Jealous (pt. 1)

The Commander had called Team Dark in for an investigation of a crime scene on a moderately sunny afternoon. On the inside, Shadow's blood was boiling, but on the outside he knew he had to keep a stoic expression to not blow his cover. It was the jewelry store he had assisted Rouge in looting the other day. Some G.U.N. officers were talking to the employees of the store. They looked absolutely distraught and one had even broken down into tears. Usually, Shadow would just brush this off. He thought that showing such emotions were signs of weakness. But inside of him, there was nobility and an obligation to help people whenever he could. It was what Maria would have wanted, after all. But those tears… Those tears that employee was shedding was partially because of him. He helped Rouge rob the jewelry store. He was partly responsible for causing that sadness. And it made him upset. He looked to his side at the ivory bat standing next to him. She looked just like he did, calm and collected. Her face was a mask… or was it? Did she feel as guilty as he did? Or did she feel nothing at all?

Feeling his red eyes on her, Rouge turned to look at him.

"What's going on in that big, handsome head of yours?" She asked sensuously.

He didn't respond for a moment, trying to read her expression. He could never tell with her. Right now, she was flirting. Shamelessly flirting. It was despicable; she always flirted no matter where they were. Whether they were on missions and had to save lives, or at G.U.N. headquarters doing paperwork, or even when they stopped for food in the middle of their missions… she was ALWAYS using her body and charms to get some sort of reward. But what reward was there here? Did she do it simply to get a rise out of him?

"Do you care about anyone besides yourself?" He hissed, feeling angry all of a sudden. He wished he never apologized for implying that she was a slut; he wished he had never helped her rob the store. It simply wasn't worth it.

She frowned, not liking his attitude.

"Whoa there hedgehog." She said.

"Don't call me that." He said.

"Why are you so angry all of a sudden? I asked you an innocent question." She said, batting her eyelashes.

"I asked you an innocent question, so answer it." He demanded.

Rouge sighed. She knew exactly what this was about. Shadow had let his eyes linger on the frail female that was being interrogated by the G.U.N. officers. He felt guilty about it. But she didn't. After years of thieving she began to realize that she didn't care much for how her 'victims' felt towards her crimes. Her father had told her when she was younger that it was a 'dog eat dog' world. You either eat or get eaten. And Rouge's goal was to be at the top of the food chain.

"I care about jewels." She said.

"Hmph." He said, crossing his arms. He should have known she would say that. It was foolish of him to believe, even for a fleeting moment that there was perhaps more to the bat than just jewelry. Sure, she acted nice to most people, but that was mainly to get something she wanted.

He noticed Omega right at the front of the entrance to the store. It had been a few weeks since he'd seen his robotic friend, so he was eager to greet him. He was always more fond of Omega than Rouge, if truth be told. He felt like he could relate to Omega, since they were both creations and were conceived by the Robotniks. He considered Omega to be his best 'robot' friend while Rouge simply held the title of 'best friend,' which was partially because he didn't feel the need to tolerate anyone else. Still, he cared for both of them and prioritized their safety over anyone else's.

"GREETINGS, SHADOW. ARE YOU READY FOR THE INVESTIGATION?" Omega greeted his dark ally amiably.

Shadow smirked, giving his friend a nod. He had missed hearing the robot's cold, metallic voice.

"Sure am. This should be an interesting case."

"PROBABLY NOT THAT INTERESTING. WE WILL MOST LIKELY FINISH WITH PLENTY OF TIME TO SPARE. AFTER ALL, I AM THE ULTIMATE ROBOT. THIS CASE WILL BE NO PROBLEM FOR ME."

Shadow rolled his eyes, his competitive spirit flaring up at the robot's thinly veiled challenge.

"Oh yeah? Well I'm the Ultimate Lifeform, and I'm pretty sure I'll find more clues than you will."

"IS THAT A CHALLENGE?" Omega asked, but he knew damn well that it was.

"It better not be," Rouge said, walking up to the hedgehog and robot. "Whoever looted this joint was very skilled. We probably won't find many clues." She winked at Shadow, who simply scoffed and turned the other way.

"HELLO ROUGE." Omega greeted his bat friend warmly... or as warmly as a robot could. Rouge smiled and stepped forward, her gloved fingers clasping onto one of Omega's metal claws.

