I don't know what compelled me to make this story. Probably a combination of speculation and boredom. This story is very much an AU, so before you read the first chapter, allow me to explain.

The main protagonist is Shadow. His story remains the same as in the game stories, up until SA2. After SA2, he was not found by Eggman. Instead, he disappeared for months. Rouge was the one to finally find him laying low on the outskirts of Sunset City, memories still jumbled out of place. Shadow has memory problems during this time, but not full-on amnesia. He recalls the main points of what happened before he fell to Earth, but none of the details. Shadow can't remember any of his conversations with Sonic, only that he dislikes him.

Here's where things get weird. In the game TMOSTH, everyone is at a party with fake jobs. In my story, everyone actually has a job. This is because Dr. Eggman has been MIA for a very long time. This story isn't going to match up with game lore, nor is it going to make perfect sense, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Also, I've never written a mystery story before, so sorry if it's a bit predictable.

On with the show!

Chapter 1

Shadow chiseled away at the unfinished key. He took great care in getting every little ridge to match the sketch he had carelessly taped to the wall, otherwise the key wouldn't fit its new lock. There had been a burglary in a nearby neighborhood days prior, and one skeptical, elderly woman had essentially begged him to rekey her lock as soon as he could. Shadow didn't hesitate to take the job.

This was his last project for the day, and if he could finish it soon, he could finally get out of the miserable workshop. The fan had broken hours ago, resulting in the thermostat skyrocketing higher every second. Another problem. Just his luck.

It's not like he was surprised. The fact that the fan had been running for almost four months non-stop justified its untimely demise. It had served him well. Shadow wasn't necessarily upset over the fan breaking. The problem was that it had to break today.

A fan may not seem like a required household object, but for Shadow, it was almost as important as food and water. Moreso, actually, seeing that he didn't need to eat or drink much of anything. A convenient perk to being the Ultimate Lifeform. Shadow essentially lived in his workshop, which had absolutely no air conditioning. Not only that, but the workshop was located in the middle of Sunset City, which was known for having some of the hottest summers in all of Mobius. The thermostat read exactly 98 degrees, which was actually lower than usual. Shadow peeked out of his workshop's one tiny window to assess the situation.

It was your typical afternoon. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. To anyone else, this would have been the ideal day to go outside. But not for Shadow. If the sun was out, that meant people were outside. And if people were outside, that meant Shadow was inside.

Except today. Of course the fan couldn't break on a cloudy, dreary day where families would stay inside and enjoy time together. It had to break on a nice day where every family in the entire city would be out. Just my luck, Shadow thought as he finally filed out the last ridge on the key. He reached across the desk for the lock and inserted the key, pleased to see that, as usual, it was flawless.

Creating locks and keys was the only thing he really enjoyed at this point. It gave him something to do with his hands, and it gave him a small sense of satisfaction after he completed them. It was also the only way he managed to pay off the rent of his workshop.

The real reason he enjoyed creating these complex contraptions, however, was that it allowed him to create. Shadow's initial job, his entire life's purpose, had been to create a cure- he was meant to create life. Yet somehow, he often felt like all he was able to do was destroy. Locks allowed him to protect things, as he was meant to do. On a much smaller scale, but it was better than nothing.

Shadow trudged past his numerous cluttered tables to a workbench in the back. Littered all over it were jobs he had never taken, unpaid bills, and nick-nacks of all kinds. Organization was not a great habit of his. It never had been.

Shadow opened a drawer and dug around as a familiar voice filled his head. He could picture her so clearly, as if he had spoken to her yesterday. He supposed only having her and the professor as friends on the Ark really helped solidify her image in his mind. That, or the 50 years of uninterrupted nightmares stuck on replay as he was frozen in suspension.

"Shadow, why don't you ever pick up your stuff?" Maria's echoey voice scolded playfully as she stepped over a pair of Shadow's shoes. He recalled his good-natured answer.

"What stuff?"

The scene changed quickly, as they often did. Now they were looking at Earth together. Now they were laughing together. Now they were running together. Now Maria lay still on the floor. All alone.

Shadow shoved the memories from his mind. The last thing he needed was more fuel for tonight's inevitable nightmare. He needed to focus on today. What was he doing again? Oh right, he recalled. The fan.

