Chapter Six: Troubled Paths and Dark Clouds
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*G.U.N. Headquarters, A Few Hours Later*
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"Well, if Knuckles knows, he may as well sit in on our strategy," Abraham Tower said sternly over Rouge's radio. The bat had gone into the back to be alone when she decided to go ahead and get this out of the way before they arrived. They were close enough to H.Q. now that Rouge could contact the Commander via this secure channel. "We were considering calling upon him and the rest of Team Sonic to help in case things don't go as planned. I suppose this works in our favor."
"Yeah, I remember. You mentioned that contingency. Thanks Abe, nice to know you have so much confidence in us," Rouge said haughtily.
"It never hurts to have a backup plan when it comes to keeping the world safe," Abraham rebuked. "I don't think you're exactly in a position to be giving me sass right now, Agent Rouge."
"Yeah, I know. Fair," she sighed. "Still, there wasn't much point in keeping this from Knuckles if you were thinking of bringing him in later!"
"Perhaps, but it was meant to be kept confidential from everyone, not just Knuckles. It was indiscriminate consolidation of information, that's all Rouge," Abe replied. "I'll let this slide since no harm was done, and Shadow may not have agreed if he didn't know the Black Arms were involved. I'll discuss everything else with you all once you arrive. Tower out."
Rouge sighed in relief as the tense ride on the helicopter mercifully came to its final approach. She went back into the main hatch with the others. As she guessed, nobody had budged. Shadow was still brooding, Omega was still watching, and Knuckles still sat with his arms folded in his seat.
"Ugh, can you boys look alive for just a minute? We're almost there!" the ivory bat snapped.
"I'll feel better once I know more about what we're dealing with," Shadow replied without looking at her. "Once the Commander tells us what G.U.N. knows, we can act."
"All we require is transport to enemy territory," Omega said. "From there, it is simply a matter of destruction. Sheer, unwarranted destruction, as long as we are able to survive by the end."
"Hm. Well put, Omega," the edgy hedgehog agreed with a slight smirk. "If they've returned again, we'll just destroy them so utterly that nothing could possibly survive!"
"You sure you're the good guys?" Knuckles said with a disapproving scowl. "I love a good fight, but-"
"Do not presume to understand my motives!" Shadow snapped, his eyes shimmering with wrath. "The Black Arms are a threat to the whole world, to the whole galaxy and beyond. They will not show mercy. We can't afford to show them any either. Aside from that, they have tried to control me. To lay claim to me as their warrior, their pawn. Black Doom deceived me while his followers wreaked havoc on this whole world."
Shadow looked away, staring at the floor again as his fangs and fists clenched.
"I cannot abide by them. If we have the chance to stop them before they set one wretched foot on the Earth, we have to take it."
"I know that! I care about protecting the Earth too!" Knuckles replied. "But you sound so sinister when-"
"Guys! Knuckles, it's fine!" Rouge intervened, coming to stand between the two. "Shadow sounds like that a lot when he's about to have a good fight. Like you said, you can appreciate that, right? So he sounds all cold, big deal! It's his thing, doesn't mean he's not a good guy! Besides, this is personal for him. Can you two please chill and just try to get along?! For ten minutes?!"
"Fine, fine… sorry guys," the echidna relented with a sigh and a shrug. Shadow just grunted and went back to brooding by Omega.
Thankfully, the chopper was ready to land at that point, and soon the four of them were able to disembark onto G.U.N.'s helipad. A small guard of soldiers and Beetle mechs quickly escorted them to the same room within the headquarters where Abraham had briefed Rouge and Omega just yesterday.
As they walked down the bustling halls, Shadow observed his surroundings with some guilt and disdain. The last time he'd been here, it had been briefly before the war with Eggman and Infinite. But at one point, Black Doom had been planning for Shadow to spearhead an assault on this very base. He couldn't help but observe the security and defenses as they passed by. Somehow, G.U.N. had developed a field that prevented Chaos Control from effectively getting someone inside the building; he'd learned that during his brief time with the Black Arms before.
