CHAPTER 3

The Disgusting Dinner (Food Fight Round 1)

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WARNING: This Chapter contains more Shadouge

Two hedgehogs and a bat, were all sitting in a yellow taxi cab.

Shadow, and Rouge both sat in the back seat, silent, listening to Amy chatter. Amy was in the front passenger seat, talking to the taxi driver, giving him directions. Well, actually, she was blabbering and blabbering about unimportant things.

"And did you know what Sonic did next?" she asked the driver, who seemed to be getting impatient with the young female hedgehog.

"No. I don't want to know what's next." he grumbled.

Amy, seemed like she didn't hear the taxi driver and continued. "He started to eat those chili dogs one by one without even chewing them! I mean, how can he do that? Those chili dogs are like what, a foot long?"

"six inches." the driver corrected.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Whatever, anyway. And he ate all one-hundred of them, in only five minute! How can he do that?"

The driver moaned from his suffering of listening to the pink chatter box.

XXX

Shadow and Rouge sat in the backseat, trying to exit out Amy's annoying chattering voice from their ears, but it was just no use.

"Amy?" Shadow asked, in his most kindest voice.

Amy turned her head in his direction. "Yes Shadow?" she asked cutely.

"Shut. Up." he responded darkly.

Amy pouted at him, and turned back to the taxi driver, continuing to talk. Both Shadow and Rouge rolled their eyes.

"She'll never shut that talkative mouth of hers now will she?." Rouge asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, and we're going to be living with her for the next two months." Shadow added, then looked to Rouge who sat a seat away from him. "Why did you have to agree to this?" he asked darkly.

Rouge gave him a short scowl. "She was doing nice things for me, so I thought I could've returned it by accepting her offer."

"You could have done something else instead." he grumbled.

Rouge only smirked and did a puffed faced that made her look like a baby. "Aw, Shadow getting a little tantrum?" she teased.

Shadow gave Rouge a 'don't you dare' look. Rouge only chuckled and looked out the window, looking up at the tall buildings. She smiled slightly, then she remembered something. She sighed, still looking at the tall buildings passing by.

"Thank you Shadow." she said.

Shadow, with his acute ears picking up the thanks from Rouge, turned to her, with a confused look. "Thanks for what?"

She took her eyes off the buildings and looked at him. "For saving me at the club." she answered.

Shadow hesitated to reply, then only nodded in acceptance.

XXX

"I don't know why he keeps running away from me, but I always know where he is because I love Sonic. But he's always on the go, I wonder why…" Amy was still talking to the driver, more like talking to herself.

"He's always running away from you because you have a mouth that never closes." the driver answered in his head.

They finally reached a road that ended dead straight with the car turning either left or right. The taxi was now out of the city of Station Square, into the town country side. The driver sighed in relief, knowing he was almost there to drop of his riders. Especially the blabber mouth.

"Left or right?" he asked glumly.

Amy was still chatting until she heard his question. "Right." she answered and continued to chatter as if she was never interrupted.

The driver groaned in agony. "Shut up! Please shut up!" he begged in his head.

XXX

Shadow noticed Rouge grimace in pain, arching her back. He looked to see that he wings were bandaged up in a wing-shaped cast.

"Your wings doing well?" he asked lowly.

She forced herself a smile. "Yeah, just a bit of pain commen' and goen'. I'll survive."

"Of coarse you will." he joked sarcastically.

By this, Rouge seemed to take his humor. She only gave him a soft, playful punch to the shoulder and winked.

"Of coarse." she responded.

XXX

The taxi finally made it to it's dropping point. Shadow and Rouge exited out of the taxi as soon as the yellow car stopped, except for Amy, who was still yammering.

"And when he saved my butt once again for the millionth, I fell in love with him more than a million times now."

The driver could not take it any more. "Shut up and just give me my money already!"

Amy, not noticing the drivers sudden temper, just started to dig into her purse and get the right money, still talking. Once she gave him the correct money, the driver tried his best to wait patiently for the annoying pink hedgehog to exit out the door, but she just sat there in the passenger's seat, continuing to talk non-stop.

"And this other time, there was this robot that Dr. Eggman created and looked like Sonic. His name was Metal Sonic! He was planning to take over--"

The driver couldn't take it anymore. "For the love of God, Get out!" he screamed pushing Amy out the door.

"Hey I wasn't done yet!" she complained, exiting the door, but the car soon drove away, trying to get away from the babbling pink hedgehog.

Amy crossed her arms and pouted. "I have a feeling that he wasn't even listening to my stories." she spoke like a spoiled brat.

