Disclaimer: Sonic and co. don't belong to me. They belong to the dudes and dudettes at SEGA.

Author: Rated T for mild language, some sexual actions, and slight violence. And lastly R&R, it'll help motivate me. And constructive criticism is always welcomed! Before reading, I'd like to clarify a few things... but I can't fit everything here, so for now I'd like to say that this fic is an AU. Oh, and one more thing. The events in this fic is set two years after the Super Scourge Incident (StH # 196).

Brief Note:
"_" indicates a character's speech
*_* indicates that the character is speaking through thought
(_) indicates an action between a speech or thought

Separate Ways

by Sol

Chapter 1: Memories - Act 1

"One doesn't recognize the really important moments in one's life until it's too late."

She caressed herself slowly, suds from the soap she held washing over her as she bathed. She left the window open, which sent in the cold night air within the shower making her shiver involuntarily on occasion. She wanted it cold, not that it mattered as it never truly bothered her. With her thick coat, the cold barely made any impression on her. Her fur always made sure she was warm. But she didn't like it warm... she wanted it cold...

She wanted to feel that coldness envelope her entire being... she needed it to numb her over... so she would forget about the feelings... the feelings that hurt her so...

She stepped out of the shower and switched it off. Her body soaked in water creating small puddles on the tiled floor, she then grabbed the towel from its rack forcefully as she ran it across her wet form to dry herself. She then ran the towel across her face and head to dry her soaked maroon colored hair. Though completely blinded by the towel, she knew the room well enough to not stumble or fall as she walked towards the mirror.

She removed the towel off of her and stared at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her fur was no better. Her expression was that of anger, eyebrows furrowed down and lips curved downwards as well, and her nostrils flared as she breathed. Her eyes stared at that expression with even more anger. She hated what she has become... but most of all, she hated who made her that way...

"How I loathe HIM..." She uttered under a whisper.

As she said those words and thought of HIM, her expression softened a bit as her face fought against her emotions... she wanted to hate him but somehow, somewhere in her thoughts, something fought against her hate. Her face showed anger, but her eyes showed sadness... and she could see it... her glass orbs twinkling with moisture as tears form underneath them. And somewhere within those orbs, HE was there... HIS face saddened as well...

"Why? Why do YOU haunt me so? Why must YOU consistently remain within my thoughts?" She asked from no one in particular. "How I loathe YOU..." She repeated, her hands digging into themselves as they balled into fists. But she suddenly unclenched them and placed one of them on the mirror, her angry expression melting away completely and joining what her eyes showed...

"...and yet... I still find myself infatuated with YOU..." She said, her voice distant and barely audible as she spoke with longing...

"I feel bitter, and yet... I don't... I can't say for sure... but I feel... that I need YOU..." She said sadly. Her head spun slowly on its base as she turned towards the door. "He can't satisfy me... no... YOU were the only one who could..." She said to this invisible being. She then turned back to her reflection, her hand still pressed against the mirror, though she didn't notice that she was pressing harder...

"But he does remind me of YOU... he even looks like YOU..." She continued to speak, her voice having a sort of disgusted tone... Her sadness slowly going into a deeper decline. "But I know he's not YOU..." She said timidly with a tone that even a bat could not hear...

She then sighed heavily, closing her eyes, the slits shaking as she did... she did not wish to close them... because whenever they did and she open them again... she would be reminded that this whole tragedy was real... not a dream... like a nightmare come to life... a nightmare, that she herself created and couldn't wake from...

She shook her head dismissively as she slowly removed her hand from the mirror. Soon enough, she groomed herself and got herself ready for another night with a person she knows she doesn't truly love...

She got herself dressed in her usual night gown. It was black and seemed to be made of a fabric that felt like a cross between linen and cotton. It was soft to the touch, and it made her fur feel comfortable as it tightened around her curves. Frills adorned its long sleeves and collar, designed like orchids, and the same frills ran across its lower left to give the gown a sort of elegant grace. It must have been expensive...

