The next morning, Blaze stepped out of the elevator into the pristine marble lobby of Rouge's penthouse building. The late morning sun streamed through the enormous glass windows, painting golden streaks across the polished floor. Her heart was pounding, her palms clammy despite her best efforts to steady herself.

Today was the day.

She clutched the small paper bag in her hand, the scent of freshly baked croissants wafting up from it. It was a small gesture, but she hoped it would help break the tension. Shadow had been… difficult, to say the least, over the past week. But they had made so much progress. She had seen a side of him she felt others rarely saw. Maybe…it would be enough.

It had to be.

Blaze raised her hand to knock on the door, but before her knuckles even touched the wood, it swung open. Rouge stood there, one hand braced against the frame, her expression unreadable.

"Morning, Princess," Rouge said, her voice smooth but lacking its usual playful lilt. Her sharp, teal eyes studied Blaze carefully, and the air between them felt… off.

Blaze tilted her head slightly. "Good morning. Is Shadow—"

"Gone," Rouge interrupted, stepping aside and gesturing for Blaze to enter.

Blaze froze, her grip tightening around the bag. "Gone?"

Rouge shut the door behind them, leaning against it as Blaze cautiously stepped inside. The living room was quiet, almost eerily so, the faint scent of coffee lingering in the air. Shadow's usual spot on the couch was vacant, the blanket she'd brought him a few days ago folded neatly on the armrest.

"Yes," Rouge said, crossing her arms. "He left early this morning. Said he was heading back to GUN."

Blaze's heart dropped. "What? But he's still recovering—"

"Don't act so surprised," Rouge cut in, her tone sharper now. "You know how he is. Stubborn as a mule. The moment he could stand without toppling over, it was only a matter of time before he ran off to do something reckless."

Blaze set the bag down on the coffee table, her mind racing. Shadow had been improving the past few days, but she hadn't thought he'd go this far. To leave Rouge's place—his only safe haven—without telling her? It wasn't like him.

Or maybe it was.

Blaze turned to Rouge, who was watching her with an expression Blaze couldn't quite place—somewhere between curiosity and distrust.

"Did he say why he was going back to GUN?" Blaze asked, though a part of her already feared the answer.

Rouge's gaze didn't waver. "Not in so many words. But… I think you know why."

Blaze's stomach knotted. "What do you mean?"

Rouge stepped closer, her arms still crossed, her sharp eyes narrowing. "When were you planning to tell us, Princess? About your little royal family secret?"

Blaze felt the blood drain from her face.

Rouge's lips curled into a humorless smile. "Oh, don't act shocked. Shadow was up half the night reading those files. He knows everything now. About the Sol Kingdom's experiments. About your ancestors funding Project Shadow. About the ARK."

Blaze took a step back, her chest tightening. "I… I was going to tell him. I just—"

"Just what?" Rouge snapped, her voice rising. "Wait for the perfect moment? You've had days, Blaze. Days! And instead, you've been playing nursemaid, acting like you didn't have a single skeleton in your closet."

Blaze flinched at the accusation, but she couldn't deny it. She had been avoiding the truth, hoping to find the right way to tell him, the right time. But now it was too late.

Rouge sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, I get it. It's not exactly easy to admit your family bankrolled some of the worst atrocities in Mobian history. But Shadow deserved to hear it from you, Blaze. Not from some dusty old GUN report."

Blaze's throat felt tight, her voice barely a whisper. "What… what did he say?"

Rouge sighed, moving her hands up to rub her temple. "Not much. You know how he is. He just… stared at the files for a long time. Then he said he had somewhere to be and left."

Blaze clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She could picture it so clearly—Shadow sitting there in the dim light, his crimson eyes scanning the reports, his expression growing darker with every word.

"He must hate me," Blaze said softly, her voice breaking.

Rouge tilted her head, her gaze softening further. "I don't think it's that simple," she said. "But yeah, he's pissed. And hurt. And knowing Shadow, he's probably out there trying to figure out who leaked his weaknesses to those gunmen while also trying to process… everything else."

Blaze swallowed hard, her throat tight. "I never wanted to hide it from him," she said, her voice desperate. "I just… I didn't know how to tell him. And then we started… I thought…"

"You thought you had time," Rouge finished for her, her tone gentler now.

Blaze nodded, her chest aching.

