This is a fanfiction, and as such, most of the characters in the story are not mine. Most characters are © Sega, and are not used with permission.

Chapter 1: Exposé

Summer was a beautiful time of year, and this was the first truly beautiful summer day that was seen in the Great Forest in many years. Robotnik had fallen almost a year ago, and since then, the people of Mobotropolis have been busy rebuilding their old home; and that made today even lovelier.

The beaches around Mobotropolis were officially opened after being declared completely free of any remaining toxins from Robotnik's rule, and with the sun shining bright with only a few clouds in the sky; it was time for some fun in the sun.

The opening of the beaches was a pretty big event, and everyone reveled in it as such events were very sparse over the last decade.

Sally oversaw the ribbon cutting ceremony. A large pink band was tied between two large posts at one of the entrances; and with the customary oversized scissors, she cut the stripe to officially open the sandy rest area.

* * *

It certainly didn't take very long for the beach to get fairly full; it wasn't crowded, there weren't enough people in Mobius to fully pack it in, but it would still have been difficult to find a few square feet to set your towel down.

All up and down the stretch were waves of people wearing all kinds of swimming costumes; an odd sight when you consider that about half of them didn't wear clothes normally.

Sally had taken a nice plot and was teaching Comet the finer points of sand castle building, but the wee one was more interested in showing his mother the gratitude of demolition. In stark contrast to her blue vest, Sally wore a conservative one-piece suit of lavender; while Comet who was not even a year old yet was still wearing a diaper.

Some distance away, Tails, Amy and several other of the younger crowd had annexed enough space to set up a volleyball court. Tails was also overdressed in a pair of green trunks. Amy stood out like a sore thumb, wearing an orange sundress that was similar to her normal clothes.

Some distance away in the other direction; Shadow and Rouge had reserved a decent sized plot, and planted their beach towels, picnic basket, and a large parasol. Shadow wore a pair of trunks similar to Tails', but colored blood red. Rouge was wearing one of the most unique outfits ever seen in Mobius; although it covered as much area as Sally's, it was a mix of opaque fabric and transparent mesh, making it look as if someone had simply glued various pieces of fabric on all the right places that would not stay in place otherwise. The pair decided to simply lay out and feel the rays.

"A little odd seeing you totally inert."

"Funny. I can't wait to see your tan lines, you look like something out of an anime."

"What? Some trashy hentai crap?"

"No, just the usual alien babe with scraps of clothing that defy all the laws of physics."

"Listen here, I don't take fashion advice from a guy who races around in nothing but sneakers."

Rouge pulled out a pair of sunglasses similar to a pair Shadow was already wearing, then laid down with her arms at her sides; whereas Shadow has folded his behind his head.

"You haven't seen Bunnie yet, have you?"

Shadow turned his head to quickly look around. "Not yet. I hope she shows up soon, it'd be a shame to miss this; besides, she said she'd bring the cooler with the drinks and ice cream bars."

* * *

It was almost half an hour later when a few last stragglers came to the gate, amongst them was a rabbit in a white robe and a yellow sunhat, in her left hand was a small box with a blue lid and handle.

Bunnie really didn't know what to make of the scene, she couldn't recall ever being to a beach before; for the last few years she spent most of her time tending fields, and the nearest ocean side land was well in Robotnik's territory and definitely not safe for any living being.

She walked out into the grainy terrain, and the first thing that struck her was the feel of the sand between her toes; it wasn't like rock, more like very dry dirt that was ground into a powdery substance. As she walked, searching for Shadow and Rouge, the sand was getting into her fur; but it didn't feel sticky or dirty, just getting caught in her fur.

Bunnie looked out at the bright blue water. She remembered so long ago, learning how to swim, but it was so long ago, and she wondered if she could pick it up again. The water seemed totally clean and inviting, but most people stayed on the beach or in the shallow water; it would seem that most people weren't too confident in their skill either.

After searching for another minute, she soon found Shadow's place and carefully weeded through the other patrons to the spot.