Pulling a bag out of the drawer, he tucked the lock and key safely away, resolving to deliver it later that night. As he walked towards the door, a trill sounded from underneath a table. Shadow knelt down and met the gaze of two giant, green eyes. A black, sleek-furred cat gracefully trodded out, hazardously rubbing against the dark hedgehog's ankles. Shadow fixed it with a deadpan stare before finally relenting and stroking it. He had never been much of a Mobini person, and the Mobini, likewise, were never that big of a fan of the brooding Mobian. For whatever reason, however, this one didn't seem to care.

Shadow had returned home late at night from a job months prior, and upon opening the door, the small cat had just been sitting there on his table, studying him. How did it get in? Why was it here? Why isn't it running? Shadow was never able to answer any of these questions, but he decided to let it stick around for the night. That was a mistake; the cat had taken a liking to his cluttered workspace, and refused to leave. Shadow didn't mind, as long as he didn't have to pay to feed it.

The dark hedgehog grabbed his meager pouch of rings and, with much hesitation, went out the door. Just as he feared, it seemed that every family in existence had decided to converge upon his exact location. Shadow kept his head down as he bodied his way through the summer crowds. In keeping his head down, however, he lost his footing and tripped over a gap in the sidewalk. His rings scattered everywhere, getting lost in the crowds. Shadow sighed in annoyance as oblivious people kicked them out of sight.

In frustration, he snatched one of the fallen rings and thought to himself bitterly, It's going to be a long day.

Being such a popular vacation area, Sunset City was full of overcrowded places. The coast was usually terribly crowded during the day, along with all the boardwalks. The outdoor market was the worst by far. Crafty Mobians wanting to sell their trinkets and doodads lined the streets, and hundreds more walked between them. Shadow loathed everything about it. The market was, however, the easiest on his meager bank account.

He sighted the stall he needed and began to maneuver his way around the crowds. One wrong move, and he could bump into someone, prompting even the smallest conversation. Either they would apologize, or they would expect an apology. Shadow didn't want to be stuck in either situation.

On the way there, he could feel people's gazes burning into him. People walking next to him would fall back silently or hurry ahead, and those walking towards him would pull their young ones close to their side. Shadow didn't mind this, however. In fact, he welcomed it. That only meant there were less obstacles in the way.

He arrived at the meager stall, sought out the cheapest fan he could find, and went to pay the stall owner. The owner, a short weasel with shifty eyes, studied Shadow with curiosity as he emptied the remains of his ring pouch onto the counter. The weasel counted the rings greedily as Shadow reached for the fan.

"Hold it, bud. You're four rings short." The weasel said in a high, nasally voice. Shadow stopped mid-reach and glared directly at him. He could already tell this wasn't going to end well.

"Excuse me?" Shadow's voice was low and hoarse, likely because he hadn't spoken to anyone in days. He cleared his throat and repeated more clearly, "Excuse me?"

"I said you're missing four rings. If you don't got four rings, you ain't getting this here fan." The weasel responded matter-of-factly as he patted the piece of junk like it was a priceless trophy.

Shadow took a deep breath as he felt several pairs of eyes focus on him. Perfect, Shadow though. Just perfect.

"It's four rings. Could you cut me some slack?" Shadow tried to say this calmly, but he could hear the frustration in his voice. Clearly, the stall owner picked up on it too.

"If you got a problem with the way I run things, you can get on outta here. Or, you could pay up what you owe me." The weasel crossed his arms and stared at Shadow, daring him to make a move.

Shadow was tempted to.

"I'll pay you back tomorrow morning." Shadow could feel the tension rising. All he wanted was to get out of there as quickly as possible.

"Tomorrow, huh? I don't know you, pal. You got a name?" Shifty-eyes looked suspiciously at him.

Darn it, Shadow feared. He didn't need to look behind him to tell there was a multitude of nosy people, waiting to see what would happen. He could hear their mindless ramblings about pointless matters, gossip, and the latest news. The last thing he wanted was to announce himself in the middle of a hazardously populated area, where hundreds of unwelcoming townspeople would soon be alerted of his presence.