Once inside, however, despite the thousands of guards, mechs and elaborate defenses, taking the Headquarters would be much easier. Shadow hoped that this time, the Black Arms wouldn't even get a chance to try.
Soon, they were back in the Command Center. Unlike before, the room was unsettlingly quiet. Only a few hands clicking away at computers and the odd murmured conversation made any noise besides the hum of the screens. Rouge and Knuckles looked around uncomfortably while Shadow and Omega seemed relatively unbothered.
"Tensions are high. So is blood pressure," Omega stated aloud. Rouge sighed.
"Team Dark. Knuckles the Echidna. Good to see you all."
The four of them inclined their heads to see Commander Abraham Tower enter the room, followed by two guards. As usual, Abe had a stern frown on his face, though his orange and blue eyes seemed to brighten with relief when he saw them.
"Well, I suppose we all know why we're here," he said, unclasping his hands from behind his back. "So… let's get to it." Abraham pulled out a small remote, and changed the main monitor on the largest screen in the room.
Shadow's eyes widened and he involuntarily gasped softly when he saw the image of the second Black Comet appear on the screen. Nobody noticed but Rouge, who cast a worried glance at him. She knew this was personal to him, but seeing Shadow affected like that… hurt.
Unlike the hologram from before, the image of the Comet was clear, in vivid, accurate color. There was no mistaking its relation to the first Black Comet. A number displaying its distance from Earth was rapidly dropping.
"In short, we don't know how, but the Black Arms have returned," Abraham continued gravely. "This is the latest image we have of them, and we've been able to analyze it more thoroughly as it approaches our range. From what we can tell, they'll be within range of Earth in less than twenty hours. However, our plan is to take them out well before that."
Abe clicked the remote again to show a blueprint of a spacecraft on the screen. It looked much more advanced than the shuttle Shadow had "borrowed" to reach the ARK over a year ago. It was labeled "UFSF (United Federation Space Force) Ratatosk Assault Shuttle."
"Our top engineers have been working on this for years, and now's the best time to put it to use. It's much more fuel-efficient, armored and shielded with our latest tech, and armed with five different weapons," Abraham explained. "We've only field-tested the last few models against Eggman's forces, but everything promises that this model of the Ratatosk is our best chance of getting to the Black Comet."
"Excuse me, but why not just use the Eclipse Cannon on the ARK to stop them?" Knuckles asked. "Isn't that how Shadow stopped them last time?"
"True, but unfortunately, the Chaos Emeralds haven't been found yet," Abe replied. "I believe the last time they were all accounted for was when Sonic used them to fight off The End and the Titans on the Starfall Islands, yes?"
"Yeah… that was the last time we saw Sonic go Super," Knuckles confirmed. "Nobody's found any since?"
"Not as far as we know. Regardless, the Eclipse Cannon isn't an option right now," Abraham continued. "We've hidden and shielded the ARK that will keep it totally invisible from the Black Arms, as long as they don't make physical contact with it. We have defenses in place if they do."
"Our current plan is to send a force to board the Black Comet, and plant a thermo-nuclear device at their core. This will not only eliminate the threat of the Black Arms on board, but also the threat of the Comet colliding into Earth. Once you're all clear, detonate it and it should be more than sufficient to completely destroy it."
"May I see this weapon?" Omega asked, his voice sounding elated in anticipation. Abe smirked a little but he obliged; an image of a large, missile-shaped bomb with similar blueprints appeared.
"Exquisite."
"So Abe, what exactly do you need us to do?" Rouge asked, giving her robotic friend a smile at his usual candor.
"Team Dark will be spearheading the assault on the Black Comet. Spider and Sword Companies will accompany you for support. You're to get the bomb to the core of the Black Comet by any and all means necessary," Abraham went on. He nodded at two nearby G.U.N. soldiers, who stepped forward. One was a man, the other a woman.
