HELLO MY FAITHFUL READERS!

Did you miss me? Well here I am with another chapter looking into the crazy lives of our favorite Team Dark! In this chapter some questions will be answered while new ones will be brought up.

BIG THANKS to my beta, Laineybug04 without whom there would be no chapter today. Check out her stories too because she is an amazing writer (she writes shadamy too)

Another huge thanks to three friends of mine who always remind me and encourage me to write: Mysuperlaserpiss (she did the coverart too), Another-Sonic-blog, and Palmtree. You guys are my largest support when it comes to my writing and without you guys there wouldn't be a story.

Thank you to all you reviewers! I've had such a large amount of reviews this time that to type them all out would take longer and I'm sure you all want to get to the story. Just know I read every single one of the reviews and you guys are the final piece as to why I still write this story in my crazy life. I will do my best to catch up with responding, I think I responded to a little over half, so if you haven't received a response you should be getting one in the next couple days.

GUEST REVIEW RESPONSES:

Guest #1: Wait no longer my friend! I hope you enjoy ad that I get to hear more from you!

Serenity: Thank you for all he high compliments! Your review put a smile on my face and I look forward to hearing more form you!

Opal: I'm glad you like how I am writing Amy! Some people don't like it so it makes me happy to hear you do!Loved the chef's kiss cuz I totally imagined it when I read it XD Thanks for reviewing and I hope to hear from you again soon!

Avery: Good to see you again! And yes! Amy has no pity, she means every word she says :)

Bd29: Good to meet you! And thank for taking the time to review! Thank you for noticing the character development, I hope you are enjoying the story thus far. I also like the poison green apple description.

Guest #2: Thank you for the review! I hope to hear more from you soon!

Guest #3: I think... I'll post now LOL

Yeet: Can I just say that your reviews in particular make me want to jump in joy and broadcast them to the world. I'm so happy you love Omega! None of him in this chapter, but he will be playing a big part soon (as in the next chapter) You observations about the Rouge/Snow Dynamic are spot on! They will get a chance to work some things out, I think they could be good friends if they gave each other a chance lol. Rouge definitely has some authority issues, and Snow is a strong leader so it causes some problems. As for her and Shadow, you are absolutely right. They have a very strained friendship because both of them never reveal much about themselves nor allow themselves to be vulnerable to each other. But despite this, they both have a deep attachment to each other, which is why they work well as a team... when it counts lol

I also loved the fight scene and it was so fun to show that Amy can hold her own against the ultimate life form! As for Amy's thoughts, I don't think i will dive into it in the story so here's a little peek into her mind. She simply wants to have _ and to do that she is choosing to show respect so that hopefully she can _ and then _. ;)

Thanks again for the review and I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter.

Alexis: It is so good to meet you! You honor me with your words, and I feel so uplifted by them! I am so glad that I am able to write the characters and scenes well, and that you are enjoying the story so much. Spot on observation about Shadow and Amy! You are a very astute reader! I hope to hear from you again Alexis!

Anita: Thanks for the review! And here's the new chapter I hope you enjoy it!

Thanks everyone for everything and I can't wait to hear all of your thoughts!

Happy reading!

NothingFancy

EPISODE 10: Interlude and Explanations

Team Dark's Living Quarters

~ September 15, 00:04~

The night air was cool to his skin, and the small tingling of his fur standing up against it was a welcome distraction from his thoughts. The sky above was filled with galaxies and sparkling stars, and he allowed his mind to drift to the only happy memories he had. A blonde human girl giggling and laughing, running down dark metal halls. Her face was clear as day, pale skin that was missing the rosy pink of health, clear blue eyes that seemed to always be on the verge of bursting into tears, and frail lips that always curled into smiles when she saw him.

