Chapter three

"Rouge!"

The snow-white bat's eyes and ears flicked towards the call. A rose-pink hedgehog was frantically waving at her from across the clearing, her red dress bouncing along with her petite frame as she sat with her group.

The rest of Rouge and Shadow's team were gathered together on the outskirts of the clearing in a huddle; shapes of blue, purple, pink and red nestled together.

"Coming!", called Rouge, returning the pink hedgehog's wave, before turning her attention back to Shadow. "I'm gonna go talk to Amy and those guys, you coming?"

"I thought we were gonna read the mission brief?", Shadow replied, looking up from his communicator, meeting her gaze.

"We will, I just need to see what she wants", she explained, cocking her head to the side in an impatient, questioning manner, as her eyes bore into his. Shadow thought briefly and decided to concede to Rouge's request.

"...Whatever, don't make me stay too long though."

"I would never!", she exclaimed sarcastically, winking at the dark hedgehog as she began to lead him away. Her hand found his wrist as they walked, and she wrapped her hand around it, his velvet obsidian fur crimping gently underneath her grip. Shadow's breath caught in his throat at the sudden contact, Rouge had been oddly affectionate lately. And he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"You've been awfully touchy today, Bat."

"So?"

"Just, strange… is all."

"Do you want me to stop?", Rouge asked, coyly, her boots padding softly along the clearing's dirt floor.

"...Not if you don't want to", he mumbled, twisting his gaze elsewhere so he didn't have to stare into those eyes of hers.

"I won't then", she aloofly replied, shrugging her shoulders as she flashed her dark companion a dazzling smile.

Shadow's eyes flicked up, taking his attention away from Rouge. Their short stroll had been cut short as they reached their destination. A smouldering campfire stood in the middle of them all, with freshly chopped wooden benches laid out on either side where the four figures were seated.

"Hey Shadow! Wassup Rouge?", called a familiar voice. Sonic. The blue hedgehog was already smirking at the pair, more so at Shadow, subtly pointing towards their hands with his index finger as he tried, and failed, to contain his erupting giggles.

"Shush, Blue", Rouge hissed, rolling her eyes at Sonic as she quickly released her grip from Shadow's wrist, much to the hedgehog's disappointment.

The beautiful bat turned her attention towards the rest of the group. The hopeful, smiling faces of Amy-Rose, Espio, Knuckles, and Sonic were a pleasant and familiar sight that immediately put the ebony and ivory mobians at ease. This little group had been through a lot together, despite any differences or… reservations, they held for one another.

"Rouge!", squealed Amy as she hurriedly stood up and rushed towards the bat, her red dress floating gently in the warm breeze.

"Amy!", Rouge exclaimed, holding her arms out to embrace her friend- she had only seen her the night before, but each girl understood the other perfectly. Hanging around with only guys got exhausting sometimes.

Rouge felt a little guilty for not coming to the campfire the previous night, but her time with Shadow was so enjoyable she decided it was worth it- and besides, Amy wouldn't have been bored by the others anyway, Knuckles and Sonic were easily her best friends in their little group, and she liked Espio fine as well. The only person Amy wasn't super close with was Shadow, who could be a little… maybe a lot… standoffish and cold at times, even when he meant well. Amy was a very friendly person, and she and Shadow's drastically contrasting personalities were simply the opposite.

Rouge, on the other hand, could alter her personality and presentation to whatever the situation required of her, meaning that she could simply mould herself into becoming anyone's perfect partner, perfect friend, perfect anything. A master of manipulation, sleight of hand, martial arts, and speed. Perhaps that was why the commander and so many others looked up to her. She was easily the highest-ranking female agent at G.U.N, only a few ranks below the commander himself- she had proven herself time and time again, resilience and resourcefulness were key to a lady's survival in this modern world.

However, it did create somewhat of an obstacle for the pearl-furred bat, an identity crisis if you would. Having so many different versions of herself for so many different people was exhausting, and it begged the question- 'Who is Rouge The Bat?'. A simple query such as this shouldn't have stumped the girl for as long as this had. She was too intelligent, witty, and charismatic to be struggling with something so trivial and straightforward. That was what she told herself anyway, perhaps her ego was something of a coping mechanism to shield herself from these complicated and harmful thoughts.

