Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

EPISODE 1: Prolog – A Rose Loses her Thorns

~2 years ago~

Amy stared at her friend Cream as the small rabbit trembled, tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry Amy, Momma wants me to focus on school from now on..."

Amy gulped, her throat burned as Cream’s words sank into her core. She tried to deny it... we can't end it like this... She smiled warmly at the bunny, "It's fine! We can get together on the weekends, and I'm sure Big will be back soon, you know how he is."

Cream attempted a smile, but it withered like a plucked daisy the second she caught onto Amy’s desperate, yet impossible, plea. She threw herself in Amy's arms, her tears coming forth in a tidal wave, "I'm soooo sorry, Amy! Momma said no more Team Rose! She never really liked me putting myself in danger in the first place, and when she heard Big had left, she thought this would be a good opportunity to disband..."

Amy stood still, her body stiff, and her arms stuck to her sides as though she were a statue. She wanted to wrap her arms around her friend, wanted to comfort the little bunny, but how could she when her own heart was screaming? This... this can't be happening... It was unfair. It was cruel. Didn't Cream know how important this was to her? When she had formed Team Rose, she had finally been given the opportunity to fight, to prove her worth and show off her strength, to be alongside her crush... He had even gone as far as to compliment her when they'd done a job well done. And now her friend was telling her it was over? She was back to square one.

Amy sighed, placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders and pushed her away at arm’s length. A snot trail was bridging the gap between Amy's dress and Cream's nose. Amy knew that the bunny was truly sorry, and the rabbit was 12, too young to go against her mother. She knew it was selfish to be upset, but a part of her wanted to yell and curse at her young friend. Amy gave her a shaky smile, and patted the girl's head, "It's okay Cream... I understand. But I need a little time to process this, do you need help getting home?"

Cream's body shook like a leaf in a storm. She wanted to say something more, wanted to tell Amy that everything was gonna be okay, but she saw the pain in the hedgehog's eyes. Amy’s smile wasn’t as warm as it usually was. Her face was more of a grimace, with her rigid jawline and stony eyes. Her red dress revealed more than her expression, it was trembling under the restraint that she was using... she was holding back. Cream sniffled, she knew Amy was most likely not going to speak to her for a while after this, and knowing that hurt. She wanted Amy to confide in her, to say she was going to miss her, that they would still hang out and be friends. But looking at the mask that Amy wore on her face now, proved to Cream that it wouldn’t happen. Not now and not any time soon.

Yet, despite that, the rabbit felt a rush of relief flow through her. Watching the mask form, she realized that Amy had never truly been honest with her about her emotions. Sure, she would always confide in the rabbit about her frustrations with Sonic, but about her inner worries and fears? Never. The older girl, in a roundabout way, treated her like more of a little sister than a friend, or a child that she babysat. And although she felt guilty about hurting her friend, another part of her felt grateful. Now she didn't have to pretend like she understood Amy, and going to school would place her with Mobians her own age. Maybe her mother was right... being around Amy, Sonic, and the others was just too stressful.

The rabbit felt the strength in her new understanding, steady her once more. She straightened up, wiped her nose, and gave Amy a brilliant smile through a river of tears, 

"No, I'll be fine. I love you Amy, and I'm always available to hang out. Just make sure it's at a cafe or the mall and not Eggman's headquarters." She giggled, and Amy's smile became a bit less strained. Cream pulled Amy into another hug, and this time the pink heroine returned it.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, neither one willing to let go of the other first. There was a silent understanding that this could be the last time for a while that the two of them would be together. It felt like a goodbye, and neither girl was too eager to be the first one to end it. However, the rabbit had a curfew, and didn’t want to spend all her time in a dying hug’s grasp. Before separating, Cream leaned up and whispered in her ear, "And who knows? This may turn out for the best, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for. I know you'll do amazing things, Amy."

The words stabbed Amy worse than what had been said before. What did Cream know? Cream was leaving and moving on with her life, while she was still stuck in the same mundane routine as before. The rabbit hopped out of her arms, and gave Amy a small wave before walking away, her long ears swinging merrily and her steps light as a feather. She never once looked back.

Tick

Tock

The sound pounded against her brain.

Tick

Tock

She wished it would stop.

Tick

Tock

Chaos... she was going insane. How many hours had it been? From the state of her sanity, she could only guess hundreds.

Tick

To –

Amy stood over the crumpled piece of gears and nobs , panting while metal arms twisted and flinch ed as it tried to continue with its relentless circle on the clock face . She growled. She didn't need a reminder of the fact that time moved forward. That Mobius continued on its orbit around the sun while her own world flayed open and fell apart around her. She stomped on the clock for good measure before storming out of her house. She needed to DO something , a nything that could help her forget the betrayal of her closest friend. She wanted something to distract her from the dark thoughts in her mind, the thought that she was now completely and utterly... alone .

She mindlessly walked and walked, down the country path, and into the heart of Knothole village. She passed neighbors who smiled and waved, and unlike usual, she ignored them. She passed children who ran through the streets and grass, their giggles ringing like bells in the rich gold of twilight that enveloped them. Shouts from their parents calling them inside for dinner fell on young, deaf ears. The scene just proved to sour her mood further. She felt spiteful towards them... towards Cream. They had a family to run back to, friends to turn to, when things got tough... who did she have?

There was no one that she could turn to anymore. That realization, that suffocating feeling of dread, of insignificance and burning solitude, bore down on her and slowed her pace. Sonic wasn’t someone who she could actually talk to… and yet she craved to run to him, to see his cheerful and reassuring grin that always managed to make her feel so warm and safe. He was her everything , he was her sun. Maybe she could go to him , maybe this time he would listen. Be there for her. 

She stopped mid–stride, and realized she was at the train station. It was a quick ride to Station Square where he lived. And almost like fate was on her side, she heard the long horn of the train in the distance. Gradually, coming out of the depths of despair, Amy smiled, and patted down her dress. She had made up her mind. Now that she wasn’t a part of a team, now that she was alone, she could ask to join him. She started to giggle, her imagination running wild with images of her and him running together, saving the world together, and ultimately being together. She would go to his head quarters and ask to join him on missions. Surely by now she had proven her worth as a fighter, and it would be a logical proposal. Maybe this time he’d accept her.

As the train pulled up, she couldn’t help but feel the warmth of hope fill her. This was going to work. It had to work. She waited for the doors to slide open, and she hesitated just a moment before stepping into the car.

Amy stood outside the brightly lit building that sported three neon circles, blue, yellow, and red. She couldn’t help but feel a little giddy at the idea of a pink circle making it’s home next to them. Smiling happily, and with a joyful bounce to her step, she entered the code to unlock the door. 

The door swished open and she nearly gagged at the stench that assaulted her nostrils. The best way to describe it would be a mixture of prepubescent sweat and dirty underwear. Her nose wrinkled in disgust and she resisted the urge to throw her hand onto her muzzle. This place definitely needed a female’s touch. Marching through the foyer as though she owned the place, Amy made her way to the to the back where she knew the couches and videogames were kept. It was the most likely place to find the boys as they enjoyed playing games into the odd hours of the night.

Opening the door, she scrunched up her face again but this time at the state of the room that greeted her. Pizza boxes, week old takeout, and half eaten chili dogs were strewn across anything that had a surface. The stench was stronger now, with just a smidge of cheese adding to the array of scents. Her eyes were close to watering. Although there was what looked like a fresh pizza on the coffee table, there was no fox genius or blue blur anywhere to be found. Strange… I thought for sure they’d be here…

Then the sound of crashing and banging reached her ears from the adjacent room, the control room. She quickly turned and dashed into the hallway, making her way to the large, metal door that took up the majority of the space on the wall. Of course! Eggman must be up to no good again, and they were on their way to stop him. This would be the perfect opportunity to offer her help.

Amy pulled the door open, excited to see her blue hero and join him on an adventure, but instead she was welcomed with the annoying blare of an alarm. She blinked as she tried to make sense of the scene. There was a large computer screen that displayed multiple camera images of the the surrounding city and of different areas of the planet. Tails was sitting in a wheeled chair, rolling back and forth between keyboards and buttons.

“Sonic! I’m prepping the Tornado now! Could you please stop eating that chili dog and help me out here?”

Sonic was leaning on a wall to the right, in both his hands were chili dogs, and she watched as he stuffed one into his mouth aggressively. “No–can–do buddy,” He started, flecks of chili and bread flying through the room and splashing onto technology and the floor.

“I have to fuel up for the fight! Don’t want to lose my edge in the middle of whooping Eggman’s large round butt!”

Tails rolled his eyes, and mumbled, “Always gotta do things on my own… sometimes I don’t know why I even bother…”

Sonic chuckled, and began to shove another chilli dog into his mouth. He had food stuck in the fur on his chest and his quills were a tangled mess, but all Amy could see was a handsome hedgehog. One who was going to save the day, and Mobius, from whatever Eggman had up his sleeve. In fact, to her, he seemed to glow and ooze charming confidence.

Amy shook her head. This was no time to go gaga over Sonic, she had a mission to do, and she wasn't about to let those beautiful emerald eyes distract her from it. Stepping forward, she made her way carefully through the many tables and inventions that littered the room. 

“Amy?!”

The sound of Sonic’s voice, and subsequent gagging as a chunk of hotdog went down the wrong pipe, caused both Tails, and pink hedgehog, to look in his direction. Sonic pounded on his chest, and his bright green eyes watered as he tried to dislodge the meat.

“What – COUGH – are you – cough – doing here?!” He paused as he chewed and swallowed the piece of meat after it was hacked back into his mouth.

“Is something going on in Knothole?” He cleared his throat and jumped up to stand straight, doing his best to smile in cover up the choking. Tails, at this point, had turned around to look at Amy, and the young fox rolled his eyes slightly at the display. Sonic wouldn’t admit it, but he was always trying his best to seem ‘cool’ in front of Amy. He actually felt a little gleeful that Amy had witnessed Mobius’ Hero at the worst possible moment.

Amy’s affection seemed unaffected, however, and instead she clasped her hands behind her back and started to make circles with the tip of her boot behind her in bashful innocence, “Can’t a girl just drop by to check in on her hero?”

Tails narrowed his eyes and grunted. Chaos, there was literally nothing more painful than watching Amy’s failed attempts to flirt with Sonic. He didn’t understand how she could keep doing the same old thing everytime. Hadn’t she learned by now that her type of flirting only caused the blue male to shiver in a great deal of discomfort?

Sonic, true to his nature, cringed and brushed off the crumbs from his hands and chest, “I’m kind of busy at the moment…” He waved nonchalantly at the blinking red lights, his muzzle still in a polite smile.

“Oh jeez,” Amy replied, slapping her hand to her forehead, “That wasn’t what I meant to say…” she trailed off, feeling uneasy from her hero’s reaction.

Sonic and Tails gave each other a glance. Neither one of them really felt like waiting to hear what was to come next. Knowing Amy, she was about to ask for something impossible… something like a date.

“I’ll start over,” She said, pulling herself together and walking closer to Sonic, she stared at him with large, hesitant eyes. Sonic gulped, this felt dangerous. His right leg began to tap quickly on the ground as he resisted the urge to run away from her. 

“I came today to ask if you –”

“Sonic! Eggman just leveled the forest near Angel Island! We’ve got to go help support Knuckles!” The kitsune interrupted, his tails spinning and lifting him into the air. Sonic tore his gaze from the hedgehog before him and shot the fox a quick look of gratitude and relief.

“Sorry, Ames! Duty calls!” He said, attempting to get around her, but she wasn’t about to give up that easily.

“Wait! I want to help! Let me come too!” She clenched both fists in front of her chest narrowing her brows upwards, gazing into grassy green orbs with eager determination.

Sonic visibly flinched, he was always nervous whenever the pink female wanted to join in on their missions. He cared for her wellbeing, but she had a nasty habit of getting in the way or getting captured. If he had the choice, he would rather her stay where it was safe.

“Sorry, again, Ames. This isn’t something you should have to worry about, just head home, we can talk later.”

“But –”

With a wide grin, a wink and two digits sticking up into a peace sign salute, Sonic tore himself from her grasp and dashed away, leaving a blue blur behind him. Amy stood there, the flashing red lights and blares still going strong around her until Tails finally shut them off. The fox grimaced at the scene, he didn’t like to see Amy so downcast, but this was probably for the best.

“You can stay here if you want Amy, till we get back… I’m sure he’ll be more open to whatever you want to say after he’s high on defeating Eggman.”

He squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as he passed her, tails swishing behind him as he walked towards the hanger that held the Tornado. And right then and there, for the second time that day, Amy was left all alone.

“What’re you staring at bozo?! Yeah! That’s right! Keep moving!” Amy yelled through tears and an ice cream smeared mouth. The older mobian couple who had slowed down to gaze at her in horrid fascination, hurried along mumbling about crazy people and youth today. Amy sniffed and chomped down on the cone again, causing the cold cream to drip onto her dress.

Perfect, now I’m all sticky.

Sighing, she got up from the table outside the sweet shop she had been sitting at, and threw what remained of her cone into the trash. She started down the sidewalk, her feet kicked aimlessly in front of her. What was she going to do now? Look at her, an eighteen year old without a job, without friends… how pathetic.

Her head snapped up to the side, as though the rough motion would put her thoughts to rest, but then she stopped. Her eyes had caught the sight of her reflection, and she turned to face it head on, studying herself. It’d been a while since she had fully looked at herself, and she found that the Mobian in the glass was a stranger. Quills grown past her shoulders, a red plastic hairband pulling them back from her face. Her eyes were bloodshot from tears, and her body, which had matured into adulthood, was still sporting that same old red and white dress she had always worn.

She shut her eyes. She no longer felt like herself. This image before her was stale and childish. This person before her was a Mobian clinging to the hopes of a fangirl, to the fleeting emotions of shallow affection towards someone who only saw her has a friend... and even worse, at times, a nuisance . But truly, what did she expect? That was the personality and persona that she’d put out there, she had given no one a reason to think or see her differently.

Someone bumped into her, causing her to stumble forward. The action jostled her from her self loathing and she quickly turned around, ready to snap at whoever it’d been, but there was no one near. Huffing, she strode down the street, her red boots pounding on the pavement. She started with a quick pace which soon turned into a sprint.

She didn’t know how long she ran through the city, shouts of anger following her wherever she went. This place was cold, her life was meaningless. There was nothing left for her now and it showed in the cityscape. The bright colors around her dulled into greys and whites. Blurs of indiscript shapes swirled around in her tear filled vision.

Eventually, she stopped to catch her breath, her head angling upwards to look to the stars. That always managed to calm her down. Seeing the beauty in things gave her a more positive perspective on life. But all she saw was a dark, grey sky. Right… light pollution. Chaos… did the universe really hate her? Had the fates really given up on her?

Just as she was about to turn around and head back to the train station, something out of the corner of her eyes caught her attention. It was a large poster on the side of a tall apartment building. It wasn’t colorful or ‘happy’ looking, in fact it was pretty grey and boring just like everything else, but the words were what stood out to her. Above a picture of saluting Mobians were the words, Want to make a difference? Apply for the G.U.N. cadet program today, and find a new, greater purpose in life. Serving the great planet you live on.

It felt heaven sent. Amy sniffed, and wiped her eyes as she walked closer to the poster. In the lower right corner of it was the address of Station Square's G.U.N. headquarters. She glanced up and saw she was on the right street, and it was only a few blocks away. The pink hedgehog didn’t smile this time with hope, or skip down the path with joy, instead she strode ahead with purpose and determination. She had a mission, and nothing was going to get in her way.

Chapter Text

  Episode Fanart by: icey-wifeyy on Tumblr

EPISODE 2: First Impressions Suck

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters

~September 10th, 18:47~

Shadow’s fingers frantically tapped away at his keyboard. His eyes were ready to peel back from the strain of staring at the bright screen for hours on end. He'd just made it to page twenty of his report on his team’s latest mission, when he glanced up to find that his teammates were useless as always. Omega was shut down in the corner of the room, already told that his way of reporting was too full of coding and data analogs for organics to decipher. And Rouge was even worse. She had what looked like a whole salon laid out before her, and she’d told him quite firmly that her nails were too wet to type. He glared at her as she leaned forward to paint her toes, her feet propped up against her desk. Chaos knows why he didn’t ask for a transfer to another team.

He wanted to just say ‘fuck it’ and get up from his desk, leave the office, and go for a joyride on his motorcycle. However, he knew it would be worse for him and his team if he didn’t have this completed by the end of the day. Deputy Chief Whiskers would have his neck, or more like their asses glued to their desks for a month. Growling, he once again began to click away furiously at his keyboard, his quills spiking up with aggression.

“Wow… someone’s in a mood.” The deep sultry voice of his partner caused him to flinch, almost as if he’d heard nails being dragged down a chalkboard.

“Well, I don’t see your fat ass moving to help with these reports. So shut it.”

Rouge rolled her eyes, and blew on her nails, her pink glossed lips puckering like two larvae, “Surprised you don’t have any girls lining up at your front door to be your girlfriend, considering how poetic you are with your words.”

Shadow’s hand curled into a fist, and he clenched his jaw into a gruesome smile. “Oh just you wait, I’ll show you poetic –”

“Special Agent Rouge, Special Agent Shadow! Wake up your pet and get to the command room, immediately!”

Shadow’s head jerked to look behind him, and he barely caught the tip of the Deputy Chief’s naked tail disappearing past the side of the door jam. He heard an exasperated sigh from behind him, “Damn… now I’ll have to start all over again when we get back,” The albino bat pouted. “What does that obese rat want now?” 

Shadow shut his eyes to mentally prepare himself for what was to come. He heard a clang of metal as Rouge kicked Omega awake, and he wanted more than anything to be like the red and black robot. To be programmed with minimal feeling, to look at everything as numbers and formulas, would be heaven sent. Shadow hated paperwork, but he hated being demeaned by Whiskers even more. 

The Deputy Chief liked to call random meetings where he would cover everything they were doing wrong and how worthless they were. Rouge had made the mistake, once, of arguing that they had more successful missions and closed cases then any other squad or team in G.U.N. Whiskers had grinned at them like he’d just caught them in a trap. He’d told them, with the most pep in his voice than Shadow had ever heard from the rat before, that they had earned themselves 2 months of paperwork and desk duty. The stock rooms had needed re–ordering, and only his ‘top’ agents would be acceptable for the job.

Rouge snapped him out of his thoughts with a tap to his shoulder, and he knew it was time to go. Reluctantly, Shadow rose, and grabbed his black leather jacket from the back of his chair and followed his partners out into the hall. They walked down the long, brightly lit corridor until they reached a glass room, with the G.U.N. logo etched into it’s door, it contained a large boardtable made of a giant slab of wood. Thin, uniformed chairs were lined up around it, and small succulents were placed in the center for a ‘fresh’ look. Rouge dashed ahead, careful to not let Omega attempt to open the glass door, and she held it open while they filed in. She knew from experience, not to let the robot anywhere near fragile things.

“So nice of you to finally show up.” Whiskers sneered from the chair at the head of the table.

“It took approximately 3 minutes for us to appear after your summoning, Deputy Chief Whiskers. By my calculations it was a quick response time.” Omega droned monotonously.

Shadow smirked, and the rat got red in the face. He didn’t know if his robotic partner did it on purpose or not, but he had a knack for rubbing Whiskers the wrong way at the most opportune moments. Whiskers usually had nothing to counter with, as he couldn’t claim a machine was talking back. The Chief glared at their smirking faces and lifeless metal frame as he cleared his throat.

“Yes, well, moving forward, I have a little surprise for you that I think you’ll all enjoy,” his earlier embarrassment forgotten, Whiskers now sported an almost joyful expression. 

Rouge flinched and leaned in close to Shadow, “This can’t be good… do you remember doing anything that could get us punished or fired?”

Shadow glanced in her direction from the corner of his eyes, and very subtly shook his head. He didn’t have a clue what this could be about… in fact his brain was working overtime in attempt to remember anything he may have forgotten.

“Surprise. Enjoyment. Reaction data downloaded and ready to process.”

Whiskers glanced at the robot with disgust and leaned back in his chair, “Great. Thanks for the update. Now that you’re all ready, she should be finishing up her tour in a few moments.”

Again, the smirk which followed his sentence only proved to send shivers down the Mobians’ spines, and the gears turning in Omega’s processing core. 

“Who –”

Rouge’s question was cut off as they all saw her at the same time through the glass wall. She was a pink, female hedgehog with quills pulled back into a ponytail which bounced with youth and excitement as she walked beside a stuttering mouse. She was wearing a grey pencil skirt that hugged her matured body like a second skin, her short tail poking happily through the slit in fabric designed for comfort, and a crisp white button up shirt. The ensemble made it look like she had Noogled what to wear on your first day at the job. 

The mouse was fumbling with his hands and mouth as he was obviously driven to the edge of his nerves by the gorgeous, taller female that strode beside him gracefully. Her heels clicked, vibrating through the glass, as she laughed at something the male had said. Which sent his whiskers twitching and his muzzle turning into a bright shade of red.

“Who is that?” Rouge growled, her instincts going on edge at the prospect of another attractive girl in the same area as her. Not that she felt threatened by any female, she just wasn’t used to having to share attention. Shadow squinted his crimson eyes, but her face was still angled away from them as she chatted incessantly to her companion as they made their way to the door.

“ That would be the Cadet Program’s latest poster girl, top of her class, and ready to make waves, she's –”

The door opened, and the girl finally turned her head in their direction. She was beautiful and sweet looking, in a way that was almost too innocent. Her jade eyes were wide with eagerness and thrill, and when she laid them on the stunned Team Dark, her muzzle split into a wild, brilliant grin.

“Rouge! Shadow! It’s really you!”

The girl ran forward and hugged the both of them, her grip was so strong, it caused both of them to gasp for air.

“Wow! I can’t believe it! And look! It’s Omega, long time no see big guy!”

Omega said nothing as his scanner analyzed the peppy hedgehog who seemed to know him. In fact, the whole room was silent, as the pink Field Agent bounced on the balls of her feet, obviously waiting for some sort of response. When none came, her grin morphed into a concerned frown, and she leaned forward, her badge hanging from a lanyard that swung like a pendulum, making it impossible for the curious eyes to read.

“Are you guys not happy to see me?”

“I’m sure they are dear, they’re just the gloomy sort.” The honey laced voice that spilled forth from behind them was so foreign that both Rouge and Shadow had to tear their eyes from the girl and look to make sure they had heard right. Sure enough, Whiskers was staring at the bubbly girl with a disgustingly lustful grin. The two Special Agents blinked several times to make sure they weren’t hallucinating. The Deputy Chief was not someone to throw any type of warmth towards anyone, let alone a new recruit in the office.

“Well, come on then. That's no way to welcome the newest member of Team Dark, now is it?” Whiskers said pointedly while side glaring at the dumbfounded duo in front of him.

“Newest –” Shadow started, “MEMBER?!” Rouge finished eyes wide in shock.

“Why yes, that’s what I was just briefing you on, did you not pay any attention?” The Deputy Chief still had that sickening smile plastered on his muzzle, but his bloodshot eyes told them to cooperate or else. But Rouge was still too shocked and angry to reconsider what she was about to blurt out,

"But who is this... this child? We don't even know her! And she looks like she's more suited to the IT department behind a damn computer, rather then –"

“Scan complete. Data analyzed. Greeting loading… Hello Amy Rose, bird family rescuer. E102 Gamma’s friend. It’s nice to see you.” The monotone voice sliced through the tension like butter, and once again the two Special Agents turned to face the young female before them.

Amy was blushing now, her arms were stiff at her sides, and nose twitching. She was obviously trying to hold back frustration, but she smiled warmly at the robot all the same and said with a soft voice, “It’s nice to see you too, Omega.”

Team Dark’s Living Quarters

~September 10, 20:03~

Much to Amy’s relief, the interior was surprisingly neat compared to the nasty hell she’d witnessed two years ago with Team Sonic’s headquarters. The cherry wood floors shone with wax and lightly smelled of fresh Pine Sol. Red velvet curtains, which covered the two large windows beside the front door, were drawn back to allow in a stream of sunlight. The foyer was connected by three entryways that led to the kitchen, command center, and living room respectfully. In the middle a set of ornate, spiraling stairs circled up to the dorm rooms above. 

Amy stood in the center of the foyer with her hands placed behind her back, her muzzle split into a nervous smile and her body gently swaying back and forth. She just had one pink suitcase, set behind her with a couple of dry cleaning bags hanging from it’s handle. The silence in Team Dark’s living quarters was deafening. The only sound that could be heard was the soft hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. 

She’d been brought into the headquarters by Omega after Shadow and Rouge had demanded to speak with someone about her placement on the team. It was painfully clear that Rouge and Shadow had been more than just a little displeased by the idea of her… She tried not to get too upset at their reactions, after all the last time either of them had seen her, she’d been the infamous, crazy Sonic Fangirl. She just hoped they would give her a chance, unlike her blue hero.  But the more she stayed in the middle of the foyer, rocking on her heels, the more worried she got. She gulped and glanced over at Omega.

The robot sat quietly by the front door, his red glass eyes stayed locked on her as she fidgeted awkwardly before him. When they’d arrived, Amy had made her way towards the steps only to be held back by a metal clawed hand, and had been commanded to stand dead center in the foyer. She’d tried to remove the robot from her path, but it was useless.

After a moment more, she sighed, “Um, would it be okay if you showed me my room?”

Omega’s head lifted slightly as his voice cut through the silent tension, “Negative. Shadow ordered me to bring Amy Rose to quarters and to not let Amy Rose touch anything, or enter any rooms. Must wait for Shadow and Rouge to return.”

Amy rolled her eyes, “Come on, Omega. You, of all peop–err... robots, should know that I’m not going to do anything bad. It’s been a long day, and I’d like to settle in and have a nice, relaxing shower.” The female pouted and narrowed her brows upwards in an attempt to strike him with puppy eyes.

“Analyzing known data of Amy Rose. Pink hedgehog. Female. Wields large Hammer. Usually accompanying Sonic –” That hit a nerve as the pink hedgehog turned her pout into a scowl. 

“Hey! I don’t do that anymore!” Amy interrupted objectively, her cheeks turning bright red under peach fur.

“Updating information… formally known to accompany Sonic –”

“Guess that’ll have to do…” She mumbled in resignation.

“Cares for animals. Saved bird family. Helped free E102 Gamma from Robotnik. Gamma’s friend. Omega’s… friend.”

At that, Amy’s face morphed from the sour expression to a grateful, and soft smile. “Oh… um… I think of you as a friend too.” She said shyly, but the robot didn’t seem to react.

“Processing statement ‘You should know that I’m not going to do anything bad.’”

He was quiet for a moment, and Amy watched him with bated breath, almost seeing his gears turning, hoping to Chaos that the robot would decide it was safe to let her into her own room. Because honestly, this was ridiculous.

“Formula, solved. Result: Amy Rose poses no danger. Answer to Amy Rose question revised. Follow me.”  

Amy sighed in relief and quickly gathered her things as Omega rotated his body and began moving up the stairs. She slung the dry cleaning over her right shoulder and with her free hand, she attempted to pull the surprisingly large and heavy suitcase behind her. However, just as she was reaching the foot of the steps, she felt cold metal gently push her hand away. Omega clasped his sharp claws around the plastic handle and lifted the luggage into the air.

“Thank you.” Amy said, slightly surprised at the gentlemanly attitude of the machine. She would have never thought that she’d receive this kind of courtesy from a decommissioned Eggbot. 

Compared to the last time they'd met, Omega had definitely changed in both appearance and personality… if a robot could even have a personality. Maybe it was his paint job, it looked more polished and didn't have nearly as many scratches or blemishes that Eggbots usually sported. She also made note of the new indiscript metal components that bulged slight on his arms and shoulders – probably more weapons from what Amy could gather. Amy shivered slightly at the thought. She was still a little uncomfortable around robots (especially ones created by Eggman), considering she had been kidnapped by Metal Sonic as a girl, and been stalked by E–100 Alpha, 'brother' of the very robot that walked before her.

“Rouge provided extensive details on what a ‘male’ should do for a ‘female.’ Duties include, but are not limited to; carrying bags for ‘female.’”

Amy giggled. Slowly but surely she was getting quite comfortable with him, and she found that, to her surprise, she was enjoying their interactions. His bluntness and strictly logical train of thought were a breath of fresh air compared to filtered and insincere pleasantries that regular Mobians spouted in an attempt to appear polite. The behavior also reminded her a bit of Gamma...

“Well, that sounds to me like Rouge made you her shopping cart. But I’d like to think you did it out of the kindness of your heart. So, thanks.”

Omega stopped at the top of the steps and rotated his head like an owl until his red gaze locked onto her. Amy smiled up at him from a few steps below, and she watched as the lenses in his eyes contracted and widened. 

“Kindness, definition: the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate. Heart: a muscle that pumps blood to keep it circulating throughout organic species bodies and maintain their lives. Omega does not have a heart. Error. Phrase: ‘Kindness of your heart’ not computing.”

Amy tilted her head, and looked up at the robot with sad eyes. Didn’t Rouge and Shadow ever speak with the robot about emotions? For the dark hedgehog, she didn’t have wonder too much. He never seemed too willing to show his emotions, nonetheless discuss them. For Rouge on the other hand… She’d taught him courtesy, but maybe she was just not that close with the robot. 

Omega already showed signs of being similar to Gamma, who had been advanced enough to learn emotion and the ability to care for something other than his programming. She wondered if she could spark the same personality in her new teammate as well. She decided it was worth a try, so she walked up the last few steps of the stairs, and stood in front of Omega. This caused his head to once again turn 180 degrees. Amy went up on tiptoes, and touched the robot’s head.

“The heart I’m referring to isn’t a muscle in your body but the feelings that come to you at any given moment. You can’t process it in here,” She tapped his head, “it comes from experience and emotion. For example, if I were to hit you right now, what would you do?”

Omega’s gears went into overdrive, she could hear them as they whirred to life underneath his metal exterior, and his whole frame seemed to grow rigid. He dropped the suitcase, causing Amy to jump back. “Amy Rose, danger registered, will commence defense proto –”

“No! No! I’m not really going to hurt you! It was a hypothetical question!” The girl’s eyes widened as she frantically waved her gloved hands back and forth as if to prove her point.

Omega’s eyes, which had suddenly lit up with a menacing shade of red, dimmed as his joints relaxed once more. “Omega, does not compute. Searching for definition of hypothetical –” 

Amy rolled her eyes, and huffed irately. Just when she thought she was getting somewhere, it just had to be ruined. Typical.

“Oh, nevermind. Let’s just get this over with.” She growled, turning and grabbing her luggage before the robot could pick it up again. She stomped down the hall, unsure if she was even going in the right direction, but she didn’t care at the moment. She just wanted to get in her room. She was even willing to skip on a shower just so she could collapse onto her bed. 

There were two doors on either side of the hall she had chosen, and eager to get this over with, she picked a door at random. If it wasn’t hers, then she would just continue to open doors till she found the right one. There were only 3 rooms besides the gym area on the opposite side of the hall. She’d done her homework before arriving. Only thing the blueprints hadn’t told her was whose room was whose. So how hard could it be? 

She chose the one on her left, pushed it open, and burst in. She was greeted by a scent that was a mixture of  what she could distinguish as sandalwood laced with cinnamon. It was a husky scent with a tint of spice to it, and it unconsciously sent a small, pleasant shiver down her spine. The room was very dim, and she squinted her jade eyes as her gloved hand reached to the wall, searching for the light source. When she finally found it, she flipped the switch.  

The light exposed a modernly styled room, the color scheme of it ranging between grey, black, red and a myriad of white accents. The first thing that caught her eye was the large glass display case in the center of the wall lining the left side of the room. It had lit up with the rest of the room. The frame of the case was lined with red LED lights that shone a sinister glow onto an array of weapons. There were long rifles, assorted handguns, swords that glinted with drops of crimson, and a variety of smaller sharp objects. Amy stared at the arsenal with her mouth agape. She’d trained only with a fraction of them in the academy, and seeing them so up close and personal gave her the tingling desire to touch and use each one.

Abandoning her suitcase by the door, she completely failed to see the display of multiple Air–skating Shoes on the opposite wall, and beelined for the red–comforted bed that was right up against the display case. That’s where the scent was the strongest, but it didn’t seem to deter her, in fact it just added to her elation. 

Hopping onto the bed, she felt the tight pencil skirt ride up her thighs and push up uncomfortably into the base of her tail. Rising to her knees, she pulled the back of the garment, but didn’t attempt to fix the tidiness of her appearance. She was only concerned with one thing and one thing only. 

Her fingers pressed against the glass, breath fogging the cool surface, as she hungirly studied each item. She stared on with wide eyes, barely blinking, and she could almost feel saliva threatening to drip down the corner of her mouth. She had always loved her hammer, but after being placed in the cadet program, she’d discovered, and found herself enjoying other forms of protection and destruction. Of course, her preferred method of attack was still her hammer, but she had also grown addicted to learning various fighting styles with combat weapons. In fact, her eyes completely glazed over the firearms to give their full attention to the shiny metal of katanas, dirks and daggers. 

She knew how to fire a gun, and she was up to the G.U.N. standard – she’d had to be in order to graduate – but if it was up to her, she’d avoid them. She wasn’t pleased with how impersonal firearms were, how the bullets left little to no contact unlike blades and hammers. She had just reached the farthest side of the bed to admire a two–bladed katana when suddenly there was a loud, deep growl coming from the hall. She froze, her ears dropped and her body stiffened in anticipation of an attack. She didn’t turn around, or move, but instead focused on the reflected dark silhouette that had appeared on the surface of the glass. She would recognize those upturned quills anywhere. 

Another quick glance to her right caused a curse to slip from her lips. She’d let her ‘obsessive’ nature get the best of her, and if she had just taken a moment to observe all of her surroundings, she would’ve seen right away that she was in Shadow’s room. There were weights in the furthest right corner, and an old ripped up poster of Eggman (some advertisement for his casino) with daggers and shuriken stuck in his face, not to mention the freaking green Chaos Emerald sitting on the night stand in its very own glass display.

She slowly, oh so slowly, scooted to the left side of the bed, careful to keep her knees together least she cause the already hiked up skirt to fully disengage from her arse. She practiced smiling, her lips moving frantically as the sweat on her forehead dripped into her eyes. Chaos, I’m so screwed. They’re definitely going to kick me out now.

“What the hell do you think you are doing, Rose?” The harsh tone caused her to quickly jump from the bed . She dashed towards him for the door, her mind racing at what she should do, but all that came was one word; run .

  Episode Fanart by: icey-wifeyy on Tumblr

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

Hello Again New and Old Readers!

This will be a bit longer chapter with a bit longer Authors Note. But I am giving you some important info, so please bare with me!

First: Thank you BitterKiss and Laineybug04 for helping make this chapter into the masterpiece that it is! Love ya both! Also everyone, check out their stories too! They both write ShadAmy stories that are awesome and fun to read!

Second: Here are some 'world facts' you'll need to know, and I will place these in my Bio as well so that you can have easy access throughout the story if you need it.

G.U.N. Ranks

G.U.N. Field Agents (Lowest Ranking to highest)

Field Agent – Amy Rose

Special Agent – Omega

Senior Special Agent – Shadow the Hedgehog

Supervisory Special Agent

Assistant Special Agent–in–Charge (ASAC)

Special Agent–in–Charge (SAC) – Rouge the Bat

...

G.U.N. Management (Highest Ranking to Lowest)

Director – Only one, based in Metropolis

Deputy Director – Only one, based in Metropolis

Deputy Assistant Director

Assistant Director

Chief of Staff – Highest Level of Management at each Headquarters

Deputy Chief of Staff – Jeffery Whiskers

Thirdly: I'm going to do the dorky thing of renaming some brands like if you haven't already picked up on it Google is Noogle in this story XD If you have any questions about the world and setting, please let me know!

Alright! Enough chit chat! I'll shut up and let ya'll enjoy this lovely dramatic chapter ;)

EPISODE 3: Rising Tensions

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters

~September 10th, 19:13~

Shadow was slowly becoming more and more irritated by the minute. He and Rouge were sitting outside the Chief of Staff’s office, while Jeffery Whiskers was inside briefing the Chief on the situation. Rouge was also fidgeting in anticipation, neither of them spoke, but they could tell they were on the same page. They’d been partners for years at this point, and in some cases there was no need for words between them.

Amy Rose was a grenade. She would destroy the team from the inside out, and a paranoid part of Shadow wondered if this was all a plan hatched by his rival Sonic. It would be a little out of the norm for the Blue Idiot to use underhanded means to trip up their team, but that didn’t mean the sly, two tailed fox hadn’t gotten creative. Amy was twisted around that chili–dog eating, bastard’s finger like a snake its prey. He had no desire to have someone who would abandon a mission or high stress situation just so that she could go running to her blue hero. And as much as everyone was so keen to persuade him that the girl’s intentions had changed, the dark hedgehog knew better. No one could change that much no matter how many years of maturity had passed. She might have the higher ups fooled, but Shadow the Hedgehog was no fool. 

The rat had obviously thought ‘highly’ of the new cadet, and Shadow grimaced  at the memory of the bastard’s lustful attitude towards Amy. He honestly didn’t understand the attraction, she was an immature and obnoxious female. When their reaction had been less than welcoming, Whiskers had sent her away with Omega allowing the opportunity for the two special agents to – not very eloquently – voice their strong opinions on the matter.

The glass door of the COS opened, and Deputy Chief Whiskers poked his long snout out, “Come in Special Agent Rouge and Shadow.”

The both of them stood, their backs straightened like the trunks of trees, and their gazes stiff and determined. They would make sure the pink hedgehog was removed from their team, if not from the G.U.N. organization all together. Amy Rose had no place in their lives and she was not going to disturb their delicate harmony… Well something like harmony. 

Once the agents stepped inside, they were greeted with the calm green and blue eyes of their feline Chief of Staff, Chief Irina Kotka Snow. Her fur was a startling white, and her large pointed ears dwarfed her small elegant features. Her perfect pink nose twitched, as she lazily raised a hand. 

“Sit.” Her voice had a slight purring accent to it, and her long fluffy tail swished gently back and forth as she leaned back in her chair.

Rouge and Shadow immediately sat, their backs still stiff. Even Whiskers himself was standing off to the side at attention, his long, naked tail curled around his feet to keep it from twitching. His beady eyes stared at them with the intense message ‘Don’t embarrass me.’

Her cold mismatched eyes studied them for a long moment, they were still and unblinking, like a predator watching her prey. It was as though they’d stepped into a freezer and were frozen solid within moments. No one spoke or dared to move while the Chief stared at them, but after a few moments, her mouth opened, her fangs glinting like pearls,

“That’ll be all Deputy Whiskers. I’d like to speak to my agents alone.” Her eyes never left Rouge and Shadow, who were both feeling like they were children in the principal's office.

“But ––” His voice sounded almost whiney.  The rat hadn’t been in the mood to deal with their complaining, and had suggested seeing the Chief in order to shirk the responsibility. However, he had also done so as a way to watch them squirm under her authority. He would never give up the opportunity to watch the ‘Holier than Thou’ Team get their asses handed to them. 

He also had the plan to suggest –– after a significant amount of Chief Snow berating the team –– that Amy be transferred to one of the other squads he oversaw. After actually meeting the girl (and admiring her ‘assets’) he’d started to oppose the idea of her on Team Dark as well. It was a recipe for disaster –– which is what had made the idea so glorious when hadn’t met her –– but now he didn’t want to waste away an outstanding cadet. He was pretty sure that the girl wouldn’t last a week around those thick headed fools. 

However, his wishes were not to be fulfilled as the feline seemed to almost glare in his direction with disgust at the beginnings of his complaint, and with a mere eye twitch, Chief Snow looked at him, effectively cutting off whatever he was about to say.

“That will be all Deputy. Please continue on with your day,” She emphasized her words with sternness in her deep feminine voice, a cold smile sat across her face but her eyes were slightly narrowed and her pupils were shrunken into slits.

The rat’s mouth still hung open, but it clamped shut with an audible click, and he shot the Special Agents a warning glare on his way out. Once the grey vermin had closed the door, the white feline let out a small sigh of relief to be rid of his presence, which was barely heard.

“Now that your Chief is gone, please, feel free to express your concerns.”

Rouge and Shadow exchanged looks, neither entirely wishing to speak first. All their aggression and frustrations had seemed to fly out the window once those unblinking, emotionless eyes had laid their gaze on them. Chief Snow waited patiently, but when neither agent offered up a word, she tilted her head to the left.

“I must say, I am disappointed. Whiskers seemed to think you had some sort of complaint with the agent I placed on your team. If there truly is need for concern then I must hear it. I wouldn’t want the best team under my command to fail.”

Rouge glanced at Shadow one more time, and he glared. In terms of rank, Rouge out ranked him by three levels. He was a Senior Special Agent and she was Special Agent In Charge, and as such, it was her duty to lead their team. Rouge cursed the hedgehog. She knew exactly what that look meant. Shadow only respected her rank when it was convenient to him. Gloomy, stubborn, bastard!

Chief Snow watched  the interaction with narrowed eyes, and she brought her hands up before her, leaning on the desk with her elbows and intertwining her fingers. She felt a little irritation building within her, and it translated to small flicks with the tip of her tail, small enough to go unnoticed, but she knew if they pushed her, she’d have a hard time keeping her cool. However, she waited patiently as her agents bickered telepathically. Finally, Rouge sighed with frustrated resignation, and turned her gaze back to her Chief. This time though, the bat had hardened her gaze, and her jaw was set in determination. The Chief’s right brow twitched unnoticeably with curiosity, interesting…

“Special Agent in Charge, Rouge the Bat reporting, Chief.”

Chief Snow smiled, and once again leaned back in her seat. She seemed to be taking great amusement of their show and she nodded at the bat, “Proceed.”

Rouge took a deep breath and began, her hands moving every now and then to accent her words.

“Amy Rose is a danger to any team, and quite frankly, a danger to herself. She is impulsive and only has one objective in mind, to chase after Sonic the Hedgehog. I don’t think I have ever seen her squander an opportunity to chase after him or to jump in his arms, even in high stakes situations.”

Shadow’s arms were folded and he nodded along with the bat, pleased that she was addressing all the concerns properly.

“Amy not only gets distracted, but is also a distraction  to those around her. Yes, in certain situations she is a power house, but she has a bad habit of getting captured and being used as bait. This will definitely interfere with our missions, as they are covert and high stakes. Please Chief Snow, remove her from our team… I honestly do not believe she is fitted for duty with G.U.N. She’s more of a liability than a useful asset.”

Her rant completed, Rouge took another deep breath, and her bright seafoam eyes stared at her Chief with determination and expectation. Irina Snow had just recently been transferred to their headquarters after the prior chief had retired, but Rouge was confident that the feline would see eye to eye with her. She’d heard the rumors of the Chief’s almost ‘Lady Justice’ approach to leading, and she had no doubt that her logical points would hit home for the feline. 

Irina stared at them, her blue right eye and left green one dug straight into their souls. Her whiskers twitched, and her large ears were angled towards them. She didn’t say a word.

“Chief?” Rouge prompted, her own large ears flinching as she tried to urge the cat to speak. 

Finally, with a flick of her fluffy tail, Chief Snow rose, and pushed her chair in. It was always a shock to anyone who saw her sitting, to realize how short she was. She was a good foot and a half shorter than Shadow, and probably stood just below Amy’s muzzle. However, her height in no way lessened the aura of confident grace and authority that caused her anyone around her to ‘proceed with caution.’  

“Do you believe I am unfit to lead this G.U.N. headquarters in Station Square? Should I ask for reassignment?”

Her voice was calm, yet it reached a higher note in an ironic teasing way, her purring accent was more exaggerated, which sent shivers up both Shadow and Rouge spines. Rouge gulped and shook her head, 

“No! Of course we’re not saying that, it’s just –”

“You think I didn’t do my due diligence in researching the Agent I was placing on your team? You think we didn’t run a thorough background check on everyone we decide to employ? Neither of you can claim to be ‘upstanding citizens.’” She pointedly looked at Rouge, and then at Shadow. Rouge opened her mouth to argue, but found that she had no words to give, while Shadow’s face merely scrunched up as though he’d been forced to swallow a sour grape, and his muzzle twisted with unvoiced objections

Chief Snow grunted at their silence, and she walked around the desk until she was in front of them. She leaned back onto her desk, her legs crossing elegantly in front of her.

“I can understand your hesitance. However, I can assure you that the placement of Field Agent Rose on your team was not only a well thought out decision, but also one that I made in hopes to help your team.”

Shadow tilted his head, his scowl deepening, “We don’t need any assistance.” He growled, his eyes narrowed. The Chief turned her gaze to him, as though surprised he was still there.

“Oh my. What a pleasure to hear your voice Special Agent Shadow.”

Said hedgehog sneered, and looked away, his face trying to hide the embarrassment he felt under a layer of defiant anger. The Chief smirked, and crossed her arms.

“Believe me, your team needs help. You have a supposedly reformed infamous Thief leading you,” Rouge flinched, and her hand unconsciously started to fiddle with an expensive (and not legally obtained) ring on her right hand. Chief Snow didn’t pause but her eyes did narrow slightly at the movement.

“You have a former planet destroyer and enemy of Mobius as your second in command,” Shadow scoffed, and she continued, “And a decommissioned badnik, that quite frankly has ruined his fair share of missions with his single minded agenda of massacring all Eggman bots and the big jolly man himself.”

Both agents remained quiet, a feeling of regret started to pool between them both, but pride stopped them from doing anything that could help their situation. The Chief sighed, and closed her eyes. 

“Not to mention, none of you went through the official routes to become G.U.N. agents. You were recruited to prevent you from becoming worse criminals than you already were, and quite frankly, Metropolis Headquarters are starting to wonder just how useful you are to us anymore.”

This statement proved to bring both the agents back from their pouting and stubbornness. They blinked, and Shadow’s quills started to bristle, as Rouge’s wings snapped in anger.

“What?!” Shadow growled, his red eyes glowing darkly with vengeance at the cat, “How dare you say that when we have the highest fucking success rate of all of G.U.N.! We work our asses off for this organization and this is how we get treated? That’s bullshit!” 

His anger was seething forth, and he stood to face Chief Snow. His usual calm voice was now raised and snarling dangerously. She stared at him with an emotionless gaze. She looked right into his rage filled eyes, and didn’t bat a lash. Rouge was staring at the scene with an open mouth. Yes she was angry, but she would never speak to a higher up in such a manner, not to mention she had never known someone to be able to hold their own against a pissed Ultimate Lifeform.

“I suggest you sit yourself down Agent Shadow, before I am forced to take disciplinary action against you for disrespecting your Chief of Staff. You are still a G.U.N. agent, so act your rank.”

Her voice was cold and menacing, and there was just enough growl in it to let them know she wasn’t fooling around. Shadow narrowed his eyes at her, testing to see if she would back down. However, her face was the picture of perfect authority, and it did nothing sate the fury boiling over in Shadow’s chest. He was about to say something more, when he felt a hand on his forearm. His head snapped to the left to see Rouge staring at him with warning eyes.

“Don’t Shad, it’s not worth it.” Her eyes glanced in the patiently waiting feline’s direction, and her head jerked in a commanding way. Shadow’s eyes narrowed, but whether he would admit it aloud or not,  he trusted the bat’s judgement, and chose to sit heavily back in his seat with a growl. His anger not forgotten, but put on the back burner as they listened to their Chief’s lecture.

“That, right there, is an example of why you are in the hot seat with the higher ups, and is why I am sitting right there next to you. Neither of you show the respect you need to, to your authority. You do not file reports correctly and most of the time they are turned in late, nor do you follow procedure. It has gotten to the point where your enemies in the organization outweigh your allies.”

Rouge felt dread set within her. She had been suspicious of this for a while now, but had ignored it as it hadn’t seemed unimportant and insignificant. But now she could feel her career slowly being flushed down the toilet. Team Dark’s approach was always straight to the point. Finish the mission by any and all means. Wasn’t that what G.U.N. wanted? Why would they be concerned by what the regular populace thought about their methods if they have proved to be effective? But she guessed that this was G.U.N.’s way to try to polish up their reputation and keep everyone in check. Especially Team Dark.

“I am not telling you this to discourage you, but rather to shine a light on our situation. I am on your side, I believe Team Dark is and can remain, the best team that G.U.N. has. But in order for this to happen, things need to change. Starting with Amy Rose.”

Rouge narrowed her eyes, her arms were now crossed on her chest and her fingers tapped in a fidgety manner. Shadow glared at Chief Snow, and sneered, “And how is a pathetic, immature fangirl going to improve our standing in the eyes of main headquarters? Is she going to teach us the art of stalking? Or her infamous bone–crushing embrace techniques?” His tone took a mocking turn as he narrowed his eyes. 

The feline slowly turned her gaze back to the dark hedgehog, and her whiskers twitched in irritation at his attitude. She was growing tired of this arrogant hedgehog and his close–minded, thick skull. 

“Amy Rose is the only one of your group to have gone through the proper channels to be a G.U.N. agent. Not only that, but she was top of her class, and when I interviewed her, she assured me that her famous fangirl reputation was an out of date rumor, that she no longer acted in that manner.”

Shadow glared at the Chief, but he didn’t say anything else. Rouge sighed, and rubbed her forehead, “So what you’re telling us, is that we have no choice.”

Irina Snow chuckled darkly, taking pleasure in getting through their stubborness, “Now you get it.”

She pushed her petite frame off her desk and made her way around to her seat, sitting down, she picked up some papers, and placed red, 50’s style, cat–eye rimmed reading glasses on her nose. After a moment, she glanced up over the frames, and looked at them with stern eyes.

“You’re dismissed. Go make your new team member feel welcome.”

Her attention returned to the papers in her hand. Shadow felt burning rage flow through him at this cat’s attitude. No one treated the Ultimate Life Form like a pawn. He stood, his mouth opening ready to say some regrettable choice of words, but Rouge for the second time grabbed his arm. His head snapped in her direction, and she stared at him with large seafoam eyes.

“Don’t… there’s nothing we can do right now.”

Shadow’s body trembled as he held back his wrath, but seeing her pleading eyes he felt the emotion weaken slightly. Rouge hardly ever stopped him from talking back to others even superiors. However, he could see that the new Chief had rattled her, and if he was being completely honest, he could understand the feeling. Team Dark hadn’t had much one on one interactions with the Chief since her transfer, so before now, neither of them had experienced her direct leadership. 

