Rouge absolutely adored the garden. How could she not with all its bright orange, pink and blue flowers. It practically exploded with color and light. Not to mention the amount of money thrown into the beautiful pond and fountain was rather ravishing. She decided to take a single small ring, worth around a penny, and plop it into the crystal clear water. The ripple effect seemed to put her into a deep thought process. This whole event was going to leave a huge effect on everything and after it triggered one thing it would move onto another and so on and so forth. It might even end up altering everything in this practically docile and predictable little town. Not something she was looking forward to mind you. She decided to sit on the bench next to the beautiful oasis of frogs, fish, bugs and other delightful creatures to conjure up a slight prayer. She hoped this along with the ring would be enough for her wish to come true.

(Dear Chaos, please protect Sonic from harm. There's not much I can do but hope that everything will be okay. And please, above all, help Shadow see how much of an amazing person he is. My words do not seem to get to him, even though I speak them with complete honesty. He and Rob are some of the kindest men I've ever met and have really taught me that thoughtful males do exist... Please protect all of them...)

As she finished her prayer, she decided to slide a little picture from out of her pocket. It was her absolute favorite: The only time she actually got Shadow to smile. She was standing next to Rob and the ebony with a beautiful grand piano in the background. Rob along with Rouge each paid half and they were finally able to get Shadow something he really wanted. Whenever she was in a time of turmoil, she would pull out this photo and, within seconds, the sight would cause a sincere smile to form on her muzzle. Shadow was really the ultimate lifeform. But in her eyes, she couldn't imagine him ever being created for evil. Whenever she thought of it, the ebony was undoubtedly the most moral male she had ever met. He tried everything in his power to do the right thing and he rarely thought about his own selfish desires. Although, Rouge had to admit when he did, it would be the cutest thing. He would get all flushed while talking in a very submissive voice and always add if you want or in my opinion. It's as if all Shadow wanted to do was be seen as a good person. He did have his faults, however. She thought back to the time when they were shopping and she picked out an especially flashy outfit in an attempt to impress him. Unfortunately, it backfired because Shadow gave a particularly long speech about appropriate attire and what colors and patterns go with what. After about forty-five minutes, Shadow had practically annoyed the entire store with his incredibly obsessive-compulsive comments. Of course, Rouge found it strangely adorable. And hay, those fashion tips came in really handy when she was out and about. People always complimented her clothes.

It was almost as if...

Everything was an attempt to prove to himself and everyone else that he wasn't evil. That he can prove the scientists and government officials who killed his family wrong... That he was good. But no one seemed to notice besides herself and Rob. At least until the great prince Voziti came into the picture. Speaking of which, Sonic seemed to be in a similar situation but he dealt with it very differently. He didn't want to prove to himself and others that he was good. All he wanted to do was survive and adapt to society in an appropriate manner. How can two very similar conflicts cause two completely different reactions?

She sighed as the thought kind of bothered her. She knew Shadow didn't like her that way and she was aware that their personalities didn't really mix either. But she did care for him... Mainly as a mother. She didn't want her ebony baby to be snatched up by some guy who didn't deserve him.

As she glanced back down at the picture to have one last look before putting it back in her pocket, a little red butterfly was seen gently fluttering closer and closer to it. Right before her eyes it landed and rested on top of Rob's face. She blinked and in an instant it was gone. She thought for a moment it was her imagination but realized it was real as it fluttered off into the distance. After all, red butterflies are awfully rare this time of year... How odd. But she decided to not let it get to her as she quickly shoved the photo back into her pocket before deciding to check on the two hedgies.

She took a deep breath before standing and gracefully walking to the entrance of the house. She prepared herself, as she knew they would probably be doing something inappropriate. However, when she opened the door she saw something rather shocking. It was unbelievably precious as she let out a single aww. Shadow was lying in Sonic's lap, curled up into a little ball with little tears streaming down his face. He didn't seem upset or angry, more like frustrated. He looked as if he needed to get out all the tension in his body. And the azure was simply rubbing his back with one hand and wiping the tears from the ebony's eyes with the other. The cobalt's repetitive motion almost threw Shadow into a kind of hypnotic trance. Where nothing, not even the arrival of Rouge could really disturb him. Sonic turned his head to look at her before taking the hand he was wiping the tears with and putting them up to his lips.