Maybe that's why she found so much comfort in Shadow: she could be her true self around him- as chatty, charming, and occasionally annoying as she wished to be- and he would gladly let her, as well as welcome her company with open arms. He wasn't judgemental- well, at least not towards her- and he could formulate such beautiful sentences that resonated so deeply within her that they appeared to attach themselves to her very being, becoming a part of her. His wondrous way with words combined with his intellect and mysterious essence was the entire reason she felt such a connection, his handsome face was merely just helpful in her attraction… the same attraction that constantly drove her to distraction.

The hedgehog didn't have to worry about such trivial things as his identity, he knew what he was created for, and what his new prerogative was- he displayed an incredible sense of free will, making every single decision in a split second- but Rouge knew that his mind was as fast as a whip, and he had certainly already thought every decision through perfectly in a matter of moments. Admiration coerced through her as she thought fondly of him, her closest friend and ally, a true partner. He didn't let his horrific past weigh him down… most of the time anyway… and she decided to find inspiration in her friend, and follow in his actions.

She was Rouge The Bat, a girl who had overcome many great struggles in her life and had become stronger because of them: she was fearless, she was a fighter, a mastermind, a schemer, a huntress. But most of all she was a person who cared deeply for her friends, even though she rarely showed it. A determined and elusive soul, a wielder of incredible strength and spirit. She was a warrior, a treasure hunter, a spy, a thief, and most importantly… a heroine. She could be multiple versions of herself without breaking off from her true identity, each version she created would just be another great addition to her vast library of personalities and identities, but as long as she knew who she was at her core, what did all the false personas matter?

The hug hit her quickly and solidly, and Amy's smaller body flung loosely as the two girls embraced each other. Physical touch was Amy's way of showing her appreciation and love, whereas Rouge felt awkward and unbelievably small when faced with such a thing. Sure, she liked touching people- holding hands for example- but in small dosages, this hug was quite a large quantity of physical touch for the bat, but she would endure it for Amy's sake.

Amy was the only other female agent in her department and the pair had become fast friends, bonding easily over such trivial things women love to discuss: clothing, style, missions, politics, make-up, weapons… y'know, the usual stuff. Truthfully, Rouge hadn't had many female friends before Amy-Rose, not any close ones anyway, and she had been unsure of how to act around her- being around men was easy, as even making light and boring conversation would enthral them, simply because of her striking looks. She felt she could actually discuss important matters with her without being stared at, or practically groped by a gaze- which was how most conversations with unfamiliar men went. It wasn't that she minded much, the flattery was nice once in a while, but when it happened almost every single time she bothered to engage with a male stranger, the charm eventually wore off.

"Err… Amy?", said a skeptical-looking Sonic, raising an eye ridge as he stared at the hugging girls. Rouge appeared to be turning several shades of red and blue as the hug tightened.

"Huh?", she chirped back, lifting her head from Rouge's shoulder to look back at him.

"Can she breathe?..."

"Uh- Oops!", Amy cried, quickly releasing the deflated bat woman before she passed out. "Didn't mean to cut off your circulation, Rouge!"

"-It's… Fine", Rouge gasped, coughing wildly as she attempted to make herself look somewhat presentable- a somewhat fruitless quest that would only end in annoyance and exasperation- but one that she would attempt anyway. The pleasant- yet unwanted- sound of a deep snicker caught the bat's attention as she pulled herself together.

"Blue's a good look on you", teased a grinning Kuckles, smirking recklessly at the panting bat.

"At least I can pull it off!", she shot back, playfully sticking her tongue out towards the echidna.

She and Knuckles were long-time friends, they had even gone out a couple of times, but it had been clear from the beginning that their contrasting personalities were not suited for each other, at least romantically speaking, and their personal relationship hadn't gone very far. In normal conversation the echidna was surprisingly interesting, and always seemed to come up with both amusing and interesting topics to discuss. She appreciated that he didn't treat her like a slab of meat, and viewed her as a person, a valuable asset, not just a thing to admire.

"Hah! Hardly", Knuckles grinned, flashing his sharp fangs.

