sure he was young enough to change but Shadow was hungry enough to start ignoring facts.
The black hedgehog jumped down, making sure to kick on his air shoes just enough that it would cause his landing to be near silent as he followed the young man into the woods. Shadow stopped when his target stopped to pull out a cigarette and began to smoke it.
Shadow took a deep breath and stayed about ten meters away. His stomach growled and it was almost time for him to give into it once again. By this point he was completely spoiled for other food. The taste of living flesh still clinging on to chaos energy was addictive at best, and downright necessary at worst.
Just as he was stealing his nerves he felt a strong chaos presence moving towards his position at high speed.
After so many months he was used to Fleetway coming back into his life when he was feeling hungry. Sometimes he joined in, other times he just liked to watch and check in. Then there were other times where he boiled over in anger, presumably by something Sonic did, and came in fighting, just to leave Shadow a mangled mess.
But something felt off, this Chaos energy, it was wrong, the glee in it was normal for Fleetway, but the levels felt…different.
He looked around after hearing the crunching of leaves and a snap of a twig. Fleetway didn’t often walk but maybe he was weakened if his energy levels were anything to go by. Shadow turned to look expecting to see gold fur nonetheless. There was no way anyone else could pin his location down like that anyways.
Instead he felt his eyes widen in shock, and for the first time in what felt like a lifetime, his heart gave a beat. His eyes blurring as his emotions fired in confusion, not sure of what he felt he could only find himself staring into bright green eyes and smooth blue quills.
At first Shadow was elated to see the smirking blue hero, but soon felt like the world was collapsing. There was only one reason why he would be there.
Sonic has finally come to his senses, realized that Shadow had become a monster, and decided to hunt him down.
Sonic took a few steps up to Shadow, sauntering a little while Shadow stood there frozen, not quite sure what to do, he wanted to run, but he was starving and there was no way he would last against the hero for long.
Sonic noticed Shadow’s shocked expression letting out a small snort.
“Cat got your tongue?”
When Shadow was still unable to produce a response Sonic just kept walking forward almost grinning with every muscle he had. His chaos energy had changed form the last time they had an encounter, it was stronger, and almost mimicked the chaotic flow of Fleetway.
“Shads, I’ve been looking for you forever. It’s been a pain to track you down, you know. I almost gave up completely.”
Shadow’s brain finally started to fire and he was finally able to start moving backwards slowly. He thought if he had to be taken out, it may as well be while doing what he did best: racing Sonic.
Sonic didn’t seem too surprised by the few steps back, and he only moved in closer.
“Come on Shadow it’s been such a long time since we have seen each other, I know it wasn’t great terms we left on, but they weren't really bad either right.”
Shadow just shook his head, not really taking in the words and processing them. God damn he was so hungry.
Shadow couldn’t help it, he turned mid spin to the boy who was still oblivious to what was going around him, even if it was just a little, it might just be enough to help him escape.
Shadow slashed forwards as the boy finally heard the scuffle and had enough reaction to throw his arms up over his face. The hybrid’s claws started to slice through flesh nonetheless, and Shadow could feel his mouth start to fill with drool, preparing to break down the meat stumbling in front of him.
As the dark hedgehog tried to lunge again he tripped over a log, unable to keep up his balance with the hunger blurring his vision. The boy seemed to have a lot more guts than anyone would think, because he seemed to ignore his disabled arms and kicked Shadow in the head, sending him flying back.
Shadow layer there for a second coming to terms with this being the end, Sonic most surely found him by now and if even this kid could knock him away there was no chance he could get out of this mess.
Then he hears shouting and pleas for release. Then there was a solid thud sound before the sound of a barely there snarl before Shadow recognized it as Sonic’s.
Shadow spun in surprise as Sonic dragged the struggling teen over. The kid kicked and screamed, but he was weakening as blood drained from his arms.
When the pair got close enough to where the hybrid had stayed laying on the ground, Sonic threw the human down before slamming his foot down on top of the leg that had kicked Shadow and it snapped with sickening ease.
Shadow found himself blinking and staring as he watched Sonic repeat the action with the other leg. The teen howled in pain before passing out.
Shadow wished he had the mental capacity to take in what this all meant or to ask about Sonic’s goals, but he was way too hungry to think of anything besides consuming the human crumpled next to him.
In an instant Shadow threw himself over and wasted no time in gripping and ripping through his chest to reach in for the heart. It would kill the human quickly, depriving him of some the chaos energy in the dying body. But Shadow needed the most chaos energy he could get as quickly as possible, and the heart contained more than half of the body’s worth in just one place.
Shadow gorged himself, forgetting about the situation around him as his hunger consumed all parts of his mind. Shadow was not able to deny the fact that it was delicious to eat human flesh anymore. He no longer even tried to hide his enjoyment, even as he burned with the shame of it all.
It wasn’t until he felt something rest on the quills of his head that he remembered that this feeding experience wasn’t like his other ones. This time he was not alone.
With the heart in his system and a few more organs that he did not remember pulling out- but were in fact missing- he looked up to see Sonic with an amused expression on his face.
Shadow instantly froze while Sonic slowly stroked down the quills on the top of his head. The hybrid was instantly lost and confused; he just stared forward before swallowing.