"I finally got him to calm down. So please, be quiet." He whispered delicately as Shadow immediately grabbed the hand to place it back on his face.

"You're okay Shadow... Relax." Sonic murmured gently before stroking the charcoal hedgehog's slightly soft and red cheek.

"Who's there...?" Shadow whimpered shyly as he popped up his head for a second to look around the house.

"Don't worry about it. I'll take care of it..." The cobalt responded in an assuring tone as he pushed the ebony's head back to where it was.

Shadow nodded while lying his head back in his lap and released a huge yawn before gently closing his eyes. Sonic continued rubbing his back in the exact same manner causing the ebony to almost instantly fall asleep.

"Finally... Thanks for being quiet Rouge." He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he took a very deep long breath of relief.

The beautiful bat carefully tip-toed to the couch without making a single sound before resting her hip against the sofa.

"No problem. Seems you have everything under control. I'm quite surprised." She muttered delicately before smiling at the adorable sight.

"I'm practicing..." Sonic replied in a rather sophisticated and mature tone causing a somewhat confused expression to appear on Rouge's face.

"Practicing what exactly?" She asked before raising her eyebrows in general hesitation.

The cobalt sounded awfully unusual and she noticed it almost right away. He appeared much colder and emotionless, which in a very strange way, made her awfully worried. His tone was almost robotic without much inflection and she figured he was just stressed from whatever happened earlier. But she quickly realized that this Sonic the Hedgehog was not forced or awkward. Every motion and word seemed relatively natural. Is this somehow the real Sonic? Or is this just a part of him that was pushed away for so long that it needed to emerge?

"Trying to be gentle and constant. He said he needs it to be happy... So, I will do anything in my power to help him relax..." His voice changed dramatically as he gently brushed his hand against the ebony's cheek.

The robotic tone was replaced with a soft murmur as a small smile formed on his peach muzzle. His eyes seemed to focus on the ebony as if he was the only thing in his life worth protecting. That nothing else in the world matter but the safety of his beautiful princess.

"I assume you know about the situation. So what are you going to do about it?" Rouge interrupted as she desperately wanted to know what his plan was.

"I'm afraid I do not understand what you are saying." Sonic responded clearly as his voice returned back to its strange monotone.

"Are you feeling okay? You're talking funny... And uh... with Metal Sonic." She continued passively as a twinge of fear sprung in her spine.

Something about the way he sounded and looked at her made her feel unbelievably uneasy. It's as if he had a sleeping demon inside him that could attack at any moment and she did not want it to wake.

"Feel fortunate. You got to see me without my radical filter. Shadow finds it a lot more appealing and what about it?" He countered sternly before darting cold protective eyes at her as if he was making it very clear that he was not afraid to destroy her.

"Ah. So this is the real Sonic the Hedgehog. In-Interesting... And Sha-adow didn't tell you?" She stuttered fearfully before taking a few steps back from the couch as if she wanted to make a run for it.

She decided it was best to try and pretend like everything was normal and that she wasn't scared shitless. So she took a deep mental breath before standing her ground.

"Apparently not. Don't worry. I shall take care of it when Shadow has returned to a more steady state. He is very emotionally unstable right now. He had a mental breakdown where he was practically screaming about how afraid he was. It was an incredible shock. However, I found a way to calm him down. I had no idea he could lash out like that." He articulated sweetly while smiling at the adorable sight when the ebony shivered and snuggled closer to him.

"Yes. Unfortunately, even though he attempts to remain controlled, he sometimes loses his cool as you can clearly see. Especially in stressful situations. But I give you an A plus. Look at how peaceful he looks." She replied passively while noticing the relief in Shadow's body movements.