Shadow felt a tug in his chest, and instead of ignoring it, he allowed it to sweep over him. When he was alone, and he thought of her, it was the only time he allowed himself to feel these gut wrenching emotions. Sadness, regret, loneliness and the worst of them; love. Under any other circumstance, these were not feelings he allowed to occupy his time, it was a waste and more often than not, would distract him from what needed to be done. He sat up, and grabbed a can that sat beside him, pulling on it until it snapped free from the four other cans that still hung onto plastic rings. He flicked the tab of the can, the foaming sizzling of carbonation tickled his nose as he brought the beer up to his tongue.

Dozens of cans already littered the roof of the house, and the label on the silver metal sported a red chaos emerald with lettering spelling out 'Hopping Emerald.' It was the worst and cheapest brand of hops beer available, but it was the only type he could taste. He always found dark humor in the fact that his sense of taste was dull while his other senses were heightened to a painful degree. Not for the first time he cursed the scientists that pieced him together. It was as though they had intended for him to not feel any pleasure in his life. Although he supposed that was entirely possible. He was created for the sole purpose of destruction after all.

He balled his fist and crumpled the can in his hand before reaching for another one.

"Want to break one of those off for me, hot stuff?"

His head snapped up to see Rouge fluttering her wings and landing on her tip-toes onto the roof in front of him. She was giving him a sleazy smile and her ears flicked back and forth as she studied his face. Shadow scoffed and threw a can at her with more speed then was needed. She caught it easily and sat down next to him.

"Bat, what did I say about calling me those pet names you use on all your boy toys?"

Rouge chuckled at his irritated tone, and popped open her can as she leaned back. She was in her house clothes, sweats and a v-neck top. Shadow couldn't help but notice the fluffy pink slippers she wore. On anyone else, they'd look entirely innocent. On her, they looked like some unfortunate small animals that she had skinned and turned into shoes. Wouldn't be surprised to find out that's the truth, Shadow smirked at the thought. She took a long sip from her can, and screwed her face up in disgust at the bitter piss taste.

"How can you stomach these? They're absolutely vile."

Shadow narrowed his eyes and took the can from her with a quick grab.

"If you don't like it, why did you ask for one? And you still haven't answered my question."

Rouge smiled and batted her eyes innocently, "Aw, come on Shady, why do you always have to be so uptight?" Then her smile turned to a smirk as he inhaled sharply at her words.

"You make it too easy to tease you, that's why I do it. It's fun to get under your skin."

"Ha!" He exclaimed, and gulped down her unfinished can. She watched him silently, and when he was finished, she broke off two more, handing one to him and keeping the other for herself. Shadow looked at the can in her hand and debated taking it from her too, but decided it wasn't worth the effort. They sat there for a while in silence, staring up at the sky and drinking from cans of cheap alcohol. It was times like these that Shadow almost didn't mind her presence, and it was almost relax -

"So, are you going to tell me why you're so insanely angry at Amy, or are you going to continue to pout like a child?"

He growled. I take that back, there is never a time this female would just leave me alone. He had barely managed to calm his rage from yesterday with the quiet and beer, but now it was all dredged up once more. He grumbled and pulled a can from a new six pack that sat on the pile behind him.

"I don't have to explain anything to you."

Rouge scoffed at Shadow's obstinate response. Technically he did, and if she pressed she knew he would. Still, that wouldn't stop him from testing the reigns, especially when she wasn't looking. Normally she was all for malicious compliance - it certainly kept her on her toes and made the day to day drudgery of their jobs more tolerable. But after his stupid display at his little grudge match it was made clear to her that Chief Snow was not in the mood to deal with any more of Shadow's… excentricities; especially while it concerned their new team mate.

Considering the information I got from Snow… the sooner he gets with the program the better. As much as I love a slow-burn, delicate touch… I'm going to have to be much more blunt about this than usual.

"Look, Amy is not going anywhere. It's been made painfully clear to me by Snow that if something like this happens again, it will be your ass on the line..." She paused as she reached the next part, the words solidifying in her throat like fat in a pipe.

