Chapter 2:

The bedroom was washed in white. Large windows taking up a majority of two of the four walls did nothing but reveal a partly cloudy day. The white walls reflected the light dancing in, making the room rather hot. The city outside was bustling as usual. It was Wednesday, seven forty-five am; people were in their cars rushing to work. One could hear car horns honking in the distance, and the skyline was clean-cut.

The bedroom washed in white was quaint. There was a queen sized bed on the north wall directly across from the door. It was dressed in a grey comforter with pillows of darker shades of grey. There were side tables on its left and right, and a dresser on the east side. On it were candles, magazines, used articles of clothing. On the east was a bathroom that had nothing particularly unique about it, just a bathroom. On the bed, two Mobians slept soundly after a night of intimate adventure.

A black eyelid twitched, opened slightly, and then closed again, unused to the surplus light. It opened again, squinting. A black body stirred, still feeling the weight of slumber pressing him into the mattress. A head full of red and black quills twitched; both eyes opened.

Shadow lay in the bed for a moment, trying to collect his thoughts. Everything seemed so surreal, like he had taken a trip through the universe, was hid upside the head by the meaning of life, and then put back in his own bed. Wait, he didn't have a bed…

Recollections of the previous night hit Shadow like a hammer. The drunkenness—the sheer pleasure of being under the influence of liquid gold. The sensations, the excitement, the heat.

And most of all, the companionship. The feeling that there was someone that acknowledged his existence and value as a living being. It made Shadow feel validated. The black hedgehog had gone so long being treated like merchandise—only reminded by one person that he was just as valuable as all the people on Earth—that he had gotten incredibly torn; the part of him that wasn't a mindless killer longed for someone to remind him of his pricelessness just like Maria did. It was the only thing that kept him sane. Shadow was lonely.

And what better way to cure your loneliness than to lose your virginity to a girl you've known for barely a year.

Shadow sat up with a start, causing his vision to blur briefly. Black and red quills ruffled quietly as the black hedgehog's head swiveled back and forth, taking in his surroundings. He had never seen this place before, but judging how high-end the room seemed, it must have belonged to Rouge. Rouge, Shadow cringed. The bat girl was laying on the right side of the bed, back turned to him, still sound asleep. Her silky white fur laid on the white sheets of the bed made the image almost dreamlike. Rouge looked like an angel. But she was anything but; Shadow refused to dive himself back into the sinfully satisfying activities of the night before, each time the thoughts crept up to him, he felt his heart sinking deeper into his chest. Had this all really happened? Had Rouge maybe just dragged him upstairs while he was incapacitated and let him sleep it off? Shadow reached his right arm out to the blanket covering the bat girl's shoulder, and pulled it down, revealing supple breasts. Perhaps she sleeps topless, Shadow tried to encourage himself. It felt wrong uncovering a female's body like this, but Shadow knew he had to do this, if only for the sake of his sanity. And so he slowly but surely pulled the blanket further and further down, uncovering a tight stomach and flattering hips. Shadow dreaded the next part, for Rouge's body was completely naked. There were no undergarments of any kind covering the bat's rear or other vulnerable spots. There she was, unclothed and unconscious. And that proved everything. Shadow's memories haunting his hung-over mind were real. He had gambled with alcohol, danced in the dark with his haughty counterpart, and lost his last ounce of purity as consequence.

"How did this happen?" Shadow whispered, his voice dry and unstable. Grief had hit him as hard as when he had learned that Maria was dead, and it was fifty years too late. There was nothing in the black hedgehog's mind but sheer emptiness; he felt hollow. The familiar feeling of being an object – living solely for the use of others—overcame him. Shadow kept repeating the question over and over in his head; he was Shadow the Hedgehog: headstrong, powerful, independent, and overflowing with self respect. But last night he had completely broken down, unable to maintain the knowledge that his purpose in life was gone, and had taken the first opportunity at companionship that was handed to him, even if it was temporary.

"Last night," Shadow felt dead inside. What should he do now? He could only hope that Rouge would not tell anyone, and that it was just their little one night stand, over and done with, and to be forgotten. But it would forever remain a plague in the black hedgehog's mind. What would Maria think of m?, Shadow winced. His human sister was probably looking down on him with shame. How could a person like him, taught so well by such an angelic girl, fall into the deepest depths of society. Sex was not something to be toyed with, he learned; it was something special shared between two lovers. And though the temporary connection had made Shadow feel less lonely, it did not make him feel more loved. To his drunken mind, temporary value was something he shouldn't pass up, but to a mind with an aching hangover, the truth was clear. It hurt… that things had turn out like this. Shadow thought it would have been better if he had woken up in the gutters. But of course now he had to have specific words hanging over his head. And how would he be able to look Rouge in the eyes when she woke up?

