Disclaimer: Sonic and co. don't belong to me. They belong to the dudes and dudettes at SEGA.

Author: Ah, finally got this up. I was originally planning on posting it on Valentine's Day, but... Ah well, busy, blah blah blah, lame excuses from Sol... But I am sorry for the delay. Anywho, not much to say at the moment, besides Happy belated Valentine's Day! Now, enough of me. Read on!

Brief Note:
"_" indicates a character's speech
*_* indicates that the character is speaking through thought
(_) indicates an action between a speech or thought

Nocturnus Reborn

by Sol

Chapter 9: Meeting the Competition 2

"Hey there, big blue."

The words flowed slowly into Sonic's ears like honey, sending a light tingle up his back as he slowly turned to meet with whomever this sweet voice came from. To his surprise however, this sweet voice did not belong to someone who was completely sweet. In Sonic's opinion this person would've been described as a beautiful, yet very thorny, rose... but probably still be dipped in honey...

"Rouge! What are you-" Sonic began, shocked to see the thieving bat herself tonight as he almost dropped the plate he was holding. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, his words were cut off as Rouge placed a soft finger on his lips, shushing him as she chuckled at him rather intimately.

"Now, now, stud, calm down." Rouge said, softly and seductively as she slowly took her finger off of Sonic's lips. "Wouldn't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

"Right... But, why are you here?" Sonic asked, quirking an eyebrow as he calmed down.

"Sonic, I hope you haven't forgotten about our dinner plans..." Rouge said, locking eyes with the blue ruler as she brought her finger to his chest and drew circles. Sonic for his part was very surprised by her statement.

"Wait a minute- You were serious about that?" Sonic asked, his eyes wide as he stared at Rouge disbelievingly.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Rouge answered, shooting Sonic a very seductive grin as she batted her eyes at him.

"Well, I thought we were just, you know... having one of our flirty banters?" Sonic said, feeling very awkward for the first time around Rouge.

"Oh, Sonic. Every now and then you have to take a woman by her word." Rouge said, her face mere inches away from Sonic's. "So stud, what do you say?"

"Well... I'm not sure, Rouge... Maybe we can re-schedule? Tails and Amy are waiting for me and Shade to join them." Sonic said, trying to slowly pull his arm off of Rouge's. But Rouge only tightened her hold more.

"Oh, That's too bad. And here I thought I could've had you all to myself." Rouge said, her seductive tone still there.

"Don't you worry, I'll save you an open slot on my schedule next time." Sonic said, picking up from where he left off with his flirt-banter with Rouge by giving her a wide grin. "Here's an idea though; why don't you join us?"

"Hmm... Okay. But only if you promise that you keep your schedule open for you and me tomorrow." Rouge said, running a finger over Sonic's chin.

"No problem." Sonic replied, nodding in agreement. "Well with that settled, we should get going! But first; one more thing. Rouge?"

"Yes?" Rouge replied, batting her eyes again at Sonic.

"Could you maybe let go of my arm now?" Sonic said, nudging his head down to where Rouge was still holding on to him.

"(Giggle), Why? It would make a great opening statement as we go meet with the pink hedgehog and the fox kid." Rouge explained, moving her head closer to Sonic's again.

"And by 'Opening Statement', you mean me meeting head-first with her Piko-Piko-Hammer? No, that doesn't sound great at all..." Sonic said, trying not to imagine the event.

"You're no fun sometimes." Rouge said, looking away as she let go of his arm. "Well then, let's go."

"Right." Sonic replied as he looked over to Shade. "Let's go, Shade."

"Of course." Shade replied, nodding to him as she walked over to Sonic's side and the trio made their way to the citadel.

The three of them made their way towards the area of the citadel where Amy and Tails are waiting for them. Despite not knowing where the room was, Rouge insisted to be in front, asking Shade to simply point her to the right direction when necessary. And as they continued, Shade rubbed at her chin as she carefully observed Rouge. Now, normally this wouldn't be so odd. But the reason Shade was observing Rouge so much was because of the way the white bat was walking...

Rouge was walking at almost a snail's pace, making sure that she was a few steps in front of Sonic. One of her arms were over her hip, while the other swayed freely, pausing every now and then as she brought it up and lightly waved it about. She also often turned her head to the side, giving out short glances at Sonic and shooting grins at him as well. But the oddest thing Shade saw in the way Rouge walked was the way she was swaying her hips...

Rouge swayed her hips as if there were two people pulling at them from either side, giving her hips a saw like movement. There was an obvious exaggeration in the way she walked, aside from the saw-like movements, there was also a circular motion to the way they swayed as each cheek of her ass pushed out as it swayed to the side... It looked as if she was drawing a figure eight... with her ass.