"This is Captain Wachowski and Captain Topaz, of Spider and Sword Troupes, respectively," Abe introduced. The officers snapped off a salute to their Commander and the others. "They'll be giving their own soldiers their orders, but since Rouge is our agent with the most experience with the Black Arms, I'm placing command of this operation under her. Wachowski and Topaz answer to her unless I say otherwise." He then turned his heterochromatic eyes towards Shadow.
"Other than fighting alongside us against the Black Arms, I was also hoping you'd act as an advisor, Shadow," he told the hedgehog directly. "You spent some time, albeit brief, among their ranks. If you have anything to share that could aid in destroying them and saving the Earth, we need to know now."
Shadow coldly regarded all the gazes on him for a moment before replying.
"I was really hoping you would have information to give," the hedgehog scoffed. "G.U.N. knew about the Black Arms' return before anyone else. You're the traffickers of the government's data, correct?"
"Anything and everything we know about the Black Arms will be shared before you all depart for your mission," Abraham replied shortly. "However, if you know anything we don't, we request you share it with us. Now."
"Hmph. Right. Request. I don't work for you, I'm only here because our interests align, and I trust Rouge and Omega." Shadow scoffed again and closed his eyes, deep in thought.
"Black Doom didn't share much with me, mostly just their tactics for their latest attack, or the location of a Chaos Emerald, a little of their history," Shadow said after a few moments. "But if this New Comet and its Black Arms are anything like the main force behind Black Doom, there's a chance I may be able to tap into their hive mind. I did so by accident the first few times before I learned to control it. There's a chance I can learn how they survived Black Doom's defeat, and how to prevent them from returning again."
"Is that safe?" Rouge asked, frowning slightly in concern. "What if they tried to take control of you again or something?"
"They won't," Shadow said firmly, his eyes unblinkingly certain. "Black Doom sought to control me in the Time Void, and he failed, even with more of his power coursing through me at that time. I've learned how to control and stem their influence; I won't serve them. Never again."
"I hope you're right, Shadow," Abraham said gravely. "Is there anything else you can tell us?"
"However the Black Arms survived, I believe they have something, or someone, powerful acting as a ruler the way Black Doom did. Something holding them together," Shadow replied. "If whatever that is gets destroyed along with the Comet, it will at least ensure the death of every Black Arms on that Comet if the bomb doesn't get them first." His frown deepened as another thought occurred to him.
"They're still too far for me to tell, but if they had a direct link to Black Doom, they could have seen how our battle went, even as far away as they must have been. The hive mind works both ways. I guarantee they'll have tried to prepare themselves for everything we threw at them last time." He sighed. "I just wish I knew what it was."
"I understand Shadow. If you are able to tap into their hive-mind and learn something, relay it to us ASAP," Abraham said with a nod. "Now, with the data we gathered from the last invasion, we'll be able to equip you with rebreathers that should protect you from the paralytic gas the Black Arms weaponize. We don't know the layout of this new Black Comet, but we've tried to compile everything we know to help Team Dark and our squads navigate their way to the core as best as possible."
He turned to face Knuckles.
"Would you mind bringing in Sonic and Tails on this?" he asked the echidna. "Since you know everything now, we might as well begin planning in case the Black Arms manage to get to Earth somehow."
"Mm… yeah, I'll tell 'em," Knuckles said heavily, giving the Commander a stern look. "I'm so honored to be in the know for a change."
"Knuckles!" Rouge rebuked, but Abraham waved it off.
"It's alright. I understand you're upset Knuckles, but please, we do need to work together," he said.
"Working together takes trust!" Knuckles snapped back. "How can I trust you when you never let Rouge tell me anything?!"
Shadow couldn't help but chuckle slightly. He hated to admit it, but the echidna had a decent point.