"How 'bout I come over there and make you purple instead!", she teasingly threatened, outstretching a menacing hand towards the echidna, a mischievous grin twisting onto her glossy lips.

"Nope, I'm good!", he nervously chuckled, putting his spiked mitts upwards in surrender.

"That's what I thought", the bat smirked, basking in the glory of his defeat.

"Hmph", he grumbled, folding his arms and turning his head in child-like defiance. The purple chameleon sitting next to him chuckled, patting his back in consolation of his failed jab.

"Rouge?", the chameleon said, turning towards the bat.

"Yeah, Espio?"

The purple chameleon was also quite a close friend of Rouge's- both had similar fighting styles that mostly consisted of martial arts and specialised weapons: his kunai for example, and her vast array of bombs and explosives. They often trained together as their strengths and weaknesses complemented each other, creating an enjoyable way to improve as fighters.

"The commander, as well as Sonic and Amy, told us what happened yesterday… are you quite alright?", Espio asked, a mildly concerned expression plastered across his handsome features. In his gloved hands, he held a kunai- sharpened to perfection. Every so often he would flip the knife and twist it in his grip, a subtle display of his admirable skills.

"Oh yes, don't worry about me, I'm fine", Rouge replied, tossing her hand in a dismissive gesture. "In fact, me and Shadow have a little assignment to explore this place for a few days- so we should be able to find all the weird and wonderful secrets this jungle has to offer."

Rouge nudged Shadow in the side to prompt him to join in on the conversation. He not-so-politely growled at her in response, before begrudgingly conceding to the bat's wishes. He was finding it more and more difficult to refuse her these days.

"Yup", the hedgehog said flatly, his expression as blank and bored as possible. Rouge wondered if he ever practised that face, in a mirror or something, as even in the most inappropriate of times, he would hold that exact, plain, endlessly bored, expression.

"We were actually just about to go read the mission brief, but that can wait- right Shad?"

Rouge knew that Shadow was not enjoying this nearly as much as she was, but she also wanted to have him participate a little- lighten up so to speak. But alas, his lips remained a straight line, and his face still carried his signature, bored frown, with his scarlet eyes fixated on her.

"Actually, Rouge… I think we should get going soon", he sneered, it sounded like a request, but his tone of voice made it come off as more of a demand- an order.

"Fine, fine", Rouge quickly replied, not wanting to cause a scene, and waved an elegant hand towards him submissively. "Whatever you want, my dear."

"'Dear'?!", exclaimed Sonic- he practically jumped out of his skin as he heard the bat's pet name for the dark hedgehog. As if it was that shocking. She had nicknames for everyone!

"Yeah, so?", she aloofly replied, crossing her arms out of spite. "Got an issue, Blue?"

"No, no. It's just… hilarious!", he blurted, now in fits of giggles for no apparent reason. The blue blur was laughing so much he had essentially collapsed, and was only stabilised by Amy, who- with slight difficulty- was helpfully holding on to him to keep him upright.

"Sonic!", Amy grumbled, feigning a look of annoyance towards her blue friend- he didn't notice through his laughter of course, but her effort was nice. Of course, the pink heroine didn't particularly mind holding onto him, not that she could ever admit to it.

"Sorry Ames", he chuckled, wiping tears of joy from his eyes as he regained his usual stature.

"I honestly don't get what's so funny, Sonic", Shadow said, irritated. He tilted his head towards the blue hedgehog, an expression of annoyance clouding his face.

"Don't worry Shadow", Sonic smirked, patting his 'friend' on the arm in a sarcastic gesture. "You'll understand someday."

The dark hedgehog scowled in irritation and a touch of confusion. "Whatever…"

"You go around calling me Rougey, and Amy Ames, so why can't I call Shadow dear?", Rouge exclaimed, crossing her arms and narrowing her gaze towards the azure hedgehog.

"Those are just abbreviations, calling someone 'dear', is a lot different… Rougey." His mischievous smirk did not waver, and there was something about it that was so incredibly infuriating.