*Why is she doing this?* Shade wondered, perplexed by the thief's odd movements. Thinking to herself, she wondered what was Sonic's opinion on her actions.

Thinking this, Shade turned to her side to see her lord's expression, hoping to see the same pondering look. To her surprise however, he wasn't at all thinking deeply... In fact, he had a huge grin on his face, as he was eying Rouge's ass rather carefully.

*Huh?* Shade oddly thought, perplexed and very surprised by the way Sonic was reacting to Rouge's movements. Focusing her observations to her lord, Shade carefully thought about what was going through Sonic's thoughts...

*He seems quite happy. Almost as if he's enjoying himself...* Shade thought, tilting her head a bit. *What exactly is so fascinating about her ass?*

Thinking a bit more deeply, Shade recalled the conversations from yesterday. She remembers asking about the relationship between lord Sonic and the white bat, with Sonic telling her that they were 'like-minded individuals' and that they often 'playfully' flirted with each other on occasion. From what Shade could understand from flirting, or at least the word 'flirt', is that it's a non-physical way of communicating amorously.

*Amorously...* Shade thought, bring her mind into focus on the word. *I often hear this word associated with couples... Hmm...*

Breaking her thoughts for a bit, Shade carefully observed Sonic once more.

*Lord Sonic does appear to enjoy it... Perhaps these are one of those things my father said... (Finger Snap), Of course! These must be one of those things that I can use to show how much I care and love lord Sonic!* Shade thought, tilting her head down to her waist.

*Maybe I can...* Shade thought nervously, taking in a small gulp as she looked over her own hips. Shade has to admit, she isn't exactly as well endowded compared to the white bat. She was trained since childhood as a soldier, hence she's packing more muscle than curves. ...But that didn't mean she didn't have any curves at all!

*Having SOME curves is better than having none at all...* Shade thought, before shaking her head in shock, realizing how very unlike her to care so much about her outward appearance.

Brushing the thought aside, she looked forward briefly so as to not hit anything as she thought about trying out what Rouge was doing.

*It wouldn't hurt...* Shade said to herself, carefully positioning herself as she added more sway to her hips. She began with the strong side-to-side motion, her motion seemingly looking stiff and adding a little too much 'Umph' to her movements. It made her twist her arms up in an awkward manner as her waist looked like a bendy straw against her flexible battlesuit.

*This feels rather uncomfortable...* Shade thought, still trying her best to sway her hips, although with each sway she was beginning to feel her knees cramp up a bit as she began walking rather wobbly and towards her right. Trying to move on to the figure eight motion, Shade didn't realize that she was closing the gap between her and Sonic's...

"WHOA!" Sonic exclaimed, feeling a strong bump crash into his left hip as he was nudged out of his trance watching Rouge's ass, and also dropping the plate in his hands. "What the-?"

"I-I-I'm s-sorry, m-my lord! I-I didn't mean to, um... bump into you like that..." Shade suddenly responded, reacting to the strong body contact as she backed away a few steps as she began to blush madly.

"It's okay, Shade. I'm fine." Sonic said, looking over Shade with a smile as he recovered his footing. "I should be thanking you actually."

"What do you mean, my lord?" Shade asked, still blushing madly as she began to make eye contact with Sonic.

"You helped me break away from a certain distraction..." Sonic said, looking over towards Rouge with a raised brow and naughty grin. Rouge simply chuckled to herself.

"Anytime... my lord." Shade answered, helplessly staring at Sonic, as her blushed deepened. Sonic turned towards her, noticing Shade's complexion appearing redder.

"Um... Shade? Are you okay?" Sonic asked, waving a hand over Shade's face.

"Huh?" Shade asked, taking notice and snapping out of her trance.

"You seem redder than usual. Is something wrong?" Sonic asked, sounding very concerned.

"What do you..." Shade began, lifting her hand up to her face and feeling it to still be quite warm... "Oh, ah, yeah... it's nothing. I'm just a tad bit, umm... tired, that's all."

"Don't overwork yourself." Sonic said, placing a hand on Shade's shoulder.

"Noted." Shade replied, nodding to her lord.

"Good." Sonic said, looking at his surroundings, before bringing his attention to the mess near his feet. "Well, there goes the food I picked out."

"I apologize, my lord." Shade said, tilting her head down and looking somewhat ashamed.

"Don't be, it was just an accident." Sonic replied, turning back towards Shade.