They only dealt with Deputy Chief Whiskers, as did most of the line level agents. The rat desperately tried to push his authority, but it was no secret that most agents had no respect for him. Besides, there were some nasty rumors going around about his credibility, which weren’t doing him any favours. So as a result his type of punishments may be annoying but were not severe, in fear that he would be fired. In contrast, the Agents who’d seen the Chief on a regular basis usually didn’t last long. The woman had a low tolerance for disobedience and failure.

Shadow ripped his arm from Rouge’s grip, and shot the Chief a glare before storming out of the office. Rouge sighed, and started out after him, but just before she left she heard a voice behind her,

“Be careful of that one. You have a bright future ahead of you Agent Rouge, and I’d hate to see it tarnished by your partner.”

Rouge stopped, her hand still on the glass door. She could see Shadow making his way down the hall, his quills bristled and his fists clenched to his sides. When he was far enough away, she shut the door and turned to the Chief. The white cat raised a brow, curious at what else the bat had to say.

Rouge smiled, but her expression was cold and her eyes radiated fervor. She crossed her arms, and flicked her wings.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, because if I had,  Shadow would’ve exploded. Besides, I do have respect for rank.” She walked closer to the desk, and placed both her hands on the rim of the desk, leaning forward and curling her lip back from her fangs.

“You’re new here, so I was cutting you some slack. You think Shadow is bad? Well hon, I have news for you. If you think the previous Chief retired because he wanted to, then you’re dumber than I thought. He messed with my team one time too many, and I ran out of patience for his actions.”

It was Snow’s turn to to be intimidated, but she didn’t show any fear or reaction to the words that Rouge spit forth like a dragon.

“Shadow is a damn good agent. Better than I am, especially when it comes to following G.U.N.’s policies and orders . I do not appreciate you insulting his abilities when you have only been in our headquarters for a short while . I like your leadership style, but don’t think for a second that you can turn me against my partner, hon.”

Rouge flicked her ears, and stood up straight once more, her stance was powerful, and anyone else would’ve run in the other direction. If looks could kill, than Rouge was a serial killer. The Chief stared at her for a long moment, but then a pleased smile crept across her muzzle.

“I was right about you.”

Rouge blinked, confusion covering her fury, and caused her to tilt her head to the right, “What?”

“I think we’ll get along just fine. You remind me a lot of myself when I was your age.” Chief Snow tapped her clawed finger on her desk, and leaned her head into her other hand.

“I’ll tell you what. If you really feel like Agent Rose isn’t a good fit for your team, why don’t we put her to the test.” The feline narrowed her mismatched eyes as a mischievous smirk spread across her matte maroon lips.

Now that was interesting, and Rouge couldn’t help but be curious about what this cat had in mind, her large ears pointed upwards “Test?”

“Yes,” Chief Snow stated, pulling open the bottom drawer of her desk and retrieving a manila folder. The G.U.N. logo was watermarked on the front, and the feline offered it to the bat. Rouge hesitated for a moment, she had a gut feeling she was falling into a trap. The albino bat hid this part of her better than her brooding partner, but she could be just as paranoid and untrusting as him. She was not at the level of Shadow’s extremes, but experience had taught her not to give her trust away so easily. Her gut was rarely wrong, but her mind couldn’t come up with a logical reason to not take the folder. She reached out and took it into her grasp. She looked at the Chief, who arched an eyebrow expectantly.

“Go on. Take a look.”

Rouge stared at her for a moment longer, before finally unfolding the file. It was a surveillance mission overview. There was a new structure built in the wilderness of Knothole Forest, it was suspected to be one of Eggman’s bases, and the mission was to infiltrate and collect data. It was odd to be given a mission like this so early in the progress, usually G.U.N. had lower profile agents observe new Eggman bases until either it need to be taken out or Sonic and his team destroyed it. Team Dark was usually called in after the groundwork was done, so Rouge glanced back, returning the arched brow, at the Chief.

“It’s a low profile mission, yes, however, we have some intel that a certain Hero of Mobius has plans on paying the good Doctor a visit tomorrow. Your Team’s mission will be to stay covert and undetected. You’ll need to infiltrate the base while Sonic is distracting the Doctor, and gain any intel from his computers and base before it inevitably goes up in flames.”

Rouge smirked, realization spreading throughout her face. The Chief returned the smile with her own and leaned back in her chair, folding her glasses and hanging them from the collar of her shirt. 

“If Amy Rose compromises this mission because of her obsession with Sonic, then I will personally remove her from duty, and I’ll never mess your precious team again.” The cat intertwined her fingers in front of her face, with a playful smile on her lips.

Rouge couldn’t help but feel her grin widen, Oh this was going to be too easy. There was no way pinky would be able to resist running to her hero the moment she laid eyes on him. She felt giddy, and it showed on her face. The Chief smiled evilly, and tsked her tongue.

“Don’t celebrate prematurely Special Agent Rouge .” Her tone was light, with a hint of amusement in her voice, “I will keep my word if she fails. However… if she succeeds and is able to follow through the mission without incident, then I expect to never have you in my office again with complaints about any of the orders I give from here on out. And Amy Rose will stay on your team until otherwise ordered. And I don’t want you mentioning this to your partners, otherwise it could skew the results. Do I make myself clear?” Her tone shifted from the playful politeness to a deeper authority, making her pitch lower in a warning.

It was fair enough for Rogue. She was 99.9% sure the girl would flop the mission. Not that she had anything personal against the hedgehog. She felt indifferent towards the female, but if she were to compromise the delicate ‘balance’ in her team, she had another thing coming. Rouge closed the folder and tucked it beneath her arm. “Clear as day, Chief.”

“So, you are in agreement?” Snow asked, her smile unwavering, her fingers intertwined on her desk. She held a stoic pose, her tail flicking as she watched her prey walk obliviously into her trap. After all, both of them had a lot in common, they were two attractive and not to mention powerful females in a man’s world, and Irina recognized the hunger in her eyes. The bat was falling for the plan, and the more she thought about it, the more a devious smile formed on the cat’s muzzle. However Rouge wasn’t looking at her anymore, she was already at the door and opening it.

“Yes, Chief.” She stated, her very own smile curling on her muzzle. This was just too easy, by this time tomorrow Amy Rose would be out of their lives forever, and everything could go back to normal.

Team Dark’s Living Quarters

~September 10, 20:32~

Shadow slammed the door open, and made a beeline for the stairs. He was still pissed from the conversation earlier, and he had finished the few tiny details on the report, that was due, before leaving G.U.N. headquarters. Every gun agent that had  the misfortune to catch the hedgehog’s eye was immediately reduced to trembling and fumbling as they separated before him like the red sea. He stomped towards the exit like a demon emerging from the depths of hell devouring every soul that dared cross his path. His air shoes had helped to quicken his pace, and it had only taken about 5 minutes for him to make it home. He didn’t plan on staying there for long, he just wanted to grab his motorcycle keys in order to go on a joyride to calm his nerves. 

He reached the top of the steps and stopped in his tracks as he almost smashed right into Omega. The robot was frozen in place, and his voice was coming forth in a loop.

“Hypothetical, definition: of, based on, or serving as a hypothesis. Hypothesis: a supposition or proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence as a starting point for further investigation. Hypothetical Question, a question, based on assumptions rather than facts, directed to an expert witness intended to elicit an opinion. Hypo –”

“Omega!” Shadow raised his tone and when he didn’t get a response, he resorted to the only thing that seemed to make non responsive technology work. He curled his fist and banged on the robot’s head, which resulted in the loop to breaking. Omega’s head turned as his optics scanned the dark hedgehog standing before him. Works every time.

“Chaos Omega! What the hell is going on?” Shadow asked, glaring into the robot’s lifeless eyes.

“Amy Rose asked a hypothetical question in attempt to explain how Omega used his heart to be kind. Omega can not process the question, it does not compute how the question can explain how Omega can use an organic organ he does not possess. Hypothetical definition –”

Shadow rolled his eyes. Great, just great! Look what that dumbass has done now! Shadow placed both hands on each metal shoulder of the robot covering the omega symbols.

“E–123 Omega, reboot requested by Senior Special Agent Shadow the Hedgehog, badge number: S–3456. Delete all memory data files from the previous hour.”

The robot’s body stiffened and gears whirled to life within the metal frame. 

“Senior Special Agent Shadow the Hedgehog authority accepted, proceeding with deletion of E–123 Omega memory file: amount is one hour of data.”

Shadow sighed, and patted the metal shoulder shell of his friend gently. This was an issue that had plagued the robot for as long as he could remember. Omega was a battle bot, he hadn’t been created for anything besides battling Sonic, and ironically Shadow himself. However after developing an agenda against Eggman and all his creations, G.U.N. folded him in and reprogrammed him to take direct orders directly from Agents only. He didn’t have any processing abilities for much outside of that, and oftentimes would be thrown into loop by anything that was different from his programing. The hedgehog actually had grown a soft spot for the machine, relating to its situation more then he would ever admit. As a result he trusted it more than he trusted Rouge, Omega would never do anything to harm him. Whereas the bat wasn’t always the most reliable...

“It’s okay old friend. I won’t let her do that to you again.” Shadow mumbled, but the robot couldn’t hear him, his mechanics preoccupied with fulfilling his orders. The ebony hedgehog patted him again, before heading down the hall to the left of the stairs. He was about to knock on the first door to the right which was now Amy’s room – when he noticed the door to his own room was open. He stopped in his tracks, eyes maniacally wide with realization and the anger that now flowed through him was threatening to burst forth like a bomb. His quills bristled, his fists sparked with Chaos energy, and his ruby eyes burned. Oh this bitch was going to pay.

His legs felt like heavy weights, and it took all his energy to resist running into his room and rip her head off. Finally, after what seemed like a year, his feet brought him to the open door frame where – just as he expected – he could see Amy was in his room. A deep animalistic, and menacing growl erupted from the depths of his throat. He watched as her body stiffened, like a pray stunned before its predator, and he could almost see the words oh, shit! coming off her body in waves. He started to enter the room when he realized he’d missed an important detail of the situation. He’d been so preoccupied, that he had failed to see the position that he found her in.

She was kneeling on his bed, her hands placed on the glass of his weapon’s display case and her clothing was twisted around her frame, exposing parts of her legs that would otherwise be covered. Her tail was pointed up and trembling, and her arse looked ready to peak from it’s confines. That coupled with the fact that she was on his bed, suddenly caused the anger within him to be replaced by something else. It felt similar to the fury boiling just under the surface, but the heat wasn’t centered in his chest, it was heading to a place much lower. It was a carnal feeling that had been able to sneak into him through the open door his rage had burst open.

He was swirling in a twister of conflicting emotions, when she started to scoot slowly across his bed. The movement brought his sanity back, the lust which had come unwanted was stuffed away, and that fury returned, and he felt in control once more. He growled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing, Rose?”

She visibly jumped, and scrambled off the bed. She looked up, and her eyes held a terrified look. Good, she should be scared . Then, as though snapped from a trance, she made a lunge for the door. Shadow grunted and punched his fist into the door jam, making it crack from the pressure, effectively blocking her. She stopped just in time to avoid choking herself on his arm, and she stood before him trembling. Oh, how sweet it was to have the subject of his anger shaking in fear before him. 

Amy was panicking, her mind working in overdrive. No amount of training or research could’ve prepared her for the Ultimate Life Form out of his mind with anger. A path that she never wanted to cross. She gulped, and figured there may be only one thing that could save her. Instead of treating him like something to be feared, she would treat him as her superior, in attempt to make the situation professional rather than personal. She held in her breath, took a step back, straightened her stance and lifted her hand to her forehead in a salute.

“Field Agent Amy Rose, ready to take her orders, sir! ”

Shadow’s mouth popped open slightly, and he blinked at her for a couple seconds. What the hell was she doing? He shook his head, narrowing his crimson bloodthirsty eyes and leaned on the door jam, keeping the opening blocked.

“Answer my question, what are you doing in my room?” He growled, unamused by her little act. Amy doubled down however, and stomped a foot on the floor as she straightened herself even more.

“I was searching for my room, and accidently entered this room. I didn’t know it was your room Senior special Agent Shadow, until just now.”

Shadow took the few steps needed to close the distance between them, his gaze never breaking from hers. He stabbed a finger into her chest and hissed into her ear, his voice deep and laced with resentment.

“Don’t play games with me, pinky, you were trying to take something weren’t you?”

Amy shook her head violently, but kept her hand on her forehead. Although she knew she had no ground due to her actions, she couldn’t help but feel a little irritated with his accusations.

“I was merely admiring the weapons in the display, I had no intention to take anything, sir. ” She stated while gritting her teeth. This act was starting to wear her down.

Shadow scoffed, and pushed his finger into her again, causing her to almost stumble backwards, but she held her ground. She’d faced worse bullies in the cadet program then him.

“Before now, I really didn’t give a shit about you, Rose. In fact, I just thought of you as slightly annoying. But now? Well now I really don’t like you.” He pushed again, and this time she did stumble backwards. She could feel tears burning in the corner of her eyes, but she wouldn’t give in. She wouldn’t give this jerk the satisfaction. She smacked his hand from her chest, and squared up to him, her jade eyes reflecting the same fury burning within him, but there was a glimmer of pain in them as well.

“You think you’re so much better than me?” Amy growled, the stress of the day and the irritation at his accusations were boiling forth.

“I have news for you, Ultimate Dumbass, you parade around with this superior air, but do you know what they say about you behind your back?” Her voice was rising, and her eyes were wet with tears of frustration. Shadow gulped, his lips ever so slightly parted from shock, he hadn’t expected her to come back at him like this. 

“No one wants to be around you, or join up with your team for missions, because you treat everyone like garbage. I can’t even imagine how Rouge has been able to put up with you for so long. You’re arrogant, an ass and everyone knows that you’re a –”

“That’s enough!” The shout came from the hall, and both hedgehogs whipped their attention to the door. Rouge was standing in the doorway, her hands on her hips, and her expression anything but friendly. She stepped into the room, and placed herself between the two of them.

“Amy, get your ass out of Shadow’s room this minute. Your room is across the hall, take your suitcase there, and wait for me to see you.”

Amy blinked at her, and her mouth opened, “But –”

“Are you disobeying a direct order from your Special Agent in Charge, Agent Rose?” 

Rouge’s eyes were stern, but there was a softness in her tone that helped to calm Amy enough for her to realize the bat was trying to help her out of her precarious situation. It sounded more like a warning rather than a threat. The bat was providing her with a way out of Shadow’s line of fire, and she wasn’t going to pass that up. Amy shot the growling male another glare, before grabbing her luggage and walking across the hall. 

Once they heard the door slam, Shadow growled and slammed his door as well. Rouge rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she watched the ebony hedgehog pace back and forth, sparks of yellow Chaos Energy crackling within his fur, and surrounding his fists. It had been a while since she’d seen her partner so worked up, and she raised an eyebrow in reluctant admiration at Amy’s remarkable ability to piss people off. The only other Mobian who had gotten him to this level in the past, had been the arrogant blue blur that the girl was obsessed with. 

“Calm down, I need to speak with you.”

Shadow turned towards her, his red eyes bright, and his jaw clenching.

“I want her gone.” He growled, and Rouge closed her eyes with a sigh. “And if you don’t take care of her, I will .” 

The bat lowered her ears and furrowed her brows, a lways going straight to the low–key death threats… this guy needs to get laid.

“Look, there isn’t anything we can do at the moment. Chief Snow is pretty serious about keeping her on.”

Shadow grunted, and moved to the far end of his room. He picked up a fist full of knives sitting on the desk, and started throwing them in quick succession into Eggman’s face, the metal sinking into the wall, the clinking noise of the metal making impact was the only sound in the room.

Rouge walked to the edge of his bed, and sat down with a flick of her wings. She crossed her legs and leaned back on her arms. She watched with a bored look as Shadow worked through the pile of knives. She knew he wouldn’t hear anything she was about to say if he was as angry as he was now. It was better for him to blow off some steam and allow the blood to stop rushing in his ears. 

Finally, after the last weapon impaled the poster, Shadow stood there panting, his body was still stiff, but he no longer had yellow tendrils of Chaos snaking around his limbs. Satisfied that he was calm enough to hear her, Rouge pushed herself off the bed and made her way to stand behind Shadow. Her hands raised, and she placed them on his shoulders. The hedgehog flinched slightly, but she pushed her hands, and guided him to turn around. His eyes were closed, and she could see him trying hard to hold back his rage.

“Trust me, Shad, I have a plan.”

At that his ruby eyes opened, and he stared at her, his irises moving side to side as he looked into her eyes as if trying to read her thoughts. His nose twitched, “Plan? What plan ?”

Rouge opened her mouth, but then stopped with her her lips parted. Oh shit… I wasn’t supposed to say anything. She scrunched up her face into a grimace as she shut her eyes and mouth, and bit her lip. 

“I can’t tell you right now, but trust me. I won’t let her stay on this team for long.”

Shadow shrugged her hands from his shoulders and glared at her, “Tell me what’s going on.”

She sighed, and brought her hand up to massage the top of her muzzle. She cursed her big mouth, and her ears flicked irritatingly.

“Can you just trust me? How long have we been partners now?” She asked, opening an eye and giving him a look. Damn this stubborn hedgehog.

He scoffed, and sat on his bed, “Too long. Long enough to know that you’re not the most reliable person.”

Rouge glared at him, and was about to rebuke him, when he smirked and looked at her from the corner of his eye.

“And long enough to know when you’re not lying.” 

He sighed, and placed his head into his hands.

“Just go. I need some peace after the day I’ve had.” His voice was low, and she could see the stress pulling his ears downward. Rouge said nothing, but as she passed him to get to the door, she placed her hand on his shoulder for a moment.

Once she was in the hall, she shut the door behind her, and leaned up against it. Her eyes were closed for a moment, but she opened them to slits, her pupils dilated in order to stare at the dark door across from her. She could see that there was no light coming from underneath it, and she guessed that Amy had retired for the night. She was tempted to just walk past and go to her own room, but she had a duty to make sure this rookie had settled in.

She walked to the door and knocked quietly, when there was no answer she popped the door open a bit, and sure enough the room was veiled in darkness, and she could see a mound in the bed. Rouge sighed, and shut the door, grateful she didn’t have to calm down another crazy hedgehog. She’d had enough of that for one day. The bat shook her head and walked down the hall, past the stairs, and turned to the left to enter her own room. Usually she would stay up for hours into the night, but just as Shadow had said, she needed to rest after the day she’d had.

Amy forced her breathing to be slow, and her eyes were shut tight. She was facing away from the door. Her delicate ears picked up the creek from the door that opened beside her, and a line of light shot through the room to shine on her sleeping mask. There was no movement for a moment, until Amy heard a soft sigh of relief and the door once again shut closed.

The pink female counted to 100 before sitting up in her bed and stared out the window in front of her. Her eyes were adjusted to the dim light in the room, and she looked around at the empty dorm. All that was in the room was a bed and a desk. She started to think about what she would add to it if she was still allowed to stay, but she found she couldn’t focus on anything. She felt sick to her stomach. Today had not gone at all how she had envisioned. 

Two years… for two long years she’d trained her hardest, and the only thing that had gotten her through the mind numbing pain and impossible challenges, was the wish that when it was all over she would be a part of a team. She hadn’t even cared who her team was, as long as she could finally find her place and purpose in life. So when Chief Snow had suggested that she join Team Dark, she’d immediately been ecstatic. She thought it would be the perfect fit, and she had felt more comfortable with the idea of being with people she knew.

Yes, she had been nervous, who wouldn’t be when joining the infamously badass, and edgy Team Dark – which also had a reputation of being pretty withdrawn and uninterested in cooperation with others. She could remember times when she was still a part of Team Rose and they ran into Shadow and his team. They were cold and didn’t care to work with her team or Sonic’s. It was like pulling teeth to get them to band together in order to defeat Metal Sonic and his army of robotic Shadow Clones.

Despite all that, she had still hoped that they would’ve at least given her an opportunity to make her case and prove herself. She wanted to work with them, they were the best after all, and she knew that she had a bad reputation to overcome from the way she’d done things in the past, but she wasn’t the same little girl that they remember. Despite her changes, there was still a part of her that fantasized and embellished any situation she found herself in. She’d expected there to be confusion and hesitance, but had truly thought that after their initial shock, they would see her accomplishments in the cadet program and realize she would be an asset to the team.

She grabbed the pillow behind her and stuffed her face in it before plopping down on the bed, forming a prickly ball. Her long quills fanned out around her, and she tighten her body until she almost burst. Their reactions… they had been so much harsher then she had imagined… they hated her. Rouge had called her a child and said she was more suited to desk work, for Chaos sake. 

She couldn’t contain her hurt anymore, she felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She felt defeated, worthless, as though all that she’d gone through had been a waste of time. All the abuse and discrimination she’d experienced in the cadet program was suddenly weighing on her like an anvil. She felt a tear escape the corner of her eye, and her cheek fur tickled as it slowly made its way to her chin. She shut her eyes, and almost went into full bawling mode when an image of Shadow’s furious face took up all of her inner thoughts. She could see the hatred emitting from him, the way he was barely containing himself to rip her open for the mere fact that she had entered his room by mistake.

Suddenly her eyes stopped burning, and she felt her chest come a blaze with anger. He and Rouge reminded her of the assholes that put her down, and underestimated her everyday. It had brought her to a breaking point in the first month and a half of the program. However, hitting her bottom had only caused an odd fire to spark within her. She had dug in her feet, and faced her issues and enemies head on. She became obsessed with being the best, and she had achieved it. She had gotten through the hard part, and she told herself that this was just a small hill compared with her experiences. This was only her first day, nothing to get all dramatic over. 

Smiling decisively, and wiping the dampness from her muzzle, she sat straight up and swung her feet over the side of her bed. Moving to the light switch, she flipped it on and rubbed her hands together. She suddenly had multiple ideas about how to spruce up the space, and it started with moving her bed to the other side of the room. Amy Rose hiked up her sleeves and got to work. Determination flowing through her as it always did, swallowing any doubts in its path. She would be fine, and they would see, she would show them all just how valuable she was.

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

Hello Lovely Readers!

I hope you enjoy this chapter! There will be 3 parts to this Arch, most of which have already been written and just need to be edited, so look forward to more to come!

Special thanks to Laineybug and Britterkiss for beta reading this chapter! You two are my life saviors! (Also check out their Shadamys as well! I beta their stories and they both just released another chapter each) :3

A thousand thank yous to all you lovely readers that took the time to review on this story! I would love to hear more of your detailed thoughts on how the story is going.

****Fun TDR TidBit of the Day: Amy wears metal rings to pull her quills up instead of regular hair ties, as those have a tendency to snap when she is angry or fighting***

Yerp = Yelp

Also, everyone, please keep in mind that if you see this '*' in the story that means it will be defined at the bottom of the chapter.

~IMPORTANT~ I am writing this story with the 'Two World' theory. Earth is a planet that is separate from Mobius, but is also linked in ways that will be revealed in later chapters.

Okay, now, without further adieu, Happy Reading!

Some characters and Places belong to SEGA

**** 04/03 UPDATE PSA: Okay I am loving the comments on this chapter so far, however there is a common thread going through that I believe needs addressing, and that is the characters ages. I mentioned them in the prolog, but I think it slip past some, so here they are:

Amy: 20 (about to turn 21, birdday is Oct 6th)

Cream: 14 (She was 12 when she left Team Rose)

Sonic: 23

Shadow: Immortal (Mid-twenties physique)

Rouge: 26

Knuckles: 24

Tails: 16

I hope this helps to clear up some things :)

EPISODE 4: Ghosts of Knothole Past – Part 1

Team Dark’s Living Quarters

~September 11, 05:45~

“Wake up sleeping beauties! Time to kick this day in the ass! We’ve got a mission!”

The screeching voice of Rouge the Bat blasted forth from the intercoms throughout the house causing  Shadow to roll his eyes. He was sitting on his bed, staring at the weapons on his wall and he had been there most of the night. He could barely get a wink of sleep on a normal day, and yesterday had proven to be far from normal. Rouge had been able to somewhat tame his anger, caused by yesterday’s unwanted guest snooping around his room; but after the bat had left he’d set about doing what he originally planned; joyriding on his motorcycle. 

Team Dark’s Living Quarters was located on a G.U.N. compound about 20 miles from Station Square, removed enough that they didn’t have to deal with obnoxious city life, but close enough that in a pinch, they could make it there in under 10 minutes with their respective modes of transport. He’d chosen to ride through the countryside in Green Hill Zone that night, preferring nature’s beautiful view of the stars and trees rather than the greys and neons of the city. It had proved to be exactly what he’d needed to regain his composure, which that pink menace had so easily disturbed. 

The fact that she had not only managed to invade his working life, but she’d even gone as far as to  meddle around in his private quarters, made his quills tremble with rage, and his stomach boil. She had ignored his indirect order for her to not enter any rooms, and ‘coincidentally’ managed to enter his room by ‘accident.’ Shadow did not believe in coincidence, and again that paranoid part of him speculated she was trying to take something, or gather some private information about him.

His mind had flashed to the Emerald that sat comfortably in view next to his bed. He’d have to move it to a safer location when he returned. He speculated returning immediately, but then he’d been sure he’d scared her enough that she wouldn’t attempt it again tonight.

The purring sound of an engine beneath him, and the cool crisp night air moving through his dark fur had slowly blown peace back into his chest. There was a freedom in these rides, one that not even running could provide for him. He’d loathed the idea of returning to the living quarters, however it wasn’t as though he could avoid the place he lived. Upon returning he’d spent the few hours before Rouge’s announcement sitting on his bed and contemplating ways to remove the pink blip from their team.

Scaring her away was a good tactic, it proved to be effective the night before, but he figured that the hedgehog was too stubborn to let a little fear interfere with her career. After all, a good example for the girl’s bullheadedness was her hung up obsession of the Blue Faker for years and years now. The other two options were: a) accidently cause a mishap to happen on a mission that could potentially put her out of commission. Or b) make her life a living hell, until she finally gives up. Since option ‘a)’ would result in too much paperwork, he figured that he would stick to option ‘b’.

Now he sighed, and stretched his back. A mission. He was surprised one had come so soon after the addition of a new team member, but he wasn’t going to complain. A mission was always a good distraction. Not to mention if Amy messed up he could shove her failure in that Chief Bitch’s face. 

Smirking wickedly, Shadow threw on his leather jacket, and selected his favorite hover shoes from their display case. The shoes had fake power rings to match the inhibitor rings on his gloves, and more details on the metal and plastic. He didn’t wear them often, but he felt his mood shifting to a more contented state with the idea of Amy being intimidated on her first day with a mission. He would also never admit this to anyone – even himself – but the Ultimate Lifeform could be a little vain when it came to appearances. He was also quite aware of the female eyes that followed him when he walked down the street, he rarely indulged in such frivolous and shallow attractions, however it was always a great ego boost.

The hedgehog headed down the stairs, and once he entered the command center his ears were assaulted by obnoxious laughter. The loud sound he immediately recognized as Rouge’s voice. He narrowed his eyes into a glare, a growling rebuke just waiting to shut her down, but he stopped when he saw what had the bat in tears.

Amy Rose was standing in the middle of the room with the brightest blushing muzzle he had ever seen on anyone before. Her body was shaking and her arms were stiff at her sides, but that wasn’t what caught his eye. No, it was the outfit she was wearing. She had on the G.U.N. issued jumpsuit, and it looked as unflattering as usual. It hugged the body like a latex glove showing any worry spots on the body – not that Shadow could see one on the female hedgehog, causing his brow to raise slightly at the thought. 

No, the main issue was the color… if concrete could vomit it would be the color of this suit. It was a dark, and murky shade of grey with the organization's logo plastered large and proud across the chest. A chest which was moving up and down frantically as the pink hedgehog worked overtime to contain her anger. Her quills were pulled up into the spunky ponytail with a gold metal ring, but it did nothing to help with the overall look.

Shadow blinked several times, before a mile long smirk spread across his face. Amy looked up, saw him leering, and if possible her face grew even redder,

“Not you too! I don’t understand! This is standard issue for all G.U.N. Agents when going on field missions!” She huffed loudly, her cheeks poofing out angrily. 

Rouge’s laugh turned into hysterics at Amy’s rigid understanding of G.U.N. procedures and Shadow almost felt a chuckle develop in his throat. He had to admit the girl was amusing, the way her petite body trembled and her eyes held just the slightest wetness from embarrassment in the corners, and that ridiculous outfit... He’d honestly never met anyone quite like her before and he also didn’t care to know her anymore than necessary. 

“Enough.” He said gruffly, and walked deeper into the room. He saw Omega near the computer, his finger plugged into it as he downloaded the specifics of the mission.

“Let’s hear what this mission’s about.”

Rouge looked over at her partner, she was bracing herself on her knees while laughing.  She stood with a smile still to her face and tears in her eyes as she turned her full attention to the grumpy hog. She wiped her eyes, and her large ears twitched as the last of her giggles flowed through her. She walked over to the hedgehog and patted his shoulder. 

“Jeez, live a little Ultimate Wet–Blanket. It’s not everyday you see someone dressing ‘by the books!’” This caused her to snort laugh, and speckles of spit splattered the grim looking hedgehog. Shadow rolled his eyes and smacked her hand away, before dramatically wiping his muzzle of her spit.

Amy was now crossing her arms, and glaring at them with a look that would send other’s running for the hills. Rouge smiled, and clapped her hands together. Walking over to the computer screen that populated more than half of the wall, she typed in a few commands. The screen populated with a tower that sported a shining mustache on the oval top. The tower was surrounded by forest, and was tucked away into a cliffside. It was well hidden, and Shadow was surprised that Eggman had been so careful. Usually the Doctor liked to make his presence known with brightly painted and unnecessarily large buildings. Even at times tempting his enemies to attack with search lights decorating the exterior of his compounds. If the base was that well hidden, it was very likely that it had something of value in it.

“This is a newly built Eggman base in Knothole Forest, we have been tasked with a covert mission.” Rouge started, her voice now serious without any note of her previous laughter. Amy was staring intently at the screen, and her head was bobbing as show of her listening. Shadow scoffed, and marched up to the large computer. 

“What are we retrieving? I’m assuming that G.U.N. wants to collect something from the base?”

Rouge nodded her head, and looked over his shoulder as he clicked through the digital files. Her wings were fluttering slightly as she focused, and her large coned ears were angled towards the computer. Everyone had their back turned to Amy, and the female hedgehog went on tip toes and leaned from side to side as she tried to see past large ears and thick quill spines to the computer screen. But it was no use, the main portions of information were blocked by the two Senior Agents.

“Hey, um, do you think you could let me…” She trailed off, as neither of them even twitched their ears in her direction. She could feel an invisible wall between her and them.   

Amy scowled, her insides twisting painfully from their blatant disinterest in her assistance. Whether they liked it or not, she was a part of their team, and she needed the same information that they were hogging at the moment. 

A clang was heard as Omega detached himself from the computer and walked over to his charging station placed at the entrance of the command center. Amy watched his short journey, and an idea formed in her mind. She hadn’t had any luck connecting with the robot on an emotional level, but he did actually seem open to assisting her within his capabilities. What she needed was definitely something within his wheelhouse.

Glancing quickly over to the two Mobians deep in conversation, Amy casually walked over to the badnik, and sat down next to him on the wall. His glass eyes adjusted their gaze to focus on her, and she smiled up at him.

“Good morning Omega! Did you sleep well?”

“Omega does not ‘sleep.’ Omega merely shuts down to charge the power core.”

Amy’s smile faltered, but at least the robot was interacting with her and not completely acting as though she were invisible.

“Right! That makes sense, I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“Nothing was offensive about your lack of knowledge on –”

This time Amy frowned and rolled her eyes, “Well, moving on from that, can you brief me on the mission we are about to go on?”

Omega didn’t move or speak for a moment, and she thought maybe he wouldn’t respond, but then the bot lowered his body and extended his arm to show her a small screen embedded in his metal wrist. It flickered for a moment, and was only colored with greens and blacks. It looked old, but at least it was legible.

“Wow, thanks Omega! Although I’m surprised this screen hasn't been upgraded for you.”

She heard a humming noise come from within him, and she realized that it was meant as a sigh of exasperation as the next sentence from his monotone voice almost seemed wistful.

“G.U.N. does not see it fit to upgrade any of my processing or programming directives. The last upgrade provided to Omega was weapons. Omega appreciates the new guns that can be used to burn, melt and destroy badniks, however a processing upgrade wouldn’t be harmful.”

Amy felt a little pity in her chest for the robot. She could give a pretty good guess as to why they weren’t doing much upgrading to his core processing. G.U.N. did not strike her as an organization that would like to improve robot intelligence in some paranoid fear of rebellion. Maybe there’s something I can do to help him… She pondered, as she pulled herself up using his metal arm so that she could better see the screen. He had been the least unwelcoming to her, since she doubted he even had the ability to act socially rude to anyone. As a result, she had a strange desire to return the favor, even if he had no scope to accept her gratitude.

The mission itself seemed pretty straight forward. They were to infiltrate the compound and scout the interior without being detected. Omega would use his scanning program to upload the schematics to his hard drive for later examination, and the rest of the agents were tasked with finding any computer or technology and downloading all files and information into personal handheld hard drives. Piece of cake.

She had done hundreds of surveillance drills in the academy, and this felt like the perfect mission to show off her new skills. She felt her heart swelling with warmth at the idea of getting praise from her team, the thought made her smile, and her tail started to uncontrollably twitch side to side at the prospect.

“What is making Amy Rose happy?”

Surprised to hear the machine ask such a personal question without prompting, caused her to blankly stare at him for a moment. She only broke her gaze to glance over at the two higher ranking Agents, but the both of them were still huddled together. She raised a brow at the closeness of their bodies, and the romantic side of her wondered if the two of them had a ‘thing.’ She would have pondered it more, if she wasn’t keeping the robot beside her waiting.

“Well, I’m just glad I have an opportunity so soon to prove myself as a worthy teammate to have on your team. I really want to remain your partner and I just hope that I’ll be able to convince you guys that I am a good asset.”

Omega’s glass eyes contracted as he opened his internal data files.

“Amy Rose: wields a large hammer, top speed has been clocked at 171.5 miles per second, half the top speed of Sonic the Hedgehog. Able to withstand 4 tons of force from an attack with minor damage to physique.”

Amy’s mouth popped open. She didn’t know whether to be horrified or impressed with hearing the stats the G.U.N. robot had on her.

“Uh…” Was all she could manage, but Omega continued his report.

“Only documented weaknesses are Sonic the Hedgehog and lack of battle knowledge. However, revisions to file were made yesterday, Amy Rose no longer accompanies the Hero of Mobius, and G.U.N. cadet training has provided significant improvements to fighting capabilities. In conclusion, no recorded weakness for Amy Rose. Field Agent Rose qualifies as an acceptable teammate.”

Amy felt her eyes well up. She knew that the robot had said this in response to her comment about her worth as a teammate for purely analytical reasons, however she couldn’t help feel a surge of affection develop within her for Omega. Whether he had intended to or not, he had comforted her doubts, and succeeded in giving her a boost in confidence that she sorely needed.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, painfully aware that this was no time for tears, even ones of gratitude. She could not be caught by the other two with any form of vulnerability. So she smacked her cheeks, and gave the robot a brilliant smile.

“Thank you Omega… You truly are the best friend a girl could wish for.”

Her expression and words of praise, caused something odd to spark within the bot, and his internal wiring redirected some energy to inspect the abnormality. E–123 silently took a recording of her expression and words, so that he could properly analyze it later. 

“Alright!” Rouge announced from across the room, drawing the two crouched Agents’ attention to her. 

She was now standing with her hands on her hips, while Shadow stood next to her, his arms crossed and face frowning. He didn’t like the chumy atmosphere surrounding his robotic partner and the annoying pink girl. His eyes narrowed into a deadly glare as Amy stood quickly to attention, and Omega slowly detached himself from the charging station. 

Rouge smirked, and clapped her hands together, “We’ll be leaving in 30 minutes and not a second later. Amy,”

She paused, a judgemental look tarnished her attractive features, as she glanced over the young Agent’s appearance.

“Put something else on. I won’t have anyone on my team looking like… an amateur.”

Amy blushed furiously, and her quills shook in rage and embarrassment. Shadow snickered, and his muzzle split into a cruel smirk. The female hedgehog felt her throat close up, and she forced her muscles to resist the urge to scream. She wanted to run from the room in tears, shouting insults and profanities at the two arrogant asswipes that stood before her with conceited attitudes.   You’re better than them… don’t let their words get to you. Besides, Omega has already seen my worth, now I just have to show them.  

She latched onto the validation given to her by the robot, her confidence restored. She gritted her teeth and gave them a choppy salute, “Yes... ma’am .”

She put a deep emphasis on the term, and felt a little better at the incredulous look of displeasure that formed on the bat’s face, as the implied jab at her age hit the thief where it counted. However, there was nothing to be rebuked, as it was a proper way to address a higher ranking Agent. Rouge’s muzzle twisted into a sour grimace, and she gritted her teeth as she said,

“Thank you, you’re dismissed .”

Amy shot her a satisfied grin, and bounced out the room with her ponytail swinging wildly behind her. Rouge watched her leave, and she felt the motivation intensify within her to remove the girl from her team. Even Shadow was looking at the bat with raised eyebrows. He had to admit that Amy had spunk, and it was very amusing to see his usually calmly collected partner snap from words uttered by another female. Rouge huffed and turned dramatically back to the computer, muttering,

“I hate that hedgehog.” 

Chao Dreams 24hr Cafe – Knothole Village

~September 11, 07:00~

“Where. The. Hell. Is. She.” 

Shadow growled, his quills twitching with irritation as he leaned on his parked bike in the parking lot of the only business that was open. He had in his hand a cardboard to–go cup of roasted black coffee, which he squeezed in anger. The sun was barely over the horizon, and it painted the dirt ground around them in soft purples and pinks. Behind them a flashing neon ‘open’ sign seemed to mock them. 

Rouge sighed, she was sitting at one of the tables outside with Omega standing next to her, a freshly baked cinnamon roll and steaming cup of coffee sat in front of her. She casually leaned back in her seat, picking at her pastry nonchalantly. She was unconcerned with the delay of the pink hog. This was just another nail in her inevitable coffin that the bat was carefully building around her. She grinned, covering her smug expression before Shadow could see, with the white porcelain mug. 

After the girl’s mean spirited jab at her, the bat had gotten a gloriously devious idea. Usually she and her team would pick a place to meet up near the site of the mission, and get there in their respective modes of transportation. Shadow, of course, usually took his motorcycle, jumping at any opportunity to use the metal beast. Rouge would either fly, or take her sleek, purple convertible which was in the next parking spot beside Shadow. And Omega… well to be entirely honest, she had no idea exactly how the robot managed his travels, but he always made it in time.

So she had simply told everyone where to go, but hadn’t given Amy the means to get there. She felt giddy thinking about the young girl attempting to figure out how to get into Station Square and then here without any of their help.

“Oh cut her some slack,” Rouge said with sarcasm, her fork stabbing into the sweet bread before her, slicing off a sticky bite, “She doesn’t have a vehicle after all.”

The bat chuckled a little evilly and Shadow stared at her with reluctant admiration at his partner’s ability to screw with people. No one crossed the albino thief and got away with it. However, although he enjoyed torturing their new team member, he also didn’t like being late for a mission. His face must have revealed some of his thoughts, as Rouge rolled her eyes with a sigh.

“Don’t worry. I had us start early specifically for this reason. Even if it took her another hour to get here, we would be fine. Our ‘ distraction ’ isn’t known for being an early bird.”

Shadow raised a brow at that. What ‘distraction’ was she referring to? He opened his mouth with the intention to ask as much, however the air was suddenly filled with a panting, loud voice,

“I’m – huff – Sorry! The – huff – train was delayed – huff – due to some accident. So I ran here!”

Team Dark turned their heads to look at the girl standing before them. She was leaned over, her hands bracing on her knees, and her chest going crazy as she attempted to fill her lungs with oxygen. She had changed into red shorts and black windbreaker, and her shoes were black sneakers with a red stripe across the top. She also wore a small red backpack, that was bulging with unknown items. It was definitely an improvement from her previous outfit, and Rouge smiled at the power she wielded over the girl.

“Well, that's no excuse. I set meeting times for missions for very specific reasons, and being late can potentially interfere with our ability to complete the mission successfully.”

Amy stopped moving, and they watched as her fingers clenched and dug into her knees, while her body started to shake in frustration. She snapped up, her jade eyes ablaze and her muzzle twisted into a terrifying grin.

“Well, maybe if I’d had some help then I could’ve gotten here a little easier.” She stated, her voice unnaturally sweet sounding, like an over sugared cake frosting, as she forced herself to remain civil.

“We all managed to get here on our own without any help.” Shadow interjected, his arms crossed, and his ruby eyes narrowed. He didn’t care to aid the helpless, nor do charity work. He could give two shits if the girl was with them or not, and preferably to him, she wouldn’t be.

Amy huffed, and she folded her arms in mirror to his stance, “I don’t have a damn vehicle, and you very well know that I don’t have the same stamina as you or Sonic, I can’t run forever.”

“Then you should’ve figured out a different way to get here.”

Amy’s cheeks puffed out, and her quills started to bristle against their metal ring. She felt frustration at how unfair this situation was boiling to the surface, and her arms straightened to her sides stiffly, she didn’t care anymore, she would put this damn hedgehog in his place.

“I think you should –”

“Amy Rose, if you do not have a reliable mode of transportation, E–123 Omega will take you to and from missions. Omega has enough power to carry Amy Rose, and this should be more efficient than public transportation.”

The robot’s voice cut through the tension like a chainsaw through bark. Everyone turned to stare at the metal Agent. Shadow and Rouge were surprised he had said anything, let alone offered assistance beyond his own agendas. Shadow felt his stomach twisting with an odd emotion he couldn’t place, and was definitely not liking.

Amy, however, smiled warmly at Omega, and her anger subsided enough to regain control of her actions. She walked up to the machine and gave him a hug, Omega’s head snapped quickly to look down at her. This was a new experience for him, he’d never had anyone confine him within their fleshy limbs. Although he’d seen other Mobains do it with each other, he had never understood the gesture. He only had information that it was an act of courtesy and was non threatening.

“Once again, you are my hero!” Amy declared her voice light and her grip hard. 

Omega said nothing, as once again he felt something trying to process within him that wasn’t in line with his programing. This was something he must investigate, and he was determined to get to the bottom of what caused this reaction to the organic girl. A new directive formed in his coding: help Amy Rose whenever possible in order to collect more data on this processing anomaly.

The girl released him, and turned to give the other members of her team a glare.

“I’m going to get some breakfast, and I don’t give a crap if that delays us anymore. I haven’t had the chance to eat thanks to you, and I would rather work on a full stomach. Besides, Eggman's base isn't going anywhere.” 

She huffed irately and marched into the cafe her muzzle held high. Shadow’s grunt of disapproval fell on deaf ears, and she barely heard Rouge sigh and relent to her whim before she swung the door of the cafe open with gusto.

A bell above her rang merrily to announce her arrival, and she felt satisfaction with her ability to let their negative attitudes roll off of her. It also helped that she obviously had an ally in the robot, and for now that was enough to keep her going. 

There was a small mouse girl behind the counter hanging up her apron, she turned at the sound and smiled.

“If you know what you want I'll ring it up right away, otherwise do you mind waiting a moment for my co–worker to come out? It's the end of my shift.”

Amy returned the smile, and waved the girl off, “No worries, I can wait! I totally understand wanting to get off after a long night shift.” Besides, doesn't hurt to make those jerks wait a little longer, she added quietly, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

The mouse's grin changed from polite service mode, to grateful smile, “Thanks hon! Won't be longer than a minute!” and with that the female disappeared into the employees only door.

Amy glanced around the small cafe, and felt a nostalgic feeling take over her. It’d been two years since the last time she had stepped foot in this shop, and she was surprisingly grateful that it hadn’t changed much since then. The walls were still a pale pink, and the booths were still black with retro lamps hanging from the ceiling.  Cute neon signs hung on the walls alongside classic style posters of Chao. And the best part was the scents.

Vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate, and coffee, blending together warmly and comfortingly. She closed her eyes, and took a moment to breathe in the familiar flavors. She used to come here all the time with her friends, on lazy afternoons, or even for after battle treats. She felt a painful stab in her heart, and suddenly she missed – 

“Amy? I–is that you?”

The voice was more mature, but was still soft, gentle, and tore her heart to shreds. Amy felt her body freeze, and panic set into her being. She dreaded opening her eyes, but she knew there was no escaping this. She had already been seen. Slowly her jade eyes opened, and sure enough she spotted a young rabbit standing behind the bar. The mocha-colored female was a bit taller than before, and she had grown out the fur on her forehead into cute bangs which curled under a visor. Her brown eyes were wide, and she was wearing a thin, white dress with a pink apron sporting the cafe’s logo in black on the chest.

Amy sucked in her cheeks, and forced a smile on her face… here was something else she hadn’t seen in two years…

“Oh, um, hey Cream.” She managed, and slowly walked up to the counter, her eyes fixated on the handwritten chalk menu above the girl. Calm down Amy! She isn’t an enemy…

“So it is you!” Cream exclaimed, her voice holding a mixture of excitement and awkwardness. 

The pink hedgehog forced her head to bend down, and look at the girl. She didn’t hate Cream, but she had no idea how to act around her anymore. Cream was a stranger, someone who’d abandoned her, and never reached out. Although, to be fair, Amy hadn’t tried to reconnect with the girl either. 

At first it’d been because of the pain she felt from the girl’s betrayal, and then it was because of pride. Why should she be the one to reach out when the bunny had made it pretty clear she had no intentions of rekindling their friendship? And then it had just gotten to the point where it was too late. Even if she had felt the need, it would seem pointless. The bitterness within her had grown to a toxic level as the years had moved forward, and she was almost shocked at how much pent up frustration she had towards Cream.

“Wow! You look… different. ”

The bunny’s forcefully cheerful voice cut into her thoughts, causing the G.U.N. Agent to flinch. The part of her that was unforgiving wanted to give the bunny a glare and demand to know what she meant by that comment and tone. But instead she gritted her teeth, and focused on flattening the quills that threatened to bristle.

“Thanks… you look different too, those bangs new?”

The rabbit blinked, and blushed a little, “Not really… I’ve had them for about a year now… it’s a popular look at my school. All my friends have them.”

Amy swallowed the harsh responses that whispered violently in her mind. Yeah, I’m sure you’re quite the ‘trendy’ little teen, probably a popular girl too, Amy thought scathingly. Spikes of jealousy and repressed anger irrationally covered any affection she still had for her old friend. She lifted the corner of her mouth, and tapped her fingers on the counter to help distract her.

“Well it… suits you,” Amy replied, and almost gagged at the prideful look that filtered across the bunny’s face. She could already deduce that her Cream had fallen into the classic teenage need to be validated on their appearance, with too much weight in their makeup and fashion. She could now make out the details of the dress the young rabbit wore, and she recognized it as high end designer. She had an off topic thought on how Cream was able to afford such an item with her family situation.

“So, any recommendations?” Amy asked, attempting to bring the conversation back to the task at hand. But the rabbit either didn’t notice the uncomfortable stance the hedgehog had, or just didn’t care, as she completely ignored the question and instead leaned a bit closer to the Agent.

“I haven’t seen you in so long… and you moved to the city right? Mom said something along those lines.”

So she calls Vanilla Mom now instead of Momma . Amy felt a myriad of emotions begin to swirl within her. A part of her still really cared about the younger girl, and was feeling melancholy at all the time lost between the once best of friends. And a larger part of her just wished for this to end. Cream was a living reminder of all that Amy had lost, and missed out on. She couldn’t open pandora's box, especially not when she had a mission to focus on.

“Yeah… a little after the last time we met up actually.” Amy replied curtly, deliberately keeping her answer short.

Cream chuckled a little nervously, and her hand began to fiddle with her apron.

“Oh I see… Do you like it?” The girl tried, her voice quiet.

“Its alright I guess,” Amy replied, her voice remaining as neutral as possible.

“What are you up to? Do you have a job? Maybe college or something?”

Amy felt annoyed. Just what was this girl trying to do? Why all the damn questions? She hadn’t seemed to give a shit before now – hell, the hedgehog knew that if they hadn’t met by chance here, then they’d probably still be out of each other’s lives. She had an assumption that the girl was feeling guilty for her lack of care for her supposed ‘best friend,’ and was trying to seem like a ‘good’ person. Or even worse, she was just trying to make small talk in an attempt to get some gossip on how her life was going. And she hated how the girl just assumed she could go to college like a normal Mobian, when she knew fully well that Amy didn’t have any schooling due to her upbringing. She clinched her jaw and controlled her tone best she could as she replied,

“I have something to fill my time. I can see you’ve found something appropriate to fill your free time as well. Did school not satisfy all your hopes and dreams of a normal life?”

The bunny flinched, her demeanor taking on a tense stance, and her soft brown eyes narrowed with anger.

“I’m working here because I like to have a little pocket money. What’s wrong with trying to be independent ? I’m trying not to depend on others for my health and happiness,” the teenager's nose twitched, and her long ears flicked as the corner of her pink glossed lips lifted in a sneer. It was an expression that Amy had never thought possible for the sweet girl, and she was a little taken aback. So much so she almost didn't catch what the rabbit said next. 

“Although I suppose that's a difficult thing for you to understand, as your whole life revolves around your obsession with Sonic. You even moved to the city he lives in, I bet you've spent the last few years following him around. How's that working out?”

Amy felt her heart clench with poisonous emotions. She had never imagined that the rabbit could ever act so catty and land such low blows. Would she ever shed that accursed label? ‘Sonic’s obsessed fangirl…’ The female clenched her teeth and furrowed her eyebrows.

“You don’t know anything, you brat!” Amy hissed, her frustrations from the past couple days finally bursting to the surface. Her ex–best friend’s ears flattened, and her body started to shake in the hostility that was emanating from the hedgehog, but those milky brown eyes glared with anger.

“Well maybe if you hadn’t acted like a total jerk cutting me from your life, then I would know if it was different, but –”

Cackling cut the rant off, and the teenager stared in horror as the older female before her started to laugh crazily. It was unexpected, and Cream felt a small spike of fear enter her, as she realized she’d said something that set Amy off. 

“That’s rich, coming from you!” Amy exclaimed, her jade eyes watering from the aggressive chuckles that wracked her body. She sneered at the rabbit, and pointed a finger at her, all the words she had been fantasizing over the years to say to the girl if she ever saw her again, bubbled to the surface, and spewed from practiced lips.

