Heyy guys! :) Its me again, emerging from my hole in the ground. It feels good to be back, and with my first big project! I swear, this has been like a child to me over the past year. Soo, first I'll tell you a little bit about the story itself.
'The Dark' takes place four years after the original Sonic Universe, in which Sonic has returned to his friends prior leaving four years ago. It revolves around the effects of time on people, and how the changes are always not necessarily for the greater good. They cause all the characters to interact with each other in ways they never would have imagined, hence the word; 'Experimenting' in the title.
I wrote this as a challenge for myself, as it is a multi-pairing fic, involving many pairings I've never wrote before. I wanted to push the boundaries with this, making the couples happen, only in a realistic fashion. I've also put a spin on each character, to add the feel of change in the story.
I've also posted this over at DeviantART, along with a kick-ass poster that my lovely LA drew the characters for. :D So if anyone wants to check that out, its 'Midnight-Lullabye' on DA. :)
ALONG WITH THE STORY.
The Dark: Experimenting - Chapter 1
Where to be is not to be
When the question is how far you wish to see
[Champion - Perfect in Between]
To say that the city had been quiet for at least a few weeks was in fact, an understatement.
Central City was completely devoid of anything Eggman related. No breaking-news headlines, no secret death threats, nothing. Four whole years had passed since the last shenanigan, leaving the city to rediscover its roots. Culture and nightlife had become safe and popular again, tourists came back to visit, everything became simply natural once again.
However, in some ways this was a disappointment to Rouge the Bat.
Not all of it was a disappointment. Four years had changed some things for the better and the worse. Appearance wise; the girl was as satisfied as can be. She stopped growing at eighteen, and was glad she did so. She'd always felt way too tall compared to other girls, one of the few things she was in fact insecure about. However, since her work was in the dump, her jumpsuit was only used when needed, which to her delight gave her a choice of wardrobe.
Now she attired a tight blood red blouse, rolled up at the sleeves and cut off at the hem to show off her stomach. Tight three-quarter jeans in a dark violet clad her legs, ending just above her knee, tied together with a simple gold belt. Gloves of a crushed velvet fabric in a chocolate shade covered up to her wrists, and the lace-up worker boots reaching up to her lower calf matched the colour of her gloves. Finally, she had traded her electric blue eye shadow for a light terracotta shade.
They were probably the highlights. Everything else went to pan.
Despite the fact that she worked for the government, her work life had been virtually dead. Well, partly dead and partly dull. Now that the devious doctor had vanished, the cases she received were all the same. Gather clues, make the assumption, track down the criminal, have a half-hearted chase/fight, lock the slime ball away and then on to the next case. To the bat, it just felt like another seventies cop-show, only without the drama.
Her former government partner was also lost with her exciting work. Back then, Rouge and Shadow worked day and night, never stopping. Battling robots and creatures alike till they were battered and bruised, sometimes just escaping critical damage.
Though the work was strenuous, the bond that formed between them made it all worthwhile. It was easy, flowing and comfortable. They spoke formally at first, but soon it dissolved into their own twisted version of best-friend banter. Sometimes they would just talk about senseless topics for hours, building trust like a steel caged bridge. Often, Rouge would flirt with him and occasionally, Shadow would smirk at her or put his head down to shield his expression. Always, Rouge would wonder if there was more to them than just friendship, even hope for it.
Even believed it for a while.
Reality check; four years later. The two don't speak to each other. Not because of a heated argument, or a petty disagreement. They simply fell out of the natural curve they had. When the work disappeared, they were both assigned to different divisions. Rouge for undercover based assignments, Shadow for military-based assignments. Soon, they lost contact. The female would try to rekindle it, search for him, maybe even leave a message for him, but no replies were ever made.
Was he busy, or just fed up of her? Either way, she wasn't going to chase him like a lovesick puppy. Naturally, this would happen. What with her being such a controversial individual, it was impossible for her to find happiness. She'd played as a villain too many times for karma to be good for her, evidently.
Her other love interest at one point, a certain scarlet echidna, had also been at loss in the contact department. But Rouge wasn't too miffed about this, because they weren't on regular speaking terms anyway. On the odd occasion that they came across each other, they would tease. When she flirted, he tried to flirt back, although shyly. It also didn't hurt matters with the fact that he was, to put it bluntly, hot.
Flirting as they did, many people assumed they were dating. Knuckles denied this of course, and Rouge would simply not answer the claims because it was funny to see their reactions. That way, she could secretly assume they were together, which was an entertaining idea.
Sometimes, the bat considered actually visiting his island. But as the months passed, the more the idea seemed silly. She couldn't simply pass it off as 'I'm here to steal your emerald, again'. That had got old, and simply, Rouge wasn't one to chase. She had hoped she might bump into him, but the idea seemed unlikely these days.
Now, even though these two guys were the only men Rouge had ever really considered properly as 'real boyfriend material', it didn't mean she hadn't been with guys over the past three years. She'd been on nights out, dates, with the good, the bad, and the (god forbid) ugly. So far? Nobody had impressed her enough to get into a steady relationship with her, which was a little bit of a depressing thought, but the woman tried not to let it knaw at her.
Strolling down the street like it was midday rather than near midnight, she was so absorbed in her thoughts that she almost missed the lone figure on the bench across the street from her. The silhouette had its head down, hands clasped near their chin, elbows resting on their knees. That wasn't what captured the bat's attention though; it was the great thick spines producing from its body and head. As she focused her eyes, she also saw the body had a slight glow of sarong to it.
Surely, it couldn't be?
Deciding to chance it, she called out across the road. "Sonic?"
