Supporting Me

Prologue: Farewell to My Shadow

The sun beamed down on the brilliant, shining green grass and foliage of Green Hills, a brilliant, bright blue sky like sapphire glass above. Absolute warmth radiated the scene, friends and allies all together to celebrate two momentous occasions. Celebrating two of the same hedgehog, in fact.

After being trapped in the void of White Space, Sonic the Hedgehog, his younger self, and all his friends (including Tails' younger self as well) were celebrating both the Blue Blur's birthday, and his most recent victory in saving them all. Even a certain moody, dark hedgehog was currently attending, despite being "fashionably late."

The party more or less resumed where it had left off before the Time Eater had pulled everyone into Dr. Eggman's latest scheme. Meanwhile Rouge the Bat, government spy and the self-proclaimed - though not unearned - greatest treasure huntress in the world, carried on her conversation with Knuckles the Echidna. Though the two were long-time rivals, they also enjoyed each other most of the time, whether or not they'd admit it.

"You really didn't see any treasures in Death Ruins?" Knuckles asked after Rouge's latest tale. Though he was normally distrustful of Rouge, especially around the Master Emerald, he felt totally at ease here today. Even the Guardian of Angel Island needed a break, after all. Treasure-hunting and exploring ancient ruins was some common ground to talk about at least. "I know about the ruins there, a lot of the cities from that time liked tucking offerings away in treasuries."

"Well to be fair, the overwhelming amount of Black Arms shooting at us might've been a little distracting," Rouge said with a shrug and a chuckle. "I'd love to go back sometime and give it a proper look. I'm sure there's some shiny beauties tucked away somewhere." She smirked and gave Knuckles a wink. "Maybe we could… help each other out? Since you know the place so well and all." It wasn't exactly a secret that the beautiful thief had a crush on the ruggedly-handsome echidna, but most of her passes seemed to go over, around or anywhere but through his head. Still, can't blame a girl for trying and all that.

"Yeah! Why not, could be fun!" Knuckles beamed with enthusiasm, accidentally crushing his chili-dog into a pulp in his giant fist. The ivory bat's eyes widened and she burst out laughing.

"Maybe you should work on your touch before you take a lady anywhere!" Rouge teased, handing Knuckles a stack of napkins. She wasn't even bothered that her flirt seemed to bounce right off the crimson echidna's skull.

"Sure, yeah, laugh it up Batty!" Knuckles grumbled, but smiled at Rouge's catching laughter. He gingerly accepted the napkins and began to scrape the sad remains of Sonic's favorite food off his glove.

While Knuckles cleaned, Rouge looked over, and her smile wavered when she saw Shadow the Hedgehog, standing off alone by the tree next to the picnic table. It looked like Blaze the Cat had tried to strike up a conversation with him earlier but it seemed like that talk was over. Perhaps the two most anti-social members of the group found it especially difficult to find things to talk about. Still, it bothered Rouge to see Shadow by himself right now…

Not that long ago, just before Sonic had defeated the Time Eater, Shadow had defeated Black Doom all over again. He'd fought many battles, and worst of all, he had to say goodbye to Maria… Nobody else besides Omega and, if he'd been paying attention, Big the Cat had any idea what Shadow had been through while Sonic had been fighting versions of Eggman. As much as the Ultimate Life-Form put on a hardened, disinterested front, Rouge knew he was hurting… She distantly touched her cheek where Shadow's tear had touched her as they'd left Black Doom's Time Void earlier.

"Hey Knuckles, I need to check on something. I'll be back in a bit, 'kay?" Rouge said as she turned back to face her old rival.

"Huh? Oh yeah, sure thing Rouge!" Knuckles looked up from his laundry crisis to smile and nod at her. "I think Sonic was wanting to play some games, so don't take too long!"