"I've missed you Omega. How have you been? Has G.U.N. been wearing you out?"

"NEVER. ROBOTS ARE POWERFUL AND UNSTOPPABLE. I WOULD NEVER BE EXHAUSTED BY ONE OR TWO MISSIONS."

Shadow could hear the robot's head crane to face him.

"UNLIKE CERTAIN CREATURES."

Shadow immediately looked back at Omega, trying his best to keep Rouge out of his line of sight.

"Oh, it's on." He said.

Once they were given the 'okay,' by the officers, they entered the jewelry store.

Omega looked around carefully, inspecting every detail of the store. The front was, of course, just as it had been yesterday. Shadow and Rouge were well aware of this. Unfortunately the employees had been paranoid and fully convinced of the idea that the thief (or in this case, thieves) managed to snag a couple of jewels in the front of the store while their backs were turned, so Team Dark had to investigate everywhere.

Rouge said nothing to Shadow, simply pretending to look for clues as to what could have happened. The hedgehog stared at her for a moment. He was mainly focusing on her face. He had never seen anybody with a better poker face than Rouge. She looked like she was really intent on finding out who could have possibly robbed the place. She showed no remorse for making the employees cry, and she didn't even seem scared of the consequences. Any other person would have been quivering over the thought of getting caught. Sometimes Shadow couldn't help feeling confused by Rouge's actions. She was a spy for the government and a dirty thief at the same time. He couldn't believe that he almost felt excitement for what he helped her do just the other day. She turned around, looking at a ruby necklace shielded with a glass display. Her back was facing him, so he could no longer stare at her. However, now he had a view of her perfect ass.

No. He told himself adamantly, turning away. He wasn't going to stare. He couldn't help remembering the first day he came over to her house, when she kicked out that ridiculous hedgehog. He remembered seeing her body. He remembered seeing all her curves and studying her smooth tan skin. It looked so healthy and radiant, there wasn't a single flaw. No scars or bruises or blemishes. It was incredible. How could someone so skilled in martial arts and constantly fighting dangerous foes not have any bruises? Maybe she made a habit of hiding them well.

He allowed his eyes to give her one last look. His eyes mainly focused on her large, toned bottom. Other than Rouge, Shadow rarely ever enjoyed the company of women. At least, not since Maria died. When he worked alongside faker he had to deal with Amy, the annoying pink hedgehog. With Amy, her little rabbit friend Cream seemed to be a package deal as well. But out of all the females Shadow knew, Rouge was the most fascinating, alluring, and developed of them all. He couldn't help but gaze upon her beauty (and booty), even if he wasn't happy with her lies, selfishness, and deceit.

"SHADOW. WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ROUGE LIKE THAT?" Omega suddenly materialized beside the hedgehog, who jumped, startled by the robot's question.

The curvy bat's ears twitched and she turned around, her aqua eyes staring at Shadow. She was shocked.

"… Let's just get on with this." He muttered. "The main scene is in the back."

A few hours later…

The sky was a beautiful shade of orange as the sun prepared to set, and a grumpy hedgehog, a smug bat, and an indifferent robot were entering the living room of a well-kempt apartment. After being humiliated by Omega for ogling over Rouge's body, Shadow decided to speed up the agonizingly slow process for the investigation. Like Rouge predicted, they didn't find many clues, considering she was wise enough to cover all her tracks. Shadow wasn't sure what the next step would be for them. He tried to convince Rouge to confess that she stole the jewels, but she wouldn't budge. He remembered her making a remark about how G.U.N. would let them off easy since they were the top agents. Why would she be afraid to say something if that were truly the case? Not to mention, G.U.N. was well aware of Rouge's past crimes and her history as a 'treasure huntress.' Why would they allow her to case the scene with this knowledge in tow? He was surprised they didn't peg Rouge as a suspect.

He sighed, shaking his head. He was too embarrassed to even think of that at the moment. He was expecting Rouge to make a sly comment about what happened, but she kept quiet since she knew he wasn't happy with her. She didn't want to risk pushing his buttons any further, or making him say something else hurtful to her.

"YOUR DWELLING LOOKS LAVISH AS ALWAYS, ALLY." Omega commented, observing the bat's apartment.