"It's nothing personal, Knuckles. You're not the only one who isn't told everything," Abe replied evenly, though his eyes began to narrow a little. "Can we count on you or not?"
"Fine. I'll tell Sonic and Tails, and don't worry, I won't tell anyone else!" Knuckles muttered. Abe sighed and nodded. He supposed that was the best he was going to get right now.
"The Ratatosk still needs time to be prepared, but by the time it's able to launch and meet the Black Comet once it's within range, it'll be about twelve hours from now," he continued. "You all have leave to do what you wish until then, just stay close. Westopolis isn't too far from here, you can stay there until the mission is ready to begin, or in the Headquarters. Just be back and be ready in less than twelve hours from now. Any questions?"
"Plant a bomb, no more alien invaders, no more problems, and we all go home with nice juicy bonuses!" Rouge replied with a smug look. "Pish. We got this Abe!"
"As long as I am pointed in the direction of enemies, I am satisfied," Omega chimed, eagerly bouncing on his feet a little.
"Hmph."
"Yeah, yeah."
"Very well," Abe sighed. "Knuckles, once Rouge and the others leave on their mission, bring Sonic and Tails here and we'll bring them up to speed. We'll keep you up to date on their mission status as long as you don't mind staying here in the Fortress in the meantime."
"Wait, if all three of us are here, who am I going to get to guard the Master Emerald?!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"We're already on that," Abraham assured him. "We've hired another team to watch Angel Island in your absence. We'll be paying them a generous fee. I believe you worked with them, once upon a time?"
"Huh…?" The echidna arched a brow, then furrowed them in thought. "Wait… the Chaotix?! Yeah I worked with them, but…" He cringed a little bit. "There was weird stuff going on back then…"
"Regardless, yes, we've hired the Chaotix," Abe said. "They're reliable in combat, and said they didn't mind helping an old friend out. Besides, I figured you'd prefer them to having G.U.N. soldiers guard the Master Emerald."
"Can't argue with you there!" Knuckles said with a suppressed groan.
"Very well. If that's all, dismissed for now," Abraham said. "Remember, back in under twelve hours."
Shadow and Knuckles were already fast-walking towards the exit as everyone else either returned to work or prepared to leave. Rouge and Omega hurried after the two, managing to catch up just outside the doorway.
"Hey! So what do you guys want to do? We got time to kill before the mission," Rouge suggested. Hearing this seemed to lighten Knuckles up a little.
"Maybe get something to eat? That stuff in Soleanna was good but you didn't get squat with their portions!," Knuckles said hopefully.
"Sure thing, Red. Shadow, Omega! You guys wanna tag along? Spend the night out before we have to come back?" the ivory bat asked brightly.
"Pass. I'll stay nearby and train," Shadow replied bluntly.
"Aw, come on, Shadow!" Rouge insisted, giving him a slight tug on the arm. "It'll be fun, I promise!"
"You two go ahead. I'd like to stay close by in case anything changes," Shadow said stiffly, gently pulling his arm away. Disheartened, Rouge sighed, her ears drooping slightly for a moment. Omega looked over at her, then at Shadow, then back at Rouge.
"I too shall remain here and train alongside Shadow," he said. "I'd like to see how his combat skills compare to the last time we fought alongside each other."
"Okay then… alright, see you boys before the mission," Rouge said, managing a smile. She pulled out a keycard and tossed it to Shadow, who deftly caught it. "That'll let you guys into my own training room. It's better suited to Mobians than humans." She and Knuckles took each other's hands and went their own way while Shadow and Omega remained behind.
"Where is her training room?" Omega asked. Shadow just grunted and started walking down another hall. The rogue badnik followed his hedgehog ally, his red eyes blinking as he tried to process his organic behavior.
Soon, they arrived, and as Shadow slid the keycard and opened the door, they reveled in a large space, almost like a hangar or small warehouse. The room had all sorts of training equipment that humans would struggle to use. It had a few different obstacle courses, a large arena for fighting, and dummy mechs to practice with.