"Sure thing cutie!" Rouge said with a giggle and another wink. That did it! Knuckles' smile went into a dumbfounded look and his cheeks began to match the rest of his head a little. He actually noticed that time! Pleased with herself, Rouge sauntered over to where Shadow stood. She took a quick but deep breath to steel herself as she approached. Though she'd never admit it, the huntress grew nervous when talking to the angsty hedgehog about anything that might hurt his ego. Rouge certainly didn't want to tell him straight-up she saw him crying; he'd get irritated and deny it, or worse. Still, she couldn't let her long-time teammate's pain go unaddressed.

"Hey handsome, you had a chance to get any refreshments?" Rouge spoke in her usual purr once she was close enough. Immediately she rebuked herself as Shadow looked over at her. Damn it, what was wrong with her? She had just flirted with Knuckles, why was she doing the same to Shadow? It was her way of breaking the ice; the ivory bat was used to working her charms to distract and deceive. It was practically a reflex. Although… she'd be lying if she said she didn't think both were good-looking. Too late to back out now. Rouge just leaned into her confident advance, her smirk never wavering.

"Hmph. Yeah, I'm good," Shadow replied, holding up a cup of punch in one hand and then sipping on it. That was a lie, one that came to him easily. All the victories he'd fought in the timeless White Void, and he was left with overwhelming loss, again. At least the party was distracting enough.

"You should try the food. Tails had everything flown-in gourmet, chili-dogs too. I even helped foot the bill!" Rouge went on, moving to stand a little closer to him.

"Really," he replied dryly, clearly not remotely interested. Rouge fought the urge to sigh; Shadow never made talking easy.

"Well, I'm glad you're here anyway," she gently pressed on. "When I called you I was afraid you were gonna skip out on me! I think you might have if the Time Eater hadn't sent us here."

"I promised, didn't I?" Shadow turned to face her, his voice a little less sharp now. Without even realizing it, the black hedgehog leaned back against the tree next to him, relaxing his stance a little. Though Rouge's comment irritated him a little, he was used to this kind of banter from her at this point. It was a very familiar feeling.

"Yeah, but I know how much you hate parties, especially big ones with Sonic involved," Rouge teased with a chuckle. "So… thanks for being here, and for sticking around."

That surprised him. Shadow's frown softened a little, and he gave her a small nod. He wasn't even sure why Rouge had wanted him to come so badly in the first place, even willing to trash a G.U.N. base to do so.

"You're… welcome," the Ultimate Life-Form said uncertainly. Gratitude wasn't something he usually expressed, yet Rouge had gone out of her way to thank him just for being here. He couldn't even imagine why anyone would want him around anyway; he didn't exactly have the most magnetic personality. Yet Rouge always stuck around, even if she got annoyed with him, and he her.

"Okay hotshot, don't hurt yourself if it's that hard to be nice!" Rouge teased with a slight giggle. When Shadow only grunted in response, she took a chance and very lightly poked her elbow into his ribs. "Come on, lighten up Mr. Unsmiley. You can at least try the food!"

"Pass,"Shadow muttered, fighting a smile as he pushed Rouge's elbow away. The damn bat had gotten him in a ticklish spot but he didn't want her to know that.

Too late. Rouge had noticed the quick change in demeanor, the frown falling away for a split-second. Encouraged, she moved closer to him, leaning against the same tree as him.

"Well, I don't suppose you'd be up for games then either… not even racing Sonic?" Rouge said, her voice sounding innocently oblivious.

"Hm… I don't need to prove myself superior to him," Shadow replied, subtly scooting an inch away from Rouge. What was her problem, hadn't she heard of personal space? Not to mention, why the facade of trying to tempt him into participating? She knew what she was doing, Shadow knew it, why was she making a game out of it?

Still… Shadow was a bit irritated he hadn't had a chance to give Sonic a fair fight when they'd contested the yellow Chaos Emerald earlier. The ebony hedgehog could've crushed him then and there with his Doom Powers, but he wanted a fair fight, thus letting Sonic off the hook with the false Emerald.

"Oh come on!" Rouge said, letting a hint of her growing exasperation creep into her tone, giving Shadow a wide, puppy-eyed pleading look, fluttering her long lashes at him. "Pleeeease, Shadow? Just one game of your choosing, try some damn food and I'll leave you alone. If you want, we can even do something you like to do after the party. Just the two of us, promise. Deal?"

