This AU fic was originally a part of my other fanfiction series’ of song-inspired one-shots, “Sonic Symphony”, but it got a little too long (not to mention insane) so I decided to give it its own category.

The song which inspired this, “Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku”, is a rather famous one from a series called Revolutionary Girl Utena, by the way. Though I was thinking more of the Utena movie than the series when I wrote this. Utena is one of those animé that takes a lot of time and far too much alcohol consumption to even try and begin explaining in a way that people will understand. It’s insane as hell and this fanfiction will, therefore, make more sense to people who have seen the Utena series or movie. To anyone else this is just going to look barmy.

It figures that I would’ve gotten a little cracky sooner or later. Don’t take things too seriously with this one, folks. I just felt like going slightly insane for a little while. Standard disclaimers apply. Reviews and concrit are both appreciated.

Chaos Revolution.

He has no freaking idea what he’s doing here.

Seriously, he doesn’t. People have been looking at him weird all day. Whenever he asks them for directions to the nearest exit they just stare at him, as if they’re saying “how did you get in here in the first place, if you don’t know where the exit is?” Most people won’t talk to him straight at all, and the few that do don’t have anything useful to say. Every now and then someone will direct him to a reception desk, or a waiting room or something, but more often than not, they just look at him giggling and run away before he can ask them anything else.

He couldn’t even get any help from that strange human kid he ran into when he found this... garden? It is a garden, isn’t it? The kid said that it belonged to him. Okay, so Sonic’s never seen a garden filled with thorns, black leaves, green crystals in place of petals and no pathway before, but he figures the kid needs to do a little gardening.

Honestly? It’s really beginning to creep Sonic out.

Not as much as the maniac with the sword is, though.

The sword which is being pretty insistently thrust and sliced in his direction, at that. This is all the kid’s fault, really. It’s got to be. The only reason Sonic’s even in this mess is because he decided to speak up against the ‘hog who was whacking the boy (who can’t possibly be any older then twelve) across the face with the back of his fist...

...The guy who is now freaking attacking him (no, wait this is duelling right? That’s what the kid calls it, anyway) with a sword twice the size of his body. How’s he even lifting that thing, anyway?

Maybe it doesn’t matter. What does matter is trying to get out of the way of the blade before it cleaves his skull in two, or something. Sonic dodges over and over, putting his trademark speed to good use as he avoids one blow after another; green leaves and thorns are torn up all around him. The boy is still standing nearby in sullen silence, barely moving except to blink, yet flinching every time one of the crystal flowers is torn to shreds in the black hedgehog’s assault.

Oh, sure, he worries about the flowers.

The black hedgehog follows as Sonic tries urgently (not desperately, that sounds cowardly and if there’s one thing Sonic the Hedgehog ain’t, it’s a coward) to put some distance between them. (Whatever, Sonic knows the guy can’t catch him. No one’s ever caught him before.) ‘Whoa, whoa, woah! Seriously, man, I like exercise as much as the next hedgehog, but can’t we talk about this?’

The black and red hedgehog raises an eyebrow but doesn’t slow in his assault. ‘Very funny. Almost as funny as the fact that you neglected to bring proper equipment to a duel. What on earth were you thinking? Or is thinking outside of your capacity?’

‘Man, I have no idea what you’re talkin’ about; I don’t even have a sword!’

‘Then why didn’t you borrow one? Whatever. That isn’t my problem.’ The black hedgehog says, a smirk twitching the corner of his lips. ‘You’re supposed to be the new challenger? You don’t even have Chaos Control, do you? Prower put up a better fight than this, and he has to be the most useless duellist I’ve ever encountered in my time as Ultimate.’

‘Yeah, you can start making sense any time ya like now!’ Sonic snaps. Seriously. He’s getting really fed up of this. The thorns dig into him as he staggers and falls away from another attack. The other hedgehog doesn’t seem to care, though. He just keeps slashing, blade glinting in the air, body moving so quickly that Sonic is starting to think this guy might actually be as fast as him. Faster, even.

But that’s just crazy, right? Like ending up in some strange castle or fortress or whatever this is in the middle of nowhere (literally, from what he can deduce of all that fog surrounding the buildings) is crazy. Like expecting to fight some guy with a sword twice the size of their body is crazy. Like trying to protect a boy from an attacker and ending up the target of a duel is crazy. Like...

...Okay, so maybe he should just start getting used to this.

Sonic staggers away from the sword and looks at the boy, who is still stood there with his fingers curled into light fists and his eyes fixed on the ground. A little gratitude would be nice, Sonic grimaces. ‘Hey, kid, a little help here?!’