"She's put you on a performance probation, Shadow. I don't think I can protect you this time…"

Shadow stared straight ahead as she spoke, his ruby eyes blank, and his mouth in a hard line. This was not unexpected, and Rouge knew that although it seemed like he was not listening to her, he was in fact hyper focused on her words. She also knew how important his job and position at G.U.N. was to him, which was why it was so odd to Rouge in the first place that he would be reacting to Amy so strongly. With no other plan, she decided to prod it for a second time.

"You're hot headed, but you aren't dumb. I also know that you tend to keep your emotions in check to an annoying degree. So please, help me understand why Amy has gotten you so riled up? This isn't like you."

Her tone was soft now, and she could see his stiffened shoulders relax ever so slightly. Good, she was making progress. His jaw was still clamped, and his leg started to shake despite him sitting on the roof.

"Honestly, I don't entirely know the reason… and the fact that I don't know is just making it worse." He finally admitted, his teeth grinding in protest.

Shadow hated having to tell her anything about his feelings, but he would be lying if the news of his probation hadn't thrown him into a state of panic. And, well, the list of people he could trust was short, and unfortunately Rouge was on the top. He didn't know about Snow, but he did know for sure that there were other higher ups crouching in the shadows around him, just waiting for any golden opportunity to throw him into a cell. Not to mention the Mobian scientists that practically salivated at the thought of being able to experiment on him, and dissect him to figure out how he ticked. He had heard their whispers, and secret desires, and it was one of the few things that could make his skin crawl… he would do anything to stay away from those tubes, and needles, and -

"I don't even care to know," he growled, his fist crushing a can.

Rouge held her breath, she could tell that he was going to clam up soon. She could see that familiar hardened expression spreading from his eyes to his clenched jaw. It was the expression he made when things got too sensitive and deep.

"You better figure it out soon… your little rivalry with Chief's Pet Amy is painting you in a bad light."

A low, deep growl emitted from him, and like a drowning victim he latched onto his anger towards her. It was an escape from the cold prison of memory that had begun to close around his mind.

"See that's my fucking problem with her right there. She's putting on this 'perfect' act, and making me look incompetent and weak. I was the one that beat her in the fight. There shouldn't be any question of my worth as an agent versus hers. Yet I'm the one being put on probation?"

Shadow was seething, but she'd gotten what she wanted, information on his true feelings. Rouge sighed, and shut her eyes. Her mind battled with the temptation to share everything she'd discussed with Snow. But she knew it would do more harm than good.

"Shadow, I am not going to sit here and tell you to be best friends with the girl."

Shadow scoffed at 'friend,' and took a very dramatic swig from his can. She felt a little bit of dark pleasure at seeing his display. He was nothing if not entertaining.

"But I am asking you, as your oldest partner - and ordering you as team leader - that you stop acting like a spoiled child and get back to being the aloof grump I know and love. Instead of this angry furball just waiting to blow at any second."

His ruby eyes slowly moved in his sockets until he stared at Rouge with a calculating gaze. She knew he was thinking about possible ways to throw her off this building and make it look like an accident. But she also knew he wasn't about to directly disobey an order from his direct commanding agent.

"Rouge, I can't make any promises. But I will take what you said into consideration."

Rouge smiled warmly at him, and he looked away from her, his ears flicking in what she knew was discomfort at her affection. One of these days he would stop pushing people away, and she looked forward to when they would be able to call their relationship for what it was. Friendship.

"That's all I can ask for." She replied, her smile unwavering. She stood, and gulped down the rest of her beer before tossing it next to the other empty cans.

"Make sure you clean all this up."

Shadow grunted in acknowledgement but kept his head angled away from her. She shook her head in good humor, and then walked to the edge of the roof. Her wings snapped open, and she felt the cool night breeze whisper things of the sky on her thin skin. She closed her eyes and drank in the feeling, it was almost as good as holding a priceless gem.

She turned her head to look at Shadow from over her shoulder, and gave him a wink, "I know you'll hate hearing this, but it needs to be said. Good job today, I really enjoyed watching you fight. Congrats on the win."