Rolling his eyes at Rouge's pleading, Shadow silently considered her offer for a few moments. Something he wanted? Ugh, fine. If it got Rouge to stop nagging him, it'd be worth it. Besides, her company was preferable to having Sonic and every single one of his friends in one place. What the hell.

"Fine," he finally relented with a groan. "If there's some sort of game where I'm pitted against Sonic's speed, I'll try. That, and something that looks nourishing, I suppose."

"Finally! I promise you won't regret it!" Rouge beamed, and eagerly began pulling Shadow to join the others over by the table.

"Don't make a promise you can't keep, Rouge," Shadow chided, yet he couldn't quite fight the smirk that Rouge's sudden enthusiasm caused. Inwardly, Rouge swooned a little at the hedgehog's quick change in expression again. Even a smirk was pretty rare from Shadow, but he always looked so… charming when he smiled at all. Sure, his usual brooding demeanor had its edgy charm, but it had gotten a little old for Rouge to be honest.

Later…

A few hours later, the sun had now burned the sky out to an increasingly-dim orange as Sonic's party carried on. The younger incarnations of Sonic and Tails had returned to their own time awhile ago, but everyone else was still here. While Shadow had refrained from joining in most of the activities, he'd surprised everyone when taking on Sonic in a sort of obstacle course/race track that went around the whole area, weaving through trees and across long jumps across cliffs and chasms. Knuckles, Blaze, Silver and Espio had joined in as well but after four rounds, evenly tied, it was clear Sonic and Shadow were in a league of their own.

After tying another two rounds, the group decided to move on to other games before it grew too late. While disappointed he hadn't totally proved himself superior to Sonic, Shadow inwardly admitted it had been fairly entertaining, especially once he had familiarized himself with the course.

"Nice moves, Shadow!" Sonic had said, still catching his breath as the group set up the next game. "Thought I almost had 'ya!"

"In your dreams, Sonic," Shadow had scoffed. "Another round and I would've proved-"

"That you're 'the Ultimate'? Yeah, even if you did, cut me a break! It's my birthday!" Sonic laughed, giving him a thumbs-up. "Still, I'll race you anytime, any place!"

Afterwards, Shadow stood at the sidelines for the most part, quietly observing the party. Going against his instincts, he let his curiosity get the best of him and tried one of the chili dogs. Arguing internally with himself about how good they actually were, Shadow noticed Rouge approaching him again, a drink in her left hand. Torn between sighing at what antics she had planned, and actually being happy to see her, he settled on nodding at her.

"Hey Shadow, Knuckles just told me the most embarrassing story!" the ivory spy said with a massive mischievous grin. "Please let me tell you?"

"How about you give me the highlight and I fill in the gaps?" he replied, taking another bite of the chili dog. Rouge beamed at him and nodded smugly.

"See? Told you they were good!" she jabbed gently. Shadow just shrugged, turning his attention back to watching the others play a game that combined catch and keep-away, with Silver dominating the competition as he hovered above them all.

"Come on man! This isn't fair!" Knuckles cried, hurling a boulder at the psychic hedgehog in frustration.

"It's no use!" Silver taunted, catching the boulder and holding both it and the ball they were using above them all.

"Tails, you can fly! Give me a hand?!" Sonic yelled, trying to build up enough momentum to reach Silver from the ground, but always just a few inches short.

"Sorry Sonic, I'm just the task master! If I participated in the games, it wouldn't be balanced anymore!" Tails said with a chuckle, sitting over with Cream the Rabbit and her Chao, Cheese.

"What is the point of this? Are they getting any training out of this nonsense?" Shadow scoffed as the game continued.

"Ugh, you're such a stick in the mud," Rouge said with a sigh. "It's called 'having fun,' remember? Don't tell me you didn't enjoy tearing across this place earlier!"

"It was alright," Shadow admitted, though it severely underscored how much he'd actually enjoyed it. Sighing again, Rouge gave a half-hearted shrug.

