DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN SONIC TEH HEDGEHOGz or ANY OTHER AFFILIATED CHARACTERz. :D I feel like using "z"s today...you guys don't mind, right?
Rouge glanced behind again in hope that the dark hedgehog hadn't really left. All she sought was pure rejection though…he was gone. The bat's bottom lip quivered slightly as she stood up. She had stopped to rest, but was now taking off again. It hurt to be standing around doing nothing. Shadow had absolutely no idea what he had left behind. The poor bat whimpered to herself. She shook her head, as more tears fell to the ground. The wind blew softly and the grass swayed slightly in the breeze. It was fruitless standing around…with nothing else to do; she finally lifted off the ground and took flight in the air. The atmosphere still stayed the same to her though. Getting away from the scene didn't help. A colorless darkness followed her, gnawing on what she had left of her. She slowly traveled across the night sky in mourning. Teardrops fell towards the ground consecutively, as she shook her head again. This wasn't Shadow's job…it was hers all alone. Why did he have to get in the way? Mixed emotions slowed her flight even more. Her heart felt empty; she wanted to throw her life away. Her wings wanted to give out and her mind wanted to plummet to the bottom. There was no more light for her; every last sliver had been swallowed up by her ever growing feeling of loss. Fear blocked her path, sadness shook her off, and anger sent her flying away in different directions. What was she without Shadow? What was she without her only star? The only star that shined brightest in the darkest of times…where the sun couldn't reach and the many helping hands dare not venture. She was lost. It was a simple problem that had grown over time. How could she have been so blind? More feelings of regret and guilt hit. Why couldn't she have just been with Shadow forever? Why did they have to get into a fight? Why did he have to go…? Tears stopped from trickling and began streaming, then pouring. He wasn't just her friend, she didn't just like him…she loved him…just remembering his face as he moved close to kiss her…made it unbearable. Her heavy breaths were displayed in puffs of white, as her body became overcome by the sobs that wracked her. A cold breeze whispered past and chilled her already frosty tears. It froze up the rest of her heart and made her stop. Rouge's wings stopped flapping and began to tumble down. What did it matter now? What more could she do? The air began whistling in her ears telling her to stop…to stop and think. The bat began ignoring the calls of fury until she heard a familiar voice in her head ring.
"What are you doing, Rouge? Don't make me do something for nothing…" her soaked eyelids snapped themselves open. She rapidly pumped her wings; just a couple feet from the ground. Her eyes searched for the holder of the sharp voice. It replied,
"Go home…" Rouge eagerly whipped her head around from side to side, looking for the voice. The bat then stopped and began quivered when she realized it was only her imagination...only the wind calling, only the trees swaying, only her mind wandering. It had been the dark hedgehog's…his voice was so missed already. As of now, he was considered gone to her, gone physically and emotionally. There really was nothing. She let herself go and land on the ground. She glanced up to see where she had taken herself. It was Amy's house. The bat sniffled and wiped a stray tear again. She couldn't even bring herself to talk right now, better yet stand. Her legs gave away and she crumbled to the ground. Her body began shaking uncontrollably, as new tears arose for no apparent reason. Was it the sound of the hedgehog's voice again? Was it the irony in the fact that she was in front of Amy's home once again…her final destination? She had half a mind to turn around and to leave the poor pink hedgehog alone. Another contradiction. The bat clutched her head and struggled to keep from crying out loud. There were too many questions and not enough answers. They were something, and then nothing. They were in love, and then in hatred. Something…something was definitely wrong with her. How could she be so fickle? The moment that he said that he was going…already, her mind was gone. Everything was. The tears slowed until the last drop hit the ground in quiet. Her face became stony and hard. Crying was doing absolutely nothing. She had to find Shadow…she had to, before it was too late and all the words caught up in her mind exploded. Rouge stood up slowly, as her legs wobbled. She turned away from Amy's house and bit her lip. The bat couldn't do it alone though, there was no way. She walked backwards to Amy's front door and then spun around. Her eyes studied the ground, as she rang the doorbell. The peace of the night was abruptly awakened, as Rouge heard Amy grope and stumble through the dark. Lights were flicked on and the patter of feet ran.