The gown came from the man she was with now. He picked that one out for her in particular, saying that he left no expense at its cost. He said that she was beautiful in it. He seems to show that he loves her, yet she knows he doesn't... or at the very least, she doesn't.

Them being together shouldn't even be considered a relationship, as far as she was concerned. It was just wrong in every way she could fathom... she wrapped her arms around herself protectively, feeling his lustful fingertips across her body at the thought... Why were they even together? She did not love him... nor did he... it was not love that brought them together... it was anger... and hatred that tied they're bonds...

It was true... they found each other through mutual hatred... hatred towards the same person whom they both believed at the time was they're greatest enemy... they hated HIM both. That's why they were together, because they knew it would hurt HIM. And he continues to think so of HIM... but she on the other hand is in doubt...

"I hate YOU for that transgression YOU did in the past. But... I still long for YOU... I really do..." She told the invisible being again, her voice deeply soothing towards her beloved enemy... though her stand on them being enemies were being slowly diminished as each day that passes... she looked over at the open window. Looking out in the distance, her eyes again showed that same brood longing it had earlier. She missed HIM... so much... and there was nothing she could do... she has placed herself here... its her own fault... her transgression...

And as she delved further into grief, a sudden image of HIM passed by her thoughts... HE had a smirk on... she gave an audible moan, a moan of sadness as the tears that she held back beneath her eyes trickled slightly down her furred cheek...

And as sudden as it appeared, she shook her head to be rid of the image and wiped the tear away. She then shifted her gaze towards the clock beside the mirror.

"Enough. Scourge is waiting for me..." She told herself as she walked over to the door and exited the shower room.

Scourge laid in bed, his hands behind his head, legs crossed and his quills brushed down to avoid ripping the covers and pillows. His face showed ample anticipation as he thought of her gleefully. He was waiting for her. Though he did not care how long, he would wait un-questioningly for his lover, his red haired angel, to join him in bed. He sat up briefly, his lips curled in a semi-pout, as he looked himself over for the seventh time.

He wanted tonight to be perfect, no mistakes or slip-ups, tonight had to be just right. For last night was not...

Their past love-makings were okay at best. He would always release so passionately and gave sighs of audible satisfaction and glee that even the neighbors decided to have their own nightly moments. Yet... she did not show the same... she seemed somewhat sad recently... He didn't exactly know why, but recently whenever they did it, she never seemed truly satisfied...

Blaming himself, Scourge took matters drastically as he insured that tonight was to be different. He scoured into as much as he could and looked up some special books on how to stimulate his innumerably callous lover. The various books told him quite a plethora of different advice on how to excite and satisfy. One such book told him how the environment can affect their senses, and so he bought some new bed covers and even new pillows lined with beautiful markings and scented them thoroughly with a special mixture that was said to excite those who smelt it. The books even gave him plenty of different sensual techniques that, as was written, to entrance the lovers in sexual bliss.

"Tonight's gonna be awesome!" He yelled in excitement as the scent of the mixture seemed to have affected him and he couldn't help but smile broadly at how it would affect his red haired angel. And as he traced over the techniques again in his head, the shower room door swung open.

"Hey baby... you ready?" She said, leaning against the door's frame and trying to sound as sultry as she could. Scourge raised his head, and his smile became even broader.

"You bet your ASS I am!" He growled sexually, emphasizing his point as he purposely made the term 'Ass' sound more animalistic. She walked over to him, her hips swaying heavily with each step as the gown's tightness showed her impressive curves in great detail. Scourge felt his blood rush down his loins, as he un-crossed his legs to remove some tension between his uncomfortably tight shorts and stared at his lover intently and lustfully with eyes so focused and filled with such sexual need and hunger.

She sat beside the bed, her huge fluffy tail swaying about as she lowered herself down the covers with her back against Scourge, looking over him at the corner of her eyes. She fluttered her long eyelashes with such intimacy and speed that each flutter is causing Scourge's shorts to tent a little at each second that passed. His pupils suddenly shrank and drool started running down his jaw as his animalistic need took over him like a bad cold.