"Shadow." Shadow muttered under his breath. The weasel put a hand to his ragged, dirty ear.

"Eh?" He inquired.

"My name is Shadow." The dark hedgehog repeated louder.

The murmuring behind him stopped, and an uneasy silence filled the empty air. Shadow refused to look back; he refused to let these people see him for who he was. They don't know me, he told himself. He stared straight at the weasel, whose shifty eyes had gone wide. He studied Shadow warily as he slowly shrank away, demeanor now completely changed.

"Shadow? As in, Shadow the Hedgehog?" The weasel asked nervously.

"Do you know another Shadow?" Anger laced his voice.

Shadow was sick of this conversation. He was sick of these people, sick of this city, sick of all the staring. The situation was escalating, and he felt his temper on the rise as well. Calm down, he told himself. Don't make it worse.

The crowd pressed in. The silence grew louder. Shadow's heartbeat grew louder. The situation was already out of control, he had lost control, it was a lost cause, he was a lost cause. If he remained any longer, something horrible would happen. He needed to get out of there. Objective: escape.

Without bothering to grab his rings, Shadow turned around and made straight for the plaza. He kept his head down, refusing to meet anyone's gaze. Those of the crowd quickly parted the way for him, not wanting to make any trouble. The weasel let out a breath of relief, then greedily eyed the abandoned ring pouch.

The crowd, no longer having a source of dramatic entertainment, dispersed and went about their day. No doubt talk of Shadow the Hedgehog would be circulating by the end of the day. This didn't matter to the weasel one way or another. As long as he got a good paycheck by the end of the day, he was happy.

As the weasel reached for the bag of rings, an elegant gloved hand pulled them away. Angered at this, the weasel looked up, about to rebuke this newfound thief, but hesitated when he realized who it was. A rather beautiful bat looked down at the short weasel with a devious grin on her face. Her blue eyeshadow and bright red lipstick stood out against the mere commonfolk browsing around the market.

"M-Miss Rouge! What brings you here on this lovely afternoon?" The stall owner stammered as he tried to smooth out his wrinkled shirt. Despite her youth, this charming bat was one of the wealthiest, most prestigious celebrities in all of Sunset City. She owned the well-renowned Sapphire Casino and was a tremendous business figure. Her casino was considered one of the most popular in all of Mobius, putting the other casinos scattered around the city to shame.

This wasn't what worried the weasel, however. What worried him was that Rouge hardly ever showed up unless she had business to talk about. Sometimes business was good. Sometimes small stall owners like him weren't so lucky.

Rouge waved her face in delight and said, "Hello hon. I was just on my way to look for a dear friend of mine. I believe this is his."

Shadow the Hedgehog? Her friend? The lovely bat must have been mistaken.

The weasel spoke up, "Oh, no miss, this belonged to a certain somebody… um." He leaned closer and whispered, as if an entire crowd hadn't just seen the hedgehog, "Shadow I believe."

"That's right." Rouge said with a knowing smile on her face. The weasel merely stared in shock. The oh-so-famous Rouge was friends with the infamous Shadow the Hedgehog? The stall owner had known she had powerful friends, but she was friends with the one who almost destroyed the city?

Rouge merely examined her nails as she continued, "Roy, I know you weren't about to steal Shadow's money. That would be beneath you… and would harm any future business interactions between my and your business. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"N-no, of course not miss! Your donations have been doing wonders for my business, I wouldn't want to ruin our partnership." He said.

"Oh, I know hon. I'll just be taking these back to him," Rouge spoke reassuringly as she pocketed the pouch. She leaned forward with her arms on his stall. "Could I ask a favor of you, Roy?"

The weasel stood up straighter. "Of course, miss. Anything!"

As soon as Shadow saw his workshop, he ran inside and slammed the door behind him. He locked all fourteen of his specially customized locks and deadbolted the window, quickly shutting the curtains. As darkness enshrouded the room, Shadow leaned against the wall, willing his heartbeat to slow.

The dark always made him feel better. He felt that he could hide from anything he may need to. Darkness was his cover, his comfort, and the only way he could hide. If only hiding would solve all his problems.

