Shadow and Shade staggered up to Rouge's house, police sirens not to far off down the street. Shadow reached up and rang the doorbell. "If she's not home, we're in big trouble, they've been chasing us for four days straight!" he gasped, leaning on Shade. He had nearly been hit with a grenade, just managing to dodge it, but the blast had caused a rockslide to fall on him. Shade had dug him out and they had continued running, but he was considerably weaker.
Rouge opened the door, shocked. "Oh my...... Come in, hurry up!!" the white bat said, helping the two black hedgehogs inside. She closed the door just as the heavy armored G.U.N. trucks came roaring around the corner. They passed the house, assuming that their targets had gone ahead. "Thanks Rouge........" said Shadow as he collapsed from exhaustion.
"So, you're his son? Talk about weird....." the she said. Shade looked at her from his chair at the table, and she didn't question the fact. They looked so much alike, father and son. The only differences were Shade wore a red sash around his neck, and had a scar over his left eye. His eyes were also a blazing purple. The bat was dressed in very tight clothing, showing off her figure, which served its purpose in distracting him.
"Why do you find it strange?" he asked, curious. They had dragged Shadow to the couch and let him sleep on it, then went in the kitchen and started talking. After a brief explanation about the government chasing them, Rouge sighed, her ears drooping a bit.
"Do you know about his past?" she asked, getting up and looking in the fridge. "Well, he told me how he met my mother, what happened to her, and that, but........... I never really asked him about before that......" The black hedgehog said thoughtfully, still staring at her. Rouge shook her head, turning to leave for another room. "You want something to eat, help yourself, I can't cook, I'm always ordering delivery or take-out, I think there's pizza and egg rolls in there."
About an hour later, Shade walked into the room that they had left Shadow in. He was gone, and the white bat that called herself Rouge was nowhere to be seen either. Suspicious, Shade looked around the house for them. After a couple minutes of searching, he found the two standing outside on the back porch. He snuck up closer, listening to their conversation. "Just like old times, eh, Shadow? Don't know how much influence I have, but I can try to get them to stop bothering you." Rouge was saying, standing a couple feet from his father.
The taller black hedgehog stared out into the sunset, in deep thought. "This new president, he shares the commander's view about you, and he doesn't care what other people think." Sighed Rouge. "Hm....... We can't hide here forever, once they've realized that they've lost us, they will come back. And seeing that you live on this street, it will bring them quickly, they know that you trust me." Shadow said, glancing at her.
Shade walked up to them, his curiosity getting the better of him. "Then what do we do, just sit here and wait around?" They turned, Shadow smiling. The way the bat dressed didn't seem to surprise or disturb him at all, it was as if he was used to it. "We should find a place to hide, one they won't detect." He said, knowing that his son had most likely been listening to their whole conversation. "The government's getting faster Shadow, It won't be easy to...."Rouge had started to say, before four large G.U.N. helicopters came flying over the yard, followed by squads of troops leaping over the fence.
"You're under arrest, Rouge the Bat, C.I.A. Agent, for disclosing weapons of mass destruction and attempting to conceal wanted criminals! Hands up where we can see them!" a megaphone from the helicopter said, as the searchlights blinded them. "Shoot!! Faster than even I thought!!! They've completely turned on me!" Rouge gasped as the soldiers began closing in cautiously, all of them watching the two black hedgehogs fearfully.
"Why are they so afraid of us?" Shade asked, turning to Shadow, "Thinking we're wanted criminals is one thing, but it's as if they've had experience with our kind before." His father looked at him, an ancient pain reawakened in his mind. "Don't worry about that, just concentrate on getting away!" He said, moving in front of Rouge, protectively. Humans would often be merciless when they feared someone or something, and he knew that even though she was supposed to be one of their own, they wouldn't hesitate to harm her if she got in the way.
"Rouge, what will it be? Us, or them?" he asked her, the G.U.N. troops cocking their weapons. "There's a hidden passageway in the house we can use, follow me! Heh, why do you even bother asking that question?!" The sassy bat turned, leading them into the house.