Rouge sighed, placing a hand on Blaze's shoulder. "Look, I get it. You didn't mean for this to happen. But Shadow doesn't care about intentions—he cares about actions. And right now, he probably feels like you lied to him, whether you meant to or not."

Blaze looked up at Rouge, her amber eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Do you think he'll ever forgive me?"

Rouge's expression softened further, and for a moment, Blaze saw a flicker of genuine sympathy in the bat's usually sharp eyes. "I don't know," she admitted. "But I do know that if you want any chance of fixing this, you need to find him. And you need to be honest with him. Completely honest. No more half-truths. No more waiting for the 'right time.'"

Blaze nodded, her resolve hardening. Rouge was right. Shadow deserved the truth—from her this time, not from a report. And if there was any chance of salvaging the fragile connection they'd built over the past week, she had to act now.

Blaze turned toward the door, her heart pounding.

"Blaze," Rouge called after her, her voice softer now.

Blaze paused, glancing back at her.

"For what it's worth," Rouge said, her gaze steady, "I don't think Shadow hates you. If he did, he wouldn't have let you get as close as you have. But he's hurt. And when Shadow's hurt, he doesn't deal with it like the rest of us. He shuts down. He lashes out. But underneath all that…"

Rouge hesitated, her lips curling into a faint, almost sad smile. "He cares. More than he lets on. So don't screw this up."

Blaze nodded, her chest tight but her resolve unshaken. "Thank you, Rouge."

Rouge waved her off, her usual smirk returning. "Don't thank me yet, Princess. You've still got a lot of work to do."

Blaze stepped out into the hallway, her mind racing as she made her way to the elevator. She didn't know what she'd say to Shadow when she found him, but she knew one thing for certain: she wasn't leaving GUN Headquarters until he heard the truth.

All of it.

—-

The hum of fluorescent lights overhead was cold and indifferent as Blaze stepped into GUN Headquarters. The sterile atmosphere and the faint buzz of activity did little to steady her nerves. She hadn't anticipated feeling this way—so raw, so unnerved—but the weight of Shadow's absence and her own guilt bore down on her with every step.

She spotted Sonic almost immediately, leaning against the reception desk. His arms were crossed, his usual carefree grin replaced by a tense, serious expression. When he saw her, his eyes narrowed in surprise.

"Blaze?" Sonic called, straightening up and walking toward her. "What are you doing here? I thought you were with Rouge, keeping tabs on Shadow. What happened?"

Blaze hesitated, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "I need to speak with Shadow," she said, her voice tight. "It's urgent."

Sonic tilted his head, frowning. "Yeah, I figured. He stormed in here earlier like a tornado, didn't say much, just went straight to the training room. Said something about Fiona being the traitor."

"Fiona?" Blaze repeated, her brow furrowing. "Who's Fiona?"

Sonic sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Fiona the fox. She joined GUN a few years ago. Used to run with a bad crowd—Scourge's gang—but she claimed she was reformed. Rouge and I vouched for her, figuring she deserved a second chance. I mean, Shadow's big on second chances, right?"

Blaze tilted her head slightly, her frown deepening.

"Turns out we were wrong," Sonic continued, his voice tinged with regret. "Shadow's been working with Rouge and Tower all week, digging through security logs and clearance records. Fiona got security clearance way too fast—fast enough to access classified files. She's the one who leaked Shadow's vulnerabilities to those gunmen. And not just his—yours too, along with a bunch of others."

Blaze's stomach twisted at the revelation. "So she's the one who sold him out," she said quietly, her voice sharp with anger.

Sonic nodded grimly. "Yeah, but she didn't do it alone. Someone else had to pull strings to get her that clearance. Shadow and Rouge think there's a bigger player behind this, but they haven't figured out who. And as for Fiona's motive?" He shrugged. "That's still a mystery. Shadow's trying to figure it out now, but he's… not in the mood for company."

Blaze's mind raced, her thoughts spiraling. Fiona's betrayal was bad enough, but if there was someone else pulling the strings… Could this somehow tie back to her? To the experiments her royal family had funded? The thought made her chest tighten.

"I might have a theory," she murmured, almost to herself.

Sonic gave her a curious look, but before he could ask, Blaze spoke again, urgency creeping into her voice. "Where is he?"

"Training room," Sonic said cautiously. Then, raising an eyebrow, he added, "But Blaze, are you okay? You seem—"

"I'm fine," she said quickly, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you, Sonic."