“You’re the one that cut me from your life! You killed Team Rose because you wanted to have a ‘regular’ life! What does that even mean anyway?!” Amy’s voice was raised at this point, and her jade eyes burned with fury.

“You’re the one that threw me away! You never contacted me! Never tried to find out what happened to me! It wasn’t my job to chase after you, when you walked away. I’d had enough of that with one person without you pulling the same shit!”

“Don’t blame this on me!” The bunny yelled, her own wrath covering any fear she had felt earlier, and her body felt tense as she glared up at the pink female, “I’m just a kid, why am I responsible for you?”

It was Amy’s turn to look taken aback, and her jade eyes stared in horror at the bunny before her. This was not the same Cream that she remembered. This girl was spiteful and snarky, her carefully painted face screwed into a nasty glare as she continued her rant.

“Team Rose was already falling apart without my leaving, and you know it! Big wasn’t coming back, and Blaze returned to her own world. There was nothing just the two of us could do! We aren’t fighters!”

“Says you!” Amy countered, her quills now bristling behind her, the metal ring digging deeply into them as they strained against it.

“I could fight just fine on my own! Sonic even said that I could –”

Cream laughed darkly, her hands to her stomach and her large teeth shining in the morning light. Amy felt her chest squeeze as her ex–friend mocked her. She felt angry tears threaten to fill her eyes, but she clenched her jaw.

“Wow! I guess you actually haven’t changed!” The rabbit gasped, wiping at the corner of her eyes.

“Still trying to impress a guy who thinks of you as friend or even worse, an annoying little sister! You want to know the real reason Team Rose failed? It was because the leader was an immature fangirl that couldn’t see anything but blue! You want someone to blame? Look in the mirror!”

Tears were threatening to spill from the corners of her eyes. Amy felt a darkness begin to creep in from the inside of her chest. Sure, these were things she heard on almost a daily basis by those who wished to demean her, and break her down, but it hadn’t really bothered her. Not as much as this. To hear the words coming from someone whom she’d once thought of as her best and only true friend in the world, caused something within her to break. She felt a hot lump form painfully in her throat, and she wanted to melt through the floor to disappear. She recognized this burning within her... Betrayal. But unlike the first time Cream betrayed her, all cards were laid down on the table. This wasn’t civilized, it was messy as hell.

“What’s taking you so long?”

The voice that suddenly interrupted them, was sultry but firm, and caused the feuding girls to snap their attention to the door of the shop. There in the doorway stood Rouge the Bat. Her hands were on her hips and her expression looked slightly annoyed.

Amy felt panic rise to a crescendo within her and she quickly cleared her throat. She angled her face away as she furiously rubbed her eyes of dampness, unwilling to let her teammate witness a moment of weakness.

“Sorry,” Amy mumbled, and she quickly stepped back from the counter, “There’s nothing I like here, let’s just go.”

She refused to look at the rabbit, and instead made her way towards the waiting bat, all the muscles in her body working overtime to control the emotions she allowed to leak through. She just wanted to leave and get this accursed day over with. All her insecurities and self doubts that she could usually lock up in a neat little box, were oozing out the cracks created by the harsh words of an ex–friend. 

She expected Rouge to berate her, and get irritated that she had wasted their time, but when she reached the bat, the older female placed her hand on Amy’s upper back. The gesture caught the young hedgehog off guard, she hadn’t predicted such a reaction, or rather the lack of one. They both turned and started to leave, but before they completely exited, Rouge turned to look at the frozen girl still standing behind the counter. 

“I don’t blame you, the service here is shit. Besides, their food is nothing to brag about. Believe me, I’ll be leaving quite the thorough review on Yerp.”

The bat gave Cream a leer – causing the rabbit to flinch, and a spark of fear light in her eyes – before allowing the door to slam behind them. Once they were outside again, Amy felt her chest tighten with an odd feeling of gratitude for the older female. She turned and looked at her with a slightly embarrassed smile.

“H–how much did you hear?” The pink female asked hesitantly, not entirely sure she wanted to know. She’d been so absorbed in her fight, she hadn’t heard the door’s bell.

The bat gave her a glance, and shrugged, “Enough to make a judgment of her character. Didn't she used to be that cute little bunny that followed you around… what's her name again? Buttermilk?”

Amy looked at her with a raised eyebrow , “No its –” but she stopped. She saw a glint of humor in the seafoam eyes of the bat, and there was a teasing smirk hiding in the corner of her muzzle. Amy blushed, realizing that Rouge was trying to lighten the mood.

“Look,” the bat started after a moment, her hand sweeping out nonchalantly, “I don't really care what happened between the two of you, it's not my business. I didn't even say it for you, I just don't really care for unclassy, pretentious females.”

Amy felt warmth fill her for the first time since meeting the bat, and she turned her head, a shy expression taking over her features.

“Well either way, thanks.” 

She gave the bat a bright and honest smile, making Rouge feel something within her stir. She hadn't really seen that kind of expression reflected towards her before, especially not from another female. The expression also held a quiet sadness within it, and she recognized the mask of strength the young girl was using to cover the pain. It struck a chord with the thief, as she had long ago learned to disguise her own pain. She felt a dangerous feeling start to take hold in a far corner of her heart, one she definitely did not want to come into fruition.

“Well, don't put too much meaning onto it,” She dismissed, and then raised her voice to be heard, “Alright pansies! We've loitered long enough, let's get this mission started!”

Shadow, who’d been leaning against his motorcycle with his arms crossed and his eyes closed, pushed off the bike and announced with a growl, “Finally.”

He started to mount the machine, his muscles and quills twitching with eagerness to get started, but Rouge placed a hand on his shoulder. His head snapped aggressively in her direction, and she stared back at him with firmness, daring him to talk back.

“Not so fast, Shads.” She said, her ears flicking and the corner of her mouth lifted in a smirk.

“What now, bat. ” Shadow spat, his eyes narrowed and his hand came up to break her hold on him. He was not happy with all the delays, he felt antsy and wanted to get moving. The sooner they completed this mission, the sooner he could get out of their obnoxious company and do something worthwhile of his time, like training or working on his bike.

“We need to break off in pairs. Going individually is too dangerous and going all together is ineffective.”

Shadow stiffened. Oh no… she wasn’t going to suggest…

“And I think the best pairs would be Omega and me, and –”

“No.” Shadow interrupted with a furious growl. He was not going to even humor the idea of him being stuck with that ditsy, pink, waste of space.

“Shadow… I don’t have the patience for your defiance,” Rouge replied with a sigh and she folded her arms beneath her bosom, causing the heart shape on her jumper to bulge.

“Why can’t you take her?” He countered frustrated, his finger blindly pointing in Amy's direction while his ruby gaze stayed firmly on the bat before him. 

“You seemed damn chummy with her just now! Besides you’re both… females , so it –”

“Oh?! So you’re gonna pull the sexist card on me now?!” Rouge raged, her wings snapping outwards, and her hands moving to her hips as she leaned towards the arrogant hedgehog with anger.

“If you’re gonna pull that shit on me, then I’ll pull rank! And you better fucking believe that I'll give you a world of pain! Stop acting like a pussy and –”

“Rank?! Pah! You hardly do anything that's worthy of your rank . I am not about to let some green behind the ears, pathetic girl have the chance to ruin my –”

“Could you guys stop talking about me like I’m not even here?!” Amy screamed. 

Both Agents flinched at the octave that she’d reached, and they turned with wide eyes to the young Agent standing with bristled quills and fur. Amy was by the table and her fists were stiff at her sides while she glared at them with disgust. 

Rouge felt a tiny flicker of guilt spark within her at the other emotion that gleamed just beneath the thin mask of anger in jade eyes. Once more, she could just make out pain and sadness. The bat hated the quick flash of memory at the scene she had witnessed just a few minutes ago between the girl and her old friend. She didn’t want to, but she found herself feeling pity for the female who stood with as much fortitude as she could, while crumbling within herself. 

“I GET it, okay?! Neither of you want to be saddled with me, so why don’t I just go with Omega?”

Said robot had been in sleep mode before now – he always did this when his partners started fighting, as usually they forgot about him anyway, and were never prone to be open to his suggestions. However, when he heard his name called – by the subject of his current ‘study’ – he came to life and straightened up. His scanners assessed the situation and cataloged the reactions of the organics around him.

Rouge had a stern look on her face, which told him she was trying to enact her authority over the group. Shadow was standing with arms crossed, and eyes narrowed into a death glare, alerting the ex–badnik that he was being defiant as usual. But when he got to Amy, he felt his processing core falter. Her expression was similar to the look she’d had this morning when she’d announce her goal to impress the team, but it was different. Her brows were trembling with effort to remain neutral, and her fangs were sinking into the flesh of her bottom lip, mirroring the clenching of her fists.

He would’ve come to the conclusion that she was angry, if it wasn’t for the salt water he had detected in the smallest corner of her eyes. He didn’t know how to categorize the emotion she was portraying, but he knew enough to deduce that she was in need of his assistance. His new directive pinged within him, and he turned to address the group.

“Omega can not foresee any issues with allowing Agent Rose to partner with him. Amy Rose is a capable agent, and would compliment Omega’s fire power perfectly. Allowing for effective destruction of enemies.”

His monotone voice, and interjection, caused the fire in the air to dampen slightly. Amy felt saved by his validation of her request, and she visibly relaxed, while both senior Agents stared at the robot with raised brows. Omega wasn’t one to interject his opinion on the team’s plan, unless it involved details on how to incinerate and crush Eggman and his bots. He always had a suggestion when it came to destruction, but they had never heard him have input on the team dynamic or pairings.

Rouge blinked to break her shocked state, and shook her head, allowing a small smile to form as she looked at the robot. He was so innocent sometimes that she felt the need to almost mother him. He didn’t understand social constructs, and the complexity of Mobian emotion was like a foreign language to him. She had the same feelings towards the pissy hedgehog next to her, but since Shadow did have the ability to show and feel emotions those moments were few and further between.

“I know you’re trying to help big guy, but unfortunately that won’t work for this mission.”

“Why not?” Amy asked, already feeling the tightness in her stomach returning. She wasn’t too happy with idea of going with anyone besides the robot. Both the Mobians before her had proven to be cruel and impatient. So much for an amazing first mission…

“Not that I need to explain this,” Rouge said with slight irritation entering her voice, “As your leader, you should all be saying ‘yes, miss ,’ without argument…”

“Yeah… some leader,” Shadow scoffed and his lips lifted into a sneer, while Amy flinched at the reminder of her position on the team. 

Rouge looked between them and felt a sharp pain begin to form in her temple. These hedgehogs were obnoxious , but it was the perfect set–up for her plan of getting rid of the young girl. She was worried about the small tugs she was getting regarding Amy, and she cursed Chaos that she’d witnessed the earlier scene which had triggered the reaction. She wasn't keen on giving more opportunity to allow those emotions to foster within her, and Omega seemed to not mind the girl. So the only viable option was to pair her with Shadow.

He would have no problem pointing out her faults, and even more deliciously they might throw the whole mission if forced to work together. Amy and Shadow were like water and oil, the perfect recipe for the girl’s disaster.

“This type of mission is to be covert . This means no battles with Eggman bots unless absolutely necessary. Shadow and Omega, when they’re alone, can not resist giving into any opportunity to fight.”

Shadow rolled his eyes, and scoffed once more, but didn’t argue. He wouldn’t admit it aloud, but the bat was correct. He and Omega had the tendency to get swept up in their aligned agendas of crushing that bulbous man beneath their feet. Great for attack missions… not so much for covert.

“And Amy,” Rouge continued, her gaze shifting to the smaller female, 

“Can you confidently tell me you’ll be able to control and calm Omega’s urges to destroy? Whether you like it or not, you haven’t known him for long, and wouldn’t even know how to begin working effectively with him.”

Amy’s mouth opened slightly, and her jade eyes sparked with objections, but they were baseless. She slowly lowered her head in acceptance of the bat’s words, and her right foot shuffled in the dirt before her. At least she knows when to not argue. The bat thought, secretly wishing the other hedgehog in her rag–tag group would develop the same skill.

“Your silence is answer enough. So, do I hear any more objections? Or can we finally get this mission started?”

Rouge heard a gruff hmph behind her, and she felt a satisfied smirk curl on her muzzle. She recognized that tone, she’d won.

“Good. Now, Omega and I will take the high ground and wait at the top of the cliff to let you know when the best time to enter is, while you two will wait at ground level in the trees for our signal. We’ll move through the tower and meet in the middle. Everyone have their hard drives and are clear on the orders?”

She watched as they all nodded their heads – a small ‘affirmative’ from Omega – and started towards her car, finger pressing the button on her fob. Her car roared to life, engine humming merrily, and as she approached, the roof folded back and the driver side door lifted into the air. The bat enjoyed the pure expression of shock on Amy’s face at the display of unnecessary accessories on the vehicle. 

“I’ll meet you kiddos there, make sure you put your earpieces in, don’t want a repeat of Scarlet Beach.”

She popped a pair of purple rhinestone sunglasses on her muzzle and ripped out of the parking lot with screeching wheels and booming the latest hip–hop mixes into the quiet and once peaceful village air. She glanced in her rearview as she sped away, grinning as Omega took to the air and left two hedgehogs to stand awkwardly together in an empty parking lot.

Regardless of how things turned out, she would admit it was fun to see the ebony male squirm. And no one did that better then Amy Rose.

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

Hello Readers!

I hope you all are doing well :) Sorry for the delay with this, I could make excuses, but the honest truth was I just haven't been making the time to sit down and work through my writer's block and for that I'm sorry. But I really love this story and I will do my best to continue making time for it. This, as always, is slightly edited and changed from the fanfiction.net version, so there's soemthing here even for my older readers!

***IMPORTANT*** (this is from comments I was geeting on fanfiction, not here on Ao3 but I still think its a relevant insight to share with you all :) )

Okay, so here is my two cents on some common suggestions I have been getting for this story. I'm hearing a lot of 'This character is out of character' or 'this person wouldn't say that,' I am not offended nor mad, in fact what I am, is, like 'oh shit... I haven't properly explained what my goal is with this story.'

So here it is: Some of my old readers know that I truly do my best to stay as close as possible to the original characters. LGH is a pretty good example of this, and my 1,000 years piece is probably the best example. In TDR I'm trying out a different form of writing. There was a lot of unseen/unknown time that has passed for these characters and a lot of things happened in this time that molded them into what they are now. They still have their main character personalities and traits, but with some added (what I like to call) 'spice.'

This 'spice' will be revealed to you slowly but surely, so please bare with me, and I hope none of my readers were turned off by the characters thus far... And as always, for those of you who have taken the time to read this THANK YOU! And I would love to hear your thoughts.

******FUN WORLD FACT******

Shadow's motorcycle is modeled after the Arch KRGT-1 (2018/19 model) bike. It was an upgrade given to him by G.U.N. when he joined. Never fear though, he still has his Harley, it's just his personal ride that he likes to work on, on his free time. He doesn't take it on potentially dangerous missions because (and you would never hear him say this, but it's the truth) because it's his 'baby' XD

As always, kudos to those who read this massive note (my apologies for the length) and please enjoy this chapter!

Happy Reading,

Nothing Fancy

EPISODE 5: Ghosts of Knothole Past – Part 2

Eggman’s Knothole Base – East Knothole Forest

~September 11, 08:03~

Amy grumbled as she continued to pull twigs and leaves from her fur and quills. She was particularly concerned with a spot just on the nape of her neck, where she was pretty sure a good deal of tree sap had spilled and tangled within her pink fur. She glanced up at the ebony male, who was making his silent and deliberate way through underbrush and a maze of trees. She huffed sharply, and turned her attention back to her messy quills.

“You could’ve driven more carefully, you know!” she accused as she pulled out a particularly prickly twig from her quills.

Shadow heard the noise behind him and rolled his eyes. He didn’t care if his irritation with her seemed misplaced or like he was overreacting. Besides, he could barely explain it himself. If he was being honest, he couldn’t help but feel as though she was deliberately trying to throw him off his game. No matter what she did, it rubbed him the wrong way.

The girl was obnoxious to him. She'd invaded their group, and thrown a wedge into the smooth and comfortable routines they'd developed over the years. She’d been late to the meeting, she complained and griped, and she jumped between emotions like a yo-yo. One minute she looked absolutely fine, and the next minute she was screaming her head off with tears in her eyes. It was too much to handle.

Not to mention he hated the itching in his chest that seemed to happen whenever she was being emotional or simply spoke to him. Most of the time he could easily attribute the sensation to anger or frustration with her, but there were few times in the past and now where he’d known it wasn’t because of those simple emotions. There was something else just beneath the surface of recognition that he couldn’t quite put a name to. And because he really didn’t care to get to the bottom of the mystery, he would rather she stay far away from him so he didn’t have to deal with it.

Earlier, having been left alone at the cafe with no other means of transportation, the two hedgehogs had been forced to share the motorcycle. Shadow had thrown her a visorless helmet, his eyes hateful as he mounted his bike, and revved it while silently waiting for her to sit behind him. 

Amy had held the thick plastic helmet in her hands for a bit, looking over what, in her mind, was a death trap. There was no protection on this machine for the riders, and her limbs would be exposed to the elements. She'd admit, the thing was brutally beautiful, black paint and sleek red streaks accenting the curves of it’s frame. It sported a grey G.U.N. logo on the hump of metal which shielded some of the engine. Most of the engine was exposed, revealing a twisting masterpiece of matted steel pipes, and gears. There was a part of her that felt a spark of excitement looking at it, but it wasn’t large enough to cover her fears. 

It was obviously built to accommodate only a single rider, and although Shadow was forcing himself to sit up on the hump in front of the leather seat, she could tell it would be tight squeeze. She gulped, contemplating whether to just ask him for the coordinates to meet him there or not.

However, she was painfully aware that she’d already wasted too much time and energy this morning. She knew it would be more efficient, if she swallowed her fears of motorcycle accidents and images of peeled flesh exposing cracked skulls, and just got on the damn thing. 

Shadow had been tapping his foot irately as he waited for the girl to sit behind him. He was seriously cursing the bat in his mind - going through several ideas of payback torture - when he felt hesitant and shaky hands touch his shoulders as the young Agent lowered herself onto the seat behind him. He could tell she was trying to touch him as little as possible and that she was very uncomfortable with the situation. 

A smirk played on his lips as he thought of an easy way to give the hedgehog a ‘good’ first ride. Once he felt her ass hit the leather behind him, he revved the engine and went speeding from the parking space like a bullet. Amy’s hands gripped into the muscles on his shoulders like a wrench, and he heard a muffled scream emit from her. When they reached the highway that would take them smoothly, and safely, throughout Knothole Forest, he, of course, chose to go off the beaten path. 

He didn’t worry about the dents and scrapes the frame of his bike was getting, as this just gave him things to work on once the mission was over. He simply enjoyed the screams of terror and the bouncing through overgrowth and the crazy maneuvers he had to do to get through the terrain. Going this route was completely unnecessary, but definitely satisfying. That is until he felt hands vacate his shoulders to slide down his sides, and arms wrap around his torso underneath his leather jacket. Her hands gripped him desperately, and were a little too low for his comfort, but that wasn't what was setting his nerves  edge.

No, it was the feel of her slim body pressing against his back. Her head was at the base of his neck, and her chest was squished up on his mid back, comfortably fitting between his shoulder spines, as though it was created to fit there. With one particularly large bump, he felt her slide down the seat, until her groin was sitting on the small of his back, and his tail was stuck underneath her…

At that point he had braked abruptly, almost causing the both of them to go flying from momentum. Amy once again screamed, and the arms only proved to tighten around him forcing a gruff sound to exit his muzzle. He turned off his bike, and shoved the keys in his pocket while he attempted to stand, but her grip didn’t lessen. He glanced back at her and growled, 

“Get off.”

Amy had visibly flinched violently and quickly jumped off the machine to back several feet away from it, her jade eyes wide in terror. She looked a mess, with forest debris in her fur and exposed quills, but it wasn’t enough to squash the prickly feeling in Shadow’s stomach that had started the second her arms wrapped around him. That was why he absolutely could not stand her, this emotion that made his stomach boil and made him want to tear her head off. But he'd swallowed the reaction the best he could and ignored the incessant tingling. He'd jerked his head, and pointed with his thumb behind him.

“We’re almost there, and a motorcycle isn't the quietest. We’ll walk the rest of the way.”

The morning ride wasn't only on Shadow's mind. Amy once again glared at the hedgehog in front of her, resisting the urge to kick something into the back of his head. After scaring her to death, and taking her on a ride from hell, he was being rude, impossible to communicate with and he hadn’t even waited for her to catch her breath before he’d turned and stalked into the trees! 

Now they were walking in complete silence, and she felt her ears twitching with the need to hear a voice. She wouldn't say she liked the male anymore than he seemed to enjoy her company, but they were teammates now. If they couldn't be friends, they could at least be civil to each other… she hoped.

She gulped and steeled herself for the surely stupid thing she was about to do, but if she didn’t at least try to make an effort, then she would get nowhere. She picked up her pace, until she was practically jogging next to him as he took long deliberate strides. 

“So… you like riding motorcycles?” Her voice was tentative, and she gave him a warm smile, hoping to melt the layer of ice around him. 

“We don’t have to talk.” He grunted, his ruby eyes fixed on a place in front of them. Amy’s smile quickly morphed into a grimace, and she rolled her eyes, her mouth opening and closing in a mocking manner to mimic what he’d said.

She saw his blood red iris shift to the corner of his eye to give her a side look. His eye lids lowered, and his lip peeled back to reveal his long and sharp fangs. Amy immediately stopped, and slowed once more to allow him to lead the way. What the hell crawled up his ass and died? I’ve never met anyone more full of anger than this male who calls himself the Ultimate Lifeform , she scoffed outwardly, and smirked as she saw his long pointed ear twitch in her direction. More like Ultimate Stick Up The Ass. The thought brought a smile to her face and a small giggle from her throat.

“If you’re done making fun of me, we’ve arrived.”

Amy’s giggling stopped abruptly, and she narrowed her eyes, a paranoid thought that maybe he could read minds filtered through her consciousness, despite the fact that she’d giggled aloud. However she shoved that down into the ‘crazy’ box, and hurried to join him behind the bush he was currently crouched behind. She felt him stiffen beside her from her presence, but she ignored his reaction, and instead flattened her ears to her head as she slowly lifted her head over the top of the bush.

A tall tower was nestled into the cliff side, it’s shiny metal frame reflected the morning sun like lasers. The metal was painted in varying shades of yellow, red, black and white. Mid–way up the side of the thing, the Doctor couldn’t help but plaster his grinning logo in black as large as possible... as though the mustached domed top wasn’t enough to alert any trespassers that this was one of Eggman’s bases. 

Amy felt movement beside her, and she saw that Shadow was fiddling with his ear. He had a focused look on his face as he adjusted his earpiece for comfort, and his nose was scrunched, a little pink tip of tongue poking between his black skinned lips. Amy blinked, and an odd feeling entered her, one that squealed within her that he looked kinda... cute . She shook her head, another image of his enraged face – if he noticed her staring at him – defeated that bizarre feeling, and she brought her backpack in front of her, carefully unzipping it.

She had several gadgets stuffed within its confines, having been unsure what was needed, she’d played it safe. She had the hand–held hard drive on the top for easy access, a G.U.N. designed rope that was thin and durable, almost undetectable in dimmed light. Several small weapons gadgets that could fit easily into the tiny pack, and then there was the item she was intending to use towards the bottom of the bag. A small pill shaped container, that served as a case and charger for her earpieces. She popped it open and fitted one into her right ear, before adjusting the frequency and channel, using an app on her watch.

“Why the hell did you bring all that?”

She jumped slightly, totally not expecting the hedgehog to speak with her for the rest of the mission let alone be the one to initiate a conversation. She looked over at him to see that he was staring at her backpack with a mixture of annoyance and curiosity. She stayed quiet for a moment, wondering whether or not this was a trap, but with a shrug she held it open and angled in his direction for an easier view.

“Well, I didn’t get any instructions on what to bring,” she explained kindly, “So I just brought a basic mission kit. I have some weapons, tech, rope with grappling hook...”

She trailed off as Shadow stared at her with an unreadable expression. She felt cold sweat begin to form in her armpits and it tickled the base of her neck as she tried hard to keep her face in a normal mask, while her muscles screamed to twitch in nervousness. They stared at each other in silence for a few more minutes, before Shadow finally blinked and huffed.

“Although I’m usually against the idea of carrying such items around unless required, I actually have an idea after looking at your… kit .” The word was drawn out, and his tone was a reluctant acceptance that she’d done something mildly useful.

Amy tried to control a smile of validation that wanted to burst to life on her face - knowing that the male would find it obnoxious - but it curled in the corners of her mouth anyway. Shadow narrowed his eyes, but ignored her expression and instead jerked his head towards the direction of the tower.

“When Rouge gives the signal, we'll make our way along the cliff side to the east side of the tower,” His tone was less aggressive now as he got into the details of the mission, and Amy tried to contain the feeling of joy that spread through her as Shadow included her in on his planning. 

“Do you see that vent about 25 feet up the tower?” He continued, his finger pointing, and his gaze shifting to look at her expectantly. Amy scooted closer to him, her black tennis shoes inching her towards him. 

Shadow watched as she got close enough that her thigh brushed slightly against his arm, and her face screwed up as she tried to follow his finger to the nondescript vent. He studied the bright jade eyes that contracted and dilated their pupils as she attempted to see what he was referring to. Irritation at her inability to quickly confirm his observation started to fill him, but then a small voice in his head said, calm down. She’s a regular Mobian and probably can’t see that far . 

He gritted his teeth, feeling odd that he’d just stopped himself from getting annoyed with the girl. It was unnatural for him to give other’s any more consideration than was absolutely necessary. So why would he possibly care about her? She was a thorn in his side, and he wanted to give her as much discomfort as she gave him. But something had gotten stuck… something was stopping him. 

Maybe it was the smile that had formed on her face when he’d admitted her usefulness. That awkward blush that’d formed beneath peach fur on her muzzle, softening her expression. He’d unwittingly been drawn in, to feel a sense of… calm . Remarkably, it seemed to cause the usual anti–social Mobian to second guess how he responded to her, not desiring her smile to falter. 

How... disgusting .

“Hmm, I can see what you’re talking about. Are you thinking about using the grappling hook to reach it?”

Her voice pulled him from the conflicting emotions in his gut, and he saw that she had a device gripped in her hand and aimed at the tower. It was a small screen with a long handle and he could see the image of the tower’s side blown up on the screen with sharp clarity. Shadow blinked as Amy nodded her head and her fingers flew across the small screen as she moved the image from the vent to other areas on the tower.

“What is that?” He asked, his voice quiet with curiosity. Amy’s head slowly tore it’s gaze from the device, and turned towards him. Amy tilted her head, and looked at him quizzically.

“Um, it’s a G.U.N. camera, used for surveillance. It has a high def camera on the back of it, and allows you to see things up to 200 yards, it also has movement and heat detectors. They trained us in the Cadet Program on all devices that G.U.N. produces, so I thought it might be useful for surveillance…” 

She paused as she realized the look on his face wasn’t clearing into understanding or recognition, and he still had a slightly baffled look on his face. She blinked rapidly as she came to the conclusion that he had never seen the equipment before. At the risk of pissing him off, she tilted her head and asked, 

“I found it in your armory… do you guys not use equipment?”

Shadow blinked, his curiosity consumed by hot embarrassment as he guessed from her tone and question that this was something that was common knowledge for other Agents. He scoffed and snapped at her, anger an easier mistress to deal with,

“I don’t need to use such things. I’m the Ultimate Lifeform, I can see, hear, and fight without relying on some handicap to get through a simple task.”

Amy stared at him, she didn’t know whether to get ticked off by his attitude, or to laugh at his self assurance. She chose neither option. If she had to be the mature one and take the high road so that they could get through this mission without hiccups, then so be it.

“Alright then. You know, I think it’s pretty cool that you can do all of that on your own. It’s kinda a hassle to carry this stuff around.” She kept her tone light, and sincere, leaving no opportunity for him to respond negatively.

“In fact, I gotta admit, I’m a little jealous. It’s actually really amazing all the things you can do, all I’ve got is my hammer.” 

She nudged him slightly with her elbow, “Although to be fair, I have been able to expand my ‘arsenal’ these past couple years.” She added, with a sparkle in her eye.

Shadow, who’d been tensing up in preparation of an argument, felt his body deflate rapidly. She was looking at him with true admiration, and he found that the little sparks of anger that he was cultivating meticulously were having a hard time forming into actual rage. He’d never had someone tell him that they were jealous of him before… let alone think he was amazing.

 Usually people would roll their eyes and dismiss his declarations of superiority, giving him the excuse he needed to beat their asses and prove his prowess. Or even worse, they would stare at him with hate and revulsion. Their eyes filled with fear, the kind that wasn't just because of his skill, but because he was simply different from them. He wondered if she was teasing him. However, studying her eyes intensely, all he could see was the brightness of honesty... and something inside him thawed slightly in those warm green pools.

“There’s nothing to be jealous of.” He mumbled his gaze flickering to the dirt beneath him, unaware that he had actually responded to her until it was too late. Shit, that sounded pathetic … he looked back at her and was already regretting saying anything as her face took on a morbidly curious expression. Thankfully he hadn’t been completely abandoned by Chaos, as a screechy voice pierced through their earpieces into their soft brains, causing both hedgehogs to flinch.

“Team Fabulous in position. Status report on Team Crazy Hedgies?”

Shadow visibly gagged, and a growl emitted from his throat as his finger dove aggressively onto his watch, holding the ‘talk’ button.

“Rouge, I swear to Chaos if you don’t drop that act I will personally make it my goal to –”

“Copy that, in position, Agent Rouge. Over!” Amy interrupted, her cheery voice overpowering Shadow’s low growl. Shadow shot her a glare, and his mouth closed into a growl. Amy rolled her eyes and lifted her finger from her watch.

“Don’t give me that look. You two have argued enough for one day! Can’t we just get through this mission without any more interruptions?”

Shadow frowned at her, “Do you really think it is appropriate to speak to me in that manner? Since you are so ‘by the book’ you do realize I am a superior rank to you.”

Amy narrowed her eyes, and without breaking contact with his red glare, she pressed her finger to the watch and tilted her head as she spoke,

“Agent Rose to Special Agent in Charge Rouge.”

There was a small chuckle in their ears and then a, “Agent Rouge is a go. Over.”

“Agent Rose requesting that Team Hedgie demolish agent ranks for the duration of this mission. Due to the nature of cooperation needed to complete tasks. Over.”

Shadow’s leer deepened, and he looked ready to rip her head off. He could imagine the bat rolling on the floor in laughter at the opportunity to enact any form of authority over him. The pink hedgehog next to him was making it impossible for him to semi–tolerate any portion of this situation. Her straight forward and rigid approach to everything was irritating and – unfortunately for him – almost impossible to refute. As he expected, when they heard the transmission begin once more, there was a ghost of laughter in the bat’s voice.

“Affirmative. Cooperate with each other as equals, and only report to me. Over.”

Shadow growled. There was no mistaking the pleasure the bat was getting from this turn of events, and he felt heat building in his chest. Fucking G.U.N. and their damn ‘procedures.’ And fuck Amy Rose to hell.

Amy smiled with a ‘told ya so’ look on her face, and she smugly replied, “Thank you Agent Rouge. Over and Out.”

Shadow huffed, and turned to survey the tower. He had lost interest in her little game. He chose to leave it alone, he wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of his frustration. If she wanted to go crying to Rouge, and have the bat fight her battles, then what did he care? The sooner they got this mission over with, the better. Now he had something to entertain him – fixing the blemishes in his bike – and he would do anything to get back to his garage.

“So… what was your plan? I’d like to be on the same page.”

Her voice tore through his bike maintenance daydreaming like a rusty nail in flesh. His head jerked slowly in her direction, and he saw that she was waiting expectantly, her pointed ears angled towards him. He shut his eyes and held them closed for a moment, attempting to reign in his irritation.

“It should be obvious, we use the grappling hook to enter the building through the vent. That way we avoid the main entrance and its security. Stop bothering me with meaningless chatter.” 

His teeth were gritting as he said it, and his tone was closer to a growl. Amy flinched, and he saw her pupils contract. There was a glint in them that caused his heart to squeeze slightly with guilt at his tone, but then suddenly a brilliant smile absorbed the pain glimmering in her jade pools. He blinked in shock as she shrugged her shoulders and turned to the tower once more with the camera in hand.

“Alright then. I’ll just stay silent.”

As he watched her focus on analyzing the tower and the occasional badnik that entered or exited, Shadow couldn’t help but despise her even more. He’d gotten what he wanted, and yet why was he having this sickening feeling in his stomach? One he only ever seemed to have on the rare occasions that he screwed up on a mission or in a battle... guilt . She was nothing. In fact less than nothing to him. Just two days ago, she hadn’t even crossed his mind, and now here he was, his thoughts thrown into turmoil by simple things - pointless things like ‘feelings .’ I want her gone.

A buzzing noise interrupted his thoughts, and his left ear twitched and angled backwards as he attempted to pick up the sound. He could tell it was far off from its volume and the fact that Amy didn’t seem to notice its approach. He tried to figure out what it could be… beebots? No. This was a deeper buzz than the shrill sound the insect bots made. The sound was getting steadily closer, and he realized that whatever it was, it was in the sky. In fact, it sounded kinda like –

Suddenly Amy sprung up, her jade eyes wide, and her face taking on an expression one would make when seeing a ghost. Shadow forgot the sound, more perplexed by the sudden change in her demeanor.

“I–I… I know that sound.” She whispered, her body tensing like she was about to be attacked. She seemed frozen in place, her torso stiff and lifted, the camera still aimed at the compound. Shadow resisted the urge to wave his hand in front of her face, but then suddenly she was stuffing things into her pack and throwing it over her shoulder.

“Dammit… why now? Why this base… I know for a fact that Eggman has multiple bases…”

Her mumblings and her crazed eyes caused the male hedgehog to feel a bit of anxiety.

“What the hell are you mumbling about?!” He hissed, his hand clamping onto her shoulder to stop her frantic fiddling. Her green eyes snapped up and looked at him like she hadn’t realized he was there.

“What’s going on?”

Amy gulped, dread and unwanted anticipation flooding her senses, and caused a ringing to enter her mind. She moved her mouth around in a manner that looked like she was chewing gum. Her body trembled against her best efforts. Dammit .

“It’s –” She started but was interrupted by Rouge.

“Get ready, Team Crazy Hedgies! Our distraction has just arrived!” The cheery voice of the bat and the look of dread in the young hedgehog’s eyes – plus the rumble in the air as a yellow plane streaked overhead – finally all came together for one horrible conclusion. 

Her voice came forth in the breath of a whisper, birthing a name that brought forth memories of years ago, memories of a love sick girl and her hero. But stronger than the feelings of love, was an overwhelming panic… of guilt.

“Sonic.” 

Station Square 

~ 1 year ago–ish ~

Amy played with the soda in front of her, trying to distract her nerves with the bubbling amber-colored world that came to life as she moved her straw through the liquid. She focused on the fizzing as bubbles distributed from their resting spot filtered upwards and burst when reaching the surface. There were a few lucky ones that got caught beneath an ice cube barrier, but a quick flick of her wrist pushed the frozen water from their path.

He’s late.

She wasn’t surprised by this fact, it was a common fault of his to wait until the last possible min – no second – to do anything. However, the situation did not help the ball of anxiety that was rolling around in her stomach. She glanced up to look around the street for any glimpse of blue. She was sitting outside a small Furasan* Cafe, and the sun was shining brightly overhead.

She flipped her watch open, abandoning the soda, and glanced at the messages displayed for about the hundredth time.

Sonic <3 08:03pm – Hey Ames! 

You 08:05pm – Hi!!! 

[She had rewritten this reply about 20 times before settling on something simple]

Sonic <3 08:10pm – Yeah… Listen, I haven't heard from you in a while. How is everything? 

[She’d nearly had a heart attack when she’s read this line, and her fingers had blurred on the screen]

You 08:10pm – I’m doing great! Sorry I haven’t been in touch lately, I’ve been busy 

[That was the understatement of the year]

Sonic <3 08:11pm – Busy? With what? Picking flowers or shopping? :P 

[Amy had rolled her eyes, wiped sweat from her brow, and gotten off the elliptical she’d been using as part of her nightly workout]

You 08:12pm – Hey! I have a life you know ;) Want to meet up tomorrow and catch up?

[She stared nervously at the watch, until she heard a ding and practically screamed in joy at his response]

Sonic <3 08:20pm – Sure

She smiled to herself as she read it once more before shutting the watch face and kicking her feet merrily as she sipped her cream soda. She didn’t have as many cute outfits as she used to in the past, having donated all her previous wardrobe and opting for more athletic wear to fit her current place of work. As a result, she’d left her dorm early that morning to run to a clothing store. That was one great perk to living in the city, there was always something open to shop at.

After spending several hours going up and down the racks, she had finally settled on a v–cut, light-green dress, which sported a short skirt and low back. It was a garment that complimented not only her pink fur, but also drew the color from her eyes. She’d then purchased some cute beige wedges and got the painstaking process of having her quills curled into flowing waves, which she tied up into a ponytail with a matching colored bow.

She couldn’t help feeling butterflies in her stomach as she thought about Sonic’s reaction. She had chosen something that complimented her newly grown maturity and confidence and her goal was to make his jaw drop.

“A–Amy?”

The sound of her subject of obsession caused her to almost choke on the fizzy drink in her muzzle. She cleared her throat and turned, giving a stunned hedgehog a brilliant smile that could blind the sun.

“Sonic!” She exclaimed, jumping from her seat, and crushing the hero in an embrace. She felt his ribs crunch beneath her toned biceps and he grunted.

“Yup… definitely Ames.” He gasped, and his hands came up between them to gently push her off him. His head tilted and his gorgeous emerald eyes looked her up and down. She blushed a little with embarrassment – and pride – when his gaze seemed to linger on her chest area.

“Wow… you look… wow.”

Amy giggled, and pulled his chair out before sitting on her own.

“Thanks! I thought I was due for a makeover!”

Sonic couldn’t tear his eyes from her, as he made his way to his chair and sat down, his expression was exactly everything she had hoped and dreamed for. Score one for Amy Rose!

“So,” She started as a waiter came over and filled a glass of ice water for the newly arrived hedgehog, “How have you been?”

Sonic jerked, his eyes blinking as he realized she was speaking to him. He quickly ordered a lemon & lime soda, before turning his attention back to her, his eyes trying to remain on hers, but they flicked downwards now and again as he spoke.

“Uhh, well you know... the usual. Eggman, and such,” He replied with a wave of his hand. 

“But I’m more curious about you. I haven’t really seen you or Cream for… well since that night you stopped by unexpectedly…” His voice trailed off and a slightly guilty expression took hold on his face, as he brought up the time he’d last blown her off.

“I’ve been keeping myself busy…” She replied, deliberately keeping her answer vague. Sonic was not a fan of G.U.N. and she wanted to feel him out a bit before dropping that bomb on him.

Sonic’s gaze narrowed however, and the previous glow of curiosity left his emerald eyes to be replaced by suspicion. He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. He was wearing only a denim jacket that sported colorful patches like chili–dogs, stars and his very own logo, as well as his classic red shoes, the gold buckles gleaming in the sunlight. 

“Yeah… you said that last night… what exactly have you been so busy with?”

Amy chuckled nervously and took a long sip of her drink to delay her response. She could already tell by his narrowed eyes, and slight frown that he was not going to take a half hearted answer. Sonic had always been someone she had a hard time lying to. He was her hero, her crush, and most importantly, her oldest friend. She didn’t want to mess this up. She was running low on friends lately, and she didn’t want to lose the few she still had.

“Training. Cream…” She felt a lump form in her throat when she said that name, but she tried her best to swallow it, “When Cream decided to focus on school, I wanted to improve myself, so that I could be of use… hopefully to you…” 

She mumbled the last part, her body heated, and her hands trembling in her lap out of view. Sonic stared at her for a long moment, and then he smiled.

“That’s great! You look like you’ve been working out!” He blurted, and then a light blush formed underneath the fur on his muzzle as he realized what he’d said. Amy felt her own cheeks begin to burn.

“Thanks…”

The two hedgehogs sat grinning stupidly at each other, and Amy felt happier than she had for almost two years, that was until she felt a smack on the back of her head.

Sonic’s face morphed from embarrassment, to shock, to curious anger. Amy’s head snapped around, ready to tear the asshole that had bumped her a new one, when she saw who it was.

Pandora the Jackal stood behind her with an evil grin, her arm threaded through her boyfriend's arm. Zero the Jackal’s face was the opposite of his girlfriend’s, his mismatched eyes staring with cold calculation and disgust at Amy. The pink female immediately froze, her face taking on a panicked look. This was not good… she thought for sure she had picked a place far enough away to avoid bumping into anyone from the cadet program. Let alone the two people’s whose mission it was in life to make her miserable.

“My, my, what do we have here, babe?” Pandora asked in a sing-song voice, as she guided Zero with her to the table to stand next to them. She was wearing a body fitting romper that allowed a significant amount of cleavage to hang between the two hedgehogs, and she leaned on the table looking back and forth between them.

“Looks like Cadet Pinky here has got herself a boy toy.” Zero droned from beside her, his muzzle twisted in a sneer.

“Hah!” Pandora scoffed, her eyes rolling to look at the azure male who was staring at them with a confused, but deadly glare, “Like pinky could land a guy like this… wait.”

The jackal leaned in, her yellow eyes narrowing as she looked at him, “I know you… you’re –”

“Sonic the Hedgehog.” He stated firmly, rising from his seat, causing the female to take a step back to avoid a head bump. Sonic’s emerald eyes gleamed bright with a dangerous glint as he gazed judgmentally upon them, 

“Hero of Mobius.” He added and thrust his hand forward. The jackal couple flinched slightly as though expecting him to hit them. He smirked at their reactions and held his hand steady as he waited.

“And who are you?” He asked with a sharpness to his voice.

Amy was watching the scene with wide terrified eyes. There were several factors working against her at the moment, and she didn’t know what was worse. Was it the fact that Sonic was dangerously close to discovering her secret? Or was it the fact that her tormentors from the Cadet Program had seemed to materialize from the depths of hell just to screw up her day? It was a horrible clashing of her two worlds, and she felt her stomach tightening, and her breath catching in her throat.

“Th–they’re… just some people I–I know.” Amy uttered, cursing the stutter in her voice. She could feel her palms sweating and she felt freshly healed wounds in unnoticeable places itch. Sonic glanced at her with a concerned look, that quickly melded into understanding. He could see the fear on her face, clear as day.

The jackals seemed to gain their footing once more, as Pandora sneered and smacked the side of Amy’s head.

“That’s not how you address a higher seniority –”

Before anyone could see what happened, there was a gust of air, and the sound of choking, as Pandora was suddenly grabbed by the neck and pushed up against the side of the cafe. Zero and Amy both blinked dumbly as their brains caught up with the series of events. 

“I don’t give two flying fucks who you are,” Sonic growled, his forearm pressing into the neck of female jackal. His usually calm and serene emerald eyes, were bright like a poison apple, and his quills were bristled like a pin cushion. Pandora’s eyes were opened wide with fear, and her yellow irises had pinpointed pupils. Her long, fluffy tail swung side to side as she struggled against his grip.

“No one has the right to touch or treat my friends that way.”

Zero had regained some of his composure, and he growled, making his way around the table to help his girlfriend, but he wasn’t fast enough. Quicker than lighting, Sonic spin dashed into the male Mobian, sending him flying, before he sped back and smashed into Pandora once more.

“Go back to whatever hell hole you crawled out of, I don’t ever want to see your ugly mugs around Amy ever again.”

His arm pressed into her throat one more time for good measure, and then he released her to collapse onto the ground. The female jackal coughed, and stood with trembling legs. She started to walk over to her mate, but then stopped to shoot Amy a glare.

“You better believe you’ll have hell to pay for back at the dorm. Enjoy your ‘date’ while you can.”

Sonic jerked in her direction, and she jumped quickly out of the way before running down the street with Zero following suit. 

Amy sat paralyzed in her seat. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, and her throat was closed up in fear. She’d seen that murderous glint in Pandora’s eyes; it was one she recognized , and she knew that once she returned to G.U.N.’s cadet dormitories, she was going to be skinned alive. She shuddered, and started to frantically rub a new, poorly healed scar on the back of her hand beneath her glove. 

“Ames…”

She could already see those piss colored eyes gleaming with excitement as the female jackal cornered her, ‘time to play our favorite little game… ring around the rosy.’

“Amy!”

Her vision cleared, and she realized that she’d been crying. Shaking herself vigorously she brought up her arms to rub her face, hands smashing into someone else’s. Blinking through salt water, she saw denim arms, and white gloves holding onto her shoulders. She looked up, and was met with concerned emerald eyes.

“S–sonic,” She blubbered, and continued to wipe her eyes, furious that she was acting like this in front of him.

“I–I –”

“Who were they?” His voice was calm, but she could see the urge to run after those assholes trembling in his quills.

“No–no one.”

“Stop lying.” His voice was still calm, but now it held firmness within it, and he brought his face closer to hers so that there was no escape.

“Tell me what’s going on right now. Are you in some sort of trouble? Are you in danger?”

Amy looked at him and his worry stricken face, and she felt an impossible reaction boiling to the surface. She wanted to laugh. The situation was laughable. Her sitting in a blubbering pile of goo was unbearable. She was acting weak. She was putting her flaws on display for anyone to see , and she had long ago learned to not reveal the chinks in her armor. And yet despite her carefully crafted, bubbly attitude, there was something about Sonic that drew this ugly side of her out. She didn’t know if it was because of the love she had for him, or if it was simply because he was so… ‘ good ,’ that anything she attempted to hide was immediately drawn out and exposed. This just would not do.

Almost like it had never happened, Amy’s face quickly shifted from distressed, to stoney neutral.  She finished drying the now plugged tears, and stood quickly, as Sonic’s arms left her to hang uselessly at his sides. 

“I’m fine, really. I can take care of myself. I–I have to go. It was great to catch up with you, we should –”

“Stop.”

The harshness in his voice froze her once more, and she dared to look at him again. He stood before her with a mix of emotions twisting his face. He looked frustrated, worried, and unbelievably stubborn. She tried to swallow, but found her mouth to be dry, so instead she chose to clench her jaw.

“Ames, please, tell me what’s going on.”

There it was again. That shallow concern he always threw her way. He always did this, acting concerned and affectionate in her time of need, but when she tried to grow something more, he would always find some excuse to leave. Never knowing that when he did that, it hurt her more than what anything or anyone in this world could do to her. She focused on this thought, allowing it to churn anger inside her. Anger was better than pain. Better than fear.

“You made everything worse.” She growled, her head snapping up, and her jade eyes glowing with her cultivated anger.

“Do you have any idea what you have done? Any idea of who they are?”

Sonic took a step back, his face stunned at her sudden attack with words. He scowled at her, but his voice still came out calmly and as sweet as ever.

“No I don’t. That’s why you need to explain it to me. Seriously Ames, what has you so wound up?”

Amy glared at him, her blood pressure rising and a small voice within her screaming to stop. Screaming for her to get a grip and let go of her anger. He wasn’t being cruel or ignoring her, in fact he seemed to be showing genuine concern. Maybe he’d even be able to fix all her problems if she let go, cried her woes and let him hold her in his arms. However, she could not trust that being vulnerable would even cause him to help her, it hadn’t in the past. How could she break down in front of someone who always ran when things became emotional and real?

“You really want to know?” she mumbled, her head angled down.

“Yes! I just want to help -”

“Ha!” She burst out, her head snapping up to glare at him with all the anger she could muster, she relented, “They’re my senior Cadets. They’re graduating this year, and if they report me to our superior officer then I could have a blemish on my file!”

She was yelling now, and Sonic was standing before her with an almost comical look of shock and confusion. She knew she was being unfair to him, he didn’t know what she was doing or what she went through each day. But she found she could not stop.

“Ames, what are you talking about? Cadets? Graduation?”

Amy chuckled darkly, her fingers digging through the fabric of her glove and into her soft palm. The pain caused her to focus on what she was doing.

“G.U.N. Cadet Program… I enrolled that night, you know the night you blew me off.”

Sonic blinked, and concern laced with guilt took over his expression as he stared at her. 

“G.U.N.? I don’t understand, why are you in their Cadet Program?”

She wanted to ring his neck and shake him and she gave into that feeling. The irrational frustration was better than the girl within her that screamed to run to him… to give up and allow him to fix everything. But she couldn’t. She was different now, she wasn’t the same weak, obsessive Sonic groupee of the past… right?

She gritted her teeth, his emeralds eyes baring into her and she felt her mouth moving against her will.

“After the dissolving of Team Rose,” She started quietly, her head turned away from him, not wishing to see his reaction, “I–I went to visit you.”

She felt him stepping closer to her, but she still refused to look up.

“I–I wanted to see if I could join your team. B–But, you didn’t seem like you’d be open to that…”

She heard him take a sharp breath, and she knew he was feeling guilty. Whenever she forced him to look at his rejection of her head on, he would always guiltily ask for forgiveness. But that didn’t change the fact that he would turn around and do it all over again.

“Ames I’m –”

“Don’t say you’re sorry!” She screamed, finally turning to look at him, his eyes were wide with shock. He looked like he was staring at a stranger. Her heart broke, she didn’t want to hurt him, and yet the words spilled from her mouth like a burst dam .

“You never mean it! You always apologize, but then you just do the same things again! You never stop to listen to me, do you?” Her finger pointed towards him accusingly, he seemed to flinch at it’s appearance,

“You never give me the time of day, until it’s too late! If you had just listened… just taken a moment to look at me that night, then maybe… just maybe ... things would be different.”

His eyes narrowed, and his arms folded across his chest, “That’s not fair Amy. How was I supposed to know? And even if that was the case you never actually asked me! You could’ve stayed, or asked another time, instead of entering a government system that is more corrupt then Eggman!”

She scoffed loudly at that, her vision turning red at his jabbing, “Oh?! so now you're lecturing me on the choice I made to improve myself?! Would you have actually allowed me on your team?!” 

She poked the finger into his chest, and her eyes teared up once more. He grabbed her hand and threw it down without releasing her, his iron grip crushing her fingers painfully.

“T–that’s beside the point!” He growled, his quills bristling up behind him.

