Into the Night
Second: Dodging
by Lady Virgo
"Forget what is known
Black in black
Hold firm to
what is yours"
///
He waited in the dark, not quite certain what to do. He had come into Quick's
room, knowing he was asleep but hoping he would be awake. Or waken. He didn't
even know why, he was feeling something hesitant, almost anxious, a feeling that
would increase tenfold whenever he had to face the older robot. Maybe that's why
it was easier just to snap at him, or ignore him, so he wouldn't have to deal
with emotions roiling silently inside of him. His instinctive responses were top
notch and he hid them better than anyone, but his control over them had a long
way to go...
He suddenly found himself in the cage of fiery brown eyes, holding them in their
hopeful gaze rimmed in the waning moon. He wanted to meld back into the shadows
then, erase his existence from that room and let him think that it was just an
illusion. But his instincts forced him to stay, quivering as they waited for the
other to make the next move.
"Shadow..." It was scarce a whisper, swallowed in the darkness and breezing
passed his ears as the name rematerialized in his corner. "You came back." Quick
said, his voice of squelched excitement as his voice broke into a slow smile.
His teeth gleamed white as he straightened on the bed.
He didn't say anything in return, but Quick didn't expect one. Instead, the
silence broke the hidden awkwardness of their reunion and he grinned. "C'mere."
He said, spreading a hand over the foot of the bed. "Sit."
Shadow looked at something other than Quick, or the portion of the bed. He felt
foolish standing there, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, either. His
instincts were warring inside of him, leaving him with nothing to lead him one
way or the other. Anything could've happened and Shadow wouldn't have known how
he would've reacted, and that thought frightened. But he swallowed back the
panic and just stood, waiting for something to happen.
Quick sensed his hesitation and nervousness. Slowly, carefully letting the young
bioroid see every movement he made, he stood and walked towards the corner. A
few feet away, he stopped. And held up a hand, offering his palm; as a sign of
good will, friendship, welcoming, as anything, Shadow's mind couldn't decide.
But his own hand came up of its own will, taking Quick's and allowing himself to
be drawn in, in full view under the sparse lighting of the thin slit window
above.
"I missed you." Quick said simply. He still held Shadow's hand in his, but kept
himself just out of the other's personal space, not wanting to frighten or
overwhelm him again. He smiled, something soft and warm, something that- though
he smiled often -rarely found its way on Quick's lips. "I'm glad you came back."
Shadow rarely carried his end of the conversation with anyone and after a while,
they grew used to it, just as Quick didn't expect Shadow to reply even at that
moment. But he wanted to. Shadow desperately wanted to say something, but he
couldn't form what, didn't even know for what purpose he wanted to speak, but
somehow something told him to fill the void.
When he raised his eyes towards Quick, the other seemed to realize this and
asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..."
"What?"
Shadow opened his mouth again, but his breath froze in his throat, causing his
chest to quiver with strain into trying to push something through.
"Hey, it's all right." Quick inclined his head slightly towards Shadow,
daringly- but with great caution -he cupped his hand around Shadow's reddening
cheek. He pressed against the palm, as if he wanted it to hide his shame. "It's
okay, don't force it."
He just looked up at Quick and got lost. His voice must've taken his mind with
it as it passed through his ears and settled somewhere, he suddenly couldn't
feel the hand on his cheek as his skin burned. He couldn't make sense of
anything. It didn't actually hurt, but it felt like he was tearing apart inside,
burning as it went. It seemed like he couldn't live on his own, like he was
going to fly apart and it felt thirty times stronger, being with Quick at that
moment than ever before and his instincts screamed at him to do away with the
anomaly destroying at him from inside out and to deal with cause of it all...
It caught Quick by surprise, to have Shadow suddenly surging up at him, pressing
their lips together. He lost his balance and stumbled back. They fell onto the
floor, Shadow sprawled over Quick's lap as the speedster's back slammed against
the box of the bed. Yet still, the younger bioroid rolled up the downed robot's
body, fingers like dull claws, pulling at his clothing without tearing or
stretching. His head stayed next to Quick's, teeth clenched tightly, breathing
harsh as his mind fought to figure out what, exactly, it was he was doing.
It came with a sudden snap to Quick and he pulled his head around, claiming
Shadow's lips, attempting to ease the tension and frustration out of the other.
The strength seemed to drain Shadow and he tranquilly fell into the kissing,
allowing Quick to lengthen it, deepen it...