Shadow's head turned to look at her, but she was no longer facing him. She put a foot out, and leaned forward until she dropped from view. A few seconds later she burst up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. He took a sip from his can, trying to ignore the soft burn that had seeped onto his face at her compliment.

Ruby's Lounge

~ September 15, 01:56 ~

Ruby's wasn't Rouge's first choice for a bar, but with the day and night she was having, it was the best choice. The lounge was in the lobby of the fanciest hotels in Station Square, and had such a good reputation for its food and alcohol, that even the locals would rave about it and frequent the plush booths. The walls were like cream cheese frosting, and the lights were dimmed just enough to leave it's patrons relaxed without forcing them to stumble around in the dark. The booths and stools were all padded with high quality, dark brown leather, and each table had crystal centerpieces with candles. A stage with velvet red curtains and metal microphone was occupied by a lark singing mellow melodies to the slow beat of a band behind her.

Rouge sat at the bar, her pajamas and bunny slippers were hardly looked at twice by the small population of people in the lounge. She appeared to be a guest with trouble sleeping who'd come to the hotel's bar for a nightcap. She swirled the honey colored hard liquor in a thick crystal glass and allowed herself to shed some of her mental walls. No one here knew her, and the anonymity allowed her to percolate on the day's - or rather yesterday's - events.

She had been reluctantly impressed by the skill and endurance of Amy, and she could now admit that G.U.N. had been smart to recruit her. Despite this she still couldn't reconcile that the girl had been placed on her team. Even after having the one-on-one with Snow after the fight she still had many unanswered questions. She took a sip, enjoying the warm burn that flowed down her throat and her stomach. Her head lowered into her crossed arms on the bar and as she stared into an empty glass, she went through the conversation with a fine toothed comb.

"Here."

The curt word was almost overlapped with the thump of a light grey folder dropping in front of Rouge. The bat looked up from her lap to the Chief's cold gaze. She was not feeling her usual confident self after the tongue lashing she had just received and the dreadful news of Shadow's punishment. She had fully expected the cat to kick her out of her office, but Irina continued to stare at her until she carefully picked up the folder and opened it. It was the personnel file on Field Agent Amy Rose.

The first thing that struck her was the profile picture taken on what looked like orientation day of the academy. Amy was much younger in the photo, almost to a shocking degree. Rouge realized that the current Amy had hard lines etched in her face, even when she smiled. The Amy in the photo had shorter quills, and stood against a white wall in a new and crisp uniform. Her eyes were creased from the large and brilliant smile on her face. She looked like the girl Rouge remembered.

Her seafoam eyes lingered on the image for just a little longer, before her gaze moved to the profile information.

Name: Amy Rose

Birthdate: September 26, 20XX Age: 20

Species: Hedgehog Gender: Female

Known Family: None

Known Affiliations: Sonic the Hedgehog, Cream the Rabbit, Tails Miles Prower...

All of this information was known to Rouge, so she stopped reading and flipped the page. The next detailed out her accomplishments, her abilities, and her weaknesses. She was well versed in all hand combat and melee weapons. However, she fell short with her marksmanship and technical skills. She had amazing stealth thanks to her invisibility, which was noted that it only developed in her second year at the academy. This was all information that Rouge eagerly read, and made mental notes of. Once she was finished she closed the file and set it back onto the table.

"Why did you stop? You weren't done yet."

Rouge cocked her head, and gave the Chief a confused look. "Isn't the rest just records of her degrees and licenses she received through the cadet program?" Rouge scoffed, and sat back in her chair. Her earlier reservations were now disappearing and she once again found the fire to push back against Snow's ridiculous requests.

"Why would I need to read the perfect student's report card? You already said she excelled at every class so why -"

"It's not all degrees. There's also information on disciplinary actions she was involved in," The Chief replied coolly. Rouge's ear flicked back and forth in morbid interest. Amy was involved in disciplinary actions? Now that would be a good read.

She quickly picked up the folder and flipped the pages towards the back, her mouth practically drooling at the thought of finally having dirt on the perfect, holier than thou Amy Rose.