"Of coarse he wasn't." Shadow answered in his thoughts, and shook his head at Amy's innocent behavior with a small enjoyment of the scene.

XXX

When they got there, Amy pulled out her key. "Oh! I'm so excited!" she cheered.

Shadow grumbled, looking out in to the wide open distance. There was so much space. He could see the tall mountains and the ever-green meadows with the sun making it a glowing scenery. He was impressed on how much detail nature had that he didn't realize. It looked like a perfect painting...

"Shadow?" he heard Amy call.

Shadow looked up to see Amy holding the entry door wide with Rouge already inside.

"Well? Come on in!" she said cheerfully.

He hesitated on entering the pink, 'homey' house. Him and Rouge looked around. Shadow, was actually surprised on how tidy Amy's home was with her being too young.

"Wow pinky, Ya sure got a homey place." Rouge complimented, resting her weak body on a nearby sofa.

Amy scratched behind her head in embarrassment. "Really? Thanks Rouge. And don't call me 'pinky'." a dark tone approached her voice on that warning.

Rouge then yawned with her eyes getting teary. "Whoa, I must be more tired then I thought." she told herself.

Shadow stood next to her. "Why not take a nap." he suggested.

Rouge, too tired to play around only laid down. "Good... Idea..." and she drifted off to sleep.

XXX

Rouge ran down the dark ally with her clumsily tripping over empty trash cans and passing graffiti on the red brick walls. She was breathing deeply, panting. She didn't look back, she continued to run away. But from what?

"Get back here batgirl!" she heard a male voice call out to her dangerously.

She shook her head and turned towards the left. She continued to run. Rouge didn't know why, but she couldn't fly. She couldn't feel the ebony wings on her back for her to spread and fly away to safety.

"Come here n' let us rape ya you slut!" another male voice called out.

Rouge then picked up the sound that there were too many sounds of running footsteps chasing her. There was more than one man.

That wasn't good.

Rouge was getting tired, with her running with full speed. She tried to unfurl her wings again and again. She failed. She had no choice but to get caught, hide, or fight back. She had confidence in herself, because she was a strong woman. The more she thought about it, the more of the idea was a good decision for her.

But instead, she continued to run. She could hear the gang closing in on her. Sweat was dripping through her face as she was now gasping for air.

She made another turn to the right. Dead end.

"Oh no." She whispered to herself and turned around to go back to running, but then she saw shadowy figures approaching her. She was trapped.

"Where ya goen'' cutie? You can't leave with out us now."

Rouge was trying to catch her breath. The men were closing in on her. She had no choice now. Rouge jumped and landed a hard kick towards one of the gangsters face.

He caught it.

Rouge gasped in surprise, but the next thing she knew, she was thrown against the hard brick wall with enough force to break any human's back. Rouge yelled in pain as she fell to the floor on her knees. She then heard the men snickering.

"Common, let's get er' now." one gangster said.

'Damn it!' she cursed in her thoughts.

Rouge did nothing but stare in horror as the gangster walked up to her. The leader of the gangster was then about to touch her, until someone pulled him back into the shadows. Rouge then heard violence all around her.

Screaming, Yelling, Punching, Attacking... pain from the men who were about to rape her.

She slowly sat up to see who her savior was. She could see his silhouette in the shadows, he was holding up one of the gangsters by the throat. She knew he was about to chock him.

"No! stop!" she called out, reaching out to her hero.

The familiar silhouette's figure looked towards her, then dropped the man and started to slowly walk to her. Rouge smiled at her hero as the figure of an echidna came out from the shadows.

"Knuck--" Rouge stopped in the middle of her word.

It was not Knuckles. The echidna figure turned out to be a hedgehog's in the moonlight. It was an ebony hedgehog with blood red eyes. He looked down at her and held out to her to help her up. Rouge took it slowly.

"Shadow?" she asked in a whisper.

The black hedgehog smirked and embraced her into a hug and leaned his lips next her ear. "I'm glad you're safe." he cooed.

His voice was so soothing, to Rouge, it sounded like a pure melody. She then noticed Shadow's arms were wrapped around her. She never felt this in a long time now... safe. In her own friend's arms.

"Oh Shadow I--" she was cut off, by a kiss from her friend then.

Rouge was stunned by this. About Shadow's sudden change of character. But his kiss had so much passion in it. So much heat, she returned it and gently wrapped her arms around hisneck.

Their first kiss... in an alley...

