Against the Odds

My name is Shadow the Hedgehog.

Red and white hover shoes left burn marks on the track field. The wind pushed against his red streaked quills. He had to be running for at least a couple of hours. He was tired but he knew he couldn't give up. He just couldn't.

He wanted me to be the perfect son.

Shadow's father, Black Doom, was sat on a nearby bench as he watched his son dash in circles. His bright emerald eyes stayed focused on Shadow like a hawk. He was a hedgehog that had the same dark complexion as his son. His menacing green eyes were enough to send any Mobian running, and his long quills draped his shoulders.

His son ran faster than the speed of light, but Doom had an unpleasant look on his face. His son could outrun anybody. He was the fastest runner in his track team. He had highest honors at Mobius High School, and he was also very popular. Even all of those things couldn't impress Doom. He wanted more.

The poor black and red hedgehog could feel his legs getting weak. His eyes glanced over at his father. When can he stop running? He was so exhausted. He saw the same things over and over as he ran in circles, and it drove him mad. First he saw a trashcan, then a streetlight, then Doom. Trashcan, streetlight, Doom. Trashcan streetlight, D-…

Shadow tripped.

His face almost met with the ground, but he used his hands and knees to break his fall. The young hedgehog gritted his teeth, but it wasn't from the pain of his skin rubbing against the gravel…

He could never be the perfect son.

Doom stood up from the bench and slowly walked over to his son. His father hasn't said anything yet, but Shadow could read his eyes. His brilliant olive eyes flared.

Disappointment…

As Doom spoke his deep voice rang through Shadow's ears. "You tripped? I can't believe it…"

The track runner slowly got up and dusted himself off.

"How do you expect to win the Track Tournament in a couple of months if you keep tripping over invisible rocks!"

His son was confused. Invisible rocks? The hell is he talking about…

Doom noticed his bewildered expression. "Exactly what I'm talking about!" He pointed to the track. "There are no rocks, no dirt, no nothing! What could you possibly be tripping on?"

Shadow trained for this event for over a month. He felt like he was ready, but he knew his dad always doubted him. "Doom, I'm exhausted. It would be best if we finish this tomorrow."

At first his father's face was blank, but he soon scowled in disgust. He acted as if the young hedgehog had just cursed at him.

"Fine."

The tired athlete sighed in relief. Finally…a break.

As Doom walked away, Shadow's ears twitched. He could've sworn he heard his father mumble something under his breath. It sounded like…

Lazy…

The young athlete felt a burning sensation and he looked down at his hands. That fall did a number on his palms, and his gloves had torn. His girlfriend, Rouge the Bat, just bought him those gloves.

He turned in the opposite direction and headed home. The black hedgehog looked terrible. His hands and knees were burned. His fur was sweaty, and he got dirt on his body from training all day. He closed his eyes as he imagined water running down his body. A shower would feel like the greatest thing in the world right now.

Shadow felt relieved when he made it home. He lived in the rich side of Knothole called Armdale. Armdale was the place where all the wealthy Mobians in Knothole lived. The smallest house you'll ever see in that neighborhood would be the size of a luxurious beach house.

He opened the door and walked in like a zombie. He landed on the white couch in the living room, and plunged his face into a pillow. Every muscle in his body ached.

God, I'm so tired.

Footsteps could be heard and someone came into the living room. Shadow didn't have to lift his face. He already knew who that was; it was the housemaid, Tikal. A beautiful, young echidna who couldn't really speak much English, but she was a nice lady. She was done for the day and was wiping her hands on her apron. She saw Shadow and smiled.

"Shadow, hello."

He lifted his hand and gave a very weak wave with his face still on the pillow. Tikal laughed; she could see how tired he was.

"You want shower?"

It almost became a routine ever since Shadow had been training for the competition. He would come home tired as hell, and Tikal would run a hot shower for him.

His voice was muffled. "Yes please."

She headed to the upstairs bathroom. The young hedgehog felt something under his stomach he reached and pulled out a remote. The remote was for the huge plasma screen television that was across the room. He shrugged and turned the TV on; he didn't really have anything else to do.

Knothole news was on. A red cat was on the television screen and Shadow had to admit…she was pretty hot.

The red cat looked away from the camera. "Are we on?" She then nodded her head and held a microphone to her lips. "This is Samantha Keys reporting for Knothole News tonight. Another Mobian went missing today."

Shadow couldn't believe. That had to be the third mobian that disappeared.

