FINALLY done with my seven exams and, by extension, this school year. This means that I finally have time to write again. Honestly, I missed it quite a bit. Let the show go on…

Without further ado:

Roses Bleed Red: Chapter 10

Entering his car, Shadow put the key in the ignition but didn't turn it. Instead, he leant back and sighed heavily. Burying his face in his hands, he forced back most of the tears that tried to escape his eyes. The ones that did escape, slowly made their way down his tanned cheeks and soaked his gloves.

"It's all my fault" he viciously spat out between sobs, talking to no one but himself. "If I just would have come home earlier that day… This would have never happened…" Shadow bargained as he continued his personal breakdown. As he suffered in his own personal misery, he could feel a new anger build up inside him. The anger was fuelled by disappointment; disappointment in no one but himself. Slamming his fists into the steering wheel to vent his anger, Shadow's tears stopped flowing and his trademark frown replaced the grieving hedgehog's facial features. Recuperating from his breakdown, Shadow turned the key in the ignition, making the car come alive with a thunderous roar. Shadow, with newfound but wavering confidence, gripped the wheel, and set out to towards the place he once called home.

-Shadows POV-

Pulling into the driveway of Rose's apartment, I sighed heavily. I knew this would cause inner turmoil for me, but I also knew this was something I had to do. Opening the door and stepping out, I felt the cool autumn winds brush against my skin. It would had been rather pleasant if I wasn't about to inspect the site of my recently murdered girlfriend. Surrounding the house was a plastic barricade telling me not to cross. It was an off limits area after all, but then again, I was a G.U.N. agent, so I wasn't really restricted by it. Jumping over the barricade, I made my way towards front door and turned the doorknob. As expected, it was locked. I quickly got my keychain out of my pocked and swiftly found the key to the door. Unlocking it, I made my way inside. The first thing I noticed was the horrid stench of deteriorating blood. Not since the Black Arms invasion had I smelt something like this. I walked into the living room, my heart dropping when I saw the dried out blood on the wall and on the carpet. I averted my eyes from the sight to properly look around my home for the first time in days. "The last time I was here, I didn't have much time to investigate, and I doubt that the useless human investigators managed to piece anything together" I mentally noted.

Taking a step back, I noticed how messy the living room was. Glass was broken, chairs were knocked over and pointless ornaments were knocked down from the walls. "That would be out of place for a suicide… There was a fight here…" I continued in my train of thoughts. I smirked at this; my Rose didn't leave me voluntarily, and gave whoever murdered her a good run for their money. Walking out of the living room and into the kitchen, I took a seat at one of the chairs in the room. I was pleased that this room was completely intact. It resembled the life I used to have. With a sigh, I started thinking, trying to puzzle the pieces together.

-Normal POV-

Rhodes sat in his office, knowing full and well that Shadow would, after their brief encounter, probably go out and try to find out what happened without him. He knew that Shadows infinite pool of patience was dried up, and he wasn't going to sit on the side-lines and watch this unfold. Rhodes sighed, knowing that he had no power to stop him either. Arising from his seat and walking out the door, he informed Monica about his new objective:

"I'm going to visit the G.U.N. headquarters. I'll be back soon enough"

Looking up from her computer, Monica nodded and asked:

"What are you going to do? Please don't search though something we don't have a warrant for"

Rhodes noticed that she had a worried frown priding her facial features.

"I'm just going to ask around about Shadow's behaviour in recent times"

Her frown eased up, and with wishes of good luck out of the way, Rhodes got going. In about ten minutes time, he was outside the massive complex. Exiting his squad car and entering the reception, he was quickly recognised by the receptionist because of his earlier encounter.

"Hello once again detective. Shadow isn't here at the moment, would you like to leave a message for him?" the female receptionist greeted with a wide smile. Rhodes couldn't help but let a small smile appear on his face as well.

"I'm not here to talk to Shadow; I'm here to talk about him. You see him, and probably greet him, almost every day. Would you care to answer a few questions?" Rhodes asked as politely as possible. Taken aback by the sudden request, the receptionist composed herself and responded:

"Eh… Sure, I guess. Will I be kept anonymous?"

"She seemed to be a bit reluctant to talk about Shadow. More likely than not, his demeanour has left its mark" Rhodes mentally noted.

"If you wish, you will be kept anonymous. If you got any questions, save them for later. Now, first question: How was Shadow attitude and behaviour about three of four months ago?"

The receptionist seemed a bit puzzled at first:

"Like… Before he got a girlfriend…?"

A quick nod of approval gestured her to go on.

"Before he got together with his girlfriend, he was… Angry, I guess? He wasn't exactly the happiest person around; he never smiled and, to be honest, he was kind of a… jerk. He would rarely speak to others, unless it was completely necessary. Even towards Rouge, his closest co-worker, he would be cold and calculated, never uttering a single phrase unless completely necessary. And when he spoke, he would probably humiliate whomever he was talking to by being sarcastic or rude"

Noting the information down on a piece of paper, Rhodes continued his questioning:

"And after he got together with his girlfriend…?"

"I wouldn't say very much changed, although it was noticeable. He was seen having a small smile on his face from time to time. He would talk more, even to me sometimes. He wasn't as rude as before, and rarely used any form of sarcasm. He became more … alive, if that makes sense."

Nodding in approval, a final question was asked by Rhodes:

"Have you noticed something changing lately?"

Rhodes already knew the answer, he just needed confirmation.

"Well, today he seemed to be his old self; he didn't even greet me when he came in. He had a frown on his face, and rumours say that he is less than pleasant to interact with."

Nodding for a third time and noting what she said on his paper, Rhodes looked up:

"Thank you for your time, that's all I need to know"

Turning to leave, he was stopped by the receptionist's voice:

"Wait…"

Turning once more to face her, she asked the detective:

"What happened to Shadow, and why do you need to know this?"

Rhodes wasn't prepared to answer, but had to make good on his promise of answering questions.

"The reason I need to know this is because Shadow is a suspect in a murder case, and the victim is his girlfriend"

Rhodes' tone was low and focused, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. The receptionist, upon hearing this, gasps lightly and puts her hands to her mouth, muttering something along the lines of "oh my, that's terrible". With a quick nod, Rhodes turned to leave once more, and nothing stopped him this time.

Upon returning to his office, he was greeted by Monica:

"So, how did your questioning go?"

Smirking, Rhodes answered:

"Pretty good. I got the information I wanted and needed. Now, could you be a darling and write this information down somewhere in Shadow's file? File it under behaviour and attitude" he said as he handed her the piece of paper with the information written on it. With a quick nod, Monica set off to complete her new objective. Rhodes on the other hand, retreated into his office and sat down in his chair, contemplating what had happened recently.

"The possibility of suicide, Sonic's missing alibi, Rouge's convenient absence and Shadow's shifting behaviour… All stuck together in a web of secrets… This is going to be one hell of a challenge"

As I said, it has been a long time since I've written anything, so this will probably sub-par to what you are used to, and for that I apologize. Stay tuned to see what happens next.

Until next time…