They broke apart. She seemed to relax by how calm his face expression looked. Shadow just kissed her forehead with Rouge cradled in his arms. She was exhausted by running from the gangsters earlier, but she seemed to have forgotten all about it.

"Go to sleep now..." he whispered in her ear.

XXX

"Rouge."

"..."

"Rouge."

Rouge fluttered her eyes open, hearing the same voice of the hero in her dream, when her vision came to focused, she realized that Shadow's face was just a centimeter away from hers. They both just stared in each other's eyes, speechless, until Shadow broke it.

"Will you mind letting me go." he grumbled.

Rouge, then saw her arms wrapped around her friend's head pulling him near herself. without hesitation, she released her arms and Shadow quickly stood up and backed away. Rouge didn't say anything.

When the silence was becoming awkward, Amy's voice was called out from the kitchen. "Dinner!"

'Saved by hot-head.' Rouge said to herself and quickly stood up from the sofa, slightly cringing due to the affect of her ripped wings.

She then looked around the room to see that the time on the clock read 7:42 p.m.

Her eyes widened. 'I've been sleeping that long!?' she asked herself.

They both entered the kitchen, with Rouge surprised to see a white and pink hearted table covered with plates of food. It looked too delicious. Amy greeted Rouge and grinned weakly.

"How's your back doing?" she ask, trying to sound kind.

Rouge ignored the question and stared at the food. Her stomach rumbled. She then remembered that she didn't eat all day. Of coarse she was starved!

Rouge then faced Amy and smiled a cracked smile. "You're sure a good cook huh honey?"

The moment was ruined, but Amy's smile brightened. "Thank you. Let's eat!" she proposed, sitting on one side of the table, the left side while Rouge took the opposite side from her.

Shadow looked to see if there were any other chairs nearby, but there was only one more... right next to Amy.

Amy smiled brightly with Shadow, at first confused, gave her a scowl. He walked to her side and sat beside his newest friend.

He then looked down at his plate. It was covered with food with a pleasant aroma, that it secretly made his mouth water. He then grabbed the chicken leg off the plate and started to take major bites, not chewing, but just swallowing it whole. And that began the dinner.

Amy and Rouge, who didn't even touch their utensils, stared at the Ultimate Life form eating so, sloppily. Especially Amy. They both continued to stare at the greedy hedgehog who was now chewing nosily with his mouth wide open.

Amy saw the food mixed with saliva in his mouth, her eyes widened as she grimaced in digest. She pushed her plate away.

there. "You're not eating?" he asked with his mouth full and spaghetti sauce around his mouth.

Amy just looked at his dirty grease covered mouth. She then stood up. "I'll be right back. I just lost my appetite." she then hurriedly ran out of the kitchen, covering her mouth with one hand.

A few seconds later, Rouge and Shadow heard the bathroom door slam shut and heard... heavy liquid splash in the toilet.

Rouge was about to tell Shadow about his eating habits until she heard a big splash from the bathroom. Rouge then made a disgusted face, with it turning into a vomit color of just thinking about what Amy was doing. Haven't guessed yet?: Puking.

Rouge then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to ignore the splashing and hacking from the bathroom. "Shadow. Next time, eat with your mouth closed." she told him calmly.

Shadow wiped away the grease from his mouth with the back of his hand. "What's the purpose of doing that?" he asked sourly.

Rouge inhaled deeply. "And use your napkin to wipe your mouth."

Shadow crossed his arms. "I don't see any reason to do as you say." he mumbled.

"Just do it, or Amy's gonna barf on you." she warned.

XXX

After a few minutes, Amy returned looking a paler pink then usual, and she was holding her stomach as if she were already stuffed. She looked over towards Shadow, who's plate was now empty, sparkling clean. She pictured him eating like the pig he was earlier, the feeling of her stomach came back, but she fought it and sat back down beside him.

She slowly pulled her plate near her and started to grasp the utensils, getting ready to cut the steak. Shadow looked at her in concern, now knowing why she was... puking earlier.

'Women are just sensitive eaters.' he thought.

He decided to start a conversation, which he rarely did. "What's that?" he asked demandingly.

Amy looked at him. "What's what?" she asked.

"That." Shadow pointed at her plate, at the steak.

She looked down and back at Shadow. "You never saw steak before?" she asked.

Shadow crossed his arms, not answering since he really didn't even hear the word steak. He then heard a giggle from Amy and looked at her with his trademark face.

"What's so funny."

