So, today (July 6) is International Kissing Day, and I'm sad because I had nobody to kiss, so I wrote this story. Enjoy!

On a small island near Seaside Hill Zone, Shadow the Hedgehog sat on a rocky outcropping with his arms crossed, the better to hold in his unbridled resentment. He was using his MP3 player to blot out the ambient sounds with the heavy and fast riffage of "Chemical Warfare" by Slayer. It didn't matter that the sky was clear or the temperature was warm enough to warrant a dip in the Mobian Ocean. When Shadow was in this state, it was best not to trifle with him, for those who did so had a habit of being unable to trifle with anyone else again.

Perhaps the only exception was the owner of a hand wearing a white-and-pink opera glove, who waved it in front of Shadow's face. He blinked a couple of times, but only coincidentally. Even when said hand tapped him on the shoulder, he ignored it as best as he could. Granted, it was still annoying to him, but his will was strong as steel and even lighter than titanium. It was only when he stopped hearing the song in one of his ears that he turned to face the person who kept prodding at him…

"Hey, Shaddy!"

Shadow paused the song. "Rouge…what the hell do you want?"

"Uh uh uh!" Rouge the Bat wagged her finger at him. "That's not a very nice way to address somebody who cares about your well-being!"

Shadow sighed, but otherwise retained his stance. "Sorry…how can I help you?"

"Now that's more like it! Actually, now that you mention it, I should probably be the one helping you."

"And you're going to accomplish this how?"

"First of all, I'm going to remind you that rudeness will get you nowhere. Second of all, I'm going to ask why you're all alone on this very special day."

"I think you damn well know the answer to that question."

Rouge lost her smile and put a hand on her hip. "Look, buster, if you care about my well-being at all, you will drop the iron front you're putting on and tell me what's bothering you!"

"Need I remind you that I'm not obligated to do so?"

Rouge stuck her tongue out at Shadow and adopted a mocking tone with him. "Need I remind you that I'm not obligated to do so?"

Shadow ripped the other earbud out of his ear and put his MP3 player away. "THAT'S IT! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

Shadow raised his fist at Rouge. Initially, a wave of horror had struck the latter, but it wore off very quickly as she gritted her teeth and adopted a traditional fighting stance. She realized that he was much stronger physically, but she was no cream puff when confronted with danger, either. Said danger quickly dissipated, however, when Shadow's eyes widened, and he dropped his fist. Frozen for a brief moment, he squinched his eyes and clutched his head.

"What's the matter, Shaddy?" Rouge loosened her stance.

"M-Maria!" Shadow's hands were trembling. "I didn't mean to do that! I'M SORRY!"

Rouge dropped her jaw. "Oh my…it's OK! It's not real!"

Having dealt with such a situation before, Rouge gently approached Shadow and put her hands around his waist. As they sunk into a hug, Shadow started crying, praying for the hallucinations to be over. He never really intended to hurt Rouge; he was merely trying to scare her. On second thought, he probably shouldn't have scared away the one person who knew him like the back of her hand. Thankfully, Rouge knew he wouldn't hurt her unless she turned on him or something like that. As she patted his back, she gently nuzzled the side of his face, the better to calm him down. Eventually, Shadow felt the weight drifting away from his head, but he held on to Rouge anyways. Who was he to reject somebody who felt as soft as her? When she sensed the time was right, she let go.

"Th-thank you…" said Shadow.

"You're always welcome, hon!" Rouge pulled out some Kleenexes from her cleavage and handed them to Shadow, who wasted no time in blowing his nose. "Now, is it OK if I ask what's bothering you?"

"Y…yes…" Shadow did his best to look Rouge in the eyes, even if it hurt. "You know that today is International Kissing Day, right?"

Rouge nodded. "Mm-hmm."

"Well, here's the problem…"

Rouge raised her eyebrows a little. "What is it?"

"I…I've never been kissed before."

"Never?"

"No! It seems like that blue freak gets all the women!" Shadow threw his arms up in the air.

Rouge raised her arms in front of her, to chest height. "Shaddy, it's gonna be all right! Just take a deep breath!"

Shadow slowly inhaled.

Rouge smiled. "That's it…and release!"

Shadow exhaled more slowly than he'd inhaled.

"There we go! Now, close your eyes…"

Shadow wondered if Rouge was going to trick him. Nevertheless, he slowly closed his eyes. A few seconds later, he felt something wet meet his mouth…

Rouge was kissing Shadow.

Shadow's eyes flew open at the new sensation. His heartbeat soared to new heights, and he let out a loud, stifled moan, not sure of what to make of the situation. Once he'd gotten settled in, he closed his eyes again and wrapped his arms around Rouge just as she wrapped hers around his. The feeling of the kiss, combined with the feeling of her well-endowed chest pressing against him, was enough to send him into a blush-fueled frenzy. Nevertheless, he held on tight to his dream. As they went at each other, Rouge decided to take things further and let one of her hands trail down Shadow's back. Then, she started rubbing a spot just above where his tail was. This sent a pleasant electric charge up and down his spine, and it was enough to almost make him faint. She let him down gently, but continued to kiss him and eventually straddled his body. Once they were both on the ground, she slowly brought her hands up to his furry chest. The sensation of her floofing his chest fur proved no less pleasant, as it elicited a few more muffled moans from him and even caused him to buck his hips a little. Once she'd had her fill of that, Rouge gently cupped Shadow's face in her hands and laid on the passion some more. He took great delight in being dominated by her, so much so that he nearly forgot to breathe. She knew that this couldn't possibly be any good for him, so she broke away from the kiss, leaving a panting, red-faced hedgehog underneath.

"Satisfied, my little Shaddy baby?"

Shadow caught a few more breaths before nodding. "V-very!"

"Grand! Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"Well I…er…I was wondering if…we could go…swimming?"

"Sure thing!"

"Thanks!" Shadow smiled. "I love you, Rouge!"

"And I love you!"

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.