Quick wrapped an arm around Shadow's waist, his shirt bunched up at the
shoulders from Shadow's fists, shaken as he was distantly still aware that he
was uncertain on his course of action.
They pulled back for a breathless moment, barely an inch between them. Sometime
during the course of the kiss, one of Shadow's hands had snaked shyly behind
Quick's neck and nestled there quietly. It took a moment, but Quick's face broke
into a wide smile and a breathless sort of chuckle. It moved Shadow enough to
reply with a small grin of his own. Quick's free hand moved up, touching
Shadow's cheek with a fingertip, feeling the muscles there twitch slightly.
Then, barely grazing the skin, he let it slide over the pale slope of his cheek
bone and through the dark brush of hair. His fingers followed the cool trace of
Shadow's metallic band near to the crown of the back of his head, then pulled
him back down for another kiss. Shadow shifted himself, allowing him to settle
more comfortably against Quick's concave body. He found enough courage inside to
let an idle hand play with the zipper that dangle at Quick's collar, the slow
zipping sound crackled unevenly as he pulled-
~*~*~*~
Blues frowned in disappointment as he was abruptly cut off, then ducked as one
of the headpieces from the coupling device was suddenly thrown his way. "Just as
it was getting interesting, too. Whoop!" He ducked his torso left as the control
for the coupling device came flying at him, as well.
The thrower, Shadow, pushed himself onto his feet, red faced and seething. Lips
pulled back in a sneer, his eyes had the hint of a glow to them, his anger and
embarrassment the most emotion he had ever shown at any one time.
Slowly, Blues pulled off the headpiece and settled it against one of his knees,
looking passively over the remains of the one that was tossed at him. "What a
waste." He commented with only the hint of a sigh. "That took some finding and
haggling to get at a decent price, you know."
"Shut up." He didn't even know why he agreed to do it in the first place.
Letting Blues see his inner most desires, to create a reality that would never
happen, to remind himself of what it was he carelessly tossed away. What an
idiot.
In his construction, Shadow was built with a VR device designed to be switched
on any time, while he was in suspension or when his system went into safemode-
to preserve and regain power but keep from being sent into a suspended mode. It
was a semi-prototype dreaming system. It took the datum from his processors, his
desires, experiences, emotions and thought process, and wove an elaborate
fantasy that could be randomly designed or personally created. A couple of the
other, older bioroids were fitted with something similar, though none were as
hightech as Shadow's.
Blues wanted to experience it himself, knowing the importance of dreams to
humans but having never experienced it himself. He managed to get a hold of a
coupling device and tweaked it in order to send and receive information without
losing any real time, emotions or information and somehow managed to swindle
Shadow into going along with the idea.
And now, here he was, shaking from self-disgust and restrained need, ashamed of
himself and his sinful dreams. His fantasies were private, but they often left a
desire that made him burn and tremble, unwilling to taint himself with his own
hands, but unable to think about anything else. And here he just decided to
spread it around. Give to those unfortunate enough not to be able to create
their own false worlds in their minds. Brilliant, he was absolutely brilliant.
His eyes widened, though, as an arm wrapped around his chest from behind, the
color dimming slightly out of his cheeks from his surprise.
"Too bad you had to go and have a tantrum." He felt Blues nuzzle the back of his
neck. "But we can finish it off now, if you want." He kissed lightly at the edge
of Shadow's jaw, allowing his head to loll back against his shoulder as his
other hand drifted lazily across his hips...
~*~*~*~
He set down the whetstone, studying the invisible line of the sword with a
careful eye. The integrity of the blade was still strong, all the superficial
scratches diligently polished and sharpened from the surface, the edge even and
near impossible to see for its sharp thinness. It took a lot of concentration
and pride to maintain a sword so beautifully, and it calmed his agitated mind,
giving him a focal point so everything else faded away, like white noise that
never really went away.
The only problem was, having to deal with the world when he was finished. And it
wouldn't due to sharpen his blade right down to the hilt.
But things had to be dealt with. They had a place and a time, and that time
couldn't be extended, no matter how much one wanted to ignore it. And they never
went away, no matter how hard one wished.
Shadow wouldn't deny, placing the katana delicately back in its sheath, that
there was some sort of odd attraction between Blues and himself. There was no
love, but it was a sort of curiosity and need that they shared. The two had made
an unspoken arrangement as far as physical intimacy was concerned, if they were
aroused, they dealt with it, if they felt playful, they dealt with it. Each
time, he was certain Blues was well aware of it, he was always thinking about
someone else. But the last time... that was the first time they ever had such
variables draw them together like that, and for the first time he had felt
dirty, the lowest of all.