The tunnel led out into the city, right out of a sewer line. They popped out of the street, and a car came flying in their direction. The threesome dodged out of the way, shocked. "So, Shadow. You have defeated our brothers, you traitor!! However, we shall give you one more chance to join us, come destroy the humans!" they heard a booming voice say.
Even before the dust cleared, Shadow knew who it was. "Black Doom?!" The alien creature laughed maliciously, as other dark creatures that looked just like itself floated beside it. "Yes, if you thought that there was only one of us, you were gravely mistaken. We said we would rise again, and so we have. I am another of the Morsentith, leader of the army. After the failure of the last, we decided to investigate what happened. It is obvious that you've turned on us, you foul little hedgehog. This time there will be no mistakes, we are more numerous and this time we are in full force, what you saw before was only a small portion of our army! We are the supreme race!!" said a second Black Doom.
A silence passed between them, the sounds of destruction echoing in the background. Shade looked at his father, shocked at the vengeful, angry look in his eyes. Shade looked at the aliens, and then at himself, suddenly realizing by what they had meant by traitor. Could it be.......? He turned to Rouge, who had, for the first time, a fearful look in her eyes. He inched towards her, and when he was close enough whispered her a question. "I've never seen him this way before..... Is this something to do with the past?"
The evil creatures were staring at him suspiciously, looking slightly unnerved by his presence. Shadow continued his silence, trying to make a painful decision. "Got it right, if there is one thing Shadow has trouble with, it's his past. I think I know what he will choose, but even with the government's help last time, we were barely able to drive off these creatures. I'm not sure if we stand much of a chance now." Rouge muttered, keeping her eyes trained on the aliens.
Another one of them came forward, just a couple yards from Shadow, far bigger than the rest. "I am the supreme ruler of this entire race, I am the Black Doom, leader of all the Black Arms! Make your decision, our impatience is growing!" he said forcefully. "Take in mind though, that this is not my natural form though……."
Shadow suddenly appeared to come out of his trance, shaking his head. "Black Doom, you used me last time, nearly causing me to betray my promise. Now, I will show you who the true Ultimate Lifeform really is!" he said, clenching his hands into fists. Then, he turned and glanced at Shade. "Hmph. The TWO Ultimate Lifeforms, that is!!" Shadow corrected himself. "So, you have spawn. We shall show the humans no mercy, as for you and your offspring, you shall both be tortured until death!!" The dark leader roared, and his hoard charged.
The Black Arms were not driven out of the city, however. Shadow, Shade, and Rouge fought as one team, but where unable to defeat the numberless army. "Shadow, we have to retreat!! Even the G.U.N. forces have regrouped, there are just too many!!" Rouge said as she shot down an alien with it's own laser gun. "She's right, we need a plan!" yelled Shade, attacking a worm that was emerging from the ground. Shadow machine-gunned a bunch of the aliens, and felt that even with his crystal, he was weakening.
They were right, they had been fighting for hours and were growing weak. "Follow me." He said, leading them away. Shade grabbed Rouge's hand and they rocketed out of the city, the white bat being pulled along by their dragwinds.
Once they were a safe distance from the dark army, they collapsed in a meadow clearing, trying to catch their breath. Immediately they were surrounded by G.U.N. troops, all their weapons drawn and aimed at them. The Commander stepped out of their midst. "Keep it in mind we don't seek you because of what you've done, like before, but because of what you are! You are far too dangerous to be kept alive! Surrender, and we'll make it painless." The older man said, a dangerous look in his eyes.
"What?! We have just as much a right to live as anyone else!" Shade said, still not understanding. He had only seen the commander a couple of times, and he didn't know of the humans connections with his father's past. "You were artificially created by the government, you have no rights!! You belong to us!" said the Commander as he stared at them. "I might have been, but he was not! Regardless of the matter, every living being has the right to freedom, I am not your slave!!" Shadow shouted, seething.
Shade looked at him, slightly confused. His father had been artificially created? What did they mean? What was this human talking about?! "I've had enough of this! You have the blood of the enemy flowing within you both, destroying you now while you are weak will save us the trouble of having to deal with you later in real battle! Are you going to surrender or not?!"