This wasn't so bad, he supposed. Who needed air conditioning anyways? Shadow had been to hotter places before. Like the sun. This was actually paradise compared to the sun. It was fine.

Everything was fine.

Shadow sighed and reached for a picture frame on his main workbench. Enclosed in it was an ancient photo taken over fifty years ago. It was of him and Maria together on the Ark. This was on Maria's last birthday. She was wearing a poorly constructed party hat that was identical to the one Shadow was wearing. She looked so happy with her arms thrown around him. Shadow had even been smiling. He couldn't remember the last time he had smiled.

Shadow hadn't been on the Ark for very long, but in the little time he had, the bond he formed with Maria had been unbreakable. She had been like a little sister to him. They

would dream of going to Earth and seeing everything it had to offer.

Maria wanted to see the Ice Caps first. While in orbit, on occasion she and Shadow would be able to see the Aurora from the Ark. Maria longed to know what it looked like

from down below, on the surface. It fascinated her to think that humans on the earth's surface looked up at the colorful lights, as if the lights were an entity that they were beneath. The dark hedgehog had promised her that they would go see the beautiful lights first.

Shadow bitterly set the picture frame back down.

His heart skipped a few beats as something unexpectedly swung down from one of his ceiling beams right into his face.

"Hey there, handsome." Rouge greeted in her silky voice.

Shadow huffed and walked past her towards his workbench, deciding to begin on another project. The last thing he wanted was for Rouge to try and sweet talk him outside, as was her usual habit when she came to visit. Rouge was overbearing, and Shadow would often comply just to escape her constant pestering.

"What do you want, Rouge?" Shadow demanded, not bothering to say hello.

Rouge pouted as she flipped herself onto the floor with ease. Ashes from his chimney covered her wings. He would have to figure out how to block that off. She waltzed right over to him and leaned up against him, much to his annoyance.

"What, I can't come say hi to a friend?" Rouge placed a nice new fan in the middle of his cluttered workbench. She winked at him and handed back his money pouch, which he carelessly set aside.

"I got you a new fan." Rouge patted the fan proudly.

As she plugged in the new appliance and started it up, Shadow was relieved to finally have some air circulating. He was disappointed, however, when he discovered it was as loud as a decent-sized generator. He'd have to learn how to tune that out on the occasions he slept.

Rouge leaned her arm against his shoulder, prompting him to scoot away from her deliberately. He glared at the nosy bat.

"This one will last you for the rest of your life." She said.

"Unlikely. If you'll recall, I don't age." Shadow said bluntly. Rouge rolled her eyes at his lack of humor.

Rouge always did this. She would come to his workshop out of nowhere, completely uninvited, and act like she had the right to do whatever she felt like. Shadow didn't try to hide his annoyance.

He had to admit, however, that her presence was a relief as much as an annoyance. Rouge may not know how to respect personal boundaries, but she was the only person Shadow had kept contact with after the incident a few years back. She knew what had happened, what had really happened, and was the only person Shadow allowed himself to spend time with.

Rouge, of course, used this contact to her advantage, whether it be for someone to gossip to or someone to do her dirty work. Shadow hoped that on this occasion it would be the latter. Rouge's adventures were dangerous and scary, and definitely not legal. And Shadow enjoyed every second of them.

Considering this, Shadow was now interested, and even a little excited, as to what she had to say. Rouge picked up on this and smiled cheekily as Shadow motioned for her to sit down on his one meager stool.

"I can see I've got your attention. Good." Rouge spoke playfully as she took a seat and crossed her legs.

"Remember that teeny tiny little favor you owe me from a few months ago? You know, the one where-" Rouge cut off as Shadow held up his hand to stop her. He didn't need her to retell the embarrassing story of how she saved his life– twice in the same mission.

Shadow had gotten a bit arrogant on a previous heist for Rouge. Many assume being immortal means you're indestructible. For Shadow, this was not the case. His unique powers allowed him to never age or get sick, but death was still a threat. Namely, being smashed by a giant boulder. Rouge had warned him just in time. And later, he fell for the same trap again. The embarrassment! Shadow offered her this favor not out of gratitude, but in hopes that she would never tell anyone else.

"I'm familiar with the story." Shadow said bluntly, ready to get on with it.