Blues had known about the VR inside of Shadow, and when asked, Shadow gave
passing hinting that he indeed had- commonly referred to by humans -'wet
dreams'. He didn't expect Blues to suggest linking into the system to see and
feel what Shadow did. And Blues didn't really expect Shadow to agree to it so
readily. Perhaps it was because they were both curious, perhaps because they
didn't really think that it would work. Or perhaps because there was a hidden
'kinkiness' deep inside them both. To observe and be observed. Except, in the
final moments, Shadow broke. He knew that such acts were meant to be private and
personal, but he breached the ethic and let an outsider know his deepest
desires. And he couldn't go through with it because in the back of his mind, he
knew that each time he dreamt of Quick, even to be with Quick in the real world,
he would always imagine Blues, sitting somewhere beyond comprehension, watching
them. And he couldn't take it.
Blues, in question, sat on a tree stump. The giant tree had fallen during a
violent storm several months back and he leaned against the broken trunk, laptop
angled on his propped thighs, limber fingers clacking away thoughtlessly on the
compact keyboard. Without looking up, hearing the soothing, rhythmic music of
sharpening stone on sharpened metal had stopped, he said, "Finished?"
"Yes." Came the quiet reply.
"Didn't you say you want to modify your armor."
"Yes."
It wasn't an order, nor was it a hint. Just a suggestion. He knew that Shadow
had something on his mind, and he knew that when the younger robot dwelled on
something that bothered him, even when he wasn't focusing directly on it, his
mood turned sour and generally took it out on Blues. It was such a bother,
really, having to deal with him when he was like that.
Shadow took the Flash Case from his wrist. He reached into the pouch around his
waist and took out a Gerber, methodically pried off the back of the watch-like
device. Tweaking it slightly, his armor materialized before him and he pulled
out a palm computer, hooking it up to the Flash Case.
And yet, even faced with the new 'mission', he had to speak...
"Blues."
"Yes?"
He looked up, cool eyes watching the elder bioroid's unchanging figure. "We need
to stop."
"Do we?"
"Yes."
"Hmph. Pity."
Shadow watched him carefully. He generally knew what Blues understood, knew
exactly what he thought. But... he wasn't sure if Blues really comprehended what
it was he was talking about.
"Blues."
"Che." Shadow saw he was only given half of his attention. "Typical, just damn
typical..."
"That other scientist?"
"Cossack, yeah."
They had talked earlier, Shadow familiar with Blues' history and the basics of
that of doctors Light and Wily. He knew that Blues kept constant tabs on his two
'fathers', but Shadow passingly asked about Dr. Cossack. It made Blues fall
silent for a bit before he turned immediately to his laptop, typing away. He
kept typing, trying to find the elusive third scientist for almost three days,
and apparently he had just found him.
"What is it?"
"He decided to follow in his once-partners' footsteps."
"He's created bioroids."
"Eight of them."
"Eight." It wasn't quite a disbelieving tone, but it demanded to be elaborated
on.
"And they seem like pretty strong, capable and- for the most part -dangerous
lot." He cast an askew glance at Shadow. "And Wily's found out about them..."
Shadow frowned. He didn't care about Blues' personal vendetta, he didn't care
about Rock. But he knew trouble. "And you're going to stop him."
"I have to."
"How? If they're already in his grasp, what could you do to stop him from using
them like the rest of us?"
"I'm not going to." He grinned. "I'll distract him until Light gets Rock
prepared for battle." The grin widened. "But I'll need a little help."
Shadow's violet eyes narrowed. "You know all the changes that've been made to
Skull Fortress' defenses."
"That's not what I need you for."
His frown deepened. He had never gone with Blues on his excursions, nor had he
ever been 'invited' before. But he knew them, they were the subtle gossip around
the fortress that he couldn't help but hear. And now he was going to infiltrate
the place he once called home, the place he once snuck out of. The place where
his one desire stayed.
And Blues was prepared to use that as his trump card. Because no matter how much
Shadow would deny wanting to see Quick again, in reality, he would follow.
Because it was something that was real, and it was something he longed for.
Shadow cursed ever letting Blues see the inside of his mind.
"Tonight," Blues said, "we'll prepare and then set out three hours before dawn.