She laughed, her head thrown back and her eyes closed. 

“That’s exactly the point!” She screamed, trying to rip her hand from his grasp. 

Amy wanted to leave. She was saying and doing things she never wanted to, but somehow the anger within her was monstrous. It was something that had been dormant within her for years, slowly building in strength and intensity. She could no longer tell what or who she was so pissed at. She knew it wasn’t completely directed at the blue hero, in fact only a small portion of it was, but he was here. And he cared about her, whether he would admit it or not, his actions earlier had proven so. Somehow this made her pour everything out at him. Taking all her rage and hurt out on him. Unfair…? Yes. But she couldn’t stop.

“Amy! Look at what that place has turned you into! You’re obviously not treated well there, and I can’t stand to see you in so much pain! You have to leave, it’s not healthy for you!”

She froze. Once again her heart battled with the desire to fall into him, but her disgust at what felt like a dependency on him for strength, nauseated her. She liked her new strong, powerful self. He knew nothing, and how dare he say she’d changed for the worst. G.U.N. had given her an opportunity that she had never had in the past, and when she graduated, she’d be able to help the world in ways Sonic could only imagine. How dare he belittle that and try to tell her what was healthy for her life? Deep down, she knew that he was simply worried about her, and if she just calmed down and explained it to him properly, they would probably be able to get past this. But rationality had no hold on a heart wounded by it’s most loved person. 

“You don’t know anything! You don't know me. ” She tore her hand from his grip, and looked up at him with burning jade eyes, 

“I’m top of my class! Hell I’m even better then those pissy jackals, and they’re the best of their class. I’ve worked my ass off to get where I am, and I’ll be damned if I let some useless hero get in my way with his lukewarm pity, and inability to feel anything but shallow interest for others! Never caring beyond your arrogant ‘hero duty ! You’re just figure head without the capability for true emotion or love for another person! ’”

Sonic’s expression changed rapidly from angry to hurt. His emerald eyes shone with it, and his body seemed to deflate before her. Her own anger suddenly vanished as she realized what she’d just done. She had never seen him like this before, he looked exactly like she felt every time he ran from her. She wanted to apologize, wanted to take it all back, but she knew there was no reset button in real life.

He pulled the sides of his jacket forward, and said nothing as he turned around. He was leaving, and she couldn’t blame him this time… no, this time she was the one at fault. So for the first time in her life, she didn’t try to stop him.

He turned his head, only one broken emerald eye shone past his beautiful blue quills,

“Do what you want. You’re right… I don’t even know you anymore.”

And then he was gone. Faster than the breath of wind... faster than a beat of a shattered heart. Amy collapsed to the ground, her new dress dipping into the dirt and grime of the street. The bristling of her quills completely ruined her expensive hairdo, and her feet screamed in pain from their heels. She brought her hands to her face, and cried. She didn't care that it was pathetic, she didn't care that she was in public and people were watching her.

Why would she? Nothing mattered now that she was truly all alone... and there was no one but herself to blame.

* Furasan: Meaning from the country Furasa, a French-like country on Mobius

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

Hello Readers!

Thank you to my lovely Beta Laineybug04 for taking a look over this chapter and helping make it amazing! Also thanks to my friends BitterKiss and WolfsLegend for their continued support of my stories and writing dreams.

I did not change this chapter hardly at all, but I did adjust a few things towards the end of it! I hope you enjoy it!

***World Fact Reminder*** I am basing this story on the two world theory. And for the purposes of plot, time flows the same in both worlds. Main difference is that Earth is in like the 2000s (Sonic X times) and Mobius is more advanced in their technology.

Well I think that's it for now... I look forward to see old and new readers comment and chat with me :)

Happy Reading!

EPISODE 6: Ghosts of Knothole Past – Conclusion

Eggman’s Knothole Base – East Knothole Forest

~September 11, 09:12~

“Get your head in the game, Pinky!”

The hissing voice in her ear dragged her from the nightmares of her past, and Amy looked to her left with a shocked gaze. Shadow was crouched facing her, and his ruby eyes were ablaze with irritation. She blinked several times, until finally the ringing in her ears settled enough for her to make out the sounds of battle coming from the tower. She shook her head, and took a deep breath.

“Sorry… I blacked out there for a second.”

Shadow raised a brow and scoffed, his face unamused and annoyed, “I’ll say. This isn’t a time to get starry eyed for that Blue Speed Bump. We have a mission to complete.”

Amy felt the acid boil in her stomach. The possibility of running into Sonic was wreaking havoc on her nerves. As the initial shock faded, she gave Shadow a glare and abruptly stood up.

“I can assure you that I am fully aware of our task, and I am more than up to the challenge.”

She huffed, and turned to make her way to the cliff, not waiting for him to say anything else. She looped her thumbs through the straps of her pack, and walked with long strides towards the brightly lit cliff face. She tried to ignore the familiar, and intoxicating shouts coming from a blue streak that was making slow progress through the multitude of badniks that had swarmed the entrance. Instead she tried to feel grateful that such a distraction was happening, allowing them to enter the base undetected.

When she reached the cliff, she turned and saw that Shadow was right behind her, his crimson eyes annoyed. However he silently nodded to her, and motioned for her to follow him. She paused in her tracks to allow him to lead, knowing full well the male liked to be in charge. She had no reservations with this, as it was better than him trying to get her to stay behind. 

They reached the base of the tower, and Amy craned her neck back in awe at the sheer massiveness of the thing. They had been several yards away while they waited, and the distance had skewed her perception of it’s true size. The sun had been up for a good two hours already and it still being the end of summer, the metal was already beginning to heat up. A couple more hours and it would’ve been impossible for her to climb it without burning herself. Although not impossible for him, the realization running through her as she glanced at the male next to her.

Shadow was peering around the curve of the tower trying to make sure that no eyes were on them. She was once again struck with awe when she thought about all the things he could do that would be impossible for a regular Mobian to attempt, and she realized now why that made him such a valuable asset to G.U.N. regardless of his shortcomings.

“The Big Round Ass himself is out there now, so I think it’s safe to say we can start the climb.”

His voice drew her from her musing, and she nodded in silence when he turned towards her once more. She unlooped one of her straps and turned the pack to her front. Unzipping it, she pulled out the rope and grappling hook from it’s confines, before holding them out for him to grab.

Shadow’s head tilted as he looked from the offered tool to her expectant face.

“What do you want me to do with that?” He asked, his tone stern and quizzicle. Amy blinked, her own confusion filling her face.

“Um… don’t you want to throw it up there?”

The question seemed to amuse the ebony Agent slightly, as a small smirk played on his lips as he folded his hands nonchalantly behind his head.

“No. Can’t say I’m too interested in doing that. The rope is for you, or have you forgotten I have Chaos powers? I usually need to have been at the place I want to teleport to at least once for it to be accurate, but with this close proximity it should be fine.”

Amy narrowed her gaze, as she looked the arrogant hedgehog up and down. She scoffed, and placed a hand on her hip.

“Have you forgotten about Mission Swan Walk ?”

Shadow’s sneering melted from his face, and his arms dropped as he stared at her.

“What? How do you know about that?” He asked, his voice cautious and sharp. She grinned, and twirled the rope in her hand as she began to silently calculate the velocity and arch of rope needed to get the hook up 20 feet.

“It’s public record – well public for most G.U.N. Agents – and I asked Chief Snow for reports of Team Dark’s past missions when I heard I was going to be placed on your team. I wanted to be prepared, and I wanted to get an idea of how you guys do things, so that I could adjust myself to your style…”

A look of hurt crossed her bright jade eyes, as their comments of her inferiority and incompetence filtered through her mind. The look and the admittance of the care she had put into researching the team, made that small pang return in the bottom of Shadow’s stomach. But he attributed it to the coffee.

“Anyway,” She continued as she shook her head, and started to tie the rope to the hook, “Mission Swan Walk was another surveillance mission turned attack mission – which I noticed happens constantly with you guys – because Eggman had the brilliant idea of implementing Chaos Surge detectors into the very fabric of his base. He detected you the moment your ass appeared inside.”

She raised a brow, and a satisfied look spread across her face, as she noticed the fire in his eyes dying. He couldn't argue against solid data and evidence.

“And if there truly are very important things in this base, and the Doctor went to such lengths to keep it hidden, don’t you think it is likely he has done the same with this base?”

Shadow growled in response, irritated that she had outmaneuvered him, and there was no grounds for him to argue with her. This girl was so very obnoxious. The bile within him rose even more as she grinned at him with a knowing look. Even if neither of them ever acknowledged it or admitted it, Amy had won.

“Now…” She continued, her voice holding a slight gleeful tone to it, “I can understand your hesitance to throw the hook – as we only have one shot without fear of being detected – so I will gladly take the burden of responsibility from you, Senior Special Agent Shadow.”

She smirked at him, as she tossed the hook up into the air without waiting for a response or looking at the vent. Shadow resisted the instinct for his muzzle to drop, as the tool flew surprisingly gracefully through the air, arching just a little above the vent, and falling perfectly into it. The hard metal head easily breaking through the flimsy metal of the grate, and with one small tug, Amy secured it in place.

Her grin never wavered, as she stepped back and pulled the rope towards him, “After you, Sir .”

If looks could kill, then Amy would’ve collapsed to the ground as Shadow stalked towards the rope, and angrily snatched it from her grip. He only obliged her offer because he had no desire to see her ass in his face as he waited for her to make her way up. He started up the rope, grateful he had left his jacket with his bike as the lack of clothing helped his mobility. He hoped she was watching with admiration at his upper body strength and the ease with which he scaled the wall. However, when he reached the top and turned, he saw she’d already started up the rope, and wasn't even looking at him.

Whatever.

The vent was large enough for him to crouch within it and he scooted back to allow her purchase once she’d made it up. When she was sitting before the opening and pulling the rope up, the tower shook from an explosion and they heard the unmistakable screech of Eggman’s shouts of anger.

“We better get this over with quickly,” Amy casually observed as she finished stuffing the rope in her pack, “Sonic is working faster than usual.”

Shadow rolled his eyes, and turned without a word to begin crawling through the vent. It took under a minute for them to find a smaller vent in the ceiling of the hallway of the base, and Shadow wasted no time kicking it open and dropping down to the floor. He heard a soft thump, as the pink girl landed fairly quietly behind him. He tried not to feel impressed, he had expected her to be the same fumbling and loud girl he remembered.

However as he looked behind him to observe her, he was struck with a sudden realization that maybe, just maybe , she really had changed. She was currently standing in the dimly lit hall, and she was looking at the screen on her watch with a hand placed under her chin. He had to admit that she definitely looked different, and it wasn’t just her matured body. She held herself with controlled grace, and her movements were deliberate and seemed thought–out and planned.

This was a stark difference from the girl in his memory, the small ball of fury that impulsively smashed through walls screaming her head off, and could barely aim her hammer correctly let alone a clumsy grappling hook. 

Her preppy, long ponytail – another difference from her past shortly cropped quills – swung merrily as her head turned her attention to Shadow, and her voice came out hushed, but just louder than a whisper.

“Omega just sent me some floor plans of the higher levels that he’s been able to scan,” she held her wrist out so that Shadow could take a look, and surprisingly he felt himself lean forward. He found himself standing as close as he could to her as she scrolled through the diagrams.

“It looks like most of the floors follow the same pattern. A circular hall that has doors in the inner portion leading to various rooms.”

She continued in the same hushed voice as another rumble was heard on the ground level a floor below them. Amy looked down and Shadow noticed that she clenched her jaw. That same panicked look twitched at the corners of her face once more – uncovered from the usual neutral expression she tried to maintain – and he wondered briefly if she was afraid of the building collapsing around them.

“I–I don't think we’ll need to go on the ground level, as most of the time Eggman just has robot storages there as a first defence.” She lifted one corner of her mouth in a half smile, and glanced nervously at Shadow for his response.

No. She wanted to avoid the first floor only, he decided, but why? What is on the first floor that has her in a panic?

Sonic and his team were on the first floor…

Shadow shrugged and turned, starting down the left curve. As much as he would love to get under Amy’s skin for this, he wasn’t too keen on running into Sonic either. Sonic was someone who got under his fur even easier then the pink female next to him, and it was likely that he would drag Shadow into some pointless pissing match. Who cares why she wanted to avoid the hero, Shadow would just take advantage of it for now.

“That’s fine by me. If we get questioned on it, we’ll just say it was too active to get around undetected. Go that way. I’ll take this end. We’ll meet on the other side.”

She nodded as he turned his attention away from her and sped down to the nearest door. Shadow almost smiled as he rounded the corner to the next door. Peace at last. Now they could do things his way instead of listening to her protocol nonsense. As if she could do things better her way.

Amy stared after him for a moment before starting down the hall, her camera out once more to scan for any potential movement in the interiors. She barely made a sound as she moved through the tower, she’d been sure to wear her sound absorbing tennis shoes, and she’d learned in the academy how to walk on the outside of her foot to create as little noise as possible. It was so ingrained within her from intense training, that now she simply walked this way normally.

Amy reached the first door, and tried the knob, but it was locked. No surprise there , she looked over to the digital key access screen, and saw that it was lit red. She pulled her pack to the front once more, and rifled through the contents until she felt the item she was searching for. She pulled out a small grey colored case, before squinting and leaning close to the key reader screen.

Looking at the input hole in the bottom of the device, she determined it was W4R receiver, and was happy to note that she carried it with her. She snapped the grey case open to reveal several different shaped and colored microchips. This had been an invention of her own design. She hadn’t made it herself, but she’d come up with the concept for a surveillance group project in the academy.

She chose the correct chip, and inserted it smoothly into the key reader. It took all of 2 seconds for the program to identify and take advantage of the flaws in the system, and the screen illuminated green before the door clicked open. Smiling she retrieved her chip and placed it carefully back into the case. Her group had gotten the best grade in the class for a reason.

Entering the room, she looked around as the motion detector lights flickered on one by one. There wasn’t much in this rooms except for some crumpled metal sheets, and gutted robots. She shivered as she looked at the inner functions of a badnik that was hanging from the ceiling, its anthropometric body unnerved her. Most likely another of Eggman’s attempts to create a Mobian–like bot.

She almost turned to leave the room as nothing seemed to be of value in it, when she noticed an old looking computer in the back corner of the room. The desk it sat on was covered in papers and mechanical parts, but what caught her eye was the fact that there wasn’t a layer of dust on it. The other surfaces in the room had a very thin almost undetectable layer of it. The room seemed to be abandoned, but the lack of dust on the computer told Amy that it had either been accessed very recently, or was in constant use.

She made her way over to it, and took a look over the machine. It was blocky and huge, and colored a musty tan. The screen’s glass was thick, and when she clicked the power button, she could hear a soft, staticy ringing as the pixels came to life one by one. Damn Egghead! What’s with the archaic tech? I don’t think I have ever seen a computer like this…

She paused in her thoughts, as the screen came to life in shades of green to match Omega’s own outdated arm monitor. But that wasn’t what caused her heart to beat a little faster in excitement. No, it was the fact that she had indeed seen a computer just like this one, but it hadn’t been on Mobius.

Sneaky Doctor has an Earth computer. She grinned, she'd hit gold. Earth tech may be less advanced then Mobian tech, but the planet did hold its own fair share of secrets, any one of which could be within the harddrive of this computer. Eggman wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of retrieving this piece of junk unless it contained something of value.

She waited for the desktop to completely wake up, and mused over the complicated and near impossible task of trading and receiving goods from the human world. It was possible, and given the fact that the planet is so similar to their own, large corporations spent much time and rings to streamline the process. Through the harnessing of fake Chaos Emeralds, and other power sources, G.U.N. had been the very first organization to achieve this feat. G.U.N. was obsessed with collecting and hoarding as much information as possible, and most of their dealings were with the parallel Earth G.U.N. 

Amy rolled her eyes slightly as she thought back to one of her classes, where it taught most of these ‘fun facts’ of why Mobian G.U.N. was far superior to any other intelligence and military agency. She heard the sound of the desktop’s welcome bell, and snapped her attention to the screen to see four different shaded boxes and a word beneath it that read in human english ‘Windows.’

She was surprised there was no password protection, but figured that the thing was so old, that it hadn’t even crossed the earlier developer’s minds. Looking through the surface files, she didn’t see much of value, and she started to feel a little frustrated that perhaps she’d just wasted her time. She could practically hear Shadow angrily tapping his foot in irritation at her delaying their progress. 

Amy sighed angrily and almost left, when she noticed the trash icon was empty. She smiled, her confidence in her find restored. There was only one real reason someone would take the time to empty out the trash regularly, and that was if there had been something in there they didn’t want restored. However, usually there were ghosts copies of any file ever created on the computer’s hard drive.

She pulled the large monitor towards her, and took a look at the back of it. It was an all in one device, moniter and computer smashed into one bulky mass. There were several inputs visable, but as she feared, there was no inputs that matched anything she carried on her. Not even the hand–held hard drive would connect to such an outdated and foreign model. So the next best thing was to detach the physical computer drive.

Reaching into her pack once more, she pulled out a small screwdriver kit, and got to work on deconstructing the outer frame. It took longer then she would’ve liked, but finally after about ten minutes of fiddling cautiously with the plastic, it came off. She quickly set about the delicate task of disconnecting the drive, and once she was able to, she stepped back with a sigh, with a heavy drive in her hand. She turned and as fast as she could, she headed towards the exit while stuffing the precious cargo into her red backpack. Nervous about how long it had taken her to recover the piece of tech.

Entering the hallway, she just about jumped out of her skin when she saw red eyes and dark figure standing before the door. She knew she’d been a while, but she hadn’t realized how long until she saw Shadow standing in the exact position that she imagined he would be in. Arms crossed and right foot tapping, glaring at the room she’d just exited.

“Finally decided to do your job, did you? Have a nice little break?” Shadow snarled, his ruby eyes narrowed, and his muzzle in a sneer.

Amy rolled her eyes, and sighed, “Oh, get off your high horse, the computer in there wasn’t modern or Mobian, so it took a moment longer to get its info.”

Shadow scoffed, his judgemental look intensifying, but he merely growled before jerking his head to the side,

“Come on, then. Let’s get this mission over with, I’m sick of babysitting you.”

“Wait… what about the other rooms…?”

“Already cleared. KEEP UP!”

He started down the hall and Amy glared as she followed him, I couldn’t agree more.

Eggman’s Knothole Tower Base

~September 11, 11:03~

The group was quiet as the three Mobian Agents followed behind their robotic companion as he finished scanning the lower floors. Shadow, Rouge and Amy had finally met on the same floor, and now all that was left was for Omega to scan the rest of the tower to ensure they hadn’t missed anything. The sounds of battle had quieted, and they’d witnessed several badniks retreating from their storages, as Eggman – unsurprisingly – abandoned the base. 

Omega had happily destroyed several of them that had been leaving with tech in their arms, or running data wiping programs in the computers. But the other Mobian Agents had just watched him, like unamused parents observing their child in an amusement park. There was no concern of lost information, as they’d already collected it all. So now they were moving in dead silence, preferring to be in their own thoughts.

Shadow and Rouge were both thinking similar trains of thought, fuck Amy Rose. Shadow was pissed that he hadn’t been able to find any flaws in her abilities or completion of her tasks in the mission. Even though she was a little slower than him, she’d been thorough. He had to begrudgingly admit that he wouldn’t have thought about removing the hard drives from out–of–date tech. It was something that he already knew she’d be praised for back at HQ.

Rouge on the other hand was feeling nervous. She had been so sure that Amy would’ve abandoned the mission the exact moment that Sonic had appeared, but she hadn’t. In fact the hedgehog seemed completely unaffected by the fact that the hero was there. This did not bode well. It was also not a good sign that this mission had been completed flawlessly. Neither Eggman nor Team Sonic had been aware of their presence, and they'd gone through the whole tower without incident.

Amy, on the contrary, was feeling higher than the moon. With a wide grin plastered on her face, the sour moods of her teammates didn’t even begin to bring her high down. She knew she’d done well, maybe even better than well. She could only hope that after her teammates got over their little disappointment in being forced to have, that maybe they would at least quiet their complaints of her addition to the team.

They reached the second level, which left only the ground level to get through after they were done. Amy was practically skipping as Rouge and Shadow exchanged twin looks of mild disgust, when suddenly Omega stopped dead in his tracks causing Amy to smack into him mid–skip.

She gasped in surprise, and rubbed her head where she’d connected with his outstretched arm. She felt tears of pain tickle the corners of her eyes, and she started to walk around the badnik,

“Oh jeez, Omega! That hurt, what’s going…” She trailed off as she came face to face with what had made the robot stop. Bile rose quickly to the base of her throat, and panic burst through the door of her heart and settled in to stay.

“Omega detects neutral Mobians in the immediate area, delay in detection due to operation power being directed to scanning building…”

She barely heard him as her entire body was frozen in place and staring at the male in front of her who had a mirrored look of shock and confusion.

Sonic the Hedgehog was the most still anyone in the hallway had ever seen him, his emerald eyes bright with shock, and his leg lifted in the air mid step. His muzzle was open slightly, and there was a soft uuhhh coming from his throat. She heard her frantic heart pounding in her ears, a concoction of conflicting emotions ran through her as she stared at the love of her life, who looked like he wanted to melt into the ground.

“Oh! Big Blue himself!” The cheery voice of Rouge broke the silence like the shattering of glass. Everyone could hear the elation in her voice, but what had Amy scared was the look of pure horror that replaced shock in Sonic’s emerald irises. His eyes flicked back and forth between her and Team Dark, and she could almost see the gears turning in his head.

Amy gulped, ignoring the cold sweats developing all across her body and the prying eyes of her team as she took a step forward.

“Sonic, I –”

There was a loud BOOM as the male hedgehog disappeared at top speed in a blue light. The Mobian Agents clamped their hands over their ears, their eardrums nearly burst from the close proximity of the sound barrier being broken. Omega simply watched the events unfold, waiting for an opportunity to continue with his directive.

“Damn!” Rouge exclaimed, her cheeks spread in a huge grin as she stepped into view of the stunned pink hedgehog.

“I knew Sonic had an aversion to you, but I didn’t think it was that bad! That boy didn’t even take the time to build up to a sonic boom! What did you…” She had started out with a teasing tone, but it quickly died off as she watched tears the size of grapes fall from jade eyes.

Normally, the bat wouldn’t care less about a female in distress, but she was quickly discovering that Amy had a way of picking at her maternal instincts. The pink Agent was frozen solid, her face set in stone, and her body as still as a mountain. The only thing that moved was the water that spilled from unblinking eyes. It was unnerving.

“Amy, wha –”

“Knock it off Knuckles! I’m tired of hearing your complaints! We have to find Sonic and then finish our recon before –”

Around the curve of the tower came a young fox teenager and large muscular echidna. The echidna had his arms crossed and his purple eyes looked irritated, while the fox’s tails twitched in a similar emotion with his impatience at the large guardian's obvious desires to leave. However when the two males stumbled, quite literally, onto the scene, both their faces melted of all emotions and their expressions mirrored Sonic’s earlier shock.

Amy snapped out of her daze, and she quickly turned before they could notice, wiping at her eyes furiously. That was the only movement for a moment before a loud bellow filled the space and aggravated already sensitive ears,

“YOU! What are you doing here BAT?!” Knuckles pointed a finger in the direction of the thief, his large physique puffing outwards.

Rouge flinched, but her eyes came to life as she forgot all other worries, and instead she gave the echidna a smizing look.

“Oh my! It’s been a while, Mister Guardian.” She sauntered closer to the male, her wings fluttering ever so slightly, “Fancy meeting you here in this dreary place,”

A finger popped out of her own fist to lightly graze through the white crescent fur on his chest, “You keeping my Master Emerald safe?”

Knuckles growled and smacked her hand from his pecs, but he couldn’t hide the soft blush beneath peach fur on his muzzle. Immediately, the two treasure hunters devolved into a bubble of their own as the rest of the party stood at a stand still.

Shadow had been observing Amy very curiously as he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction from either hero hedgehog. He didn’t feel pity or worry for the obvious trauma she was experiencing. No, the most he could say he felt was a tingling, morbid curiosity, almost to the point of it being obnoxious.

He watched as she finished wiping her eyes, pretending like she was looking at her watch, and then he cringed as an almost unrecognizable honeyed voice came forth as she turned her attention back to a glaring fox.

“Hey Tails! Long time no see! How have you been, buddy?”

 Mentioned genius seemed to snap out of a trance, and his ice-blue glare deepened as his arms folded across his chest.

“Amy.” He replied shortly, he was taller than the last time she’d seen him, rivaling her own height and she felt that all too familiar feeling of lost time stretching between them. She hadn’t seen him for... even longer than her last meet up with Sonic. She gulped before trying again,

“So… um, h–how have –”

“So you’re really with G.U.N. now, aren’t you?” The fox interrupted, his voice calm, but his eyes burned as he looked over Team Dark. A smirk formed on his lips as he made eye contact with Shadow.

“Makes sense you’d be on the same team as Sonic’s rival.”

Amy flinched, and suddenly there was a chill in the air that caused even the good natured bickering of the two treasure hunters to cease, and turn their attention to the two Mobians standing like gunmen in a showdown.

“Tails I –”

“Amy?!” Knuckles exclaimed loudly. Everyone’s head snapped to look at the red echidna who stood with his mouth wide open and his amethyst eyes bright with shock.

“Whoa! It’s really you!” A large smile spread across Knuckles’ face, and he pushed Rouge roughly away. Everyone in the hall blinked with comical looks of confusion as the large male rushed over to her and picked her up in a lung crushing hug.

“I didn’t see you there! I feel like it’s been years since I last saw you!” He bellowed, and Amy felt all the air in her lungs escaping like wildlife from a fire. 

“Kn–Knuckles! I can’t breathe!” She managed to squeeze out and immediately the crushing muscular arms released her. 

She stood panting for a moment, leaning towards the ground and bracing herself on her knees while she tried to make sense of the situation. By the reactions of both Sonic and Tails, she had assumed that all the people in her past hated her, but to have this sort of reaction from the crimson guardian? Well she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel like crying. She was surprised, however, that Knuckles would react in such a way. Sure they were friends, but it wasn’t like they’d hung out much in the past, and the main times she’d seen him were because it had something do with Sonic… and when Sonic was in the picture, she’d had little care for much else.

Amy took a deep breath to calm the conflicting emotions that were swimming in her stomach, and finally looked up. Her teammates looked just as frazzled as her at the scene; Knuckles wasn’t known to be the lovable type, and was that a spark of jealousy in a certain albino bat’s eyes? She would’ve studied that interesting train of thought if it weren’t for the look of pure disgust that Tails was shooting her way. She gulped, her eyes flicking back and forth from the fox to the echidna.

“Um, hey Knux… it actually has been years, so maybe that's why?” She offered, trying to put a light tone to her voice and a little giggle at the end that sounded more like choking.

He blinked at her for a moment before a look of understanding lit on his face, “You’re right…” He agreed, “Sometimes time flows differently on Angel Island and a year feels like a minute, or a minute like a year. But now that I’m looking at–cha, I can tell.” 

A smirk curled on his lips as his eyes moved up and down her frame, “You look... different. “

Amy’s cheeks burst into flame from the unspoken compliment to her physique, and she laughed nervously, “So do you. Have you... gotten stronger?”

If possible, the smirk on his face widened, and he lifted an arm while flexing, “You noticed?”

A loud cough was heard, and suddenly an annoyed bat was shoving her way between them. Amy stepped back and almost stumbled over Omega again, but the robot was ready this time and caught her. Rouge gave the girl a nasty sneer before she flipped her head and gave Knuckles a sultry look with a snap of her hip.

“As heartwarming as this little… reunion is, we have a mission to complete,” the bat huffed and as she turned to saunter down the hallway, she made sure to flick Knuckles in the face with the tip of her wing. This succeeded in angering the echidna, and once more his attention was solely on the bat.

With the lack of a large, red shield, Amy was once again in the line of fire for Tails’ stabbing glares. In fact she could practically feel the hatred coming off him in waves. She glanced over at Shadow, hoping that the anti–social hedgehog would pick up on the situation and help her escape. Shadow just stared back at her, his eyes unwavering and his face unreadable.

In fact, the dark hedgehog was actually quite interested in the scene playing out before him. It was for purely educational purposes, since he thought he might be able to pick up something he could use against her in the future. Watching her suffer just happened to be a bonus, really.

“So you’re just going to ignore me then?” The irritated voice of the young genius snapped their focus back to him.

Shadow watched as Amy flinched at the harsh tone, and shut her eyes. 

“No… I… I just don’t know what to say…” Her hands flew behind her, and Shadow saw them twist and fidget frantically, an outward reflection of her nerves.

“You don’t know what to say?” Tails reiterated, his tone bitter and his sky blue eyes like thin icicles, “Somehow that doesn’t surprise me. I mean if you’d had something to say, then we would have heard from you these past few years, instead you’ve been completely absent.”

Amy flinched visibly, and suddenly everyone could feel a prickly and uncomfortable energy in the air. It was like a switch had been flipped, Shadow could swear he heard it snap. He watched as Amy’s hands immediately ceased their fidgeting and moved to hang stiffly at her sides. 

“Absent? I was absent ?” She growled, and even with her back turned, Shadow could feel the heat of fury coming off her in waves.

“Why was it on me to reach out? You, Cream, Sonic… you all seem to be blaming me for what happened.” 

Tails took a step back as Amy took a step forward, her finger raised and her quills beginning to bristle. She couldn’t believe this was happening to her. This was ridiculous, why did everyone see her as a bitch? As the one who is being unreasonable? 

However, just when she thought she’d burst into anger, a sudden chill of environmental awareness washed through her. Her gaze flickered to those around her, and she realized everyone was holding their breath to see what she was going to do. She saw curiosity and worry in Knuckles eyes, and eagerness in Rouge’s, but the gaze she could not bring herself to meet was the cold calculating stare of ruby irises. She couldn’t make a scene… not now. She was so close…

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, and when they opened again, the mask she had spent years perfecting was covering all her emotions. She smiled politely at the fox, and turned to walk past him. That’s right, she wasn’t the same emotional girl from before, seeing Sonic had rattled her, but he wasn’t even here anymore. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation, least of all the arrogant teenager before her.

“You know what, it isn’t even worth it. I’m not here on personal matters, so if you wish to speak with me, you can set up an appointment through my office.” Her gloved hand flicked out in front of his shocked face, and between her fingers was a business card for G.U.N.s main reception line. When the fox didn’t immediately grab the offered card, she opened her fingers and allowed it to fall to the ground.

She started off down the hall, being sure to keep her head held high, but just before she was out of earshot, she heard a bitter scoff.

“I guess Sonic is right about you, you’ve become callous, and selfish. A malicious, unfeeling person.”

She froze. Sonic had told him that? Her heart squeezed, and she felt a part of her that she tried to hold back, cry out in agony. She wanted to disappear, she wished that she had never agreed to go on this mission. She’d known it would be tricky getting this close to her hometown, why had she agreed to come? Because if you hadn’t, they would’ve never accepted you… keep your eyes on the prize Agent Rose.

Without turning back or uttering a single word, she continued down the hall until she could no longer hear the mummers and bitter curses. 

Keep your eye on the prize…

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

Hello Readers!

Nothing changed in this chapter but here is the old author's note from fanfiction.

Wow! I hope ya'll enjoyed this chapter! I love hearing from each and every one of you.

Okay, first order of business, THANK YOU Laineybug04! Seriously guys, without her this chapter would've never been uploaded. Please check out her stories, I beta for her too and I have a link to the story in my bio! Check her out, she also does Shadamy.

SECOND: A HUGE HUGE HUGE VERY IMPORTANT SHOUT OUT TO MY NEW BUD: mysuperlasserpiss ON TUMBLR! She does fanart of my story and has a running comic of her own that begins at the end of Chapter 6. She guessed some things right like the shopping and training scenes (I was surprised she was so close to what I was planning... hope I'm not predictable :'D) But my scenes are different and will be what I had originally planned. STILL her art is AMAZING and I can not express in words how honored I am that she loved my story so much that she drew it. It truly is the highest compliment I could recieve. And what a gift to see what I write brought to life. I will put a link to her page in my bio. Please check her out.

THIRD: Thank you to my LOVELY and LOYAL and WONDERFUL reviewers! champion lyra, ThePurplePyroHedgie, XoxILoveyouxoX, Shooting Star Dragon 3000, TheOneBriarRose, Janttun3n, TinyShinyy, , Angel-kohai, dannyphantomlover7, Abril378, ROCKCHIC179, Amefloza13, CherryTheRose, shad-amy01, Dreamwalker44, Shyla the Hedgehog, Nightstar95, Aragorn Van Hellsing, Pirilaxa, mewfatima, unfortunesadblob, Naya Zephronic, fuumiiku

Guest 1: Thank you dear! I am so glad you enjoyed the story! Hope to hear from you again!

ROCKCHIC179: No worries! I totally understand how busy life can get! Thank you for always leaving such in depth and detailed reviews! I always look forward to hearing from you. Amy outsmarting Shadow is always nice XD Thank you for your comments about Amy and her experience. As every one will come to find she has gone through some difficult times and has not come out of it the same. It will be a long, hard but fun journey for her to heal. Tails is definitely just listening to one side of the story, but like you said earlier its something that is very realistic and happens all the time. Knuckles and Omega are cinnamon rolls and I will fight anyone who say otherwise lol. No Cheif snow in this chapter but I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you all!

FINALLY: THIS IS ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: a little bit ago someone sent me a link to a story that was similar to this story, Team Dark's Rose. I am grateful for you guys looking out for me, I took a look at the story, and the reviews on the story. There were some similarities to my story, but someone pointed them out in the review section. The author kindly addressed the reader's concern and promised to review her story and said that it shouldn't continue. So I felt no need to say anything or look into it further. I am excited to see this author grow, and develop an amazing Shadamy as we all know we can always use more of those.

And that is all. Please let me know what you think and as always:

Happy Reading!

EPISODE 7: Reading Between the Lines – Part 1 

Rouge’s Car – Enroute to G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters

~September 11, 12:48~

Rouge didn’t think of herself as a chatterbox. Well, not in the way that is traditionally considered a chatterbox. Her conversations were usually developed with the sole purpose of getting what she wanted, whether that was her partners doing her work, or a male’s attention. In fact she sometimes even preferred silence, especially when she was around people that she didn’t consider to be her friend. However, the silence that had occupied the small space of her car since getting into it with Amy Rose was almost unbearable. She could feel tense energy coming off the small hedgehog in waves. Why had she offered to give the girl a ride?

Rouge had tried to put some music on in hopes that it would lighten the atmosphere, but it had just seemed to place the girl on edge even more so than before. Amy had shrunk her shoulders together and angled herself to stare out the window, her body rigid and her jaw grinding. Rouge sighed as she turned her attention back to the road, she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious about the events that had transpired between her new teammate and her supposed best friends. Hell, it was Rouge’s job to be curious. She was paid the big bucks for information collection by the very agency that they were speeding towards.

Not only was she personally curious, but maybe if she questioned the girl she could find out something useful to use against her. She couldn’t exactly report that Amy had failed the mission,  not when the girl had a nearly impeccable performance . Rouge wouldn’t even be able to criticize Amy’s interaction with Sonic’s team, since she herself had been caught up with a certain crimson hunk of a guardian. But who could blame me… that boy is just too fun to tease, the bat smirked with the thought, and her mind instantly became filled with images of Knuckles’ face adorably twisted in annoyance, and rippling biceps as he folded his arms defensively to her light provoking.  

Rouge tightened her grip on the steering wheel, this was no time to get distracted by those gorgeous amethyst eyes that sparkled with irritation whenever they laid eyes on her… or that muscular physique that only seemed to improve with time ... She’d save those ponderings for later that night. 

The bat reached over and turned down the volume of the music, before giving Amy a side glance.

“Is there any music that you like?” She asked after a beat of silence. Amy seemed to jolt from her question as though surprised that she wasn’t alone in the car. The girl turned and looked at Rouge, her fresh green eyes wide.

“Wha..?”

Rouge rolled her eyes and motioned to the radio as they came to a red light.

“I said, is there anything you like to listen to?”

Amy blinked at her for a moment, but then shrugged, “I don’t really have a preference…”

Rouge felt a spike of irritation at the answer. Not because she’d truly wished to cater towards Amy’s preferences, but rather that this girl seemed so… dry. No, she supposed that wasn't the right word. She’d seen the young hedgehog almost blow her top with anger twice today. Amy was obviously capable of being interactive and passionate, but this only seemed to happen when she was around her old friends. When the girl was one on one with her or someone else on Team Dark, it seemed like she held them at arm’s length as though she wasn’t comfortable with them.

It’s more like she’s looking down on me. This was not something Rouge was used to. She was no stranger to looks of jealousy or hate she got from other females, but there had always been a hint of reluctant appreciation for Rouge’s obvious superiority. Amy, on the other hand, acted like Rouge was a worm beneath her foot, not worth the effort to step over, but also as a nuisance to clean from her shoe. The girl seemed to place herself higher than everyone else and Rouge found it obnoxious, yet disturbingly familiar. Although she could recognize that trait within herself, she didn’t like it being reflected back to her.

“I suppose… I like to listen to Shera when I work out.” Amy offered, cutting into the bat’s thoughts.

Rouge’s inner doubts and troubling thoughts paused, and she looked over at the young Agent once more. Amy looked a bit more relaxed, and she had a gentle smile on her face. Was I too quick to judge…?

“Well, she isn’t too bad, and her songs are upbeat. Great for exercising.” Rouge agreed, and clicked a button on her steering wheel.

“Play Shera, Dance Till You Drop.”

There was a pleasant bell, before a quick paced song began to play over the speakers.

“Oh! This is my favorite song!” Amy exclaimed, and suddenly all the tension left the small space. Rouge smirked to herself, perfect, step one successful.

The bat let the song play through its entirety, but as soon as the next song began she cleared her throat.

“I have to say, I was impressed with you today,” Rouge started, and Amy’s body flinched, immediately going on edge. The bat held back a smirk, she wasn’t surprised the girl was on alert at the compliment, it being different from their usual interaction. But the Special Agent wasn’t about to back down easily.

“I expected you to get distracted, and compromise the mission. What with Big Blue being there and all…”

Amy laughed nervously, and she turned to look out the window, “Like I kept trying to tell you guys yesterday… I don’t have that problem anymore.”

Rouge was quiet for a moment, processing the girl’s response. Just what exactly did she mean? Sure, she’d taken Amy’s words lightly the day before, but after seeing the interactions earlier she suddenly realized that maybe the girl really had gotten rid of her girlish crush on the Hero of Mobius.

  No… that’s not accurate either. A girl who wasn’t interested in a male wouldn’t be reduced to tears because he ran away.

“So what? You don’t like him anymore?” Rouge pried, her large ears twitched towards Amy to pick up any small sound.

Amy stiffened, and a dark energy seemed to swirl around her, but she still continued to stare out the window. 

“Does it matter if I do or not?” Her tone was flat, but there was a warning behind her words, a warning to stop asking questions… and Rouge felt a little excited trill run through her. The seed of suspicion had been planted that morning with the awkward scene Rouge had stumbled upon between Amy and Cream. Rouge had heard stories of how close the two girls were, and that if you didn’t know any better you’d think they were sisters. Just what had happened between them that would cause such an explosive interaction? There was obviously some very juicy gossip that was being kept locked up, something volatile and potentially damaging to Amy .    That was her favorite kind, information that didn’t want to be learned was always the most delicious. Rouge couldn’t help herself, she smirked,

“Well, it’s obvious he dislikes you even more than I remem –”

SLAM!

Rouge flinched and stepped on the brake instinctively. Loud and drawn out horns sounded from behind and whipped around them as cars blasted past in a rage to her abrupt stop. But Rouge didn’t care, not when there was a small, yet furious, hedgehog staring daggers at her, her fists still pushed into the dash where she had punched them .

“What the HELL, Amy!?”

“Why are you asking all these questions?” The voice of the girl came out calmly and coldy, hardly reacting to the anger seeping off the bat in waves. Rouge almost continued to yell, but then chilling green eyes turned to stare at her with a terrifying darkness behind them as Amy continued in a disturbingly serene tone, “You seemed to abhor hearing about me this morning at the cafe, so why are you suddenly asking me all these questions you have no business asking?”

Rouge felt a chill run down her spine, and the horns of irate drivers seemed to be muted and distant. That odd darkness and fury filling into the depths of the girl’s jade eyes, was one she’d never seen in Amy before, and had never thought possible for the bubbly girl. But then just as quickly as it had appeared, the growing abyss vanished, and Amy let out a wistful sigh before giving the bat a wide smile.

“Oh jeez Rouge, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just tense from the mission.” Her voice was peppy now and held none of the earlier venom. In fact the change was so drastic that Rouge could only compare her to Jekle and Hyde.

“Right…” Rouge trialed off, a cold sweat began to form on the back of her neck. This bright expression was almost more terrifying than the death glare. 

“Well then,” Amy continued, her attention turning to the front, “Shouldn’t we get going? We’re blocking traffic.” 

And just like that, all the noise from outside the car flooded back to the bat’s senses, and she shook her head before merging back into traffic. The rest of the drive was quiet, and Rouge was grateful it only lasted a few more minutes. When they arrived at Headquarters, Amy gave her a slight wave and brilliant smile, before announcing she’d take the stairs as a little work out. 

Rouge didn’t argue. She suddenly realized that maybe Amy wasn’t someone she wanted to rub the wrong way. In fact there was something dark lurking just beneath the surface of the young girl. It was something that hadn’t been there two years ago, but was something she recognized easily. It was the same type of darkness she’d seen in Shadow. Rouge shivered at the thought, and proceeded to go report to Chief Snow. Looked like for better or for worse, Amy Rose was now a permanent member of Team Dark. 

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters

~September 11, 13:13~

Amy stormed up the stairs, her sneakers made squeaks every time she turned at a landing. Now that she was alone she let the carefully placed mask melt from her face. She knew that if anyone were to see her now, they’d be shocked by the sinister expression on her face. She stopped suddenly and smashed her fist into the wall. Pieces of cement and paint crumbled to the ground, and when she pulled her fist back, she was satisfied with the decent sized dent that now decorated the landing.

Better… Amy shook her hand out, ignoring the little droplets of blood that flicked through the air. She grabbed hold of her back pack straps and continued at a slower pace up the steps. 

Amy’s nerves had been shot since the start of the mission from being forced to face the bunny that caused all her past turmoil, and then again when brought face to face with old scars. All those years of building a tolerance and an unemotional wall had come crumbling down around her faster than she could keep up with, and as a result she now felt exposed and embarrassed by her erratic behavior. She’d been able to recover some semblance of control in her interaction with Tails, but it had once again been shattered by the car ride back. Just the mere mention of his name had thrown her tail spinning out of control. She hated that he still had that hold over her...

In addition, Rouge had caught her off guard in the car with her interrogation. That thought made her scowl once more. She’d known there would be questions about her past, especially since she’d changed so drastically in the past couple years, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. It was only day one for Chaos sake! Amy felt a knot of nerves begin to form in her stomach, and she pushed open the door to floor 22 where Team Dark’s office was. She’d have to work harder to prevent any more unnecessary suspicion from forming. 

When she opened the door to the office space, Amy was surprised to see that she was the first to arrive from the mission.  She sighed and stood in the doorway for a moment to calm her nerves. Looking around, she saw three desks, two of which had papers and office supplies spread across them, while the third was bare except for monitor, keyboard and mouse. She guessed that it was hers, and made her way to it, grateful that she didn’t have to track someone down from the IT department to get her own computer.

She signed in with her credentials, and proceeded to fill out a mission report. As she typed away, she couldn’t help but feel exhausted. Writing the mission report didn’t help either as it forced her to go through unpleasant events with a fine tooth comb in order to keep the report as relevant to the mission as possible. She sighed, cracked her knuckles and buckled down to get to work. .

The young Agent was just over half way finished, when the door to the room was smashed open. 

Her head snapped up and she watched as Shadow stormed in and beelined for his desk. He collapsed dramatically into his chair, and angrily pushed on keys to turn on his computer. Amy rolled her eyes, and ignored his melodramatic display. She didn’t know what had happened to put him in this mood. When they’d parted ways a couple hours ago he’d seemed normal. Well, at least he’d been his usual brooding, aloof self. Maybe, if she hadn’t been in such a poor mood herself, she would’ve asked him what was wrong, but as it stood she didn’t feel like adding more stress to her day.

“I’m almost finished with my written report, if you give me your email I’ll send it your way for your addition.” She blurted, her gaze lazily scanning over what she’d already written.

Shadow didn’t respond for a long moment, and she inwardly sighed. This was starting to really get on her nerves. Maybe she’d made a mistake in accepting the position on Team Dark when it had been offered to her. She’d just been so excited to be on a team again she’d jumped on the opportunity. But if her teammates were just going to criticize her and place walls between them that blocked cooperation, what was the point? Maybe she should talk to the Chief and see about a transfer to another – 

“You’re writing a report?” 

Amy hadn’t expected Shadow to speak, so when she heard him she flinched. She blinked a couple times and wheeled her chair to the right to see past the wall of monitors to look at him. Shadow was staring at her with narrowed eyes, but they weren’t filled with anger or criticism like she would expect, instead he just seemed mildly suspicious if not curious.

“Um… yeah. Isn’t that standard procedure? I thought I could get a head start on it since I was the first one back.”

Shadow’s eyes widened slightly, and he seemed to relax slightly. He huffed, and rolled his eyes as he turned back to his screen, “Well not everyone follows procedure like you.”

Amy felt a pleasant little spark of shock ran through her. If she didn’t know any better, was that a compliment? No… there was no way... Shadow didn’t seem the type to throw people a bone. Maybe she had done something wrong again and he was being sarcastic? So she stopped typing and inquired,

“Do you guys not write reports?”

She heard a small grunt from him, and without having to look she knew he was glaring in the direction of the vacant desk in the room. Nail polish bottles, and make–up brushes littered it like a vanity in the backstage of an opera.

“ I do. But I usually do it alone.” The sound of clacking and clicking developed from him, and she was about to return to her work when he spoke once more.

“ [email protected] ,” his voice came quietly and with a hesitation she hadn’t heard from the dark male before. However, she realized the reason almost immediately. G.U.N. emails usually consisted of some abbreviation of each Agent’s name. Her’s was a [email protected] , so the fact that his was so different and referenced his origin, spoke to some sort of bad joke…

...or discrimination.

As though he could see her thoughts, his voice came forth in a growl, “I don’t need to hear it about the address. Some guy in IT was being a smartass, and I didn’t feel like making a thing of it.” He added the last statement a bit quickly and she realized that he’d probably had this conversation with someone else in the past. 

It was obvious to her that it bothered him, but she understood his hesitation at making an issue about it. Once you brought the bigotry to light, it would only get worse and serve to further isolate you within the company. The peers who had been ‘snitched’ on disliked you more, becoming more aggressive and sneaky with their biased assaults – not returning emails, ignoring you in meetings to more dangerous  actions – like not responding to calls for backup. The higher–ups were no better, they’d look down on you for not being able to handle the situation yourself. Making underhanded comments about lack of loyalty to the team by tattling... Her own past experience with assholes in the cadet program played in her mind. Images of cruel hazing and cold sergeants flipped in her memory like a photobook , and she felt her chest tighten and her vision tunneling. Think about something else Amy… you can’t let it bother you, not now.  

She took several, quiet breaths, careful not to alert the hedgehog sitting across from her. Once she had calmed, she felt another emotion replace the panic, understanding. She hadn’t realized that Shadow had similar struggles and that thought alone made her feel a sort of comradery with the sullen hedgehog.  

“That’s cruel,” she stated, once again leaning to the side to look at him in the eyes. 

He didn’t return her stare, and she was surprised to see that he’d frozen at the comment. His face was blank, and his hand was still above his computer mouse, his mouth was slightly open as though he’d been prepared to quickly retort. After a few moments of awkward silence his ruby colored eyes slowly moved until they locked onto hers. His stare wasn’t unkind, but it made her feel unnerved… it was as though his gaze was boring into her and examining her very soul. Looking for something, testing her. She couldn’t imagine what Shadow was searching for, but she felt little ripples of shivers run up her arms and spine.

Amy knew she should look away, escape the silent interrogation she was being subjected to, and yet, surprisingly, she didn’t want to. She felt something stir within her as she stared back into blood red irises that seemed to reflect a multitude of emotions, yet no emotion at all. They were a contradictory existence and she found she was trapped within their hold. It was bewildering… After a few seconds, which felt like hours, she gulped and laughed a little nervously to break the odd atmosphere that had developed between them.

“Do you want me to beat them up for you?” She asked, her voice teasing, her joke shattering the heaviness in the air.

The question seemed to jolt the dark Agent back to reality, his eyes blinked and tore away from her own and he scoffed as he turned back to his computer.

“I fight my own battles.”

His voice was stiff and his demeanor had returned to its regular indifferent aura. Amy raised her brow and rolled her eyes, but strangely she didn’t feel irritated at his snide remark . Amy supposed it was because she could understand his discomfort and aggressive reaction. She’d certainly been in a similar situation with a comparable response… her own words screamed over cream soda at her blue hero pounded within her ears.

“Alright tough guy,” Amy conceded as she clicked the send button, and stretched her arms while leaning back in her chair, “I sent it, you’re welcome to change anything you want.”

“I don’t need your permission. I’ll probably have to re–write the whole thing anyway.”

This time she did feel a spike of annoyance stab her, and she gritted her teeth. Don’t give him the satisfaction of reacting, Amy. Just smile and ignore him.

“Well,” she replied while standing, “If you really do have to make a lot of changes, I’d appreciate it if you could show me what I did wrong so I can improve.”

She gave him a large, bright smile, but he didn’t look up from his screen. Rolling her eyes once more, she walked around the island of desks and started towards the door. She was about to leave without saying anything else, but then something occurred to her.

“Hey… where should I go to turn in my Hard–Drive?”

“ Didn’t you learn anything useful in that ‘official training’ of yours? IT Department, floor 12, and stop distracting me. ” He replied, never glancing her way. She made a face at him before exiting the room. Gosh! What a brute! Can’t believe I thought we might have something in common!

She huffed and left the room, stomping her way to the IT department.

Meadow Road – Enroute to Team Dark’s Living Quarters

~September 11, 17:47~

Once again Shadow found himself deliberately taking the long way home. The roar of an engine beneath him vibrated through his body like the hum of honeycombs. He shut his eyes, unconcerned with the empty country road before him, enjoying the sharp chill of late afternoon wind coursing through his quills. In these few moments of pure bliss he could remove himself from this world and empty his mind of all thoughts. He could even convince himself he was free.