Complaint Report

Complainant: Amy Rose

Name of Recipient/Dictator of Document: Sergeant Willis the Dog

Date: September 28, 20XX Date of Incident: September 28, 20XX

Names of Involved: Sr. Cadet Pandora the Jackal, Sr. Cadet Moon the Cat, Cadet Crystal A. Feather

Incident: Cadet Rose was pushed against lockers and mocked.

Notes: Explained to Cadet Rose that this is to be expected with new recruits, a little hazing is common practice. Confirmed that if it were to continue to report this to me.

Rouge stared at the paper, her eyes lingering on the word 'hazing.' Did people really still do something so uncivilized as hazing? She flipped to the next page. Another incident was reported with the same lack of detail, and the conclusion being harmless hazing. The next was the same and so on. Until there was actually a Warning Report filed which stated that if Amy did not fix the problem and continued to cause strife amongst other cadets, that she would be written up and have a permanent tarnish on her record for insubordination.

Then the name of the complainant changed from Amy to Pandora the Jackal. Accusations of Amy sabotaging her team, or not following orders of her senior cadets. Most were filed in her first year as a cadet, with only a couple in her second year. Sometimes the names of those involved would change, but the one consistent was Pandora the Jackal.

"What is this?" It was rare that Rouge would be shocked by information she was told. And even rarer for her to feel a shudder of disgust towards someone she had never met before.

The Chief sighed, and her hands folded in front of her.

"A gross failing of the cadet honor code."

Rouge looked up, and she could see that familiar sadness from earlier just barely shining through the Chief's eyes.

"Agent Rose was systematically and cruelly targeted by her senior cadet Pandora the Jackal and her followers." Irina's voice was soft now, and her whiskers fluttered as her mouth moved,

"Unfortunately, I do not have all the details nor the evidence to take action against those involved. Mainly due to the fact that Agent Rose refuses to rat out her abusers. Whether it is some way to protect herself or some twisted ideal of loyalty to her seniors that was forced upon her, I do not know. However, this was what convinced me it had gotten to a very extreme level of harassment."

The Chief turned to her computer monitor, clicked and typed a few things, and then angled the monitor for Rouge to see.

The screen was black for a moment, and then a blurry image came into focus. It was Amy, sitting on a metal chair in what looked like a locker room. It was hard to see, but Rouge could make out white zip ties pinning her ankles and wrists to the arm rest and chair legs. She was wearing tattered clothing, and her body was bruised badly. Rouge noted that the injuries were isolated to the inner parts of her arms and legs and her stomach. Areas that could easily be covered with clothing. They could only see it in the video because of the state her current clothes were in.

"Please…" Amy's voice crackled into the mike. The camera bobbed up and down slightly as whoever was recording laughed silently.

"I don't want to read it. I won't." She was looking directly in the camera now, her eyes sharp, and her body stiff as she tried to remain strong. There was a click and suddenly little sparks of electricity danced in the fur on her wrists, and her body spasmed. Words popped up in a crude edited fashion that read, 'Look how excited the whore is to give her parting gift to her seniors. She's practically dancing!' When the sparks stopped, Amy slumped forward, snot and tears streaming down her face, and her teeth chattered like a wood pecker's beak in her mouth.

Rouge felt her stomach turn, and she wanted more than anything to look away. However, she sat still, her jaw in a hard line, and her ears aching with the need to flatten against her scalp.

Amy was now sitting still in her seat, and her body was limp. After a moment a figure moved in front of the camera in a way that blocked all view of who it could be. Then a sickening slap cracked over the speakers, and a second one followed closely behind. Rouge flinched at each sound, and she felt her mouth go dry.

The figure moved away from the view of the camera, and the screen was once more filled with Amy sitting in that metal chair. Her head had been pushed back, and her neck was bent awkwardly. More words popped onto the screen that read 'Sorry, looks like she couldn't wake up this time. Just know that our little fangirl is wishing the best for her seniors, and wanted this video to be a little gift to her fans!'