* * *

Rouge looked over to see Bunnie coming up on the other side of Shadow.

"We were worried about you, almost thought you weren't coming."

Bunnie jittered a bit. "Just had tah get some last things ready."

"We saved you a spot." Shadow moved the picnic basket back to reveal a space big enough for one next to him.

Bunnie laid the cooler next to the basket and set the last towel on the semi-solid surface. As soon as her hand was off the plastic handle, Shadow reached for the cooler and pulled out an ice cream bar.

"Want anything?"

Rouge glanced over. "Ginger ale."

Shadow pulled out a metal cylinder painted a dark green, and handed it to Rouge.

Bunnie knelt down on the towel, patting down any lumps before toying with the straps on her robe.

"You gonna wear that all day?"

Bunnie looked at Shadow who was eying her hesitation.

Rouge took a sip from her soda before making her own comment. "You said you bought a new suit yesterday, so lets see it."

"It's just a little something Ah threw on."

Slowly, she undid the knot and slid the front of the robe to her sides, then down her arms to the ground.

Shadow whistled. "'Little' is right."

Bunnie stood, wearing the bear minimum of fabric that would dare call itself a swimsuit. Made of a golden brown colored fabric; the top consisted of two palm sized triangles centered on each breast, connected by small cords running around her torso and up behind her neck. The bottom half wasn't any bigger, one slightly larger sliver of fabric reached between her legs from the front, and disappeared into a slender cord that was hidden between her cheeks; and emerged just under her tail to reach around both sides to hold the main piece in place.

Rouge giggled at the absurdly revealing outfit. "Nice; you'll definitely catch the eyes of the boys, in that outfit."

Shadow swallowed a bite of his frozen snack. "You should be more careful of the boys who want you out of that suit."

"Yah don't like it?"

"Are you kidding? You look hot in that."

Rouge agreed with the "hot" part, though she still thought the suit was overly risqué. "Very, of course I wouldn't wear anything like that mind you; a bit too brash for my tastes. You should have come with me last week, I saw something that would have been ravishing on you."

"Ah thought something like this would've been right up your alley."

"Hardly; if I was going to wearing something that skimpy, I'd go in nothing at all."

Bunnie was peeved that the normally seductive Rouge was coming just shy of calling her a slut.

Rouge returned to her sunbathing, while Shadow finished off his ice cream.

"So, you going out for a swim, or just rest up? Or are you going out on the prowl?"

"Ah don't know, it's been a long time since Ah've been out swimming; maybe Ah'll just stay on dry land."

"I think they're doing swimming lessons down the beach later. But if you're staying on dry land, I'd avoid the volleyball games; in that outfit you'll likely get more bounce than the ball."

Shadow chuckled, and Bunnie joined in. She softly spoke to her self. "Ah wouldn't mind trying that."

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Ah'll just stay here."

Bunnie laid on her back and snuggled into the towel, pushing an impression into the sand underneath, a little disappointed that she didn't get a bigger reaction from Shadow.

* * *

A few minutes later, a small clock that Rouge had brought went off.

Bunnie looked over to see Rouge getting up. "What's that?"

"Time to flip."

"Huh?"

"If you lie on one side for too long you can get a sunburn at the worst, or at least a real uneven tan."

"Ah know about sun burns, it can happen when working out in the field too long."

"Right, but if you want an even tan, flip onto your front." Rouge looked down at Shadow. "And what about you?"

"I have thick black fur, how am I gonna get a sunburn?"

"Suit yourself."

Shadow paused for a minute, then flipped over anyway.

"You were saying?"

"It was getting uncomfortable on my spikes."

"Whatever." Rouge looked over Shadow's spiny head. "Hey Bunnie, you gonna take your top off?"

"Am Ah what?!"

"Your top, are you going to untie the straps; otherwise you're going to have tan lines crossing your back and neck."

Rouge climbed over and tugged at the knots to release the straps around Bunnie's back and neck.