He felt the smooth asphalt beneath him change to choppy gravel and he opened his eyes to see he was drifting off the road due to a curve. He corrected his path and resisted the urge to sigh in disappointment and frustration. He’d done that too many times already since this morning and he was honestly to the point of indifference. Any control over his life that he’d thought he had was proven to be false from the day’s events. 

Grinding his teeth he twisted his wrist, feeling the machine below him rev in response and jolt forward in a burst of speed. He wasn’t one to be dramatic (at least in his own opinion) but damn it he almost wanted to scream. Even the ride could no longer block the horrid memory of the day’s events. He saw images of the mission, and of Amy perfectly performing her duties. He saw her twisted features as she dealt with her old friends, and he saw her face as she gazed at him with understanding.

That was probably what had irritated him the most. She didn’t seem to pity him, or think he was being cowardly in regards to his email address. No, she’d understood him. How dare she try to understand him. Amy Rose couldn’t possibly understand the discrimination and bullshit he had to put up with on a daily basis. She was a heroine, a pretty hedgehog female that had everything she ever wanted laid at her feet. What kind of turmoil or pain had she ever had to go through? The pain of unrequited love?

HA! Shadow scoffed, his anger rebirthing within him at the thought, that’s the most absurd excuse I’ve ever heard!

Amy Rose was a stain in his life that no amount of bleach or cleaner could remove. And oh how he’d tried. 

Once Rouge had returned from the mission, he’d confronted her about her supposed plan to rid them of the pink menace, but that bat had winced. She’d explained the inane deal she’d struck with Chief Snow in regards to the mission and Amy’s performance. A deal that had now completely killed any chance they had at getting rid of the girl. There had been no faults found in her performance, she hadn’t gotten any more distracted than the rest of them in the presence of Sonic and co, and she had thought outside the box when completing the mission. But it hadn’t ended there.

His interaction with her in the office served to further set him on edge. There was something about her that made it easy for him to lose any sort of composure he held. He’d sat staring at the door to their office after it had closed behind her, his brain going a mile a minute. She had left behind an unwanted feeling… the warmth of companionship . He’d physically gagged at that thought, and frowned as he opened his inbox.

Sure enough, the very first email listed was from her, titled ‘ Mission Eggman Knotehole Base – September 11, 20XX .’ Even her way of titling was so stiff and procedural it was like it came from Omega. He’d hovered his mouse over it, but he couldn’t seem to click it open. Why, in Chaos name, did it aggravate him so much? Wasn’t he, just yesterday, wishing that he had a teammate that pulled their weight, especially when it came to reports? The more he’d dwelt on it, the more pissed he’d become. It wasn’t like the girl was doing anything wrong or damaging to the team. In fact it was the complete opposite. She was literally, from what he could gather, a perfectly polished G.U.N. agent. 

Maybe that’s exactly why I hate it, he realized, she is everything I can’t be. A mirror image that is unattainable.

He slowed his bike slightly as the thought washed over him. The understanding helped to focus the confusing whirlwind of emotions he had been struggling with, and he could finally think rationally. . She was perfect, effortlessly perfect. While he… well to put it simply, he was like a bomb. The higher ups kept him at arm’s length; more than a few times he’d caught them whispering and muttering things under their breath. Things like how he was an abomination, a tarnish on the good name of G.U.N. 

If he confronted them, they would look at him with hateful eyes as though offended that he had heard them, and like he was nothing but a weapon to be used. However, despite the contempt they had for him, he knew they would never actually get rid of him. He was too valuable a tool, and too dangerous to let loose on the public. No, they had to maintain the image of having him on a leash. Of having some semblance of control over the Ultimate Lifeform.

Shadow was their scapegoat, the black knight that they used for things they didn’t want to waste or tarnish their regular agents on. He would never be given recognition, or praise, he would never feel the warmth of gratitude. And yet she was different. He could already see it happening. Even Rouge had given up in the face of her efficiency. Amy would be able to climb the ranks of the agency and earn awards and reputation, while he would never go further than where he was right now.

Reaching the crest of a hill he could see Team Dark’s base a little past the bottom. The sight of his home should have made him feel relaxed, but he instead felt reservation. There was more than a 90% chance he would run into her .

“Fuck… stop letting her get to you,” He chided himself with a shake of his head. For his own sanity, he would have to find a way to ignore her erratic and yet annoyingly stiff personality.

Pulling up to the large compound, he went around to the back where the vehicles were stored in a huge garage. Pressing a button on his watch, the door to the garage opened and he rode into it, his ears pressing to the back of his head as the sound of his bike reverberated against the walls. He turned it off before crouching down to assess what needed to be done to bring his motorcycle back to its shining glory.  

He was grateful that there only seemed to be minor bumps and scuffs in the paint from its trek through the forest , and it would only take a couple hours at most to fix. He brushed his hands together and threw his leather jacket over his shoulder before making his way into the living quarters. The garage let into the kitchen and he tossed his jacket onto the island and opened the refrigerator to get a bottle of beer. Once he felt the cold glass through his glove, he became aware of a deep thumping noise coming from above him.

He narrowed his eyes and slammed the door to the fridge shut. He didn’t remember seeing Rouge’s car parked in the garage, which meant she was still out. He couldn't imagine Omega bopping his head to any sort of tune, which left only one option to the source of the abrasive sound. The corner of his mouth twitched in a sickening smile and he stalked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Reaching the top he expected the music to originate from the left where his and Amy’s room was located, but to his surprise it was coming from the right. His head tilted in it’s direction as his ears trembled against his head to protect his sensitive eardrums. Maybe it is Rouge… he started down the hallway, his curiosity getting the best of him. 

Moving down the hall he could now feel the music pounding through his very bones, and it was giving his chest a very odd feeling. When he reached the door to the Gym and looked inside, the source was made quite clear. Amy was inside dressed in G.U.N. athletic wear, her quills in a ponytail, and her hands covered in boxing gloves. Her back was to him, and she was kicking and pounding her fists into a sandbag hanging in front of her. Small grunts and huffs were heard each time her hands or feet connected, and her limbs were a blur of pink at the speed of her attack.

As he watched, a particularly loud verse came on over the speakers, and he cringed in disgust. The sound was made worse by  the young Agent proceeding to open her mouth to sing along with the female vocalist. Her repetitive punching and kicking slowed to match the beat of the song, and eventually the girl devolved into dancing. It started out with a few taps of her feet and pats with her boxing gloves on thighs, and Shadow could not tear his eyes away. 

He felt shivers of second hand embarrassment wash over him. Where the hell does she think she is? He scowled in disdain, and leaned on the door jam as he watched her jump around and sing at the top of her lungs. The song only lasted about half a minute longer, but to the ebony male it felt like a lifetime. Amy’s back was still facing him, and she leaned down to reach for her hot pink water canteen as the last beats of the song faded away .

“I would appreciate it if you would turn down the volume, some people need to rest after a mission.”

Amy felt a jolt run through her, and her heart leapt from her chest. She swallowed a scream, and turned around with wide eyes and a boxing glove to her chest. She saw Shadow leaning on the door of the Gym, his arms crossed and one hand holding a beer bottle. His face was twisted in a judgemental expression, and his eyes looked up and down her frame. 

Oh shit…

“Oh, um, sorry Shadow! I didn’t realize you were here… how long have you been standing there?” She laughed nervously, trying to control the heat now spreading across her face and the frantic beating of her heart. I wish I could melt into the ground.

Shadow stayed silent for a second, his glare boring into her like a laser, and when the next song began to play he scoffed.

“Long enough to judge your dancing abilities. Maybe you would’ve known I was here if you hadn’t been blasting that horrid music.” He wasn’t yelling, but his words pierced through the music and her small shell of confidence just the same.

Amy laughed again and fumbled with one of her gloves to remove it, and quickly pressed an icon on her watch. Instantly the music stopped and she tried to give Shadow a friendly smile. The ebony hedgehog merely glowered at her, and pushed off from the door.

“You would do well to remember that other people live here and not everyone is inclined to your childish tastes.”

This comment brought a scowl to Amy’s face, and she crossed her arms in indignation. 

“I’ll have you know that Rouge also likes this artist. So you can just shove it –”

A ringing tone interrupted them, and Shadow put his hand up to cut her off. Amy huffed at the rude action, but the dark Special Agent ignored her. He glanced at his watch, and Amy was surprised to see an appresensive expression darken his face. His free hand came up, and tapped the inside of his ear, and she wondered if Shadow ever removed his ear piece from his ear.

“Special Agent Shadow awaiting your command, sir.”

Amy’s eyes went wide as she watched Shadow say a couple “yes sirs”, and “of course”s, all the while his face was stiff, and his body at attention. She wondered who was on the other line that could make the Ultimate Lifeform speak with resignation in his voice. The call lasted just over a minute, and when it was finished Shadow immediately turned and left the Gym without so much as a glance in her direction.

“Hey!” She yelled after him, but by the time she’d gotten to the hallway his afterimage was already disappearing. Amy headed for the stairs, and made it just in time to watch Shadow drive off into the late evening, the headlight of his motorcycle lighting the way. Weird… Amy thought, before shrugging and returning to the Gym to finish her workout.

Team Dark Headquarters

~September 11, 18:46~

Rouge parked her car and turned her music off before smacking her head onto the top of her steering wheel. What a day… She had failed, and failed royally. She’d been too confident in Amy’s lack of ability, and it had cost her dearly. Chief Snow had been a gracious winner, but she made sure to reiterate that she would no longer tolerate any complaint on Agent Rose’s placement. 

She glanced over to her right and saw Shadow’s G.U.N. motorcycle parked in it’s spot. Shit… after her more than difficult conversation with him earlier she dreaded seeing him before he’d had time to cool off. She sighed, and turned off her engine, there was nothing she could do but hope that he had locked himself in his room and wouldn’t be seen until tomorrow morning. Rouge was walking towards the kitchen door, her car beeping pleasantly to announce it locking, when the door blasted open aggressively. 

She squealed slightly, and jumped back as a yellow charged black hedgehog sped past her to his bike. Shadow sat on top of the machine, his arms thrusting roughly through leather sleeves and he reached to the ignition of his bike. 

“What are you doing?!” Rouge yelled over the rumble of the beast. Shadow didn’t look at her, but she saw his ears twitch towards her to confirm he’d heard her. 

“His highness called with one of his special solo missions.”

The bitterness was not hidden in his voice as he spat out his response, but she knew it didn’t have to do with her. She gulped, she hated it when this happened, and she hated that they were powerless to stop these ‘high profile solo missions,’ from happening. They were always black ops with no hope of back–up should something go wrong, because on the official records of G.U.N. they never existed in the first place.

“I see… be careful.”

This time Shadow did turn towards her, and an almost sad gratefulness entered his expression.

“You know I never am.”

With that cryptic statement, he sped off into the night, the growls and revs of his motorcycle disappearing over the top of the hill. Rouge stared after him for a few minutes before turning to walk into her home. Locking the garage door behind her, she moved to the cabinet above the sink. Opening the wooden door, she stared at the lines of wine bottles. Deciding it was the kind of night for one of her more expensive – free to her – wines, she pulled a bottle from the back row. 

Purposely forgetting to take out a wine glass, she uncorked the wine and gulped down a few swigs before making her way upstairs. It was quiet on the second floor, and she slowly went about putting on her pajamas. Soft, baggy pants and delicate tank top, replaced tight black and purple mission jumpsuit. She removed her bra and as the clasp snapped open a contented sigh escaped her lips as she felt the release of pressure on her breasts. She brushed out the styling gel from her hair, and used a large clip to pin up her bangs. 

She took another gulp of wine, before taking cool, wet make–up remover wipes to her face. The chill made her shudder, and she hummed to herself. Once her routine was complete, she stuck her feet into fluffy purple slippers and made her way down to the living room to watch some dramas before bed. However, when she made it to the bottom of the stairs she was disappointed to hear sounds coming from the living room. Someone had beaten her to the television already. None of the options were particularly attractive to Rouge; Omega only watched documentaries, and Amy was not someone she wanted to see at the moment.

She turned to go back upstairs when she was stopped in her tracks by a voice.

“See Omega, that’s an example of anger. Spike is angry that Stella was hanging out with Rocky.”

“Anger: a feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility. Omega remembers Amy Rose stating that Spike loves Stella… love is defined as an intense feeling of affection… Spike can not both love and be angry with Stella according to logic.”

Rouge rolled her eyes, and leaned on the handrail of the stairs. This was an impossible battle that she had waged before with the robot to no effect. On more than one occasion she had screamed at Omega in pure frustration at his lack of empathy and emotion, and eventually she had given up. But surprisingly the soft voice of Amy responded with gentle patience.

“I know that it is confusing, but that is just how the Mobian heart works, people can feel many things at once for one another – kinda like a bunch of programs running at the same time. Remember how I explained heart to you?”

There was a pause and then Omega’s monotone voice recited, “A heart is more than a muscle within the body, it is an intangible center for emotion and expression. It is not defined by the physical, but rather made up of a person’s experience and spirit. It is a beautiful yet mysteriously abstract part of all creatures.”

Rouge’s mouth opened in shock… even if Omega didn’t actually understand what he was saying, it was amazing that the robot had actually retained and stored the information within him. Before she had only been able to get him to retain commands and actions. She slowly got closer to the living room, her large ears angled to hear as much as she could.

“That’s right,” Amy said brightly, and Rouge saw the silhouette of her arm reach over in front of the bright light of the TV in a dark room. It settled onto the metal chest of Omega and the robots head angled down to look at it.

“It doesn’t matter if you are made of flesh or metal, if you have a spirit and a will, then you have a heart. That includes you Omega.”

“Omega’s understanding of this subject is not sufficient to evaluate Amy Rose’s statement…” There was a pause as the small humm of turning gears battled with the soft voices from the TV, “Omega does have a save file that could possibly relate to this subject. Currently it is unmarked and in Omega’s miscellaneous folder as it does not match any other operating system program installed. It was a malfunction that happened in response to Amy Rose smiling. Would Amy Rose care to analyse said file?”

Rouge heard the girl gasp, and the TV froze as she paused the screen. Amy adjusted her sitting position so that she was fully facing the robot and she was practically hopping in joy.

“Tell me about that ‘malfunction,’ Omega.”

“Accessing memory file named untitled... “ then there was the sound of static and Amy’s recorded voice juttered out from the robot’s speaker, “ ‘You truly are the best friend a girl could wish for,’ Amy Rose said this at 06:03 this morning with a smile on her face. This caused a spark within Omega’s internal hardware. Normally Omega would go in for maintenance, however it seemed like it might be something Amy Rose could explain.”

Rouge felt a prickling jealousy enter her heart. Why was everything this girl did successful? From the sounds of it, Omega was responding to Amy’s coaching in emotion. Whereas Rouge’s many attempts over several years had always failed and left her frustrated. The brat had only known him for maybe 48 hours and she had already progressed this far? It was unfair.

“Wow, buddy! That’s amazing. See? You definitely have a hea –”

“What are you guys doing?” Rouge loudly interrupted, entering the room and making her way to the couch to sit herself between the two agents. Amy scooted out of her way, a surprised look on her face. Rouge barely looked at her as she flopped backwards into the couch and kicked her feet up onto the coffee table.

“Amy Rose is explaining heart, and emotion to Omega. Omega does not logically understand what Amy Rose is saying, but it has been labeled a priority in Amy Rose Relation program. Memory file has now been added to Amy Rose Relation. ”

Rouge scoffed and chugged on her bottle like a sippy cup before ungraciously wiping her mouth.

“Don’t worry about it Omega. It’s actually not that important, you’ll just end up frying your circuits trying to understand it.”

“Hey!” Amy said indignantly, her jade eyes narrowing, “He was doing just fine before you showed up.”

“Oh yeah?” Rouge snidely remarked, matching the girl’s glare with her own. Without breaking contact she said loudly, “Omega, do you love Amy?”

Amy’s face took on an embarrassed look, and her demeanor instantly softened in shame.

“Omega does not have loaded reactions to ‘love,’ Omega does not have this operating program. Do you wish to program reactions now?”

Rouge smirked as the robot spoke and Amy seemed to shrink before her. That’s right, if I can’t have the satisfaction of teaching him, no one can. Ignoring the robot, she turned to the TV and stared at the two young mobian actors on screen.

“So, what are we watching?”

Amy sighed, and reached for the remote and pressing play. “Starry Nights.”

“Is that the corny drama about highschool theater club?”

“Yeah, so? Got a problem with that too?” Amy hissed, her body rigid and guarded, Rouge felt slightly guilty. She had been pretty critical of Amy all day long, so it was no surprise the implied judgement at her choice of show was met with hostility.

“Not yet,” Rouge said tentatively as she faced the screen again. This time her thoughts folded effortlessly inward.

Rouge rarely tried to put herself in another person’s shoes, but there was something about the pink hedgehog that made her do things she least expected. Since Amy was now a permanent member on the team, she supposed she should try to get a long. She’d made a deal, after all… and trying to get rid of Amy so soon after was… ill advised. She didn’t want to become friends with the girl, but it would be better if they were at least acquaintances that could work together. She sighed and turned to the girl, looking her over.

Amy was wearing a grey sweat suit that was G.U.N. issue and her quills were pulled back in a messy bun. The sweat suit was worn from excessive use and Rouge was once again struck with the difference between the brightly dressed girl from her memories and the drab girl that now sat before her. 

“Do you only own G.U.N. issued clothing?”

Amy flinched, and she started to fiddle aggressively the the hems of her sweat shirt, “No…”

Rouge narrowed her eyes, catching the long pause and humiliated expression crossing the young Agent’s face. The bat drank some more wine and rested her head in her hand as she looked the girl over. This was an issue, she wasn’t about to have a member of her team looking like a cement brick all the time.

“I have some pencil skirts and blouses for work, as well as some workout outfits…” Amy rattled on, her voice nervous.

Rouge chuckled a little, and placed a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “Hon, those aren’t clothes, they're professional uniforms. And a crime to fashion at that. What happened to that red number you always wore?”

Amy looked away from the bat, her form curling in on itself and her voice came forth quietly,

“I grew out of those…”

Rouge stared at the hunched figure before her, and once again her maternal instinct kicked in like it had this morning at the cafe, and she stood, grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. When Amy snapped her head back to protest, Rouge held up her hand and pointed up stairs.

“Get to bed Agent Rose, I’m taking you shopping first thing tomorrow morning, no one on my team will be a walking fashion disaster… not after I finally got Shadow to wear that leather jacket. And I will not take no for an answer.”

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

 Hello Readers!

This will probably be the last update to Ao3 for today! Nothing changed in this chapter! Here is the Fanfiction Author's Note I did when I originally uploaded it.

This chapter was difficult to write, and I have no idea why lol. But thanks to my betas Laineybug04, and WolfsLegend, without them this would not have come to be!

I have also become active on my tumblr account, if you want extra special chapters (I did a valentine's special for this story there about Amy in the cadet program) then follow me nothing-fancy94 or nothing-fancy94,tumblr,com

ALSO REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT MY FRIEND she does art of this story and has her own au comic based on this story after chapter 6 mysuperlaserpiss on tumblr, mysuperlaserpiss,tumblr,com

Thank you to all my reviewers fuumiiku, Janttun3n, Shyla the Hedgehog, mewfatima, XoxILoveyouxoX, Naya Zephronic, Racattack Force, Amefloza13, Heartless demon wolf, Abril378, CherryTheRose, Angel-kohai, TinyShinyy, KSPForever1038, ThePurplePyroHedgie, shad-amy01, YukiDoggos3, Pirilaxa, Sweet Fantasy's Magic, and MozieBea. Thank you all for reviewing! I'm sorry that I haven't responded to all of you yet, I will be doing so in the next few days so please keep your eyes out for that. On to the guest review replies:

Guest: Thank you for the high compliment! I hope to continue for a long time :)

Avery: Thank you for the multiple replies! I'm glad that I was able to write the emotions well, I hope to hear from you again!

Yeet: I did get your first review, with guest reviews I have to manually approve them to be seen, or it automatically approves them after 24 hours which is why your first one didn't post. I appreciated seeing both though, because you pointed out slightly different things in the reviews. IN FACT I LOVED YOUR REVIEW SOOO MUCH I SHARED IT ON MY TUMBLR :) Seriously, your review was so special and well worded that I almost cried. I thank you for being able to look past the devices that I am using in order to read my story as it is intended. You can truly read between the lines which is a gift that few have. Vladimir Nobakov said "the good reader is one who has imagination, memory, a dictionary, and some artistic sense." Which I can see you posses. He also says that a work of writing is its own new world which the author creates and to approach it, as a reader, with preconceived notions is a tragedy to the author. And I feel like you followed me through the world I created to discover all the new things I made to show you, and that is the best thing any author could ask for. I really hope to hear from you again, and I look forward to future conversations between us! :)

Okay so that is all for now, I am excited to hear from all of you about this most recent chapter!

Happy Reading!

EPISODE 8: Reading Between the Lines – Part 2

Station Square Super Mall – Ruby’s Boutique 

~September 12, 11:47~

Amy tried to block out the squeals and loud chatter of the girls in the stalls next to her as she studied herself in a mirror. The romper she was wearing was picked out by Rouge, and was just one of many outfits that were piled up in the corner of the stall. She sighed, pulled at the bottom of the shorts, and felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her. They had already been at the mall for several hours, and this was probably the third store they had tried. Not to mention the several stores they’d entered for Rouge’s personal benefit. So far nothing Amy had been forced to try on had worked, causing a tiresome trip throughout several clothing stores. Amy turned from side to side to glance at her image in the mirror, before reluctantly opening the door and stepping out. 

Rouge was sitting on a bench just outside , h er legs were crossed as she sipped on a passionfruit smoothie. Her head was bent as she looked down at her phone communicator. She was wearing a purple jumpsuit with large black jewels hanging from her ears, neck , and wrist . These were a ccompanied by a pair of black rhinestone sunglasses that were perched on top of her head . H er lipstick was the finishing touch, an emerald green color, with a matted finish that caused light to reflect softly on its surface. Omega was sitting beside Rouge, his red, glassy eyes staring blankly ahead, and his arms already ladened with bags of things that’d caught Rouge’s eye. They made quite the pair and people who passed them couldn’t help but stare at them and whisper things under their breath. Amy had felt awkward while walking through the mall with them, but Rouge didn’t even seem to notice, her head held high with a little smirk always at the edge of her lips.

When the door of Amy’s stall opened, the bat looked up and her seafoam eyes narrowed as she looked the nervous girl over.

“Hmmm, that one just isn’t doing it for me either.” Rouge grumbled, and sipped furiously at her drink in frustration.

Amy sighed, and put her hand to her head in defeat, “But you’re the one that picked all of these out!”

“I know!” Rouge exclaimed, she leaned forward and fiercely glared at the clothing, “I just don’t get it! I was trying to find some modern looks based on your past preferences. Floral, bright, spring feeling… I just don't get it… Why do none of them look right?”

Amy sighed and looked down at the outfit. She definitely thought it was cute: a soft solid pink romper with a golden zipper. It was flexible enough that she could move in it easily, and the zipper gave it a mature and sophisticated feel. There was a time that such clothes would’ve made her jump for  joy and pull out her wallet faster than someone could say, ‘Would you like to buy that?’ but now it just made her feel despondent. She felt out of place, like she was playing dress up with someone else’s closet. 

“I don’t know Rouge… it just doesn’t feel like me…”

Omega – who had been observing the two females intently – shifted slightly and turned his head to look at Rouge.

“According to the file on Amy Rose, this type of garment should suit Amy Rose. However, amendments were made to the file yesterday, and most of the information in the file needs updating.”

Rouge huffed in annoyance at the unnecessary interjection of information , and she was about to lecture the robot on conversational etiquette, when what he was trying to relay suddenly connected. She jumped up and exclaimed excitedly causing Amy to flinch in surprise. She clapped her hands together loudly and the many bracelets adorning her wrists twinkled against each other in a symphony of bells.

“You’re a genius Omega! Chaos! Why didn’t I think of that?!”

Rouge was practically shouting now, and her arms were waving about in an animated way as she spoke . Amy nervously glanced around, noticing the judgemental looks that the other shoppers were giving them. 

“Rouge, I don’t know what you’re getting at, but can you please keep it down! People are starting to stare!”

Rouge gave a slight shrug and cocked her hip, looking at Amy with an unconcerned look on her face before saying in a louder than necessary voice,

“I don’t care what people do. If they wanna look then let ‘em, I ain’t greedy with my beauty,” she looked over to a pair of girls that were snubbing their noses at them, and sneered at them while stating, “Take a picture sweetheart, it lasts longer.”

Amy stood with her mouth open as the girls gasped and hurriedly left the changing area, their tails literally between their legs. Rouge smirked at them as they passed, leaving  Amy envious at her confidence. She suddenly wished she had the same strength and self–assurance that the bat seemed to glow with. 

“Well don’t just stand there in awe of my fierceness, take those rags off and get out here. I got somewhere I need to take you.”

Amy blinked in confusion for a second, but when Rouge literally pushed her back into the changing room and closed the door with a slam, leaving Amy alone. The hedgehog stared blankly ahead for a moment before quickly striping , not wanting to have the bat’s fury turned onto her. 

The next store Rouge dragged her to was very different from the one they had just escaped. It was what Amy would describe as gothic and emo. Dark clothing lined the walls, while studded and pierced employees milled about with apathetic eyes, their feet dragging on the floor. Amy would’ve protested if she wasn’t entirely and utterly baffled at the choice in store. She stood at the entrance, her sweat pants and white t–shirt causing her to look basic next to the people that pushed past her.

“Come over here, Amy! I’m starting to get hungry so let’s be quick about this.”

Amy looked up to see that Rouge already had a pile of clothes laid over her arm, and she was casually walking through the store adding more as she went. Amy shook her head and entered the store, feeling intimidated by the atmosphere and the way in which Rouge moved about without a care in the world. When she finally caught up, the bat had waved over an employee who rolled her eyes and popped a pink bubble gum bubble before meandering over to the group.

“How can I help you?” The voice came forth in monotone as she recited the required offer of assistance, forcing an obvious fake smile. It was clear by her body language that she didn’t want to help them one bit . Rouge didn’t seem the least bit concerned with the true intentions of the studded teenage helper, and quite unabashedly dumped the load of clothing into the girls arms. Amy stared with wide eyes as the bat rummaged through the pile, pulling out a top, then bottoms and a couple other items from the depths of the clothing mound. When she was satisfied with the items she pulled, Rouge peeked around the pile to look at the employee and asked,

“Would you be a dear and take these to a fitting room? We will be there in a minute.”

The possum mumbled something that was made unintelligible due to the mass she was forced to carry, but from the tone of it, Amy could guess it wasn’t the most pleasant of  words. Rouge merely smiled and tapped her foot as she waited for the girl to obey her request. Finally, with a huff, the possum waddled away, her long tail whipping back and forth in irritation. Then it was Amy’s turn to be assaulted with the bat’s attention as Rouge turned around with a hungry glint in her eyes. 

She pulled Amy toward her until they were only a few inches apart and started to place the clothing pulled from the racks up to her figure. The bat muttered things under her breath, nodded her head, and then shoved the outfits into Amy’s arms and began to push the startled girl to the back of the store.

“Um, Rouge? What exactly is going on right now?”

“Don’t worry about it, hon. Just humor me and put that outfit on first, then let me know what you think.” Rouge’s hands dug into Amy’s back, and the hedgehog resigned herself to her fate. When they reached the fitting room the possum guided them with an eye roll to a stall that had all Rouge’s choices hung up. Amy entered and turned to pull the curtain closed, but unlike in the other stores, Rouge stepped into the stall with her. The bat closed the curtain behind her and looked at Amy with a tilted head. Amy didn’t move, her mind trying to wrap itself around the situation she found herself in.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Rouge huffed as a minute went by as they were at a stand still, “Strip.”

Amy’s eyes went wide, and she took a step back, “Excuse me?”

“Come on! We’re both ladies, don’t get all bashful with me, take ‘em off.”

Amy was shocked into silence… just what the hell was going through this crazy bat’s head?

“Um… no… I don’t feel comfortable with that.”

Rouge narrowed her eyes, and she tapped her foot, “Come on! We’re Mobians! Some of us don’t even wear clothes, and I want to make sure you try everything on. What’s the big deal?”

Amy flinched, her mind racing to find an excuse… she couldn’t tell the truth. The truth was too painful, and yet just the mere mention of it brought horrible memories to the forefront of her mind. Cruel, forceful hands pulling at her shirt, the tear of fabric, the manic laughter and degrading comments of senior cadets.

‘Just as I thought. Pathetic! You actually thought you could attract a guy with a child’s body ? No wonder the great Sonic always runs from you! He’d be accused of pedofilia associating with you!’

The voice was sharp and loud as though Amy had been transported back through time to that day. Her body began to shiver feeling the cold of ice water as it was poured on her exposed body. It enveloped her, pulling her deeper and deeper until all she could picture, all she could see, were yellow eyes. Those yellow eyes with a toxic glow grinning in her misery. The laughter of Pandora and her posse ringing all around her. The shivering wouldn’t stop.

“Amy?” Rouge asked hesitantly, studying the face of the girl who stood before her trembling. The reaction was unexpected. Sure some would consider changing in front of another awkward, but the girl before her looked as though she was about to be attacked. As she watched, Amy’s left hand snapped to her right and her fingers began to scratch the top of her hand. It started out in a slow and methodical pace but very quickly it turned to frantic scratching. Rouge did not know what to do, the situation was bizarre and was one she had never been in before. In all honesty, Rouge didn’t really feel like bringing attention to the odd action and potentially receiving a long winded life story from the girl. Amy obviously had some issues, and Rouge was happy to let her deal with them on her own. So she stepped back and with a shrug conceded,

“Alright then, just make sure you come out when you’re finished.”

Only when the curtain was closed behind the bat did Amy feel herself relax. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, attempting to clear the prickling sensations on her skin. That’s right Amy… it was a long time ago, and it’s all over now.

She had to stop letting them get to her, they were gone... not even stationed at Station Square, thank Chaos. Most importantly, she couldn’t expose her fears in front of the very bat she was trying so hard to impress. Trying so hard to convince Rouge, and at times herself, that she wasn’t that same weak fangirl from the past. Amy huffed, and popping her eyes open she quickly changed, hoping that this day would end soon without incident. She barely looked at the clothing as she shoved her hands through openings and pulled bottoms up. When she was finished, she whipped around and pulled at the curtain. Rouge was in the middle of a conversation with the possum employee from before, and Omega was on standby at the entrance. Amy waited a moment before clearing her throat,

“Um, Rouge?”

The bat’s large ears twitched in her direction, and she waved off the employee before turning to look at Amy. Once her eyes landed on the girl, the seafoam irises travelled from her head to her toes. Amy fidgeted, uncomfortable with the steady gaze, but then a curious thing happened. As Rouge’s eyes moved, a slow smile developed on her muzzle, and Amy could practically see an excited glow burn within the bat’s eyes.

“Oh Rouge, you’ve done it again!” Rouge congratulated herself, clapping excitedly. 

Amy jerked in shock of the very girlish tone Rouge was using, it was a side of the bat that she had never seen before. 

“Uh, Rouge? What do you mean?”

Rouge grinned and grabbed Amy’s hand before dragging her up to a full length mirror, “Just take a look at my masterpiece!”

The young Agent was hesitant to oblige, but her curiosity got the best of her. She started with her head, it was the same as always, pulled back in a ponytail with a gold ring. She gulped and looked down. She was wearing a crop–top tank that looked a lot like an exercise bra, it was black with red trim, and it showed off a bit of her stomach. Then the sports skirt she was wearing was black, the shorts underneath the same shade of red as the highlight, and it was held up with a gold metal belt.

It was a simpler ensemble  than she had expected, yet there was a powerful subtlety behind the outfit, a quiet strength. She took a step back and stared at herself as a whole. The outfit neither looked awkward, nor felt childish. In fact, it was just the right amount of maturity with a splash of punk that Amy was surprised to find she liked. She moved into different angles to examine the outfit more.

“Here!” Rouge exclaimed, shoving a red suede jacket that had soft white fluff on the inside, “Put this on over it.”

Speechless, Amy robotically put her arms through the sleeves, the inside didn’t rub uncomfortably against the fur on her arm, and once it was on it was like she’d never worn anything different. Amy put her hand on her left shoulder and slowly brought it down the length of her arm. She’d taken her gloves off earlier, and the feeling of suede beneath her palm was soft yet had a roughness to it that she enjoyed. 

“Oh, and you’ll love this! It cost a bit more, but I think it’s really worth it,” Rouge continued to ramble, and she grabbed Amy’s shoulders turning her slightly so that the hedgehog could take a look at her back, “They let you embroider your own design here onto clothing. I didn’t have a design ready but I thought this was perfect. Definitely have to come back here for myself…”

Her chatter fell into the background as Amy was struck frozen by what she saw in the mirror. It was a huge black rose that had two spiky leaves poking out from behind it. Then in cursive lettering her surname was curved at the bottom, Rose. Her gaze shifted to the bat’s reflection who was still rattling on and on about fashion behind Amy.

I thought she hated me…

This outfit, no… this whole day, Amy suddenly realized had been created by Rouge for her benefit. The older female had taken very careful care in the assembly of her outfit, something that no one had done for her since she was a small child. She had resigned herself to being the black sheep of the team, to being the odd one out, but she found an impossible wish growing from the small kindness given to her today. A wish for them to become friends. Against her will, tears threatened to fall and they burned in her eyes, but she shook her head, steeling her expression and straightening her posture. Although she wanted more than anything to be accepted, she knew it wasn’t a possibility. Rouge may be acting nice now, but she knew it was only because the bat didn’t want her team’s image to be brought down by her poor fashion sense. Amy rolled her shoulders and a slight frown darkened her features, she would protect herself this time. After all, friends will always betray you. However, despite her intentions she couldn’t help but feel the cold ice around her heart begin to thaw ever so slightly as Rouge came up behind her with an annoyed, yet anxious look on her face as she asked,

“What? You don’t like it?”

“No…” Amy shook her head, and allowed the corner of her frown to lift until her face was warmed with a smile, “I love it.”

Rouge blinked at her in surprise for a moment before she smiled in a way that showed off her fangs. She huffed with pride, and lifted her muzzle into the air.

“Of course! No one can beat my fashion sense. Why don’t you try on the other clothes while I go pick out some new accessories to go with your new style.”

The bat bounded away happily, her loose purple jumper moving along with the pep in her step. My new style… Amy smiled to herself, looking over the outfit once more. That’s right, she was a new person, and so she needed a new style.

“Amy Rose is content with Agent Rouge the Bat’s suggestion?”

Amy turned and looked at Omega, who’d moved from his spot to close the gap between them, with a large smile. “Yes, Omega, I really am.”

The robot didn’t say anything for a long moment, but then his head nodded up and down.

“Omega agrees, this look suits the updated files on Amy Rose. Omega has marked the mission of ‘Amy Rose clothes shopping’ a success.”

She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but she would almost swear that his voice came forth in a higher pitch… like how a Mobian would sound while smiling. Her own grin widened, she would take that as he was discovering what it meant to be happy for another person. Amy would’ve pointed this out, but she didn’t want to ruin the moment by confusing the robot, so she stored it away for later use. 

Stepping back into the fitting room, she began to try on another outfit with excitement and anticipation. No longer did it feel burdensome or like a chore, and she found that for the first time in years, she felt truly happy.

Station Square Super Mall – Mushi Sushi 

~September 12, 13:01~

“...Well then I told him that if he didn’t get his sorry ass out of that lab I would string him up myself!”

“Oh Chaos! I can just imagine Shadow’s grumpy, pouty face while hanging upside down, grappling hook rope tangled around him.”

“Oh yeah, he was not happy. It was one of the reasons he started teleporting everywhere.”

Amy giggled, and delicately plucked a sushi roll from her plate and popped it in her mouth. Rouge watched her with morbid curiosity, the girl before her seemed like a  completely different person from yesterday. Her body was relaxed and her green eyes were bright with joy. Even more shocking was her own reaction to the girl… she found that she actually liked seeing Amy this way. And if she dared to admit it, she even found herself enjoying the girl’s company. 

“So…” The bat said with a slight tease to her voice, “I feel like I’ve been talking your ears off. How about you?”

Amy paused in her eating, and her chopsticks lowered as she looked at the bat in front of her. Rouge could see her eyes moving back and forth as though she were trying to assess a threat.

"I don’t know what you mean.” The girl replied after a moment, her hands dropping below the table. Rouge rolled her eyes and brought her chopsticks up to point at Amy.

“Yeah you do! I wanna hear about you, tell me a story.”

Amy looked to the side, and her brow furrowed a bit, “I can’t think of one.”

Rouge’s hand gripped her chopsticks harder, a vein in her forehead throbbed with frustration. This girl was almost as difficult as Shadow to get talking. It was odd, because in the past Rouge had known the girl to be quite bubbly to the point of annoyance, even spouting inane stories just for the sake of filling the air with noise. She took a silent breath and tried again,

“Okay, well what about training as a cadet? I never went through the program so I’m kind of interested in what the big deal is, Miss Top of Her Class.”

Amy flinched at the words, and she gave Rouge a crooked smile. But her lips remained shut. Rouge narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her booth. Why was she even trying to get to know this uptight, stick in the ass female? It was odd that Rouge would even spend a day with another female, let alone selflessly ask her about herself. What had it been about this girl that she had thought it’d be a good idea to try and get along with her? Had it been the look of insecurity and hopelessness that had slowly changed into brilliant smiles and grateful words as she’d dressed up Amy? Had it been the odd reactions to her in the fitting room that had sparked curiosity? Or had it been the comfortable atmosphere that had surrounded them after leaving the last store until now? It had felt nice… gabbing with a fellow female, and laughing together. How pathetic was that?

Rouge huffed, and plucked another plate from the rotating belt that ran throughout the restaurant. Then she loudly stuffed a piece of sushi into her mouth. Fine, if Amy didn’t want to have a conversation then why bother? She would finish eating then drop the bitch back at base before going off to a club. Or even better, Rouge smiled, ditch her here and let her find her own way back. She deserves it the fucking bit –

“The cadet program was alright. I learned a lot, and strengthened not only my fighting capabilities but intelligence skills as well.”

Rouge glanced up at the girl, another sushi halfway to her mouth. She blinked, surprised Amy had actually responded. She closed her mouth, and set the sushi back on her plate while looking over the girl. Amy was obviously feeling uncomfortable, but she was staring straight into Rouge’s eyes. Her jaw was set firmly as though she were eating something foul but would swallow it with sheer will power.

“Okay, that’s kind of vague...” Rouge replied, her right eyebrow rising.

The corner of Amy’s mouth twitched, but instead of replying with a snarky comment like Rouge thought she would, she tilted her head and asked,

“Well… what do you want to know?”

The bat blinked again, and tapped the table with her ungloved and manicured nails. 

“Hmm, I don’t know… maybe how you became the top of your class when the last I knew, the most you could do in battle was swing that toy hammer of yours.”

Amy sighed and took a drink of the green tea in front of her. When she was finished, her hands remained curled around the small mug, and Rouge noticed that the skin beneath peach colored fur was bright red and raw. But the most curious thing was the odd white circle that seemed unable to grow fur. She had a flashback to seeing Amy scratch furiously at her hand beneath her glove.

“I just studied hard and made sure to listen to everything my commanders and teachers were saying. It wasn’t that hard, nor do I have some secret way or advantage to get ahead that no one else has… Honestly, I’m a little offended that everyone is so shocked I was able to do it.”

Rouge flinched slightly at the comment, especially since those jade eyes had cleared significantly of the previous darkness and were now looking pointedly into hers. The bat cleared her throat and took a sip of her tea.

“It’s not that I think you’re stupid, I’m just amazed at the difference between the you I knew in the past and the you now.”

Amy’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t seem angry or upset at the comment. She started rubbing the top of her hand again. Rouge flinched as she watched the already raw skin get abused further, and as small little hairs began to fall onto the table. That couldn’t feel good, but Amy seemed like she didn’t even feel it, like it wasn’t even happening. 

“Well, thanks I guess…”

“Hey,” Rouge said after a moment’s silence, “Can I ask why you do that?”

Amy blinked at her in surprise and her head tilted in confusion, “Do what?”

“That,” Rouge said, pointing with her chopsticks to Amy’s hands. The girl blinked before looking down at her hands. Her eyes widened a fraction and she quickly pulled her hands back into her lap, out of sight. Her muzzle blushed beneath peach fur, and she awkwardly smiled.

“Nervous habit I guess. Been doing it for a while now, and I barely notice when it happens…”

“Riiight,” Rouge drawled, but she decided to drop it for now. It wasn’t worth Amy getting upset again and ruining the moment.

“Well I’m almost finished here… did you want to go home after this or we could go try those boozy slushies at that kiosk I saw earlier.”

Amy looked up from her lap. Her jade eyes looked confused at first, but then she smiled. At its appearance, Rouge felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn’t seen a smile like that from the girl since she joined the team.

“Well, I’m not 21 yet, but I wouldn’t mind seeing if they can do a virgin.”

Rouge watched as the girl happily started eating again, her green eyes bright and she began eating once more. After a moment Rouge followed suit and shared more funny stories of missions, finding herself falling into a warm and comfortable atmosphere with the girl. But despite the friendly conversation and meal, Rouge found she couldn’t tear her eyes from the scar that shone brightly from the girl’s right hand. 

Team Dark Headquarters

~September 12, 19:20~

Amy hummed in an upbeat rhythm as she pulled clothing from the many bags on her bed to put away in her closet and dresser. Her room was still very bare, but there were now small personalized accents in the room. Rouge, slightly tipsy after boozy slushies, had dragged Amy around to different stores. They’d picked up decorative items and more accessories for the both of them before they’d finally headed back. Thanks to that, her bed now had its own soft pink comforter that sported black lace accents and trim. The bed also had several throw pillows ranging from black sequin squares to fluffy, furred pink pillows.

On her desk sat a pink salt lamp that glowed in a warm orange–pinkish light, and alongside it was her new, thin, rose–gold laptop. She’d been able to purchase all of it, thanks to the signing bonus she’d received from G.U.N.

Amy felt a warm feeling spread throughout her chest. It was a feeling of happiness that used to be such a normal occurrence, but now felt foreign and fragile. It caused her to smile slightly as she swept her gaze around the room once more. Every single item, every accessory, looked and felt just right. Like it belonged here. Like she belonged here.

She paused in her folding as the odd happiness continued to grow. Team Dark. The best – in her mind – operative team in G.U.N., and she was a member. All throughout the cadet program she had heard stories of the team, some good but most bad. The bad rumors had nothing to do with their success rate, but more to do with their less than orthodox methods. She’d always tuned in when she heard people speak of them, interested in hearing about people she knew, but also in a sort of admiring way. She had looked up to them, and hoped for the day to make a difference just like they did everyday. With the events of the past few days, she’d forgotten her joy when she’d been placed on the team, but now it was back.

Rouge had been surprisingly kind to her today – well as kind as Rouge’s ego allowed her to be – and Amy felt a small seed of hope begin to form. She wasn’t naive enough to think they were best friends, Rouge’s small interrogation at lunch had been proof enough of that, but at least she wasn’t shunned by the bat any longer. And that was all she could ask for at the moment.

After finally finishing putting all the new clothes away, Amy stood back with her hands on the small of her back and she arched her spine. Small crackling pops filled the room, and her left eye opened into a slit to glance at her bedside clock. 19:51. It was getting later and she realized, with a jolt, that she hadn’t done her daily workout. She quickly pulled out her drawers and took the newly purchased athletic gear that Rouge had picked out for her, and made her way to the gym.

Rouge was gone . S he’d been too tipsy to drive home so Amy had done the honors, but by the time they reached the living quarters, Rouge seemed sober once more. She had called someone on the phone, and by the flirtation in her voice, Amy guessed that the Mobian on the other end was a male. Amy had later seen her walk out of the house in a red, sequined dress to a waiting black car which peeled out of their driveway like a bullet from a gun. So Amy had the place to herself… if you didn’t count the ‘sleeping’ robot in the control room.

Amy changed into a red sports bra and black yoga pants, and walked to the media center in the gym. She smirked as she chose her workout playlist and turned the volume to 85%. Shadow wasn’t there and even if by some weird unfortunate event he returned home, she hardly cared if he got annoyed. 

She walked to the center of the mats laid out on the floor, stretching her arms one after the other across her torso. All the while she hummed along with the upbeat track that began to blast on the loudspeakers. As she bent downwards into another stretch she allowed her mind to completely melt into her favorite routine.

About an hour later she was getting ready for her last exercise, a 40 minute run on the elliptical, when she felt a chill similar to the one she’d felt the day before. She froze in her weight lift, and slowly allowed the cord to retract into the equipment. She turned her head.

Unsurprisingly, she was met with hateful ruby eyes, and leather clad folded arms. Shadow was silently staring at her from the doorway of the gym, his eyes narrowed, and his mouth set in a firm scowl. Amy jumped quickly into action and ran to the media center to turn off the loud music.

The abrupt silence rang in her ears, and she gulped nervously. It was almost as though she could feel the weight of his glare on her back, and she felt the sweat from her workout grow ice cold. She turned with a chuckle in her voice and an awkward smile on her face,

“Welcome home, Shadow!”

The dark hedgehog didn’t move, the only sign that he’d heard her was the aggressive twitching in his right eye. Amy felt her stomach clench in preparation of an attack, but she pushed down the wild instincts that threatened to explode in response to the hostile atmosphere. She took a step towards him.

“I didn’t think you would be back so soon, Rouge mentioned that your solo–assignments could take several days… if I’d known you were returning tonight I would’ve –”

“Followed my simple request of no loud music?”

Amy’s mouth snapped closed, and she felt a hot anger develop in the bottom of her stomach. Where did this little asshole get off interrupting her as she tried to admit her own shortcomings? No, Amy… keep cool. You did so well with Rouge today. She shut her eyes for a second and took a deep breath. Try to put yourself in his shoes… he just got back from a mission, and must be exhausted. That's enough to put anyone in a sour mood. With that though she successfully squashed the little red monster that had threatened to be let loose and she opened her eyes once more, her twitching lips curling once more into a smile.

“Yes, I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more care –”

“Ha! So you can speak. I thought for a moment you went brain dead. Wouldn’t surprise me by the fact you obviously didn’t understand the language I used when we spoke just yesterday.”

Amy heard something in her snap, and the left corner of her muzzle lifted up into her eye socket. Her fangs ground against each other like rusted gears in an antique clock. She felt her fingers tense with the need to snap her trusty weapon into existence, but she fisted her hands instead in order to prevent knocking that holier-than-thou sneer on Shadow’s face. 

“What is your problem?” She growled, and she tried to aim all her anger in his direction.

“My problem should be obvious… oh wait, I forgot that the whole two brain cells in your head are still rubbing against each other, trying to figure out our last conversation.”

The comment should have sent her into a crazy frenzy, but just as her hand raised in front of her to snap, she felt a sharp chill cool down the molten wrath within her. No, she was better than him. She would not be dragged into his childish attempt to make her react in a crazy manner. In fact, as she forcibly moved her eyes from her poised fingers to the hedgehog before her, she could see his anticipation glowing in crimson pools. This asshole was trying to provoke her, he wanted her to attack him. So although every muscle in her body wished to comply with his silent taunt, she stiffly lowered her hand to her hip where her fingers dug painfully into her flesh.

“Is your intention to fight me?” She asked, her voice coming forth as the calm before a storm . Shadow, of course, completely ignored the warning in her tone and smirked at her.

"If we fought, there would be nothing left of you to bury."

At these words, Amy felt a sinister glee fill her. Oh, this hedgehog had no idea who he was messing with. For the first time she was grateful for his underestimation of her strength.

"Great. Let's fight after work on Monday." 

She walked toward him, enjoying the small spark of shock he had accidentally allowed to shine through his eyes. As she passed him she leaned into his ear,

"To give you time to rest up after your mission, old man. Don't want you to blame your loss on exhaustion."

She heard him growl an insult in her direction as she walked away, but she didn't spend a moment to listen. It wasn't worth her time.

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

HELLO!

I had help revamping this chapter by my friend Awesometime! I really needed the help with the action scenes, and I think it's all the better for it! Next is the author note from Fanfiction.

As always, thanks to my beta Laineybug04, she has truly been such an amazing partner in all this, and my chapters would not be nearly as polished if it weren't for her. A HUGE hug and thank you to my friend Wolfsol who without I never would've started posting my little dribbles online.

THIS CHAPTER: Sorry guys, Omega is still taking a bit of a back seat... but you know those organic lifeforms... they are all too complicated lol. He will be playing a bigger role in the upcoming arch so watch out for that.

Sooooo... I think thats all for now... ENJOY!

Happy Reading!

EPISODE 9: Reading Between the Lines - Final

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters 

~ September 14, 16:25~

“So… I hear two of your subordinates are going to engage in a duel?”

Rouge froze as Chief Snow looked at her with a bemused expression. She’d been called to Chief Snow’s office for a mid-month report on Team Dark’s past work; what had been successful and what they needed to improve on for the rest of the month. Rouge was satisfied that the meeting had gone well, especially considering the mission in Knothole. She even had a small smile on her face, and was going to happily remove herself from the office when the Chief had decided to detonate that little bomb.

Rouge turned from the door with a nervous laugh to see Chief Snow staring steadily at her with her chin raised. Her mismatched eyes were sparkling with humor and curiosity, and her hands were folded neatly in front of her. 

“I don’t know what you’re referring to…” Rouge weakly tried to feign innocence.

Chief Snow smirked, and tapped her fingers on her desk.

“Is that so? Because if it were true, I wouldn’t stop it from happening. I would merely suggest that some boundaries are put in place to prevent destruction of G.U.N. property. And that includes the agents involved.”

Rouge shut her eyes and sighed in defeat. Frustration at the two hotheaded hedgehogs on her team started to make her face feel hot. However, just as quickly as the heat appeared, the chill of realization spread through her body and almost made her shiver. How had the Chief known about the fight in the first place? Rouge herself had only found out yesterday afternoon after forcing it out of the two hedgehogs. They both had been acting even more combative than usual. It was generally easy to ignore the glaring and passive aggressive comments, that was everyday nonsense. But the off-handed mentions of manslaughter, and the awkward silences had driven her to the point to use her interrogation tactics to hear what had them acting like two pouting children. 