With that, she turned and strode down the hallway, her tail flicking anxiously behind her. Sonic watched her go, his brow furrowed. "Weird," he muttered before heading back toward the lobby.

—-

The door to the training room slid open with a hiss, and Blaze stepped inside, immediately struck by the devastation before her.

The room was a war zone.

Weights and equipment were scattered across the floor, some of it shattered into unrecognizable pieces. Deep scorch marks marred the walls, and the acrid smell of burnt rubber and metal lingered in the air. Whatever had happened here wasn't just training—it was an eruption of fury.

In the center of the chaos, Shadow sat on a bench, surrounded by a mess of physical folders and documents. He was unnervingly calm, his crimson eyes scanning the pages with cold precision.

Blaze's eyes lingered on him for a moment, her chest tightening. The destruction around him spoke volumes, but the stoic mask he wore now was even more unsettling. It was the calm after the storm—but the storm wasn't gone. It was simmering just beneath the surface.

"Shadow," Blaze said softly, stepping forward.

His ears twitched at the sound of her voice, but he didn't look up. "What are you doing here?" he asked flatly, his tone sharp and unwelcoming.

Blaze hesitated, her guilt weighing heavily on her shoulders. "I came to explain," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "About… everything."

Shadow's hands stilled on the folder he was holding. For a moment, he didn't move, didn't speak. Then, slowly, he set the folder down and looked up at her.

His crimson eyes burned with anger, barely contained beneath his cold exterior.

"You knew," he said quietly, his voice low but dangerous.

Blaze flinched, her heart sinking. "Shadow, I—"

"You knew what your family did," he interrupted, his voice rising slightly. "You knew they funded Project Shadow. You knew they had a hand in the attack on the ARK. And you said nothing."

Blaze took a shaky step closer, her hands trembling. "I wanted to tell you," she said, her voice breaking. "I just… I didn't know how. I didn't want to hurt you."

Shadow let out a bitter laugh, the sound cold and hollow. "Didn't want to hurt me?" he repeated, shaking his head. "Do you have any idea what it felt like to read those files? To see your family's name tied to everything that destroyed my life? After everything we've been through this past week…" His voice faltered, and for a brief moment, Blaze saw the raw pain flicker across his face.

"Shadow, please," she said desperately. "I know I made a mistake, but I want to help you. I think Fiona might have a connection to the Sol Kingdom—maybe even to someone my family harmed during the experiments. If I could just—"

"Stop," Shadow snapped, cutting her off. His voice was sharp, and his crimson eyes narrowed into a glare. "I don't want your theories, Blaze. I don't want your help."

Blaze froze, her breath catching in her throat. "Shadow, I—"

"This isn't your fight," he said coldly, standing abruptly. His movements were sharp, almost violent, as he stepped toward her. "Go back to the Sol Kingdom. Let us handle this."

Blaze's chest tightened, her hands clenching into fists. "But I can help!" she insisted, her voice trembling. "I know I made a mistake, but I—"

"You've done enough," Shadow snarled, his voice cutting through her like a blade. "I can't trust you, Blaze. Not after this. So go home."

Blaze felt her heart shatter at his words. She opened her mouth to speak, to argue, but the look in his eyes stopped her. There was no room for negotiation, no hint of the connection they'd shared just days ago.

He turned away from her, his back rigid. "Leave," he said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.

Blaze stood there for a moment, frozen in place as his words sank in. Her chest ached, her throat tightening as tears threatened to spill. But she didn't let them fall.

"Fine," she said softly, her voice trembling. She turned and walked toward the door, her steps slow and heavy.

As the door slid shut behind her, Blaze let out a shaky breath. Her vision blurred, but she didn't stop. She kept walking, her heart breaking with every step.

Shadow didn't want her here. He didn't trust her.

And the worst part was… she couldn't blame him.

—-

The city lights stretched endlessly below as Blaze stood on the terrace of her hotel suite, the cool night air brushing against her fur. The stars hung faintly above, almost invisible against the glow of the city, but she didn't care to look at them. She wasn't here to admire the view.

Her hands gripped the cold metal railing tightly, her entire body tense. She had tried her best to hold herself together, to bury her emotions beneath the weight of the day, but it was no use. The moment she was alone, everything came crashing down.

The tears started quietly at first, just a few slipping down her cheeks, but they soon turned into full, body-wracking sobs. She didn't try to stop them. Why would she? There was no one here to see her, to judge her. She let the pain consume her, let it pour out in the only way it could.

