Since a lot of fanfic writers are female, I thought it would only be fitting to write one celebrating International Women's Day. Remember, no matter what anybody tells you, you are beautiful, strong people!

The morning sun peeked over the horizon of the Kingdom of Mobius, painting the surrounding sky with calming crimson. For many, this meant different things.

For Rouge the Bat, it meant one thing:

It was time to get ready for work.

After waking up, she headed for the dining room in her mansion, on the ground floor. Like many rooms in the house, it was lavishly decorated, with a long mahogany dining table, a tablecloth of imported silk, and an imported crystal chandelier. When she made it there, she found that resident robot E-123 Omega had prepared her breakfast: fried chicken, homemade waffles topped with authentic maple syrup, ham with brown sugar glaze, sunny side-up eggs, and blueberry muffins, plus an ice-cold glass of San Pellegrino – Aranciata Rossa flavor, to be precise.

"GOOD MORNING, ROUGE," said Omega. "I HOPE YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH YOUR CONSUMABLES."

"I'm sure I will be."

Rouge yawned and climbed up into her chair, whereupon she began eating. As the savory spices of the fried chicken caressed her taste buds, her usual smile returned to her face, and she began to increase the speed at which she ate, barring one pause:

"You know, Omega, for a soulless computerized automaton, you sure know the way to a lady's heart!"

"YES, EVERY ROBOT SHOULD BE IN POSSESSION OF SUCH KNOWLEDGE. AFTER ALL, TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY."

"Wha…?" Rouge stopped smiling and set her fork down.

"YOUR AUDITORY SENSORS HAVE PROCESSED THAT CORRECTLY. IT IS INDEED INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY."

"Yeah, I heard you, but I've never heard of that holiday before."

"YOU SHOULD HAVE. IT HAS BEEN A MAJOR CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION IN THIS KINGDOM FOR 115 YEARS."

Rouge pointed her hand at Omega. "Well, excuse me for being out of the loop!"

"YOU ARE EXCUSED, ROUGE."

"Omega, you know I'm only teasing you!" Rouge chuckled. "Seriously, though, does that explain the huge purple ribbon you're wearing?"

"IT DOES."

"Awww…you're so sweet!"

Rouge hopped down from her seat, went over and hugged Omega, who did his best to return the gesture without crushing her. Although he was made of metal, there was just something so comforting about him that she didn't care. After a few moments, they broke away from the hug, and Rouge continued eating.

Once breakfast was done, Rouge headed for one of the bathrooms, where she brushed her teeth, flossed, and applied her makeup. Having accomplished this, she returned to her bedroom, where she removed her nightgown and changed into her usual bodysuit + breastplate combo. Now ready to face the day, she flew out the window and headed for G.U.N. headquarters.

Rouge's day mostly consisted of paperwork, although she was dispatched to apprehend an assassin sent by the Roseinian BSS to kill King Maximillian Acorn. When she got home, she plopped herself down on a leather couch in the living room and turned on the TV, just in time for Emerald City Red.

(Hmmm…I wonder where Shaddy's gone to…)

"Looking for me?"

"Shaddy!?" Rouge paused the show and hopped down from the couch. "Where have you been all day?"

"Why do you care?" asked Shadow the Hedgehog. "Usually, you leave me to my own devices."

"Just answer the freakin' question!"

"Hmph, if you must know, I've been in Emerald City participating in the International Women's Day celebrations."

"You? Since when have you been so interested in partying?"

"This isn't a question of partying; it's a question of raising awareness for serious issues."

"And why are you so concerned about said issues?"

"It's because of Maria's dying words: 'give them a chance to be happy'. Whenever I hear stories of women being raped or victimized by domestic violence, I always think that it could have been her in those situations…or even you."

Rouge gestured to herself. "Me?"

"That's right. Ever since I began hearing such stories, I could feel my blood boiling. I just couldn't stand aside as such ghastly actions were taking place. No, I needed something worth fighting for, and this seemed like a worthy enough cause. As much as I may be a solitary person, let it never be said that I never cared about anyone."

"Y-you really care?"

"Yes Rouge, I care about you and every last woman on this planet. You are, to me, everything."

Rouge smiled. "Oh Shaddy, that is extremely sweet of you! Come here!"

Rouge opened her arms wide and hugged Shadow. Initially, Shadow's iron-cold exterior remained intact, but Rouge's soft skin, combined with her Chanel perfume, convinced Shadow to let it out. For the first time in his life, he could truly say that he was happy rather than just faking it, and he most certainly made it. As the tears emerged, he squeezed her just a little tighter. Now, not only was she his business partner, but she was slowly but surely becoming his pleasure partner as well. Yes, rather than fearing emotion, Shadow welcomed it. After a few minutes, Rouge relinquished her grip on Shadow, who was still crying.

"Shaddy…do you still need me to hold you?"

"No…I'm almost done," said Shadow. "Believe me, I'll be okay."

"All right…I believe you. But, let me at least help you out some more…"

Rouge reached into her cleavage and pulled out a pack of tissues. Shadow wasted no time in grabbing some and blowing his nose.

"Are you all right?" asked Rouge.

Shadow put the used tissues into hammerspace for future disposal. "Yes, thanks for asking. I don't know what I'd ever do without you."

"Hell, I could say the same thing about you. But let's not argue about that. Since you were so kind to stick up for me and every other woman on this planet, I'll do anything you want."

Shadow tilted his head. "Anything?"

Rouge smiled. "Anything."

"Well, I'm tired, and all I want is something to relax me, so I'd like to watch some TV with you."

"I don't suppose it matters what we watch?"

"No."

"Then why don't we watch Emerald City Red with each other?"

"Although I should be the one to choose, I'll accept your decision considering that you're the woman around here."

Rouge laughed. "Oh, you're too much!"

"I'll take that as a compliment." Shadow smiled"Come on, Shaddy!"

Rouge and Shadow headed for the living room, where she rewound the current episode of Emerald City Red and played it. Although women still had a few strides to make, things were looking brighter with people like Shadow raising awareness.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.