Shadow stared at him for a moment, anger burning within his heart. "No, we will not. I will not die a slave to humans or anyone for that matter. Go ahead and shoot us, we're too weak to fight back anyway, especially against your numbers." He said, standing. Shade stood up next to him, and Rouge followed. "Never thought this was gonna happen." She said, trying to keep her voice calm. His son was still confused, but would stand by his father's side no matter what decision was made. "Fine. Fire at will!" the Commander said, signaling to his troops.
A pause issued, and most of the troops uncocked their guns and lowered them. Many of them had been in service the last time this had happened, and remembered what Shadow had done. They had been ordered to shoot him on sight, but when they were in need, he had helped them, or just ignored them. He had attacked a few before he had found out about his past, but had sorely regretted it, and ended up saving the planet. "What are you doing?! I said fire!!" The Commander ordered again, his face filled with anger.
A soldier lifted his goggles off his face so that he was recognizable. Shadow looked and realized he had been one of the many that he had seen fallen on the ground. The soldier had begged to be spared, and the hedgehog had given him a healing unit before speeding away.
"I said I would never forget it, and I meant it." The G.U.N. recruit said, and he tossed his weapon on the ground. Others around him began doing the same, eventhough some had never encountered Shadow before, they remembered that they owed him their lives for destroying the first Black Doom. Shade blinked in wonderment, there truly was a large chapter of his father's life that he didn't know about. Shadow remained speechless, and he glanced at Rouge. "See, there are quite a few humans that do have feelings." She told him, giving him a wink. The Commander didn't say anything, he just left, his face contorted with anger.
The troops left them largely alone, though alot of them would salute or wink at Shadow as he passed through their camp. The entire G.U.N. army had camped in one spot, as there were not many of them left, having taken heavy casualties before retreating. A couple of the troops asked if he would stay for a while, offering him a tent, whereas he would shake his head and continue walking.
He did accept a few guns that they gave him, knowing that they would come in handy. He was anxious to leave them though, he noticed the strange stares that Shade attracted, and knew that even though he acted calm on the outside, his mind was a torrent, and his heart was burning with questions.
Rouge acted used to this, winking at a few, everyonce and a while when someone would address her, she would say that they would take those alien slugs down. As they passed the medical tent, Shadow saw Shade shudder as he heard a soldier screaming in pain as they amputated a limb, having completely run out of anesthesia.
When they were on the edge of the camp, the band of Team Chaotix agents passed them. "Commander's got a special job for us, says he'll pay big!!" Vector said. Charmy Bee did a somersault in the air. "Yeah!! A job!!" he squealed. "You better not act stupid in front of him, Charmy!!" Vector replied, swinging his crocodilian tail in annoyance. "Yes, attempt to behave yourself, I grow weary of small, simple jobs." Espio said quietly. Vector looked at the purple chameleon, his frustration growing. "Like I had a choice! Trust Charmy with buying groceries?! He'd bring back honey, and I was fixing the roof!!" he said. "Yeah, that was from my homerun!!" the bee buzzed happily. Shadow, Shade, and Rouge left them, the detectives not even noticing their exit, continued arguing.
"Bet I know what job the Commander's giving them." Rouge said, shaking her head. "Do you know them?" Shade asked, them having finally left the camp. His father remained silent, he just continued walking and staring ahead. "Unfortunately, yes, we do." The white bat said, rolling her eyes. "I bet he's going to ask them to hunt us down and murder us, how ridiculous. They'd never take a job like that, he's wasting his time." Shadow muttered, running his hands through his red tinted quills.
The father waited for the questions to start, but they didn't. Instead, his son suggested that they stop somewhere and get some rest. Shadow still said nothing, but nodded. He knew what Shade was doing. When Rouge was gone, and they had some privacy, then he would ask.
When they awoke the next day, Shade knew everything. Shadow had told him all about his past, and it had shaken him. He had always just assumed that his father was like everyone else, and that he had parents once too. Shade couldn't imagine the pain he had gone through, not having parents, having been created for two opposite purposes, and losing the only ones he loved by people he thought he could trust.