"Oh fine. I'm calling in that favor. Listen closely." Rouge beckoned him closer, and Shadow leaned in, waiting to hear the mission details.

"There's this train that's just full of things to explore, and it leaves tomorrow morning. We're going to be on it." Rouge said dramatically.

"Understood. I can meet you at-" Shadow stopped mid-sentence as Rouge tossed a stiff piece of cardstock towards him. He caught it with ease and looked at her in confusion. "What's this?"

Rouge tapped the paper with her painted talons. "Read it."

Shadow looked over the cardboard and began to read aloud, "'You are invited to an exclusive invite-only party event upon the NICOLE train system. Enjoy a relaxing four-day ride through the most beautiful parts of the world in our luxurious* rooms. Final destination is the beautiful city of Soleanna.' Rouge, what is this?"

Shadow glanced up at Rouge in confusion, but she only giggled and pointed back at the paper. How reassuring.

Shadow rolled his eyes and continued, "' Enjoy our advanced kitchen system, our pool, and various other unique activities alongside your friends and family.'"

So what, this was just a completely random invitation to a completely random train ride? Was this Rouge's latest attempt to get him out of the workshop? Shadow hoped not, but somehow knew he wouldn't be that lucky.

Rouge reached over and flipped the card over on the back. Bright golden letters read Guest List at the top, and Shadow read the first name on the list. Rouge. That wouldn't be so bad, he supposed. He got to the second name on the list. Sonic.

"Oh no, absolutely not!" Shadow tossed the paper towards her and started for the door.

"I'm not going anywhere with-"

Rouge stood up abruptly and spun him around. She shoved the note back into his hands boldly and leaned her face close to his. Too close for his liking.

"You promised you would do anything for my favor." Rouge reminded him innocently.

Shadow pushed her away from him. He hated when people had no respect for personal boundaries. "Rouge, you're seriously wasting your favor on a stupid train ride? What's even the point?"

"The point is you hardly ever leave this cramped, smelly workshop and have no friends. Trust me Shadow, let me help you." Rouge grinned at him smugly. She knew she had him beat.

Shadow groaned as he kept reading the guest list. He recognized the next three names: Tails, Amy, and Knuckles. Just wonderful. Now he had to deal with not only the most annoying Mobian ever to walk the planet, but he had to deal with the know-it-all, the drama queen, and the moron.

Shadow had no trouble imagining what nightmares he would have to endure. Tails would ramble on and on about some random science stuff that he had no interest in, Knuckles' mere presence would suck all the intelligence out of any conversation he had, and all the while Amy would prompt him to discuss his feelings with her. It made him sick.

Shadow continued reading down the list, and was surprised to find quite a few names he didn't recognize: Blaze, Silver, Vector, and Espio. Shadow hadn't the slightest idea who these people were, and he intended to keep it that way.

He knew there was no way to get out of this; he was, unfortunately, a Mobian of his word. Shadow let out a huff of frustration. Maybe he could convince her not to make such a horrible decision.

"Rouge, I don't even know half of the people going." Rouge squinted at him and crossed her arms.

"You're going to get to know them." Rouge said sternly.

Shadow refused to make eye contact with her. He stared blankly at the letter, letting himself imagine the social horrors he would be forced to endure. Maybe he could feign illness. No, Rouge would see right through that. He physically couldn't get sick. Curse my immortality, Shadow thought bitterly.

Rouge walked over and put a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to look up. There was no deception or play in her gaze this time. It was one of her rare looks of true sincerity.

"Shadow, I'm not doing this to make you uncomfortable, but… look at this place. You live in a tiny cramped workshop and never speak to anyone. You may not like it, but you need to talk to people every now and then." Rouge took the invitation from his grasp.

"I talk to you," He retorted.

"Nice try. I'll see you on the train tomorrow, handsome. Oh, and I'll be at the diner tonight if you want to keep me company." Rouge's devious grin returned, and Shadow looked away.

Before Shadow could think of a way to get her out of the workshop, Rouge flew up through the chimney and shot through the air. Shadow stared silently at the chimney as he pondered for a way, any way, to get out of this.