"My! You are getting on my last nerve!-"

"-Calm down, Rouge. He's only looking for a reaction", Espio helpfully added, absentmindedly tossing his kunai upwards in an arc, only to catch it with ease. The compact blade caught the sun in its perfectly mirrored surface, the edge was almost as thin as a sheet of paper.

"Damn Espio! Keep that thing away from my face dude!", cried Knuckles, suddenly panicked and shuffling away from the chameleon, a mild look of terror plastered on his face.

"Sorry Knux, didn't know you were deathly afraid of knives", the chameleon joked, a light chuckle escaping his mouth. He spun the bottom of the kunai along his finger before swiftly sheathing it back into his leather pouch- which was filled with a myriad of other dangerous weapons not to be trifled with.

"I am not!", the echidna growled, narrowing his eyes at his friend. "I would just rather keep my eyeballs, thank you very much."

"Touchè", Espio smirked.

"So Amy, what did you want me over here for?", Rouge asked, smiling at the pink hedgehog brightly.

"To catch up, obviously!"

"I only saw you yesterday!"

"Yeah, but- hanging out with just guys gets boring", Amy sighed, turning her gaze to the side as she eyed some of the boys' behaviour. Sonic was currently antagonising Shadow about something petty, while Shadow looked just about ready to stab him, and Knuckles was busy giving a bored-looking Espio a speech on knife safety.

"They always end up going back to the same old conversations if you leave 'em long enough", the rose hedgehog giggled, raising a gloved hand up to her mouth to cover her laughter.

"So what you're saying is… I'm totally cooler, and a million times more interesting than them?", Rouge joked sarcastically, grinning at her friend.

"Hah! Totally!", she agreed, nodding swiftly.

The two girls began to break down into floods of laughter, giggles so loud in fact- they appeared to disrupt the men's various 'important' conversations.

"What's so funny?", Sonic asked, raising an eye ridge in a questioning manner as he turned his gaze towards the girls.

"Nothing…", Amy replied, hardly able to stifle her laughter long enough to speak.

"Yeah. Nothing", the bat snickered, clapping a hand over her mouth to stop her giggles from spilling out.

"What?", the echidna grunted, somewhat annoyed that his very informative knife safety speech had been cut short thanks to these girls' annoyingly loud antics.

"Just…", Amy began, giving Rouge a quick side-eye and a mutual grin.

"...Girl stuff", the bat finished. That would be sure to shut them up for a moment.

Sonic and Knuckles took on exaggerated, sarcastic expressions of disgust and irritation, along with spouting various words of dislike and scorn. Espio and Shadow simply rolled their eyes, both at Sonic and Knuckles, as well as the girls.

"Rouge", said Shadow, glancing down at his communicator briefly. "This brief isn't gonna read itself."

Rouge got the hint this time. Nice.

"Alright guys!", Rouge called, grabbing everyone's attention. "It's been great catching up, but Shadow and I must be off, we got mission shit to do!"

"Ooh, lucky, I've been stuck in paperwork for ages!", Amy exclaimed, clasping her hands together excitedly. "Good luck you two!"

"Thanks, Amy, we'll cya later", Rouge replied, waving at the pink hedgehog with a brilliant smile on her face. It was always nice catching up, even if it was brief.

"Bye", Shadow said, flatly. A poor attempt at being friendly, but an attempt at least. The only people he actually enjoyed spending time with were Espio and Rouge; Sonic got on his nerves, Amy was irritating most of the time, and while he had a degree of respect for Knuckles, the two weren't exactly what you would describe as 'friends'. Shadow knew he had a bit of a jarring personality, and his ego was also kinda out of whack, but he got along fine with certain types of people- Rouge and Espio for example. He found himself drawn to more quiet, dangerous types, or ones who shared parts of his personality, his opinions, or his interests. The bat and the chameleon ticked all of these boxes: dangerous, callous, sly, cunning, ruthless- and each had a knack for witty sarcastic jabs he thoroughly enjoyed partaking in. Especially Rouge for that last one. Perhaps that was why he was so fond of her.

"Cya Shadow", called Espio, giving the hedgehog a knowing glance. Shadow nodded back in mutual appreciation, the corners of his mouth edged upwards in a slight smirk.

"C'mon, Shad, briefing time!", Rouge tittered, poking her companion's side to get his attention.