Sonic gave him a lopsided smile while he removed his hand by bringing it to the body in front of him.
“Man, Shadow, you were really hungry you shouldn’t let yourself get like this.” Sonic's hand lowered to pick up the body but Shadow’s hand shot out grabbing the hero’s wrist to stop him.
“No, you’ll get dirty.” Shadow managed to whisper out, still staring at the other’s face.
Sonic just snorted before gently grabbing Shadow’s hand and removing it.
“Look Shadow, you’ve done that on your own.” He gently laughed out. Shadow just staring at the blood that was just moments ago on his hand and that was now painting the soft peach fur of the hero.
“Now come on, you are leaving one of the best parts to waste away.” Sonic's voice was soft and gentle like he might scare away Shadow at any moment rather than it being the other way around.
He grabbed the brain that was swathed with large amounts of blood that clung to the organ and the fat that had protected it. He wrapped his hands around the squishy lump of flesh and gave it a quick pull up. Dislodging the delicacy with a loud sucking squelch noise. He readjusted his grip once it was out and started to look at it curiously.
“Sonic, you're not thinking this through.”
“Yeah, Imma be honest, I’m not very good at that whole planning thing. Thinking of the consequences is more of a you thing anyways.”
Shadow growled. “At best you are putting yourself in danger by being around me, at worst you're aiding a criminal and going against your morals.”
“My morals? My morals have always been to help my friends.”
“And saving lives which you won’t be doing if you stay around me.”
“Well yeah but, they are bad people right?”
“Sonic you are the champion of giving people second chances that don’t deserve it.”
“Well I think everyone should be free to make of themselves what they want, and to only take down people who are abusing their freedom and causing harm, or something like that. I just kinda go with my gut on the details…”
“Which is why you should be hunting me down.”
Sonic just scoffed. grabbing Shadow's face and looked deep into his eyes as he began to hand feed him, even pushing his fingers in to make sure that Shadow wouldn't just spit it out. The sharp teeth of the hybrid careful not to touch the fingers. Sonic smirking, "See, you wouldn't hurt me, I'm perfectly safe with you. So just shut up and eat."
“Well, we eat other animals and meat so…I mean just look at the chili dog consumption around here….” Sonic trailed off his eyes screwed shut, his mouth twisted in discomfort.
“Are you really going to forgive me for this? You’re not going to hunt me down and condemn me?” It was a near whisper, Shadow could not believe a single thing he was hearing form the other hedgehog.
“Of course not.” He let out a short laugh that sounded broken and near hysterical. Shadow just continued staring, imploring Sonic to explain more once their eyes finally met.
Sonic let out a sigh as he continued“ After all, if what you said is right, and my own memories and stuff from Fleetway are right…I’m not exactly innocent either.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
Sonic swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked right back into Shadow’s eyes.
“Well, it might have been his choice, but its still my body. I still ate those people taking their chaos energy with it.”
Sonic seemed to sway a little, his face looking as though it was losing color as he finished his statement. Part of his mind reliving the flashes that Fleetway had given him of what he and Shadow had been doing during the blackouts.
“That’s completely different! You didn’t even know what was happening, you had no control or even any ability to respond to the situation. You didn’t eat those people, Fleetway and I did!”
“What are you talking about? In the feelings I have, I freaking liked it! Whatever the hell was going on, part of me wanted it!”
Sonic did not seem disgusted by what he was holding at all, and when he looked over to the hybrid he gave a soft smile like what was happening wasn’t the most insane thing he had ever done. He moved it quickly over to where Shadow was huddled down by the stomach, trying his best to not waste any of the crimson liquid that the black hedgehog craved. He brought it up to the other’s face with his usual carefree expression, holding it out like an offering.
Shadow was still. It wasn’t until the other was practically rubbing the brain against his muzzle that he responded at all, opening his mouth a little causing sonic to try and push the whole thing into the tiny gap, his happy go-lucky face that was covered in blood splattered lit up in amusement. “Come on, you gotta open up more than that.”
Shadow slowly raised his hand before bringing it down quickly onto Sonic’s arm pushing the other away and making him juggle to organ so that it didn’t fall. “Did you…did you just kill a guy for me?”
Sonic had a slight panic across his face. If it was from the statement or trying to hold onto the brain, Shadow was not quite sure. “No, I broke his legs because you're obviously too much of a mess. But the killing part was all you.”
His eyes seemed to bore into Shadow’s, a shiver running down his body. He was still hungry but he could focus a little better now. For a second he had hoped that Sonic was genuine in his attempt at helping him, but maybe he got it all wrong, maybe Sonic just wanted proof of the monster that Shadow had become.
“That wasn’t you! That was him! Stop trying to justify forgiving me with what that monster did to you. Your innocent Sonic! A victim of this mess if anything.”
Shadow closed his eyes as he turned away. He couldn’t argue this anymore. He was dying for Sonic not to hate him, but there was no way he was going to allow the blue blur to drag himself down to hell with him for it to happen. Sonic didn’t need to think about himself in that way.
Before Sonic could come up with any more to his argument he just shoved the brain more and Shadow and the dark hedgehog finally gave in, guilt course through his whole body.