Chapter 2-Pieced Memories

Rouge gripped something in her hands. She didn't understand. She didn't understand the pain that was coming from her mother's mouth. She didn't understand why Daddy wasn't moving. All she did know was that that man had killed them.

Rouge snapped await to see that she was gripping the couch with such force that her fingers had turned purple. Rouge released the couch as she shifted her weight. She looked around and found Shadow laying down by the couch with a pillow over his head. She smiled as she got up and walked into the bathroom. She turned the shower on and the nozzle spat water at her face.

Rouge stood under the water and was wrapped in thought, that she didn't see another figure get in beside her. Rouge shrieked as someone grabbed her from behind. She turned and met Shadow's lips. Rouge calmed down and leaned into Shadow' embrace. She snuggled up to his wet chest fur and smiled.

Shadow kissed the top of her head and looked at her. Rouge cocked her head to one side and smiled as she kissed the end of his nose. Shadow smiled as Rouge shut the water off and stepped out, and wrapped a towel around both of them. Shadow looked at her as she looked into the mirror and froze.

"Rouge?"

"You ever wonder what my parents would have thought of you?"

Shadow swallowed hard, "Probably that I'm some Street Punk and shouldn't be dating their baby girl."

Rouge stopped as Shadow said 'baby girl,' she turned and looked at Shadow. She turned back around and leaned into his chest as she closed her eyes. Shadow looked down as his fierce bat girl and felt his heart breaking into two.

At that second Shadow's communicator buzzed from under the blankets that he had been sleeping on from last night. He sighed as he grabbed another towel and wrapped around his mid section and walked out of the bathroom with Rouge following him.

Vector's voice boomed out of the speaker,

"SHADOW! DAMN YOU! SHADOW WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU! LAZY ASS HEDGEHOG!"

Shadow picked up the communicator with rage biting at his voice,

"What was that Vector?"

"Sorry. Didn't think you were listening. Anyway Tonya needs both you and Rouge down here in a couple of minutes. Can you do that?"

Rouge grabbed the communicator before Shadow could speak his mind to their boss.

"Sure Vec. Anything else? You know maybe a coffee or better yet: A good kick in the ass."

"Rouge!'

Rouge clicked the frequency off as Shadow stared at her. Shadow chuckled as Rouge joined in with him.

"Well. Come on. Vec will be wondering where we are."

Shadow nodded as he slipped his gun into his belt and placed his razor into his back pocket. Rouge pulled her vest over her large bust and placed her 9 mm into her belt loop. Shadow stared at her. She was amazing with the quickness of slipping her gun into her belt and a vest she was different. A dangerous version of his Rouge Bat. He smiled as Rouge kicked the door closed as they left.

Chaotix

Charmy smiled as he saw Shadow-arms locked with Rouge's-coming down the street.

Charmy smiled, "Rouge!"

Rouge looked up and waved, but stopped as Tonya waved her over. She broke the lock Shadow had created. She walked over to Tonya. Rouge cocked her head toward Tonya.

"Rouge. How did you acquire those object?"

Rouge rubbed the upper part of her right arm. Shadow looked at the motion and knew she was scared. Rouge looked back into the eyes of Tonya. She sighed,

"Those belonged to Yuki the Bat."

Vector and Espio came out as Rouge said the last three words. Espio stared at her with his eyes dead sight on her scared turquoise ones.

"You mean the Yuki the Bat."

Rouge nodded, "Yeah." It was a whisper but everyone-including Shadow-heard it.

"You mean you stole those things from Yuki."

"No. Dammit! Yuki the Bat was my m…..never mind." Rouge pushed past them and walked into Chaotix.

Shadow walked past all of them. Vector stopped him. Shadow placed his gun against Vector's head.

"I may be a fucking Street Punk, but I care about my girl. Now let me through. You wouldn't want an accident. Now would you?"

Espio and Tonya gripped both their guns. Vector nodded as Shadow snapped the gun back into his belt and walked into Chaotix. Everyone outside released their breath as they realized they had been holding it.

Rouge leaned against the wall in the ward. She wasn't with it, but she knew that her father's body was here. She was leaning against the drawer that read: Blaze Bat. She sighed as she knew she'd have to explain sometime to the others. She heard a noise as she heard Shadow's shoes against the tile floor. Rouge sighed as he looked down at her.

"Rouge?"

"Dammit Shadow. They were my fucking parents! Why them? Why them? Dammit!'

Shadow jumped the railing and landed beside Rouge he gripped her hand before she throw another punch against the floor. Rouge stopped as Shadow's eyes locked hers in place. Shadow pulled her up and crushed her against his chest.

"Don't. Just don't. You'll regret it later. Trust me."

"Shad…..ow."

Shadow pressed her head against his shoulder with his left hand as he rubbed her back with his right. Rouge couldn't stop. She couldn't see a reason to. She didn't want anything to do with this anymore.

Rouge finally pulled away from Shadow and looked at his-now-baggy assed dark red shirt from where she had cried on his shoulder. Shadow smiled, "Who were your parents?"

Rouge didn't hesitate as she told Shadow her number one secret that would kill her if anyone else knew.

"Yuki the Bat was my mother. Blaze the Bat was my father. That's why when you found his body I disappeared for a while."

Shadow stared at Rouge. She had never opened to him like that. Even he found it hard to believe that Yuki and Blaze the Bat were Rouge's parents. Shadow looked to see Rouge rubbing the upper half of her arm. He sighed, "Come one. You'll have to tell them." Rouge nodded.

Suddenly a warning bell sounded through the ward, shooting range, lobby, and the offices.

"ATTENTION ALL PERSONAL ARE REQUIRED UP FRONT!!"

