*Shadow's POV*
"Good morning, Mr. Sonic!" Cream and I walked downstairs when she suddenly shouted that. I looked up to see Sonic standing at the front door.

"Good morning, Cream!" Sonic hugged Cream, then showed her he was still wearing her bracelet. "Sorry, Vanilla let me in on her way out. I hope that's okay." He said to me after he let go of Cream.

"It's okay." He reached for my hand, and I took it, completely forgetting I had not told Cream about this.

"I knew it!" She shouted, and I tensed up. "I knew it!" She giggled and then walked outside.

Sonic laughed at that, and I playfully rolled my eyes. "You forgot to tell her?" He asked, and I nodded.

"How are you feeling?" I asked him after I took a glance at the wound behind his ear. "Did your family see it?"

"No. They didn't. Thankfully." He intertwined our fingers as we walked Cream to school. "I'm okay. Still feel a bit tired, though, but actually. Look!" He let go of my hand, and he was suddenly gone, leaving a blue trail behind.

"You've got your speed back." I sighed in relief.

"Yup!" He was suddenly beside me again and didn't waste a second to hold my hand.

"Bye!" Cream waved at us, and we waved back as we watched her go into her school. We kept walking.

"You shouldn't run just yet. You're still tired, and maybe Eggman doesn't know Tails removed the device." I said, and he nodded.

"I thought of that already. I won't." He leaned closer to me and kissed my muzzle, then moved back. I looked away, not used to this kind of affection and cleared my throat.

"We should look for your fox friend."

"I texted him while you and Cream were getting ready. He said he would be with Rouge." He started looking around when we got to our school.

"Guys. Over here." We found them by the football field, so we walked to them. There weren't many students around since we had arrived about 20 minutes before homeroom.

"Good morning, guys." Sonic said as he let go of my hand and hugged his best friend. "So! Did ya find anything?"

"Good morning, Sonic." Tails said, but he didn't smile. In fact, he looked worried. This immediately caught my attention. Whatever he found, he had already talked about it with Rouge.

"Spill it out. Now." I demanded.

"Well." He sighed. "The device was, in fact, draining you of all your energy. It is programmed to do it slowly, but whoever is controlling it must have changed their minds about taking your powers little by little. They wanted you to be weak. Take all of your energy in order to use it to create more of these." He pulled out the device, which was now broken into pieces.

"What happened to it?" Sonic asked.

"I destroyed it." Rouge crossed her arms.

"We know it was Eggman who put the device on Sonic. So why are you saying he's not the one controlling it?" I asked.

"Because this seems reckless. If Eggman is smart enough to create something like this, then he surely would have known he would get caught by draining Sonic of his energy this fast. Preventing him from using his speed." The fox explained.

"Who else could he be working with then?" Sonic asked. The three of them looked at me as if I knew the answer.

"I don't know. Eggman works alone." I pinched the bridge of my nose. "I don't know who he could be working with."

"Tell them the other thing." Rouge said as she grabbed the device from Tails and threw it away.

"What other thing?" Sonic asked, concern on his tone of voice.

"The device. It's not just to drain you of energy but to mind control you as well." Sonic looked at me concerned.

"He did say he will have control over me at some point. I didn't think much of it. I just thought he meant as him putting pressure on me since he's the principal." Sonic rubbed his face, then brushed back his quills and let out a heavy sigh. "Okay. So Eggman put this device on me. We know it drained me of my energy, taking my power, my speed, but since it's been removed, I have my speed back."

"You do?" The fox asked, his tone changing to a more concern one. "That's not good."

"Why is it not good?" I asked.

"Because then that means that he -" The fox stopped, looking my direction with his eyes wide open.

"That I know you removed the device off your little friend?" I froze. His voice was deep and menacing, I quickly jumped back, pushing Sonic and the others behind me. "What did I tell you about being friends with this bat, Shadow? Didn't you learn from the last time?"

I felt as my hands started to tremble, but I quickly turned them into fists and growled.

"Or you want her to suffer the same fate Maria did?" He grinned at me.

*Rouge's POV*
"Don't listen to him, Shadow." I placed my hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that that would never happen.

"Shut up." I turned to look at Sonic, who looked absolutely furious. He reached forward and grabbed Shadows' hand, then took a step forward, standing beside Shadow. "I don't ever want to hear her name come out of your mouth." It was surprising seeing this side of him. Seeing him be protective over Shadow. Knowing his deepest wounds.

"Whats this? The blue pest is trying to stand up for his boyfriend? Let me tell you something, I had big plans for you, big ones, but now? Now I just want to see you suffer. What better way than working with someone who is so desperate to have you back? You remember your old friend Sally, right?" He stepped out of the way to reveal Sonics ex standing behind him.

"Hello, Sonic."