After trying out a few different things for about a half-hour, Shadow and Omega were now sparring in the arena, melee attacks only. No Chaos powers or guns of any kind.
"Shadow, I would like to venture a query," Omega said as he launched two quick, powerful punches.
"Fine. Shoot," the dark hedgehog replied, dodging under the attack and attempting to kick the mech in the torso.
"What has transpired between you, Rouge and Knuckles?" he asked after catching Shadow's foot in his claw.
"What? Nothing! Why?" Shadow snapped back, arching a brow as he twisted himself to kick his other foot into Omega's arm, freeing his foot as he leapt back.
"Do not give me that," Omega shot at him dourly, launching himself forward for another attack. "I have been observing your behavior. Whenever Knuckles and Rouge interact as of late, your heart rate picks up and your hostility increases by over eighty-nine percent. Elaborate."
"It's nothing, Omega! I just have a lot to deal with now!" the Ultimate Life-Form growled, rolling into a ball and bouncing upwards to hit Omega square-on. "Why do you want to talk about 'feelings' all of a sudden?!"
"I never said anything about 'feelings,' though that was my most probable hypothesis," the robot replied, turning himself around and using his thrusters to cannonball towards Shadow. "Elaborate!"
*SMASH!*
Shadow narrowly dodged Omega's impact, and barely had time to turn and brace for the next attack as the mech came rocketing towards him.
"Omega-!"
"You, Rouge and all other organics have a foolish habit of letting your emotions cloud your capabilities instead of addressing him. It does not compute!" He began furiously punching at Shadow, faster than the hedgehog had seen before. The rogue robot had been keeping his software and hardware as up-to-date and top-notch as possible during his ally's absence. "If we are going to emerge victorious against the Black Arms, I cannot have my team crippling their own efficiency! Elaborate!"
"Fine!" Shadow snapped, and spin-kicked Omega hard enough to knock him away. He took a moment to catch his breath, and gritted his teeth.
"I… I don't know what's wrong," the ebony hedgehog admitted heavily. "At first, I was glad to see Rouge again, to be working alongside her like before. But whenever Knuckles is around, it's… like he's tainting her companionship!"
"Why is that? Is it because they are, 'dating'?" Omega cut to the chase.
"I'm not sure," Shadow replied, shaking his head. "Why should that matter? Rouge can date who she wants…"
"The echidna's company can be tiresome, I will admit," Omega offered. "However, despite thinking he would be an unnecessary addition to Team Dark, our interests align regarding Rouge's well-being. I struggle to see why his presence should infuriate you more than myself."
"Yeah… I didn't even realize how much I couldn't stand him until he called on the radio," Shadow sighed. "She's your friend too, as well as mine, so why? Why does Knuckles anger me so much?!"
"Are you jealous of her choice?"
"No!" Shadow immediately barked. "Why would I be so petty as to be jealous?!"
"You and Rouge have embarked on many missions and many adventures together, even before I encountered you two. It is logical you would 'bond' during that time," Omega reasoned. "Now that she is in a relationship with Knuckles, are you certain you're not jealous of what he has?"
"Y-Yes!" Shadow insisted, but was betrayed by the pink burning his cheeks. Omega looked the hedgehog up and down, and his eyes glowed brighter for a second.
"Shadow, your vitals indicate-" he started to say.
"Nope! No, no, stop right there!" Shadow snapped, pointing a warning finger at the badnik.
"If it is not jealousy, then what?" the mech prodded. "What else has changed in the time since we last made contact with you?"
The Ultimate Life-Form continued to glare with his flushed face, but said nothing.
"Did something happen? While you two were sheltering from the storm?" Omega asked carefully.
Shadow's face burned even hotter.
"Oh no. Oh my," Omega chirped, eyes blinking rapidly.
"N-No! Silence, Omega!" Shadow shouted, his face now beet-red. "A-All I did was keep her warm! That's all, it w-wasn't anything romantic! No big deal!"