They both glanced down at his face as a soft, subtle smile brightened his face. He looked almost completely different. Practically like a black furry porcelain doll, fragile but incredibly beautiful. Sonic bent down before giving his forehead a gentle kiss.

"Her name does mean peaceful after all. My little Miran. I'm still amazed I found her in exactly the place I didn't think I'd find her. But now that I look at him, they do look very similar." He smiled up at Rouge before sighing in disbelief.

"You know what her name means? Is it in some kind of language you know that we don't?" She queried before tilting her head slightly.

"It's an ancient mobian language. I somehow knew how to speak it from a very young age even though I have no memory of learning it..." He bit his lip as he knew that probably wasn't a good thing.

Shadow shuffled uncomfortably as he clung to Sonic desperately before whining softly in his sleep. The cobalt started to rub his back again causing the whimpers to conclude, for now...

"Sonic... Do you think Voziti has something to do with the event then...? If you know how to do things you can't even remember?"

"It must. I have been attempting to wrap my brain around the concept that we are all connected. Me, Shadow and Rob. However, I do not really have time to worry about it. I have my princess to attend to." He replied protectively before gently running his fingers through the ebony's quills.

"You seem to have him wrapped around your little finger. Take good care of him for me okay? He's quite fragile..." She countered uncomfortably as Sonic had that crazy look in his eyes again.

"Don't worry... I'm Sonic the Hedgehog and the Prince of Chaos. I can and will take care of him. Even if it means destroying everything else in my path..." Sonic enunciated firmly with every word spoken with great motivation that the bat had not truly ever seen.

"Sometimes... You really worry me." She responded with a concerned and slightly hesitant tone.

She placed her hand on her hips before glancing away from the cobalt as his face became even more dark and sinister.

"Join the club. My only real goal in life was to find Miran... And now that I have, nothing else really matters." His muzzle turned into a scowl as he felt slightly attacked by the comment.

(Of course, I have issues. Were you blind by my other persona as well?)

"What about Tails, Amy and the rest of the crew? What about the team, Sonic?!" She shouted while aggressively slamming her fist against the top of the couch, causing the sleeping ebony to shuffle fearfully.

Both the bat and azure hedgehog remained completely still until they were both sure that he was still asleep.

"As long as they don't get in my way, I don't see any reason to remove them... But mark my words. If you do, I have no shame in eliminating you..." His eyes darted to her slightly ashamed teal eyes and she stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Sonic... That's terrible." Rouge trailed off a little as she couldn't even really finish the statement.

(How could he say such a horrible thing? After everything we've done for him...)

"I'm sorry... I should have kept my mouth shut." Sonic muttered before burying his face into Shadow's beautiful silky quills, inhaling his scent in an attempt to relax his raging emotions.

"Do you have no heart?! Sonic we all care about you and you're willing to throw all that away because you feel like your princess is the only thing that matters?! Tails has been your best friend for Chaos knows how long and you have the guts to say that your fine with eradicating him if he so as touches your princess. You're crazy! Absolutely insane... It's no wonder everyone feared you and still does!" She exploded as her face lit up in complete wrath.

All the cobalt could do was release a half whimper of regret. He knew he didn't really think that. How could he? Tails was his best buddy... But deep inside his heart felt nothing. Did he want to protect Tails and the rest of his friends? Of course. But it was more or less because he felt like it was the right thing to do. That's how he was raised. If you don't feel anything then follow everyone else's example and be a good person or else you get thrown in jail for the rest of your life. He wanted to be good... But without the empathy or love to back it up, it was becoming more and more difficult to hide his true feelings.

(I'm sorry Rouge. Really I hate for you to see me like this. This entire thing is stressful for me to you know and I'm starting to have trouble lying. Why...? Why do I have to be this way? Why can't I feel like other people do? It just isn't fair... Why do I have to secretly be...)

(A monster...)