They stood up in the woods that they had chosen to spend the night in, a note falling off Shade's chest. He picked it up and read it. "Gone to get spy stuff and some decent food. Meet you at Westopolis. Rouge."
Meeting Rouge in Westopolis as she requested, they found her in a new spy suit, and of course, it was tight fitting like all the rest of her outfits. Shadow ignored this, and examined a piece of her equipment.
"Shoot, I forgot the takeout. Shadow, could you pick it up for me?" she said, handing him a slip of paper with an address on it and some money. He rolled his eyes at her, and turned to leave. "You know how to take advantage of people, I'm starving." Shadow said as he left, not noticing the look that passed between the bat and his son.
After a very annoying trip in which he had found Rouge had given him the correct name of the place but the wrong address, Shadow started back towards where they had first met, carrying four boxes of various kinds of pizza. "Just wait 'til I get my hands on her....." he muttered, walking into the small park.
He looked around, but didn't see them anywhere, and then realized that it was quiet, too quiet. He set the food down, hearing something not too far into the small patch of trees. He silently walked in, keeping himself hidden, and nearly gasped at what he was seeing. Shade and a female black hedgehog were sitting on a small bench, or was the girl sitting on Shade?
They had their arms wrapped tightly around each other, and were kissing one another hungrily. Shadow had never seen this girl before, where had she come from? She looked an awful lot like themselves, except her marks were an aqua color, and she was a light gray. Shadow watched as they continued to press their bodies close, Shade's hands clutching at the other hedgehog's back. She moaned with pleasure, and kissed him harder. Had this been why his son was disappearing so much?
For a moment, Shadow wanted to walk in and stop them, but then thought better of it. This was something he hadn't seen coming, something he wouldn't have imagined in his strangest dreams. Shade, in love, when had this happened? The way they were kissing, their mouths planted so firmly together, and the way he was touching her… The ebon hedgehog suddenly smiled to himself, and now understood his son's strange disappearances.
He turned and left, going back to the pizza. He could leave for a while and come back, saying he had gotten lost....... The pizza had disappeared, and Shadow looked around to see who had taken it. "Hey, Shadow. Why don't you come get it?" a voice above him said. He looked up to see Rouge sitting in a low branch of a tree. "So that's why you gave me the wrong address. You know, if he had asked I would have left him alone for a while!" he said.
The bat hopped down out of the tree with the pizza, handing a piece to him. "Sure you would have. He's been seeing her for a long time now it seems, surprising that he never told you. She got here about an hour ago, and was very upset with the Black Arms running about and all. Her name's Atlantis." Rouge snickered. He replied, "Gives me the creeps, Shade looks so much like me, it's like watching a mirror...."
Rouge handed him the entire pizza box, as her black friend had already finished scarfing his first piece, and still looked like he wanted more. "Originally we wanted you gone so that we could talk, but after I noticed Atlantis staring at him, I kinda just drifted off, giving the excuse that I was watching for you. They snuck away, believing that I wasn't paying attention. How old is Shade, by the way?" she asked looking at him kind of funny.
Shadow shook his head, still suprised that Shade was doing this. "Technically, he's about five. But for some reason, his genes caused him to age faster, and just last year he stopped changing entirely. His body is at the size and strength of a nineteen year old, but he has much spirit." Rouge choked on her food, suprised. "So he's a five year old stuck in a teenager's body?!" she asked, catching her breath. "No. You haven't been paying attention. His mind is just as intelligent as his body, like me, he has the capability to learn faster than anyone I have ever seen." Shadow answered.
Atlantis leaned against Shade on the bench having stopped kissing him for a moment. They had sat on the bench earlier, just talking, but after a couple minutes, they had scooted closer to each other. They looked away, still talking. "So, has he been asking where you been disappearing to?" the pretty hedgehog had asked him. "Yes, he's getting quite frustrated with me." He said, still not looking at her. She turned and watched him, waiting.