What I need from you is to stir up some commotion. And you already know who's
the prime person to do that..."
~*~*~*~
He waited in the dark, not quite certain what to do. He had come into Quick's
room, he knew he was awake. Shadow had slid into the darkest corner of the room
and watched as Quick entered later, preparing to sleep. He didn't even know why,
he was feeling something hesitant, almost anxious, a feeling that would increase
tenfold whenever he had to face the older robot. Maybe that's why it was easier
just to snap at him, or ignore him, so he wouldn't have to deal with emotions
roiling silently inside of him. His instinctive responses were top notch and he
hid them better than anyone, but his control over them had a long way to go...
He suddenly found himself in the cage of fiery brown eyes, holding them in their
hopeful gaze rimmed in the waning moon. He wanted to meld back into the shadows
then, erase his existence from that room and let him think that it was just an
illusion. But his instincts forced him to stay, quivering as they waited for the
other to make the next move.
He shook his head discreetly, feeling a wash of déjà vu come over him and
suddenly he could see two worlds in his mind's eye: the real world and the one
created by his fantasies. But this wasn't the time or place for such thoughts.
He knew it had been a rough day from what he had heard through the loose lips of
bored robots, having those new bioroids integrating with the others. And, as he
knew he would, Quick had taken it upon himself to ease everyone's troubles but
his own.
"Shadow..." It was scarce a whisper, swallowed in the darkness and breezing
passed his ears as the name rematerialized in his corner. "You came back." Quick
said, his voice of squelched excitement as his voice broke into a slow smile.
His teeth gleamed white as he straightened on the bed.
He didn't say anything in return, but Quick didn't expect one. Instead, the
silence broke the hidden awkwardness of their reunion and he grinned. "C'mere."
He said, spreading a hand over the foot of the bed. "Sit."
Shadow looked at something other than Quick, or the portion of the bed. He felt
foolish standing there, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, either. His
instincts were warring inside of him, leaving him with nothing to lead him one
way or the other. He still saw his imaginary world playing out inside his head
and he tried not to shiver. He couldn't do this...
Quick sensed his hesitation and nervousness. Slowly, carefully letting the young
bioroid see every movement he made, he stood and walked towards the corner. A
few feet away, he stopped. And held up a hand, offering his palm; as a sign of
good will, friendship, welcoming, as anything, Shadow's mind couldn't decide.
But his own hand came up of its own will, taking Quick's and allowing himself to
be drawn in, in full view under the sparse lighting of the thin slit window
above.
"I missed you." Quick said simply. He still held Shadow's hand in his, but kept
himself just out of the other's personal space, not wanting to frighten or
overwhelm him again. He smiled, something soft and warm, something that- though
he smiled often -rarely found its way on Quick's lips. "I'm glad you came back."
Shadow rarely carried his end of the conversation with anyone and after a while,
they grew used to it, just as Quick didn't expect Shadow to reply even at that
moment. But he wanted to. Shadow desperately wanted to say something, but he
couldn't form what, didn't even know for what purpose he wanted to speak, but
somehow something told him to fill the void.
When he raised his eyes towards Quick, the other seemed to realize this and
asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..."
"What?"
"I'm not returning..." he said slowly. "Not tonight."
Quick looked confused. "But... you're here."
"I'm here," Shadow took a deep breath, "with Blues." He knew that it had to be
said, whatever Quick thought of the statement was not of his concern at the
moment. All that mattered was to keep the Robot Masters in a state of confusion
and distrust. Blues' actions could be enough on their own, especially with the
small glitch-virus he's insert into a regenerator. But once Quick learned of it,
the two shadow slinkers knew he would admit to having met Shadow. And being told
that the two had formed an alliance. And that would cause even more chaos in the
fortress, something that Wily would have to deal with for a long while.
Quick's hand tightened around his. "Will you... ever come back?"
"I don't know."
"One day?"
"Perhaps."
He looked down at Shadow, eyes hurt and emphatic. "Shadow..."
The other just took a step back, hand sliding out of his grip. "I should leave."
"Shadow..." His voice was slightly more urgent.
He seemed to float back into the darkness, engulfing him, his bright violet eyes
the last to darken and fade, holding onto Quick's russet gaze until the end.
"...I love you..." But his hoarse words were just absorbed into the unyielding,
uncaring metal of his room, reflecting an echo off ears too far to hear.