Amy was still giggling, this time cutting the steak quickly. She then picked the now cut piece of steak with her fork, dipped it in the small mound of ketchup at the side of her plate, and lifted it up near Shadow's mouth. Shadow gave a confessional look, then gave her a scowl.

"I can feed myself you know." he said with his crossed arms tightening, not believing Amy was treating him like a child.

"Oh, come on Shadow! Just a bite. It tastes really good!" she convinced.

Shadow had to agree, he could smell the thick meat's smoky tenderness, it's juicy sizzle, it's chewy hard leather. He glanced at it. It looked... Delicious.

And that's when he took a bite, and started to chew.

Amy just watched Shadow slowly munch it, she smiled at him, seeing his face. Eyes closed, mouth closed but jaw slowly opening, then closing. His breathing a deep, steady tempo. Amy suddenly realized how, handsome he was, to compare with her Sonic.

Rouge continued to look at her friend in amazement, but then her dream came back. It might have been a dark, cold nightmare, but for some reason, it wasn't like a nightmare at all, but a heavenly dream.

Both girls were just staring at him. Thinking dreamily about him: The Ultimate Life form.

Shadow noticed them both, gazing at him. He swallowed his piece of steak and looked from Amy, to Rouge. They continued to stare at him not yet knowing that he caught them, he got irritated.

"Do I have anything on me that's bothering you two?" he asked annoyingly.

The two girls shook out of they're thoughts and then started to eat. Even though Shadow was finished, he took five slices of steak from the pan on the table, getting ready to adventure more with the meat.

XXX

Shadow had just finished his last loaf of steak from the plate. He was now declared finished, with his meal.

Rouge and Amy's plates were still stacked with food, but they were already full.

Rouge groped and looked at Shadow in surprise. "Shadow! When was the last time you ate!" she asked more of the sound of a demand.

"When did you learn to eat that much!" Amy added.

Shadow only crossed both his arms and legs and closed his eyes, leaning back from the red oak chair. "In case you're wondering, that would be-- -Burp-" Shadow released a bubble of air from his stomach.

Amy looked at him with a twisted face. "Yuck! Shadow, cover your mouth!" she said.

Shadow looked at her not caring. "And why should I listen to your request?" he asked rudely.

Then out of nowhere, a giant hammer of the colors red, yellow, and white popped up behind Amy's dress and was above the ebony hedgehog's head on pounding position. "Cause if you don't, It'll turn you into a pancake." she warned threaten.

Shadow only scoffed. "Fine then, but don't think that you got your way there." he stated simply, then felt a round, hard, flat object behind his head. The momentum was powerful enough to force Shadow's face on his now clean plate.

Shadow remained still for a moment, then slowly lifted his face, with the plate still glued on. And Amy only knew one thing, so did Rouge: He was not happy.

Shadow ripped the plate off his face and scooped a hand full of mashed cranberries from the table and threw it at Amy's head.

SPLAT!

Violet red mush was slithered across the pink hedgehog's face. Amy was stunned that Shadow did such a thing. She removed it with her own hand, hearing Rouge snicker lightly. She turned towards the white bat who was sneering at her. Amy then took a bowl of spinach and threw the green slush at her. Rouge, who sensed it coming, barley dodged it by ducking.

"Ha-ha! Better luck next time pinky!" Rouge called, but then the next thing she knew, she was met with a chocolate monster cake, dead in the face.

SPLAT!

Rouge stayed there for a second, trying to hold her anger in. Shadow crossed his arms, and smirked, making it obvious that it was him who threw it.

"Hmpf. Better luck next time whitey." he mocked.

He looked towards Amy, but when he did, all he could see was spaghetti with meatballs and all he felt at the same time was...

SMACK!

Shadow slowly wiped the pasta away, with some dangling beside his ears. "Oh no you didn't." he growled.

Amy smiled gleefully, actually having fun. "Oh yes I did." she challenged.

Shadow grabbed a glass of egg yolk and was about to toss the liquid at her, before his face was yet again covered in a sloppy kind of food.

SLAP!

SLAP!

He heard a giggle from the one at fault: Rouge.

And he also knew he got Amy too, since he shook the slop off and saw Amy in the same slop he was in. He turned towards Rouge, and smirked.

"Payback time for you bat-girl." he spoke with an evil grin of revenge.

He threw the egg yolk, and instead at Rouge's face, it was her jump-suit.

SPLAT!

Rouge gasped in shock, looked at her purple and pink hearted suit. She looked at Shadow in anger and threw a bowl of mashed potatoes at him.

"How dare you!" she yelled, yet there was a hint that she was forcing herself not too smile.