The boy looks at him. He’s worrying his bottom lip in a concerned manner, but that seems all he seems really capable of doing. ‘...Help? How?’

‘How? I dunno, call him off or something! This guy’s your... your...’ (Friend? Classmate? Acquaintance? Freaking terrorizer?) ‘...I mean you know him right? Make him cut this out already before I’ve gotta do something to stop him myself!’

The boy hesitates in apparent confusion. ‘You... really don’t know what’s going on here, do you?’ he says, looking out at the glowing green and black playing field and at the dark hedgehog, who seems to have paused in his assault out of sheer curiosity, sword resting quite lightly on the ground besides him. The boy’s eyes widen slightly in realisation and he looks back at Sonic. ‘... It’s not too late; this is your chance to remove it.’

Sonic blinks. ‘Remove... it?’

‘The ring.’ The boy jabs meaningfully at the golden band on Sonic’s wrist.

‘What, this thing? I’ve always had this, someone gave it to me...’ Sonic trails off realising he doesn’t actually remember who gave it to him or why. All he knows is that he’s always worn it.

‘Which tells me everything I need to know,’ the black hedgehog snaps, obviously annoyed that their “duel” is being interrupted. ‘Except what on earth ARK is thinking by sending someone like you to challenge me. We might look a little alike, but the similarity ends there. You’re not even worth my energy.’

Sonic grimaces. Huge-ass sword or no huge ass sword he is not gonna take that. ‘Hey, if you wanna fight then I’m all for it! Just put down that sword so we can make it fair.’

‘Fair? Hardly. Fights without swords isn’t the norm in this place, hedgehog. Whatever your name is. Surely you know that...?’ He eyes Sonic suspiciously, the same way Sonic remembers eyeing small, crawling creatures on the sidewalk. He makes a note to apologise to the next small, squirming bug he sees. ‘I guess it hardly matters. The ring you wear might qualify you for entry to these duels but your skills certainly don’t.’

And then he holds up his own wrist. Both of them, Sonic sees, have golden rings wrapped around them, just like his, sparkling in the bright light.

It’s only now that the boy reacts, stumbling forwards through the black thorns and putting himself between Sonic and his attacker. ‘Shadow, I—’

‘Christopher, get out of the way,’ the hedgehog (Shadow, right? What kinda corny name is that?) says boredly. But “Christopher” doesn’t. He stumbles forwards a little bit instead.

‘But Shadow, I don’t think he knows—’

‘That’s enough.’

Shadow holds up the hand which he isn’t using to grip his sword. What looks like a golden bullet seems to congeal and burst from his outstretched palm. By the time Sonic has registered what’s happening, the boy is about twelve metres away from them, crashing to a stop amidst the crystal flowers with a painful sounding thud. ‘You forget yourself,’ the black hedgehog mutters. ‘That isn’t like you.’

This attitude surprises Sonic, but not as much as Christopher’s reaction does. The kid staggers to his knees and Sonic can hear him muttering a quite “sorry” and falling silent again.

Sonic looks at Shadow in rage. ‘Man, what the hell do you think you’re doin’?’

‘The same thing I usually do when my possessions have the gall to interfere with the duels,’ Shadow says. ‘He knows his place.’

For a moment, Sonic can’t work out which he is feeling more –angry or bewildered. The boy is staggering to his feet, brushing himself down and showing no signs of protest. ‘He’s... your what now?’

‘What did you think that we were fighting for here? Simply pride?’ Shadow sniggers quietly. ‘You take part on a duel without even knowing what the prize is... you really are clueless, aren’t you?’

Sonic blinks a few times, trying to confirm that he’s hearing this right. he looks at Christopher for confirmation. He gets it in a nod and pained shrug. ‘P-prize? What’re you talking about? He’s just a kid!’

‘Wrong. He’s the ARK Child,’ Shadow snaps. ‘He’s here because ARK wishes it, and because he holds the key to what every warrior in this place desires. What kind of fool treats possessions like people?’

‘Oh, I dunno what kinda bastard beats around a twelve year old?’

‘The kind who knows that this one holds the secrets to the ARK itself. Things don’t have feelings.’ the black hedgehog snaps, pointing at Christopher who has gone back to just standing there with his head down and fists clenched slightly tighter than before. ‘And who has the guts and stretch to fight to possess them. They’re keys and tools. They unlock doors and seal machinery. That’s it. I’m going to ask you one more time hedgehog, are you going to take this duel seriously or can I just defeat you here and now and get this over with? I have better things to do with my time than entertain newcomers.’