"Thank you dear!" She grinned, fluffing up a pillow for Omega to sit on.

Why? Shadow thought to himself grumpily. He's a robot for crying out loud, he didn't need any pillow fluffing.

"IT WAS NOT A COMPLIMENT. THE MAJORITY OF FURNISHINGS IN HERE ARE UNNECESSARY. YOU HAVE PROBABLY WASTED MANY RINGS ON ITEMS YOU DO NOT EVEN NEED, SUCH AS THIS TV." He pointed his claws towards Rouge's flat screen.

"She's a thief. I'm pretty sure she didn't pay for the majority of items in here." Shadow remarked bitterly. He was feeling a bit sour towards both of his teammates at the moment.

"EVEN IF THAT IS THE CASE, WHY EXERT YOUR ENERGY ON SUCH USELESS TRINKETS? ROUGE, YOU ARE A BAT. BATS USUALLY LIVE IN CAVES, DO THEY NOT?"

Rouge, who had slipped out of her jumpsuit and was currently wearing a robe, stormed up to the robot indignantly.

"Hey!" She snapped, glaring. "Watch it robot! Like I'd ever live somewhere so unsanitary."

"I APOLOGIZE IF MY WORDS UPSET YOU ALLY, BUT I DO NOT SEE THE APPEAL IN LIVING SUCH A MATERIALISTIC LIFESTYLE."

"Yeah, of course you don't…" Rouge muttered. "If you don't mind, I need to fix my make up." She walked to her bedroom.

The robot stood up and followed her, his loud and emotionless voice echoing throughout the apartment.

"I ALSO DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY YOU MUST PAINT YOUR FACE. THE INGREDIENTS THAT ARE COMBINED TO CREATE THOSE COSMETICS CAN BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE HEALTH OF YOUR SKIN." Omega continued to criticize.

"Oh, shut up!" Rouge said angrily.

Shadow couldn't help the smirk that bloomed on his face. Even if he was upset with the both of them at the moment, they were still good for a source of entertainment. Shadow knew that Rouge disliked Omega's arrogance that he thrived off of as a robot. Omega had been programmed to believe that robots were superior to organic beings, and while Omega cared for Rouge and respected her as an ally, he often criticized her for her selfish and vain ways.

After several minutes, Rouge emerged. Her makeup had been redone to match her purple, backless cocktail dress. Shadow's eyes nearly popped out of her head. She looked stunning. Rouge noticed Shadow staring at her and decided she would tease him about it this time.

"Like what you see?" She asked tauntingly.

Shadow wasn't sure what surprised him more, her question or the fact that he almost said 'yes.'

"Why are you dressed like this!?" He asked angrily.

Did she… dress like this for him? It made no sense. She looked like she primped herself up to impress somebody. After all, why would she beautify herself if she was only going to lounge around at home for the rest of the night? With her teammates, nonetheless.

"I'm going on a date." She said, winking at him.

"A… date?" Shadow asked slowly, watching as she sauntered past him and put on a pair of stilettos.

"With?" He pressed on curiously. He wanted to know who his best friend was seeing and why she looked like an expensive prostitute.

"A guy."

Shadow frowned. She wasn't being specific at all, and he knew that she did it to annoy him.

"Do I know him?" Shadow pressed on, curious as to where his sexy friend was going.

"Kinda." She drawled, a childish tone evident in her voice.

Shadow knew she wasn't going to tell him outright who it was, so he was stuck with guessing. Who would Rouge be seeing? She promised she wasn't going to sleep with anymore men as long as he was here, so he wasn't worried about sex. However, a date was an intimate act between two beings. He couldn't help feeling bothered by it.

It better not be that stupid echidna… He thought to himself vicariously. He knew Rouge had an interest in Knuckles that went beyond his giant emerald. She often visited Angel Island to see him. He wondered if she even attempted to steal the emerald every time she dropped by.

But if it wasn't Knuckles, who was it? His brow furrowed as he went through all the males he and Rouge knew.

It couldn't be Sonic. Sure, she flirted with him from time to time but she didn't really show much interest in him. Plus, pinky would try to kill her. Emphasis on the word try. Knowing Rouge, she'd kick the hammer out of the annoying hedgehog's hands before she could even attempt to swing.