"Stop teasing bitch..." Scourge growled again, that animalistic need dripping from each word like acid across the room. As she heard it, she felt the need to back away as that same acidic tone dripped at her fur. But she resisted, and she wiggled her finger 'No' to further tease him.

"Nuh-uh... take it easy tiger..." She said, again, trying to sound as sultry as she could. She found it difficult to be sexual tonight though... just like almost every other night that has passed since her new found outlook on this relationship... it was making her feel uneasy, as Scourge's acidic tone now dripped on his breathing and she felt it tingle across her fur and could have sworn that it could melt her away...

As she looked and felt Scourge's lustful form, she smelled something within the air... the special mixture was now making its way into her senses... yet, with all its proud claim she felt unfazed by it... it felt nothing special to her... it was just another scent that reminded her how low she has dove into this relationship... the scent now became like poison to her... causing her to slowly become numb... not with lust... but rather, disgust... not just at the situation, but at herself as well...

She couldn't bring herself to do it tonight... she wanted to delay it as much as possible.

But Scourge wasn't one to be denied...

Scourge shook his head whether in disapproval or something else, it did not matter, his expression was not even faltering. He then grabbed her violently, her body swaying a little to the side uncaringly like a blade of grass against the wind. He brought his lips to her neck and pressed kisses need-fully. She gave a slight moan as he began his animalistic ritual. But she didn't moan because it felt right... no... it was the complete opposite. It felt very wrong... and fear was forming in her mind...

She did not fear what was about to happen. She and him have done it quite a number of times already. No, she feared for another reason... and that reason was about HIM...

Before, when they were starting out, when it was still about hurting HIM, she thought of many ways to hurt HIM... and this was one of them. She would give herself willingly to Scourge and at first, enjoyed it. Because it was her way, at the time, to bring sadness on HIM. But now... it was painful...

It was painful because she felt guilty... guilty over sullying herself to him to hurt her beloved... yes, her beloved... HIM... she could no longer find herself to hate HIM completely anymore. She hated what HE did before, but that was just a phase... she has out-grown that phase... and it was only till recently that she regretted what she has done to HIM... her beloved...

Her eyes went blank a little as her expression became sorrowful. All the while, Scourge made his kisses rougher, his lips feeling like sandpaper rubbing against her fur and the flesh underneath... and as he continued, his hands started exploring her body along with his kisses. His hands felt the same now... they felt like his kisses... painful...

*Why?* She asked distantly as she locked herself in her thoughts. *Why couldn't it be YOU...? YOU should be the one doing this to me... YOU'RE the only one who deserves it...* She told the invisible being again. She wanted to feel HIM right now... she wanted HIM to do this to her and express HIS love to her as she would to HIM... Suddenly, for no reason at all, another image of HIM came to her... this time though, HE looked even more saddened as HE shed tears...

Seeing HIS saddened face and tears struck her like a bolt of lightning, pain pulsating across her body as her mouth went agape with saddened shock... oblivious to what was happening outside her thoughts, a stray tear ran down her cheek. A tiny river of sadness across a valley of fur, carrying with it all her regretful sorrow...

Just then, Scourge's kisses reached her face, and when his lips tasted salt, he suddenly stopped kissing her...

Afterwards he stopped caressing her body and slowly pulled away. And when she no longer felt his poisoned touch, she suddenly snapped out of her trance and turned to face him, shocked to see his expression...

His jaw was down, showing a line of razor sharp teeth. His eyes no longer showed the animalistic desires that they once had, they now carried a sense of aghast and irritation and a somewhat angry glint. He just stared at her, almost unblinkingly. Silence fell both of them as they each thought of what to do next...

"What's wrong with you?" Scourge took the initiative. "It's like your not even trying!" He growled, his irritation present in his tone. Scourge didn't want anything wrong happening tonight. He used to blame himself for how she was behaving lately. But now, he thought that maybe it wasn't him... it was her... and he just couldn't take it anymore, as he took out that aggressive nature that he always carries ready to be unleashed.