The figures head snapped up, and she saw a wide grin worm onto its face. Yep, it was Sonic alright. The bat's heels clicked across the concrete as she walked to meet him. "Well well well, blue boy. Isn't it nice of you to show up here for lil' old me?" Chuckling answered her as Sonic scratched the back of his head.
"To be honest, it's more of a pleasant surprise for me actually." His voice had deepened slightly, but still held that carefree tone to it.
Rouge stopped in front of him, placing her hands on her hips. "Okay sure, if you insist. But now that I think about it-" she rolled her eyes upwards, miming concentration. "I'm sure I've been seeing a creepy guy stalking me. But I'm sure, no relation to you." He chuckled again slightly, shaking his head at her antics and didn't reply. The girl tilted her head to the side. "Wanna walk with me?"
Raising his eyebrow a little at the question, probably because he hardly walked anywhere these days, he replied. "Yeah, sure." He stood up from the bench, straightening out-
"Jesus Christ hedgehog, have you been burying yourself in soil?" Four years ago, Sonic used to be just a few inches shorter than Rouge. Now, even with her heels on, their roles were reversed. He wasn't a giant, probably just about the height Knuckles was when Rouge last saw him. She couldn't help but wonder how tall he was now…
Laughter broke her from her thinking spell. "I hadn't really noticed it to be honest, but thanks." They started walking, Rouge taking in the details that had changed about him apart from his voice and height. He still refused to wear clothes, probably due to his love for freedom. Hell, his sneakers even looked the same. But his fur had become more coarse, ruffled in some places from the wind. His spines had grown much longer, becoming more unruly. New choppy ones framed the top of his face in bangs, framing his face perfectly. His physic had also become more muscular, but he was still lean from all his running.
Yes, Rouge thought he looked pretty fit. Nothing wrong with that right?
"How are the other guys?" He spoke this looking straight ahead, expression impassive. Rouge bit her lip.
"Well, I don't see the others often. I've lost contact with a lot of them, apart from a few."
He didn't change his expression. "Who?"
"Tails." Both occupants smiled, probably for different reasons. "He's still a kid to me, but man, wait till you see him, all grown-up." Sonic's smile turned into a beam. "He's been doing some work with computers for GUN, even some work on my division. I've got to know him better than I thought I would." Rouge made sure to study his face before she spoke. "And Amy." His smile faded, a frown creasing his forehead, making him look older than he was.
His gaze dropped to his pacing feet below him. "How's she holding up?"
She pulled her gaze forward again, staring intently at nothing in particular. "Alright. Better than when you left." Rouge saw him wince. "I don't talk to her often; I just go off when I bump into her. She's cheerful again, helping out in…stuff." She shrugged. "I dunno, I don't talk to her a lot."
He nodded, and for a few minutes all they could hear was the sound of pacing feet. "What about Shads?"
She answered briskly, the question was expected. "I wouldn't know, I haven't spoken to him since around the time you left." Sonic nodded, but surprisingly, didn't ask why. Perhaps being away had matured him. Rouge had never heard anything of the azure hedgehog since he left. No reports, no headlines, just gone, a bit like everything else that went away.
"How've you been?" Again, the hedgehog surprised her. She raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't look fazed by it, so she shrugged.
"Not too bad. Works been boring, I'm getting decent money. Things could use a little more…" She pursed her lips. "Spice, if you like."
"You look great." Okay, wow. This guy was on a role. Since when in hell, did Sonic the Hedgehog give compliments like that? Her mouth was quirked in half a smile, and Rouge was pretty sure she had clocked on to what he was doing.
"Thanks." Purposely, she let her eyes slowly trail from his head to his feet, then back up again. "You aint so bad yourself, speedster." Now he smirked, letting the bat see that he hadn't lost his cockiness. Instead, he was using it for other purposes, but not only that, he was pretty good at it. Now, it left the girl curious. She wanted to test him. "I haven't dated anyone worthy in the past four years."
The pair had reached Rouge's house, and as she stopped, he leant against the wall, arms crossed. "That's too bad." Sympathy oozed from his voice, unnaturally so. "Me neither really. Girls all seem to just want me for my rep, not me." The bat tutted, and leaned just that little bit closer towards him.
"You don't want ties." It wasn't a question.
He lowered his head slightly, just so he leaned above her, breath cold fog in the night air. "No, I don't." They held each others gaze, bright spearmint green facing off the ocean-coloured gems. Her eyelashes were dark against her cheeks, lips full and wanting. His muscles were tensed ever so slightly, his bangs blowing in the slight breeze.
Finally, the silence broke. "Here, Wednesday, seven pm for a night-out."
The male leant forward, his lips so close to her ear that when he whispered the next sentence she could feel the syllables. "I'll be there." In a cobalt flash, it was like he'd never existed. The girl straightened up, and cleared her head. Now she thought about it, she couldn't believe how much of an impulse that was.
That guy was Sonic the freakin' Hedgehog.
Who now of which Rouge had a date with, and it was someone she'd asked out, not the other way around. She felt confident, yet numb. Although the feeling she felt was strange and alien, she was tired of the normal. Bored of the comfortable waiting and wishing. It was time she did take something into her own hands, even if it was completely unexpected.
She didn't know how this was going to end up. Hell, she didn't even know how much the guy had changed in the past four years. But, she did know one thing.
Her life was about the get interesting again.
Can't beat some flirting.
Soo, if you guys have feedback of any kind; critism, praising, questioning, advice-ing (Teehee, I like making up words) I'll be thrilled to answer! Thanks for reading, and pleasepleasePLEASE review! ^^
MilLy