"This time it was Sally Acorn; the daughter of Maximillian Acorn. The billionaire that owns many restaurants and hotels in Knothole. If anyone has any information on her whereabouts, please contact the Knothole Police Departm-."

He turned the TV off. It just didn't make any sense. Teenagers with wealthy parents are vanishing without a trace and there hasn't been any ransom notes, no threats, nothing.

His train of thought was interrupted when Tikal came into the room with her coat on and her bag on her shoulder. It was time for her to leave. "Shower ready. See you tomorrow."

He winked at her. "See you tomorrow, beautiful."

Tikal rushed past him and headed for the door. Nothing could escape those eyes of his. He saw how red the maid's face got when he talked to her. When the door closed behind her he laughed. He just loved messing with her.

He got up from the couch and headed upstairs to his room. He walked into his room and saw how hard Tikal worked to make everything clean. His clothes were folded neatly, and his books were stacked on the bookshelf in alphabetical order. His bed was made and there wasn't a single speck of dust. Too bad that in a couple of hours a tornado will hit his room and everything will just end up back on the floor. Shadow couldn't help it; he's just a very messy guy.

He spotted his suit that he always wore to parties laying flat on his bed. He arched his eyebrow. Why did Tikal lay that out for him?

He walked into his bathroom and heard the water in the shower running. He took off his clothes and pulled back the curtain, and all this steam went past his feet. He got inside and he could feel the water washing away all the dirt and sweat. It felt good to him. Shadow then began to wonder about those missing mobians he keeps hearing on TV. Could it be Doom that's kidnapping everybody? He is part of the mob and mobs have kidnapped before.

He didn't know what his father did for a living…exactly. All he knows is that his father is the leader of the biggest Mobian Mafia group in town.

Shadow shook his head. Abduction isn't his style.

He smirked. The shower sure felt good. His maid was good at her job, and she was very pretty too. He can imagine it now; Tikal would come back because she wanted to see him.

The shower curtain opened and there stood Tikal…completely naked. He gazed at her body she was a perfect hourglass. Her breasts were small but round and she had a small waist and curvaceous hips. His crimson eyes looked at her face. Her beautiful aquamarine eyes stared at the black hedgehog, and her long eyelashes fluttered as she looked at him innocently.

The absolute silence was killing Shadow. "You want to join me?"

The housemaid didn't say a word she went in the shower and closed her eyes as she felt the warm water trickling down her small body. She opened her eyes and looked at Shadow. "Tired…I clean no break."

He laughed. He thought her broken English was a little sexy. "You know I'm tired too, but I know a way we can both relax."

He placed his strong hands on her petite waist and she gasped. Her hair was wet, water was coming down her breasts, and her whole body was soaked. The hedgehog smiled.

He was going to enjoy this.

He leaned in for a kiss. She took him by surprise, because she was a wonderful kisser. Their tongues danced with each other, and the black hedgehog couldn't get enough. Tikal tasted so good. She tasted like…. He couldn't place his finger on it.

Cinnamon perhaps?

Tikal wasn't stiff anymore and she allowed Shadow to pull her in closer. She moaned and tilted her head back while he kissed her neck. She was finally getting into it. The house servant couldn't figure out what was going on, the room was spinning. She heard the water running and Shadow's groans as he covered her whole body in kisses.

She couldn't believe she was doing this. Doom hired her to clean the house, not have sex with his son. This wasn't part of the job description!

"So sexy…." He whispered in her ear in the most seductive tone imaginable. His ebony hands were roaming her body. Tikal's body shivered. She was losing it!

Shadow had her body pinned to the shower wall. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his hips. He asked, "Are you ready?"

The echidna didn't say anything. All she did was look at him. The hedgehog didn't know if she was ready, but he sure was and that was good enough for him. He pressed his hips against hers and she gasped. He penetrated her. As Shadow got in deeper and deeper his grin grew wider and wider.

The warm water in the shower suddenly got super hot and it stung Shadow's back. He arched his back in pain. "Aaaah! Fuck!"

He quickly turned around and turned the water off. Then the black hedgehog finally fell back into reality. Tikal wasn't in the shower with him, and he wasn't getting any. The whole entire time he was just standing in the shower making weird faces. He gave a disappointed sigh as he pulled the curtains aside and stepped out the shower.

There he goes having those perverted daydreams again. It's not like he was in love with Tikal or anything, he just thinks it would be nice to have sex with her.