It couldn't be Tails. He knew Rouge would flirt with men that were a few years younger than her, but a ten year age difference was more than just 'a few years.'

It couldn't be Silver. He's from the goddamn future.

It couldn't be Espio, he…

…

Shadow's mind went blank for a moment. Team Dark had its fair share of battles with Team Chaotix, but he wasn't sure what Rouge thought of the purple chameleon specifically. He was a stealthy ninja, and she was a spy. They would be an interesting match.

Shadow shook his head. It couldn't be Espio. There wasn't a particular reason as to why, it just couldn't be him. Shadow felt his cheeks flaming up again. He didn't like the sensations he was feeling internally. He was getting worked up from the thought of Rouge with someone else and he didn't even know who she was with.

"Don't think too hard honey." Rouge said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

He simply glared at her.

"Don't call me honey. And why are you going on a date anyways?"

Her eyes softened up a bit.

"I'm going on a date because I thought about what you said. I'm thinking… maybe I should try to find a boyfriend. Instead of just having casual sex with plenty of guys, I'll go on a date and try to establish a connection with someone. And then have meaningful sex with him." Rouge winked at him, and he decided to pretend he never heard her say that part.

Shadow's glare dissipated instantly. He never thought his friend would do such a thing. He knew Rouge was free-spirited, so to hear that she would do something like that made him feel… Well, it made him feel…

Like an idiot.

Here he was, silently fuming over who she was going out with. And to think that it was because of him that she was going out on a date. He wasn't sure why he was angry about it, but he was going to do everything he could to convince her not to go.

"I don't understand why you would invite Omega over to 'hang out' if you are just going to leave." He said.

"I invited him over so he could keep you company." Rouge said simply.

"I do not need company."

"I know that. But I also know that you two are close, closer than we ever will be at least." She said this with a hint of envy in her voice. It made Shadow raise a questioning eyebrow.

"But –" Shadow protested, but there was a knock on the door.

This was it. He would finally see who his gorgeous best friend was going on a date with.

"Ooh! That's him!" She squealed excitedly, strutting to the door and opening it.

In the doorway was the male bat Shadow had thrown out the window a few nights before. The bat was bandaged in a few places, but other than that he looked pretty much the same. Shadow's jaw dropped and he gawked at the hormone infused creature that was staring at Rouge, hypnotized by her beauty.

"B… Bat!" Shadow said, unable to say anything else. He didn't even know the guy's name.

Rouge quirked an eyebrow at his reaction.

"Well Shadow, I decided to go with this handsome gentleman. Remember him?"

Shadow began to wonder if Rouge even knew his name. After all, she never said it. Even when they were having sex in her room.

Why was that?

"You can't go out with him." Shadow said adamantly, crossing his arms.

"Why not?" Rouge asked, frowning. Her male friend frowned at him too.

"Because I don't believe he has good intentions." Shadow knew that the majority of men that were hypnotized by Rouge's charms only wanted one thing. And that was her body. As Rouge's partner Shadow had acknowledged (now more than ever before) how physically attractive she really was. But he still appreciated the aspects of her that made him like her as a partner. She was strong, independent, and determined. She doesn't let anyone or anything get in her way. She's known as a treasure huntress and can identify and tell the differences between many jewels. Most people weren't aware of how intelligent and cunning Rouge truly was. All they saw when they looked at her were her boobs. And it frustrated him to no end.

"Unfortunately you aren't the boss of me. I'm going, whether you like it or not. If I don't come home tonight, don't be alarmed."

"What? Why wouldn't you come home?" Shadow asked curiously.

"I promised you I wouldn't bring any guys here for sex. I never said anything about going to their place." She gave him a sly smile.

Shadow's eyes widened.

"But… but you said…"

Rouge didn't bother waiting to see his reaction; she waltzed out the door with her overexcited boyfriend.

"…" Shadow turned wordlessly. He was angrier than ever before. But what could he do? It was Rouge's life, and she could do whatever she wanted to. He was simply a tenant in her apartment until his own got fixed up. Suddenly, he found himself wishing that his apartment would be repaired as fast as possible. He considered calling the mongoose that was in charge of the reparations. He didn't like the new feelings that were rising all of a sudden. It was out of character for him to act as stunned as he did when he saw Rouge's date.