The screen went black once more and the small office was thrown into a dark silence. Rouge could not believe what she had just seen. This went beyond the typical hazing rituals and sped full speed into assault. She had no idea something like this had happened to Amy. Sure Amy was different from a few years ago, but she still had her opportunistic spirit, and at least at the start of her joining Team Dark she'd had a bubbly personality. How was she able to still smile after something like this?

"I've watched this video dozens of times in failed attempts to gain some clue to the attackers. Each time it makes my blood boil."

Rouge looked at the Chief, and felt fear for the first time fill her as she locked with the Chief's gaze. The Chief was usually better than even Rouge at keeping her inner thoughts and emotions in check, but this was not one of those times. Her mismatched eyes burned with cold ferocity, one a ice scape of blue and the other a freezing jade. Her hands were now fisted on the desk, and her ears twitched uncontrollably. Rouge gulped, but she understood the sentiment.

For all her annoyance, Amy Rose was a decent Mobian, she was kind and only ever lashed out in defense. Thinking of the self-confident, and empowered female from the past few days, Rouge could barely believe that she was the same broken soul she had just seen in the video. No one deserved that sort of treatment, especially not Amy. The only person Rouge felt protective of was Shadow, and she liked to keep it that way. However, after seeing that, and her imagination trying to fill in what could've happened between the written lines on the reports, she couldn't help but feel her blood boil as well.

"What about the Sergeant? How could he possibly get away with ignoring such atrocities underneath his command?"

Irina shook her head, and her voice came forth with an underlying growl, "That male… I was able to find further evidence of his incompetence, but due to his many years in service to our Government and G.U.N. he was simply reassigned to a different department."

Rouge stared at the Chief in disgust. She had known that there was corruption in G.U.N. from the moment she'd entered the organization, a criminal could recognize another criminal. However, she had never been as close to such an abuse of power as this moment. She placed her hands in her lap, and balled them into fists. She could feel her perfectly manicured nails digging into her flesh but she hardly noticed.

"And I can assume from how this video and the reports made, that Pandora was able to get away unscathed?" Rouge's voice was monotone, but her eyes burned just as Snow's did.

"Yes. As you most likely noticed, the perpetrators were very careful to leave minimal evidence behind. No audio, carefully placed injuries, and a tight circle of perpetrators. I only received this video because one of the agents came forward anonymously and submitted it to me. However, I do not know who it was, nor did they name any names of those involved. So the only use this video has is that we can know a little of what she went through."

The Chief sighed, and her hands relaxed as she attempted to regain composure.

"Even though Pandora's name is riddled all over the complaint files, I can do nothing to discipline her. For one she is not currently under my command, and since an officer of higher rank has already looked over the issues when they happened and dealt with it as he saw fit, I can not reopen any of these cases. The only way I would be able to do something is if someone came forward and admitted to their crimes, or if Amy herself asked me to open up an investigation, which..."

"Which is unlikely." Rouge finished. The Chief's gaze stayed on hers for a moment, before she looked away.

"I can't begin to understand why Amy would refuse to report such harassment to me. I can only hope that as she becomes more used to the way I run things, that she will come forward."

The room was silent once more as they contemplated the information. Rouge felt an odd feeling in her stomach. It was like she had swallowed a baseball, and it was slowly moving through her digestive tract. An image of Amy in the fitting room entered her mind. Her hesitance to have Rouge (a higher ranking agent) inside the fitting room with her as she changed, the look on her face as she was transported to a different time. And then the image was replaced with her sitting at the sushi restaurant, her finger itching a scar on her hand. Once the memory cleared, Rouge was able to identify the feeling in her gut. Guilt.

"I don't understand Chief," Rouge said, her voice muffled as she kept her head down as she looked at her hands.

"Why would you place her on our team? It's even more confusing now that you've shown this to me. You know what my team is like, especially Shadow. How did you expect this to go? It's not like we can treat her like a special flower that can break at any time. And even if I told Shadow about this -"

"Don't."

