Chapter 10:
Espio arrived around ten thirty and Shade and him left for her room. "You aren't going to meditate without me are you?" Asked Explosive menacingly as they where about to go up the stairs. "Allow me." Freeva lifted Explosive up the stairs easily. "There you go. Don't mention it." "So...how long until I can use my legs again?" "Three days precisely, you heal much better than the doctors said you will." Explosive didn't know what to say. Shade just smiled.
Three days later...
Explosive was lounging in the living room when Ball ran in and jumped onto his lap. "Save me Mr. Explosive!" He giggled as Ivy came in. "There you are! Bath time!" "Noooo!" Squealed Ball happily as he wriggled. "If she says your having a bath you are!" Explosive grabbed him and tickled. "Stop...(gasping for breath)...stop! Too much tickle!" "I'll give you to much tickle you pest." Explosive helped Ivy get Ball into the bathtub. "Thanks Explo." "No problem, and don't call me Explo!" "Oh come on, we can't call you Explosive all the time! How about I call you Ex then?" "Alright." "Thanks Ex." "Your welcome." "Hey Ex. Did you have any friends before you met us?" "No but I did have a rival." "Who was it?" "Catrophic, a fellow Echidna." "What could Catrophic do?" "Well...Catrophic could hurl energy that makes your head hurt allot and disorients you for just enough time so he can hit you." "Oh." "Did you have many battles?" "Yes, in one of them I remember Gresma was trying to stop us and when he got hurt we called a truce for a week to help him recover." "Who's Gresma?" "A hawk, a bit of an annoyance really, a sky blue annoyance with dark green eyes." "He was a blue hawk?" "He is." "Cool. Can we meet him?" "I guess you could. All you need to do is go to a air racing or skateboarding area. He'll most likely be there." "Cool! Can we go once my bath is finished?" "Sure." "Tell Shade!" Explosive left the room smiling and found Shade meditating under a tree in the backyard. "Hey Shade?" "Yeah?" "We're going to be going to try and find my friend Gresma. Would you like to come?" "Sure." Shade went inside and got some glasses on as well as her new white trench coat. Explosive got Ball ready and Ivy and they left through the door, with only a bit of hassle. "Shade, you don't stay in this house much, you go out and bring back new people to live with us...why?" "Because they need it, and I need the movement."
"Yo' Gresma! Your grey 'chidna friend is here with a few other people, one dude and two ladies." "Thanks Brittle. Hi Explo!" "DON'T CALL ME EXPLO!!" "Alright alright, never thought you'd come here to see me, who're your friends?" "Shade, Ivy and Ball." "Nice to meetcha. Yo' little dude, you think you can eat more doughnuts than me?" "Yes!" Said Ball with his chest puffed out proudly. "Your on! But how about we get a drink first? I've heard Club Rouge is good." "Club Rouge? Doesn't Rouge own that place and doesn't it have mostly alcoholic drinks?" "Yeah but she has juice for wee little kiddies. And anyway, the only reason I go there is because the music rocks and the juice is good." "You're strange." "Lead on!" Said Explosive.
Shade sat in a corner of the room watching people dance to the disco music. She saw a black hedgehog with red stripes on his spikes arguing with a bat. Moving closer Shade heard them, "Rouge I don't want to." "You have to socialize Shadow! Look, see that hedgehog over there in the trench coat? She looks like she could use company, go talk with her!" "Rouge..." "Now! It'll be good for you." Shade's heart started to beat faster as Shadow came over and sat by her. "So...you don't want to do this do you?" She asked, Shadow looked startled. "You heard?" "It's alright I don't feel bad." Rouge came over with juice for Shade and something that Shade couldn't identify for Shadow. "Ask her to dance." Shade heard Rouge hiss in Shadow's ear. Shade felt pity for him and so asked him first so he wouldn't have the humiliation of asking her to dance. Looking suprised he accepted. They got up and Shade told him to wait there for a second. "Rouge! Can we change the music!" Shade yelled. "Sure you can sweetheart." Shade went over to the stereo and injected another CD in it. The music had an even faster pace. After ten minutes Shade and Shadow sat down again. They sat in silence and they both preferred that. Explosive came over and told them that they where leaving. Shade nodded and stood up. So did Shadow, so that Rouge could hear Shade thanked Shadow for keeping her company, she whispered in Shadow's ear as she left, "Don't worry, I only did that so she won't force you on anyone else." Shadow looked mildly suprised as she left. And Shade heard Rouge saying, "See? You were a hit, so just wait until she comes again and do it again..." Shade groaned smiling. Would Rouge give up at some point and leave Shadow alone? He'd done nothing to deserve that.
"See that place little dude?" "Yes!" "Good, because they have really good strawberry jelly doughnuts and we're gonna see if you can manage twenty! I've only ever managed fifteen." "I'll beat you for sure!" Gresma and Ball tore off for the place. "Oh boy." They followed the two in and found them already started. Gresma was keeping track on a piece of paper and Ball's face now had a moustache and beard of strawberry jelly. After barely managing to finish the twentieth he fell asleep. Gresma looked at him. "I only beat my previous score by two, he actually got to twenty! What a trooper!" Shade smiled and paid for the doughnuts, she tried one. "It's nice." She said when Gresma asked how she'd found it. "Wow! You guys have a stonker of a house!"
"That we do." Said Ivy opening the door. To come face to face with a dragon Banzanzas had been about to show out the door.