"Guess I'll take what I can get," she said, and forced herself to smile again. "Can you at least admit you're having a better time than you thought?"

"Yes."

For God's sake, could this man get more than fifty words out in a day?!

'Patience… it's subtle, but he's lightening up' Rouge told herself silently. 'He's been through a lot today. Just be there for him, like you said.'

"Did you decide what you wanted to do when we leave the party?" she asked, hoping to keep Shadow's mind in as much of a positive mood as possible.

"Yes, if you agree to it," Shadow replied, finally turning to look at her again. Denying it, he was actually a little excited to do this. "I… was thinking about taking you somewhere on my motorcycle."

"Oh really?" Rouge said, her eyes lighting up that Shadow had actually proposed that. She knew how much he loved his motorcycle, even if she didn't quite understand why have it when Shadow could run faster than the bike with his fire-skates. "That sounds… a little personal, mm Shadow?" The thief's tone grew slightly sultry as she lowered her eyelids in an alluring smirk. "I know how much guys like to show off their bikes."

"I'm not like other guys," Shadow grumbled, turning away again. "Do you want to go or not?"

"Of course I do! Sounds like fun, and amazingly it was your idea!" Rouge said with a small laugh. Feeling a little giddy, she took another risk, and gave the dark hedgehog a quick peck on the cheek when nobody was looking.

"Wha-?!" Shadow exclaimed, his face blushing pink as he raised his hand to where Rouge's lips had touched him.

"Sounds like a date then! I'll leave you alone now, see you after the party!" Rouge said, walking away with a wink and a wave as she went back to the festivities. She didn't want to give Shadow a chance to rebuke her for the kiss; she just couldn't help herself! The bat had been overcome with excitement at the idea!

Watching her leave, Shadow slowly resumed his brooding after a few moments. He distantly rubbed his cheek as the stun wore off.

"What is her deal?" he mumbled to himself. "I just don't get it…"

Later…

The party went on for nearly two more hours. As the sky barely had any light left as the sun's last rays gradually crept away, Sonic's guests had begun to disperse. Blaze and Silver had returned to their respective worlds and times, and the younger Mobians like Tails, Cream and Charmy had turned in for the day.

Sonic was saying goodbye to those who remained as the party concluded, helping the others clean up as they did so. After bidding the blue hero farewell, Knuckles and Rouge were finishing a conversation as they left the party with Shadow waiting over at his bike.

"So, how about next week? I'll meet you at Death Ruins while it's still light out," the red echidna proposed as they walked.

"Sounds good Red," Rouge replied with a nod. "Just remember though; first come, first served! Any gems or jewels I spot first are mine!"

"Bring it on, bat-girl! I'll show you once and for all why my tribe was revered for discovering and protecting ancient treasures!" Knuckles shot back with a grin, eagerly smacking his fists together.

"Whatever you say, big man!" Rouge giggled back. "Goodnight Knuckles, you don't wanna keep the Master Emerald waiting for tooo long!"

"Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?!" Knuckles exclaimed. "You going after it again?!" The echidna angrily took a defensive stance as he faced the thief. "Nuh-uh! Not on my watch!" and he took off in a panic. Still giggling, Rouge walked over towards Shadow, who had one of his trademark frowns across his face.

"What is that fool's problem?" the moody warrior asked once Rouge finally reached him. Calming her laughter down, the ivory bat shook her head.

"He's just too easy to get a rise out of, that's all," she beamed as she answered. "We're going treasure-hunting next week!"

"Hmph. You're going on a date with him?" Shadow grumbled, his frown deepening.

"It's not a date! We're just having fun together!" Rouge retorted, though she blushed a little as she did so. Admittedly, she didn't hate the idea of it being a date… but neither was she opposed to this bike-ride being a date. Ugh, what was wrong with her?! "Besides, I don't think that's your business anyway!" she added spitefully.

Damn it. Why did she have to press? Because he'd kind of hit a nerve with that 'date' remark?