Second: Dodging
by Lady Virgo
"Forget what is known
Black in black
Hold firm to
what is yours"
///
He waited in the dark, not quite certain what to do. He had come into Quick's
room, knowing he was asleep but hoping he would be awake. Or waken. He didn't
even know why, he was feeling something hesitant, almost anxious, a feeling that
would increase tenfold whenever he had to face the older robot. Maybe that's why
it was easier just to snap at him, or ignore him, so he wouldn't have to deal
with emotions roiling silently inside of him. His instinctive responses were top
notch and he hid them better than anyone, but his control over them had a long
way to go...
He suddenly found himself in the cage of fiery brown eyes, holding them in their
hopeful gaze rimmed in the waning moon. He wanted to meld back into the shadows
then, erase his existence from that room and let him think that it was just an
illusion. But his instincts forced him to stay, quivering as they waited for the
other to make the next move.
"Shadow..." It was scarce a whisper, swallowed in the darkness and breezing
passed his ears as the name rematerialized in his corner. "You came back." Quick
said, his voice of squelched excitement as his voice broke into a slow smile.
His teeth gleamed white as he straightened on the bed.
He didn't say anything in return, but Quick didn't expect one. Instead, the
silence broke the hidden awkwardness of their reunion and he grinned. "C'mere."
He said, spreading a hand over the foot of the bed. "Sit."
Shadow looked at something other than Quick, or the portion of the bed. He felt
foolish standing there, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, either. His
instincts were warring inside of him, leaving him with nothing to lead him one
way or the other. Anything could've happened and Shadow wouldn't have known how
he would've reacted, and that thought frightened. But he swallowed back the
panic and just stood, waiting for something to happen.
Quick sensed his hesitation and nervousness. Slowly, carefully letting the young
bioroid see every movement he made, he stood and walked towards the corner. A
few feet away, he stopped. And held up a hand, offering his palm; as a sign of
good will, friendship, welcoming, as anything, Shadow's mind couldn't decide.
But his own hand came up of its own will, taking Quick's and allowing himself to
be drawn in, in full view under the sparse lighting of the thin slit window
above.
"I missed you." Quick said simply. He still held Shadow's hand in his, but kept
himself just out of the other's personal space, not wanting to frighten or
overwhelm him again. He smiled, something soft and warm, something that- though
he smiled often -rarely found its way on Quick's lips. "I'm glad you came back."
Shadow rarely carried his end of the conversation with anyone and after a while,
they grew used to it, just as Quick didn't expect Shadow to reply even at that
moment. But he wanted to. Shadow desperately wanted to say something, but he
couldn't form what, didn't even know for what purpose he wanted to speak, but
somehow something told him to fill the void.
When he raised his eyes towards Quick, the other seemed to realize this and
asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..."
"What?"
Shadow opened his mouth again, but his breath froze in his throat, causing his
chest to quiver with strain into trying to push something through.
"Hey, it's all right." Quick inclined his head slightly towards Shadow,
daringly- but with great caution -he cupped his hand around Shadow's reddening
cheek. He pressed against the palm, as if he wanted it to hide his shame. "It's
okay, don't force it."
He just looked up at Quick and got lost. His voice must've taken his mind with
it as it passed through his ears and settled somewhere, he suddenly couldn't
feel the hand on his cheek as his skin burned. He couldn't make sense of
anything. It didn't actually hurt, but it felt like he was tearing apart inside,
burning as it went. It seemed like he couldn't live on his own, like he was
going to fly apart and it felt thirty times stronger, being with Quick at that
moment than ever before and his instincts screamed at him to do away with the
anomaly destroying at him from inside out and to deal with cause of it all...
It caught Quick by surprise, to have Shadow suddenly surging up at him, pressing
their lips together. He lost his balance and stumbled back. They fell onto the
floor, Shadow sprawled over Quick's lap as the speedster's back slammed against
the box of the bed. Yet still, the younger bioroid rolled up the downed robot's
body, fingers like dull claws, pulling at his clothing without tearing or
stretching. His head stayed next to Quick's, teeth clenched tightly, breathing
harsh as his mind fought to figure out what, exactly, it was he was doing.
It came with a sudden snap to Quick and he pulled his head around, claiming
Shadow's lips, attempting to ease the tension and frustration out of the other.
The strength seemed to drain Shadow and he tranquilly fell into the kissing,
allowing Quick to lengthen it, deepen it...