Shadow left his bathroom and he saw his girlfriend standing in his doorway. Rouge had her hands on her hips and she was about to say something, but her face turned into a deep shade of red. Her boyfriend was standing before her with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Water was dripping down his chest. Dripping down his six pack.

All those years on the track team was really paying off.

Rouge smiled. "Whoops! Sorry." She turned around to give him privacy. "I won't look."

"What are you doing here?"

She spoke to the wall. "Well if you must know I was heading up here earlier, but I heard you taking a shower so I went back downstairs and waited for you. Then outta nowhere you screamed bloody murder so I came running back up here. Better question is why the hell were you screaming?"

"The water in the shower got hot."

He couldn't see her face, but he could tell the female bat was smiling. "Aww Shaddie afraid of a little water?" She laughed.

Shadow then noticed what his girlfriend was wearing. Rouge had on a short black dress and black heels. Tikal had nice curves, but Rouge was voluptuous.

"You're all dressed up. What's the occasion?"

"Knuckles party is today." She sounded irritated. "You know that party I kept telling you about for the past week."

The track runner blinked. He was in trouble now. "Of course." He pointed to his suit on the bed. "That's why I told Tikal to clean my suit for me…because I'm going out with my sweetheart Rouge." It was all coming back to him now.

She snapped. "Shut up and get dressed! I can't believe you forgot!"

Shadow put his suit on and Rouge turned around. He asked, "Wait a minute. Did you just say we're going to a party at Knuckles' house?"

She nodded. "That's right."

He frowned. No wonder he forgot all about it. Shadow couldn't stand that red echidna. Knuckles parents make the most out of everybody else's parents, and the echidna loved to brag about it. He had one of the biggest mansions in Armdale and his parents spoiled him rotten. Whenever Shadow got near him he felt the echidna looked down at him because his father was a mobster and made less money than his parents.

Rouge read his mind. "Why don't you guys like each other?"

Her lover didn't respond to her question, instead he muttered obscenities about the echidna.

She rolled her eyes. "It's a shame that the new gloves I bought for you couldn't even last a week." She walked over to his desk and picked up the torn gloves.

He sighed. "I was practicing for the tournament coming up and I fell, sorry."

His girlfriend dropped the gloves back on the desk, astonished. "Weren't you practicing for that yesterday?"

"Yes."

"And the day before that?"

"Yes."

"…And the day before that?"

"…Yes."

"Wow your dad is really pushing you to the edge." She smiled. "Luckily you can go to the party with me and relax."

Shadow grimaced. He doesn't know how he will be able to relax with Knuckles around.

Rouge sat on his desk. "I remember when I was forced to be the 'perfect child'. It was my mother. Up until I was nine she used to cover my face with makeup, do my hair in the most ridiculous styles, and make me wear hideous dresses. For the Little Miss Knothole Pageant." She shuddered. "It was dreadful. Thank God that chapter in my life is over."

When Rouge talked about her mother, it reminded Shadow of his. His mother was a beautiful red hedgehog named Cassandra. She was a wonderful mother and a good wife. Back then Doom was a completely different hedgehog. He was more care free and charismatic. He wasn't so over competitive.

Back in the good old days.

Then one day Cassandra was found dead while walking home from grocery shopping. A bullet to the head. No witnesses. Shadow came home from school and his father was sitting in the living room staring at the floor. It almost seemed like Doom wanted to cry but he was fighting back his tears. His son never seen him so vulnerable it almost scared him.

Ever since Cassandra's death Doom's attitude on life changed. He believed the only reason she died was because he was careless and stupid. After that he made sure his son wouldn't make the same mistake he did. That's when he forced Shadow to sign up for track and other extracurricular activities. He needed his son to be number one in everything. He was a fish trapped in a shark tank. He needed to show those alpha males that just because he was a gangster who found his way to the top don't mean can't he succeed in life. He showed that through Shadow's accomplishments.

The black hedgehog missed his mom. He missed her so much…

Rouge stopped talking and looked at her boyfriend. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah."

"You look so sad."

"It's nothing. We should head over to that get-together now."

They were headed to the party but Rouge decided that they should have some 'alone time', and instead they went to her house. Shadow wished that the 'alone time' could've lasted longer, but his girlfriend only did it to kill some time before they went to Knuckles' house.

"We don't want to go there super early. Who does that?" She asked as she was putting her dress back on.

The couple finally made it to Knuckles' house and a tall, muscular crocodile was standing in front of the doorway. Shadow frowned. That asshole hired a bodyguard.

Rouge smiled at the crocodile. "Hello Vector."

