Of Blood and Snow

Hello, all of you. Here is the latest chapter of my story. I especially wanted to thank one of my reviewers who gave me the idea for this chapter.

If you happen to spot any mistake, I will tell you once again to please tell me so I don't make them again.

Of Blood and Snow

Seventh Chapter: Cold Loneliness

Rouge's Point of View…

When I woke up the next day, I almost had a heart attack. I was pulling on my sheets because, for some reason, someone had left the window slightly open, so it was a very cold morning. And for some reason, they were very hard to pull towards myself. I groaned and I slightly rose up to see if my blanket was stuck somewhere. I saw that it was stuck under Knuckles, who was at the other end of my bed. My eyes widened. Suddenly, I was not quite asleep anymore. I jumped out of bed, staring intently at the echidna, which was sleeping soundly. I sighed. Oh, what a perfect opportunity it was to grab a knife and plunge it into his flesh, hitting one or two vital points that would make him suffer before the reaper comes to put him out of his misery in only a few moments… I shook my head.

How can I be thinking about such things?

I was growing weak. My resolution was thin. My priorities were hard to define… These were very difficult times for me. I decided that a good, hot shower might help to chase these thoughts and worries away. It did not really work. When there was no hot water anymore, I really started to feel miserable, my mind racing to find a solution, something to do to lead me out of the dead end of this long, painful road. As my body was getting numb from the cold, my head slowly started to empty itself of everything, and I felt a bit more calm. I stopped the flow of water, I grabbed a towel to dry my fur, and then I left the washroom.

"Hello, Rouge, how are-… You're shivering..." Knuckles said.

The thoughts that had left my mind earlier came back in a fraction of second. He was in the kitchen, sitting at the table, eating an apple. He put the fruit on the table and he took a step towards me.

"Do not come any closer!" I said.

"But you are cold."

I wore nothing else than a towel. I was not feeling well at all. How could I possibly kill the boy that was in front of me? He took another step… and another… until he was beside me. Then, not without my surprise, he put his strong arms around my shoulders in a sweet, tender embrace. Slowly, extremely slowly, I fell to the floor, with Knuckles at my sides. Tears started to roll, as I let my head rest on his warm chest.

"Do not cry, Rouge, I… I-I will protect you, no matter what…"

I could clearly feel in his voice that he had no idea what to say or what to do in this unusual situation. He probably never had to face a woman crying on his shoulder… or chest, as it were. Although it was difficult, I left these arms after a few minutes, not without some sort of regret, the regret that usually follows feelings of loss. Without a word from him or myself, I went in my room to get dressed. I found myself staring at the place where Knuckles was sleeping earlier. After I put on a pair of black jeans and a blue tank top, I went back to the kitchen, knowing that I had to eat breakfast even if I was not hungry at all.

"Oh, Rouge, I am really sorry for crawling on your bed, it's just… I thought that you would not mind if I kept a good distance, I promise I will not do it again…"

My eyes widened. I understood that he thought I was upset because of him doing this.

" No," I sighed. "It is not that. I just… It is… I need to go to work, alright?"

I was lying, I did not know how to justify the way I acted, so I decided that I needed some time to think about it by myself. Knuckles nodded. After he promised me he would stay safely at home, I went to the city.

I was wandering on a street not too far from the many shops where I had brought Knuckles yesterday. The sky was grey, but no snow was falling on the residential area where I was walking. For some reason, I could not even think about anything. My mind was empty, as I was trying to find a solution. I sighed, and I sat on the steps that led to my apartment in the city. As I was thinking about actually going inside, I caught a glimpse of someone I had not seen for a long time. A black hedgehog was passing on the street. Although he was quite fast for the people who did not know him, I could tell that he was perhaps worried about something from his slow stride that I could easily follow if I hurried a bit.

"Shadow?..." I whispered.

I rose up and I went after him.

"Shadow, wait!"

He stopped in his tracks, turning his gaze towards me.

"Hello" he said with his deep and somewhat melancholic voice. "What do you want?"

His voice did not really feel melancholic anymore. He sounded like he was in a bad mood, as if he was having some problems of his own. But then, he probably realized that I was not feeling well. With all the empathy he could use, he asked with a tiny bit of concern:

"Is something the matter?"