Quick wrapped an arm around Shadow's waist, his shirt bunched up at the
shoulders from Shadow's fists, shaken as he was distantly still aware that he
was uncertain on his course of action.
They pulled back for a breathless moment, barely an inch between them. Sometime
during the course of the kiss, one of Shadow's hands had snaked shyly behind
Quick's neck and nestled there quietly. It took a moment, but Quick's face broke
into a wide smile and a breathless sort of chuckle. It moved Shadow enough to
reply with a small grin of his own. Quick's free hand moved up, touching
Shadow's cheek with a fingertip, feeling the muscles there twitch slightly.
Then, barely grazing the skin, he let it slide over the pale slope of his cheek
bone and through the dark brush of hair. His fingers followed the cool trace of
Shadow's metallic band near to the crown of the back of his head, then pulled
him back down for another kiss. Shadow shifted himself, allowing him to settle
more comfortably against Quick's concave body. He found enough courage inside to
let an idle hand play with the zipper that dangle at Quick's collar, the slow
zipping sound crackled unevenly as he pulled-
~*~*~*~
Blues frowned in disappointment as he was abruptly cut off, then ducked as one
of the headpieces from the coupling device was suddenly thrown his way. "Just as
it was getting interesting, too. Whoop!" He ducked his torso left as the control
for the coupling device came flying at him, as well.
The thrower, Shadow, pushed himself onto his feet, red faced and seething. Lips
pulled back in a sneer, his eyes had the hint of a glow to them, his anger and
embarrassment the most emotion he had ever shown at any one time.
Slowly, Blues pulled off the headpiece and settled it against one of his knees,
looking passively over the remains of the one that was tossed at him. "What a
waste." He commented with only the hint of a sigh. "That took some finding and
haggling to get at a decent price, you know."
"Shut up." He didn't even know why he agreed to do it in the first place.
Letting Blues see his inner most desires, to create a reality that would never
happen, to remind himself of what it was he carelessly tossed away. What an
idiot.
In his construction, Shadow was built with a VR device designed to be switched
on any time, while he was in suspension or when his system went into safemode-
to preserve and regain power but keep from being sent into a suspended mode. It
was a semi-prototype dreaming system. It took the datum from his processors, his
desires, experiences, emotions and thought process, and wove an elaborate
fantasy that could be randomly designed or personally created. A couple of the
other, older bioroids were fitted with something similar, though none were as
hightech as Shadow's.
Blues wanted to experience it himself, knowing the importance of dreams to
humans but having never experienced it himself. He managed to get a hold of a
coupling device and tweaked it in order to send and receive information without
losing any real time, emotions or information and somehow managed to swindle
Shadow into going along with the idea.
And now, here he was, shaking from self-disgust and restrained need, ashamed of
himself and his sinful dreams. His fantasies were private, but they often left a
desire that made him burn and tremble, unwilling to taint himself with his own
hands, but unable to think about anything else. And here he just decided to
spread it around. Give to those unfortunate enough not to be able to create
their own false worlds in their minds. Brilliant, he was absolutely brilliant.
His eyes widened, though, as an arm wrapped around his chest from behind, the
color dimming slightly out of his cheeks from his surprise.
"Too bad you had to go and have a tantrum." He felt Blues nuzzle the back of his
neck. "But we can finish it off now, if you want." He kissed lightly at the edge
of Shadow's jaw, allowing his head to loll back against his shoulder as his
other hand drifted lazily across his hips...
~*~*~*~
He set down the whetstone, studying the invisible line of the sword with a
careful eye. The integrity of the blade was still strong, all the superficial
scratches diligently polished and sharpened from the surface, the edge even and
near impossible to see for its sharp thinness. It took a lot of concentration
and pride to maintain a sword so beautifully, and it calmed his agitated mind,
giving him a focal point so everything else faded away, like white noise that
never really went away.
The only problem was, having to deal with the world when he was finished. And it
wouldn't due to sharpen his blade right down to the hilt.
But things had to be dealt with. They had a place and a time, and that time
couldn't be extended, no matter how much one wanted to ignore it. And they never
went away, no matter how hard one wished.
Shadow wouldn't deny, placing the katana delicately back in its sheath, that
there was some sort of odd attraction between Blues and himself. There was no
love, but it was a sort of curiosity and need that they shared. The two had made
an unspoken arrangement as far as physical intimacy was concerned, if they were
aroused, they dealt with it, if they felt playful, they dealt with it. Each
time, he was certain Blues was well aware of it, he was always thinking about
someone else. But the last time... that was the first time they ever had such
variables draw them together like that, and for the first time he had felt
dirty, the lowest of all.