"Rouge, you look beautiful this evening."

She smiled. "Thank you."

Vector stepped aside and Rouge walked in. Shadow nodded at Vector, but suddenly the track runner walked into him and stumbled. Jesus, that dude was built like a brick wall.

"Sorry I can't let you in."

"What?"

"Boss's orders. You can't come in."

The black hedgehog groaned in annoyance. He hasn't even seen Knuckles yet and the bullshit already started.

"Hey Vector!" Knuckles appeared behind the stoic crocodile and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Everything going good?"

The party host then saw Shadow and smiled. "Shadow what are you doing out here? The party's inside." He laughed.

Vector looked confused. "But boss you told me that he wasn't allowed in."

"I was only joking Vec. He's welcome here. What type of party would it be without Shadow?"

That damn echidna was lying through his teeth.

The bodyguard stepped aside and he walked in. Shadow's place was pretty big, but Knuckles' house was enormous. The whole party took place in his living room. The living room walls were painted a deep shade of red. In Knothole the color red resembled wealth. Tall windows were covered with white silk curtains, and they were paintings of echidnas dressed in vintage clothing. It was a wonder how the chandelier could hang from the ceiling, because it was so massive.

There was a table in the center of the room that contained food and refreshments. The food was served on silverware, which glistened under the artificial light of the chandelier. Unfortunately this was the only table in the room. There were a couple of chairs for guests to sit on, but the poor partygoers had to hold their food in their hands the entire time they're eating.

Upbeat party music was being played. The young Mobians stomped their dress shoes against the oak wood floor, as they moved in rhythm.

"Yeah my parents are out of town." Knuckles was sitting on a couch surrounded by women. He tried his best to speak over the music. "They're celebrating their anniversary, and I have the house to myself all this week. Isn't that great!"

"What? I don't understand!" One of the females said. The music was just too loud. The echidna's words weren't going anywhere.

The girls leaned in closer so they could hear well. Knuckles put it in simpler terms. "House all to myself for the week!"

The females were excited. One of the wealthiest bachelors in Armdale was going to have the mansion all to himself for seven days.

Shadow rolled his eyes. Show off.

The black hedgehog saw his girlfriend conversing with someone on the other side of the room.

"Hey Shadow."

Knuckles was still sitting down and his women entourage disappeared. A grey hedgehog walked over to Knuckles. He had his quills jelled back and was wearing a butler uniform. He handed a deck of cards to the echidna.

"How about a game of cards?"

"No I'm not really in the mood."

"Come on it'll be fun. I thought you were use to gambling anyway."

Oh look another mob joke.

The athlete gave out a weak chuckle. "I'm not playing."

Knuckles started to make obnoxious chicken noises. "I think someone's scared." The mobians around him started to laugh.

Unfortunately the echidna's taunting got to him and he decided to take a seat. He snatched the cards from Knuckles and the rich bachelor arched his eyebrow.

Shadow said, "I'll deal."

While the two men decided to play a 'friendly' game of cards, Rouge and her friend, Blaze the Cat, were having a little chat.

Blaze said, "Did you hear about that girl that went missing?"

"Yeah that Sally girl." Rouge shook her head. "What is going on in this town?"

"There are rumors going around about a kidnapper. You really think that girl has been kidnapped?"

The female bat shrugged. "I have no clue. All I want to do is leave this place. Go somewhere nice and quiet. I was hoping that maybe Shadow and I could go away somewhere together, but I don't know… Things between us haven't been going so well lately…"

Her friend gave a concerned look. "Why? What's wrong?"

"There's no spark between us. We had a spark back when we were first dating. I remember one time when we were fighting he did the sweetest thing."

"What did he do?"

"I forgot what we were arguing about, but we said some terrible things to each other. I ran back to my house and slammed my door shut. Then I heard him throwing rocks on my window, so I opened it and told him to buzz off."

The cat laughed. Her friend always had a spunky attitude.

Rouge continued with her story. "It was pouring outside and he was soaked. He looked crazy! But then I…heard the most beautiful voice I've ever heard in my life. I looked out my window, and there was Shadow. He was singing to me in the rain."

"He sang to you," Blaze blurted out.

Rouge knew exactly what her friend was thinking. Shadow was probably the most serious hedgehog she has ever met. How could he do something that made him look so innocent…so lighthearted.

Rouge sighed dreamily. "And before I knew it, he was holding me and we kissed."

"Aww… That's so romantic."