"Yeah, yeah. Hands off", he replied, swatting at the bat's gloved fingers in mild irritation.

"Fine. Just so you can look all tough, huh?"

"Shush", he grumbled, suddenly grabbing Rouge's wrist and forcefully dragging her away from the group- he could already hear Sonic's incessant, (and slightly maniacal), giggles starting up again. Great.

"Ow!", she yelped, attempting to release herself from his iron grip- to no avail. "You're a lot stronger than me you know!"

"Yeah, duh." He rolled his eyes, but his slightly curled upper lip gave away his suppressed chuckle. Luckily she didn't see it, as she was still busy struggling against his impenetrable grasp.

"Ugh, and you said I was being handsy today."

"You were, I'm simply returning the sentiment", Shadow replied, making a beeline for the edge of the clearing, preparing to go further into the forest.

"How cute", she sneered, her eyelids dropping into an irritated scowl, as the bat relinquished her struggle and allowed the dark hedgehog to pull her along the ground helplessly.

"Giving up?"

"Not giving up, this is a tactical retreat."

"Totally."

"Shut up… edgy hedgy!", she shot, a look of triumph etched across her alluring features. That was sure to make him angry.

"Huh…", he began- deciding to not give the bat what she wanted. His annoyance would only please her. "Well, at least it's better than 'emo'." Yes, that was sure to infuriate her.

He shrugged his shoulders as he got ready to enter the rainforest, gently peeling back the thick layers of palm leaves in order to embark through the jungle. Rouge, on the other hand, was now one pissed-off bat. Her glare was so sharp it could slice through diamonds, and the scowl she held was so severe it put the average dirty look to shame.

"Ugh… You're so-"

"-So what?", he abruptly cut in, a surprisingly playful tone lapping his deep, smooth, voice. A tone that caught the bat off guard.

"-Well, I was going to say… insufferable. But that would only feed your ego, wouldn't it?", Rouge answered, in a dismissive, faintly annoyed tone, feigning boredom.

"You know me so well."

"Obviously, now c'mon- give me my wrist back", she asked, giving a meek tug at her arm as she attempted to bargain with its captor.

"I think you've learnt your lesson", Shadow replied, suddenly relinquishing his grip- causing the ivory bat to topple into the mossy undergrowth, unwittingly.

"Hey!", she sniped, immediately sitting up and glaring towards her suddenly impolite partner.

"What? I dragged you all the way here, and now you kick up a fuss when I drop you?"

"I know you're not that dense Shadow. It's rude to drop a lady." She turned and narrowed her gaze in defiance, pouting her lips as she awaited her rightful apology- it would be lucky if she got one, but one she wanted anyway.

"It's also rude to poke a man", he said, sarcastically. His eye ridges were lifted ever so slightly in amusement, and the bat's annoyed expression only seemed to make the whole situation funnier.

"...It appears we are at an impasse", Rouge sighed, passively folding her arms as she stared at him, turquoise eyes meeting scarlet.

"And it appears… the lady is grovelling on the floor", Shadow teased, a full-on smirk dissolving onto his handsome features. He was actually tempted to laugh- for once, but he also didn't want the bat to get any outrageous ideas that he was somehow different around her. He was- of course- but he didn't want her to know that. That wouldn't do at all.

"A joke!", she exclaimed, all anger disappeared as her dazzling smile parted through her glossy lips. Maybe he should be funny more often, so he could see that smile more.

"You better savour it, Rouge- it won't be happening again, for a while."

"I doubt that, you've made me laugh at least twice in twenty-four hours now", Rouge replied, her smile was brilliant and shining, and the mischievous glint had returned to her eyes- thankfully.

"Now, would the lady like a hand?" He reached down towards her, expecting the bat to gladly accept his unusual gesture. However- she twisted out of his reach and went back to scowling at him, as well as sitting in the dirt. "What?", Shadow pressed, growing exasperated with her unpredictability.

"You sure you aren't gonna drag me again?", she sourly asked, narrowing her eyes in suspicion towards the dark hedgehog.

"Positive."

"Fine."