Blues had known about the VR inside of Shadow, and when asked, Shadow gave
passing hinting that he indeed had- commonly referred to by humans -'wet
dreams'. He didn't expect Blues to suggest linking into the system to see and
feel what Shadow did. And Blues didn't really expect Shadow to agree to it so
readily. Perhaps it was because they were both curious, perhaps because they
didn't really think that it would work. Or perhaps because there was a hidden
'kinkiness' deep inside them both. To observe and be observed. Except, in the
final moments, Shadow broke. He knew that such acts were meant to be private and
personal, but he breached the ethic and let an outsider know his deepest
desires. And he couldn't go through with it because in the back of his mind, he
knew that each time he dreamt of Quick, even to be with Quick in the real world,
he would always imagine Blues, sitting somewhere beyond comprehension, watching
them. And he couldn't take it.
Blues, in question, sat on a tree stump. The giant tree had fallen during a
violent storm several months back and he leaned against the broken trunk, laptop
angled on his propped thighs, limber fingers clacking away thoughtlessly on the
compact keyboard. Without looking up, hearing the soothing, rhythmic music of
sharpening stone on sharpened metal had stopped, he said, "Finished?"
"Yes." Came the quiet reply.
"Didn't you say you want to modify your armor."
"Yes."
It wasn't an order, nor was it a hint. Just a suggestion. He knew that Shadow
had something on his mind, and he knew that when the younger robot dwelled on
something that bothered him, even when he wasn't focusing directly on it, his
mood turned sour and generally took it out on Blues. It was such a bother,
really, having to deal with him when he was like that.
Shadow took the Flash Case from his wrist. He reached into the pouch around his
waist and took out a Gerber, methodically pried off the back of the watch-like
device. Tweaking it slightly, his armor materialized before him and he pulled
out a palm computer, hooking it up to the Flash Case.
And yet, even faced with the new 'mission', he had to speak...
"Blues."
"Yes?"
He looked up, cool eyes watching the elder bioroid's unchanging figure. "We need
to stop."
"Do we?"
"Yes."
"Hmph. Pity."
Shadow watched him carefully. He generally knew what Blues understood, knew
exactly what he thought. But... he wasn't sure if Blues really comprehended what
it was he was talking about.
"Blues."
"Che." Shadow saw he was only given half of his attention. "Typical, just damn
typical..."
"That other scientist?"
"Cossack, yeah."
They had talked earlier, Shadow familiar with Blues' history and the basics of
that of doctors Light and Wily. He knew that Blues kept constant tabs on his two
'fathers', but Shadow passingly asked about Dr. Cossack. It made Blues fall
silent for a bit before he turned immediately to his laptop, typing away. He
kept typing, trying to find the elusive third scientist for almost three days,
and apparently he had just found him.
"What is it?"
"He decided to follow in his once-partners' footsteps."
"He's created bioroids."
"Eight of them."
"Eight." It wasn't quite a disbelieving tone, but it demanded to be elaborated
on.
"And they seem like pretty strong, capable and- for the most part -dangerous
lot." He cast an askew glance at Shadow. "And Wily's found out about them..."
Shadow frowned. He didn't care about Blues' personal vendetta, he didn't care
about Rock. But he knew trouble. "And you're going to stop him."
"I have to."
"How? If they're already in his grasp, what could you do to stop him from using
them like the rest of us?"
"I'm not going to." He grinned. "I'll distract him until Light gets Rock
prepared for battle." The grin widened. "But I'll need a little help."
Shadow's violet eyes narrowed. "You know all the changes that've been made to
Skull Fortress' defenses."
"That's not what I need you for."
His frown deepened. He had never gone with Blues on his excursions, nor had he
ever been 'invited' before. But he knew them, they were the subtle gossip around
the fortress that he couldn't help but hear. And now he was going to infiltrate
the place he once called home, the place he once snuck out of. The place where
his one desire stayed.
And Blues was prepared to use that as his trump card. Because no matter how much
Shadow would deny wanting to see Quick again, in reality, he would follow.
Because it was something that was real, and it was something he longed for.
Shadow cursed ever letting Blues see the inside of his mind.
"Tonight," Blues said, "we'll prepare and then set out three hours before dawn.