Every scenario he could come up with was too easily thwarted. Shadow sighed as he grabbed his faceguard and put it on. Maybe it won't be so bad, he told himself. He didn't like to make a habit out of lying to himself, but it was the only reasonable option at the moment. Shadow tried not to think about tomorrow's train ride as he hammered his dread away.

The air was cool and crisp as Shadow trudged through the now-desolate streets. Night had fallen an hour ago, and he had finally decided to go outside. He had put on his tattered green hoodie and pulled the hood as far down as it would go. The moon was hidden behind angry-looking clouds, and Shadow was grateful. It was much easier to blend into the shadows when there was no light.

After spending hours upon hours dreading tomorrow, Shadow couldn't take it anymore. The anticipation was killing him. He needed something to take his mind off of everything. Unfortunately, that something was Rouge. As annoying as the rambunctious bat might be, she always knew how to get his mind off things.

After dropping off the new lock outside the old woman's door, Shadow made his way towards a small, run-down diner. It didn't look like much on the outside. It was tiny and looked like a dumpy swamp shack. The wood was rotting, and the paint had needed to be replaced years ago. Make no mistake though, this place was one of the most popular late-night places to be on this side of Sunset City.

Shadow walked up the creaky steps and pushed open the door, which made a jingling sound. Several workers greeted him, as was their custom, but he didn't bother with them. His objective: locate Rouge.

He scanned the diner quickly, trying to spot his companion. Several groups of family and friends gathered around the tables, laughing and enjoying their meal together. An annoyingly obstreperous group was singing to the jukebox as it blasted some ridiculous country music. Shadow quickly walked away from all the noise.

Luckily, he succeeded in finding Rouge rather quickly. She was joyfully chatting away with a group of giggling girls. Likely acquaintances from the casino, Shadow thought. He grimaced as he made his way over. Rouge spotted him before he made it across the room. She cheerfully waved him over.

"Shadow, you came! Gotta admit, I wasn't expecting you to come after what I pulled earlier." Rouge beckoned him over, but Shadow stayed firmly planted where he was.

The girls stared at him, eyes open wide. One of them in particular looked at him in terror, another in anger. The mood of the diner was brought down in an instant. The singing and the laughter had died. He could feel the stares. So. Many. Stares.

Rouge seemed to pick up on this as well, because her beckoning for him to come over became anxious. It was as if she thought that merely sitting down would make the staring stop. Shadow was all too familiar with this kind of behavior, however. The staring never stopped.

Acting quickly, Shadow scanned the room, locating a rickety backdoor that led outside. Ignoring her urgent gestures, he turned around and pushed out the back door, away from everyone, and started walking down to the lake. Nobody went near the lake; the mosquitos were unbearable.

Shadow supposed his oddness was good for at least something: keeping the bugs away. It turned out blood-sucking creatures preferred to keep alien blood out of their diet. Shadow didn't blame them. If he was a vampire, he wouldn't want to waste his time with dirty blood.

The clearing opened up around him as he slid through the undergrowth. Eventually, he reached the edge of a lake. It truly was a beautiful lake. The angry clouds from earlier seemed to have opened ever-so-slightly, leaving the vibrant full-moon to cast reflections over the lake. Maria would have loved everything about it.

And just like that, his mood was brought down even lower. Angrily, he grabbed a small stone and flung it at the water. It skipped into oblivion as Shadow smashed a small boulder nearby, intending to toss all the pieces into the lake. He halted when he heard a silky voice.

"I was going to sit on that." Rouge emerged from the forest silently and smacked a mosquito off of her arm in distaste. Shadow looked away in resentment.

"Go away," Shadow muttered.

"After you scared all my friends off? I need someone to keep me company." Rouge stepped back and kicked a piece of shattered stone, sending it flying towards the lake. It landed with a soft sploosh.

Shadow stared blankly at the water. Why is it that he was always getting stuck in such horrible, uncontrollable situations? He couldn't control GUN. Now Maria was gone. He couldn't control his memory. Now his reputation was forever tarnished. He couldn't control tomorrow. Now he had nothing to do but worry. Why was life so cruel?

"Hey, I can see you working yourself up. Want to talk?" Rouge asked casually.

