Chapter Text
It was a miracle that they spotted him. In fact, if it wasn't for his bright yellow and white headband and Captain Shadow's unerringly sharp eyes, they would have sailed right by the blue hedgehog drifting on a barrel, blending in with the endless blue of the sea, and he surely would have slipped beneath the waves, never to be seen again.
Even so, Shadow only just caught sight of the flash of yellow as it was nearing the stern. He should have just ignored it but something made him grab the nearest rope and swing down, gracefully arcing across the whole ship just in time to snatch the drenched figure from the waves before the ship plowed on by across the ocean.
It was a half-drowned blue hedgehog—quills the color of the earliest morning sky. And after he'd coughed up half a gallon of seawater, Shadow caught a flash of his eyes. The brightest emerald, the color of grass and trees, places that he'd long since forsaken in favor of traversing the seven seas. For a single moment, Shadow felt something flutter in his heart, before the blue hedgehog's head tilted back and he passed out again.
The ship's medic said he was lucky to be alive—that realistically he shouldn't be—but here he was. He told Shadow that it was unlikely he'd wake up again any time soon, but that didn't stop the Captain from shrugging, ordering the newcomer to be berthed in his private quarters, and settling in nearby. So the instant the blue hedgehog's breathing gasped out of sleep again, he was there.
“Hello.”
“H-hello...” his voice was cracked and weak, and Shadow instantly fetched a basin of water, carefully holding it up to the blue hedgehog's lips. He wasn't sure why. This wasn't his duty. But it felt...right, somehow.
“I am Captain Shadow, of the Dark Voyage.”
“S-sonic...of the...” Sonic blinked those fascinating green eyes, “Nowhere, now, I guess.”
Shadow squinted a little, “Where?”
“It doesn't matter. I can't go back.” Sonic shrugged, looking away towards the wall of Shadow's cabin. So for the moment, Shadow didn't push it. He would figure it out. But right now he fetched Sonic some gruel from the kitchens and spoon-fed it to the starved hedgehog, who was already starting to look a little brighter.
“I don't suppose you have any openings on your ship?”
“Why?”
He swore that Sonic blushed, the tiniest dusting of light pink on his cheeks.
“It seems...nice here.”
“It's passable.”
“The captain seems pretty cool.”
Shadow raised a brow, “So it seems.”
Sonic managed a half smile, which warmed the dark recesses of Shadow's heart, “It really does.”
By the end of the day, Sonic was able to get out of bed and at least walk up to the deck—a truly remarkable recovery. Unfortunately, this rather literally brought something to light as his shirt collar slid down across his shoulder while he and Shadow were entranced by the sunset. The colors had painted themselves across the western sky—pink and orange and violet, and Sonic had murmured something about sunsets never being this pretty on land, and Shadow had almost smiled back.
It was Jet who noticed, of course. Always watching everything like the hawk he was, letting out a squawk and pointing, “He's got the Devil's mark!”
Shadow whirled to Sonic, who was hastily trying to pull up his collar but Shadow didn't let him, gripping the fabric and tugging it down. And there, indeed, was the marking of his firmest rival, the Devil of the Oceans, who had dogged him since his earliest days on the sea.
Scourge's Skull and Crossbones.
Sonic met Shadow's eyes for a second before he dropped his gaze again, “I don't belong to him anymore.”
“It doesn't matter,” Shadow hissed, all traces of warmth gone, “You're getting off of my ship.”
Sonic's ears drooped and he hugged his arms around his middle, “Please don't make me go back.”
Shadow huffed, “I didn't say you had to. But you are leaving this ship at the next opportunity.”
By pure coincidence, Scourge was the next opportunity.
It really shouldn't have been surprising, given that he had to be nearby since Sonic hadn't been floating around for more than a day or two. And Scourge was always trying to get to Shadow.
The battle was fierce, and Shadow and his crew were nearly defeated (or at least that's how it appeared), when he heard cackling voices. Shadow dove around the mast of the Dark Voyage, his sword at the ready to see Sonic being dragged up the stairs by a fox and a lynx, each holding onto one of of his arms as he struggled, “Look what trash they got belowdecks, boss!”
Scourge jumped up on the railing of his ship, leering, “No way! Shadow, babe, you're going out of your way to collect my discarded garbage for your own? Doesn't surprise me—you've always had my sloppy seconds!”
Shadow glared, swinging around to point his sword at Scourge, “Get off my ship and take all of your crew with you.” He ignored the pained look that Sonic shot in his direction.
“I'm not taking that,” Scourge cackled, “But if you don't want it either...” he nodded at his crew, who threw Sonic down. The blue hedgehog jumped up at once, staring straight at Scourge with a fierce expression, his jaw set.
“Didn't expect to see you again Blue. And now...I'll never have to again.”
Shadow didn't even process it, with how fast Scourge's sword drew across Sonic's chest. The blue hedgehog gasped, clutching at his heart, as the two lackeys behind him gave him a shove and he toppled over the edge down into the choppy water between the two ships.
Not a second later, Shadow barked an order towards his first mate, Rouge, knowing that she would evict Scourge with all due haste, and he was flying in the air towards the dark waves below.
The freezing water closed over his head, the two enormous hulks of the ships blocking out the sunlight. Shadow swirled around, trying to find Sonic—there he was! Sinking like a rock through the water, trailing something darker...Shadow decided not to think about what that was. Instead, he swam towards him, reaching out—he didn't know what he was trying to save this hedgehog again, but he knew, somehow, that he needed to.
He gripped Sonic under his arms, kicking back towards the surface, towards his own ship as Scourge's rocked violently, breaking away. Thank God Rouge knew the secret plans as well as he did...
When his head broke above the waves, Shadow gasped for air, pulling Sonic's drooping head onto his shoulder as he made his way towards the ship. Rouge caught sight of him and hollered; a moment later a rope was thrown down to them and they were hauled back onto the deck.
Shadow landed on his feet, carefully setting Sonic down to assess the damage. The cut was deep, and blood seeped into his fur. Bone-rattling shivers wracked through his body for a moment before he went still, and that was even worse.
“Captain...” Rouge settled next to him, and Shadow met her eyes, “He's not going to make it.”
“He is,” Shadow growled, ripping off his gloves and rubbing his hands together until the fur crackled with green light. Rouge's eyes widened as he pressed his palms to Sonic's chest, and the electricity sparked through Sonic's fur. Everywhere it touched, his fur floated up, a green sheen over it. Shadow grit his teeth, a low growl in his chest, watching as the cut across Sonic's chest narrowed, flesh knitting back together with little sparkles.
A moment later, Sonic gasped, his green eyes fluttering again, giving Shadow deja vu. Nobody questioned him as he gathered the blue hedgehog into his arms once again, and walked with wobbly legs back into his cabin.
...
“H-hello...” Sonic's voice was raspy, and Shadow's ears pricked up at the sound.
“Hello.”
“Wh...why did you...save me?” Sonic wheezed, “You could have just let me fall overboard.”
Shadow pondered for a moment, “I don't know, Sonic. I just had...a feeling.”
“A feeling?'
“Yes. That you were important.” Shadow's red eyes met Sonic's emerald green, and he would have sworn that something was communicated there, more than words could ever describe.
“Thank you.” Sonic's voice was rough and sincere.
Shadow turned away, but there was a deep relief in his voice, “Get some rest. You'll need it if you want to be on my crew.”
He swore he could hear Sonic's smile.