Shadow couldn't believe his ears. Surely, Rouge would never pull such a dirty trick on him? After all, he had proposed to her first and it was his idea to bring her to Gold Rose & Silver Linings in the first place. Was she attempting to deceive him?
"Amusing, Rouge." Shadow crossed his arms and glared at her in aggravation.
Rouge shot him a puzzled glance. "What's amusing?"
"Pretending that Knuckles proposed to you and you accepted it. I know you would never say yes to someone who crushed all the joys you were experiencing during your stay here. Besides, I did propose first. Seeing as we were alone, I shall ask again."
Starting to feel liability at what she had done, Rouge scratched her head nervously as Shadow got to one knee and held the dazzling silver ring out to her once more.
"Rouge, I have never stopped loving you since the day we met. You are all that I admire in a woman, courageous, full of spirit and passion…there has not been a day when I have not thought of you. If you were to become my wife, I would protect-"
"-STOP!" cried Rouge. She covered her face with her hands to hide the tears trickling out of her eyes, but she couldn't stop herself from sniffling.
Startled, Shadow froze in his current position. Judging by her body language, he realised that she was actually telling the truth. Trembling, he dropped the ring and stumbled backwards in horror.
"You…you weren't fooling me, were you? Knuckles-really-has-proposed…and you said yes."
Unwilling to answer, Rouge simply nodded, her head remaining in her hands.
Tensing every muscle in his body as realisation struck his crumbling heart, Shadow pulled such an incensed face that the second Rouge looked up at him, she backed away in terror.
Meanwhile, Knuckles was beginning to wonder why Rouge was taking so long, despite the fact that she looked eager to leave. Then, Knuckles suspected that she had filled Shadow in on their engagement, and Knuckles knew that Shadow's reaction would be immediate and full of consequences. Because he had no idea which room the two were in, he sprinted to the reception area to ask.
Back at Shadow and Rouge's room, the atmosphere was tense as Shadow backed Rouge into a corner.
"How…how could you do this to me? After all we've been through!" he scowled, getting so close to her that their noses were almost touching.
Sweating uncontrollably, Rouge closed her eyes to avoid eye contact with him. "I had to take both of your proposals into consideration, but honestly…Knuckles was the one I fell for first, Shadow. Sure, we argue regularly, but he has also saved my life on multiple occasions."
"And I haven't? Must I remind you of the thirty missions we embarked on together, in which I risked my neck to ensure your safety? Are you seriously that ungrateful for all that I have done for you? I have stood up to that scumbag for you when he was putting you down. And who was it who decided to bring you here again? I did." Shadow's anger was increasing each second.
"I never said you hadn't and of course I am grateful, and please don't call my fiancé a scumbag."
"I'll call him whatever the hell I want to call him! And you can get out of my sight this instant before I teach you a lesson you will never forget!"
"Perhaps if you backed away, I'd be able to make my exit!"
Storming into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind him, Shadow waited impatiently for Rouge's departure. After ten minutes of rustling noises and the sound of a zip moving, the door finally closed. Stepping out of the bathroom, welling up with tears, Shadow parked his bottom on the edge of the bed. Everything Rouge had just said to him was yet to completely sink in. How could she do this to him, especially after all that they had been through together?
Deciding to pack his bags and attempt to receive a refund, Shadow got to his feet and headed back to the bathroom to gather his items. Once he had crammed all of his belongings back into his suitcase and zipped it shut, he grabbed a handful of mints from the miniscule silver dish on the bedside table before leaving the room.
Stuffing the mints into his mouth as he headed towards the reception area, Shadow started to think of ways he could prevent Knuckles and Rouge's wedding from ever occurring. Could he change Rouge's mind similar to how Knuckles changed hers'? How he wished he possessed a love potion, as then Rouge would be begging him for a proposal quicker than he could use chaos control to warp.
"So, where are we going to celebrate our engagement?" queried Rouge, as she sat beside Knuckles in his land rover, which was currently rolling through the bustling city centre.
"Wait and see." Knuckles then stopped the vehicle as the traffic lights switched to red, leaned over to Rouge and kissed her tenderly on the lips.
Slapping him, Rouge giggled, "You're such a tease."
"And don't you know it!" chuckled Knuckles.