Rouge gingerly took his hand in hers, and she was pleasantly surprised at how easily he managed to yank her back upright. He held his strength in his arms, while she held hers in her legs.

"Ugh, now my outfit's all dusty." She dropped his hand- his stomach flipped at the empty, lonesome feeling left by its fleeting presence. How curious.

"What a shame, how on earth will you manage?" Another sarcastic jab. Damn. Rouge must have really been rubbing off on him.

"You are so amusing." Rouge warily inspected her catsuit, the condition was not exactly favourable, but she was a long way away from a washing machine- so a quick brush-off was going to have to do.

"Oh?", Shadow questioned, urging Rouge the elaborate.

"You're surprised?"

"Slightly."

"How come?", she asked, sliding her gloved hands down her thighs to rid herself of some of the unwanted dust and dirt clinging to her body.

"Not exactly an adjective I would use to describe myself."

"Well, my dear Shadow, it's one I would use. I have many I would use, actually", she said, a deliciously sultry smirk painting her gorgeous gaze, encapturing Shadow in its warm, heavy grasp- it demanded to be seen, to be appreciated. His lungs appeared to collapse in its wake, constricting in his chest. What an odd feeling…

"Many?" It was the only word he could possibly muster given the circumstances. But he managed to keep his voice at its normal, unbothered tenor, though it threatened to break.

"Hmm… let me see…", Rouge began, thankfully letting her gaze travel away from his, as she thoughtfully looked upwards into the luscious, green, canopy. Sadly, he couldn't seem to break his gaze away from her, what was becoming of him?

"I would describe you as… thoughtful, courageous", she paused, her aqua eyes tittering towards him for only a moment, but he caught the look anyway. She must have noticed him staring as the bat only seemed to grow more amused. "And simply… fathomless."

"Damn", he breathed.

"Can't stand my adoration, huh?", she teased, grinning at him eagerly, flashing her pearly white fangs at the hedgehog. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his usual 'cool and collected' demeanour around this girl.

"Oh, I can stand it all right", he quickly replied, turning away so she couldn't see the slight redness forming along his muzzle. He could stand a degree of embarrassment and degradation from the bat, but he also knew that she would be merciless if she saw it.

"Always such a tease Shadow", she sighed, a distant and somewhat antagonised lilt laced her voice, as if he had said something wrong.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Why did it have to be you?", she muttered quietly under her breath, so softly that the hedgehog hardly caught what she said. He still did- but it was bordering a tenor of which he couldn't.

"What?-"

"-Well… any words for me?", Rouge interrupted- changing the subject.

"...Perhaps."

"Oh, joy", she dryly replied, taking to examining her hands as she absentmindedly occupied herself. Shadow wanted to see her smile again.

"Well, with that attitude, you'll never hear them", he teased, the corners of his mouth edging upwards ever so slightly. A half grin, if you would.

"Fine, tell me." The bat rolled her eyes playfully, taking her concern from her hands, back to him. As it should be.

"I'll tell you as we walk."

"Where are you taking me this time?"

"Wherever we end up", Shadow replied, beginning to take his companion deeper into the forest, taking the lead as she followed closely behind him. Her footsteps were deathly silent, and if he hadn't known she was behind him, he probably never would have- her skill was admirable- as were many of her qualities.

The glorious forest opened up before them: vivaciously green vines snaked across the huge thousand-year-old trees, their amber trunks were knobbly and thick, with tiny little patches of mushrooms and foliage sprinkled throughout. The scene was simply breathtaking, and the mobians grew suddenly jealous of all the curious creatures who called this Mystic Jungle home.

"So?...", she pressed, tittering expectantly behind him as the bat followed him.

"...Resourceful, reliable… elusive." Those words seemed fitting.

"My. That's about as close to a compliment I'm ever going to get from you isn't it?", she joked, chuckling gently as she expertly stepped about the earthy undergrowth. The sound of her laugh lit up something within him, and he wasn't sure why.

"It was a compliment… was it not?"

"Hmm, I guess it was. How exciting! A compliment from the ultimate lifeform!", she exclaimed, as she caught up with her speedy companion, now walking next to him.

"Hmpf, and don't get used to that either."

"I wouldn't dare." And she called him a tease.

