The night's air was unusually warm for the time of year but it made for pleasant gliding. The white bat was weary and appreciated the help with her journey. Her teal eyes were filled with what may have been unshed tears; the day she had just had was something she would never wish to repeat… and it wasn't over yet. Finally she spotted her target and, with a grace that came from years of training, she swerved and floated down to the roof where the dark figure stood. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed in their usual position but the way each breath he took ruffled the white fur on his chest showed that he was distressed.
"Shadow." Rouge's voice was soft, any trace of her usual brash, confident and flirtatious tone was absent.
Perhaps it was this usual note to her voice or perhaps he had been expecting someone to follow him here, but those red eyes snapped instantly to her face. Surprised, Rouge flinched, pulling back as if the hedgehog's gaze had burned her. A strange emotion crossed his face for a moment but Shadow refused to avert his eyes. The still burning ruins of Westopolis outlined his striped frame and in that instant Rouge finally understood why so many feared the Ultimate Lifeform.
However the bat wasn't a great treasure hunter and G.U.N agent because she let fear rule her actions and she refused to let the hedgehog drive her away, "Shadow are you alright?"
Instead of speaking her companion simply turned his blazing eyes on the burning city.
His silence was a surprise and almost unconsciously, Rouge stepped closer, "It wasn't your fault Shadow, Black Doom would have come here regardless. He aimed to destroy the world and it's only because of you that we're still alive."
Instead of accepting her comfort, Shadow gave no indication that he had even heard her. Suddenly irate, Rouge could feel her fangs cutting into her lower lip as she rounded on the hedgehog.
"Why did you keep looking for answers when you knew you wouldn't like what you would find?" She hissed, "Your entire past has brought you nothing but misery and yet you keep on digging and I want to know why!"
Again Shadow refused to even glance in the agent's direction. Finally Rouge launched herself on the roof to fly into his line of sight.
"Why do you think your past changes who you are? Why do you let other's control you for the sake of answers that don't change anything?" Her teal eyes burned into his crimson orbs and the steady beats of her wings were like a pulse, "Stare at it Shadow, the city you helped ruin. Stare all night if you want but it won't change what happened. You can't change anything. You don't change."
Her anger subsided as suddenly as it had risen as she tried to read his burning eyes and she landed behind him, her heels making a gentle click on the concrete roof. Her eyes were wide as she stared at the dark hedgehog before her, "Why Shadow? Do you need to prove that you're more than a creation, more than a weapon? Why do you accept lies as truth? Why?"
For a moment the night's silence filled the space between the two teammates before a growl cut through the air.
"What does it matter to you that I'm trying to discover who I am?" Do you worry that I'm going to ruin one of your missions, fail you because I'm distracted when we're a team? Embarrassed that I've brought you into the public eye?" With every sentence Shadow closed the distance between the two partners, "Why did you come here Rouge? Why does it matter to you what I do?"
For once the bat was stunned into silence and in her moment of surprise Shadow vanished into the night. The air was suddenly too cold and Rouge was far too tired but she took the air once more. In the distance she could just make out the glimmering lights of the city she called home but her flight path instead turned to chase the racing clouds of ash below.
As her gaze rested on the retreating trail of the hedgehog, the treasure hunter sighed into the lonely night, "It matters to me Shadow because you're my friend."
Well I have another story based on these two question each other called The Game which was fairly well received. However I was eager to try a less calculated and manipulative side to this duo and so this story was born.