"I need to leave due to some issues I'm having with the lady I shared a room with. I was wondering if perhaps I could have a refund, seeing as I have only been staying for approximately three hours?" gushed Shadow to a cinnamon-furred female rabbit in an azure dress.
"Oui oui! Let's see…you paid five hundred dollars on entry, oui?"
"Oui."
"And you have been here for trieze heureux, oui?"
"Oui."
"Excellente! Then your refund will be two hundred and fifty dollars, monsieur."
Shadow took the money from the receptionist, thanked her and made his way to his sports car. He was still in disbelief at what Rouge had said to him, for he never expected such defiant words to slip between her lips. Clearly, she was not the woman he had believed her to be.
Speeding out of the car park, Shadow drove towards the bustling city centre. Determined not to give in to Knuckles' twisted game and win Rouge back, he desperately scanned the passing shops for a particular place he had in mind…Cupid's Haven.
Cupid's Haven was a Valentine-themed shop selling all of the typical Valentine's Day gifts, enough to elevate any female's heart, be it black or shattered. Its CDs filled with infectious tracks and delightful chocolates were exactly what Shadow needed to finally conquer Rouge's heart.
Stepping inside the shop, Shadow's ears twitched to the sound of harmonious music being played from the speakers on the ceiling and his nostrils expanded as scrumptious scents wafted off the candles along the shelves. There were all that he knew would be there: heart-shaped boxes of the finest chocolates, silver necklaces with pendants attached to the ends, photo frames of all shapes and sizes and revealing nightwear at the back of the shop.
Peering closely at the necklaces, his features lit up when he opened one of the pendants and read the words written inside, "My love for you is unconditional, meaning I love you for who you are and wouldn't ever want you to change."
Without observing the other necklaces, Shadow strolled over to the till and paid for the necklace. If this didn't please Rouge, he had no idea what would.
Upon leaving the shop, his mood suddenly enlightened when he came across Espio, who just so happened to be passing by.
"Hello, Shadow! I wasn't expecting to see you come out of there!" joked Espio, embracing him in a friendly hug. Shadow moved his head to the side slightly to avoid Espio's lengthy lemon-coloured horn.
Shadow smirked smugly. "Unlike you, I have ladies chasing after me like lions on zebras."
Sighing heavily, Espio remarked, "You never change."
After a few seconds of silence, Espio started to drum up a conversation. "So…why were you in there, may I ask? Who's the fortunate lady?"
Shadow frowned. He honestly didn't want to talk about the incident with Knuckles at the moment, but Espio was no friend of the echidna's, so it wasn't like he would go seeking Knuckles in order to tell him all that Shadow had said.
"I invited Rouge to Gold Rose & Silver Linings, because I wished to express my feelings for her, and at first we were having a wonderful time…only for Knuckles arrive and ruin it."
"Oh…" spoke Espio with little emotion in his tone.
Shadow continued, "I proposed to Rouge in the restaurant there, and before she could give me her answer Knuckles intervened, getting the both of us thrown out. Rouge had fled and Knuckles managed to find her before I could. And when he did, he decided to propose to her…to which she said yes. Shortly before the both of us departed, there was conflict between us, during which she seemed unconcerned at the fact that she has emotionally harmed me. I pray this pendant necklace I have just bought from the shop will convince her to come back to me."
Scratching his head deep in thought, then stretching his eyes once he saw the light, Espio placed a firm hand on Shadow's shoulder.
"Why don't you pay Erazor Djinn a visit?" he queried.
Blinking in puzzlement, Shadow asked who Erazor Djinn was. The name Erazor Djinn sounded as if it belonged to a royal-blooded individual, but surely that was untrue.
"Erazor Djinn is a celebrated genie who offers his services to those in need if, of course, you have a gift for him in exchange. I must admit when Vector first informed me of him I was sceptical, but after meeting with him, I discovered that he is actually quite decent."
"I see…whereabouts is this Erazor Djinn?"
"He resides in an ancient palace within the Arabian Desert. I could give you a lift, if you wish."
"Oh…if that's fine with you."
"Follow me to the Chaotix Detective Agency Headquarters."
As Shadow followed Espio down the path, he started to consider what he would ask of Erazor Djinn and what he was prepared to sacrifice to receive it…no matter what, he wouldn't leave without what he wants.