"An accident it may be, but that still doesn't truly remedy the situation. I shall bring you a new one with the same selection." Shade said, turning to her side to do what she intended to do. But she was stopped, as Sonic's hold on her shoulder held her back.

"There will be plenty of time for that later. Come on. Tails and Amy are waiting for us." Sonic told her, to which Shade paused briefly before nodding in agreement.

Returning the nod, Sonic turned and gestured Rouge to continue. Rouge replied by giving Sonic a seductive wink and smile before walking on. Sonic grinned and shook his head as he began walking after Rouge. Shade followed quickly and walked beside her lord once more. And as they walked onwards, Shade took a little moment to herself as she placed a hand over her shoulder to where Sonic touched her and smiled lightly.

It didn't take that long for the trio to arrive at the dining hall in the citadel. There was no door there, just a large arch as they entered a vast room where a dozen or two tables littered the area. Sitting on one of the tables were Tails and Amy. Amy was the first to see them, waving her hand excitedly at Sonic. Spotting the two, the trio walked up to meet them. But Rouge, after seeing Amy's eager greeting, took it upon herself to slip her arm around Sonic's own in one quick fluid motion.

To that effect, Amy got pissed, and almost stood up from her seat with a her hand ready to pull out her hammer before Tails pulled her down. Which took a lot of effort on his part since Amy was obviously stronger than him. Rouge chuckled lightly as she nudged herself closer to Sonic, which infuriated the pink hedgehog further. Sonic only sighed, hoping Rouge wouldn't be doing this the whole time.

Sitting down on the table in question, with Rouge still clinging on Sonic, Amy quickly nudged herself to sit on Sonic's opposite side and slipping her arm on Sonic's as well.

"What are YOU doing here, Rouge!" Amy growled, but trying her best to hold her tone down.

"I don't have to answer to you." Rouge said, waving her free hand haughtily while she scoffed at Amy.

"That doesn't excuse you from coming here uninvited!" Amy spat, glaring at Rouge intensely.

Rouge suddenly grinned maniacally as she faced Amy.

"If you must know, I had dinner plans with Sonic. At least before you ruined them of course." Rouge said, a smug look on her face.

"WHAT!" Amy shouted, her grip on Sonic's arm tightening like a vice, which made Sonic wince slightly. "What did I tell you about leaving MY Sonic alone!"

"Again, Amy, you don't own him. So I'll do as I please." Rouge replied, grinning maniacally again and infuriating Amy even more.

"THAT'S IT! I'M GONNA-" Amy began, her voice so loud and angry that it made the table shake. But before she could continue, a louder yell erupted from behind them.

"ENOUGH!" It was Shade, clenching her fists as she stomped angrily towards the table. "I will not tolerate the two of you bickering! I suggest the two of you stop, and remove yourselves from lord Sonic before I have to take the two of you off the premises!"

Both Rouge and Amy sulked a bit, removing their arms from Sonic as they edged away from him. But not before they shot one last angry glare at each other. Sonic gave out a relieving sigh, before turning towards Shade with a smile.

"Thanks, Shade." Sonic said to his Procurator.

"Anything for you, my lord." Shade answered to her Imperator, bowing lightly before sitting beside him herself. "I'll sit by your side, my lord, to ensure that those two don't bother you."

Hearing this, both Amy and Rouge glared at Sonic. Sonic took notice and nervously brought his arms up defensively.

"Hey, she IS my Procurator and all. Second-in-command." Sonic said, pointing to Shade with his thumb. Shade for her part crossed her arms and smiled proudly at the statement with her chin up. The two other girls simply shifted their glare at Shade. And although their hands were underneath the table, you could hear their fists clenching audibly.

"Hey now everyone, calm down. This is supposed to be a relaxing dinner between friends." Tails said, trying to break the tension.

"Tails' is right. So, Amy, what food did you bring?" Sonic said, turning his attention to Amy. Amy pulled her glare away from Shade and calmly smiled at Sonic before looking away and picking up a large picnic basket from the floor.

"I have all your favorites, Sonic! As well as mine and Tails'! I originally planned on bringing enough just for the three of us, but Tails insisted I bring a little more extra as a precaution." Amy said, putting the picnic basket on the table. Opening the basket, Amy immediately pulled out a small lunch box with three chili dogs and moved over next to Sonic.

"Here you are, Sonic! Three good-old-fashioned chili dogs!" Amy cheerily exclaimed, picking one up. "Made especially for you, by me!"

"You made these Amy?" Sonic asked, pointing at the chili dogs in the lunch box with a raised brow.

"Yeah! It's my first time making a chili dog!" Amy said, both cheerily and proudly. "Tell me what you think!"