"Who's there? Oh…what's wrong?" Amy analyzed Rouge and felt that something wasn't right. The bat bit her lip again, struggling to not cry. She didn't want to be the Rouge that cried her eyes out at Amy's home. She wasn't desperate…she wasn't weak. No way was she going to flail her arms about crying about her petty problems. Cream and Cheese popped up from behind the pink friend with tired looks.
"Oh, hi Rouge!" the bunny replied happily. Rouge smiled weakly and stepped inside. She fell backwards into a chair and rubbed her head. Sensing the tension, Amy quickly spoke,
"I'll go make some tea…" she scurried off towards the kitchen with Cream and Cheese following. The pink hedgehog shooed them off into the room with Rouge. Cream nodded and sat next to the distressed bat.
"Why are you here, Rouge?" the curious six-year-old inquired the tired bat. Rouge sighed and glanced over at Cream. Cheese replied in a confident "chao".
"I have to talk to Amy…" was Rouge's lifeless reply. It was almost as if all the color from her voice and life had been drained away. Cream saw Rouge's unhappiness and immediately tried everything in her little power to cheer her up.
"Oh…well, you can talk after you drink Amy's tea…it's really good!" the bunny flashed a quick smile. Rouge nodded and smiled the best she could, before letting the corners of her lips pull down again. The bat hoped that she didn't seem rude…it was just that she wasn't in the mood for friendly banter. When Cream had smiled, it had reminded her of Shadow's not so often smile/smirk. The memory scratched at Rouge's inside wounds, attempting to open them up again. His face popped up in her mind and she began to tremble a little. Cream gave her a concerned look and replied,
"Are you okay, Rouge?" the bat took a big breath and exhaled slowly. Having her cry in front of Cream would only make her as worried and as sad as she was. Cream relaxed when the tremors stopped and Rouge's face relaxed.
"Yea, I'm fine…" Rouge replied. Her struggle was apparent though. It was inevitable…finally the bat bended over and sobbed quietly. There was a little voice inside Rouge's head telling her how hopeless she was as she cried. That made the tears fall faster and in larger quantities. Cream and Cheese were at her side quickly and they watched her worriedly. Cream and Cheese began to try to comfort the bat.
"Oh, don't cry! It's okay, talk to us after you drink some of Amy's tea!" she replied.
"Everything will be alright, Rouge. Please do not cry!" Cream added to her first statement. The bat was still sobbing while Cheese tried doing silly tricks for Rouge to brighten her up but, nothing worked. Rouge's heart was deeply affected by his last words and the echoed throughout her soul. She couldn't control herself, without Shadow she felt incomplete. So much for the weak commitment she'd made earlier. Finally, Amy quickly rushed in with the hot lemon tea,
"Oh damn…I'm sorry, the instant hot water thing wasn't working… please drink…now." The bat breathed in heavily and drank the tea that the pink hedgehog had thrust to her slowly. She licked her lips and studied her tea cup. Amy earnestly rubbed Rouge's back,
"Now…breathe slowly…" Amy's clear green eyes watched the bat carefully. Rouge obeyed and closed her eyes gingerly. She was afraid to close her eyes…for the possibility that Shadow might pop up again…
"Okay, now what's wrong Rouge?" Amy's question broke up the quiet room. She was always so straight forward…the bat clenched her fingers on her left hand in an attempt to warm them up, as she bit her lip. How could she explain what had happened? She wished they could just read her mind…it hurt to think and talk about the quiet hedgehog.
"Shadow left me…" It was a blunt statement, but it was the only way that Rouge saw fit. Amy, Cream and Cheese looked confused. Rouge saw that had to explain everything, their love, every scene and every word. She took a deep breath and glanced at everyone. They waited patiently as she sunk back into the soft chair.
