Don't Touch Me (DISCONTINUED)

30. WonderLust Gem

They came to an abrupt stop when they felt the earth tremble beneath them. "My sensors detect unusual source of chaos energy." Omega chimed. "What? This place have chaos levels too?" Shadow then begins to think deeply. He felt his head create an impounding pain where once he felt it again and hold his head.

The others hadn't noticed his headache and Shadow remembered the tube Sonic had given him. "You guys... go ahead... I'll be checking out and try to... stop this tremble." He told them. Before the others can even decline, Shadow gave Rouge a sharp look and she nodded, ordered them to go ahead as they left him.

When Shadow turned the other way, Sonic separated from the others and went to follow him. The black hedgehog went to another room, walking like a drunk man as he held his head. He seem to know where he was going, but indulging to much of this pain. Sonic curiously watched as the black hedgehog went inside of the caved chamber like a zombie.

Inside that chamber, Shadow moved his eyes around the bigger portion of the cave. Confused, that he was aware and familiar of the place, but cannot put the right point to it. Can't hold me much longer Shadow?

He groaned and glared particularly at nothing. I thought you were that strong.

He looks up wildly, then begin to look around, like he doesn't know where the source of the voice came from. You're just as weak as the others, Ultimate Lifeform.

"I'm not weak... You are." He heard a laugh echo in his mind. "Could you... Just damn leave me alone for just a bit before you take over?"

Are you implying to me that you're giving up? Or you might have tricks up your sleeve Shadow. He only groaned in response. He sensed that he wasn't alone in this chamber so quickly pulling out the tube out of his quills, he opened the cork blocking it then drink the whole tube up. Waiting for a few seconds for it to do its job, he felt less head ache and he breathed heavily.

Finally standing straight, his voice echoed in the whole room. "I supposed you haven't followed me all this way. Faker." A resounding chuckle was in the background as he look back and saw who he wanted to see come in the room. "I... was just a bit curious, also worried a matter of fact." Sonic says once he was out of his hiding place. Before Shadow speak again, he stopped him.

"Don't worry about the group, they're doing the best they can to find that gem of yours, in the mean time we have to talk while searching for that." He smiled innocently and Shadow felt uneasy for quiet a bit. "If that would be operational for you, might as well just come along." He muttered for both to hear. He went over to a wall and stared at it for a moment, before his hand pressed in an isosceles triangular shaped rocky surface then the wall rumbled.

It slide like any other sliding doors do and revealed a secret opening which was, dimly lit inside. "Let's go here." Shadow says, knowing the other will follow, he went in without waiting for him and Sonic wondered as he caught up with him. "You seem to be familiar with this place." He says. Shadow sighing and to the blue hedgehog's point of view he was right. He doesn't know this place but it was triggering him somehow.

But the worst triggering and it made him shiver.

Sonic noticed him shivering and look at his hand. Walking a bit closer to him, he clawed his hand into his and it made them, hold hands. Shadow was thankful for the sudden warmth Sonic's giving in his hands but it wasn't necessary for them to... Nevertheless he never minded them holding hands.

"So Shadz, how's that demon side of yours coming up?" Sonic asks, looking straight forward while Shadow stares at them holding hands and doesn't seem to pay attention to the question. Sonic coughed. "Um... I said, how's that demon side of yours coming up?" He said in a bit, snarky bit way and could annoy Shadow much.

"I'm fine. That however keeps haunting me at night even if I don't sleep." Shadow replies. "Is that why you have bags under your eyes?" Sonic joked,blooming at him and received a deserved glare coming from yours truly.

"I'm just kidding Shadow, you're the Ultimate Lifeform right? You never sleep." He says. But adds something in a lowering voice. "But you never manage to kiss me like I did."

"What was that?" The black hedgehog asks, looking at him like any other teaser would do. "N-nothing, let's just continue." Sonic says, swinging their hand back and forth as they walk the dimly lit tunnel. If the others were there, they would have made a scene and tell them they were a cute boy couple.

For the past few minutes, they felt nothing coming in their way that's when Shadow's quills stand on end. Telling he can feel the gem up ahead, the duo raced towards the source of that spike, only to find to enter the same room as Rouge's group too.

"Whoa, I thought Sonic came along with us. Seems he pretty much wanted to follow the footsteps of the shadow." Rouge teased earning a glare from Shadow and a blush from Sonic. "We came the other way which I've seen and figured that the inscriptions on the walls are... some sort of message." Shadow announced. "I only say you there hold your head and awkwardly talking to me." Sonic added in a very low voice that only him, also Rouge can hear.

In the middle of the main chamber there stood a column like structure not much taller than them and it held, what look like an odd red with the hue of blue isosceles triangular crystal in the middle. All of them had their mouths hanging open (except for Omega) and were mesmerized by its look. As much to their luck, Rpuge has one of the biggest and glistening awed eyes out of all, seemingly attached to it she began to descend there. Until Knuckles grabbed her arm and stopped her from doing so.

"What do you think you're planning?" He asked with narrowed eyes and Rouge chuckled lightly. "I won't do anything hasty now Knuxy-ku, I just wanted to take a closer look to the heavenly gem before we take it back." She responded with a flirtatious wink that made Knuckels queasy from the inside. "You don't know the mechanics inside this cave of wonders Rouge, you will lead us to trouble."

"What do you know about this cave anyway?" Tails asked. "I just know that there will be trouble." Knuckles implied. Shadow descended near the gem and it seem to make him attach to it. Get near it. Touch it. He shook his head, sure does Sonic's temporary antidote worked on him, for a while.

Touch it. Feel it's power. You can't resist this Shadow.

"Shut up!" Shadow growled to himself. "Shadow?" A worried Sonic asked. "You and Knuckles... Take care and take a look at it." The other responded, holding his head as he winced. "Be sure Omega... takes its coordinates... and Rouge needs to handle it. I'll just be scouting outside." He ordered them and heads out if the chamber tunnel.

"Don't follow me anymore Sonic, you need to be here." Shadow says, looking at the blue hedgehog one last time before descending away. Tails swore he saw Shadow's eyes convert to its dark red. Without interference, Sonic and Knuckles went to observe the WonderLust gem. Then have Omega to follow and scan it to read and gets the coordinates. Finally, Rouge went up holding what look like a cylindrical glass container with a handle for the lid as she out the gem in carefully, sealed and she carried it.

"Don't worry, I'm taking this in good hands Knuxy." She winked, carrying it with care, care for the jewel. While Omega and Rouge marched out to follow Shadow, Sonic's team were left and observed the weird inscriptions inscribed on the walls. "This place sorta looks like an old temple." Tails concluded as he followed Sonic and Knuckles. "Yeah, looks like it." His big brother implied.

"This place looks like it have been inhabited before." Knuckles tells them, going to the walls and observing the triangular writings and features, trying to understand its language. "Do you know anything about this place?" Sonic asks, looking along. "I'm not sure about this yet, but this place looks isolated because, it could've been cursed." The guardian implied, looking at them. "So wait you mean, the WonderLust gem could be a curse?" Tails asks.

Sonic thought for a bit, remembering how Shadow would have reacted to the gem. It was unlike Rouge's reaction when she sees the gem. She'd just pure thievery, while Shadow. It looked different, he seem to be attached to the gem. Could this be be result to that demon thing that's manipulating his mind? He can endure it somehow until they figure out a way on it.