Rouge looked the Chief over and her gaze turned calculating. She’d had suspicions in the past that G.U.N. was somehow monitoring her team’s every move, but she had never had proof before now. She smirked, and her large ears twitched as she pounded a stack of papers on the Chiefs desk to straighten them out.

"Well it’s just so hard to manage those two, they just really don’t get along.” Rouge said with a small laugh.

“Yes, that’s why I see this as an opportunity to have them let off some steam, and to show everyone exactly what type of agent Miss Amy Rose is.”

Rouge nodded enthusiastically and tucked the papers beneath her arm.

“Right, right. And exactly what type of agent is she?”

Chief Snow smiled, her fangs glinting from a small gap in her lips, “A very capable one, and one that Agent Shadow would do well to be wary of. I’m surprised that you haven’t figured this out yourself by now. Haven’t you been watching her talents?”

Rouge smiled again, willing herself to bury her resentment at the implication that she was being negligent in her observations of Amy. She rolled her eyes and gave a sigh, feigning exasperation. 

“I wish you could tell him that, I have my hands full trying to juggle work, missions, and not to mention the crazy antics they pulled this weekend! I almost had to write an incident report, can you believe that?”

The smile on Chief Snow’s face disappeared, and her eyes narrowed as she looked at the bat.

“There was another incident? That wasn’t in -”

Her words froze in her muzzle as she realized her mistake. Rouge’s fake expression melted off her face to be replaced with a satisfied smile, she had been in the business of intelligence extraction for almost a decade at this point. Getting her target to unconsciously admit to guilt was as easy as stealing gems at this point. Unfortunately, it wasn’t anything solid that she could use as evidence to confront Snow about it - not yet, anyway. For now, she would be satisfied with the knowledge that her instincts were still alive and kicking.

“Well,” Rouge graciously continued the conversation like the silent battle of intelligence agents had been a figment of the imagination, “since we both agree that this duel should happen, I would like to hear what boundaries you were thinking of.”

Chief Snow blinked in mild interest at how easily Rouge dropped the subject of what happened over the weekend. They both knew that Rouge had caught Irina in a slip of the tongue, and now there was a silent battle of wills on whether either of them would acknowledge the fact. However, when Rouge continued to maintain her neutral and excessively polite smile, the Chief cleared her throat, matching Rouge’s contrived face with her own mask of authority.  

“It should be carried out here on the premises in our combat training arena. Also it should be hand to hand combat, no weapons.”

Rouge was nodding along as the Chief spoke her rules, all the while smiling from ear to ear.

“Sounds like a plan, Chief!” Rouge said enthusiastically, “If that’s all, I’ll go relay the information to my team now.”

Chief Snow seemed a little put off by Rouge’s sudden eagerness to obey her orders. Her eyes were narrowed and they moved back and forth as she searched the bat’s expression and body language. Rouge felt an internal satisfaction that it seemed as though she had successfully strung the female along. Finally, Snow sighed and nodded with her mouth slightly parted, and waved her hand towards the door.

“Yes, that’ll be all, Agent Rouge, you may leave.”

Rouge widened her smile and turned to leave the office. Irina continued to study the female as she made her way across the office, but she eventually shook her head and looked down at her paperwork. However, when she heard the door open, a small sarcastic laugh tickled her ears. She looked up to see Rouge staring at her with a dangerous look in her seafoam eyes, and a smirk on her face that revealed her fangs.

“Oh, one last thing before I take my leave. I’ve had a feeling of being observed lately, and I worry that sensitive information about my team is being exposed. I surely do not want any of G.U.N.s secrets to be released to the wrong person. Just wanted to let you know I’ll be investigating the leak and I’ll report back to you if I find anything.”

“Ah,” Chief Snow’s face remained untouched by nerves, but Rouge’s sharp, espionage instincts picked up on the slightest flick of the tip of her tail, which was tucked almost unseen beneath the desk. 

“Well, I expect a full and detailed report on any of your findings, Special Agent Rouge.”

Rouge’s lips curled in a mischievous smirk, “Of course Chief, I strive to please.”

And with another small laugh, Rouge shut the door behind her, leaving Chief Snow with her thoughts.

G.U.N. Headquarters - Station Square 

~ September 14, 16:58~

“You idiots really love to put me in awkward situations with our boss!” Rouge burst loudly into Team Dark’s shared workspace.

It had been a chilling quiet before her arrival. Two hedgehogs, threateningly staring at each other as they waited for the clock to strike six. Marking the end of their day and the start of their battle. Omega had been sitting contentedly in the corner, reviewing his favorite battle recordings and humming electronically every now and then. He was quite comfortable with charged energy. In fact, he preferred it to the usual boring, and mundane office atmosphere. 

Rouge’s sudden and aggressive arrival had caused Amy to jump slightly and Shadow to smirk at her like he had won some unspoken game. Amy’s attention immediately shifted back to glaring at Shadow, and Rouge was left standing at the door with an irritated look on her face.

“If you get scared by something as simple as the opening of a door, then combat must be a real hellscape for you.” Shadow sneered, while he leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed and one brow lifted smugly. Amy lifted the corner of her lip in a snarl, and she huffed.

“You know what Shadow? I’m getting sick of you holding everyone to your impossible standards. Not everyone is some freak of nature like you and can -”

“Enough!” Rouge exclaimed while slamming the stack of papers she held onto her desk. This time both hedgehogs jumped slightly, and turned their aggravated expressions in her direction. 

“Can you two stop going for each other’s throats for just one second, and listen to the bullshit you've dragged me - and the rest of the team - into?”

Amy flinched at her words, but her face softened with a tinge of guilt. Meanwhile Shadow continued to stare at her with a malicious and calculating glare. Rouge wanted to punch that look off his face, but she knew from experience that would get her nowhere. At least one of them seemed to be sane enough to listen with an ounce of humility. 

“Rouge, what’s going on?” Amy asked tentatively, and Rouge sighed while flopping into her chair. She was quiet for a moment, trying to come up with the words to relay her news without causing another war to break out.

“Spit it out, Bat, I don’t have all day.”

Rouge’s head snapped in Shadow’s direction and she again fought with the desire to smack that ungrateful asshole upside the head. Shadow was her oldest friend, and she was trying everything in her power to protect him from the forces that would rather see him locked up in a cage than roaming free. Unfortunately, this prideful hedgehog did not make that task easy. If she was to be honest, he was his own worst enemy at this point, but she gritted her teeth and decided that it was just best to get this over with as soon as possible.

“Somehow the Chief has gotten wind of your little… pissing match. And she has required you two to follow some rules.”

Shadow jumped up from his seat, and his ruby eyes burned with anger.

“How the hell did she find out?”

“I don -”

“It was you, wasn’t it?” Shadow spoke over Rouge like he didn’t even hear her. His finger came up to point at Amy accusingly. Amy sat still in shock for a moment, her big eyes blinking in confusion. Once she registered that the blame was being placed on her, her gaze narrowed to slits, and her nose wrinkled as she glared back at him.

“I didn’t say anything.” The young Agent replied softly, her voice controlled and her expression hard. Shadow scoffed and folded his arms.

“Sure. And I’m to believe you? An immature, whiney, little female? Hell will freeze over before that.”

Amy felt her body shake in resentment and revolution at his unjustified accusation. She heard a ringing in her ears, her face alight with hot blood, her vision tunneled, and a seething wrath bubbled up from her stomach. She didn’t understand why his provoking words had affected her so much, but it was too late. She was drowning in fury, and there was no air for her to breathe. However, the small part of her that had maintained a semblance of sanity battled with the riptides of anger, and as a result she stayed silent.

Rouge was now watching the interaction with interest. She could see something brewing within the young female and she wondered how she’d react. Shadow had a talent for bringing out the worst in everyone, and Rouge wanted another glimpse at Amy’s dark side. She’d seen a little of it in that cafe and her car almost a week ago, and her hunger for information convinced her to let this play out for a bit longer.

Shadow scoffed as the girl remained silent, and he shook his head before a gruesome grin ripped across his face.

“Or is it that you were too scared to go up against the Ultimate Lifeform, so you had to tattle to the Chief. Poor, weak, little fangirl Amy Rose didn’t have the guts to follow through. You get someone else to win your battle for you. Why am I not surprised?”

An electric silence filled the air as the charged words made its home in each listeners’ ears. Shadow looked cocky, his grin unwavering and his stance wide and proud, while he looked down his nose at the shaking girl. Amy looked like she was going to cry, her head was lowered and her quills were vibrating with her body, and her eyes were covered by her bangs. Rouge felt slight disappointment at her response. She had expected the girl to have more fire, more grit than that. However, it wasn’t uncommon for the pink female to be sent into a crying fit by a couple well placed insults. This was the Amy Rose afterall. Even if she had matured a bit, two years was not long enough for an entire change in attitude and personality.

Rouge stood, her large ears twitching in annoyance, I suppose I should put a stop to this. I don’t want the Chief to have any more reason to criticize our treatment of her.

“Shadow, I think you went a little too far -”

“It’s okay Rouge.” Amy’s voice came forth tranquil and calm. Her head lifted and her lips were parted in a graceful smile, but Rouge felt the spike of death shoot up her spine. The bat couldn’t figure out why she felt that way from what, by any means, was a sweet smile on a cute girl, but then she realized. It was Amy’s eyes. The usual soft glow of spring grass had left her irises to be replaced by a toxic, poison apple green. They were vengeful, hateful, dark, but worst of all… unforgiving. She had never seen such eyes on another Mobian before, not even Shadow had shown such raw emotional wrath.

Amy slowly stood, her arms planted on her desk, and her pointed ears twitched with the urge to fold back in hostility. She turned her gaze to Shadow, the expression not softening by even a degree.

“I won’t even dignify your ridiculous accusation with an answer. I’ve dealt with your type almost everyday in the cadet program.”

Shadow grunted, and his eyes rolled dramatically, “And what ‘type’ would that be?”

Amy felt pleasure twist in her stomach as he took her bait with vigor. Her hands came up from the desk and her left hand held her right elbow as her fingers curled to be examined by her closely. Rouge felt her eyebrow raise in surprise. This girl was matching Shadow’s arrogance with her own poised, dignified air. She realized what she had mistaken before as trembling before tears, was in fact a burning passion.

“You’re a wannabe alpha male, who has an ego the size of the sun. You feel the need to put everyone else beneath you, to humiliate others. All because you're afraid that if anyone were to challenge you, that you would be exposed for the pathetic, sniveling, small, coward that you are.”

At first the only sound to be heard was the soft beeps and boops from Omega, while the two older agents took a moment to absorb the insults that had spilled from sweet, gentle Amy Rose. Rouge couldn’t stop her mouth from curling into a wicked smirk. She hadn’t realized what a genius the girl was with her words until now. Shadow on the other hand was steadily getting more and more agitated, and the fact that he could actually feel the humor Rouge was getting from this, was not helping to calm down his nerves.

“You bitch . How dare you -”

“Alright, alright. Enough you two, save it for the mat,” Rouge interjected, her shit eating grin still plastered on her face. She angled her face away from Shadow and gave Amy an approving wink.

“Shadow, I don’t think it was Amy who told Chief Snow. Even before Amy was put on our team there were things the Chief knew about that would’ve been impossible without one of us telling her. I was able to confirm my suspicions when I caught her in a trap.”

Shadow seemed to relax slightly as he mulled over the possibility of an unknown spy. He looked at Rouge, his anger with the young hedgehog forgotten.

“Are you positive that it's not her?”

Rouge looked at Shadow, then at Amy. Her eyes flicked back and forth between Amy’s as she searched the girl for any fragment of deceit. But as she had thought, there was nothing there, except irritation at the Ultimate Lifeform reflected in her eyes, and the hurt from being accused of snitching. Rouge patted Amy’s shoulder and looked back at Shadow.

“Yes. I’m positive.”

Shadow held Rouge’s gaze for a long moment, and an unvoiced conversation between the old partners ensued. This was something that neither of them realized that they did, after years of working together they had developed an unnamed language. One simple look could convey more than spoken words. Finally, Shadow blinked and broke the connection with a gruff grumble. 

“Fine. But that means we have some… weeding to do when we get back to the living quarters.”

Rouge laughed a little, and put her arm around Shadow’s shoulder, “You know you can call it ‘home’ like a normal person, right?”

Shadow, who was slightly shorter than Rouge, looked up at her with disdain and shoved her away from him. Rouge merely laughed some more, before clapping her hands together.

“Right! Now that that’s sorted, we can get on to the fun!”

Her grin was wide and her gaze was crazily eager. Shadow and Amy both felt an unease enter their chests as they realized the bat had flipped from finding their impending fight a drag and nuisance, to getting pleasure at the idea of them beating each other to a pulp. 

“So, what do you say about getting this over with, huh?”

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters - Combat Training Grounds

~ September 14, 17:31~

The smell of sweat and wet towels filled the air like whipped cream in a can. Sounds of grunts and smacks filled the air like the claps of thunder. Mirrors lined most of the walls, and the miles-long space was split into four arenas. The furthest to the right was a ring with beams of energy encompassing it. Within the space agents could fight simulated enemies created with the same energy used for the bars. Although there was no fear of severe injury from the simulation, the pain felt was very real.

In the furthest left corner was a target range where agents were busy throwing, shooting, and launching any conceivable weapon on Mobius at stationary or moving targets. To the left was environmental training, where a large glass orb was filled with different terrain and obstacles for the agents to practice survival in the worst conditions. And then finally, to the right was a classic fighting matt where agents could test their skills against fellow teammates and coworkers in hand to hand combat. Currently a ram Mobian was roundhouse kicking a lizard in the face.

Standing off to the side was a group of agents who looked out of place and awkward within their setting. A pure white bat stood with her arms crossed and bored expression, but her foot tapped in an almost nervous manner. She wore a purple, pinstripe suit and her rhinestoned fingers played the piano on her arm. Next to her was a looming robot, a sight rarely seen in the mobian’s training building. But the person that held the attention of most agents was the lily white feline. She stood - a good foot shorter than her companions - with a hand on her hip, head raised in poised grace, and slight smirk on her face. No one had ever seen the Chief of Staff in the training room since her transfer to their headquarters ten months prior. 

Irina Kotka Snow watched the two training agents with pride, and hardly seemed to notice the looks of surprise, anxiety, and wonder of those around them. The agents in the ring finished their sparring match, laughed good naturedly and patted each other on the back before they laid eyes on their audience. Immediately their smiles melted into serious lines, and both of them stood at attention and greeted the Chief in loud voices.

“Good Evening, Chief Snow!”

The feline chuckled with warm humor and her hand waved lightly in the air before her as her fluffy tail swished in the opposite direction.

“At ease boys! You’re both looking good out there.”

The two agents looked at each other in bewilderment. They had not expected such words of praise from their supposed tough chief. “Uh thanks Chief,” the ram’s deep voice replied, his hand scratching at the back of his neck. Snow’s large ears flicked towards them and her whiskers twitched slightly as she studied them.

“Of course Agent Bogs. However, I would make sure you keep up with a balanced workout regimen. Your left side’s reaction time is slow, and as a result you overcompensate with your right hand swing, leaving an opening for your enemy to strike.”

Her voice came forward in a calm tone, and her mismatched eyes, although firm, were warm with mentorship. The two agents' eyes widened, surprised that she knew their names, and then Agent Bogs’ ears dropped slightly as he nodded.

“Yes ma’am.”

The lizard smirked a little, and gave his buddy a nudge, but then the Chief clicked her tongue,

“And as for you, Agent Scale, your observation skills are lacking. Despite Bogs’ weakness in his left side, you did not utilize it to your advantage, and were in fact losing. This is not good for your training nor for Bogs’ as he will not realize his failings unless you show him in combat.”

Both agents were now blushing, but neither one felt jilted. Somehow the Chief had been able to point out areas of improvement without tearing down their confidence. Bogs and Scale nodded in appreciation and left the mats to return to the locker rooms. 

Rouge’s mouth was crooked, and her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she stared at Irina's back. Before this week, her interactions with the Chief had been mostly one on one and clinical. Seeing the Chief interact with other agents, and remembering their names without help from name tags or files, made a small bloom of respect grow within Rouge. Maybe she isn’t so bad afterall.

“Now where are your two trouble-making agents, Special Agent Rouge? I would hate for them to have disregarded my command, and wasted my time.”

Chief Snow turned her head to look at Rouge from over her shoulder, and the bat gulped. Nevermind… still a cold hearted bitch. Rouge smiled as reassuringly as she could, and replied, “I’m sure they will be here in a moment…”

Snow’s ice-blue and green eyes stared at Rouge for a long moment, before she turned to tell a few agents to get off the mats to keep them clear for the upcoming spar. Rouge sighed and looked at her watch, it was about five minutes past the promised time, and neither hedgehog had shown their face. She was considering going to track them down when she heard Shadow’s classic grumble from behind her. She turned to see the dark agent approaching the mat with a scowl. His right hand was tightening some white binding over padded gloves, and his inhibitor bracelets were hanging a little looser on his wrists without the usual thick gloves he normally wore.

“So, the princess hasn’t shown up yet,” He scoffed as he arrived and noticed Amy wasn’t standing with the group of agents. He looked around and quickly spotted Chief Snow. She was standing a few feet away, her attention focused on some agents walking towards the bio-dome. His eyes widened, and he grabbed Rouge’s collar and pulled her close. His lips curled back in a snarl.

“What is she doing here? You said nothing about her watching!”

Rouge rolled her eyes and smacked Shadow’s hand away. She took her time to answer as she brushed at her collar and straightened it out. She always got annoyed with this dominating behavior of her partner. Leaving him hanging was a small form of punishment and a way to re-establish her own control. He stood with his arms crossed, and his ears flicked irately in impatience as he watched her straighten out her blazer.

“How am I to know the mind of our great and fearless leader?” Rouge drawled sarcastically, her voice low enough to avoid being overheard. She leaned in and spoke through her teeth, making sure to give her voice a tone of warning, 

“Just be grateful she didn’t have your ass written up for harassment of a junior agent.”

Shadow gritted his teeth, and Rouge felt satisfied that he had nothing to say back. Shadow looked back at the Chief, and if he was the type to be nervous this would’ve been one of those moments. Even more so than before, the pressure to beat Amy to a pulp was high. His pride would not allow him to lose in front of his boss. 

“Sorry I’m late!” The voice made both agents turn to see Amy rushing towards them, the skin beneath her peach furred muzzle was glowing pink with effort. 

“I had to get an outfit since we are doing this at headquarters instead of - Oh! Chief Snow!”

Amy’s eyes went wide as she skidded to a halt in front of the white cat. She immediately straightened her back and saluted, her face serious and her chin raised. She was wearing a grey, G.U.N. issued sports tank and short shorts, and her hands, too, bore padded gloves and binding. Chief Snow looked at her, and then the strangest thing happened, she smiled. Rouge could barely believe her eyes, rarely had she seen the coldhearted Chief curl her lips upwards, and never in the warm expression that now occupied her face. It was always smirks or calculating curls of her lip. Just what made Amy Rose so damn special? 

“Hello Agent Rose. You may relax, I’m merely here to observe,” the Chief chuckled softly as she watched the young girl hold back a sigh of relief and put a hand behind her neck.

“It’s been a while since I last saw you, what was it? Over a month ago during interviews?”

Amy laughed a little, and she shrugged, “I guess so. Wouldn’t have been so long if you hadn’t insisted on that leave of absence, ma’am.”

The feline smirked good naturedly and patted the young girl’s shoulder. As Rouge watched with amazement, she noticed a small change in the Chief’s behavior. The cat’s mismatched eyes softened, and her hand tightened slightly on Amy’s shoulder. What was that expression? If I didn’t know any better I would’ve said it was ‘concern’… but there’s just no way.

“You and I both know you needed that break.”

Amy stiffened, and her expression darkened just a moment before she covered it with a bright smile.

“I suppose so… guess I should thank you then, Chief.”

The Chief smiled at her for a moment, and looked like she was about to say something else, when suddenly an annoyed voice broke through the warm mentor and mentee conversation like a needle in a thumb.

“Are we going to do this? Or are we just going to braid each other’s hair?”

All the females present snapped their heads in the direction of the voice, and Omega made a whirring sound with his processors. Shadow glared pointedly at each one of them before landing his gaze on Amy. Chief Snow’s face hardened, and no trace of her earlier softness remained. Rouge inwardly screamed in irritation at Shadow’s apparent inability to socialize like a normal person. The boy had no sense of etiquette.

“I was unaware that you had somewhere to be and were in such a rush, Agent Shadow. Especially considering you were late in getting here,” Snow purred slowly, her tone prickly and warning. 

Rouge’s head snapped in the Chief’s direction and she felt a sudden annoyance at her behavior. Wasn’t it just a few minutes ago that the cat was ragging on Rouge about how her time was being wasted? And yet she dared to call out Shadow when Amy had also shown up late? To top it off, it was now her conversation with Amy that continued to delay the duel.

“Chief Snow, don’t you think you are being a little unfair?” Rouge butted in before Shadow could dig himself a deeper hole. The Chief froze, and then her head slowly turned to stare at Rouge with a guarded stare. This did nothing to deter the bat from making her point, and her hand came up to her hip as she cocked her head and continued,

“You insisted on forcing my team to adhere to your rules. You also gave praise to other agents, but now you are criticizing my partner for asking to start the duel that you just pointed out was running late? And it wasn’t just Shadow who showed up late, so why is he reprimanded while Agent Rose is not? This is not the fair and just Chief I have come to know.”

An awkward silence enveloped the group, and all other sounds in the training room seemed to dissipate and become meaningless in the shadow of their quiet atmosphere. Shadow looked surprised that Rouge had so quickly jumped to his defense. Of course there was a comradery from entering battle together and looking out for each other. However, it was odd that in such a socially sensitive situation, Rouge would stick her neck out for him.

Amy was staring back and forth between the two female Mobians. Both were people she looked up to and held in high regard, and she dreaded the fact that she was partially responsible for their animosity. She could feel a nervous sweat tickling her behind her ears, and she felt cold. She gulped and plastered a smile on her face as she inserted herself between the glaring ladies.

“Chief Snow, my apologies for being late and causing such an issue. Since we are all here now, can we begin the match?”

Chief Snow looked at the young anxious agent, and although her hard expression did not change, she did nod.

“Alright, however Agent Rouge, I would like to speak with you privately afterwards.”

Amy sighed and looked over her shoulder at Rouge, she gave her a smile, but the bat ignored her and instead went over to Shadow to whisper something in his ear. The ebony hedgehog flicked his long pointed ear as he listened, and both them were angled away from Amy.

Amy felt her stomach sink into her pelvis. This was not going to plan. She had only just managed to gain some rapport with Rouge, and now it looked like she’d lost it. She turned and tried to wash her worries away as she entered the sparring mat. Having her mind on anything else besides the coming match would simply spell disaster for her. As she stretched, she caught a glimpse of Rouge patting Shadow on the back as he turned and walked towards the mat. Shadow wasn’t smiling, but it seemed like his anger from a few minutes ago had lessened greatly, and his brow was no longer furrowed. When will I - no. Rather will I ever have a relationship like that? One built on trust and respect?

Amy envied their closeness, she hated her own inability to connect, and most of all she despised being the outsider. Why was she always the outsider? Was there something wrong with her? Something that made people hate her? Just what in Chaos’ name am I doing wrong…?

Shadow stood before her, and he looked at her as she finished her stretches. Her face was unreadable, and her focus was away from him. He had no need to stretch, being the Ultimate Lifeform meant he was always ready to jump into battle at a moment’s notice. He never had to exercise either, his body was immortal and self regenerated. Boundless and infinite energy was constantly flowing through the very fiber of his being. And so he just stood there, watching this weakling’s pathetic attempts at getting ready. This was going to be easy. 

“Okay I’m ready. Shadow, aren’t you going to stretch?”

Her voice seemed shallow to his ears, and he scoffed, his arms folding across his chest, and his nose turning into the air.

“I am not some weak mortal that needs to push blood through my soft flesh. I am the Ultimate Lifeform, I don’t need something as -”

“Pff-hahaha!”

Shadow was startled into silence from the unexpected sound. Amy was bracing herself on her knees and her muzzle was split as she laughed. Shadow felt a weird tingling sensation in his cheeks, and a heat like nothing he had felt before, burned his skin. Whenever he reminded people of his superiority they would either cower in fear or nervously avoid him. He had never had this reaction before. And most importantly, what was that feeling that was making his stomach turn?

“Wow... “ Amy managed to calm her laughter as she wiped a tear from her eye with a finger, “I have truly, never in my life, met someone so spectacularly arrogant as you! You even make Sonic look humble, and I once saw that boy run at full speed and punch a rock just to prove to Knuckles that he wasn’t a chicken!”

Shadow felt as though he had been punched in the abdomen at the comparison to his rival. It was then that he put a name to the emotion that choked him and stopped words from leaving his mouth. Embarrassment. He had never in his life been humiliated in front of others. He hated it. His arms fell to his sides, and his hands balled into fists. Anger. This he could work with. 

A crackling of yellow energy swirled around him, and its appearance was enough to cause Amy to stop her mocking. A fist smashed into her face, and she flew backwards. The force of her flight was so strong that she felt the rubber strings meant to keep fighters within the confines of the mat tear and snap around her. They left angry red welts on her back, and she fell to the ground. Her breath was knocked from her chest, and she gasped desperately. She looked up to see Shadow standing in the spot she had just occupied. It had all happened in less than a second. One moment he was ten feet away, and the next he was standing in her place. The fight was over before it had even begun.

She saw Rouge and the Chief lurch towards her, but she held up her hand firmly and shook her head. Both the older females hesitated to listen, worry on both their faces, but Amy shakily braced herself on her knees and lifted herself up. She rose like an injured warrior and she forced her back to straighten, ignoring the pain and stinging that her brain assaulted her with. Amy Rose would not back down.

Looking at the pink female gasping for breath with tears in the corner of her eyes, Shadow felt that he'd ended it with one punch. Satisfied, he was about to turn away and leave her to grovel, when he saw something change in her eyes. The girl looked battered, and her quills had actually managed to burst from their metal ring-tie. As she rose she never broke eye contact with him, and he found he couldn’t look away. 

He was no longer angry at her, his utter domination had finally been able to alleviate his pent up rage. It was simply a nuisance now that she refused to give up, she was doing something futile and unnecessary. He looked around and saw that they had attracted a crowd and he was inspired with an idea.  Fine, if she wants me to knock her out, then I will. Maybe then she’ll be so humiliated she’ll leave the team on her own.

This time there was no need to teleport, she was too injured to do anything to him, let alone react to defend herself against his next attack. He walked towards her, his stride steady and deliberate. She closed her eyes as he approached, and he smirked. I have to hand it to her, this girl has pride. His fist raised and he swung, and her eyes snapped open to follow the fist through the air. However, instead of flesh, Shadow’s fist flew harmlessly through empty space. He lost his balance from the unexpected absence of his target, but he righted himself quickly. Where…

He heard it before he felt it, a foot whizzing through the air, a sound that was unnatural for the movement of flesh. When it made connection with his spine it was with the force of a truck. His back bent backwards, and it was his turn to go flying through the air. This time, he ended up soaring through the air across the training room. As he was in flight, his mind tried to catch up with the events of the past few seconds. Where had Amy gone? 

His head turned and looking behind him he could not see her anywhere, not even at the place where she should have been standing from her attack on him. He closed his eyes, and forced down all emotional responses that he had to this situation. He needed a clear head. He looked towards where he was headed and saw that it was the large glass dome. This was promising, he could twist and turn on his rocket shoes in order to use his momentum to run across the side of the dome and bring himself to a slower stop.

He counted down to impact, and when he was a couple feet from the glass he twisted and tapped his heels together to manually activate his shoes. Although the heat and flames of the small rockets in his shoes shattered some glass he was able to push off from the metal frame of the dome and run along the side. A spiderweb of cracks and the tinkling of broken glass followed him until he was once more on the ground. 

As he ran, he snapped his head around trying to locate his target, but she was nowhere to be seen. He increased to just over half of his top speed, and to those who watched (by now, the entire training ground had turned their attention), he was no more than a blurry after-image zipping throughout the building. He scoured the entire arena, which spanned a couple miles long, but he could not find her anywhere. 

Perplexed, he slowed his pace until he stopped, and he was now standing in the holographic fighting circle. The agents that had occupied it quickly retreated a safe distance away, their faces a mixture of fascination and fear, but Shadow didn’t even notice. All of his instincts were on edge, his fur tingled, and his quills tried to bristle, everything in him told him he was in danger. He never allowed himself to feel fear, but there was something that didn’t feel right. He couldn’t quite figure it out, and he kept turning and looking around for her. He could actually feel her eyes on him, but he could not see them.

“Looking for me?”

The voice was the whisper of breeze in his left ear, and he almost snarled in surprise. He immediately turned his entire body to the direction of the voice, but again he was met with empty air. What in Chaos’ name? Then he heard the whizzing again, but this time he was prepared. His hand struck out like a viper, and clasped with all his strength. He heard a grunt, and then he pulled the solid air downwards. A thump resounded, and he knew she was on the ground. He punched towards the sound, but he was met with floor. 

“Impressive. No one has been able to judge where my foot would land. I guess the title ‘Ultimate Lifeform’ isn't all bullshit.”

She sounded different now, harder, detached and yet all knowing, like a warrior goddess. And still he could not see her. He growled in frustration and punched blindly where he’d heard her voice just a moment before. He heard a chuckle as he failed to connect once more.

“Still... I dunno about 'Ultimate Lifeform.’ Sounds like hot air from a puffed up idiot to me. It looks like your senses have their limit. Shall I show you my secret?”

Shadow’s rage was steadily rising, and now he could feel the blood within him singing in response to her taunting. He was losing control. Suddenly, a very dim pink aura bubbled like sea foam before his eyes, and when it disappeared it was replaced with Amy. She no longer looked like the girl he had knocked to the floor. She still had a bleeding scrape on her forehead, and her cheek was swelling up, but her eyes were crystal clear, and her stance was straight and powerful. 

He lunged at her, and this time he saw it. Her lips curled ever so slightly into a smirk, and a delightful green flame burned in her eyes. The edges of her image blurred with a pink glow, and his eyes could no longer focus on her. It was disorienting, but the worst was that when the pink cleared, she’d completely vanished from view. She can manipulate chaos energy? This realization came too late for the dark agent, and once more he felt her use the force of his attack against him. He was a little more prepared this time, and he was able to keep his feet planted on the ground. He slid into the electricity barriers of the circle, and felt the uncomfortable tingling of manufactured pain. 

He gritted his teeth, and was about to push off when his fur rose along his arms, and his quills twitched. He blinked and quickly realized what this reaction actually was. It was all his senses notifying him of an incoming attack, and so he decided to do something he had never had to do before in battle. He succumbed to his instincts. He ducked and felt his now fully bristled quills stab into flesh. Once blood had left her body, he could see it splash onto the floor below him. But Amy did not waste a moment to register her pain. 

Her leg had been scratched, but her arm swung along with her body and she leaned backward in her spin to lower her punch. It connected solidly with his stomach, and a horrible sizzling sound enveloped the area as his fur burned against electricity. Shadow’s breath was knocked from his chest, and she saw him crumple to the ground. She felt powerful elation flow through her limbs into her head. Her brain literally buzzed with adrenaline and endorphins. She could no longer feel any of her wounds.

Shadow coughed, and when he stood once more his muzzle was split into a vicious grin. Nevermind underestimating this girl, this is actually becoming interesting. He closed his eyes, and focused on each of his twitching muscles. There was no point in having his eyes open if he could not see his opponent, in fact it would only serve to hinder him. Instead, he focused on his other senses. He could smell her scent, an intoxicating floral perfume that mixed with bitter sweat, and the metallic iron of blood. He could hear her breathing and movement as she once again came in for another punch, and he could feel his body’s response to the threat. 

He parried her arm and countered her kick; she stopped his fist and dodged his blow. The two of them quickly fell into an impossibly fast and rhythmic dance, a deadly show of grace. He would jump backward and his mind would see her jump forward. She would step to the side and he would mirror her movement with his own. To viewers it looked like Shadow was performing a crazy one person reenactment of a fighting sequence, making him look insane. 

Chief Snow, Rouge, and Omega had all migrated to the second fighting ring, and were standing in silence as they watched the fight. Omega was recording it, adding notes and information to his internal database of both Amy and Shadow, his drivers and gears spinning and buzzing with what one could only assume was excitement. Rouge was watching with wide eyes, shocked that it looked like both hedgehogs were evenly matched. She had hoped it would be a quick battle. Shadow knocking Amy to the ground had convinced her of that. She knew the girl’s pride would be hurt, but at least she would be put in her place. But now Rouge did not know what to think of the battle. 

When Amy had first disappeared she had actually gasped in shock and amazement, and her head had snapped to look at the Chief like ‘did you see that?’ But the Chief was merely following Shadow’s trajectory through the air, a small, knowing smile on her face. Rouge had blinked in confusion at the expression, realizing quickly that the Chief was not in the least bit surprised. And when Shadow had run across the room, she had clapped her hands together, and looked at Rouge with bright eyes.

“Come, let’s follow them.”

Rouge didn’t move at first, her mind not registering that there had been an ace hiding in Amy’s sleeve that she had not known about - had never even dreamt would be possible. The Chief stared at her with patient understanding as Rouge’s mind caught up. Finally, the bat shook her head, and narrowed her eyes on the Chief.

“You knew… that's why you didn’t stop this fight from happening. What else are you hiding?”

The Chief chuckled, a sound that seemed foreign coming from the cold feline. In fact if Rouge didn’t know better she would’ve sworn it was a giggle. But then her face hardened, and her green and blue eyes stared at Rouge with cold, fierce authority.

“Agent Rouge, again, you have disappointed me. Have I not told you before that Amy Rose graduated top of her class? Do you think G.U.N. is such a weak organization that this fact means nothing? I would hope an agent of your caliber would know how to think and investigate for themselves, and not automatically believe the first scenario that pops in their head.” 

As they stood there and continued to watch, Rouge again glanced at Chief Snow. The feline’s face was the closest Rouge had seen to her being excited, and she wondered again just what was the relationship between her and Agent Rose. She cleared her throat. Now that she was over her initial shock, she had regained her composure and tried again. 

“Chief, I understand the confidentiality between you and agents, but was this something you really should have kept from us?” Rouge huffed irately. The only sign the cat was listening was the angle of her ears, as the rest of her body was still facing the duel. When she didn’t respond, Rouge prodded once more,

“As Team Dark’s leader at least I should have the right to know my partners abilities, and capabilities. Why did you not give me a personnel file on her? If you had, then maybe -”

“Maybe what, Agent Rouge?” The question was firm, and although she did not turn, her blue eye moved to stare coldly at the bat.

“Maybe you would’ve accepted her? Treated her better? Not protested?” Irina scoffed, her long tail flicked in irritation, “I do not think so. Tell me, was there anything I could have told you about Field Agent Amy Rose that would’ve made you, or your incredibly arrogant partner accept her into your Team?”

Rouge felt the desire to respond, but found she couldn’t say anything in her own defense. The Chief was right. The moment they had seen it was Amy, none of them had even given her a chance. They immediately refused her, and tried everything in their power to get rid of her. 

“You say that I kept information from you, but you also never looked for it. I told you much about her, that she was top of her class, highly recommended and nothing like her past self. However, you were content and insistent on relying on outdated information about the girl to make your judgment of her. Do you think if you had asked for her personnel file I wouldn't have given it to you?”

Rouge’s jaw clenched, and she turned away. She couldn’t say anything in defense. Everything the Chief said was true. Rouge hadn’t been interested in Amy in the least. Mildly curious, sure, but not invested, not in her capabilities, nor her achievements, she had simply been interested in finding a way to take her down. She had allowed her prejudice of the girl to get in her way and cloud her mind. And she was watching the result. She felt the hot burn of her pride melting, and she knew it was unfair, but in that moment she resented Amy. Why had this girl come into their life? Why was she ruining everything?

“If she is so damn perfect, why did you put her on our team? You’ve heard the rumors about us, you know how we operate. You said it was because you wanted her to improve us, but aren’t we doing just fine?”

She hadn’t meant to say all of that, but before she could stop, it had spilled through her mouth. Chief Snow had an odd effect on her that no one else had, the feline was always able to break down her composure, and Rouge had lashed out in defense.

“It’s true, your team doesn’t need help. You have managed to survive this long and that is no easy feat with you and your teammates’ track record. But know this Special Agent,” this time the Chief turned and focused her entire attention to the angry bat. Her voice came low, and there was a dark warning in her tone as she continued, 

“There are cold winds blowing in G.U.N. and there will be a time when you need the ‘perfect’ Agent Rose to weather some storms. Besides,” she turned back to look at the hedgehogs again, “Why do you think I only did this to benefit your team?”

That odd, somber sparkle when she’d been speaking to Amy earlier, had returned to the cat’s eyes. No. Rouge realized it was sadness. What… what exactly happened that would make this unfeeling female hold sympathy for that girl? And what does she mean about storms? She would’ve continued to investigate, if Chief Snow had not grunted and nodded towards the fighting ring.

“Rouge take a look, the fight seems to be close to over.”

The bat turned to see that Amy was no longer invisible, and her movements had slowed considerably. She was still keeping up with Shadow, but it was obvious between the two which was losing stamina.

Amy Rose could feel cold sweat dripping from every fiber of fur on her body, but the liquid did little to cool the heat of battle from her skin. She grunted louder with each impact, and the pain from her bruises and cuts were finally breaking through her wall of adrenaline. Her earlier confidence and calm was now a memory, and she was beginning to feel the exhaustion and frustration from a losing battle. 

Shadow still had his eyes closed, unaware that she was no longer spending energy to keep herself invisible. His face was relaxed, almost as though he had fallen asleep, and his movements were still smooth and controlled. But the most irritating part of it all was the small smirk on his face. She’d taken the time to research his abilities, mainly by spending nights studying with Omega. Shadow’s physical strength was not on par with hers, but his experience in battle was longer and much harsher than hers, and his stamina was higher than hers. Throw in bullet proof skin and he could go on forever. Despite the odds, she had honestly thought she could beat him, if not with strength at least with surprise at her abilities. But she had not expected him to be so adaptable, and overwhelming in a fight. She had always viewed the male as thick-headed and arrogant, but she was quickly realizing there was more to him than that.

Shadow was in another world. His body reacting and moving almost on its own. He had never felt such exhilaration before, never been challenged like this by an opponent. It was an odd feeling for him, part of him was actually feeling something close to joy, while the other part of him was embittered. How could Amy Rose actually think that she had a chance against him? And how dare she humiliate and mock him? She continued to find ways to worm her way into his mind, and bring forth unwanted thoughts and situations. His need to redeem his honor fueled his movements and lit a fire in his belly. 

His foot swung outward as he braced himself on the ground, and finally he felt her fall to the ground. The thud that ensued hardly concerned him, and he opened his eyes to see her laying flat on her back. He would not let this opportunity slip away. He quickly bolted on top of her, and straddled her. Her arms instinctively thrust upward, but in her weakened state he easily pinned them above her head and held them in place with one hand. His other fist came forth and firmly planted itself on her neck. She struggled for a moment, her fangs barred and her eyes alight with fight, but as he tightened his grip, she stiffened and grew still.

He leaned down, and brought his muzzle close to her ear, her sweat and blood filled his nose, and it should have been disgusting, but something burned with excitement in him at the scent. He inhaled it deeply, registering the undertones of flowers, before his mouth opened and he whispered in a cruel tone,

“I won, princess.”

He pulled back, his muzzle still in a sneer, but when he made eye contact with her, he felt his elation from his victory lessen. He had expected her to be crying, had expected her expression to be submissive and dull, but what he found instead sparked him to curiosity. Her peridot eyes were hard with an unreadable emotion, making them look dark like the impenetrable depths of a thick forest. Her brow and lips were lowered into a firm line, and she held his gaze with more determination than he had ever seen in another living creature's eyes. She wanted to fight. He could tell. But her body had failed her. Who is this girl?

“I yield.”

Her voice shattered the blank scape of confusion in Shadow’s mind, and he grunted before lifting himself off her. He stood aside as she slowly lifted herself from the ground. Her body was tie-dyed with purple, green and blue bruises, that her fur did nothing to hide. Blood was flowing heavily from her left leg, and the rest of her body was matted with blood from multiple scrapes and scratches. In contrast Shadow looked like he had never been in an altercation, he did not have any bruises, no scratches, and the only thing that showed his battle was his gloves, now stained with her blood.

There was silence around them, and he realized for the first time that they had attracted a crowd. Agents of all ranks and departments were looking at the scene with mixtures of shock, disgust, and fear. Shadow felt his stomach drop, his heart already knowing what was to come next. It would normally not bother him, but during the battle he had let go of his usual self control in order to contend with his opponent. He hated to admit it, but she’d earned that small modicum of respect from him. It was clear no one else saw it that way. As he suspected murmurs began as quietly as the dripping of sprinkling rain, but quickly filled the room like that of a monsoon.

“How scary, did you see how he mercilessly pinned her to the ground?”

“He doesn’t have a single scratch on him, demon.”

“How vile, disgusting…”

“What an asshole…”

“What a monster…”

Monster.

There it was. That word he would never escape. The word - that when asked - he would deny its weight. Deny that it made his chest twist in anger. Deny that it affects him in any way. His fist clenched at his sides, and he growled, intending to smack the closest person, but then he saw a bare peach and pink fur hand reach out in front of his vision. He looked up to see Amy staring at him with her arm extended. Her gaze was softer than before, but still held firmness. She stood tall, and she waited patiently for him to respond. The only indicator that she was in pain was the small trembling of her lower lip.

“You are a worthy and strong opponent, Shadow. It was an honor to spar with someone as talented as you. I learned a lot.”

The murmuring around them ceased as people couldn’t believe what they were seeing. None of them had ever had the courage to duel with Shadow, and certainly none of them thought it was an honor. Shadow felt his cheeks grow hot, and an uncomfortable prickling climb up his back. He may have won the fight, but why did he feel like he lost?

He smacked her hand away with a growl, and turned away from her, striding away with his eyes planted firmly in front of him. As he left the training room, he knew for certain deep down in his chest, that he did not like Amy Rose. She may be different from what he had once thought, but different did not mean his dislike for her lessened. If anything she was worse now than in the past. He yelled in anger and smashed his fist into the lockers beside him. The metal door crumbled like paper, clothing and pictures began to spill onto the ground.

How dare she pity me. How dare she humiliate me. His ruby eyes burned with fury and his fur crackled with yellow energy. 

I will not let her get away with this.

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

EPISODE 10: Interlude and Explanations

Team Dark’s Living Quarters

~ September 15, 00:04~

The night air was cool to his skin, and the small tingling of his fur standing up against it was a welcome distraction from his thoughts. The sky above was filled with galaxies and sparkling stars, and he allowed his mind to drift to the only happy memories he had. A blonde human girl, giggling and laughing, running down dark metal halls. Her face was clear as day; pale skin that was missing the rosy pink of health, clear blue eyes that seemed to always be on the verge of bursting into tears, and frail lips that always curled into warm smiles when she saw him.

Shadow felt a tug in his chest, and instead of ignoring it, he allowed it to sweep over him. When he was alone, and he thought of her, it was the only time he allowed himself to feel these gut wrenching emotions. Sadness, regret, loneliness and the worst of them; love. Under any other circumstance, these were not feelings he allowed to occupy his time, it was a waste and more often than not, would distract him from what needed to be done. He sat up, and grabbed a can that sat beside him, pulling on it until it snapped free from the four other cans that still hung onto plastic rings. He flicked the tab of the can, the foaming sizzling of carbonation tickled his nose as he brought the beer up to his tongue. 

Dozens of cans already littered the roof of the house, and the label on the silver metal sported a red chaos emerald with lettering spelling out ‘Hopping Emerald.’ It was the worst and cheapest brand of hops beer available, but it was the only type he could taste. He always found dark humor in the fact that his sense of taste was dull while his other senses were heightened to a painful degree. Not for the first time he cursed the scientists that pieced him together. It was as though they had intended for him to not feel any pleasure in his life. He was created for the sole purpose of destruction after all. 

He balled his fist and crumpled the can in his hand before reaching for another one.

“Want to break one of those off for me, hot stuff?”

His head snapped up to see Rouge fluttering her wings and landing on her tip-toes onto the roof in front of him. She was giving him a sleazy smile and her ears flicked back and forth as she studied his face. Shadow scoffed and threw a can at her with more speed then was needed. She caught it easily and sat down next to him.

“Bat, what did I say about calling me those pet names you use on all your boy toys?”

Rouge chuckled at his irritated tone, and popped open her can as she leaned back. She was in her house clothes, sweats and a v-neck top. Shadow couldn’t help but notice the  fluffy pink slippers she wore. On anyone else, they’d look entirely innocent. On her, they looked like some unfortunate small animals that she had skinned and turned into shoes. Wouldn't be surprised to find out that's the truth, Shadow smirked at the thought. She took a long sip from her can, and screwed her face up in disgust at the bitter piss taste.

“How can you stomach these? They're absolutely vile.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes and took the can from her with a quick grab. 

“If you don’t like it, why did you ask for one? And you still haven’t answered my question.”

Rouge smiled and batted her eyes innocently, “Aw, come on Shady, why do you always have to be so uptight?” Then her smile turned to a smirk as he inhaled sharply at her words.

“You make it too easy to tease you, that's why I do it. It's fun to get under your skin.”

“Ha!” He exclaimed, and gulped down her unfinished can. She watched him silently, and when he was finished, she broke off two more, handing one to him and keeping the other for herself. Shadow looked at the can in her hand and debated taking it from her too, but decided it wasn’t worth the effort. They sat there for a while in silence, staring up at the sky and drinking from cans of cheap alcohol. It was times like these that Shadow almost didn’t mind her presence, and it was almost relax -

“So, are you going to tell me why you’re so insanely angry at Amy, or are you going to continue to pout like a child?”

He growled. I take that back, there is never a time this female would just leave me alone. He had barely managed to calm his rage from yesterday with the quiet and beer, but now it was all dredged up once more. He grumbled and pulled a can from a new six pack that sat on the pile behind him.

“I don’t have to explain anything to you.”

Rouge scoffed at Shadow’s obstinate response . Technically he did, and if she pressed she knew he would. Still, that wouldn’t stop him from testing the reigns, especially when she wasn’t looking. Normally she was all for malicious compliance - it certainly kept her on her toes and made the day to day drudgery of their jobs more tolerable. But after his stupid display at his little grudge match it was made clear to her that Chief Snow was not in the mood to deal with any more of Shadow’s… excentricities; especially while it concerned their new team mate.  

Considering the information I got from Snow… the sooner he gets with the program the better. As much as I love a slow-burn, delicate touch… I’m going to have to be much more blunt about this than usual.

“Look, Amy is not going anywhere. It's been made painfully clear to me by Snow that if something like this happens again, it will be your ass on the line...” She paused as she reached the next part, the words solidifying in her throat like fat in a pipe.

“She’s put you on a performance probation, Shadow. I don’t think I can protect you this time…”

Shadow stared straight ahead as she spoke, his ruby eyes blank, and his mouth in a hard line. This was not unexpected, and Rouge knew that although it seemed like he was not listening to her, he was in fact hyper focused on her words. She also knew how important his job and position at G.U.N. was to him, which was why it was so odd to Rouge in the first place that he would be reacting to Amy so strongly. With no other plan, she decided to prod it for a second time.

“You’re hot headed, but you aren’t dumb. I also know that you tend to keep your emotions in check to an annoying degree. So please, help me understand why Amy has gotten you so riled up? This isn’t like you.”

Her tone was soft now, and she could see his stiffened shoulders relax ever so slightly. Good, she was making progress. His jaw was still clamped, and his leg started to shake despite him sitting on the roof. 

“Honestly, I don’t entirely know the reason… and the fact that I don’t know is just making it worse.” He finally admitted, his teeth grinding in protest. 

Shadow hated having to tell her anything about his feelings, but he would be lying if the news of his probation hadn’t thrown him into a state of panic. And, well, the list of people he could trust was short, and unfortunately Rouge was on the top. He didn’t know about Snow, but he did know for sure that there were other higher ups crouching in the shadows around him, just waiting for any golden opportunity to throw him into a cell. Not to mention the Mobian scientists that practically salivated at the thought of being able to experiment on him, and dissect him to figure out how he ticked. He had heard their whispers, and secret desires, and it was one of the few things that could make his skin crawl… he would do anything to stay away from those tubes, and needles, and -

“I don’t even care to know,” he growled, his fist crushing a can.

 Rouge held her breath, she could tell that he was going to clam up soon. She could see that familiar hardened expression spreading from his eyes to his clenched jaw. It was the expression he made when things got too sensitive and deep.

“You better figure it out soon… your little rivalry with Chief’s Pet Amy is painting you in a bad light.”

A low, deep growl emitted from him, and like a drowning victim he latched onto his anger towards her. It was an escape from the cold prison of memory that had begun to close around his mind.

“See that’s my fucking problem with her right there. She’s putting on this ‘perfect’ act, and making me look incompetent and weak. I was the one that beat her in the fight. There shouldn’t be any question of my worth as an agent versus hers. Yet I’m the one being put on probation?”

Shadow was seething, but she’d gotten what she wanted, information on his true feelings. Rouge sighed, and shut her eyes. Her mind battled with the temptation to share everything she’d discussed with Snow. But she knew it would do more harm than good.

“Shadow, I am not going to sit here and tell you to be best friends with the girl.”

Shadow scoffed at ‘friend,’ and took a very dramatic swig from his can. She felt a little bit of dark pleasure at seeing his display. He was nothing if not entertaining. 

“But I am asking you, as your oldest partner - and ordering you as team leader - that you stop acting like a spoiled child and get back to being the aloof grump I know and love. Instead of this angry furball just waiting to blow at any second.”

His ruby eyes slowly moved in his sockets until he stared at Rouge with a calculating gaze. She knew he was thinking about possible ways to throw her off this building and make it look like an accident. But she also knew he wasn’t about to directly disobey an order from his direct commanding agent.

“Rouge, I can’t make any promises. But I will take what you said into consideration.”

Rouge smiled warmly at him, and he looked away from her, his ears flicking in what she knew was discomfort at her affection. One of these days he would stop pushing people away, and she looked forward to when they would be able to call their relationship for what it was. Friendship. 

