Sitting in the dark, damp cell, Sonic's right arm throbbed as he struggled to catch his breath through his bruised ribs. Zavok had really given him a beating this time, and the emptiness in his stomach didn't help the overall discomfort in his now purple torso. What day was it again? Was it morning or night? The blue hedgehog felt so out of touch and disoriented that it made his aching head pound even harder the more he thought about it. "I've got to find a way out of here," he whispered while staring at the gloomy ceiling. The quietness was shattered by the all-too-familiar voice of his captor creeping up from behind him, "Still dreaming, are we?" Alarmed, the damaged hero immediately sat up and pivoted in place, temporarily ignoring the pain as his fight or flight sense kicked into overdrive. However, all he saw was nothing. Just darkness in the dreary room that served as his home. "Where-where are you?!" he shouted into thin air, beginning to hyperventilate, his eyes quivering as he scanned the empty metal room. Why was he so terrified? When did the fear set in? "GGUUUHHHH!!" Outstretched claws gripped Sonic's throat from behind and pulled him back. Despite how hard he struggled, he couldn't make them release their chokehold. The sharp edges pierced his flesh as they grasped tighter and tighter. He gasped for breath, kicking and thrawling in desperation. Drool leaked from the corner of his mouth as his eyes began to turn upward, the room swirling and caving in. "That's it," the jackal mused, "give into it." His gasps shortened, his muscles weakening, there was no fighting this. No escape. His hands fell to his sides as he slipped into unconsciousness, falling into black nothingness before waking up again in a subjugated position suspended by tightly knotted ropes. The headache he was suffering had doubled in intensity as he worked to get a his bearings. He remembered this place. There were times Infinite would leave him tied up in here for what seemed like days. He swung in the air whenever he tried to move, making the binds feel even tighter in the most delicate areas of his body. The hard object protruding from his anus was painful, and yet, he couldn't ignore the pleasure it sparked. "Is this...when I started liking it?" he thought, wriggling in place, which made the ropes grope his breast and equipment even tighter. "NO!!!--I-I hate this!!! And yet---" he couldn't help but continue to allow the bondage to excite him, surrendering to the carnal urges his body demanded. Why was he yearning for this?! Was it the loneliness of living in confinement or was the jackal somehow influencing him? He felt his member growing hard, throbbing. He moaned behind his gag as he indulged in the sensations spreading like wildfire within him. He couldn't decipher the cause, but he recognized the feeling and was helpless to resist it. "Look at you," the darkness chuckled, the gloved claw reaching out once again to fondle Sonic's body, "good boy...keep going." The blue hedgehog squirmed in place as the claws rotated his breasts and pressed the object inside of him harder. He could feel the apex approaching, sweat filtering through his fur, his spine arching within the tangled ropes as the mercenary wrapped his arms around him, "--we'll share this one." Sonic then found himself on the hard metal floor, bleeding, bruised, his eyes watering so much that he couldn't see straight. "HA-AHHH-HAAH-AH!!!" he moaned loudly as his warden merciless pounded his rearend with his oversized equipment, stretching the hedgehog's small anus with his massive knot. In one solid ram, the broken hero could feel the throbbing cylinder expel its juices within him, making him both quiver and collapse in exasperation as he heaved from both pleasure and pain. He could feel the warmth swimming inside of him, and with it, he clung to his master's company, to this bond they formed. "Assume the position," Infinite ordered after removing himself from their connection. Regardless of how tired he was, Sonic didn't hesitate to follow through as ordered. Turning on his back, he immediately closed his eyes as he had done so many times before, though he couldn't help but grit his teeth at the anticipation of what was to come next. He knew it pleased his captor, but it was nevertheless a painful experience he couldn't seem to adapt to. Any sort of defiance was always met by even worse treatment. He had to do what he was told. He had to obey. He had to... The melody of chuckles escaping the jackal as he fondled his breast became a sweet lullaby for the broken hero. . Just as the fangs began to sink into his chest, Sonic woke up in the isolation cell. The deafening sound was overwhelming! "I WANT TO GET OUT! PLEASE!!! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE IN HERE!!!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, but was unable to hear even his own voice. He clamped his ears down on his head, trying to drown out the silence. Unfortunately, the quieter it was, the louder the voices resounded in his mind. (((((YOu pATHeTIc WAStE!!! crYING foR sOMEone TO hoLD youR HANd!!!)))) [[[[whEN ARE YoU GOinG TO rEaLIZE NO OnE iS COMING!!!!]]]] {{{{{{EvERYThing ThAT HaS HaPPeNed, yoU DEsErve!!!!}}}} ^^^^^BuT YoU DON't dEsERve hiM!!!^^^^^ "I--I can't....I NEED HIM!!!" *Who are you talking about?* ~~~~yOu BeTrayED HIM!!!~~~~ ----bACKSTaBBeR!!!!!---- ====dESerTeR!!!!==== ::::YOu tuRNed YoUr bAck oN hIm!!!:::: "NO!!! I'D NEVER!!! I---I LOVE HIM!!!" >>>>>WhO CoULd EVer LoVE YoU?!?!?!>>>>>>> <<<<>>>>suFFER!!!!>>>> "n-no!!! p-please!!!" (((((suFFer!!!)))) :::::SUffER!!!!:::: ----SuFFEr!!!---- ====suFfeR!!!!=== ^^^^SUFFER!!!!^^^^ *ENOUGH!!!!*, the single voice of reason cut through the chaotic chorus of contempt, *....he's suffered enough.* Weeping uncontrollably, the broken hero held himself as he floated in a space of nothingness. The voices quieted until they vanished completely, leaving him to wallow in self-loathing and grief. "....I didn't mean to....I never wanted any of this...I...I'm..." The voice reached out to him soothingly, extending a gentle hand for him to take. *Sonic....he's waiting for you. It's time to wake up.* The lips formed around the blue hedgehog's forced the air into his lungs. He could feel their warmth, their tenderness. Though the repeated compressions on his chest were painfully forceful, they served their purpose as his body began breathing on its own once again. In a tumultuous string of coughs and gasps, the frail blue hedgehog was revived in more ways than one as the full shade of his emerald eyes returned to greet the crimson ones of his savior. "Sh-shad-ow....?" Sonic whimpered as loudly as he could in-between coughs, though he could barely speak above a whisper. His body was exhausted, his mind reeled from the roller coaster it just endured, and yet, he tried his hardest to pull himself to his partner, albeit he could only lift his hand a few inches off the ground. Shadow's ears perked up at the sound of his own name with astonishment, "Sonic? --SONIC!" Seeing the light in his face sent a jolt of happiness through him the likes of which guided every action that followed. The black hedgehog wrapped his arms around him in an embrace that no force on earth could tear apart! As Shadow held him tightly, the broken hero tried to identify him for who he was, but he couldn't fathom the truth being anymore than a dream. "A---are....r-real?" he finally stuttered. "YES--YES! I'M REAL, SONIC! I'M HERE! EVERYTHING'S OKAY! I'M RIGHT HERE." The words practically flew out of Shadow's mouth in a single breath as he couldn't find any other way to express how he felt. Feeling his warmth, engulfed in his scent, clarity slowly seeped into Sonic's conscious mind, enveloping him in a whirlwind of emotions that made him bury his head in his partner's chest as he accepted this reality to be true. The tears creeping from his eyes grew into rivers as the matted blood from Shadow's soaked fur transferred onto him. The two of them were a mess, but it didn't matter. Sonic forced his feeble arms to fold around the black hedgehog's waist, doing everything possible to cling to him with every fiber of his being. He began to tremble, overwhelmed by what he was feeling as Shadow rocked him back and forth in a comforting motion. The relief and elation they both felt in finally, truly being in each other's arms was indescribeable! In this precious moment, both of their hearts were about to burst, one from joyful rapture, but the other, from sorrowful regret. "---I--I'm so---s-sorry" Sonic weeped incoherently, much to Shadow's surprise, "m-my f-fault---it---it's MY F-FAULT---all mine---n-not strong enough---n-no way out---c-couldn't m--make him s-stop----I---I j--just wanted him to STOP!!!!