Atlantis still dared not tell him where she came from, what would he think, her being one of Professor Gerald's as well? She placed her hand down on the bench on top of Shade's, not realizing it was there. He looked at her, his eyes glistening. She moved closer to him, until they were right next to each other, then put her hand on his knee. ".... I was just about to come get you, you know." Shade began, though he didn't have any time to explain. Atlantis suddenly leapt at him, wrapping her arms behind his neck and forcing her lips to his.
The black hedgehog's eyes widened in shock, and his chest swelled. He closed his eyes and before he knew what he was doing, he began to kiss her back. As time passed, they grew fiercer, each struggling to outdo the other. When they had stopped, they were gasping for breath. "I know you were. You always come when I'm in trouble." She whispered before they started again.
"Hey, you hear that?!" Shadow said, turning towards the park entrance. Rouge followed his eyes and saw nearly fifty Black Arm troops chasing down a strange grayish hedgehog. The small creature ran into a dead end, and turned to face her enemy. "ATLANTIS!! Where are YOU!?!" she yelled fearfully. The aliens edged closer to her, pointing their weapons at her. "Let's go help her!!" Shadow said, beginning to run over.
Atlantis heard the cry, and immediately got off Shade, whom she had been kissing again. "Coral!!" she said, tearing out of the woods. Shade followed her out of curiosity, he had never seen her sister before. She saw Shadow just ahead of her, and knew she had to reach her sister before he did. Most likely he wanted to help, but she knew that she could take no chances. They had been the failed experiments of the professor, and she didn't trust the stronger hedgehog. Even though the professor said they weren't ultimate, he still cared for them.
Even so, Atlantis and Coral had longed for the sea that they had been named after. They left without so much as a good-bye, afraid the professor would try to stop them. They had left on the same day that Shadow had been created, taking the opportunity of Gerald being busy to leave. Atlantis and Coral had not been created by Black Doom's blood, instead, they had been made with the legendary eighth Chaos Emerald, the Dark Jewel of the Ocean. Because of this, they could use Chaos Control without holding an Emerald, but they still were not strong enough.
Shadow destroyed the aliens as Atlantis took Coral's hand. She had taken a chance with Shade, but believed that it would be all right if Shadow wasn't there. Now, she feared the black hedgehog that was supposedly protecting them. "We must leave! C'mon, we can't trust him!" Atlantis told Coral and they began to speed away. Unfortunately, Shadow heard this, and having gotten rid of the Black Arms, moved to follow them.
By this time Shade had arrived, and began to pursue them as well. As Atlantis turned to see how far they were behind them, Shadow saw the look of fear in her eyes. "Chaos..... CONTROL!!" she yelled, her and Coral disappearing.
"I don't understand........ What did she mean? Why did she flee from us?" Shade asked his father sadly. Shadow shook his head, confused. "I have no idea, I was helping her!" he said. Rouge didn't say anything to them, she was on a computer muttering distractedly. "So, you like her?" Shadow inquired. His son glared at him, knowing that his father had seen them together. "What's it to..." he began to snap, interrupted by Rouge. "Aha!! I knew they looked familiar!! Take a look at this guys!" the white bat said, looking up.
Her two dark companions came over and looked at the computer screen. "Hey! That's them!!" said Shade, bewildered. "Project Atlantis-Coral. Upon discovery of the legendary eighth Chaos Emerald, I have begun a project that may result in the ultimate Lifeforms. The two creatures that have come out of this have been named Atlantis and Coral, for the place the Emerald was first discovered, the Lost City of Atlantis, the jewel being in the coral growing within the city. The power of the emerald flows within them, for it is one with their bodies. Atlantis is the stronger of the two, using her strength to defeat the testing machines, but she has no mind for puzzles and computers. Coral is smaller, and does not have the immense power like that of her sister, but has such a great mind that she can easily trick anyone or anything, whether it be a machine or a living being. Alone they have their weaknesses, and are not strong enough, but together, they are the ultimate team, able to accomplish anything they set their minds to. I understand that they are not what I'm searching for, and have begun a new project, a project that has so much power that it will be hard to contain. The project was running smoothly at first, but there are some complications, I have decided to name the resulting creature Shadow, that is, if he survives to take his first breath. I need something powerful, something that will help him endure the transfer from the tube............." Rouge was reading, until she was interrupted.
