Red eyes. Camera. Staring contest. That's what seemed to be happening as Shadow sat in the observation room, glaring up at the camera directed at him from the corner. Sally thought it was in everyone's best interest that the black and red hedgehog be seperated and put in a room where he could be monitored while Sonic was on his mission. If he chaos controlled, they would see it in a heartbeat.

After the whole kissing incident, Sally was beyond unhappy, and felt that Shadow was somehow manipulating Sonic to believe whatever story he passed on to him. Sally felt that she wasn't going to fall for it, and definitely did not trust him.

Shadow sighed, staring at the camera. He was used to being observed, and was rather accustomed to Sally's behavior towards him. He felt that she had always been jealous ever since he came into Sonic's life, and now he could probably see why. He remembers the stories Sonic used to tell him about how close he and Sally used to be before Shadow came into their lives.

Rather bored of this, he was rather glad when a voice spoke up next to him. "She has always been suspicious of new people."

Shadow jumped a bit and turned to look to his side, seeing a female fox with reddish blonde long hair sitting beside him on the table. "You? How can you be-"

The fox laid a finger on Shadow's lips. "Shut up, the camera's running, remember? I'm cloaked from its sight."

Shadow clamped his mouth shut when she pulled her hand away, trying not to look at her. She continued to speak to him. "I thought you'd be lonely in here, so I did some time jumping. Time here is easy to manipulate for someone like me. I don't have to use the Time Stones."

Shadow stared at her. This fox had always been a strange creature to him, ever since she first showed up sometime in the future. No one really knows her story, just that she likes to randomly pop up and offer small talks like this. Sometimes she offered a piece of advice, or provided that 'duex ex machina' needed to solve a problem when it seemed, and then just blink out of existance again. She was like a ghost.

He wanted to say something, but at the same time, he knew she was right. He'd probably looked crazy if he was caught on camera talking to an invisible person. he;'d have to mumble, talk to himself, trying to make it look like he was entertaining himself, if he were to speak to the fox that was invisible to the camera.

Laying his head down to rest on his arms on the table, he murmured. "Why here? Why now?"

"Short answer? I got bored. When you took off back in time, I more or less followed you here."

He murmured again. "Why?"

She looked down at Shadow. "Cause I like you guys. You and Sonic. You both are heroes to me. I want to help and contribute any way I can. I can't really...interfere too much. It's a long story, too complicated to explain. Maybe someday, you and Sonic will know more about me. But not today. You got too much ahead of you to know my story."

Shadow made a small sound, like a 'hmph' noise, causing the fox to sigh. "I know, I know. I'm not being much help right now. I can't exactly get you out of this room. Probably just as well. As long as you're under the camera, Sally will see that you're not doing anything to Sonic."

When he flipped his head up in a glare to her, the fox held up her hands helplessly. "I didn't mean it like that. I meant more in the 'you're not hurting him' kind of way. I have absolutely no problem with you being with Sonic. I think its great that you two are together."

He sighed and lowered his head again, still somewhat agitated with this crypic female. She took the time to continue. "Sally...she's not exactly my favorite person, really. I felt like she hasn't given Sonic any of the respect that you have. She teases him, but I find her teasing him...somewhat...like..."

"Tasteless?" Shadow offered, realizing where she was coming from. Shadow remembered some of the stories Sonic shared with him, and what he witnessed for himself, how she would tease Sonic about he wasn't as intellegent as her, sometimes pranking him and taking advantage of his quick to act responses as a way to embarrass him and make herself look like the more superior Mobian. Shadow had actively gotten into arguements with Sally over how she would treat Sonic, wondering how the hell he could ever call her his best friend. Even now, he was not at a great start with her, and this was simply through suspicion and jealousy.

"Exactly," she agreed. "You though. You and Sonic. You respect for each other. You don't do mean-spirited pranks on one another. You're honest, and, yea, you two have your moments, but that relationship feels more...real...than what Sonic had with Sally."

Suddenly the door opened, and Sally came in, putting that glare upon the black and red hedgehog that Shadow was all too familiar with. he looked back towards the fox, only to find that she somehow blinked out of existance again. He sighed and got up, facing the village leader. "So, how much longer you plan to keep me in here?"

"For as long as i need to," she said sharply. "Sonic's no longer reporting in to us."

Shadow pointed out the camera. "Witness in the sky says I have nothing to do with that. I been here the entire time."

"And yet you don't sound one bit surprised that this happened."

"Maybe that's because I'm from the future?" Shadow replied sharply, stepping up to Sally's face.

She glared back and pressed even closer. "So if you knew that, why didn't you warn us that this was going to happen?"

"Spoilers. I can't interfere with what happens."

"And yet you somehow had no problem getting into bed with him at the drop of a hat-!"

Sally yelped as she was suddenly pulled away from Shadow by Tails, who had grabbed her by the hands. "Whoa, hey, Aunt Sally, that's enough!"

Sally whirled about to glare at Tails. "Tails, you're supposed to be monitoring the village cameras in case Sonic shows up."

"I would, but I don't think Sonic would be very happy with the way you're treating our new friend here," he pointed out.

"Tails, we can't trust him! You seen what he did with Sonic-!" she hissed to him.

"Sonic trusts him," Tails pointed out.

"Sonic could be under some kind of trance, made to believe he can trust this guy!"

"Aunt Sally-" Tails moaned, pulling her from the room. "Leave him alone. We can't prove that. He was here when Sonic dropped off from communication. You always act this way when Sonic makes a new friend outside the village."

Sally just about had enough as she pulled her arm away. "Fine, if you think you can trust him, then YOU watch him. And don't say that i didn't tell you so when something bad happens!"

Marching angrily from the room, Tails sighed as he went in to meet with Shadow. "She's good. Really. She just acts weird around new people. She'll cool down."

Shadow nodded. "Trust me, I know what you mean." he sighed as he walked out fo the room, walking with Tails.

The two-tailed fox lifted up his hand. "I don't think we met yet. I'm Tails."

Shadow smiled a bit and shook his hand. "I know. I know you in the future."

"Oh right! That whole future thing. We kind of figured you were a time traveller when we noticed that you knew us but we didn't know you. Especially Sonic."

Shadow nodded. "Sonic is something special."

Tails looked up at him as he lead Shadow to the computer monitoring room nearby. "Sonic must think you're something special."

Shadow blinked and looked at him. "Why would you say that?"

Tails looked at him.. "The others say he kissed you. I didn't even know boys could kiss other boys like that."

Shadow smiled a bit as he looked ahead to the computer room, thinking about that moment he was talking about. "It's...not as common as boys kissing girls, but it happens."

"Do you like him?"

Shadow wasn't exactly taken aback by the question, but it was still odd to hear that question coming from Tails. Reminding himself that this was the first time that Tails met him, he nodded. "I do, I really do. I care about him a lot."

"Good," Tails grinned as he plopped down into the computer chair, looking at the many monitors around Knothole. "Sonic's my best friend. I wanna make sure that the person he likes, likes him back."

Shadow smiled and sat down beside the fox. "I know the feeling all too well, Tails."