"Don't you care! I've given you so much, and all you could do is act like a freakin' zombie!" Scourge continued to rant. "Don't you like me? LOVE me?" He gave emphasis on the word 'Love' heavily, hoping to bring out something from her.

But she was silent... she turned away again, her saddened expression again showed across her face with more force than it had before. She didn't want to answer that question... as she felt no need to... But Scourge was persistent. He reached out and grabbed her head and forcibly turned her to face him.

He was angry. He has given her so much in their relationship. Clothes, food, jewelry and a place to live! He feels offended that after all that, she would shun him away!

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" Scourge yelled, making his anger known. His grip on her face tightened with greater anger.

At first she felt saddened by the whole situation. But suddenly, Scourge took hold of her face and forced her to turn to his direction and yelled at her like he owned her. She quickly felt angry... furious... How dare he grab her face! He had no right! She then grabbed his hand tightly, and with great force, pulled his hand off of her. Shocked over the sudden change in her attitude, Scourge couldn't react and just looked at her gaping.

"I don't need to answer to you! And don't you dare touch me like that!" She screamed furiously. Scourge's shock quickly dissipated as he heard her and he suddenly grew aggressive again.

"Don't you talk back to me like that! After all that I've done for you, this is the thanks I get!" Scourge yelled, pointing his finger at her, appalled by her attitude. "I've given up so much of myself for you! I've practically given you my life! My love!" Hearing him repeat the word 'Love' insulted her to such a high degree that it felt like the Sun's fire was welling up inside her. And her fury seemed to rise exponentially.

"Love! You call weekly nights of sex love! There's more to love then just sex!" She screamed even higher and angrier slapping his finger aside. Drawing closer to him, eyes burning with rage, Scourge couldn't help but back away... She practically loomed over him right now...

"We practically do it three times a week! And there wasn't a conversation that we had that didn't involve you mentioning or talking about SEX!" She yelled even louder at him, her voice like fire across his own body filling him with great fear to even talk back, and with each word she spoke she poked at his chest with great force to emphasize her anger, and like her voice each touch felt like fire and Scourge couldn't help but feel helpless as she enveloped him in that fire...

"You think you've got the right to call this relationship love!" She continued. "You don't really love me! And I don't love you either! I regret ever meeting you!" But as she said that, her words stirred something in Scourge, and the fire before him seemed less fearful as his own fire welled up...

"But you were the one who wanted this relationship in the first place!" He retorted back with that welling ball ablaze with equal zeal to hers. She opened her mouth to bring her flame alive, but no words came out as Scourge's words seemed to extinguish her rage... and soon, she no longer found herself in any position to argue, as what he said was true... her fire now completely gone, and his was now enveloping her and she backed away. Now it was his turn to loom over her...

"You were the one who asked me to be with you from the beginning! You were the one who wanted this, and now you have the gull to complain!" Scourge's form no longer loomed over her... he towered over her greatly as his angry blaze rose even higher then hers was, and she found herself no longer able to fight back...

"Your... your right..." She replied sadly, almost lower then a whisper, and buried her face in her hands. And then, she started crying...

Hearing her sobs and the tears that seeped down the cracks in her hands, Scourge backed down a little, her tears seemingly putting out his flame, and he calmed himself. He then shrugged his shoulders feeling frustrated and pulled the covers up angrily as he laid down to sleep.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever... (tch!) We'll continue this tomorrow..." He said, still slightly angry, and forced himself to sleep.

After hearing him say that, she un-buried her face and looked at him... she gave him a very heavy death glare as her pupils showed a tiny flame within them.

*Damn you...* She thought as malice enveloped her. But the malice instantly disappeared as, again, HE made an appearance in her mind...

She dried her tears quickly and then stood up and walked out of the room... slamming the door angrily on her way out...

Scourge took notice, and sat up. Eyes squinting angrily. He gave an irritated grunt before going back down to sleep and muttered the word...

"Bitch..."

To be Continued...