"Stop it!! Stop reading!! I don't want to hear it!!" yelled Shadow, turning away so they couldn't see the tears threatening to spring up in his eyes. Rouge turned the laptop off, shaking her head. Shade stared at his father, whose back was turned to them. Shadow was shaking, he knew that if Rouge had kept reading, eventually the diary would have said something about Maria, and he couldn't bare the thought of hearing about her again.
"Hey, why did we have to run? I thought you liked them, and aren't we sorta friends having been all been made by the Professor?" Coral asked, staring at her sister. They had teleported to a building not far away, and were watching the threesome from a safe distance.
"Coral... Shadow is the Ultimate Lifeform, he may see us as rivals of some sort. Or perhaps even a reminder of Maria.... I know that they were good friends, she certainly was to us." Said Atlantis, glancing at her sister, who aside from size looked just like her. The only differences between them was that Coral wore a small charm bracelet, a bracelet the professor said had been found in the city of Atlantis, and the crescent marks on their head stripes were facing in the opposite directions.
"You mean that girl with the blond hair that was always baking sweets with us? I liked her too, so what's wrong with it?" she asked. The taller hedgehog kept on staring, constantly watchful. "Coral, if he sees us as rivals, he would most likely seek to destroy us. If we are a constant reminder of his painful past, what do you think he would do about that?!" Coral stood up and gazed at her sister.
"I don't want to think about that, what if he doesn't care about that? I lost my laptop in the confusion by the way, we have to find it, I can't live without it, I would go crazy!!" she said, twirling her charms. "Your laptop's down there, it's too risky to try anything!" Atlantis replied. Coral gave her a mischievous look. "Not under the cover of nightfall it isn't." The witty one said, watching the sun beginning to set.
They tiptoed as quietly as possible into the camp, looking for the laptop. Passing Shadow they froze as he shifted in his sleep. "Maria.... no.... leave her alone...." he muttered, turning onto his side. They relaxed as he seemed to fall into a deeper sleep. Coral pointed towards Shade, the laptop setting next to him. Atlantis nodded and walked over to it.
As she bent down to pick it up, Shade's eyes shot open and he grabbed her arm. She didn't move, afraid that he would wake the others. However, he put a finger to his lips and said 'shhhhh'. Shade stood up with the computer, gently pulling her away from the camp. Her sister followed fearfully, knowing that even Atlantis wasn't strong enough to resist his strength.
Once out of hearing distance, Shade turned to them both, a small smile on his face. "I figured that this was yours, and knew that you would come back for it." He said to Coral, handing it to her. She took it without a word, remaining silent. "So, why is it that you're afraid of us? I thought you liked me, we've been going out for a long time." said Shade, turning to Atlantis, a slight sadness to his voice.
The two sisters looked at each other, nodding. Together, they explained everything. "Awww.... You don't have to worry about that! He sees me as a rival, and everytime he looks at me I remind him of my mother. He's learned to deal with it, and seeing that you're both girls he definitely won't hurt you." Shade told them reassuringly.
The female hedgehogs glanced at each other nervously, then suddenly jumped behind him as Shadow and Rouge emerged from the bushes. "Ah, Shade. When you take off, you certainly do move fast, even when hindered. So, have you figured out why they fear us yet?" Shadow asked, edging over and trying to get a better look at the girls hiding behind his son. They moved closer to Shade, watching fearfully. "You won't believe it...." Shade said, shaking his head.
After Shadow insisted he wouldn't hurt them, Atlantis and Coral agreed to join them. They stayed near Shade though, still not entirely believing. The young hedgehog didn't mind this, but he wished they would trust his father a bit more. Especially Atlantis, he'd been in love with her for a long time, and if she couldn't get along with his father… Coral helped them to devise a plan, able to keep track of the Black Arm's forces on her high tech computer.
There were too many to just charge in and destroy, so she suggested that they act as assassins, carefully destroying the leaders one by one, for without them, the lower ranks would just scatter and be easier to pick off. They succeeded the first time, getting rid of one of the Morsentith.