"What now, Yah gonna take mah bottom off too?"

"Don't be silly. Just remember to tie those back before you get up."

Rouge walked in front of Shadow to return to her spot, and noticed him munching on another ice cream bar.

"Another one, how many of those have you eaten?"

"This is the 2nd, honest."

"You had better save us some."

"Bunnie brought the whole box."

"That doesn't mean we eat the whole box."

Rouge finished her walk to her towel, then turned and leaned down to talk right into Shadow ear.

"I was talking with Sally the other day, and she said Sonic had quite the voracious appetite."

Shadow finished the mouthful of ice cream before turning his head towards Rouge.

"Your point is?"

"Nothing, I just thought you'd like to know."

* * *

The bright day continued on.

The sky was a gorgeous cyan with puffy white clouds that seemed to glow with the light of the sun.

Spotting the clean canvas were small black specks that lofted high, the shadows cast by a flock of birds passing well overhead.

They were totally ignorant of the crowds beneath them, and of the huge orb whose shadow dwarfed theirs. A large sphere, casting a circular phantom over the golden sand and the entourage enjoying it. With time, the shadow grew larger and stronger, locking in on something that would dare to be even darker than it, hoping to trounce it and demonstrate superiority.

POP!

Shadow jumped from his towel at the shot. Bunnie and Rouge were equally startled by the burst, as was anyone nearby.

"What the Hell?"

"Our ball."

Tails, Amy and group of other kids ran up to Shadow, following their rogue beach ball. Shadow reached behind him and pulled the tattered plastic hanging from his spines.

"Sorry about that."

Rouge brushed her hand down Shadow's back. You ever think about getting those trimmed?"

"Blasphemy."

Tails, and some of the children started to giggle and snicker a bit. Shadow wondered what was so funny, especially after they lost their ball, then he looked over.

"Hey Bunnie, speaking of things round and bouncy, I think you lost something."

Bunnie looked around, then looked down to see that in the spur of the moment, she forgot her top.

"What are you… Ack! Rouge!"

Shadow and Rouge couldn't help but catching a giggle at Bunnie's expense as well.

"Hey Bunnie, your fur doesn't cover those brown spots."

Although her fur was a bit thin, her arms were plenty thick to cover her freed chest.

Shadow, being his normally blunt self, corrected Tails' quirky comment. "Those are nipples; everyone has them, though girls prefer to keep them covered. Some weird sensitivity thing."

"You can't see Sally's. Hey Amy, does your fur cover your nipples."

Amy was not amused by the intrusive comment. "You total pervert!"

Out of nowhere, Amy pulled her Pico Pico Hammer, and gave Tails one good smash to his face.

Back to Bunnie, the rabbit was trying to reach down to her towel while holding her right arm over her chest. Rouge helped out by taking her top.

"Give me that!"

"Calm down, don't draw attention to yourself."

Rouge circled around Bunnie and tied the top strap around her neck, then draped the front over her chest.

Bunnie gave anyone close enough another look when she released her breasts to align the top of her suit as Rouge tied the back.

"Yah total bitch, this is your fault."

"It was an accident. I'll make it up to you, I'll pull my suit down."

Shadow coughed to grab their attention. "Excuse me, but there are still young eyes around here."

"Oh don't be so prudish, it'll be an educational experience, a lesson in biology."

"If they want biology, let 'em play 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours'." Shadow turned and shooed away the audience. "Alright, off with ya."

The children left the scene with the tattered remains of their ball, still giggling over their first experience with soft-core porn.

"Bunnie, are you alright?"

Bunnie shrugged Rouge away. "Don't touch me! Ah've never been so humiliated."

"Don't be so serious."

"Ah'm going home."

Bunnie pulled on her robe and hat and stormed away.

Rouge looked over to Shadow. "Sensitive little thing, isn't she?"

Shadow nodded in agreement, his mouth stuffed with another ice cream bar.

"Stop eating those!"

To be continued