"Whatever," the dark hedgehog muttered dismissively. He didn't care about what his allies did in their spare time. Why should he? Right? "Coming?" Shadow started up the engine, the roar of the motor drowning out the rest of that particular conversation.

'Calm down… be patient… he's had a hell of a day…' Rouge reminded herself again. Taking a deep breath, she got on the back of the motorcycle. As soon as she put her arms around Shadow, her mood improved; he was warm, and very soft. Except for those powerful muscles beneath that gorgeous jet-black fur. Grateful he couldn't see her blush, Rouge called; "Ready when you are, Shad!"

"Better be. Hold on!" Shadow replied, his mood also improving as the duo took off. The rush of wind on his face always cleared his mind, and the rumble of the motor and the burning of rubber on road empowered him in a way he couldn't quite explain.

"Where are we going, anyway?!" Rouge called over the motor and wind, now grinning across her whole face as the rush of adrenaline and dopamine spread through her.

True to form, Shadow's response was predictably minimal: "You'll see."

'Way to keep a girl in suspense…' she thought with a sigh. The beautiful bat decided to just soak in the view of rushing landscapes, the feeling of freedom on the road, and actually being with Shadow on anything that wasn't a mission for once.

Later…

Rouge had never expected Shadow to take her to a place like this. The pair had stopped at a meadow covered with flowers, blue petals almost glowing under the now nighttime sky. There were a few hills around, one of which the pair climbed. Shadow was quiet the entire time, making Rouge a little uncomfortable as time went on. At the top of the hill, the black hedgehog turned to look up at the night sky, the stars and moon now fully visible. The ivory bat almost gasped, her eyes glittering at the field of stars above them, a black and blue sky above a shimmering sea of flowers.

"Shadow… where is this place?" Rouge asked softly, unable to take his stoic silence any longer.

"I come here to think, sometimes," he finally said, folding his arms as he gazed up. "I… like it here. I thought you might too." Not surprisingly, he refused to elaborate further.

"Thank you," she replied with a gentle smile. Looking at her for a moment, Shadow nodded and smiled ever-so-slightly.

The two of them continued to observe the beautiful landscape around them. Moonlight beamed down and turned the flowers into a sapphire sea, seeming to glitter along with the stars overhead. But Rouge always found her gaze trailing back to Shadow.

Her feelings had been all over the place tonight; she'd been having a great time with Knuckles, and even got Shadow to lighten up. Rouge had spent time with almost everyone at the party but had practically ping-ponged between Shadow and Knuckles. The poor bat was feeling torn right now… but sitting in this field with Shadow, everything felt so… personal, meaningful.

Still, she knew there was another issue, one which had her concerned.

'I… really should say something…' she thought heavily. 'Just… to make sure he's okay…' Rouge wasn't great at addressing feelings, especially her own. Shadow and her were alike in that regard; they both deflected when trying to dig past the facades on the surface. Still… she knew Shadow had to be hurting, and she couldn't stand to see him in more pain. Trying to be delicate, she decided to try and get him to talk more first, test the waters more.

"Do you come here often?" Rouge asked, again mentally shaking her head at herself. 'Really?! That's the best I can do?'

"Yes. I sleep here sometimes, weather permitting," Shadow replied evenly, sitting down on the cool grass with his hands placed behind him. Rouge smiled; she wasn't used to seeing him this relaxed. The angsty hedgehog still had a stoney, hardened expression, but his body language was much more at ease. While tempted to make a joke about him sleeping outdoors, Rouge wanted to avoid pushing buttons right now.

"It's nice, seeing you appreciate a beautiful place like this," she added gently, sitting down next to him. "Didn't really expect that from you."

"Hm. The calm around here makes it easy to clear my mind and think, that's all. Not many places like this," he replied dismissively. Shadow did find the place appealing, especially in this lighting, but he didn't want people thinking the Ultimate Life-Form admired beauty like an artsy sort or anything.

Rouge sighed quietly. Shadow knew he'd frustrated her, and he sighed himself. What was the big deal, anyway? He knew Rouge well enough, worst she was going to do was tease him and move on. Shadow was used to that by now, so what was his problem?

