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Y/n•Pov

Hanging out with Blaze had been... relaxing. Unlike the others, she didn't overwhelm me with questions or treat me like I was fragile. Instead, we just existed together in comfortable silence, our walk carrying us toward the edge of town where the sunset painted the sky in warm hues.

As we stood there, watching the colors shift, a thought formed in my mind—one I couldn't quite ignore.

"Blaze, do you ever feel like you were made to do something else? Like... more than just one thing?" I asked, my eyes still locked on the horizon.

Blaze turned her head slightly, glancing at me. "Why the sudden question?"

I hesitated, processing my own thoughts before responding.

"I don't know. It just feels like something in my software is... missing," I admitted, placing a hand on my chest. "I can't put my finger on it, but it's like there's a part of me that isn't there."

Blaze hummed in thought before giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "I can tell you don't feel complete," she said, her voice calm but understanding. "I get what you mean, Y/n."

Her warmth was comforting, like a steady presence grounding me when I wasn't sure what I was supposed to feel.

"Thanks" I said, offering her a smile. She returned it, her violet eyes shining in the fading light. I felt at ease next to her.

Until I heard footsteps.

My body reacted instantly—gears shifting, systems preparing for defense.

I turned sharply, my hands moving into a ready stance.

"Y/n, it's Shadow," Blaze's voice interrupted, steady but firm.

I hesitated.

Shadow?

The black hedgehog stood a short distance away, his red eyes unreadable in the dim glow of the evening. His presence felt different than before—tense, watchful.

Something about the way he was looking at me made my system glitch for a split second.

A small error. A flicker.

Something deep in my core reacted but I didn't know why.

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3rd•Pov
Y/n stood there, staring at Shadow with an unreadable expression. She had heard his name before Amy, Tails, and the others mentioned it in passing but beyond that, there was nothing.

No familiarity, no recognition, just a name attached to a face.

And yet, something about him made her feel... strange.

Like she should know him.

Like something was missing.

Blaze glanced between them, sensing the growing tension. "Shadow, what are you trying to do?" she asked, her tone calm but firm.

Shadow didn't answer right away. His crimson eyes remained locked onto Y/n, scrutinizing every little shift in her posture, every flicker of uncertainty that crossed her face.

Then, after a pause, he turned to Blaze. "Can we talk in private?"

Y/n blinked at the sudden request. Blaze, however, didn't budge.

"That depends," Blaze said, crossing her arms. "What do you need to say that I can't hear?"

Shadow exhaled through his nose, clearly annoyed but keeping his composure. "It's about her."

Blaze narrowed her eyes slightly but glanced at Y/n, who looked back at her with mild confusion.

"I don't mind" Y/n said, tilting her head slightly. "If he has something to say, I'll listen."

Blaze studied her for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh. "Alright. But if anything happens, I will step in."

Shadow gave a slight nod, acknowledging her words.

Blaze hesitated for a moment before stepping away, giving them space. She didn't go far just enough to let them talk privately but close enough to intervene if necessary.

Y/n turned back to Shadow, arms at her sides, waiting for him to speak.

"Okay" she said, watching him carefully. "What is it that you wanted to say?"

Shadow was silent for a moment. His eyes searched hers, looking for something she wasn't even aware of.

Then, finally, he spoke.

"...You don't remember me."

Y/n frowned slightly, confused. "Should I?"

Shadow's jaw tightened, his fists clenching at his sides.

He already knew the answer.

But hearing it from her directly seeing the blank look in her eyes when she asked that made something in him snap.

Shadow stood there, his fists clenched as he stared at Y/n.

She wasn't lying there was no recognition in her eyes, no flicker of familiarity, nothing. It was like he was a stranger to her.

Tails really did erase everything.

"...You should" Shadow finally said, his voice quieter this time but laced with frustration.

Y/n tilted her head slightly, processing his words. "Why?"

Shadow inhaled sharply, barely restraining his irritation.

Of course, she would ask that why wouldn't she? To her, there was no missing piece, no connection lost. But to him? It was like looking at someone who had once been alive but was now just... empty.

He didn't know what was worse seeing her like this or knowing that she didn't even realize what had been taken from her.

"You..." Shadow started, then stopped, his usual confidence wavering. He wasn't sure how to say it. Would it even make a difference?

Would she even care?

"You weren't like this before." he finally said.

Y/n blinked, confusion flashing across her features. "What do you mean?"

Shadow's fists clenched harder. "Before Tails reset you. Before he changed you."

Y/n frowned slightly. "Tails updates my software all the time. It's part of maintaining my system."

Shadow scoffed, shaking his head. "It's not the same thing. He didn't just update you. He erased you."