"I can read your vitals Shadow. Sometimes you are able to mask them, but right now, lying is futile," he reminded Shadow dryly. "You need to address this."
"Hell no, not happening!" the black hedgehog said, shaking his head as he started to make for the exit. "I came in here to train, not play therapy with you! Who do you think you are?!"
Omega pulled out one of his guns and shot the controls for the door, closing it in Shadow's path.
"This conversation does not end until you swear to address this issue, and ensure it will not be a liability on our mission," the mech stated as Shadow turned to glare at him in disbelief.
"What do you want from me?!" he growled, folding his arms as he fought to keep his temper. If this wasn't Omega, he would've laid him out by now.
"If you harbor feelings for Rouge, from what I understand, you should inform her," Omega answered. "Perhaps she will leave the echidna and order will be restored to Team Dark."
"What?! I-I don't…" Shadow stuttered, his mind blanking as he failed to finish that sentence:
"I don't have those feelings for Rouge!"
"You expect me to discuss my feelings? With Rouge?!" he decided to say instead. "Are you sure you don't have a virus or something, Omega?"
"Perhaps you should challenge the echidna to single-combat, then," the robot suggested casually. "If he honors it, you could win Rouge's hand."
"I'm not doing that!" Shadow said with a huff. "Rouge is her own person, not a prize to be fought over. She can choose who she wants to be with! And…" His tone lowered. "The bottom line is she's with Knuckles. She seems happy. Even if she wasn't, she wouldn't choose..." Shadow grunted and looked away.
"You refer to yourself?" Omega guessed correctly. "Are you so certain she would not? Perhaps, if she felt there was mutual ground there, she would reciprocate?" Omega kept on. "Regardless, you need to address this before the mission begins. Our success may depend on it. Neither you nor Rouge fight at peak efficiency if your organic minds are clouded."
The two members of Team Dark stared each other down for several long moments. It nearly felt as though they were trying to stare each other down to death.
"I cannot process the reason, but both you and Rouge seem especially determined to deceive yourselves and others. It is a massive waste of time and resources," Omega said disdainfully. "It's only logical to be honest and forward. Deceiving our enemies I obviously understand, but deceiving our own allies is self-sabotage. You need to address this," he repeated.
"It's not that simple," Shadow muttered.
"Is that why you stayed away for six months without contact? Because of how 'complicated' those organic feelings of yours are?" Omega shot back.
Shadow's eyes widened; that barb had unexpectedly stung, especially coming from Omega.
After deciding the badnik was bent on making this as much trouble as possible, Shadow facepalmed and groaned.
"Fine, fine, if I promise to talk to Rouge, will you stop this?" he growled lowly. Omega gave a single nod. "Very well, I promise. Now, can we stop talking and start training?"
"With gusto," the mech replied, holding his arms up at the ready.
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*Westopolis, about an hour an a half later*
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Rouge drove her car, which she'd left at G.U.N. Headquarters before going to Soleanna, down the freeway to the city. Knuckles was kicked back in the passenger seat, smiling as the breeze rushed through his dreadlocks. The echidna felt better now that they were away from G.U.N. and that moody hedgehog. He still couldn't fathom how or why Rouge and Shadow were friends with how hostile Shadow was. Knuckles had just tried to say hi, to say thanks for being with Rouge during the storm. But the edgelord had just bitten his head off! What was with that guy?!
"You're wondering why I even hang out with him, aren't you?" Rouge read his mind aloud.
"Huh? Y-Yeah, how'd you know?" Knuckles asked, sitting up to look at her in mild shock at her accuracy. Rouge sighed and shook her head.
"Because whenever Shadow acts out or shuts us out, somebody wonders why. Sometimes I do too," she answered with a sad smirk. "The thing is though… after everything he's been through, both before and after we all met him, I can't pretend to understand how it all must feel. Shadow's in pain, Knuckles. Sometimes he just… can't contain it, y'know?"