With that, Amy closed the gap between Sonic's mouth and the chili dog in her hand. Sonic backed up a bit, surprised by the fact that he was being fed, but shrugged to himself as he took a bite. Taking his time chewing and savoring the taste, Sonic couldn't help but nod to himself.

"That's actually delicious, Amy." Sonic admitted, his words slightly mumbled as he continued to chew. Amy quickly beamed, gasping with joy at the praise.

"Oh, Sonic, thank you!" Amy said, bringing her free hand up close to her face as she blushed and giggled.

Tails shook his head, smiling to himself as he watched the two interact. He then pulled the picnic basket close to him. "Right then, I'll just bring out the rest of the food."

Completely unpacking the basket, Tails spread the food over the table as he put the basket back down on the ground. Among the food that Amy had brought were a small salad, a few egg rolls, a translucent lunchbox that held pasta, a thermos, and four sandwiches that had... cucumbers?

Sonic's brow raised, surprised to see such a thing. He knew of no one among his friends who liked cucumber sandwiches. But to his further surprise however, Tails picked one up and began to eat.

"I didn't know you liked cucumber sandwiches, little buddy." Sonic said, half muffled as he swallowed his food and turning to face the young fox.

"They're not that bad. (Gulp), But I can't say they taste great either. But a new friend I met recently love these." Tails said, bending down after swallowing his sandwich as he had forgotten to bring out the plastic cups.

"A new friend huh? Someone I know?" Sonic asked, letting his elbow rest on the table.

"No, not really. I'll introduce you someday! ...Provided he isn't busy." Tails said, putting the stacked up plastic cups on the table as he took one for himself.

"Alright, maybe I-" Sonic began, but was interrupted when he felt something bumping at his cheek.

"Now, Sonic, there will be plenty of time for small talk." Amy said, bumping the bitten chili dog repeatedly on Sonic's cheek. "Meal time is meal time."

"Alright, alright." Sonic replied, turning back towards Amy as he took another bite.

After a while, the small group of friends began eating, taking the time to pause every now and then as they talked about little things in that are happening in their lives recently. Tails met a college professor recently, saying that he was the friend he mentioned earlier. Amy is studying how to cook, saying that both her mom and dad are amazing chefs. Rouge was still up to her normal routine, trying to get her hands on the Master Emerald. Although, Rouge says that Knuckles has been a little more hostile recently. Stating that he didn't even fall for her usual flirting charm and simply fought her without saying a word to her.

"He's probably just stressed." Amy said, before picking up the last chili dog and waved it around lightly at Sonic's mouth.

Sonic rolled his eyes, opened wide, and took a bite.

As the group of friends continued to talk, Shade, who has been rather silent for a while, was looking carefully at both Sonic and Amy... Sonic for the most part, but she did look at Amy... often, with a scowl. She was trying to learn from their interactions and gauging their relationship.

*Although I know that my lord dislikes the idea of her cuddling him, that doesn't mean my lord truly dislikes her for it.* Shade thought, still observing the two as Sonic stopped Amy briefly as he took a quick sip from a filled plastic cup in front of him.

*I also know for a fact that my lord only thinks of her as a friend. But as Tails said, Amy is going out of her way to eventually charm my lord into thinking otherwise.* Shade continued to think to herself, before turning her attention to Rouge, who was nibbling on an egg roll.

*Rouge on the other hand seems to have a different relationship to my lord, though the cuddling she gives him is far more accepted compared to Amy. Though still slightly unwanted.* Shade thought, turning back towards her Imperator.

*My lord has known them for some time. Yet he still seems uncertain of which of the two's affections he accepts fully. Perhaps it has something to do with him being an adventurer, making interactions with them rare at best...* Shade took a moment to to look away and up towards the ceiling as she brought her hand up to her chin.

*But with him tied down to being Imperator... They'll have plenty of time to interact with lord Sonic as much as necessary...* Shade furrowed her brow a bit at her thoughts, shifting her gaze back to her lord.

*In that allotted time, the two would most definitely try their best to build up their relationship with lord Sonic...* Shade brought her hand up and clenched her fist.

*As my lord's right-hand, I must take advantage of my time with him to court him properly.* Shade nodded, a determined look on her face as she gazed quickly towards Rouge, and then to Amy before looking back at her lord. *They already have a foothold on my lord's affections. I must ensure that my efforts exceed the two combined!*

As Shade thought this, she brought her hand to her chest as she felt the steady beat of her heart.

*I will have your love, my lord. As you unknowingly have mine...*

To be Continued...