Shadow's rejection echoed in her ears, playing on a loop in her mind. She thought, deep down, his words—his anger—would finally set her free, that it would untangle the confusing knot of emotions she felt for him. She hadn't wanted to fall for him. She had fought it from the start.

But now, standing alone with her tears soaking into her fur, she realized the awful truth.

"Oh, Sol…" she whispered brokenly, her voice trembling. "I did fall for him, didn't I?"

The weight of that admission was unbearable. Her chest ached, and the memories came flooding back, vivid and unrelenting.

She thought of the way she had taught him to use a smartphone, how he had grumbled under his breath but still tried, his crimson eyes narrowing in concentration as he fumbled with the touchscreen. She thought of the time he had made her soup after realizing she didn't know how to cook, the way he silently placed the bowl in front of her, muttering something about her needing to eat properly.

And then there was the memory of changing his bandages, how he had sat still, watching her with quiet intensity, his usual stoicism softened just slightly. She remembered the faint pink tint on his cheeks when she had helped wash his back, how he'd muttered that he could handle it himself, but didn't stop her.

Each memory was a dagger to her heart, twisting deeper with every passing second. She pressed a hand to her chest, as if she could physically hold herself together, but nothing could stop the pain.

"It's all for nothing," she whispered, her voice cracking.

She had never been involved in her family's shady dealings, but that didn't matter. The blood was on her hands too now. All those experiments, all those lives lost—Mobians and humans alike. Her family had funded the horrors that had destroyed Shadow's life. How could she ever hope to make that right?

Her flames sparked faintly at her fingertips as her emotions surged, but they flickered out almost immediately. She didn't deserve her power, did she? Her fire—the very thing that defined her—came at a cost, didn't it? Experiments and sacrifices, conducted decades ago. She was a product of that legacy, the Sol Kingdom's dark secrets burning within her.

Her hands trembled as she gripped the railing harder, claws scraping against the metal. Her tears blurred her vision, but she didn't care. The guilt, the shame, the heartbreak—it was suffocating.

And then, barely above a whisper, she spoke into the night.

"It should have been me that got shot that day," she said, her voice trembling. "I deserved it anyway. Not him. Never him."

The words hung in the air, heavy and raw. She hadn't even realized she had said them aloud until a voice from behind her shattered the silence.

"Damn right. You deserved it."

Blaze froze, her heart lurching in her chest. Slowly, she turned, her amber eyes widening as they fell on a figure stepping out from the shadows.

Fiona the fox…?

The orange-furred fox stood at the edge of the terrace, her emerald eyes gleaming with malice. She wore a sharp, twisted smirk, her posture relaxed yet dangerous, as if she had all the time in the world.

"You," Blaze said, her voice low and venomous. Flames sparked faintly at her fingertips, her fear and anger mingling in equal measure.

"Me," Fiona replied mockingly, taking a slow step forward. "Bet you didn't expect to see me here, huh? Thought you were safe up here in your little hotel, princess?"

Blaze's flames flared brighter, her body tense and ready. "What do you want?"

Fiona tilted her head, her smirk widening. "Oh, Blaze, it's not about what I want. It's about what you deserve."

Blaze bristled, her flames flickering higher. "If you think I'm going to let you—"

KATKAT!

The sound of gunfire rang out, sharp and deafening in the still night air.

Blaze barely had time to react. Her flames surged instinctively, forming a barrier in front of her, but something was wrong. The bullets passed through her fire like it wasn't there, slamming into her chest with brutal force.

The impact sent her stumbling back, her body screaming in pain as her flames flickered and died. She gasped, her knees buckling as she collapsed to the ground.

Her vision blurred, the edges darkening as the world around her seemed to tilt. She tried to summon her fire again, but nothing came. It was like the bullets had extinguished the very core of her power, leaving her hollow and weak.

Fiona stepped closer, her smirk still firmly in place. "Looks like your little fire tricks aren't much use now, huh?" she sneered.

Blaze's breaths came in shallow gasps as she looked up at the fox, her limbs feeling heavier by the second. She tried to speak, to move, but her body wouldn't respond.

The city lights blurred and dimmed, and the sounds of the world began to fade. The last thing she saw was Fiona's cold, mocking smile before the darkness overtook her completely.

And then there was nothing.