"That's the guy I fell in love with, but it's so different now. Our relationship just feels so boring."

"Rouge, relationships are always the best in the beginning, because it's a new experience it's exciting. But…soon it starts to get stale, but everybody is like that. You can't let a few bumps on the road stop you. I think you guys were made for each other." Rouge smiled. "You should try something different with Shadow. Spice things up a bit."

Rouge was glad Blaze was her friend. Everytime the bat needed advice she was there to help.

"You're right we've been going out for four years. Maybe we just need to change things."

"YOU CHEATED!"

Both of the women turned to see a crowd forming around a table. Shadow and Knuckles were playing cards and the game got intense, and their game of cards attracted bystanders. Rouge and Blaze walked over to see what all the commotion was about.

The ivory bat asked her boyfriend, "Who is screaming back here?"

Knuckles stood up. "I am! Tell your friend to stop cheating!"

Shadow grabbed the rings on the table and pulled it closer to him. "I won fair and square."

"Bullshit! You're a liar. Your whole family is full of liars!"

The black hedgehog jumped from his seat. "What?"

The bat could feel the tension between the two males. She grabbed Shadow's hand. "Come on. Let's just leave."

He wouldn't budge. "No we should stay. Let's hear what Knuckles has to say."

The echidna threw his cards on the table. "All I said was that your family are a bunch of liars. Some creatures actually work hard to get their money."

Knuckles was basically calling him lazy just like Doom did earlier. Shadow knew he wasn't lazy. It was that damn echidna that was the spoiled brat. He always gets what he wants. Every time Shadow wanted something he had to work for it. His father never gave him any free passes.

Rouge still held his hand and turned around. Everybody was staring. Everybody. Even the servants. The poor bat wanted to jump into the darkest hole and never climb back out. This is so embarrassing!

"Thanks for inviting us to the party Knuckles." She used all her strength to move Shadow. "But….we…really….have to get….going!" It was no use he wasn't going anywhere.

Knuckles said, "How many bodies did your old man have to drop to get you into Mobius High?"

That one line made everyone freeze. Rouge released her boyfriend's hand. That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back. Shadow started advancing towards the echidna with his fists clenched. Knuckles actually seemed scared, but luckily his bodyguard was there to save his behind. Vector snarled at the hedgehog while cracking his knuckles.

Shadow wasn't intimidated. "You want some too tough guy?"

Before the crocodile could respond. Shadow was pulled aside by his lover. "Can we go," Rouge hissed.

The track star said nothing else he took her hand and they left the party.

Shadow decided to take Rouge home for the night. It was the quietest walk the black hedgehog has ever been on. His partner didn't say a single word to him. She wouldn't even look at him. She looked straight ahead and was completely silent. He couldn't take the silent treatment it killed him and Rouge knew it.

Every now and then he would try to strike up a conversation, but Rouge just kept giving him dull answers. It was obvious why the ivory bat was so pissed. Her and Shadow almost never see each other anymore because he's always practicing for that track tournament. They finally get to have some time for themselves and he blew it.

They finally reached Rouge's house and she turned to look at him.

"You need to learn to swallow your pride. I can't believe you let Knuckles get to you like that."

"I couldn't just let him talk to me that way."

"You would've been the bigger man if you walked away."

"That would've made me look like a coward."

His girlfriend sighed. "What happened to you?"

Shadow stiffened. He seemed so surprise. "What do you mean?"

Rouge wouldn't even look at him. She stared at the ground. The black hedgehog blinked. He never saw her behave in such a way. He lifted her chin up and her eyes gazed into his. Then her eyes softened, as if she just realized something.

She finally spoke up, "Nothing…I mean. Good night."

Rouge gave him a quick peck on the lips and headed inside.

Shadow didn't leave just yet. He sat on her porch steps and looked at Rouge's window. Soon her light turned on and he could see her silhouette. She was moving, but he couldn't tell what she was doing. Then a terrible image popped into his head.

What if she was crying?

Her eye shadow would end up on her hands from her rubbing her eyes. Mascara would be dripping down her face, because of the tears. She would try to pull her dress over her head, but it just wouldn't come off.

He got up from the porch steps. He had to make it up to her. The black hedgehog then tugged at his sleeve and a few playing cards fell onto his hand. He threw the cards away at a trash bin as he was headed home.

Well what do you know? Knuckles was right.

He did cheat.

I think the beginning of the story is pretty weak, but after a week of revising it was the best I could come up with. Amy is making her appearance in the next chapter! Yayy! Lol.