“That’s all I can ask for.” She replied, her smile unwavering. She stood, and gulped down the rest of her beer before tossing it next to the other empty cans.

“Make sure you clean all this up.”

Shadow grunted in acknowledgement but kept his head angled away from her. She shook her head in good humor, and then walked to the edge of the roof. Her wings snapped open, and she felt the cool night breeze whisper things of the sky on her thin skin. She closed her eyes and drank in the feeling, it was almost as good as holding a priceless gem. 

She turned her head to look at Shadow from over her shoulder, and gave him a wink, “I know you’ll hate hearing this, but it needs to be said. Good job today, I really enjoyed watching you fight. Congrats on the win.”

Shadow’s head turned to look at her, but she was no longer facing him. She put a foot out, and leaned forward until she dropped from view. A few seconds later she burst up into the sky and disappeared into the clouds. He took a sip from his can, trying to ignore the soft burn that had seeped onto his face at her compliment. 

Ruby’s Lounge 

~ September 15, 01:56 ~

Ruby’s wasn’t Rouge’s first choice for a bar, but with the day and night she was having, it was the best choice. The lounge was in the lobby of the fanciest hotels in Station Square, and had such a good reputation for its food and alcohol, that even the locals would rave about it and frequent the plush booths. The walls were like cream cheese frosting, and the lights were dimmed just enough to leave it’s patrons relaxed without forcing them to stumble around in the dark. The booths and stools were all padded with high quality, dark brown leather, and each table had crystal centerpieces with candles. A stage with velvet red curtains and metal microphone was occupied by a lark singing mellow melodies to the slow beat of a band behind her.

Rouge sat at the bar, her pajamas and bunny slippers were hardly looked at twice by the small population of people in the lounge. She appeared to be a guest with trouble sleeping who’d come to the hotel’s bar for a nightcap. She swirled the honey colored hard liquor in a thick crystal glass and allowed herself to shed some of her mental walls. No one here knew her, and the anonymity allowed her to percolate on the day’s - or rather yesterday’s - events. 

She had been reluctantly impressed by the skill and endurance of Amy, and she could now admit that G.U.N. had been smart to recruit her. Despite this she still couldn’t reconcile that the girl had been placed on her team. Even after having the one-on-one with Snow after the fight she still had many unanswered questions. She took a sip, enjoying the warm burn that flowed down her throat and her stomach. Her head lowered into her crossed arms on the bar and as she stared into an empty glass, she went through the conversation with a fine toothed comb.

“Here.” 

The curt word was almost overlapped with the thump of a light grey folder dropping in front of Rouge. The bat looked up from her lap to the Chief’s cold gaze. She was not feeling her usual confident self after the tongue lashing she had just received and the dreadful news of Shadow’s punishment. She had fully expected the cat to kick her out of her office, but Irina continued to stare at her until she carefully picked up the folder and opened it. It was the personnel file on Field Agent Amy Rose.

The first thing that struck her was the profile picture taken on what looked like orientation day of the academy. Amy was much younger in the photo, almost to a shocking degree. Rouge realized that the current Amy had hard lines etched in her face, even when she smiled. The Amy in the photo had shorter quills, and stood against a white wall in a new and crisp uniform. Her eyes were creased from the large and brilliant smile on her face. She looked like the girl Rouge remembered.

Her seafoam eyes lingered on the image for just a little longer, before her gaze moved to the profile information.

Name: Amy Rose

Birthdate: September 26, 20XX Age: 20

Species: Hedgehog Gender: Female

Known Family: None

Known Affiliations: Sonic the Hedgehog, Cream the Rabbit, Tails Miles Prower...

All of this information was known to Rouge, so she stopped reading and flipped the page. The next detailed out her accomplishments, her abilities, and her weaknesses. She was well versed in all hand combat and melee weapons. However, she fell short with her marksmanship and technical skills. She had amazing stealth thanks to her invisibility, which was noted that it only developed in her second year at the academy. This was all information that Rouge eagerly read, and made mental notes of. Once she was finished she closed the file and set it back onto the table.

“Why did you stop? You weren’t done yet.”

Rouge cocked her head, and gave the Chief a confused look. “Isn’t the rest just records of her degrees and licenses she received through the cadet program?” Rouge scoffed, and sat back in her chair. Her earlier reservations were now disappearing and she once again found the fire to push back against Snow’s ridiculous requests. 

“Why would I need to read the perfect student’s report card? You already said she excelled at every class so why -”

“It's not all degrees. There's also information on disciplinary actions she was involved in,” The Chief replied coolly. Rouge’s ear flicked back and forth in morbid interest. Amy was involved in disciplinary actions? Now that would be a good read.

She quickly picked up the folder and flipped the pages towards the back, her mouth practically drooling at the thought of finally having dirt on the perfect, holier than thou Amy Rose.

Complaint Report

Complainant: Amy Rose

Name of Recipient/Dictator of Document: Sergeant Willis the Dog

Date: September 28, 20XX Date of Incident: September 28, 20XX

Names of Involved: Sr. Cadet Pandora the Jackal, Sr. Cadet Moon the Cat, Cadet Crystal A. Feather

Incident: Cadet Rose was pushed against lockers and mocked. 

Notes: Explained to Cadet Rose that this is to be expected with new recruits, a little hazing is common practice. Confirmed that if it were to continue to report this to me.

Rouge stared at the paper, her eyes lingering on the word ‘hazing.’ Did people really still do something so uncivilized as hazing? She flipped to the next page. Another incident was reported with the same lack of detail, and the conclusion being harmless hazing. The next was the same and so on. Until there was actually a Warning Report filed which stated that if Amy did not fix the problem and continued to cause strife amongst other cadets, that she would be written up and have a permanent tarnish on her record for insubordination. 

Then the name of the complainant changed from Amy to Pandora the Jackal. Accusations of Amy sabotaging her team, or not following orders of her senior cadets. Most were filed in her first year as a cadet, with only a couple in her second year. Sometimes the names of those involved would change, but the one consistent was Pandora the Jackal.

“What is this?” It was rare that Rouge would be shocked by information she was told. And even rarer for her to feel a shudder of disgust towards someone she had never met before.

The Chief sighed, and her hands folded in front of her.

“A gross failing of the cadet honor code.”

Rouge looked up, and she could see that familiar sadness from earlier just barely shining through the Chief’s eyes.

“Agent Rose was systematically and cruelly targeted by her senior cadet Pandora the Jackal and her followers.” Irina’s voice was soft now, and her whiskers fluttered as her mouth moved,

“Unfortunately, I do not have all the details nor the evidence to take action against those involved. Mainly due to the fact that Agent Rose refuses to rat out her abusers. Whether it is some way to protect herself or some twisted ideal of loyalty to her seniors that was forced upon her, I do not know. However, this was what convinced me it had gotten to a very extreme level of harassment.”

The Chief turned to her computer monitor, clicked and typed a few things, and then angled the monitor for Rouge to see.

The screen was black for a moment, and then a blurry image came into focus. It was Amy, sitting on a metal chair in what looked like a locker room. It was hard to see, but Rouge could make out white zip ties pinning her ankles and wrists to the arm rest and chair legs. She was wearing tattered clothing, and her body was bruised badly. Rouge noted that the injuries were isolated to the inner parts of her arms and legs and her stomach. Areas that could easily be covered with clothing. They could only see it in the video because of the state her current clothes were in.

“Please…” Amy’s voice crackled into the mike. The camera bobbed up and down slightly as whoever was recording laughed silently.

“I don’t want to read it. I won’t.” She was looking directly in the camera now, her eyes sharp, and her body stiff as she tried to remain strong. There was a click and suddenly little sparks of electricity danced in the fur on her wrists, and her body spasmed. Words popped up in a crude edited fashion that read, ‘Look how excited the whore is to give her parting gift to her seniors. She’s practically dancing!’ When the sparks stopped, Amy slumped forward, snot and tears streaming down her face, and her teeth chattered like a wood pecker’s beak in her mouth. 

Rouge felt her stomach turn, and she wanted more than anything to look away. However, she sat still, her jaw in a hard line, and her ears aching with the need to flatten against her scalp. 

Amy was now sitting still in her seat, and her body was limp. After a moment a figure moved in front of the camera in a way that blocked all view of who it could be. Then a sickening slap cracked over the speakers, and a second one followed closely behind. Rouge flinched at each sound, and she felt her mouth go dry. 

The figure moved away from the view of the camera, and the screen was once more filled with Amy sitting in that metal chair. Her head had been pushed back, and her neck was bent awkwardly. More words popped onto the screen that read ‘Sorry, looks like she couldn’t wake up this time. Just know that our little fangirl is wishing the best for her seniors, and wanted this video to be a little gift to her fans!’

The screen went black once more and the small office was thrown into a dark silence. Rouge could not believe what she had just seen. This went beyond the typical hazing rituals and sped full speed into assault. She had no idea something like this had happened to Amy. Sure Amy was different from a few years ago, but she still had her opportunistic spirit, and at least at the start of her joining Team Dark she’d had a bubbly personality. How was she able to still smile after something like this?

“I’ve watched this video dozens of times in failed attempts to gain some clue to the attackers. Each time it makes my blood boil.”

Rouge looked at the Chief, and felt fear for the first time fill her as she locked with the Chief’s gaze. The Chief was usually better than even Rouge at keeping her inner thoughts and emotions in check, but this was not one of those times. Her mismatched eyes burned with cold ferocity, one a ice scape of blue and the other a freezing jade. Her hands were now fisted on the desk, and her ears twitched uncontrollably. Rouge gulped, but she understood the sentiment.

For all her annoyance, Amy Rose was a decent Mobian, she was kind and only ever lashed out in defense. Thinking of the self-confident, and empowered female from the past few days, Rouge could barely believe that she was the same broken soul she had just seen in the video. No one deserved that sort of treatment, especially not Amy. The only person Rouge felt protective of was Shadow, and she liked to keep it that way. However, after seeing that, and her imagination trying to fill in what could’ve happened between the written lines on the reports, she couldn’t help but feel her blood boil as well. 

“What about the Sergeant? How could he possibly get away with ignoring such atrocities underneath his command?” 

Irina shook her head, and her voice came forth with an underlying growl, “That male… I was able to find further evidence of his incompetence, but due to his many years in service to our Government and G.U.N. he was simply reassigned to a different department.”

Rouge stared at the Chief in disgust. She had known that there was corruption in G.U.N. from the moment she’d entered the organization, a criminal could recognize another criminal. However, she had never been as close to such an abuse of power as this moment. She placed her hands in her lap, and balled them into fists. She could feel her perfectly manicured nails digging into her flesh but she hardly noticed.

“And I can assume from how this video and the reports were made, that Pandora was able to get away unscathed?” Rouge’s voice was monotone, but her eyes burned just as Snow’s did.

“Yes. As you most likely noticed, the perpetrators were very careful to leave minimal evidence behind. No audio, carefully placed injuries, and a tight circle of perpetrators. I only received this video because one of the agents came forward anonymously and submitted it to me. However, I do not know who it was, nor did they name any names of those involved. So the only use this video has is that we can know a little of what she went through.”

The Chief sighed, and her hands relaxed as she attempted to regain composure.

“Even though Pandora’s name is riddled all over the complaint files, I can do nothing to discipline her. For one she is not currently under my command, and since an officer of higher rank has already looked over the issues when they happened and dealt with it as he saw fit, I can not reopen any of these cases. The only way I would be able to do something is if someone came forward and admitted to their crimes, or if Amy herself asked me to open up an investigation, which...”

“Which is unlikely.” Rouge finished. The Chief's gaze stayed on hers for a moment, before she looked away.

“I can’t begin to understand why Amy would refuse to report such harassment to me. I can only hope that as she becomes more used to the way I run things , that she will come forward.”

The room was silent once more as they contemplated the information. Rouge felt an odd feeling in her stomach. It was like she had swallowed a baseball, and it was slowly moving through her digestive tract. An image of Amy in the fitting room entered her mind. Her hesitance to have Rouge (a higher ranking agent) inside the fitting room with her as she changed, the look on her face as she was transported to a different time. And then the image was replaced with her sitting at the sushi restaurant, her finger itching a scar on her hand. Once the memory cleared, Rouge was able to identify the feeling in her gut. Guilt.

“I don’t understand Chief,” Rouge said, her voice muffled as she kept her head down as she looked at her hands.

“Why would you place her on our team? It’s even more confusing now that you’ve shown this to me. You know what my team is like, especially Shadow. How did you expect this to go? It's not like we can treat her like a special flower that can break at any time. And even if I told Shadow about this -”

“Don’t.”

Rouge looked up at the firm word. Until now Snow had been pretty soft in her tone, but now authority had returned to her voice. She was back to her usual firm attitude, and her slitted eyes stared down her muzzle at Rouge.

“Don’t tell Agent Shadow. I only showed you this information because you are the team leader, and you were right earlier when you said you should know everything about all your teammates. However, this is not something we can share casually with others. It is something that Agent Rose needs to decide when she is ready to share this information.”

Rouge’s back straightened, and she forced herself to remain looking in Irina’s hard gaze. The Chief was right, but Rouge also didn’t like the idea of keeping something from her oldest partner.

“Being a leader is a lonely path, Rouge.”

The absence of ‘agent’ in front of her name caused the bat’s chest to squeeze. The expression on Snow’s was slightly softer as she looked at Rouge, and she knew that this time it was because of her and not Amy. So it's not just Amy the Chief cares about. This was a new revelation for Rouge. She had always thought the Chief was cold, but she was realizing that Irina was much more than that. She may be tough, she may hold her agents to a high standard, but she also deeply cared about every single one equally. For the first time since entering G.U.N. Rouge found herself actually liking the Chief that commanded them. However, there was still a shadow of a doubt in her heart. She knew she couldn’t fully trust the Chief yet, especially since she hadn’t had a chance to find out how the Chief was monitoring them, and why.

The bat gave a nervous smile and nodded in acknowledgement.

“As for your question of me placing Amy on a team with a hard headed male, cunning thief, and ex-killing machine robot, all I can say is that I see this as an opportunity for all of you to grow.” Then the Chief smirked with a knowing look and leaned back in her chair, 

“Besides, where else would an ex-Sonic-fangirl be able to fit in? All of you have your pasts, but you don’t allow that to impede your work. My hope is for you to recognize her worth, and move forward.”

Rouge motioned at the bar tender for another glass, and closed her eyes as she listened to the singer. The Chief was right of course, as she so obnoxiously always was. It was not smart to tell Shadow. Not because he would do something nefarious with the information, He may have a dark bit of fun, she admitted to herself, But even he wouldn’t cross any real lines , but it wouldn’t change his mind, and it wasn’t Rouge’s place to say anything. She still didn’t know how Amy Rose fit into their lives, and it was even unfair of her to take pity on the girl. Sure she went through something horrendous, but from spending time with Amy for the past week, she knew the female would not appreciate sympathy. Amy wanted to prove herself, and be an equal partner, and that couldn’t happen if Rouge treated her differently just because she knew Amy’s past pain. She smirked, that chaos-damned Chief knows what she’s doing. Anyone else would walk on eggshells around the girl and not take her seriously.

The song ended and the elegant lark bowed, thanked the audience and gave a reminder that the bar would be closing soon. Rouge downed the last of her drink, tossed a couple crumpled paper ring bills onto the counter and made her way outside. The cool night air was sharp and her large ears reflexively folded in defense of the thin skin. She decided to walk for a minute before returning home.

The city at night was less active but not quiet, and she couldn’t stop from observing all those around her, an occupational hazard. There was a couple that held hands but didn’t look at each other, instead walking a few feet from each other. On the road to a break up. Rouge dodged a puddle and she stared disdainfully at the pink fur on her slippers, the tips of her toes were slowly becoming black, they would have to be thrown out. She took a quick jog and began to flap her wings. The few mobians still on the sidewalk moved to the sides and glared at her as she passed. She jumped into the air and winked at a few as she took to the skies. It was a dark pleasure of hers to look down on those who were mobius-bound.

As she broke through the cloud barrier and dipped into the starry pools of the atmosphere, she closed her eyes and forced herself to think again about her most current issues. How could she get the two hedgehogs to at least be civil with each other? She thought about Shadow and what he held as important. Maria and doing well at work. She couldn’t imagine how the memory of Maria would help here, but she could think of a way that she could force them together at work.

Rouge’s lips curled in a wicked smirk. Like it or not, Team Dark would have to get used to this thorny rose.

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

EPISODE 11: The Thieves of Babylon - Part 1 

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters 

~September 25, 09:43~

Amy took a deep breath, and rubbed her left arm tiredly. She felt the little bumps of bandage wrapping beneath her dress shirt, and a dull ache on her skin where she pressed. It wasn’t nearly as bad as last week, she hadn’t been able to leave her bed the day after the duel with Shadow, and looked like a mummy with all the bandaging around her body. 

A trip to the infirmary after the fight had informed her that although she looked like she had been hit by a truck and dragged several miles, most of her injuries were superficial. It was the gash on her leg and the cut on her head that had concerned G.U.N.’s doctor, but it was nothing a couple dozen stitches couldn’t fix. Now she merely had dull aches over her body, her head was healed, and she’d be able to remove the stitches in her leg soon.

Currently, she was sitting at her desk in the team’s office, with only Omega as company. Amy had seen Rouge chatting with a male on her cell phone this morning, before she’d made some excuse about going on an errand. And Shadow… well she hadn’t seen much of him since the fight. When she did see him, he completely ignored her and in some cases wouldn’t even look at her. If she was being honest, it was a relief. 

She had no idea how to interact with the sour male, and everything she had tried up until now had only seemed to widen the large gap between them. She was tired of trying to somehow prove herself to him, tired of trying to make him like her. So she left him to sulk and disregard her presence, and her days had turned quite peaceful, especially since they hadn’t had a mission in the field since Knothole. 

The one downside to having downtime, was that her mind wandered to other things. Things she would rather not dwell on, and these things revolved around Sonic and her old friends. Cream’s total lack of interest in her perspective and her bitterness towards Amy, shifting the  blame to make Amy the one who abandoned their friendship made Amy’s gut twist. The disgust and hate on Tail’s face lingered at the edge of her mind like a sick tattoo, and worst of all was Sonic’s pure panic when he’d seen her. Sonic was a courageous hero, nothing bothered him. He never shed a tear, never been unsettled or fearful of anything. So the fact that his first response to seeing her after so long was to be completely shocked and then run away, spoke to how shattered their relationship had truly become.

This made her realize that although they had fought and left things on bad terms, that she had always held onto a hope that after she settled into G.U.N. they could rectify their relationship. But now she feared it may be too broken to repair.

“Omega?” she called before she could stop herself.

“Yes Amy Rose?”

She swiveled in her chair to face the robot, who was sitting in the corner. She hesitated to ask the question, wondering if he was the right person to speak to, especially since he was a robot and not a living Mobian. However, maybe that was what she needed, an analytical view.

“Omega, can you tell me if there is any recent news of Sonic and his team?”

Omega’s glass eyes seemed to brighten a bit, and there was a moment of silence while he processed her request. 

“Sonic the Hedgehog was in the local news of Knothole a couple weeks ago, the article praised him for his efforts in removing Eggman from his base.”

“Well I know about that… we were there,” She sighed, worried that she was asking for something pointless.

“I want to know about recent news, like where he’s been, any cool stunts, or -”

“Omega now understands, Amy Rose wishes to know the new hot topic, the gossip, the dirt, the -”

“Hey! Where did you learn that type of language?” She felt her cheeks grow warm as he bluntly pointed out her secret desire behind her inquiry.

“Starry Nights, the show Amy Rose watches with Omega. Was Omega wrong about your request?”

Her first instinct was to deny, and shut it down, but there was a larger part of her that anxiously wanted to hear that hot gossip that Omega obviously had. Amy glanced around, even though she knew no one was with them or in ear shot.

“No, you weren’t wrong… What is the latest… gossip?”

Omega hummed, and she could’ve sworn it was a chuckle, but then his voice came forth once more in his monotone, disinterested tone.

“The gossip magazine, Chaos Control , has sighted Sonic the Hedgehog frequenting bars and clubs. They have images of the subject in these establishments, should I project them for you to view?”

“Uh I don’t think that’s nece -”

Before she could finish, Omega unfolded himself, turned his head and projected a green and black image of Sonic with a drink in one hand and an unknown female in the other. His eyes looked glazed and his mouth was cracked in a loose smile. Amy blinked and felt her stomach turn to stone. She had seen Sonic tipsy only once before, the last birthday she celebrated with him had been his 21st and everyone had been interested to see if he could even get drunk because of his slow metabolism. It had taken him the amount of drinks for three people to be black out drunk for him to begin to feel tipsy, so the fact that he looked gone from his brain told her that he had probably drunk the club out of almost all their alcohol. This was made even more unbelievable by the fact that Sonic had sworn off what he called ‘the drink of Chaos,’ and claimed he hated how sluggish he got from it.

“There was also a report that he and the echidna, Knuckles, were engaged in a fight outside of a bar.”

The image changed, and now she was staring at a scene that sent a chill through her chest. Sonic was on the ground looking up at the large echidna towering over him. She couldn’t see Sonic’s expression because his back was to the camera, but it was the expression on Tails’ face that tore her heart to shreds. He was crying, and he was standing sideways between the two friends, his mouth parted in desperation and his body tense. 

She turned away, her heart beating as though she were there with them. 

“How long ago was that?”

“This was dated on September 12, a little under two weeks ago.”

That was the night after our mission…

“Is there anything else since then?”

Silence for a few moments, “Negative. No other tabloids, reports, articles.”

Amy shut her eyes and felt as though her feet were sinking into the cement ground of their office and the walls seemed to close in on her. With Sonic, no news usually meant good news, but it could also mean that he’d disappeared. He would do that from time to time, and as she’d grown up with him, Amy came to realize that most of these times were because something was bothering him. A friend almost dying on a mission, Eggman staying quiet for too long, or his typical nomadic tendencies rearing their ugly head again. Guilt clawed through her, and she couldn’t help thinking that he’d disappeared again, and that it was her fault.

Ring! Ring!

Her hand snapped to the phone on her desk and she answered,

“Agent Amy Rose speaking,”

“Agent Rose,” the scratchy voice of the Deputy Chief sent shivers down her arm, “report to my office.”

Amy slowly hung up the phone, but her hand stayed on top of the receiver for a moment. Her lungs took in a deep breath, and she closed her eyes. Deputy Chief Whiskers didn’t seem like someone she should keep waiting, and it wouldn’t do her any good to let her personal problems cloud her mind at work. So she compartmentalized her worries and fears, and exited their office.

When she arrived at the Deputy’s she was surprised to see that Shadow was waiting with the Deputy for her. Instantly she felt the nerves in on every inch of her skin tingle in high alert. He didn’t even look up when she entered the room, he was sitting in a chair with his arms folded and his expression as stiff as stone. 

“Agent Rose reporting for duty sir.” She saw Shadow’s mouth twitch at her standard greeting.

“Sit down next to your teammate there, while I gather some materials for you.”

Amy nodded and sat in the empty chair next to Shadow, and took a moment to look around the office, since it was better than blatantly avoiding Shadow. The office was smaller than Chief Snow, and was made even tighter because of the mess. Files and papers littered every surface and the ground was covered with scraps of paper and dirt. Old food left a moldy, wet scent in the air, and Amy tapped into her training in order to remain composed. She did glance at Shadow for a moment, impressed that he looked unaffected by the smell. She remembered from his personnel file that he had enhanced senses. She could only assume that in reality he was suffering from the stench.

“Here, take a look over these. It’s your new assignment,” A light grey folder was dropped in her lap and she heard a twin thump beside her indicating that Shadow had received a similar folder. She opened it up to see case files that detailed several robberies and small misdemeanors.

“Recently a string of thefts and small time crimes have been linked to a new criminal group calling themselves the Babylon Rogues. Until now it’s been minor thefts of jewelry stores and a couple museums. Nothing that would have been placed on our radar.”

Amy looked over the pages in the file, there were three profiles on the top. The first was a female mobian. She was a bird with purple feathers, the picture captured her looking to the right with a smirk on her face. The name across the top was Wave the Swallow. It listed her as the mechanic of the team. Amy did a quick scan of her page before flipping the next one. This time there was a large male mobian with grey feathers. The picture showed him mid trip, his eyes wide and his arms flailing. The profile stated that he was merely brute force. She felt the corner of her mouth curl a bit in the humor of the image. 

She turned the page, a smile still on her lips when she saw who was on the next page. Green feathers, blue eyes like a summer sky, and a cocky smirk to match. Her finger grazed the sharp beak of a hawk mobian. Well isn’t he a looker?

“Jet the Hawk.”

The deputy’s voice snapped Amy from looking at the page, she blinked a couple times.

“Excuse me?”

“Jet the Hawk, he’s the leader of the group.” The Deputy responded, tapping the picture in her lap with long yellow claws.

“Word on the street is that Jet here is looking to steal something big this time. Something that isn’t mere jewelry and could potentially cause larger headaches for us in the future.”

“And what exactly is that? And why call us in here?”

Amy glanced over at Shadow, surprised he was speaking in her presence. He wasn’t looking at her, in fact the way he angled his face from her was as though he was pretending she wasn’t even there. She sighed and looked to the deputy waiting for his answer.

“The Chief wants to find out exactly what they are planning to steal and to stop them,” Deputy Whiskers leaned back in his chair, his long rat muzzle parted and a pointy tongue came forth and began to flick between sharp fangs. Amy resisted the urge to gag. 

“And the other word on the street that we are getting from our informants is that they are looking for new crew. That’s where you two come in.”

Silence entered the office as the implications slowly dawned on the two agents who only sat a foot from each other, but the gap between them spanned for eons. Amy gulped and bent and unbent the file in her hand. She heard Shadow shift beside her, and his voice came forth with a hard edge to it,

“You’re not suggesting that the two of us -”

“You’re right. I’m not suggesting,” Whiskers interrupted and leaned forward enough that his breath burned their nostrils, “I am ordering you.”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed, and Amy saw his quills quiver slightly as he glared into the Deputy’s bloodshot eyes. Amy cleared her throat and chuckled a little nervously,

“I’m sorry, sir, I’m still not quite sure what you are getting at…”

Of course she knew, it was obvious from the rat’s set up what he wanted from them both, but she thought that playing the naive agent might help to lighten the mood. She was not disappointed as the Deputy’s face relaxed and he leaned back once more to give her a sleazy smile. She shivered at the look, but didn’t falter the sweet smile on her face.

“Ah, of course Agent Rose, this would be your first time receiving a mission like this.”

He reached for some files on his desk, wiping away old food and handing them over to them both. This time the files were thinner, and when Amy opened up the file she was staring at a black hedgehog with green eyes. It was a female hedgehog and her quills were unkept and her eyes looked insane. She was holding a board with numbers and words on it, announcing her incarceration date and name. Betty Bang. She was an explosion specialist, and her rap sheet was two pages long.

Amy glanced over at Shadow’s file and saw that there was a black hedgehog on his page too. 

“These are the Bang twins. One an expert with explosives and the other an expert in breaking safes. The two of them were recently caught during a bank robbery, and we kept it quiet so that the news didn’t get out. You both will be going undercover as them and get on the Babylon Rogues’ team.”

Shadow scoffed and tossed the file back onto the desk. He stood abruptly and made for the door.

“I’m not doing this,” Shadow growled, and Amy felt her heart sink. She knew he didn’t like her, and being forced to go undercover was probably not ideal, but it was still hurtful that he was so against it.

“You don’t have a choice, Agent Shadow. This is coming from the Chief. She chose you personally.”

Shadow’s hand froze on the knob, his back stiff, shoulders hunched. A heavy silence weighed on them, and the rat was sitting with a sickeningly satisfied look on his face. Then he slowly turned back around, his face was set in an annoyed expression, his jaw tight, and fists clenched. He sat back down, still refusing to look at Amy.

“I thought so, don’t want me to give a bad report to the Chief, do you? Especially so soon into your probation.” The rat was sniggering as he said it, and Amy saw Shadow flinch. She could feel a hot anger slowly building next to her.

“Probation?” She asked, concern laced her voice. She had not heard of this before now, and she could tell that it was not a good thing.

“Yes, this little arrogant ass finally got what was coming to him. All because he beat you -”

“Shut up. It's no one’s business.”

Amy flinched at Shadow’s words, and suddenly everything made sense. He was on probation because of her. Because she was on the team, because they had gotten into a fight. Guilt crushed her for the second time that day, and she felt a cold sweat at the base of her neck.

“I didn’t realize...”

Shadow huffed, and snatched the file off the desk, “Of course you didn’t. That’s beside the point. How are we supposed to pass for these two crazy criminals? Last I checked we look nothing like these two.”

Amy stared at the photo in her hand and she nodded. The species may be right, but the looks were completely different. 

“You of all people, Agent Shadow, should know that here at G.U.N. we have ways of getting around that,” Whiskers looked at the clock above his door, and stood up, “You guys best get a move on. You need to make a stop at the IT department, and the lab.”

Amy saluted, Shadow rolled his eyes and then the two of them were outside in the hall standing still and silently. Amy regretted the tightness of her pencil skirt. It felt uncomfortable in the awkward air that hung like heavy weights between them. She brushed some quill fringe from her face, and looked at Shadow. He was leaning up against the wall with his eyes shut tight and his arms firmly crossed. 

“So…” She started slowly, her fingers fidgeting in a clasp behind her back, “Where should we go first?”

Shadow grunted and pushed off the wall, and without even giving her a glance he started down the hallway. 

Great, guess I’ll just follow you then, she thought with a sigh, and made sure to follow him at a little distance.

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters  - IT Department

~September 25, 10:32~

“Oh my stars! Amy! It's been too long!”

The high pitched cheery voice caused Shadow’s ears to twitch, and he grimaced as a lime green canary ran towards them and smashed into Amy. Shadow watched as Amy awkwardly returned the hug, and gently patted the top of the girl’s head. She was smaller than them, and beneath her white lab coat she wore a brightly striped turtleneck, and a denim skirt. Golden rings shone from beneath her feathered fringe, and her blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Hey! It really has been too long,” Amy squeezed out from the hard grip of the little bird. The girl leapt back a bit and looked Amy over.

“You look so professional! I’m used to seeing you in sweats and T-Shirts! It’s like you’re all grown up.”

Shadow raised a brow as Amy’s muzzle became bright red beneath her fur, and she rubbed one of her arms. 

“You’re acting like you’re my mom… even though you're younger than me,” Amy said, her voice trying to remain neutral. Instead of getting offended, the bird giggled, and stuck her hands in her pocket.

“But what are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be in your second year of the Academy?” Amy asked, trying to change the subject. The girl’s beak widened in a large smile, and she stretched out her hands.

“My final project last year caught the higher-ups' attention, and since they want me in their labs rather than as an agent they had me graduate early,” her grin only grew brighter at Amy’s pleasant surprise.

“Well, congrats then!” Amy gushed, and her face was split in a childish smile. Shadow tilted his head a little as he watched the interaction. He hadn’t seen Amy interacting well with anyone from her past until now, even with Knuckles she had been tense and standoffish. However, with this bubbly bird she seemed comfortable, and she looked more like the old Amy from his memory than she had in the past month.

With the observation complete and noted, Shadow grunted, and began to tap his foot in irritation. He did not want to spend his morning listening to two females gabble. It was annoying that Amy didn’t seem to have the same level of urgency to get this over with as he did. The faster they got this done, the faster they could go back to ignoring each other’s presence. 

His behavior must’ve caught the canary’s attention, because suddenly her blue eyes shifted to look at him. Her smile melted a little as she caught his glare, but she poked Amy as she asked,

“So who’s the dark, and handsome companion? Your boyfriend?”

The reaction was immediate. Amy jumped into the air like a startled cat, Shadow growled and lurched towards the small smirking bird. Amy realized just in time and placed herself between the two agents.

“N-no!” Amy denied, trying to keep a smile on her face in order to defuse the situation, “He’s not my boyfriend! He’s not even a friend. We’re partners and we were sent here to get some gear for a mission.”

“I dare you to say that again, little bird,” Shadow growled, and cracked his knuckles. He could not believe those words had come out of the girl’s mouth. How could she even think Shadow would have that sort of relationship, let alone with Amy?

“Shadow, I’m sure she didn’t mean anything by it, right?” Amy added pointedly as she looked at the green bird. The canary smirked as she watched the display, and swiped nonchalantly in the air.

“Sure, sure. I was just teasing, no need to get your quills in a bunch,” the canary grinned like the cheshire cat, before she stuck out her hand, “Name’s Tekno. Good to meet you Shadow, heard a lot about you.”

Shadow grunted and pushed past the girls, making his way to the closest equipment station. Tekno’s hand hovered in the air for a little bit before she pulled it back and placed it on her cheek as she leaned in close to Amy,

“Wow! He’s even more prickly than the rumors say… but I can’t deny that I have a thing for hawt~ bad boys.”

Amy felt her cheeks burn as she saw Shadow’s ears twitch in their direction. She wanted to melt into the floor, and drift away. 

“Give him a break, Tek. He’s going through some stuff right now.”

“If you two are done gossiping, I’d appreciate it if you could show us what we need, so we can get out of here.”

Amy sighed, and nodded in Shadow’s direction. Tekno rolled her eyes and bounded over to the desk Shadow was now sitting at. She leapt into her office chair, which spun a bit from her weight, and began typing furiously into the computer.

Amy walked over in a much slower, and controlled pace and sat down next to Shadow. If possible Shadow felt even more irritation at how sensitive she was acting around him. She was treating him like a bomb that was about to explode. Like a child. It was worse than when she would try to fill the air with meaningless chatter.

“Okay so… looks like you two are going undercover as the Bang twins. There’s a pre-made list by Chief Snow on the gear you need,” Tekno turned the computer around to show them, “Take a look over it and tell me if you need anything else.”

It always made Shadow find dark humor whenever G.U.N. tried to unload equipment onto him for missions. He didn’t need the help of any of that, they knew as well as he did what he was capable of. Yet in these moments they treated him like any other agent. It was though he was only their ‘weapon’ when it suited them most, and all the other times they tried to make him look weak. Shadow crossed his arms and looked off to the side, “I don’t need anything.”

Amy sighed, and rubbed her temple, “Shadow, you may not need the sound amplifier or the lock picking tools, but Benny Bang does. This is an undercover mission, and we aren’t using made up identities. We have to act as close to the real people as possible. Do you think Benny can just put his ear up to a safe and crack it without any tools?”

Shadow closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. Dammit, why didn’t he remember that? Rouge was usually the one that did undercover assignments, so he was out of his comfort zone with this mission. But the fact that he hadn’t thought of that, and had to be lectured about it by Amy, made his blood boil.

“Oh so now you suddenly know all about undercover missions. Putting on a little miss stupid act for the Deputy?” he growled and pulled the screen closer to look the list over, “Looks fine to me.”

He pushed the screen back with more strength than was necessary, and Tekno huffed in annoyance,

“Hey, Grumpo the Magnificent. I get that you wanna play tough guy, and you’re obviously not happy with your assignment, but you need to stop pouting like a little kid and treat us with respect!”

Amy held her breath as she watched the anger level rise in Shadow’s red eyes. She tensed as she prepared to stop him from punching Tekno. Shadow may be acting like a total jackass, but she knew that he was simply irritated at the forced partnership after everything that happened. She could honestly say she'd be pissed too if someone had been the cause of her probation and then she’d been forced to work together with them. She expected him to blow up right there, but to her surprise, Shadow merely got up and walked out of the room.

Amy released the breath she was holding, and turned to Tekno, “Why would you say something like that? I told you he was going through some stuff right now.”

Tekno was glaring after Shadow, but then her eyes narrowed on Amy, “And let him treat you like that? Amy you have a problem with letting people walk all over you and after what happened in your first year I thought -”

“I don’t need you to protect me Tekno.” Amy’s voice was low, but her tone was sharp, and her words erected a steel clad wall between the two girls. 

Tekno flinched, and she looked away. Her fists clenched on the table, and her body trembled a little in anger. Amy felt her own defenses soften at the girl’s reaction. Tekno had been Amy’s roommate in her second year, and the young girl had not been a part of the harassment in Amy’s first year, but Tekno had heard rumors about it. Amy hadn’t told Tekno about any of the grueling details, and she hadn’t and wasn’t looking to make friends… she couldn’t trust anyone fully after what happened. But Tekno had been kind, and seemed to look up to Amy in some regards, so Amy couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

“Sorry Tek, I just mean that he doesn’t really treat me poorly, he’s just lashing out because of some personal things he’s going through. He’s usually more… polite. So can we drop it please?”

Tekno stayed the same for a moment, before her shoulders relaxed and she took a deep breath.

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it,” she gave Amy a small smile, and tapped the desk, “So, does the list look okay or would you like to add something?”

Amy relaxed as they got back into business and she felt the dark pressure of the past disperse slightly. She scratched her chin as she glanced over the equipment for her assigned persona, and nodded.

“Yeah, it looks fine. But I did have a favor to ask.”

Tekno bumped Amy’s shoulder good naturedly and closed the window on her computer, “Anything for my favorite upperclassman.”

Amy smiled, but her chest squeezed at the word. Upperclassman… It was a word that pulled the debris of painful memories from the recesses of her brain. She felt sick to her stomach and cold sweat slicked the palms of her hands. The back of one hand got itchy, and her other snapped to it and began to scratch.

“Amy?”

Amy flinched, and shook her head before bringing a shaky hand up to push some loose quills from out of her face. She smiled,

“Ah sorry, just got lost in thought. I wanted to ask, do you remember that theory you had last year? About AI?”

“Hmmm,” Tekno hummed and tapped the tip of her beak, “You mean the possibility of transferring AI from one body to another?”

“Yes. Do you think it’s possible?”

“I know it’s possible. In fact I wasn’t the first one to think of it. Miles Prower apparently did it 2 years ago, I saw it in my favorite magazine.”

She turned to her file drawers and rummaged around. The mention of Tails caused Amy to tense, images of the distressed fox standing between his best friends flashed throughout his mind. Tekno slapped a magazine onto the desk and exclaimed,

“Here it is!”

Tails was standing with a hand on his hip, a goofy, but bright, smile and dimples deep in his cheeks. He looked so happy - dorky, but happy. The image sent pangs of guilt worse than the picture of him crying through her chest. Because it meant that she had stolen the smile from his face.

“That’s… thats great.”

“Hell yes it is! Oh what I would give to pick this guy's brain. Bad boys are hot, but smart boys are so sexy! ”

Amy coughed aggressively and her face felt like she had faced the sun head on. Tekno laughed in response and smacked Amy hard on the back.

“Hey, I’m a lady who knows what she likes!” 

Amy coughed a bit more, and felt tears begin to prickle the edges of her eyes.

“Anyway, why do you ask?” Tekno finished, a more serious tone entering her voice.

“Well,” Amy choked out, patting her chest and clearing her throat, “You know Omega on my team right? I was wondering if it would be possible to transfer his AI to a smaller robot, so that I can bring him with me on missions like this.”

Tekno thought for a moment, and pulled up a few files on her computer.

“I don’t see why not, but I don’t get it. Why would you even want to bring that bucket of bolts with you? According to his file, all he’s good for is killing, he doesn’t even seem to have sentience and -”

“Tekno, I like you,” Amy interrupted, “But Omega has shown me nothing but courtesy. He’s the only member of Team Dark that has accepted me. And I would just like to have an ally with me on my first ever undercover mission.”

Tekno looked Amy over, her expression had become unreadable and her beak’s curve bent downwards. She sighed, and flipped her feathered bangs from her face.

“Alright then. If you bring him by I can do the transfer anytime.”

Amy’s shoulders slumped in relief and she stood, patting Tekno’s shoulder as she did so. 

“Thanks, I’ll be by a little later with Omega.”

Tekno nodded and watched as Amy left the lab. The canary waited until the door closed to put her head in her hands. She closed her eyes and heaved a large breath. She thought of Amy as a big sister, but it was obvious the older girl did not feel the same. It hurt, but Tekno didn’t want to let it get to her. She sat up, smacked her cheeks and rolled up her sleeves. Maybe it wouldn’t be today, or tomorrow, but one day Amy would call her a friend, a sister. But until then, she would just keep watch over Amy from the shadows.

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters 

~September 25, 11:03~

Shadow flipped through articles about current events on his phone as he waited for the girl to come out. He took a deep breath and his thumb pushed upwards to quickly scan through a report about Princess Sally’s coronation. The chipmunk was smiling brightly as she stood by a crown which would be used in a few days to make her the new Queen of all of Mobius after her father’s voluntary retirement. The crown had a large topaz stone embedded in it, and the article was mostly about the heritage of such an esteemed artifact, and how beautiful the princess would look with it on. 

Shadow scoffed. It always amazed him at how shallow the common populace was. They put too much value into knowing the latest gossip of public figures, who’s dating who, what someone is wearing, the latest misdeed they have committed. It was all smoke and mirrors, vapid. Usually stretched truths that were only good for a few minutes of entertainment. Besides, Shadow personally didn’t find the princess attractive. From a standard male’s perspective, he supposed she was pretty, but if he were to be honest he preferred a female with more substance. Not stiff and uptight, someone who wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, and go toe to toe with him. Someone like -

“Oh! You’re still here?”

Shadow looked up, surprised he hadn’t heard her open the door. He didn’t know if it was because of his ponderings, but he was suddenly very aware of her. Amy’s top button was undone, a bit of pink and peach fur popped up from between crisp white folds. She breathed and her chest lifted, the button strained. Muscles rippled in her arms, and he thought back to their duel. How she had gotten up again and again, pushed him to his very limits, never gave in. The determination burning in her eyes how her spirit was never crushed in the face of defeat. Those emerald eyes, ones he once thought were the same hue as his rival, but when he’d been so close to her he had realized that whereas Sonic had warm green eyes, hers were slightly cold. A frosty glimmer to green jewels.

“Shadow, is everything okay?”

Shadow lurched forward and pushed past Amy.

“Let’s just finish this.”

They made their way down the hall, and took the elevator a few floors up. As they stood in silence, Amy couldn’t help but notice that the closer they got to the laboratory floor, the more fidgety Shadow became. His foot started tapping at a frantic pace, his eyes started to dart around, and his fingers dug into his arms.

She had never seen or known Shadow to get so squirrelly He looked… nervous. Something she had never associated with the ebony hedgehog. It can’t be… there’s no way…

“Um, you okay?” She regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. His face snapped in her direction like a viper, and the hissing tone that came with his next words made her think maybe he was a snake.

“It's none of your damn business. Shut up, and leave me alone.”

Amy looked forward and shut her mouth like a clam. A pleasant ding announced their arrival at the labs, and Amy moved forward, her heels clicking on metal than tile as she exited the elevator. She turned to let Shadow pass, only to see that he hadn’t left the elevator. Instead he stood still as a statue, staring at the lab behind her. The doors started to close and she lurched forward to stop them.

“Hey, Shadow, we’re here, what’s the hold up?”

He didn’t move, didn’t say a word. Only his eyes seemed to react, the pupils becoming pinpoints in seas of crimson. Then it clicked. She recognized that look. Fear. She stood shock still, unable to fully grasp what she was seeing. Shadow, experiencing fear? Was the sky falling? She stepped back into the elevator, stood next to him, and waited while the doors closed. They stood there in silence, and she was grateful to Chaos that no one had needed the elevator yet. She leaned her head back against the wall, and closed her eyes. She knew from experience that there wasn’t much anyone could do to help with these situations, not to mention the fact that Shadow was even more unapproachable than the average person. With no better option, she started to hum. 

Needles, fluids, small capsules, pinched furless faces, deep voices that mumbled indistinct words. Their large bodies and dominating presence moving about him just out of sight from the gel which suspended him in glass prisons. Sharp pain like fire burned in his very viens, wracking through him from the tips of his fingers to the soles of his feet. Fire, water. Needles, tubes. He could see it all, feel it all. It pressed on him, held him in place. He wanted to move, wanted to run but he was in a prison once more. A metal one, the only thing beyond more tubes and cruel hands. Was there no escape?

Then a sound tickled his long pointed ears. It was soft, but earnest. The melody of it waltzed through the neurons firing in his brain. Calming the panic, and lathering the heated memories in cool crystal notes of a song. Suddenly he was staring at a wall of buttons, and standing on the rock of the present. He blinked, and his ears twitched registering that the sound, which had pulled him from his waking nightmare, was coming from beside him. 

Amy stood beside him. She was not looking at him, was not touching him, or questioning him. Her eyes were closed and her throat vibrated with a hum. His heightened senses latched onto her, filling him with nothing but her voice, until he could feel solid once more. And just as quickly as he’d felt himself being trapped, the moment was over and he was left disgusted with himself.. His mind mounted its full defenses and he punched the open door button. Amy lurched forward from the suddenness of his movement, and he ignored her as he stepped into the lab.

Mobians in lab coats and goggles milled about with clipboards and papers beneath fluorescent lights. A few looked up at his appearance, most quickly lost interest, but a few kept greedy eyes on him as he walked past to the only scientist he could stomach. The only one that never treated him like a lab rat, or approached him with an alternative motive.

Rotor Walrus was leaning back in his chair, crumbs of food littered his stained lab coat, and his tusks made sucking noises as he chomped down on a slice of pizza. He was currently flying his fingers over his keyboard, moving a character around on the screen.

“Hey nerd.” Shadow said, kicking the bottom of Rotor’s chair.

The walrus started at first but when he caught sight of Shadow, he grinned and leaned further back in his chair.

“Hey jackass. Didn’t think I’d see you in the lab. What forced you to come all the way up here?”

“Some bullshit mission. And -”

“Ooo, and who is this lovely little lady?” Rotor interrupted as he caught sight of Amy standing silently behind Shadow. He quickly wiped off the crumbs from his lab coat and sprung to his feet. He pushed Shadow aside and stuck out his hand with a raised brow.

“The name’s Walrus, Rotor Walrus.”

Amy smiled, and took the large male’s hand. She stood with her back straight and her feet together. Shadow rolled his eyes and waited not so patiently for the two to finish their pleasantries.

“Agent Amy Rose reporting for duty sir.” Amy announced. She always felt a bit of pride at being able to state her status. She’d worked hard for this title and she liked to flaunt it. She glanced at Shadow, and could literally see the irritation emitting from him like gamma rays from a nuclear reactor. 

“Um, I hear we’re supposed to stop by here to get ready for our undercover assignment. Would you be able to help us with that?”

Rotor hummed in disappointment at going straight to business, but he sat down at his computer and closed his game.

“What's your badge number?”

“GSS-920936.”

“Just one moment… ah, here it is, undercover mission, pre-existing identities,” the photos of the twins pulled up, “Well good news is there aren’t too many discrepancies between the four of you. Some fur dye and colored contacts should do the trick. No need to get fancy with any appearance changing drugs or surgery…”

“Surgery?” Amy asked nervously. Rotor turned to look at her over his half moon glasses, a smirk playing around his tusks.

“Yep! No one ever told you about this in your job description?”

“Stop trying to freak her out, and just get us the damn stuff so we can get out of here,” Shadow growled, and kicked the scientist’s chair once more.

“Alright, alight, grumpy hedgie. I’ll take you to the back and show you the stuff. Agent Rose why don’t you head off with one of the female scientists and tell them what you need. They’ll be able to help you out.”

Amy glanced at Shadow, but when he didn’t protest she nodded and walked off to the first female she saw. Once she was gone, Rotor hung his arm around Shadow’s shoulder and pulled him towards the back. Shadow allowed him to guide him, happy for the large blubber shield between him and the prying eyes of greedy lab coats. When they reached a room with no one in it, Shadow roughly pushed the walrus away, and shook himself off.

“You know you don’t have to act like you’re on the dissection table everytime you’re forced to come here.”

“That’s not something you should worry about.”

Rotor gruffly chuckled and shook his head as he walked over to a cabinet.

“So… how long has Amy been on the job?”

Shadow glanced out the corner of his eye and narrowed his gaze.

“None of your business.”

“She single?”

“None. Of. Your. Business.”

“Wow! Do I detect some protectiveness in your tone? If you won’t give me the details, I’ll have to make some up in my head~”

Shadow rushed forward and pushed his elbow into Rotor’s chest and slammed him into the cabinets. His crimson eyes burn with fury and his fangs glistened as he growled.

“Careful what you say, walrus. We are not friends, I am not here to gossip and make small talk. I’m here to do a job, and as it so happens, you’re the only one who can help me with that at the moment.”

Shadow pushed up onto his tiptoes in order to get closer to Rotor’s eye level, and he pushed harder into his fat chest, causing Rotor to let out a strained breath.

“Now when I let go, you’re going to do your job, without spouting any more nonsense. Are we clear?”

Rotor opened his mouth, but could speak under the pressure. He swallowed and then gagged out, “Crystal.”

Shadow released him, and he fell backwards, his hand on his chest, and his breath coming out in ragged huffs.

“Damn, I sometimes forget what a little monster you can be.”

Shadow flinched at the word, but kept his gaze firm and unchanged. Rotor turned, rummaged around on the shelves and picked up a small container with two pockets and a silver canister. He handed the small container to Shadow and motioned towards the standing shower in the corner.

“The small container has green contacts in them, and if you step over to the shower I’ll spray you down with dye to cover those red stripes.”

Shadow snatched the contacts from his grasp, and stomped over to the shower. 

“Alright then, now spread’em if you gott’em.”

Shadow turned and glared at Rotor, who grinned with revenge at the edges of his face. He held up the can and shook it.

“Relax, I’m not that into you,  just need to spray you down with this.”

Shadow didn’t say anything, but after a moment he obeyed. Rotor practically jumped with glee, and lifted the canister.

“Close your eyes, drama king.”

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

Happy Friday the 13th my lovely Readers!

It's been a while and I apologize for that. I wanted to wait until chapter 13 was done to release both at the same time, but as you readers that have been with me since the start already know, I am very much struggling with the heist chapter and I thought I would release this chapter in celebration of the holidays and the new Sonic movie that is about to come out.