"Sorry…" Shadow said heavily, apologizing for the first time in forever, perhaps. "Not trying to spoil the mood. It… is nice here."

"There, was that so hard?" Rouge teased, gently nudging Shadow in the arm a little. Shadow grumbled under his breath and shook his head, but made no move to distance himself from his teammate. "Though you don't need to apologize, y'know? I'm used to you being a grouch."

"Like I'm used to you being a pain in my ass," Shadow quipped, but a faint flash of a smirk betrayed his playfulness. With a small giggle, Rouge gave a relieved sigh; maybe she could check on him now. After enjoying the quiet awhile longer, watching Shadow gaze up at the stars, she decided to give it a try, against her own instincts. The quick-witted huntress knew she was taking a risk, but Shadow was too important to her to not try and reach out to him.

"Hey, Shadow, I need to know… Are you… okay?" Rouge gently prodded. "I can only imagine… today was a lot for you-"

"I'm fine." Shadow immediately cut her off, his gaze flittering to the ground for a second before going back up to the stars. His face hardened a little; why bring up if he was fine or not? Couldn't they just enjoy this moment in peace? Everything was fine damn it, just leave it alone! Don't let his mind wander to his loss again.

"I'm just asking, Shadow… I told you I'd be there for you," Rouge tried again, though her patience with her ally's abrasive, fragmented deflections was wearing thin. "If you need to talk, I'm here."

"I'm okay. Really," he insisted, gripping the grass in his hand to stave off his own dwindling patience. "You can stop asking now. I. Am. Fine."

"No, you're not, Shadow!" Rouge replied, her frustration and exasperation finally beginning to sharpen her tone. "Nobody would be, after what you went through! And that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that!"

"Yes, but as I said, I'm fine," Shadow repeated, his jaw clenching a little as his irritability began to flare up. "I've moved on from my past, remember?"

"Fine! Whatever! Sorry I said anything!" the huntress said without disguising her exhaustion with the stubborn hedgehog anymore. "I'm just worried about you, after all that! Nobody even gave you credit, Sonic got all the glory for the Time Eater, and then you had to-"

"Well I'm not so self-absorbed I need the spotlight!" Shadow replied, his voice beginning to seethe. Everything Rouge was saying was true, and it was an unpleasant reminder. He knew she meant well, but… "So there's no reason to bring up my trauma, thank you very much!"

"UGH! I'm not trying to, Shadow!" Rouge exclaimed, unable to hold back her frustration anymore, standing up abruptly to look down at Shadow. "I just want you to talk to me! I know you're hurting, let me help damn it! I saw you crying when we left White Space! Why do you only listen to her?!"

Shit. Why, why had she brought that up? Shit.

"Shadow, I… I'm s-"

"You what?!" Shadow snapped, getting to his feet as well. That particular mention of Maria stung and fanned the flames of his temper. Plus, she saw him crying. Vulnerability was a feeling Shadow loathed. "No I-! That's none of your business!"

"But it is, Shadow!" Rouge cried back. "I care about you, I-!"

"I never asked you to care about me!" the dark hedgehog snarled back, more vicious than intended. "I'm the Ultimate Life-Form, I can take care of myself!"

That wasn't true. Shadow knew it wasn't; Rouge, Omega and even Sonic had saved him several times before. Why had he said that? Why was he so angry? The duo felt their hearts collectively drop as Rouge's ears did the same.

"That's not something you ask people to do, Shadow! Why are you so opposed to spending time with friends, talking to us?!" the ivory bat continued despite her sinking feeling. "Why can't you just let me help?!"

Shadow glared at the ground, too angry and too flustered to respond or even think of an answer. Why couldn't he? Why would he rather keep his emotions bottled up like a pressurized bomb? After a few moments, he began to storm off towards his motorcycle. Screw it, the angsty hedgehog had already ruined the evening, right?

"Hey, where the hell are you going?!" Rouge demanded, running after him.