"Shadow, I… I think I need to speak to someone."

"Okay, what's wrong?"

I know it was difficult for him to pretend he actually cared, but at least, he was still listening to me, he was not gone yet.

"I do not know what to do or who to turn too… I… I was given an assignment by my boss, and I do not think I can do it…"

He had no reaction. It was obvious that he really wanted to be somewhere else. He could have run away, but he was still there, as if he thought this story could be at least entertaining, if not interesting.

"My boss wants me… to kill Knuckles."

Knuckles' Point of View…

"I need to go to work, alright?"

Rouge was not feeling well, but that was almost all that I could tell. I had spent a lot of time thinking about going in her bed, weighing the possibilities, wondering if she would mind at all, if she would be scared or anything else. At the end, I had made a mistake, a mistake that had made Rouge upset, maybe even angry or sad or any emotions that I had troubles understanding. I nodded, having no idea what to tell her, how to apologize or make up for my mistakes. Fortunately, a really small smile appeared on her lips.

"You promise you will stay here? Do not leave this house, okay? My territory also needs to be protected. You understand?"

Once again, I just nodded, relieved to see this smile, a smile that seemed unsure, but a smile anyway. She took her coat and her keys, to then leave, still smiling, as if to make sure that I knew she would be fine. I resumed eating the apple that I had left on the table. I longed for a comfortable place to sleep. I wanted to know just once how it felt to sleep in a bed, and I knew I would never do it again. Besides, it had been an unusually cold night, and the floor was frozen. It did not take long before I started to feel bored. Rouge had told me that this house was the safest place she knew, so why did she think that I had to protect it? It is her that I had to protect, and how could I do this if I stayed here? I took the same coat as the day before and I went out to search for her.

I went all the way to the city, and I wandered quite a bit before I found her. She was walking on a street, not too far from all the small shops. I decided to follow her, wondering where she worked, what she would do. At some point, she sat on some steps, as if she was tired and did not know where to head next. After a few moments, she called out to Shadow, a hedgehog I had not seen for the longest time. They were so close to my hideout that I could hear what they were saying. I could hear Rouge's voice, which I could not describe.

"I… I was given an assignment by my boss, and I do not think I can do it…" she sighed. "My boss wants me… to kill Knuckles"

My eyes widened. People wanted me dead… but why? Protecting Rouge was not important, after all? Was she not in danger at all? Had I been fooled again? All these questions were repeating themselves in my head, over and over again.

I have never felt so alone in my life…

They went in a dark alley, so they could speak more calmly. I hid once again, wondering what Rouge wanted to say.

"I do not know what to do, Shadow… I cannot find the strength to do such a thing. I just… I am lost. Of course, I need money in order to live, but I just came to realize that money might not be everything… You know, there is this… dress… that I really want to have, but I cannot afford it. My boss promised he would pay, but… Tell me, Shadow… What am I supposed to do?"

"I do not know" Shadow answered. "But here is something you should give thought too; what is more important? His life, or your own, selfish desires?"

There was no answer from Rouge. I sighed, softly. All that was left for me to do was what I did best; protect myself. I thought I could understand her problems because I could probably let someone die for the Master Emerald. But would I have killed someone that was not a threat? Probably not. Would I have killed someone at all? I do not think so, if it was not necessary. I decided that the best thing to do was to remain with Rouge to see how it all goes. One of the things I had learned from people was that when they were not feeling well, we had to stay with them and support them, and to stay in the next room if they ever were to tell you to leave them alone.

I left my hideout and I slowly started to walk towards the house. I should have listened to her, I should have stayed there. Once again, I had acted like an idiot. I entered inside Rouge's property, and I went in the basement, where I had left the Master Emerald. As usual, it was slowly spinning, its eerie glow gently lighting up the place. For some reason, this light that seemed so cold suddenly had a peculiar feeling, a strange and comforting warmth.

I was wondering if I had to leave this entire crazy story behind to return to my quiet, silent and peaceful life on Angel's Island.

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Thank you for reading this chapter. Any helpful critic would be great, so if you want to share your opinions with me or give me some sort of suggestion, please do.