SLAP!

The mash potatoes hit the black hedgehog straight on. Rouge seemed to also enjoy this. She then looked at Amy with Shadow now clear out of the way and gave her a smile of revenge, grabbing a couple of tomatoes from the table and aiming it at Amy.

"Eeek!" Amy screeched, she tried to reach for a plate for a shield, but it was too late.

SLAP

Amy just stood there, smelling the tomatoes scent.

The pink hedgehog then started to tremble. "I. Hate. TOMATOES!" she cried.

Amy took the pitcher of icy water and flung the water at Rouge with her strength to release her anger.

SMACK!

The freezing water hit Rouge's whole front side with a direct hit. Rouge gasped in shock, then glared at Amy. Amy stood there holding the now empty pitcher in one hand and her free arm on her hip, with the body language as 'Got you back.'

SPLAT!

Amy then found herself again... covered in tomato juice. But it wasn't Rouge this time. Amy wiped the juice off her face and turned her head to see the Ultimate Life form, tossing a perfect ripe tomato in his hand.

The pink hedgehog scowled playfully. "Oh you're so going to pay for that!" she yelled, picking up a bottle that was full of apple cider and aimed it at Rouge, then Shadow.

"Oh really? We'll see who's gonna get their payback!" Rouge reached for the salad dressing container, aiming it at Shadow, then Amy.

"Very well. Let us end this!" Shadow grasped the ketchup pack, aiming it to Amy, then Rouge.

They all smirked evilly, and their food weapons then went off, aiming at all directions, uncontrollably.

SMACK!

SPLAT!

SLAP!

PLOP!

SLOP!

WHAP!

SPLASH!

SPLOOSH!

WHAM!

XXX

The whole kitchen was covered with food. Everything was either smeared with food, or soaked by the drinks. But the ones who caused the mess, where nowhere in sight in this room, they were in the living room, and of coarse they were all covered in the same sloppy food. But instead of screaming for how filthy they looked, they were laughing. Except Shadow, who was the serious stubborn type, was only smirking, chuckling slightly.

"That was so fun!" Amy chipped.

Rouge, who was sitting on the pink couch, couldn't help but smiled at her. "I gotta admit, that was quite childish." she commented.

Rouge then turned towards Shadow who sat beside her, and gave him a surprising hug, which startled him. "Thanks for starting the fun Shadow." she tease in her tone.

"Yeah, whatever." he said quickly, trying to break the awkward embrace, but couldn't.

They were both stuck. Rouge tried to release her arms wrapping Shadow, but she couldn't.

"Seems like I shouldn't have used the honey n' syrup huh?" Rouge asked, trying to break away again.

She and him tried once more, but it didn't do any change, they were stuck in that pose. But when Rouge was embraced with Shadow at that second, it reminded her of the dream she had earlier.

"I'll go get us some towels." she informed.

Shadow gave Amy a friendly scowl to say his thanks. Once she was gone, Shadow looked at Rouge who was looking at him. The ebony hedgehog arched an eye-brow.

"What?" he asked, actually sounding polite about it.

Rouge looked away. "I have a question."

Shadow did a single nod, signaling her to continue.

"What where you doing wrapping you around my arms when I was sleeping?" she asked eyeing him cautiously.

Shadow didn't say anything at first, but he decided to tell her anyways. "How am I suppose to know? You were asleep. Including your tossing on the sofa and murmuring some words that I wasn't able to identify. I was only sitting around, and that's when you grabbed me and said--" he discontinued.

"What?"

"...Knuckles." he finally answered not looking at her.

Rouge looked down at her feet in disappointment and having the hint that Shadow seemed upset, for some reason. "Oh."

Shadow said nothing with them still together in a hug that seemed to have gotten looser. Shadow's arms seemed too loose around her. Like he was about to let her go, like she was being pulled away and he couldn't do anything but watch.

Amy came back, seeing Rouge lay on the Shadow's chest. And what was very odd, was that Amy was giving Rouge a competitive yet friendly glare.

To be continued...

On The Next Chapter: Amy takes Shadow to go shopping for Rouge due to her injuries. Will this horrific nightmare ever end for Shadow when he has to go through the aisle of girl cloth's, make-up, and stuff that only women should buy? And how will he react when they run into a certain blue hedgehog?

AN: And that's not where the drama ends. Review and don't forget to vote. Must I keep reminding the ones who are so forgetful? If you're not gonna vote then at least review people. Aren't reviewing then just vote. It's easy! ;)

Until The Next Chap

X-treme