"Something tells me you would."

"You, my dear, are probably right", she mused, delicately coiling a lock of her white hair around her finger, the filtered rainforest light appeared to make her look even more radiant than usual- if that was physically possible.

"See something you like, Shad?", Rouge teased, batting her long fluttering eyelashes. She noticed his stare. Damn it.

"Only something I'm mildly fond of", Shadow aloofly replied, once again having to hide the slight blush uncomfortably forming along his snout. All this blushing would never do. And what the hell did it mean?

"You're fond of me?", she cried, beaming as she clasped her hands together excitedly, her violet wings flapped graciously in elation. It was odd how a single word could bring out so much of a reaction from her.

"Mildly." He repeated, emphasising his only slight partiality towards the bat. It wasn't true that his liking of the bat was 'mild', but Rouge could never know that.

"Sure, sure. But we both know that's not true." Seeing right through his facade, again. God damn it.

"Whatever."

"No need to be shy around me, I promise I won't tell a soul if you secretly adore me", she teased, in a joking, sarcastic manner.

If only she knew that it wasn't a joke.

Impossible.

"It's odd how you called me the enigma last night." Where did that come from?

"Oh? How so?", she asked, surprised at his sudden conversation change.

A beat passed before he spoke.

"You are truly the most puzzling person I have ever met, Rouge."

"..."

A second beat.

"It is not I who is the enigma, for it is you."

Shadow quickly flitted his gaze beside him, towards her. The bat's cyan eyes held a questioning, concerned look inside them. A hint of turmoil clouded her steely gaze. All Shadow wanted to do, at that moment, was to take all of her troubles, lock them away, and swallow the key, so they would never be seen again.

"...Perhaps you are right, once again", she muttered, tilting her head to the left. It grew dangerously close to his shoulder.

"I meant what I said last night, about 'unlocking your secrets'", he murmured, but he knew she would hear it.

"As did I… but you know what I noticed?"

"What?"

"I know all of yours. Or at least most of them. And you know none of mine." That was true. The elusive bat rarely talked about anything of her past, and neither did he- to be fair- but she already knew his whole backstory, due to her being an integral part of it and all. But it wasn't as if he had bothered to ask her. Perhaps he should.

"I would like to learn your secrets… your past. If you would allow me to", Shadow admitted. Saying such things wasn't easy for the hedgehog, but he imagined the result would be well worth his while.

"Perhaps if you were to ask me at a more appropriate time", Rouge replied, a hint of jest carried in her words. At least she was okay.

"Of course, I'll keep that in mind."

"Spring the question over a candlelit dinner- for example. Or perhaps a midnight picnic", she pondered, smiling as she imagined the cute little situations she found herself indulging in.

"...Maybe."

"Ooh! That wasn't a no!", she cried, clapping her hands happily.

"Wasn't a yes either", the hedgehog added, smirking handsomely towards the ivory bat. She scrunched up her nose at him, narrowing her eyes and dropping her eyelids amorously.

"You play with my heart, Shadow the Hedgehog", Rouge mused, imitating a stake being plunged into her chest sarcastically, sticking her tongue out and rolling her eyes back to show her symbolic "death".

"Why wouldn't one want to play with a heart such as yours?", he smoothly said. Where the hell did that come from?

"How poetic!", she exclaimed. "I wonder how many other women you've said that too."

"Only you", he said, the truth. No other woman compared to this one.

"Well, I for one, am truly flattered."

"Good."

"You have such a way with words", the bat gently sighed, looking up at the dark hedgehog from his side. Her aqua eyes were dizzyingly captivating.

"...If you say so", he said, managing to keep his face unreadable. Not letting anything slip.

"You never can accept my praise, can you?", she muttered, rolling her eyes sarcastically. A soft grin on her glossy lips.

"I can accept it fine, it's responding I have difficulty with", Shadow admitted. The bat pleasantly chucked, lifting a hand towards her mouth as her eyes closed into happy squints.

"You have a lot to learn, my dear."

"Everyone keeps saying that", he mumbled. An annoyance was beginning to bubble up inside of him. What business did all these people have in telling him what he 'had' to learn?