Okay. Crazy kid with weird eyes talking nonsense and letting himself get knocked about like a pinball. Even crazier hedgehog with anger issues attacking him with a sword (he did mention the sword, right?) –check. This place is officially insane.

Sonic swallows, feeling resentment building up in him, the same way he sometimes feels the urge to run and run and never stop. He shifts himself to where Christopher is standing and puts himself between the kid and Shadow.

‘You okay? It’s Christopher, right? ...Chris?’

The boy looks surprised to be asked. As if he’s not used to it. Sonic has no clue what this place is, but he’s starting to think that they have a really crazy, nasty way of doing things around here.

‘You... can still take the ring off, you know,’ Chris says, though this time, he sounds a little less sure that he wants Sonic to. ‘He has nothing against you if you’re not opposing him.’

Sonic musters a smile. ‘Nah... Gone this far, haven’t I? What else am I supposed to do?’

Chris looks more confused than ever. ‘What... are you saying?’

‘I’m sayin’ that he’s shoving you around like a ragdoll and you’re just taking it like one, too. Don’t. You’re not an object.’

Chris looks at him sadly, and Sonic can’t quite work out why. ‘You really don’t understand, do you?’ He murmurs.

‘Maybe not. But I figure I get enough to know that he can’t just beat you around like that, kid. M’not gonna let him.’

‘Done holding conversations with it, yet, hedgehog?’ Shadow says, suddenly, voice cutting into the silence like a knife. ‘I’m not an especially patient guy.’

‘The name’s Sonic,’ Sonic grins. ‘S-O-N-I-C. Sonic. An’ if we’re gonna fight then we do it my way. No swords. No weapons. Just you and me.’

‘How unorthodox,’ Shadow looks partly bemused and partly entertained. He’s obviously not taking Sonic seriously at all. Well, sonic thinks, he’ll just have to fix that, won’t they? ‘You suggest we go against the standard procedure of the ARK duels? A procedure that has been maintained and respected for centuries?’

‘I don’t care about that, and I don’t know about any ARK,’ Sonic snaps. ‘But if you’re so tough, then you can beat me without any weapons, right?’

‘...True enough.’ Shadow smirks. And then the sword n his hand changes, warping and twisting and shrinking. It changes from a silver blade into a strange, grey stone. Like a fist-sized diamond which glows and shimmers, casting reflections on the crystal flowers all around them. Sonic hears Chris catching a breath. Wow. So the kid does have emotions.

‘Uh. Yeah...Chris, what is that?’

‘Chaos Emerald,’ the boy murmurs. ‘You’re... going to fight him with Chaos Control alone?’

‘Uh... yes?’ Sonic mutters, and tells himself that he’s stepping a little closer to the kid to protect him, not to get away from that freaky Chaos-Whatevering Shadow. ‘What can I say, kid? I don’t do swords.’

‘It’s been a while since I saw him fight with raw emerald,’ the boy murmurs. ‘It’s beautiful... but dangerous.’

‘Wait, you mean it’s more dangerous than...’

‘The swords are a safe way of channelling your energy,’ the kid says, blankly. ‘Swords contains the power of Chaos more efficiently and firmly, for more drawn out and interesting duels.’

Sonic feels a shudder run down his spine. ‘So... you’re telling me that little rock right there is worse than what he was tossing at me before?’

‘...You were better off with the sword, yes.’

‘Oh. Great.’ Sonic mutters. He grips the ring around his left wrist for a few seconds, drawing nerve and strength from its coolness. Too late to back down now, he supposes.

‘Enough dawdling already, let’s get this over with.’ Shadow says impatiently, drawing the grey stone far above his head... and throwing it.

And then... well... All Chaos breaks loose, Sonic supposes.

Sonic jumps –not quite fast enough. Bullets of grey light splinter the stone pavement beneath the crystal roses and send Chris skidding back through the thorns and stone petals. Sonic feels pain jolting through his back legs as he lands and rolls, static electricity crackling in his quills. Shadow is turning and firing again before Sonic has the time to get his bearings.

Okay, this guy? Definitely just as fast as he is. Sonic can hardly believe that. The next burst of solid-light sends him flying into the crystal flowers, thorns cutting into him wherever they can find a place. Yeah. Ouch. Sonic just sits there for a second, because he seriously can’t believe what happened or how quickly it happened.

Chris was right. Sonic was totally better off with the sword.

‘He doesn’t even possess even Chaos Control,’ Shadow mutters, seemingly talking to himself. ‘ARK s getting sloppy these days. I’ll be gentle with you and make this fast, I suppose, Sonic. Since it was hardly fair they sent someone like you to challenge me in the first place...’