Rouge pushed past the table in the ward and hurried up the stairs. Shadow was right behind her. Rouge turned back and winked, "Hey. Hey. They're singing our song." Shadow smiled as he winked back, "Just the right tone."

Chaotix Lobby

Espio looked at Tonya as she snapped her twin pistols in her belt. Charmy was snapping the toolbox shut with his tools. Vector had his 9 mm loaded and resting against his hip. At that second Rouge stopped in front of Tonya,

"What's up?"

"Just another murder in Tech City. What else?"

"Just another murder, huh?"

Tonya turned as Shadow stepped up beside Espio. Rouge nodded, "Alright Shadow."

Vector, Charmy, Espio, and Tonya all looked at Detective Bat and Detective Hedgehog.

"What's going on?," Espio's voice sounded a little further away.

Rouge smiled as she answered his question, "You'll be paired up with Shadow. I'm going with Tonya."-Rouge turned to Vector-"Sorry Vec, but you'll be paired up with Charmy. Sound good to you guys?"

Everyone nodded as they loaded into the cruiser. Rouge took off after Shadow.

Tech City Crime Scene

Rouge dropped down in front of a scared mother and daughter. She looked at the little girl and froze. The little girl was Nails' daughter. Rouge looked at the mother, Nails. Rouge sighed, "Sorry about Swift."

Nails looked at Rouge. She hissed a warning at Rouge. Rouge backed up and bowed her head, "Yeah. You too sister."

At that second Nails grabbed hold of Rouge. Rouge just stood there and stared at the piercing crystal blue eyes of her solid black sister. Nails gripped her and held her sister there with such hate that it sacred her. Finally Nails dropped Rouge back down.

"You can't say you're sorry. You didn't ever come around and see Swift with his daughter, Bali. You don't know shit Rouge the Bat."

Rouge nodded her head, "You're right. I don't. All I do know is that Bali and you were the last ones to see Swift. I just need to know what you know."

Nails smacked Rouge across the face. Rouge placed her hand against the burning red mark. She sighed, "Do you prefer Tonya?" Nails nodded her head. Rouge left.

Tonya stood next to Shadow. She turned when she saw Rouge's face a bright red on the right side. She ran over to her.

"What happened? Who hit you?"

Rouge sighed, "Nails' husband is the one that was killed. Second she was the one that hit me. I said the wrong things. Anyway watch the little hybrid, Bali."

Tonya looked at Rouge's eyes. She stopped from moving toward Nails and Bali,

"Rouge?"

Rouge looked at her.

"Please, what's wrong?"

"Get back to work!," Rouge hissed at Tonya.

Tonya walked quickly over to where Nails and Bali were now crying.

Body at Crime Scene

Shadow looked as Rouge knelt down beside the body. She looked over the body and saw something that didn't add up. She looked at the victim's chest. She cocked her head to once side,

"That doesn't make since."

"What?"

"It's just that….."

Rouge turned as something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Looked down an alley way. She sighed as she stepped from Shadow's side. Shadow looked at her,

"Rouge?"

"I'll be right back."

Shadow watched her ran across the street to an alley way. She disappeared as she turned and took off toward another dead end.

Alley way

Rouge looked up to see a figure looking at her. She stopped as the figure smiled and came toward her.

"Rouge. You seem so startled by me. I guess you would be since you've seen my present."

Rouge knew that voice but from where. At that second the figure pulled out a 30.30. Rouge stopped dead in her tracks. Now of all times would be nice to have Shadow around. Rouge pulled her 9 mm and shot.

Meanwhile at Crime Scene

BANG

Shadow stopped as he heard a shot being fired. He looked across the way to the alley and looked back to see Tonya taking off with her gun in her hand. Shadow followed after her, leaving Espio, Charmy, and Vector to take care of the crime scene.

Back at the Alley Way

Rouge fired again as the figure took off. Rouge opened her wings and shot after the figure. The figure jumped up to the top of a building. Rouge landed lightly on the building and stared at the figure.

The figure smiled, "So, you still want to fight?"

Rouge looked at the figure. He had at least four rounds in him. She sighed, "What the hell are you?"

The figure smiled, "Someone you know. Someone that you once held dear to you. Do you want me to keep going?"

Rouge stepped back as she realized at once who the figure was. She felt her boot heel fall free from the building's ledge. She dropped her gun and felt a round fire into her vest and go through to her back. She gasped as the pain came in waves.

The figure jumped and grabbed her. Rouge tried to fight, but the figure was too strong. She looked at the figure and grabbed the hood that the figure was wearing. When she pulled it off the face of her sister, Nails, was staring a her. Rouge froze as the ground met with her.

30 minutes later

Rouge awoke to hear voices.

"Rouge!"

"Rouge!"

Rouge knew one of those voices as Shadow. She got up from the crater that her body had made and looked to see her gun laying a few feet away. She picked it up and looked around. Had she to be lying to herself, 'There's no way. There's no way Nails could kill her husband, Swift.'

Rouge felt pain in her back. She shrugged it off and started to walk out of the alley.

Meanwhile with Shadow and Tonya

Shadow stared at the purple female cat. The purple cat looked back at the black and red blazed hedgehog. Tonya sighed,

"Shadow. I'm sure she's fine."

Shadow turned his head and caught a movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned and there stood Rouge. He looked at her from head to toe. Rouge caught his eyes and moved out of his path. She walked over to Tonya and handed her the 9 mm. Both, Tonya and Shadow stared at her.

"Rouge!"

"Look. I gotta go see my sister. I'm not allowed to bring guns around the baby. Ya know?"

With that Rouge walked out of the alley. Shadow started to go after her. Tonya caught him. Shadow turned and looked at her. Tonya sighed,

"Got to Nails' place. That's where she's headed. Go now and you can beat her."

Shadow nodded his 'thanks' and took off toward Nails' place.