Upon the escape however, they encountered trouble. Coral always hid in the darkness, unable to fight, but her mind was always at work. They were nearly out and away from the city, when a series of bombs went off. The aliens had set explosives on a building to bring it down, and Coral, being away from the others, was directly in its path. She saw this, and was about to use her Chaos Control when a mist came about her. The Black Arms were using chemical weapons, and as she inhaled it, the gas knocked her out. Shadow just finished destroying the first Doom Morsentith and flipped a button on his comlink that Coral had given them for instructions on where the next one was.
"Okay, I'm done. Where's the next one?" he said, glancing at the rubble around him and the smelling alien carcass. Not hearing an answer, he tried again. "Coral, give me some directions, you aren't still afraid of me are you?" Shadow asked, beginning to worry. Still no answer, and this time he knew something was wrong. He moved quickly, arriving just as the building was falling. By now the particle gas had disintegrated, and was useless. He spotted her in the path of the falling structure, and rushed over and used his Chaos Control, teleporting both himself and the unconscious girl as the building crashed where they had been moments before.
"I'm sorry I didn't trust your father sooner...." Atlantis said to Shade, as she watched the remainder of the team huddling around the computer, chatting on the next target. The two sisters had given more trust to Shadow after he had saved Coral's life. "Don't worry about it, you weren't the only one. There was a time when even I didn't believe him about anything." He answered as she took his hand and led him away. They walked until they were out of sight from the others, and then sat down next to each other in the grass. "I'm still curious as to why you've chosen me and not my sister." The female said, the crescent mark on her stripe glowing slightly.
Shade put a hand to her face, caressing her cheek. "Why didn't you like my father instead of me? Some things cannot be explained, why I feel love for you and not someone else, how should I answer that?" the black hedgehog said, lowering his hand onto her shoulder. Atlantis moved closer, allowing him to envelope her in an embrace as she kissed him. They lost their balance, and lay in the grass on their sides holding each other close, lips curled together tightly.
The team had since gone to bed, ignoring Coral's worries of wondering why Shade and Atlantis were missing. "Don't worry about them, they probably just wanted some privacy or something to talk." Shadow said, leaning back on a small bush, closing his eyes and relaxing. "Yeah, he's most likely right." Said Rouge as she flew into a tree and went to sleep.
But the small hedgehog knew better, and she certainly wasn't stupid. Why hadn't her sister invited her along, and why Shade, not Shadow or Rouge? She knew that Atlantis had been dating the black hedgehog for a long time, but she never had found out if they really loved each other or not. Like Shadow, she had been kept in the dark about the whole matter. When she was sure that the others were sleeping, she snuck off in search of them. It wasn't long before she found the two. They were sitting in the grass against a log, snuggling against each other and kissing passionately. Both were facing away from her, but in an angle where she could see what the love-struck hedgehogs were doing.
She watched in shock as her sister allowed the larger male to touch her throat with his lips, her hands curling around his waist. Atlantis trembled as she let her shirt slide off her shoulders so Shade could lick her collarbone. After nearly ten minutes of witnessing this, Coral stared as they stopped for a moment, the female resting her head against the black hedgehog's chest, closing her eyes and licking her lips. Coral edged closer so she could hear them speak. "..........We might want to get back to the others, they might be worried." Shade was saying, as he stroked her face lovingly. Atlantis sat up, nodding. "Yeah, if I know, they still don't know about us really." She said with a laugh
They stood up, holding hands. "You're lucky to have a sister that cares about you like that. I never had a sibling, unless you count Omar, he's always acted like a kid, even though he's not related to me. Flick too." The dark hedgehog said with a sigh. "I don't know what I'd do without her, I love her so much. Flick and Omar hunh? Sound like a pair of tricksters to me, what are they like?" Coral heard her sister saying as she began running back to camp. The small girl didn't want them to know she had invaded their privacy, and planned to act like she was sleeping when they arrived. She knew she should be jealous about her sister finding someone before her, but instead felt happy, and was pleased that Atlantis thought so much about her.