I've gotta get out of here, Shadow thought as he flung the sheets off his lower body and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His shoes were left in a heap at the foot of the bed, but his gloves were nowhere to be found. As red eyes surveyed the room for gloves, Shadow was able to get more bearings. It was a well-sized room with a gorgeous view of Westopolis. The windows spanned a good 180 degrees before turning into white walls. The room looked so pure in the sunlight, quite ironic. Shadow stalked across the room, keeping his eyes on the sleeping girl in the bed, picking up his gloves that had been lazily tossed into a corner. Eyeing her one last time, Shadow slipped on his gloves and walked through the threshold, staring at his temporary lover like a lion looking at its meal that had just been stolen by vultures. Jet shoes connected with white wooden steps as Shadow descended the staircase to the main floor of the "apartment".

It was a breathtaking flat; there was a grey couch with dark grey and green pillows, an oversized ottoman sitting next to it, and a silver reading lamp on the left of the couch. Across from the furniture was a plasma screen television with an assortment of DVDs. The TV rested on a black book shelf that was littered with records, magazines, a few books, and other items that Shadow didn't care about. On the left was a large window that let in more sun and it looked like it carried behind the couch area, just covered by white sheet curtains for privacy. To the right was the kitchen. It was very open and was equipped with an island with hanging silver lights. Shadow strode through the main floor and through a dark hallway. On his right was a bathroom, and seeing his reflection, he walked in and closed the door.

Shadow stared himself down in the mirror, seeing nothing but ruffled quills, deep-set eyes and an empty face. He looked like an object to be used. The blazing stare his red eyes used to emit was replaced by a blank gaze. Shadow lifted his arms, placing his hands on either side of his head, and breathed in deeply. Maria's face appeared before his eyes, her stare was blank. The smile he used to see her with was gone; she was disappointed in him.

Her face disappeared from the black hedgehog's mind. Shadow breathed out slowly, opened the bathroom door, and fled the apartment as quickly as he could.

The elevator doors opened to the main street of Westopolis, busy and bustling. It was early in the morning, about eight o'clock or so, so traffic was moving better than the six o'clock rush. The sun was high in the sky, covered every few minutes by a passing cloud. Car horns sounded, babies cried, business men chatted on their cell phones, and life went on. Everything moved as though nothing had happened last night. Shadow stood at the front door of Club Rouge, head swiveling left and right. A painful truth overcame Shadow.

Despite his mistakes, despite what he had done last night, despite the pain of what he had done, the world didn't care. It was just like when he woke up fifty years in the future—when he had learned that Maria was gone forever; no matter how much pain he went through, life went on. There were few people who cared about his mistake, because there were few who knew. A piece of poetry went through Shadow's head that he had heard long ago, how a man had said to the universe "I exist!", and the universe replied, "The fact has not created in me/ a sense of obligation". It was hard for Shadow to understand that his personal problems were not problems of the rest of the world, it made him feel weighted.

Shadow instinctively walked with the flow of the traffic on the sidewalk. He passed by coffee shops and doctor's offices, dentists and insurance edifices. His pace slowed as he walked by a man and woman, seemingly poor, who were playing guitar and singing, respectively. They looked Hispanic and were singing in Spanish.

Duele el amor sin ti.

Todo está tan gris

It did not make any sense to Shadow, being that he did not speak the language, but for some reason, the passion in the words let him understand. The notes faded away behind him as the black hedgehog walked foreword. After two blocks, Shadow stopped under an overhang where a cable car would stop to pick up passengers. It was one of the quirks of Westopolis. The train cars of the Southern part of Westopolis made a good business, still running and very popular among tourists. Shadow simply didn't want to deal with being in the confines of a crowded bus, or the awkward silence of a taxi. He didn't feel like skating—didn't have the energy to. Black and white hatchbacks whizzed by the stop, ruffling white chest fur. In the distance, Shadow could see a brown and red cable car. When it stopped at the overhang, Shadow stepped up, gripping the golden pole so he wouldn't be jostled when it started up again. He was the only passenger so far, a very good thing considering his mood. The cable car accelerated, passing cars stopped at traffic lights. The "conductor" (who was more of a tour guide, considering that the cable cars had programmed routes) looked over his shoulder at the black hedgehog.

"Where're you goin' today, sir?" He asked in a jovial voice. Shadow looked up at the conductor, eyes seeing straight through him.

"Union station," He replied with a dry, emotionless voice. The conductor simply looked forward again, minding his own business. Shadow looked out of the cable car, watching life go on regardless of his own world that had stopped.

To be continued…