Sonic can’t think how to respond. Not that he has time too, before the grey light once again crystallises into many tiny bullets in Shadow’s palm. Great. Death by some insane freak in some insane place for some insane kid he doesn’t even know. This is not the way Sonic the Hedgehog ever planned to go.

So why accept that you have to go at all, then? A little voice in his head tells him, and even though he knows he’s not going to have time to do anything much, Sonic agrees with it. He starts pulling himself to his feet and preparing to tackle-roll the guy anyway. Maybe if he can just buy a couple of seconds—

And then all of a sudden he’s being grabbed and pulled aside by small, strong hands. The bullets of energy that were about to bury themselves into Sonic’s chest clatter harmlessly into the thorny floor and next thing Sonic knows he’s tumbling over and over in the leaves and coming to a hard stop against an arched doorway leading into the garden. He looks up, and Chris is there, pulling thorns sharply and carelessly out of his own palms, looking at Sonic as if he can hardly believe what he just did.

‘Oh... he’s not gonna like—’ Chris starts to say, but has no time to finish before a jolt of solid, grey energy strikes the ground between them and splinters. Sonic pushes himself away from Chris as quickly as he can and looks up to see Shadow glaring at them. The look on his face is one of abject disbelief.

Somehow, Sonic kinda doesn’t blame him. He hadn’t thought the human had it in him either.

‘That is what we call overstepping your mark, Project,’ Shadow snaps, and there’s something really dangerous about his voice there. Something that makes Sonic want to just grab the kid and get the both of them out of here right now. To do what he does best and run...

But this wouldn’t end if he did that, would it? Shadow would find them one way or another. Besides he’s Sonic the Hedgehog. No matter where he is or how weird things are; and no matter how much he prefers running to anything else in the world, Sonic the Hedgehog never backs down from a fight.

‘Kid, get behind m—!’ Sonic starts to snap, but his attempt at protection is counteracted by Chris grabbing his shoulders and pulling the hedgehog round abruptly, so that they’re sitting face to face, clutching him with none of his earlier unease and timidity.

Sonic hears Shadow yelling in anger and (is that even possible?) nervousness. ‘Chris! What’re you doing?’

‘Uh... yeah what are you doin’?’ Sonic finds himself asking. Chris doesn’t answer. He just grabs Sonic’s gloved hand, pulling it against his chest.

Sonic isn’t sure why his fingers clench instantly over the boy’s heart, but they do, and the light that bursts through his fingers afterwards seems to come directly from inside; from beneath the boy’s flesh and bone, illuminating his ribcage like an x-ray. Power crackles in Sonic’s veins, like lightning.

‘Wh-whoa! What the—!’

Chris’s eyes go blank, and he smiles faintly. ‘You can’t duel without Chaos Control, right?’ he says, and Sonic tries to answer, but the only thought running through his mind is how damn crazy this all is and how much Chris’s eyes suddenly look like he could shoot freaking blue fire outta them or something. Every instinct in his body screams at him to pull away, and yet he ignores them. His hand clenches tightly around something as hard as a stone, glittering in his fingers. Then the boy pulls away of his own accord.

When Sonic looks down at his own hand, he sees the crystal –Emerald... whatever– glowing in his palm, blue and bright. He feels it pulsing in his fingertips.

...The kid just pulled a goddamn rock out of his own chest. And now the aforementioned rock is sitting in Sonic’s hand, glistening. There’s no blood or anything. Nothing like that. Just constant blue light and a seemingly endless stream of static energy, surrounding him like a small storm. It’s Chaos, Sonic realises after a few seconds of gawking. Raw, unadulterated Chaos. And even though he still isn’t all that sure exactly what Chaos is, he does know that it’s what he’s holding in his hand.

‘...Aw, man, this place is way not normal.’

‘Sonic!’ Chris yells, and Sonic looks up just in time to raise a hand and block the Chaos burst heading in his direction. Shadow staggers backwards, propelled by the force of the rebound, and Sonic feels the sudden energy in him burning. Chris shifts backwards, gripping his own heart where a few shivers of remaining blue light still glisten brightly, and Sonic knows he should be asking questions like “what the hell are you?”, “what am I supposed to do with this?” and “is this a dream?” But none of those questions seem important all of sudden. He moves as quickly as Shadow, both of them rising into what seems to be the same attacking strike at the same time. Shadow’s eyes filled with rage, and Sonic’s filled with the blue light he just drew from Chris’s heart. For a second –just a second– everything makes sense.

The words appear in his mouth out of nowhere, and he says them automatically.

‘CHAOS CONTROL!’

They both cry out and launch their attacks at exactly the same moment. The only real difference is that Sonic’s cry is just that little bit louder.

*