"We were…friends." Amy gave Rouge an unsure look before replying,
"Were?" The bat nodded slowly.
"Slowly over time we became close…and began to trust each other little by little." Cream's eyes widened while Cheese was speechless. Who knew?
"Eventually, Knuckles…"
"Yea, yea, that stupid echidna…well, go on…" Amy waved a hand, cutting off the unneeded explanation. Rouge sighed and went on,
"He broke into my home and pleaded with me to come with him. He wanted me to get away from Shadow and…" The pink hedgehog cut the bat off again,
"Oh my gawd…" Amy shook her head and then Cream piped up,
"And then what?" Rouge gave a weak smile before letting her head drop. She averted her eyes from the girls.
"Well, he took me to the park…and we sorted things out…" Amy leaned forward,
"There's more though, right?" Rouge nodded again. She wished that Amy would just let her speak, but it was good for her too. It gave her time to think about what to say.
"And…and then…" this part was hard; Rouge could feel the tears coming so she stopped to catch herself. She swallowed the giant lump that had formed in her throat before continuing,
"Then he told me that he was going to set things right with Knuckles…" Amy and Cream drew a sharp breath. They both knew Knuckles' temperament…
"He…he kissed me and then left…" the bunny shivered with amazement as Amy gave an awed expression.
"His last 'gift' was this…" Rouge opened up her clutched hand and revealed the bright azure ring. Amy took it from the shaking bat and fingered it. She read the engraving before flinging her arms around her tear stained friend.
"Aw, Rouge!" the bat cried softly. Cream and Cheese watched sympathetically. They could do nothing. The pink hedgehog pulled away from the hug, slipped the ring back into Rouge's hand, and looked truly amazed,
"Who'd ever thought that he could love?" she questioned. Rouge nodded, biting her lip again to keep her from bursting out in tears.
"Your love is very complicated. Maybe Shadow doesn't know how to make it better except for…"
"Now, he's after Knuckles or something…he's going to let Knuckles do…!" Rouge rudely interrupted but, Amy let her; it was her time.
"Something…" Cream finished. The bunny then sighed,
"But, we don't know where he went!"
"Chao!" replied Cheese sadly. Amy sighed as well,
"At least you have a hedgehog that's persistent in love." Rouge thought deeply about where he could be. He was probably wherever Knuckles was, but she knew that the echidna wasn't himself lately. He could be anywhere…they could be too late. Shadow could already be gone, Knuckles could be gone too…there were too many possibilities. Too many questions, too many emotions, too many possibilities, and too many fears. While they were all in silence, Tails burst in.
"Hey, does anybody know where Cream is? She's not home." He glanced around the room and saw her,
"Oops…never mind!" he laughed sheepishly.
"Where have you been Tails? You're all sandy." Cream inquired.
"Yea, have you gone in a kiddy sandbox?" Amy asked. Tails blushed and replied,
"No! I was busy helping Shadow." All the girls nearly glomped him, as Rouge managed to choke out,
"Where is he?" Tails was bug eyed at the girls' behavior but said,
"I dropped him off at Eggman's hideout because…"
"Argh!" Rouge screamed and sobbed again. There went the only hope she had…
"Knuckles is probably there!" she finished. Tails was utterly confused, so Cream pulled Tails aside explained. Rouge and Amy watched from a distance as emotions ran their way across the young kitsune's face. When Cream was done passing on the story Tails felt guilty and silly.
"I'm sorry! I didn't think…I didn't know…I was taking care of Sonic and…" Amy grew angry,
"Oh, Sonic! He's so stupid sometimes!"
"No, it wasn't his fault Amy! He was here earlier, you were sleeping…he said that he…and then he…but he was…" Tails was at a loss of words.
"Let's go to him then!" Cream proposed.
"This is Rouge's life remember? Let's let her go instead and we'll stay behind." Amy whispered in one of Cream's floppy ear.