"I guess," he said softly. "I know Shadow's been through a lot, and I feel bad for him, but… he's not the only person who's had loss, y'know? I'm the last of the Echidna Tribe, we were all sad when we lost Emerl too. Maybe things were different with Shadow when he lost Maria, but it shouldn't be a free pass to be a total jackass to everyone for his entire life!"
"Shadow hasn't had people the same way you and I have though," Rouge said, her tone growing colder. "People have been scared of him all his life. It took a long time for Omega and I to get even remotely close to him. In case you forgot, right after he tried to save us and the Earth, he almost died and got amnesia. Shadow was lost, confused, and hurting, and too busy looking for answers to look for a friend." Hearing someone, even Knuckles, say something dismissive about Shadow and his trauma touched a nerve.
"We weren't there, we didn't know Maria, certainly not like Shadow did. Wouldn't it be 'different' for you if something happened to Sonic? Or me?"
Knuckles gave her a shocked look at the very thought, which quickly turned glum as he looked down at his shoes.
"You're right… I don't like to even think about that, it's like my mind won't let me," he replied softly. "Sorry Rouge… I just wish Shadow was easier to get along with, I guess."
"Yeah, me too," she sighed. "But believe it or not, he cares. It's subtle, but he worries. About me, Omega, the people of Earth, even you guys sometimes. Underneath all that gruff, he's got a big soft spot." Rouge giggled and gave Knuckles a quick wink. "Kinda like you, with all that 'Guardian' business."
"Hey, I take that 'business' seriously!" he said irritably.
"I'm painfully aware of that," Rouge said with a roll of her eyes. "It was a joke! You and Shadow could both stand to lighten up." She turned a corner as they drove down the street leading to their dinner destination.
"But speaking of your Guardian business, he has a similar vow he's made," she continued. "To Maria. To protect the Earth, and the people who live here. Shadow makes exceptions for those particularly nasty creeps, but even then it's the same as you and Sonic; only destroying an opponent when there's no other way to save others. That kind of pressure probably doesn't make it easy for him to relax and just have fun with others." Her expression grew sad, and Knuckles noticed her ears drooping.
"I think Shadow feels like that promise to Maria, and keeping it is all he has left of her," Rouge said so softly Knuckles barely heard her. "So he doesn't feel like anything else matters but fighting bad guys, saving the world, onto the next mission. No time to spend on fun… or friends." She huffed loudly as she finally parked her car. It was still a short walk to the restaurant they had in mind, but parking wasn't exactly great in this area. Besides, the huntress wanted to window shop a little along the way.
"But y'know, I snoop around a lot; I know for a fact that Maria wanted him to try and be happy, to enjoy life on Earth. That was part of the promise too!" Rouge ranted as they got out of her car. "Shadow always seems to forget those little details!"
"Well… maybe Shadow's just happy destroying Eggman's robots and fighting?" Knuckles suggested to try and be helpful. "You said he enjoys a good fight, right?"
"But that's all he does! That, riding his motorcycle and running!" she groaned on. "I know for certain that he enjoys video games, music and even anime! It's like he's scared of being happy! When he was staying at Club Rouge, he'd occasionally let me in on what he was up to." Rouge sighed, but smiled at the image that came to mind next.
"Shadow… never smiles in battle quite the way he did when listening to music, or when he was on his bike, or when he'd actually let me watch something with him," she said rather distantly.
Knuckles stared for a few moments as he tried to think of something to say. It kind of bothered him how affectionate Rouge was being over Shadow right now; sometimes it was hard not to be jealous of how well Shadow and Rouge knew each other. Maybe that was another reason he disliked G.U.N. as much as he did, since they had paired them up on several missions before. But right now he wanted to make her feel better and just try to have a nice evening before she left on her mission. Finally, he came over to Rouge and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and met her with a confident smile when she looked at him.