Talk? As in, talk about his feelings? Amy was enough, Shadow didn't need Rouge turning sappy on him too. When Shadow looked in Rouge's direction, she gave him her signature, sly smile, as if nothing was wrong. Now Shadow was angry. Oh, so very angry.

"Yeah, I'll talk. Let's talk about how you can't just leave me alone, or about how every time you want me to do something I have to because you've just always got to get your way," Shadow let all his thoughts roll out, completely uncensored. Rouge simply stood there, letting him blow off steam.

"Oh I'm so perfect!" Shadow mocked in a high-pitched voice. "I always know what's best for everyone, regardless of what they've told me thousands of times."

"Shadow-" Rouge began, but was cut off.

"We can talk about how you keep pulling me into these ridiculous situations that easily could have been avoided. Or how you never listen to me when I think something is a terrible idea." He seethed. "Or about how you keep treating me like a project!"

Shadow said these last words with as much venom as he could muster. Who was Rouge to try and fix him? He was already broken beyond repair. As if on cue, thunder rumbled through the sky. The rain began to fall.

Shadow looked directly at Rouge, who, to his disdain, hadn't even changed her expression. She had merely moved underneath the dense foliage to avoid getting drenched. Refusing to join her, he stood in the midst of the rain. Droplets of water soaked his quills, but he was too full of emotions to care.

"I am not just a project," he repeated through gritted teeth, blinking rain out of his eyes.

The bat sighed and put her hands on her hips, "Shadow, I know you aren't a project. And I'm not trying to treat you like one, I just want you to be happier."

"I'm happy enough," Shadow argued, lowering his tone.

"You can't lie to me. Shadow, just… give this a try." Rouge coaxed deceivingly.

Shadow didn't buy it. Not for one second. He sat down facing the lake, twisting his golden inhibitor rings around his wrist. "This is going to go horribly. Ruining my day is one thing, but why ruin everyone else's?" Shadow asked. "They don't want anything to do with me, and I'm ok with that."

"You still think they hate you?" Rouge asked pityingly as she sat down next to him, not caring about her makeup being ruined for once in her life. Shadow huffed in frustration. He didn't need her pity.

"I know they hate me. I tried to destroy the world."

"But you didn't."

"I almost did," Shadow grunted. Why was this so hard for Rouge to grasp? Usually when someone tries to destroy the world, people aren't rushing to forgive them and become friends. Shadow was no exception.

"You helped save the world. Sonic couldn't have done it without you," Rouge pointed out.

"Nobody remembers that part. You should know; you've heard what the citizens think of me. To them, I'm just the guy who tried to kill everyone," Shadow sighed. Nobody remembered what really happened after the Ark was destroyed. They only remembered that Sonic was, once again, the heroic victor, and the villain had been defeated.

"My friends don't think you're a bad guy, Shadow. Sure, maybe they have a false impression of you now, but if you showed them the real you, I think they'd grow to like you." Rouge assured him as she shook water off of her ears. Shadow was not convinced.

"I doubt it. How can someone like me if I don't even like myself?" Shadow grumbled.

Rouge sat there in silence for a while, unsure of what to say next. What she did next surprised Shadow. She said nothing. Absolutely nothing. She just sat there with him, staring out over the lake, occasionally shooing away the few remaining bloodsuckers.

Did he break her? Usually, she would try to say something playful or coy. But no, Rouge stayed right where she was, a few feet away from him. The bat wouldn't even complain about the makeup drizzling down her face. What was this new behavioral pattern?

Whatever this was, Shadow had to admit it actually made him feel much better. Having the presence of someone he could almost trust nearby was more reassuring than anything Rouge could say or do. This is… nice, Shadow thought. Unusual, but nice.

Unfortunately, every unusual-but-nice moment has to end. Rouge grew tired of the mosquitos and the soggy conditions and made her escape, but not before patting Shadow on the head twice. Normally this would have annoyed him profoundly, but not tonight. Tonight, his mind wasn't tainted with the usual terrors. For once.

Shadow remained at the lake for another hour or so before retreating back to his workshop. He locked his fourteen locks, secured the window, and blocked his chimney with a giant, unused crate before crawling into his hammock and letting his mind drift to pleasant memories of Maria.