"Oh, right!" Cream whispered back.
"I'll take you there myself!" Tails promised. He just had to make up for his horrible decision. What had blurred his reasoning? Was it just the fact that Shadow was quick with words? When Rouge was slow to get up and follow Tails, Amy grabbed the bat's arm roughly,
"C'mon girl! People like that don't come too often in life! Go and get him! This is your chance!" Rouge gave the pink hedgehog a weary look…she had too much pep. Sighing, she stood up next to Tails and nodded. They both traveled towards Tails' home. Amy, Cream and Cheese waved, as they called out cries of hope and encouragement. Rouge glanced back once again and gave an attempt at a sincere wave. Amy pulled Cream inside and the door shut. The little spot of light that was once on the dark pavement had vanished. The white bat inhaled deeply, as she followed the quick kitsune.
"We gotta get there quickly. I just dropped off Shadow…but he's so fast he's probably halfway across the desert by now…" Tails gave a quick chuckle before concentrating on his task at hand. Tails' house arose rapidly; he didn't live too far from Amy. It still had taken a while though. The whole trip was a blur in her mind. The sharp turns and winding road had left Rouge in a daze. Tails made an impressive jump into the cockpit and he motioned for Rouge to come up. She quietly floated up on her wings and sat behind her pilot. The kitsune snapped on his seatbelt and shifted the X-Tornado into gear.
"Get ready!" he called out. The plane revved up and sailed off into the night sky. Rouge glanced outside and saw the moon pass by. Stars twinkled with a bit of hope, and the wind rustled the small trees on the ground. The bat sighed as she thought wistfully of Shadow again. Tails saw Rouge's forlorn expression and quickly began flipping some switches. The outer glass protection pulled back and revealed a relatively cool night breeze. The bat smiled at Tails' smart mind and took in the sweet air, as they rode through. They were coming…whether the dark hedgehog knew it or not…they were. They quickened their flying pace, and zipped deeper into the night sky with everyone's hopes for a good travel riding on their backs. The plane was going to take them far…they were already out of town. It would only be a matter of minutes to reach "Eggman's desert". Rouge just hoped that they wouldn't arrive too late to save one hedgehog's lonely life. Her fur flapped itself in the wind wildly as Tails made a sharp rise. The bat stifled a small gasp and averted her eyes from the outside scene. The kitsune smiled sheepishly,
"Sorry, we have to scale the mountains." Of course, deserts always had to be behind mountains… The trip seemed to have taken only five minutes though. Rouge glanced behind. All she saw was rolling fields, forests and a land in slumber, barely ready to awaken. She whipped around to check the clock on Tails' dashboard. 5:00 AM. The sun was just peeking its head over the horizon, casting its rays across the land. Another sleepless night…how unfortunate. The sleepy eight-year-old took account of the time and held back a yawn. The pilot couldn't be sleepy…that would be disastrous. They cleared the mountains easily and lowered, as the desert was in sight.
"Welcome to Eggman's desert, Rouge…" Tails yawned. The bat gave Tails a worried look, but the kitsune shook it off,
"No, I'm fine. His tower is close by. Last night I couldn't…or actually it was the early morning…ah, whatever." He shook his sleepyhead and pressed forward. Determination drove him; he had to get her to Shadow…it was repayment for his unintelligent thinking earlier. The bat relaxed now and sat back. She glanced out the window longingly. Oh, how she hoped to see the hedgehog safe and sound. The quiet, white bat now rubbed her ring unconsciously. Please, to whoever was in control of this stuff, please…let me find Shadow…Rouge studied her ring and squeezed her eyes shut. Sand danced by the window and away they went…closer and closer to the forgotten hedgehog…
AN: Well, to tell you all the truth, I've actually finished the story completely. I'm just being lazy in uploading everything. ;) Gah, I feel like I'm talking to myself 'cause I only have one review. XD I know there are some silent readers out there though! (I hope...??) Love you all, have a great day. :)