Rouge looked up at the firm word. Until now Snow had been pretty soft in her tone, but now authority had returned to her voice. She was back to her usual firm attitude, and her slitted eyes stared down her muzzle at Rouge.

"Don't tell Agent Shadow. I only showed you this information because you are the team leader, and you were right earlier when you said you should know everything about all your teammates. However, this is not something we can share casually with others. It is something that Agent Rose needs to decide when she is ready to share this information."

Rouge's back straightened, and she forced herself to remain looking in Irina's hard gaze. The Chief was right, but Rouge also didn't like the idea of keeping something from her oldest partner.

"Being a leader is a lonely path, Rouge."

The absence of 'agent' in front of her name caused the bat's chest to squeeze. The expression on Snow's was slightly softer as she looked at Rouge, and she knew that this time it was because of her and not Amy. So it's not just Amy the Chief cares about. This was a new revelation for Rouge. She had always thought the Chief was cold, but she was realizing that Irina was much more than that. She may be tough, she may hold her agents to a high standard, but she also deeply cared about every single one equally. For the first time since entering G.U.N. Rouge found herself actually liking the Chief that commanded them. However, there was still a shadow of a doubt in her heart. She knew she couldn't fully trust the Chief yet, especially since she hadn't had a chance to find out how the Chief was monitoring them, and why.

The bat gave a nervous smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

"As for your question of me placing Amy on a team with a hard headed male, cunning thief, and ex-killing machine robot, all I can say is that I see this as an opportunity for all of you to grow." Then the Chief smirked with a knowing look and leaned back in her chair,

"Besides, where else would an ex-Sonic-fangirl be able to fit in? All of you have your pasts, but you don't allow that to impede your work. My hope is for you to recognize her worth, and move forward."

Rouge motioned at the bar tender for another glass, and closed her eyes as she listened to the singer. The Chief was right of course, as she so obnoxiously always was. It was not smart to tell Shadow. Not because he would do something nefarious with the information He may have a dark bit of fun, she admitted to herself, But even he wouldn't cross any real lines, but it wouldn't change his mind, and it wasn't Rouge's place to say anything. She still didn't know how Amy Rose fit into their lives, and it was even unfair of her to take pity on the girl. Sure she went through something horrendous, but from spending time with Amy for the past week, she knew the female would not appreciate sympathy. Amy wanted to prove herself, and be an equal partner, and that couldn't happen if Rouge treated her differently just because she knew Amy's past pain. She smirked, that chaos-damned Chief knows what she's doing. Anyone else would walk on eggshells around the girl and not take her seriously.

The song ended and the elegant lark bowed, thanked the audience and gave a reminder that the bar would be closing soon. Rouge downed the last of her drink, tossed a couple crumpled paper ring bills onto the counter and made her way outside. The cool night air was sharp and her large ears reflexively folded in defense of the thin skin. She decided to walk for a minute before returning home.

The city at night was less active but not quiet, and she couldn't stop from observing all those around her, an occupational hazard. There was a couple that held hands but didn't look at each other, instead walking a few feet from each other. On the road to a break up. Rouge dodged a puddle and she stared disdainfully at the pink fur on her slippers, the tips of her toes were slowly becoming black, they would have to be thrown out. She took a quick jog and began to flap her wings. The few mobians still on the sidewalk moved to the sides and glared at her as she passed. She jumped into the air and winked at a few as she took to the skies. It was a dark pleasure of hers to look down on those who were mobius-bound.

As she broke through the cloud barrier and dipped into the starry pools of the atmosphere, she closed her eyes and forced herself to think again about her most current issues. How could she get the two hedgehogs to at least be civil with each other? She thought about Shadow and what he held as important. Maria and doing well at work. She couldn't imagine how the memory of Maria would help here, but she could think of a way that she could force them together at work.

Rouge's lips curled in a wicked smirk. Like it or not, Team Dark would have to get used to this thorny rose.