"I've wasted enough time today," Shadow growled. Again, he didn't really believe his own words; he'd had more fun today than he could remember having in a long time. "I have work to do."

"Work! Ha! An excuse if I ever heard one!" she retorted as she followed. "Eggman is defeated, you stopped Black Doom! Sonic stopped the Time Eater! Can't you take one damned day to stop being such an ass?!"

"Unlike the rest of you, I prefer to spend my time doing things that matter," he snapped. "I have questions that need answering. There was a villain I fought in White Space who called himself 'Mephiles'. He knew me, all of us but I have no idea who or what he was. Furthermore, if Black Doom returned once, I need to find out how, and make sure he can't return again."

"You can take a few days to take care of yourself too, you know!" Rouge yelled back. "There's nothing wrong with that! But I guess you'd rather just keep fighting for the rest of your life than be happy for a change! Can't you even just let us help you, at least?! I'm your friend Shadow!"

Shadow didn't reply, he just mounted his bike and revved the engine up.

"FINE! If we really mean that little to you, just take off! We're used to you not being around anyway, heartless bastard! Do whatever you want!" she screamed in anger, turning on her heel to face away from him. Rouge didn't want him to see her fighting back tears; she loathed vulnerability, too. It was like letting him see how upset he'd made her would let him win, somehow.

"You want me to take you home or not?" Shadow muttered, but Rouge was already spreading her wings to get back her own way. "Hmph! Fine. Go chat up that dim-witted echidna some more!"

What the hell, why had Shadow brought that up? Why would that matter?

The hedgehog kicked off the bike's stand and steered the bike around to leave.

"Shadow, wait!" Rouge called out despite herself. A cold feeling hit her; every time Shadow took off, it was always a long time before she saw him again. Surprisingly, he stopped the bike and looked up at her.

"Yeah?" he asked stiffly. Even as angry as he was, Shadow knew deep down if Rouge needed something, he couldn't just leave her there. Was she about to apologize? Should he? Obviously, but…

Rouge wanted to plead with him to stay, to say she was sorry she upset him… to tell the angsty bastard how much he meant to her. But instead, her stubborn pride won out. She was upset at Shadow for rebuking her affection, her concern, and she couldn't help but want him to be upset too. It was easier for her than opening up herself to him… or anyone, really.

'Selfish bitch,' she thought.

"Nothing, Shadow," Rouge muttered. "Get out of here. Do whatever you want, just… try not to get yourself hurt, okay?"

Shadow just grunted. In affirmation or dismissal, Rouge didn't care. Did she? Of course not; screw him. With another roar of the motor, Shadow took off into the night, and Rouge began her flight home.

Even in that moment, Shadow knew this was his fault. Maybe Rouge said some hurtful things but he'd been the one to start the squabble when she'd been trying to help.

'Stubborn bastard,' he thought.

They tried to remain angry at each other to ignore the feelings of their own guilt. Rouge felt terrible about the things she'd called Shadow, and for perhaps pressing too hard, too soon. Shadow too felt horrible about how hard he'd gone off at Rouge, he knew she hadn't deserved it. But they chose to focus on how they'd felt at the other's words and hide behind that pain.

'What the hell is wrong with them?!' the two both thought as they left the scene, their hearts feeling heavy and beaten. Though they both blamed themselves more, their similar stubborn natures blinded them to that.

Such strong personalities like Shadow and Rouge's were bound to clash at some point, especially with their alike emotional safeguards. Yet even harsh words like they'd exchanged rang hollow, and if their true feelings somehow came to light, perhaps true healing and peace could begin…

*Author's

Note*

So here I am with the first story I've written where Shadow and Rouge don't strictly fall for one another right away. Wanted to challenge myself a little here, portray other ships in fair, healthy ways.

If the cover art by SSAANAA (check her out! Great Shadouge Artist! Her Twitter: /ssanaaloves) didn't give it away, there's going to be a larger story here than in "Where to Find the Light." I'm hoping I got their charfacters right; tbh I never wrote Shadow and Rouge arguing like this before. Feedback is welcome! Hope it's a decent read!