"He's your friend, Rouge. You trust each other, yeah?" Knuckles asked rhetorically. "Why don't you try and talk to him when you get a chance? Let him know how much it'd mean to spend time with him some more. Not just to you, but to Maria and his promise, right?"
"Well I kind of did," Rouge replied with a chuckle. "I already told him to check in more and not to worry me so much. But he said no to hanging out tonight… most of the time it's a struggle to get him to do anything." She laughed again as they walked down the sidewalk of Westopolis. "Shadow always keeps his word, though. So when I helped him get to the ARK, I made him promise to come to Sonic's birthday party. He never breaks a promise, and… I really just wanted to see him, spend more time with him." Rouge looked over at Knuckles with a sardonic smirk.
"Aside from finding a time and place to talk to Shadow, getting him to talk about anything other than a mission or a battle is a battle in of itself. If he thinks things are getting too touchy-feely, there's always a chance he'll snap or split!"
"Well, you guys are going on a mission soon. Maybe you can talk to him then, that way he has a reason to not take off or something?" Knuckles suggested after a few moments of thought.
Rouge froze mid-step; that was actually…
"Red, that… that's actually not a bad idea!" she said with a sly laugh. "I wouldn't normally say a mission into enemy territory on an alien comet was a good place to talk to someone. But this is Shadow, and you're right! He'd have an obligation to stick around, no matter how much he wanted to avoid a conversation! Good thinking!" She gave the echidna a playful punch on the arm.
"Heh, come on, you're laying it on too thick!" Knuckles said, smiling bashfully as he rubbed the back of his head. Rouge giggled at how cute he looked and kissed him on the cheek, causing him to blush a little too. Even cuter! Embarrassment was a good look on the echidna, Rouge observed.
The two of them continued on, the mood now much brighter than when they'd left G.U.N. H.Q. Knuckles tried to ignore the nagging thought that having a chance to bond with Shadow seemed to be the reason Rouge was cheered up. It wasn't hard; the ivory bat's cheerfulness was contagious, and soon it felt like just another fun date. The two of them were soon talking about potential places to explore and their past adventures as they walked.
Once they had nearly reached the restaurant, however, Rouge was captivated by a high-end jewelry store along the way. On display was a set of a tiara and a necklace, both adorned with diamonds and emeralds. Her aquamarine eyes sparkled like stars as she was hypnotically drawn to the high-security windows.
"Rouge, I think they're closed," Knuckles said, peering into the shop once he saw what had distracted her. The whole store was dark, and aside from that, the hours of operation displayed had passed.
"So…?" Rouge replied, again rather distantly. This caused the echidna to frown and fold his arms.
"Rouge! Come on, I thought you were done stealing from people!" Knuckles snapped irritably. "It's fine if we're plundering abandoned ruins or forgotten treasures that nobody is using or has use for, but people work here!"
"Some people would argue against both," she retorted playfully. "Come oooonn, Knuckles? It's not like this company is exactly squeaky-clean, y'know? Pleeeeeease?" She batted her eyes affectionately at him, tilting her head in as adorable an expression she could muster. Knuckles' face blanked and pinkened again as he struggled against the bat's charms.
"N…No, Rouge. It's wrong. Come on, can we please just go to dinner now?" Knuckles asked heavily after a minute of resistance. Rouge sighed and shrugged in defeat.
"Fine, fine, sorry. Let's go," she resigned. "I still think it's hypocritical of our treasure hunting in ruins, though."
"We can talk about that over food, how about that?" Knuckles replied, clearly relieved Rouge had decided to drop her potential theft. He only accepted said treasure hunting because, like he said, they were abandoned, and Knuckles reasoned those treasures were safer with either him or Rouge. Back when the huntress had been bent on stealing the Master Emerald, he wouldn't have trusted her around a dollar, let alone gems.
"Sure thing, Red," Rouge replied, casting one last, longing look at the enticing jewelry before following her boyfriend.