---a-all---alone---n-no one coming---in d-darkness---so long---h-hurt---deserved---I d-deserved ALL OF IT!---N-not you---never m-meant---c-couldn't----no ex-excuse---I'm---S-SO S-SORRY, SH-SHADOW!....I'm so...so...so sorry...I'm sorry...." Shadow was taken aback and heartbroken as Sonic rambled and pleaded desperately for forgiveness for crimes he was in no way responsible for. Even as his voice grew smaller, succumbing to his own weakness, he continued to mutter his shame and guilt in breathless streams of woefully mangled words like a broken record. From what Shadow could understand, Sonic blamed himself for his original capture months ago and believed all the suffering he endured was rightfully due, but that he didn't mean for him to be victimized as well. The Ultimate Life Form wanted so badly to point out who was truly responsible for everything, to obsolve him of any reason to blame himself, but he knew this was a very delicate situation. Given his partner's current instability, it was impossible to determine how much of a hold Infinite still had on him, and not only did he not want to risk any further mental anguish on his blue counterpart, he refused to let that bastard take this moment from them! Placing his chin on top of Sonic's head, Shadow coated his words in a warm cloth of assurance with a steady soothing tone that could pierce even the most turbulent storm. "You have nothing to apologize for," he said while gently rubbing Sonic's cheek with his thumb, wiping away his tears as he continued to cradle him. His dialogue was carefully selected while it filtered its way through his heart, honest and endearing, "You've done nothing wrong....I should be the one to apologize", he said somberly. The broken hero's eyes cracked open slightly in surprise as he attempted to comprehend the conversation in his weary state of mind. He remained silent, still, his breathing slowing to a slightly normal rate as he was swept away in his partner's calming voice. "I didn't understand before---the hell you went through. I wanted to fix everything in an instant, not just for your sake, but to vindicate myself as well. I wanted to make it as though none of it ever happened.....but, it did...and I...I couldn't just erase it anymore than I could have prevented it....I didn't save you like I should have--I tried---CHAOS KNOWS I TRIED!---but trying is no excuse. I failed you, Sonic, in so many ways. And for that, I'm truly, deeply sorry." The blue hedgehog paused for a moment as he absorbed his partner's words, letting them mingle and process before reaching his feeble arms further around his savior's waist in an affirming hug while slowly shaking his head in disagreement, "N-no", he whispered from within Shadow's fluffy chest, "C-can't...take...th-the blame....too...m--macho." To say the small quip stunned Shadow would be an understatement! Peering down, he saw a very tiny smirk on the corner of Sonic's bruised lip, and the sight of it immediately christened his own face with a gentle grin that removed a tremendous weight from within him. Even in his worse condition, Sonic was able to find a miniscule spark of humor to make Shadow smile. It wasn't a guarantee that he would be the same, and he was far from healing, but it was an indication there was hope. Infinite didn't steal everything from him. This small comedic comment carried such significance that it filled the black hedgehog with overwhelming joy until tears formed in the corner of his eyes. With an extra loving squeeze, he swallowed his emotions for now. It was time to go. "S-sleepy---so--so t-tired," Sonic mumbled as he began to drift away. "Then rest," Shadow stated with a genuine smile, "I'll take care of you." "P-promise?" he whispered with a small weak smile before dozing off. "Promise", Shadow immediately replied. Scooping his arm under Sonic's limp legs, the black hedgehog hoisted him up; while he himself, stumbled slightly to his feet. Despite the pain his own body still resonated, he held his fragile partner gently, yet securely with the intent to protect him at all costs. They had a long way to go and unknown obstacles to face, but no matter what, Shadow vowed nothing would ever separate them again. His thoughts then flashed to the jackal who was responsible for it all, and as they headed towards the chamber door, he uttered sternly in his mind, "There's only one to blame--- and he will pay."