Y/n's expression didn't change. "That's not possible. My core data is intact. I still remember my friends, my functions, my purpose—"

"But you don't remember me," Shadow interrupted, his voice sharp.

That made Y/n pause.

Her systems ran through an immediate check.

Shadow the Hedgehog. Familiar name. Registered through social interactions. No recorded personal memories.

She blinked. "I... don't."

Shadow exhaled slowly, his frustration simmering beneath the surface. "Exactly."

For a moment, there was silence between them. Y/n wasn't sure what to say. She could tell Shadow was upset, but she didn't understand why.

"I don't see why that matters," Y/n finally said. "If we were supposed to know each other, then Tails must have had a reason for—"

"Tails lied to you."

Y/n stiffened at Shadow's words. She wasn't sure why, but something about the way he said it unsettled her.

"Tails wouldn't lie to me" she replied, her voice steady. "He built me. He takes care of me."

Shadow narrowed his eyes. "He's controlling you."

Y/n opened her mouth to argue, but something stopped her.

There was a flicker just for a second of something she couldn't quite grasp. A feeling, a whisper of something buried deep within her coding.

Doubt.

Shadow watched her closely, seeing the slight hesitation in her response. It wasn't much, but it was something.

"You felt that, didn't you?" Shadow said, stepping closer.

Y/n blinked. "Felt what?"

Shadow huffed. "That hesitation. The uncertainty. You know something isn't right."

Y/n's systems scrambled to process his words, but there was nothing to find—no data, no explanation. Just that strange, empty feeling.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Y/n finally said, though her voice was quieter now.

Shadow stared at her for a long moment before speaking again.

"You're not just a machine, Y/n."

Y/n stiffened. "I am a machine."

"You were more than that" Shadow insisted. "Before Tails erased it. And deep down, you know it."

Y/n looked away, unsure why his words were making her feel so... uneasy.

Her software told her Shadow was wrong.

But something else something she couldn't identify told her he wasn't.

Y/n barely had time to react before she felt a strange sensation a sudden shift in space, a pull that made her core systems briefly glitch.

In an instant, the cityscape vanished, replaced by the quiet hum of the wilderness. The air was cool, the scent of damp earth filling her sensors.

She blinked. Teleportation?

Her gaze snapped to Shadow, who still held her hand, his grip firm but not forceful.

"Where are we?" Y/n asked, glancing around the unfamiliar terrain. Trees stretched high, the distant sound of a river echoing through the forest.

"Somewhere away from them" Shadow said simply, releasing her hand.

Y/n tilted her head. "Why did you bring me here?"

Shadow crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "Because I need you to remember."

Y/n's systems immediately flagged the statement as illogical. "If Tails erased something, it was for a reason. I trust him."

Shadow's eyes darkened. "Even if it means losing yourself?"

Y/n hesitated. "I haven't lost myself."

Shadow stepped closer. "Then tell me—why does it feel like you have?"

Y/n opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came out. She wasn't sure what to say. Was he wrong?

Her software told her everything was fine. But Shadow's words planted something—an uncertainty, a crack in her logic.

Shadow exhaled, his gaze softening just slightly. "I didn't care at first. You were just another bot. But then..." He paused, almost as if he didn't want to say it. "You reminded me of someone."

Y/n tilted her head. "Who?"

His crimson eyes flickered with something distant. Pain. Longing.

"Maria" he said, voice quieter than before.

Y/n's database quickly processed the name—

Maria Robotnik. A deceased human with a significant connection to Shadow. She was important to him.

"...I am not Maria" Y/n stated.

"I know" Shadow muttered. "But you—before Tails changed you—you were different. You felt things. You were more than just some program following orders."

Y/n's processing stalled for a moment. It wasn't the first time he had said that, but something about the way he said it this time made her hesitate.

Shadow turned away slightly, staring at the trees. "I'm not letting Tails decide who you get to be."

Y/n took a step back. "That's not what he's doing."

"Then why don't you remember me?" Shadow challenged, turning back to her. "Why does it feel like I'm talking to someone empty?"

Y/n flinched.

Empty.

That word struck something in her—something deep in her coding that she couldn't access.

Her hands clenched slightly.

Shadow noticed. Good. It meant something was there, buried underneath whatever Tails had done.

He had time.

And he would do whatever it took to bring her back.
—

Meanwhile, back in the city, Blaze hesitated outside Tails workshop.

She had run the entire way after seeing Shadow teleport with Y/n. Her first instinct had been to tell Tails warn him. But something stopped her.

She didn't know why.

Her gut told her this wasn't her fight.

For now, she would wait.

Inside, Tails was setting up game night with Sonic and the others, glancing at the door every now and then.

"...Where's Y/n?" he muttered, his ears twitching in slight concern.

She was supposed to be here by now.