"Maybe because it's true", Rouge said, cocking her head to the side.

"But what is there left to learn?", he growled, clenching up his fists in irritation. Waves of anger were beginning to resonate within the dark hedgehog. He hated this feeling- of being arrogantly oblivious to some unknown subject.

"Are you sure you really want to know? I'm not sure you'll like it…", the bat warned, raising an eye ridge in scepticism.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure I'll know enough to get an idea", he stubbornly pressed, steadfast in getting the elusive information out of the bat.

"Oh- I know you don't know enough at all", she smirked, her eyelids lowered into her signature sultry gaze. "I think you could though. One day."

"Could?", Shadow questioned, catching the ivory bats' eye as they continued through the jungle.

"If you gave it a chance", she aloofly replied, shrugging her shoulders.

"So tell me- what is it that you and Sonic are going on about?" He was close to getting it. He knew the bat was about to spill.

"To put it as simply as possible-"

"-Yes?", he cut in, eyes growing wide in anticipation.

Rouge paused, narrowing her eyes at her companion in mild irritation.

A moment passed.

"-Love."

Love. Of course.

"...Love", he breathed, the hedgehog's voice deep and raspy, lacking its usual smooth and confident tenor. The bat noticed this, offering him a consoling pat on the arm. It wasn't much- but she knew that anything more would be overwhelming. The dark man appeared to be lost in thought, his body still moving with hers, but his eyes were glazed over in a muted haze. It concerned her. Had this been the right thing to do?

Shadow's brain was working overtime- so many thoughts and newfound ideas were circling around his mind, it was an unwanted trouble to sort through them all, especially now- when he was in close proximity to her. He had always known about the concept of love, it wasn't something that particularly interested him, but Maria had often told him about a selection of old romantic fairy tales, and he would listen to her read them just to spend time with her.

Maria.

He knew he had loved her, so, so dearly. She was his sister, his first friend, his first love- the first being he truly felt something akin towards. But he hadn't been in love with her, no. Not in the romantic sense. Maria was his family, and she had been his everything- his closest companion in the lonely first few years of his life. And now she was gone. Stripped away from him like a petal whisked away in a ravenous, monstrous hurricane. The only thing she could possibly be compared with were things of purity, of beauty, of perfection. A petal seemed fitting.

But her death would not be in vain. He would never give up on accomplishing her dying wish, even if it took a millennium- or even a thousand light years. He would never give up… and most importantly- never, turn back.

He wasn't sure what being in love even entailed, besides the few tropes those gushy romance stories the young girl had always raved about usually had- there was always a damsel in distress and some prince charming archetype dropping everything in order to save her. It didn't seem that was the likely reality. Actual love seemed to be a lot more complicated, and a lot sweeter.

He wondered if what Rouge had said was true- that he could potentially learn what it was all about. And what was her insinuation? She hadn't deemed him- the ultimate life form- incapable of love, so why should he think that? Her opinion meant a lot more to him than she knew. But why was that?

Perhaps she meant a lot more to him than he knew.

He remembered how Maria would always titter about finding her own 'prince charming', a guy who would sweep her off her feet and make her the happiest girl in the world. Marriage, kids, the whole thing. Shadow had never really understood it, but he was just happy that she was happy. Now, looking back, the hedgehog knew that Maria's poor health condition meant that she would have never survived past her youth. She was simply too sick. He had noticed her declining condition during the first two years of his life, but she never let it bother her too greatly- he remembered those wonderful days like they were only yesterday- but he knew those days were long gone. Almost fifty-five years ago now. It was terrifying how fast time seemed to fly by, even if he hadn't been conscious for most of it. But even the five short years he had been conscious for had appeared to slip by at an alarmingly fast rate.

And he hadn't aged a single day.

Gerald had always suspected it. Immortality. A burden he would carry for the rest of his eternal life. A burden he would honour by keeping peace and avenging the innocent. A perfect destiny. Except… for her.

She would die.

In a while of course, but still. When she died, he would be all alone again. And Shadow wasn't sure if he could take another hurt like that.

But perhaps it would be worth it, in the end. There was only one way to find out.

Maybe he would give this 'love' thing a try.