What I need from you is to stir up some commotion. And you already know who's
the prime person to do that..."
~*~*~*~
He waited in the dark, not quite certain what to do. He had come into Quick's
room, he knew he was awake. Shadow had slid into the darkest corner of the room
and watched as Quick entered later, preparing to sleep. He didn't even know why,
he was feeling something hesitant, almost anxious, a feeling that would increase
tenfold whenever he had to face the older robot. Maybe that's why it was easier
just to snap at him, or ignore him, so he wouldn't have to deal with emotions
roiling silently inside of him. His instinctive responses were top notch and he
hid them better than anyone, but his control over them had a long way to go...
He suddenly found himself in the cage of fiery brown eyes, holding them in their
hopeful gaze rimmed in the waning moon. He wanted to meld back into the shadows
then, erase his existence from that room and let him think that it was just an
illusion. But his instincts forced him to stay, quivering as they waited for the
other to make the next move.
He shook his head discreetly, feeling a wash of déjà vu come over him and
suddenly he could see two worlds in his mind's eye: the real world and the one
created by his fantasies. But this wasn't the time or place for such thoughts.
He knew it had been a rough day from what he had heard through the loose lips of
bored robots, having those new bioroids integrating with the others. And, as he
knew he would, Quick had taken it upon himself to ease everyone's troubles but
his own.
"Shadow..." It was scarce a whisper, swallowed in the darkness and breezing
passed his ears as the name rematerialized in his corner. "You came back." Quick
said, his voice of squelched excitement as his voice broke into a slow smile.
His teeth gleamed white as he straightened on the bed.
He didn't say anything in return, but Quick didn't expect one. Instead, the
silence broke the hidden awkwardness of their reunion and he grinned. "C'mere."
He said, spreading a hand over the foot of the bed. "Sit."
Shadow looked at something other than Quick, or the portion of the bed. He felt
foolish standing there, but he couldn't bring himself to leave, either. His
instincts were warring inside of him, leaving him with nothing to lead him one
way or the other. He still saw his imaginary world playing out inside his head
and he tried not to shiver. He couldn't do this...
Quick sensed his hesitation and nervousness. Slowly, carefully letting the young
bioroid see every movement he made, he stood and walked towards the corner. A
few feet away, he stopped. And held up a hand, offering his palm; as a sign of
good will, friendship, welcoming, as anything, Shadow's mind couldn't decide.
But his own hand came up of its own will, taking Quick's and allowing himself to
be drawn in, in full view under the sparse lighting of the thin slit window
above.
"I missed you." Quick said simply. He still held Shadow's hand in his, but kept
himself just out of the other's personal space, not wanting to frighten or
overwhelm him again. He smiled, something soft and warm, something that- though
he smiled often -rarely found its way on Quick's lips. "I'm glad you came back."
Shadow rarely carried his end of the conversation with anyone and after a while,
they grew used to it, just as Quick didn't expect Shadow to reply even at that
moment. But he wanted to. Shadow desperately wanted to say something, but he
couldn't form what, didn't even know for what purpose he wanted to speak, but
somehow something told him to fill the void.
When he raised his eyes towards Quick, the other seemed to realize this and
asked, "What's wrong?"
"I..."
"What?"
"I'm not returning..." he said slowly. "Not tonight."
Quick looked confused. "But... you're here."
"I'm here," Shadow took a deep breath, "with Blues." He knew that it had to be
said, whatever Quick thought of the statement was not of his concern at the
moment. All that mattered was to keep the Robot Masters in a state of confusion
and distrust. Blues' actions could be enough on their own, especially with the
small glitch-virus he's insert into a regenerator. But once Quick learned of it,
the two shadow slinkers knew he would admit to having met Shadow. And being told
that the two had formed an alliance. And that would cause even more chaos in the
fortress, something that Wily would have to deal with for a long while.
Quick's hand tightened around his. "Will you... ever come back?"
"I don't know."
"One day?"
"Perhaps."
He looked down at Shadow, eyes hurt and emphatic. "Shadow..."
The other just took a step back, hand sliding out of his grip. "I should leave."
"Shadow..." His voice was slightly more urgent.
He seemed to float back into the darkness, engulfing him, his bright violet eyes
the last to darken and fade, holding onto Quick's russet gaze until the end.
"...I love you..." But his hoarse words were just absorbed into the unyielding,
uncaring metal of his room, reflecting an echo off ears too far to hear.