"SHADOW. SOMETHING IS WRONG." Omega said, observing his friend's distress.

The gloomy hedgehog didn't respond, simply sitting down on Rouge's couch. It didn't help that it had the same sweet-scented perfume she always wore. He could picture Rouge with her friend kissing and caressing each other.

Shadow ran his fingers through his quills. He wasn't sure why he had this odd sensation.

"SHADOW." Omega's voice rang out again. "SHOULD WE BE WORRIED FOR OUR ALLY? DID SHE RUN OFF WITH AN EVIL MAN?"

"She can take care of herself." Shadow said.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU UPSET?"

"I'm not upset."

"MY SENSORS TELL ME YOU ARE LYING."

Shadow turned to glare at the robot. He cared for Omega deeply, Omega was a very important person… er, robot to him. But the large piece of metal didn't realize how much mortification he inflicted upon the hedgehog.

"And what are you now? A lie detector!?"

"NO. BUT I HAVE BEEN YOUR PARTNER FOR MANY YEARS NOW, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG. AND I KNOW YOU VERY WELL. JUDGING FROM YOUR FACIAL EXPRESSION, BODY LANGUAGE, AND SUDDEN FLUCTUATION IN BODY TEMPERATURE… YOU SEEM TO BE EXPERIENCING A SEVERE CASE OF JEALOUSY."

Shadow grit his teeth. Omega did NOT just use the 'j' word.

"I am not jealous!"

"YES YOU ARE SHADOW. I AM QUITE DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. YOU ARE THE ULTIMATE LIFEFORM. LIKE ME, YOU WERE CREATED BY A ROBOTNIK. YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE PERFECT. YOU SHOULD NOT LET YOUR MIND FOCUS ON SENSELESS EMOTIONS SUCH AS JEALOUSY. THIS IS WHY I AM SUPERIOR. I FEEL NOTHING FOR THE MEATBAG THAT ROUGE JUST WALKED OUT WITH. HE IS NOTHING TO ME BUT A…" Omega continued to rant, subtly putting down Shadow and pretty much every other living being on the planet that wasn't a piece of machinery.

Shadow rolled his eyes.

"Look Omega. I do not wish to talk of this right now. I would like to enjoy TV."

"BUT WHAT ABOUT ROUGE? ARE YOU NOT WORRIED SHE WILL PARTAKE IN SEXUAL INTERCOURSE WITH THE BATTY MEATBAG?"

Shadow didn't respond to this.

"I AM GOING TO FOLLOW HER AND TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL." Omega said after a few moments of silence.

He headed towards the door, but Shadow zipped past him, blocking his way.

"Omega, you can't do that."

"WHY NOT? IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WISH TO HIDE FROM ROUGE? SHE IS OUR ALLY. WE ARE A TEAM. WE DON'T KEEP SECRETS FROM EACH OTHER."

Shadow bit his lip at this comment. He and Rouge kept a secret from Omega by not telling him that they were behind the jewelry robbery. He felt guilty about it.

"Omega, if you're my ally… Do NOT follow Rouge."

"FINE. THEN WE WILL GO SEE HER TOGETHER AND YOU CAN TELL HER WHY SHE CANNOT HANG OUT WITH THE MEATBAG."

"No."

"DO YOU TRUST HIM THEN?" Omega prodded, still wanting to open the door.

Shadow shook his head. He wasn't going to be dishonest or fake about his feelings towards Rouge's friend. But in reality, he knew nothing of the male bat. There was no reason to dislike him if Shadow were to look past his attraction to Rouge. But for Shadow, that attraction was pretty much the only reason he needed.

"IF YOU DO NOT TRUST HIM, THEN I DON'T EITHER. WE MUST GO SAVE ROUGE BEFORE SHE GETS INTO BED WITH HIM. NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY, I AM GOING. WITH OR WITHOUT YOU." Omega forcefully shoved Shadow aside, carefully opening the door with his claws to make sure he didn't accidentally break it off. After all, it happened before.

"Omega…" Shadow said, though there was no anger in his voice.

The robot stopped walking, but he did not turn.

"Wait for me." Shadow said.