I definitely changed some things in this chapter from the one I release on fanfiction, but the main part of it has remained the same, meaning that I am still stuck on writing a heist (booooo) lol 

I will keep plugging away and hopefully sometime this century chapter 13 will finally come forth, until then please enjoy this chapter where Amy gets a little more than she bargained for in an undercover mission ;)

Happy Reading,

NothingFancy

EPISODE 12: The Thieves of Babylon - Part 2

Station Square - Undisclosed Bar

~September 27, 19:19~

The bathroom walls and floor were caked in a layer of grime, stained with an unknown substance, and reeked of sewage. Even the stall walls were filthy, dilapidated. One had even collapsed, obscuring a broken toilet that sent an endless gush of brown, rancid liquid throughout the small space. The sound was like a roaring waterfall in the quiet. Amy stared at herself in one of the cracked mirrors, and couldn't recognize who stared back. Dark, ebony fur covered her from the top of her head to the bottom of her toes. Her quills had been cut a few inches to make her look more like Betty. She had also been told to not put any sort of product in her quills, and to avoid washing them if she could. After two days of neglect and flat out purposeful dirtying, her quills had gotten to the right amount of ratty that was needed for the mission. 

She turned to her side in the mirror, examining the new wardrobe that she’d picked out with Rouge that was good enough to pass for Betty’s sense of style. A red leather jacket, her skirt and crop top. Almost makes me second guess my taste in fashion, she turned fully then and twisted her shoulder so that she could see the large, black, embroidered rose on her back. It had become a symbol of strength for her, a reminder that she was a changed person. She sucked in her breath, puffed out her chest and counted to ten. She could do this. She would be fine. She nodded and stepped out of the bathroom into the hall. 

Instantly her nose was assaulted with the scent of tobacco, cheap booze, and vomit. The choppy, static sound of an old jukebox playing heavy rock rumbled beneath the noise of coughing, belching, and clinking of glass. She shivered and allowed herself one more moment of disgust before she needed to get into character. Betty Bang loved spending her evenings in greasy bars, Betty Bang wouldn’t wrinkle her nose, or tear-up from hot smoke. Betty Bang would walk through the bar like she lived there in the slippery, tattered leather booths.

Amy walked past several booths, her knee high leather boots clicked along the dirty linoleum floors in what seemed like a siren call to the males in the joint. Most of them turned to watch her trek through the bar with sneers twisting their face and mumbled comments on where they’d like to take her for the night. Internally she felt their slimy gazes and wanted to run from there faster than Sonic running on free chili dog day. But she wasn’t Amy Rose, she was Betty. She breathed deep and kept her head held high, giving a wink every now and then to an admiring eye. 

She hated that the team had to meet up off the G.U.N. campus in such a seedy bar, but there was risk that if she left G.U.N. on the same day of their meeting with the Babylon Rogues that their cover would be blown. In fact, ever since she and Shadow had changed their appearance to match that of the twins, the two hedgehogs had been quarantined to Team Dark’s headquarters just to ensure that no one saw them walking around as the twins in a place they shouldn’t be.  Being stuck with a quiet, grumpy hedgehog under the same roof… that had been a super fun couple of days. Rouge and Omega still carried on their duties at the main HQ, and the bat seemed to enjoy poking fun at the two hedgehogs whenever she was home about their “cohabitation.” Even this bar had been Rouge’s suggestion, and now Amy understood the slight mischievous smirk the bat had as she told them where to go.

By the time she made it to the far corner where she and Shadow had agreed to rendezvous, she felt like she’d aged a few years. She collapsed into the booth and pulled out her phone. The screen lit up showing a picture of herself holding up the certificate of completion from G.U.N. academy. In it, her quills were pulled back and she was wearing the formal G.U.N. uniform. A crisp, dark gray blazer, white collar shirt, and black pencil skirt. She had smiled from ear to ear for the picture, feeling light, successful, complete. The sight of it encouraged the ghost of a smile, but it couldn’t match the smile of the past. Her lips now held a sinking melancholy that tugged at the corners of her lips. She had been alone on graduation. Watching as her fellow cadets grinned from ear-to-ear at their family and friends who embraced them and gave bouquets of flowers. Unlike them, she had stood off to the side, her posture perfect, and her arms folded around the hard frame of her achievement, watching them. Even now, she hadn’t known if she was waiting for someone to come for her with flowers in hand and proud tears in their eyes. Or maybe she had simply been trying to gain joy from observing her peers excited congratulations. 

Alone. Degree in hand and the unknown future stretching before her. Just like how she was at this bar right now. She was always alone -

“Hey. Shouldn’t you have turned that into Rouge before coming?”

She looked up to see two fierce emerald eyes staring down at her. Her heart skipped a beat for a minute, and she felt nostalgia hit her like a tsunami wave, chilling her from her toes to her nose. In an instant, all of her careful preparation and hardening of Betty’s character flew from her mind, and shock filled her.

“S-Sonic?”

The eyes narrowed into a darker glare, and a growl emitted from the male as he plopped down in the booth across from her.

“Do I look like that bumbling imbecile to you?”

Amy blinked and felt her cheeks flush. Of all the people in her life, his voice was the most unmistakable. She had just called Shadow the Hedgehog by the one person he probably hated as much as Eggman, ‘Sonic.’ Embarrassment washed over her, she couldn’t believe she’d made such a mistake, and she knew she had to fix it quickly. Otherwise, she was terrified that he would make it nearly impossible to work together on the mission.

“S-sorry! I-I just -”

“Save it. Although I don’t like admitting it, this damn style does make us look a little too similar for my tastes.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Did he just… let it go ? Immediately her face smoothed out and her heart rate dropped from full gallop to a leisurely stroll in two seconds flat. With the worst out of the way, she was able to study him more. He was right, his quills had been straightened from the usual up-curve they had. His quills were a little longer than Sonic usually had them, but they had the same shape. However, it was his eyes that really made them look like twins. If it wasn’t for the fact that his fur color was solid black, she could’ve sworn he was Sonic’s body double.

This is not good for my heart.

“Omega disagrees with that statement. Sonic the Hedgehog and Agent Shadow are as different as day and night.”

Amy flinched at the unexpected sound of Omega, and looked around for her robotic friend, but she didn’t see him anywhere. She heard the sound of metal ting- ing together like small bells, and she looked to the right just in time to see a metallic hawk descend from the ceiling and onto Shadow’s shoulder. The hawk looked like a true wild bird, a long graceful beak, and delicate looking wings covered in silver feathers. If it wasn’t for the shining metal and the red glow of robotic eyes, Amy would’ve mistaken it for the real thing.

“Wow, Omega! You look so handsome!” She beamed brightly, again leaving her Betty persona behind. 

“Handsome. Accessing the data from Agent Amy Rose relation file, sub file, Starry Nights…”

Amy watched the bird tilt its head as it processed. This new body was definitely more expressive than his usual bulky, tank-like one. 

“Analyzing complete. Thank you, Ames, for the compliment.”

Amy smiled brightly at the bird, and rested her chin on the palm of her hand, “You’re welcome, Omega.”

Shadow had stayed silent throughout the whole exchange, choosing instead to watch the mannerisms of the girl in front of him. He didn’t quite understand her. No, that implied there was some measure of comprehension, he definitely did not understand her. Her emotions seemed to change as quickly as a snap of the finger, and yet he had this weird suspicion that most of them were not real. As though she hid other intentions behind that sickeningly bright smile. It bothered him, especially since that time in the elevator a couple days ago. It made him feel like she was always scheming and planning, and he didn’t know whether her intentions were good or nefarious.

“Omega, I didn’t realize you had a pet name for her,” Shadow gritted his teeth and stared at Amy pointedly

Omega’s head twirled to the side and the lids over his glass eye contracted, “Omega and Ames have been watching TV shows and Omega wanted to try speaking like the characters on the show. Is it not appropriate to call Agent Rose by Ames?”

Amy quickly shook her head and sat back a little, “No there’s nothing wrong with nicknames between friends, Omega. I don’t mind.”

Shadow glared at Amy as they spoke and when they were finished, a disgusted grimace curled his lips, “Nicknames are childish and unnecessary, especially at a time like this. Right, Betty?”

At the sound of his voice, and call out to their current identities, Amy visibly flinched and he could see her cheeks flushing beneath her peach colored fur. 

“You’re right, sorry Sh - I mean - Benny ~”

Shadow nearly choked at the tone she used when she said the name, he coughed and looked at her. Her whole demeanor had shifted, and he could’ve sworn he felt the air around them become electric with some unknown allure. Her eyes were half lidded with a look he’d seen many a time on Rouge.

“Right… well as long as you understand…” He couldn’t meet her eyes and instead chose to cover his discomfort by plunging his hand into his leather jacket to pull out a small square box. It was metallic and when he snapped open the lid, two small circles rested in velvet. He reached up to his ear and pulled out his old ear piece. He rarely removed it, but Techno had insisted that he use the ones she'd just given him. Something about more advanced stealth technology and better handler control. He honestly didn’t care, he just did as he was told.

After removing one of the circles he slid the box across the table to Amy. She blinked in surprise and glanced down at the box.

“That’s our communication device for the mission,” Shadow explained as he put his own in, “Rouge can control the power. She can turn it off if they scan for bugs without it being suspicious, and we can turn it on again when it’s safe to.”

Amy nodded, and plucked hers from the case. He stared at her as she fumbled with the small piece before sticking it in her ear. Her eyes widened a bit,

“I can barely feel it! Usually these things irritate my ears but this one is comfortable.”

Shadow grunted in acknowledgement and tapped his ear once to turn the device on.

“ There’s my favorite Hedgie ,” the irritating voice of Rouge slammed against his ear drum and he flinched.

“Could you turn the volume down, bat? You know how sensitive my ears are,” he growled out of the side of his mouth.

He heard a chuckle which slowly lowered in volume as he listened.

“ Okay, grumpy. ”

Amy grinned across from him, and Shadow felt a little heat rise to his face as he realized that Amy was listening to the conversation. He stood up abruptly and cocked his head to the door.

“Come on then, let’s get this over with.”

Station Square - Pier 97

~September 27, 20:03~

After checking with Rouge and leaving their personal belongings with her, Amy and Shadow walked down Pier 97 until they reached the end. Shadow turned and leaned his back against the wooden railing, closing his eyes. Omega, who was perched on Shadow’s right shoulder, watched their surroundings, his glowing red eyes adding an eerie, evil hue across their quills. Amy leaned forward on the railing and looked out at the sea. She took a deep breath and admired the salty tingle that tickled her nose. She realized that she never really spent much time at the sea, firstly because Sonic wasn’t a fan, and then because she had been so focused on her studies. But as she stood there, taking in the silver sparkles on the dark water, and the steady crash of waves on sand, she realized she quite liked it. She promised herself to come back and visit more often.

“Heads up.”

She glanced to the side to see Shadow with his eyes still closed, but his long pointed ears were angled to the side. She looked in that direction and didn’t see anything at first. Nothing but an empty pier shrouded in the dark. But then suddenly there was a gush of wind and two dark figures dropped from the sky in front of them. It’d happened so abruptly that Amy nearly flinched despite Shadow’s warning. She had to force herself not to react alarmed as that wouldn’t have been very “Betty” like. She watched as the two figures approached, noted that they were bird Mobians, and as they drew closer she watched as the feathers on their arms flattened and smoothed out, leaving just their gloved hands at the end. “Bird” Mobians were few and far between, and it was even rarer for them to have the ability of flight. Since there were so few of them, there was a legend that they are descended from another planet, and their genes have diluted over time. So she found it fascinating that these two had such a rare ability, and it was something she had never seen in person before. The feathers must only plume when they need them to.

“Well, well, well,” the voice was peppy and husky with boyish charm, “I was surprised to see your interest in this little heist, Miss Betty.” As his voice purred out the name, a mischievous grin spread across his face.

A cold chill rushed up her spine. Amy wasn’t sure if it had to do with him already knowing her name or the very familiar look he gave her. Her eyes shifted to look at Shadow, but if he was alarmed, he wasn’t showing it. A part of her wondered if maybe she’d just misheard him when Rouge confirmed her worry,

“ Why does he know you? I thought Snow picked these identities because they didn’t know about the twins.”

Amy gulped and did her best to smirk ‘knowingly’ at the hawk as he sauntered closer. Looking over his handsome features, she couldn’t lie, her heart skipped a little. He had a sharp, but elegant beak, which was curved in an alluring smile, and his blue eyes shone like sapphires in the night. He was only slightly taller than her so that his eyes were level with hers and his forest green feathers were whipped as if to mimic the ups and downs of the wind or the torrential waves of the sea. He was leaning in far too close, and his scent filled her nostrils with the fresh crispness of rain and the bright scent of a warm, summer sun. She imagined if clouds had a scent it would be this. 

A part of her couldn’t help wondering if it was her imagination. Normal mobians didn’t smell like rain and sun. His head cocked to the side and his grin deepened, making Amy blush. Too late, she realized she’d been staring like an idiot when she was supposed to be ‘ working!’

She tried to come up with something to say but was saved by an exasperated sigh next to him,

“ Really, Jet? Is this girl another one of your… adventures?” Her question was mocking and her purple feathered arms crossed her chest. She stared at Amy without hiding her judgemental gaze. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with long feathers pulled back into two tails from her head, and sharp stormy blue eyes. Jet chuckled dismissively, never taking his eyes off of Amy. He stepped forward and wrapped an arm around Amy. It took everything in her not to flinch. She was Betty, not Amy. Betty knew this touch. Betty would let him wrap an arm around her without so much as a how do you do. This was natural for Betty. Amy would just have to get used to it. 

“Hmm, what can I say, when I see a spicy thing like this one, I just can’t help myself,” his eyes shifted to look her over with a sharp gaze. Amy had the strange feeling like he was undressing her with his eyes.

This is fine, Amy told herself as she struggled to relax under his gaze, I got this. Betty’s got this!

“Besides, you know I have a thing for hedgehogs,” He grinned down at her, and she tried to return the smile, but something must’ve been off with her expression, because suddenly a small light of suspicion flickered on his face. His eyes narrowed and his voice came forth with a slightly dangerous edge,

“Why am I getting the distinct impression that you don’t remember me?”

Amy glanced over at Shadow, but the aloof male continued to stare at them without expression, no help offered in his cold emerald gaze. Worse, Rouge was commenting on possible strategies to move forward. They ranged from Jet bluffing about their relationship, to simply abandoning the undercover mission and reassessing how to move forward from the safety of the headquarters. Distantly, Amy marveled at Rouge losing her cool so quickly. She was even more shocked at how calm she felt in the face of her superior’s lack of faith in her. It was as though the expectation of failure actually motivated Amy to take control of the situation. Besides, what were the consequences of her failure?

She could die, but what did that matter? That’d been a possibility for years, when had that ever stopped her? She could be tortured and be ridiculed as a failure. Well, what was one more incident amongst the myriad of criticisms she had already received? If this mission was doomed from the start then she would try to go as far as she could.

Let no one say Amy Rose wasn’t willing to play a little Russian Roulette.  

She broke her silence with an exasperated sigh before roughly shoving Jet away from her. Her lips twisted into a crazed smile, one of her eyes squinted and her lip twitched as though she was unhinged.

“Should I? Why should I remember one of the many ‘ friends’ I’ve had? Do you remember every one of your little… ‘ adventures ,’ as she put it?” She noticed Wave flinched slightly, but she couldn’t worry about that right now,

“Don’t think you’re special to me just because of a cocky grin and a couple free shots of tequila. You’re just one of many to me.”

Silence permeated the pier, and suddenly the gentle crashing of the waves had turned into loud bashes on her nerve wracked mind. Amy felt like she was being pierced from all directions by the four pairs of eyes that drilled into her. Finally, after staring at her with narrowed eyes, Jet’s face broke into a grin and he shrugged. He placed a hand on her shoulder and gave her a mocking pitiful look.

“It was whiskey sours, but I guess it would be easy to mix up, since you seem to get around so much.”

Amy felt her cheeks flush hot red like a chili pepper, and she was about to defend herself when a deep, and pissed off voice growled from beside them.

“Get yer hands off my sister.”

Suddenly, Jet’s hand was whipped into the air and Amy’s view was cut off by long quills. She was surprised by how fast Shadow had moved, and by the odd inflections he put into his voice as he took on the Benny persona. Before, she’d felt overly exposed and alone, but now she felt a warmth spread from her heart and calm her nerves. She was being protected. She wanted desperately to hold on to that wave of calm, but that same, terrible voice in the back of her mind cackled and jeered, That’s right… be protected. It’s what you’re best at anyway.

“Oh, my apologies,” Jet mused, his tone was still bright but there was an edge to it now, “You must be the twin… Franny was it?”

“Benny,” Shadow growled.

Jet shrugged, and yanked his hand from Shadow’s grip. His head shifted to the side and he smiled sweetly at Amy.

“Sorry, Bet, I guess I just got a little hurt when you didn’t recognize me… I thought we had a nice night. I know I enjoyed myself.”

“Are you dumb or just a pain in the ass. I said don’t -”

“It’s fine, Benny,” Amy purred, pushing forward. She gave Shadow a look that said ‘you weren’t helping before, so let me handle this.’

“Jet,” her voice softer now but a little firm, “You’re crazy if you think we could pick up where we left off. I’m a lady who likes her space.”

Jet looked her over and then his grin turned mischievous, “Guess that’s my answer for why you never called then.”

Amy blushed again, Chaos, Betty! Just what kind of life do you lead? There had been plenty in the G.U.N. file about Betty’s business and general attitude, but not much on her personal reputation. Which was fine, since the two thieves were supposed to be strangers to the Babylon Rogues. This is going to be a lot harder than we thought…  

“Well,” Amy drew out the word, letting it roll in the small space between them as she ran a finger down Jet’s chest. She watched as he stiffened and a hungry light sparkled in his eyes. It was better to get on his good side, and Amy wasn’t naive, she guessed exactly what Jet was expecting from Betty.

“I think I’m regretting that a little, seeing how good you look with sober eyes,” she deftly traced the tip of her finger along his beak, watching with pleasure as his feathers briefly rose at her touch. Just as quickly as she caressed him, she pulled back, resting her finger on her lips as though she were judging the best way to jump him.

“ Nicely handled,” Rouge sounded relieved, and Amy felt a little spike of pride at the compliment.

Jet’s feathers ruffled a little, and he opened his mouth to say something when they were interrupted.

“As adorable as this little… reunion is, we do have business to attend to,” Wave’s voice was annoyed and urgent. She obviously had an issue with her partner’s flirty behavior.

Jet rolled his eyes, and waved his hand.

“Okay okay,” but then he took Amy’s hand in his and pecked it with a smirk on his face, “Let’s go to a more… comfortable space to conduct our business , shall we?”

Before she could answer, he turned, pulled her arms around his neck and yelled, “Hang on, toots!” His arms spread out and large feathers suddenly puffed out around her and the wind swirled around them, as they leapt into the air. Amy couldn’t stop herself, a strangled yelp was pulled from her throat and her arms instinctively tightened like a vice. She could feel the down pull of gravity as they rebel against physics. Jet was laughing maniacally and the cold air sent shivers from the ips of her quills to the bottom of her toes. 

“If you could relax a bit,” His voice muted from the speeding night air, “it’ll be easier for me to stop from crashing.”

Amy gulped, and loosened her iron grip on his neck. Her eyes were shut tight, Betty was gone and all she could think was, oh, Lord Chaos, please let me survive this, over and over again. Sometimes she’d throw in some wild promises too, as though trying to convince the god to look kindly upon her. She must’ve been muttering something without realizing, because after a few minutes, Jet chuckled and slowed his flight down a bit. 

“What, too fast for you? Come on, Betty, quit being a scaredy-hedgie and take a look!”

Amy moaned in protest, her mind was screaming, “Hell no!” but something in her heart tugged on her resolve and she slowly opened one eye. She gasped and her eyes fully opened. Below her were millions of silver specks on smooth ocean water, as though they were flying over a large sea serpent with shining scales. The wind was whipping through her quills, but it didn’t scare her anymore, instead she forgot her fear and leaned her head back to gaze at the sky above. Stars like grains of sand were splashed across the black sky and they shone bright, uninhibited by the lights of the city. The effect left her feeling like they were soaring through liquid silver. 

She shut her eyes again for a moment, just soaking it in and before she could remember who she was supposed to be and where she was, she rested her head onto soft feathers with a soft sigh. 

“Breathtaking isn’t it?”

She started, and pulled her head back, grateful that Jet couldn’t see the redness that flamed on her cheeks. She decided to not respond, worried she’d give herself away.

“My, my,” Rouge’s voice shattered whatever self-respect Amy still had, “ quite the ladykiller isn’t he?”

“Shut-up.” Amy growled lowly.

“What was that?” Jet asked, his head angling to look at her with sharp blue eyes. Amy’s chest squeezed.

“I said ‘oh yeah.’” she supplied lamely.  Jet didn’t reply, but his head turned forward again.

“Smooth, real smooth,” Rouge’s tone was trembling as she held back laughter. Amy gritted her teeth, embarrassment flooding her body. She had completely forgotten that Rouge was listening to everything (and probably watching from somewhere), and with a jolt, she realized that Shadow could too. He wasn't saying anything, and she panicked wondering what had happened to him.

“Hey, Jet?!” She yelled.

“You know you can speak in a regular tone, your mouth is right next to my ear.”

“Right, sorry,” She kicked herself again, would Betty apologize for yelling at people?

“It’s fine, what's up?”

Amy shifted a little, and made sure to keep her voice steady.

“Is my brother coming too?”

Jet huffed, and said, “Although I would prefer it if he didn’t, Wave is most likely taking care of him.”

“ I can confirm that,” Rouge added.

“Good,” Amy said in a stern voice, forcing herself back into Betty mode, “Cause I ain’t doing this job without him.”

Jet chuckled again, “What, did Mommy say you couldn't go out without your brother?” 

Amy glared at him but refused to take the bait, “You have your partner, I’ve got mine.”

Now Jet let out a mighty cackle and Amy started to feel a little annoyed. Was this bird taking her lightly?

“What’s so funny?!” She demanded. 

“Nothing, you just seem a little different is all.”

Uh-oh, Amy’s mind scrambled for a solution. 

“Must’ve been the alcohol last time, baby. It always messes me up a little.”

Jet hummed and his steady beating of his wings almost drowned out his voice, 

“Well, I think I like the sober you better.” He glanced over his shoulder at her and gave her a wink. Amy shivered, and felt her heart squeeze a little. Calm down, crazy thing, she chided herself.

She was about to reply when his head and right wing gestured ahead without breaking flight.

“There she is, Miss Esmeralda. ”

Ahead of them, almost entirely cloaked by clouds, was a massive flying ship. It was shaped like an almond and made of green metal, and large silver wings spanned out the sides. The wings didn’t move, but hundreds of propellers spanned the wings and machine. It shone in the moonlight like a large emerald castle in the sky. The stars around it seemed to sparkle brighter, and the reflection of the water below gave it the effect of floating through the cosmos. 

Amy stopped herself from gasping out loud, she'd already gone off book too many times that night. She didn't know if it was because it was her first real undercover mission, or all the unexpected twists that had been thrown at them. But she did know something was getting her off her game. Or a handsome, cocky someone . The voice that was all too loud teased, she almost thought it was Rouge reading her mind.

Amy gulped, and tried to avoid looking at Jet as they approached the airship. He was handsome for sure, she'd thought so the first time she'd seen his picture in the file, but what was it about this bird that just sent her heart crazy? She hadn't been affected this deeply when studying his information, she'd only gotten this way from the moment he'd landed in front of her. She caught a whiff of his scent, and felt a tingle down her spine.

Get it together, Agent Rose, she thought, mentally punching herself in the face, You have one job. Finish it . 

Finally, after a couple more minutes of silent air travel, Jet expanded his wings wide in order to gently float down onto a small landing deck below the belly of the ship. As soon as his large red boots landed, Amy pushed herself off and pretended to get busy fixing her quills. 

Jet watched her, an amused grin on his face, and his arms crossed against the soft downy feathers on his chest. Amy tried not to look from the corner of her eye, but completely failed. When she finally gave up and turned to face him, a large grin spread across his face, and his arms spread wide in a dramatic flourish.

"Welcome to my home!"

…

Shadow the Hedgehog hated flying. To clarify he hated when he was not in control of his own travel. Still worse was the strange bird carrying him. She was smaller than him, and he couldn’t help but imagine her dropping him into the salty expanse below over and over. His options for rescuing himself were limited. One Chaos Control was all it would take to blow their cover and the mission would be ruined, with the Pink Wonder still in that parrot’s clutches. Ah yes, he’d almost forgotten the worst part. He had to sit there and listen through the earpiece to the flirting and awestruck gasps which made his stomach turn. It was difficult to suppress the irritated growl that threatened to bubble up from this throat.

He tried his best to ignore it by watching Omega try and keep up behind them, but after the exchange between Rouge and Amy, he decided to reach up and turn the damn device off. It hardly mattered if Rouge was listening into his side of things, since he and the swallow flew in complete and utter silence. Both of them were extremely uncomfortable with the situation. After the other two had left, they'd stood staring at each other for a while before the bird had sighed and explained what they had to do. Shadow was mildly impressed with her ability to carry him on her back seemingly without much trouble. 

After several minutes of awkward silence, a large airship came into view, and without being told, Shadow knew that was their destination. As they got closer to a deck that jutted out from the underside of the ship, he could see the hawk and her Royal Prissiness herself standing together talking. As he watched, the arrogant bird pushed open a door leading into the ship and turned to offer his hand to Amy. She hesitated, and then looked around, Shadow felt something hard form in his stomach as he could identify the blush hiding beneath her fur. She took his hand and they slipped into the ship. It irritated him that she seemed to be playing along with the hawk’s courtship game, he didn’t see a need for it.

Still, it was odd to see the perfect pink princess be so damn forward. He suddenly regretted leaving her alone when picking how to play the situation on the pier. She was the newbie afterall, and he wanted to see how she’d respond under pressure. Obviously HQ had fucked up when fact checking their undercover identities. He could handle curveballs just fine on his own. It was her he’d been worried about. He did admit that Amy had at least avoided getting them busted, but he hadn’t been happy with her method. He had enough of that flirty behavior in Rouge, and he dreaded gaining another female partner that chose to solve everything with their feminine charm. Honestly, how long until she got too comfortable and started pulling that shit on him?

The thought died the moment he and the swallow landed with a thump on the deck. Shadow quickly jumped away from his impromptu flight partner to compose himself. Omega glided down and perched back on top of Shadow’s shoulder just as Wave turned back to look for him. She scowled at the sight of the metallic bird before shaking out her feathers and waved her arms in a stretch as the long feathers seemingly melted back into her limbs. After some time in silence, she jerked her head to the door.

“Come on, then. Let’s get this over with.”

As they entered the ship, Shadow had to suck in his breath and clench his fists to avoid turning quill and running away. They were standing in a small, cramped hallway that was barely lit by a weak, flickering light overhead. The floor angled upwards, leading into the main body of the ship. The swallow seemed unconcerned, and made her way confidently through the hall. Shadow watched her get further away from him and he willed his legs to move, but they stood still at the open door. The cool night air was softly caressing his back and it seemed to call to him, to pull him back out into the open expanse of the ocean.

A sudden gust of strong wind slammed the door shut and it snapped him from his indecision. He launched forward and hurried up the hallway as though something were giving him chase. He caught up with the swallow in no time and was lucky enough that they’d reached the end of the dark hallway, otherwise he would’ve shouldered past her. She opened the door and they stepped into a large room. The floor was covered in an emerald green rug that looked like it could line the floor of a throne room. Gold thread created tribal designs around the edges, and gave the impression of something priceless. The walls had several doors leading to different areas of the ship and the front was a wall of windows looking out over the sea. Beneath the windows was a long row of blinking lights, knobs and switches informing Shadow that those were the control panel of the ship. 

The walls surrounding the room were covered with relics, paintings, artifacts and other contraband. There was even a display case to the right that contained something that looked suspiciously like the turquoise chaos emerald. The center of the room was taken up by a large golden table in the shape of a circle. It had piles of papers, maps and odd knick knacks strewn across the surface. But the one thing that held Shadow’s attention the most was the couple leaning up on the table.

The green hawk’s back was to them, and he was leaning forward, both hands resting on the table on either side of the black hedgehog. Suddenly the trauma of the hall was the furthest thing from Shadow’s mind, and as he and the swallow entered the room, he couldn’t tear his eyes from Amy. Her face was split in a smile that Shadow could only interpret as loose, and one of her hands rested on the hawk’s arm, the other on his chest. Her eyes seemed to twinkle in a way he had only seen them do in front of a certain unmentionable blue imbecile. He felt a familiar annoyance at the scene bubble up, just as it had anytime the girl had appeared in front of Sonic in the past. Amy Rose never changed.

He wanted to say something to interrupt them, but something caused Amy to look up. Instantly he detected a look of relief flicker briefly on her face and the next thing he knew she was pushing the hawk aside and rushing to his side. She grabbed hold of Shadow’s arm and rested her head on his shoulder.

“Aw, there you are Benny Boo~ I was worried my big bro had gotten lost.”

Shadow had a cocktail of emotions suddenly slosh up to the surface. Confusion that she was acting so relieved to see him, annoyance at the feel of her hugging his arm (not to mention the softness of her chest on his bicep), and the temptation to shove her off of him and growl in frustration. He realized that she had been playing a part with the hawk and was trying to use him as a shield against further engagement from the thief. As much as he wanted to push her away, the Bang twins were supposedly inseparable and highly codependent on each other. It was such a rumored behavior of theirs, that it would be odd for Amy to act distant or aloof with him, or vice versa. He groaned under his breath, after the mission he was going to have to spend several days isolating himself in order to purge the memories. 

The hawk stared at them with an odd light in his blue eyes, but Shadow narrowed his gaze. The green male shrugged, and turned his attention to the purple bird who’d completely ignored everyone in the room and had gone over to the control panel to check up on the ship. Shadow remembered that she was the mechanic, and he suddenly had the hope that she was a good one. The last thing he needed was this pile of scrap metal falling into the sea. Heights and cramped places… two more checks on the list of reasons this mission sucked.

“Wave, how’s she looking?”

The swallow huffed, and twisted a knob, “All’s well. Thankfully we weren’t gone long enough for Storm to mess with any of the settings or the autopilot.”

“That’s good,” the hawk nodded and then turned a smirking face in their direction, “Storm’s our other partner, he means well, but he’s a bit clumsy on a good day.”

“And plain destructive on a bad one,” murmured the swallow as she adjusted yet another setting, “If I have to recalibrate one more engine because he wanted the room to sound less ‘quaky’ I might lose all the feathers on my head.”

The hawk laughed, and patted the grumbling bird on her shoulder, and then walked back to the table while waving his hand.

“Now, before we get started, I have some basic things to go over with you two,  so pay attention.”

Amy and Shadow looked at each other, and walked over. As Omega made a small trilling sound and transferred from his shoulder to Amy’s, Shadow took note that Amy was careful to keep him between her and Jet. He wondered just what had happened between the two of them after he’d shut off his ear piece. He tried not to think of the compromising scene he had found them in moments before. 

“Here we go,” the hawk exclaimed as he held up a black metal rod he’d uncovered from a pile of documents. Shadow instantly recognized it as a bug detector and gave a quick glance to see if Amy had figured that out as well. She gave him a small nod, barely noticeable, and then she made a loud and exasperated sigh.

“Oh come on Jetty, what's with the detector? I thought you trusted me.”

Shadow hoped that Rouge had gotten the message and turned off Amy’s ear piece. The hawk grinned at Amy and stepped forward with the wand in hand.

“Come on Bet, I’m just honoring your feelings!” he mocked with a suggestive grin, “It’s like you said, ‘We can’t just pick up where we left off.’”

Amy grumbled playfully, a school girl playing hard to get rather than an agent facing her potential doom. Inwardly she quaked in a low panic as the scanner passed slowly over her body, barely noticing that Omega had been completely omitted from the screening. After she and Shadow had passed the full body scan, they all took seats around the table. The swallow walked over as well and planted herself as far away from the others as possible. “We gonna get Storm to come down here?” She asked, as she kicked her feet up onto the table.

The hawk glanced above him as though listening for something, before he shook his head, “Nah, let’s let the big guy sleep. Besides, it's best not to confuse him with lots of details and just give him simple instructions when it’s time.” 

“So, now that everyone’s comfortable, what the hell is that?” The swallow asked, pointing to Omega who was currently perched on Amy’s shoulder. 

Amy defensively held a hand up to Omega but her voice remained level, “Kinda late to be bringing that up, don’t you think?”

“Some of us were… distracted,” She replied, pointedly glaring at the green hawk. He merely shrugged but rested his chin in his hand as he looked at the metal bird as well. A cold edge overtook Wave’s face in what Amy could barely call a smile as she mocked, “But then, I think it's better that we discuss it now. Home turf and all that, you understand.”

Amy’s eye twitched as she caught the full scope of the threat, “He helps Benny to hack higher level security systems, and his scanning technology is better than state of the art,” Amy stated, doing her best to keep her tone confident and strong.

Wave stared at her with cold blue eyes, “I don’t trust anything I haven’t built myself.”

“The bird stays,” Shadow interjected. Wave turned her attention to Shadow and her legs fell from the table to be replaced with her hands. She leaned forward, a forced smile on her beak.

“Then you need to let me have a look-see before I approve of it staying.”

“Not happening,” Shadow shot back.

“Then we don’t need your help.”

The two glared at each other in silence, a battle of wills erupting across the table. Amy kept her facial expression stiff, but internally she was panicking. All her fine work getting them both out of the frying pan with Jet, and Shadow was sticking them into the fire with Wave? Did he want them to fail?!

She wished that Rouge was still in her ear, she could really use her advice right now. Amy glanced at Jet to see if he’d jump in, but he was just leaning back, his expression amused. Did he want Benny gone? Her eyes scrambled over the table when something caught her eye. It was a blueprint of some building. She didn’t want to spend long looking at it in fear that she would look suspicious, but the layout had given her an idea.

“That’s fine,” She said, leaning back and smiling with humor. Her arm came up and she held it place as Omega shifted to perch on her forearm. His metallic talons threatened to tear into her jacket, but she just pet his head like she was extremely bored. She didn’t feel nervous anymore. She’d trained for this, and she could feel that training kicking in as a plan slowly clicked into place. 

“Good,” Wave said finally, and she leaned back, “I’m glad you understand. We can talk when you get rid of him.”

“Oh no, doll,” Amy said with a mockingly honeyed voice, “You completely misunderstand me.”

“ Excuse me?” Wave responded incredulously. 

“We’re a package. I already told you that he helps us to break into safes. Even safes like the Dragon’s Hoard 36LJ. ” Amy’s devious smirk widened as she saw the two thieves flinch and glance at each other. She’d recognized that same safe on the blueprint before them, and had taken a gamble on whether the job they needed the twins for included it. They’re reactions confirmed her suspicions.

“You’ve run into one of these beauties before?” Jet challenged, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.  

“To my knowledge,” Amy continued, “it’s human military grade, with only five currently known on Mobius, not to mention the little known secret three others that are closely kept knowledge to the tycoons that own them. Each one is specifically modified differently by their owners, making it impossible to crack it with normal methods.”

There was a sharp silence in the room as she paused for effect. She could tell that Jet was cautious of her knowledge, but there was a glint of greed in his eyes that told her he was hanging on her every word.

“You need two experienced safe breakers,” Amy continued, “Word on the street is that you have done your fair share of thefts in stores and museums. But that’s small fry compared to what we’ve done.”

At this statement, Wave seemed to recover herself, and it was her turn to give a shit eating grin. 

“Oh?” She inquired, her arms folding across her chest, “and just what might those have been? Unfortunately ‘word of the streets’ about you two is sorely lacking.”

“We aren’t stupid enough to get caught,” Shadow countered. Amy looked over at him, grateful he was working together with her finally.

“How convenient,” she drawled, a twitch developing on the upper part of her beak, “Name one job you’ve done in the last year.”

“Jupiter’s Tears.” Shadow replied without hesitation.

The two bird’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. That was an unsolved theft of an incredibly rare ruby bracelet owned by one of the richest Mobians on the planet, Jasper Finnick. Each ruby on the bracelet was of the finest quality and it was said that the jewels were so old that their origin is unknown. They’d been turned into a bracelet as a gift by some king for his queen 500 years ago. The bracelet mysteriously disappeared 200 years later. Only the underground network knew that Jasper had found them, and even fewer people knew that it’d been stolen from him. No one knew who the thief was, many had come forward with assumptions but all had been proven false. Lucky for them, they were three of only four people who knew the truth. One of them being their very own live-in thief, Rouge the Bat.

It’d been pulling teeth to get the bat to agree to this plan. There were very few things she could steal without G.U.N. catching wind of it, and so each jewel was like her own child. She’d finally caved after they’d promised not to use it unless absolutely necessary, and that they wouldn’t lose or leave a scratch on her ‘cute little babies.’

Amy reached into her sleeve and pulled the bracelet off her wrist and placed it gently on the table in front of her.

"Feel free to examine it, doll.”

Jet leapt forward, and snatched the jewelry off the table. He couldn’t hide his greed or excitement anymore. He looked over the golden ring with intense eyes and careful fingers. The rubies were each the size of bottle caps. They were imbedded into a golden ring, and they shone a deep almost sinister crimson, the shade of freshly spilt blood. Jet ran his finger across each gem, and then motioned silently to Wave. The swallow rolled her eyes, but got up and pulled from a shelf a jeweler's magnifying glass. She tossed it in Jet’s direction, and without looking up, he caught it in his free hand. 

Jet cocked his head to get a better angle as he squinted through the glass at one of the rubies. After spending a couple minutes on each one, he carefully placed the jewelry on the table and his beak hung slightly open.

“Well?” Wave asked impatiently. 

“It’s not a fake…” There was awe in his voice, something that seemed very unusual for the hawk if the look of shock on Wave’s face said anything. His hand still rested on the bracelet, but Amy touched him briefly as she slid it from underneath his grasp.

“Well,” she said as she slipped the bracelet back on, and started to get up, “This has been fun, Jet-babe. But like I said… I guess we just won’t work out.”

Shadow stood also, giving a glare to the birds, and the two hedgehogs turned to leave.

“Wait!” Jet shouted, his voice cracking with excitement. They turned, and Amy wanted to laugh at the look of desperate hunger on the hawk’s face. Now the tables were turned, and she found a sick pleasure in making him squirm. 

Jet cleared his throat, and his voice returned to its normal husky tone, “You’re serious about not leaving the robot behind?”

Amy nodded, “Couldn’t have done it without him. Take it or leave it, toots.” The silence spanned between them and she couldn’t help but revel in the pleasure of the tension. Win or lose, she could sit in this excitement forever if she needed to. Finally, finally she had some Chaos-damned power. 

Jet held her gaze as her confidence refused to waver. Finally his eyes dropped off and he gave a resigned smile.

"Well alrighty then.”

“Jet!” Wave protested, but Jet raised his hand.

“Wave, that’s enough. They’re the real deal.”

“But -”

“Wave!” Jet interrupted with a stern voice. It sounded weird coming from the normally laid back hawk, but his eyes had taken on that of a predator, and Amy repressed a shiver of fear. Wave shrunk back a little, and she didn’t argue further. 

“So,” Amy said, trying to lighten the mood with an excited voice, “what’s the mark?”

Jet turned to face her once more, and a mischievous grin spread across his face. 

“Haven’t you guessed? You seem to know all the Dragon’s Hoards on Mobius…”

Amy gulped, and looked at Shadow who avoided her stare. He’s been acting a bit strange, Amy realized, but she had more pressing matters than the emotional state of her partner. She looked around the room once more, and when Jet caught on to what she was doing he stepped aside a bit to reveal more of the papers on the table. She studied the visible blueprints and news articles when one popped up. It was one she had read a few days ago, and at the time it hadn’t really caught her attention. The coronation of Sally Acorn. She felt something hard sink to the pit of her stomach, and cold sweat form on her brow.

“It can’t be…”

Jet merely smirked, picked up the article and held it in front of him.

“That’s right,” his voice higher with excitement, “We’re gonna steal the soon to be queen’s crown.” 

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

EPISODE 13: Thieves of Babylon - Part 3

Nameless Motel

~September 28, 00:56~

“So now we’ve finished what we needed to do, right?”

“Sure,” Rouge replied, “But where’s the fun in that?”

Amy clenched her jaw and glanced over at Shadow who was standing near the door of the small motel room that the team was sharing. The two of them had made their way silently to the rendezvous point, making sure to cover their tracks and not be followed. It helped that Omega was in the skies watching over them. When they’d finally made it to the seedy, oil smeared walls of the room, all Amy had wanted to do was strip and get in the shower, but Rouge had other ideas. 

“We aren’t on vacation, bat. We got the intel, time to report in.” Shadow grunted, his arms firmly crossed.

Rouge narrowed her eyes and leaned forward. She was sitting on the only chair in the room, and Amy observed with envy that she was donning some comfy purple sweatpants and a black cotton tank. It was also apparent by the waft of waxy lemon scented soap that the bat had made use of the shower. But what bothered Amy the most was the hungry shine in the bat’s eyes as she continued,

“We’ve done the bare minimum. Come on, Shads! Where’s your sense of adventure? You guys already have an in. We should see this to the end.”

“What do you mean by that?” Amy asked nervously, shifting uncomfortably on one of the beds in the room.

“You know, let’s catch them red handed and turn ‘em in.”

Silence permeated throughout the room, and Amy glanced at Shadow, who had shut his eyes and was currently pinching the bridge of his nose. She could tell that he wasn’t happy with what Rouge had just said, and if she was being honest, she wasn’t either. The whole thing sounded too risky.

“I don’t know, Rouge… we barely got on and off their ship, and Jet,” Amy gulped, and stood up from the wave of weird emotions that had surged through her, “And Jet has a pre-existing relationship with Betty that shouldn’t exist. It’s better for us to report this to Chief Snow and let her decide how to proceed.”

Rouge huffed loudly and pushed back into her chair, her arms folded across her chest. She looked Amy up and down, impatience settling in her voice.

“Just because some perp wants to get into your pants, you want to chicken out? I was actually impressed with how you handled the situation. He believed you. You have an unshakeable cover now. We shouldn’t waste it.”

Amy sat back down, a sharp pain had started forming behind her eyes. Rouge hadn’t said anything wrong, but that was Amy’s own personal issue, and she couldn’t let her confused feelings about Jet get in the way of the mission. She sighed and was about to concede when surprisingly she heard a gruff voice speak up,

“I agree with the girl.”

She turned to look with wide eyes at Shadow, who was leaning on the wall next to the door with a stern look on his face. She was struck once more at how similar he looked to Sonic when his fur was all one color and his quills were straightened out. But their differences were becoming even clearer somehow. The way he commanded the room and demanded respect… the way his arms looked in that leather jacket… the way his little fluff of chest fur popped out over his crossed arms. Sonic didn’t have these qualities. He was more like a bright sun, filling the space with warmth and comfort. Strong yes, but also gentle in the most surprising of ways. And that relaxed smile he always seemed to have… They were indeed very different.

“What the hell, Shadow!” Rouge’s voice snapped her back to the moment, but Amy’s heart still squeezed with longing.

“I said, I agree. We shouldn’t drag this out.”

“It’s not like you to be worried over a small hitch,” Rouge clicked her tongue and pointed a finger in Shadow’s direction, “Amy handled it perfectly, stop doubting her abilities. I don’t care if you don’t like -”

“It’s not that. I don’t think the cover is the damn issue.” His tone was rough, and his foot started to tap quickly. Rouge rolled her eyes and sighed exasperatedly.

“Then what’s your fucking problem?”

“The Acorns. This involves royalty. You know how cagey G.U.N. gets when it comes to the royals.”

Rouge stared at him for a long moment, silent. Only the muffled noise of a TV in the room next to them filled the space. Amy could see irritation prickling off the bat as though she were a spined hedgehog herself. It amazed Amy that Shadow was actually taking her side of things and even though Rouge was mad at her, she couldn’t help but feel a bit of warmth from the off-handed compliment about her acting that Rouge had thrown into the argument. Sure, they weren’t being overly nice or outright warm to her, but she would take this as a win.

“Why are you smiling?” Rouge snapped, and at first it took Amy a second to realize she was staring at her now. She blinked and touched a hand to her cheek, feeling the curl of the corner of her lips beneath her finger tips.

“Oh, sorry. I guess I’m just surprised that you thought I did well and that Shadow would take my si -”

“I’m not.” Shadow grunted and pushed off from the wall. He turned to rest his hand on the door, “Since this is settled, I’m leaving.”

“Oh, no you don’t!” Rouge jumped up and grabbed his hand as quickly as a viper, “I didn’t agree to anything!”

“It’s non-negotiable, we aren’t doing it, so get any fantasy of laying your eyes on the crown jewels out of that crazy head.”

“Yes, we are!”

“No. And get your fucking hand off me.” Shadow was growling now, and his quills were beginning to bristle. Amy didn’t know if she should interfere, or make herself scarce and jump in the shower while they sorted it out. But then Rouge screamed in frustration, “Dammit Shadow!” 

Rouge put a hand on one hip and pointed the other in Shadow’s face,

“I don’t care about the damn jewels… Well that’s a lie, we all know I do. But I wouldn’t even be there and you know it. You know why, so stop acting petty and work with me.”

“No I don’t. I can’t read your mind, and I don’t give two shits about why. I’m not doing it.” He swung the door open but before he could step out into the night, Rouge muttered one word that stopped him in his tracks,

“Probation.”

Shadow’s whole body got stiff, and a chill from more than the open door filled the room. Amy looked at them in confusion, but neither of them spoke to clarify the matter. Shadow slowly closed the door but refused to turn around.

“That’s a bad idea.”

“What is?” Amy couldn’t help herself, and Shadow turned his head just enough to glare at her from over his shoulder.

“This doesn’t concern you.”

She felt anger build inside her at those words, but she swallowed it. A part of her felt like he was right, but they were a team and whatever “probation” meant sounded like it had an impact on all of them. However, she should have realized by now that it was foolish to think that she had a place between the veteran teammates. With a sigh, she stood, her back popping and her tired heart pumping painfully.

“Alright… I get it. I’m going to take a shower, so you guys just discuss it, and tell me what you decide when you're finished.”

She turned and entered the bathroom, immediately stripping her dirty clothes and untying her quills. She stared at herself in the mirror with crushing exhaustion. The makeup she had put on for Betty was running hot pink eyeshadow down her muzzle from the tears that had been pulled from her eyes, when she’d flown with Jet. Her fur was still black as night, and yet she could almost see the dark eye bags beneath blackened fur. Her quills were tangled and matted, and she felt even more dejected when she realized that she shouldn’t fully clean herself in case the two idiots outside decided to continue on with the mission. Still, the reflection that stared back at her was unrecognizable, and she felt that was a good thing. She might burst into tears if she was Amy Rose. Betty didn’t cry.

Stepping into the shower she let hot water run across her fur and body. It wouldn’t clean her perfectly, but damn did it feel good. By the time she was finished and coming out of the bathroom with her quills in a towel, Rouge was alone and laying on one of the beds with the TV on.

“Get some sleep, pinky. We’ll be paying the royals a visit tomorrow.”

  Acorn Royal Palace - Metropolis 

~September 28, 19:13~

“Ten years ago our planet, Mobius, and the planet Earth were under attack from a single enemy, Dr. Robotnik. He caused a rift in time and space with the sacred Chaos Emeralds and attempted to gain control of not only our home but also his home world. Then a few years after that, we were once again threatened by an interstellar enemy, the Black Doom and Eggman once again.  It was through the valiant efforts of our very own Hero of Mobius, Sonic the Hedgehog, that we were able to avoid mass destruction and casualties. But even though we were safe from the Doctor, a new challenge arose. We were now exposed to other planets in the universe, including Earth. The humans were quick to sign a peace treaty with us in appreciation for our technological advancements and thanks to our hero for not forsaking them. But how were we to prepare ourselves for other alien threats? 

“Princess Sally Acorn didn’t let the task daunt her. Under her guidance and tutelage the countries of our planet came together and rallied against the Blackarms. It was thanks to her gentle yet strong leadership that we now have peace on Mobius. The Council of Nations have agreed that the Acorn family has proven again and again that they can protect our planet, and have decided to come together under them once more as the planet’s monarchs. So… without further adieu, Her Majesty Sally Acorn!”

Applause erupted in the throne room of the palace, and Amy watched on the screen as a gorgeous squirrel mobian glided out from behind a curtain. Amy was standing with Shadow and Jet, who both looked like they’d rather be anywhere but here, in one of the many large ballrooms that hosted the guests of the crown. 

All three of them were donned in the finest that a close-by, second-hand store had allowed. The boys were wearing dark blazers with cheap cufflinks that gave the impression of wealth, the only thing obviously out of place was Jet’s sneakers. She’d wanted to ask him about it, but missed her chance. She figured he just preferred his feet to be comfortable, Sonic was the same way. She pulled at the all too revealing dress Jet had insisted she wear because it matched her bracelet, wishing she had insisted on the black number she’d had her eyes on. The bracelet was the only thing between the three of them that actually belonged in the room. Its blood red rubies shone like small cherries, and it felt even heavier than Amy’s normal power rings. 

Jet rolled his eyes and took a long drink of the champagne in front of him, making a face that said he wished it was beer. Shadow was leaning his head on a hand, his red eyes glazed over, obviously counting down the seconds until this was all over. However, Amy couldn’t tear her eyes from the screen and the female that seemed to stir her even through pixels. Her smile was straight and her smooth teeth were bright white. She didn’t have fangs or sharp canines which made her smile look warm and comforting. Her bright blue eyes matched the shimmering sky blue dress that cascaded around her figure. She moved with graceful power and purpose. 

Amy knew she had a mission to focus on, but she couldn’t help but admire the princess up on the screen. She remembered looking at glossy magazine covers that displayed little windows into the princess’s life. She used to stand for hours in the store, her small child hands flipping through the pages, unable to read most of the words, but she always looked at the pictures and imagined what it would be like to be a princess. And when she’d gotten older and understood more of the world, she’d always admired how composed and perfect the squirrel seemed to be. This was the closest she’d ever gotten to the princess, and as she watched pink glossed lips part and close as she addressed the world, Amy wished she could be in the throne room hearing it first hand.

Of course, Team Sonic had met her a few times. Sonic was the Hero of Mobius after all. And when she pestered him for details, he’d merely shrugged and said that the princess was too uptight for him to get along with, but that she seemed like a generous person. Amy had pouted and told him he was class A idiot when it came to judging people, especially girls. Tails had cracked some joke about Amy being more obsessed with the princess then Sonic. And Knuckles had to hold her back, his body trembling in laughter as she tried to break free and give the two-tailed fox a good whack for his snark. 

She smiled warmly, her mind now drifting off to the simpler times.

“And now, welcome Sonic the Hedgehog who has the honor of presenting the Crown to our new Queen.”

Amy’s attention snapped back to the TV in front of her, and she watched in disbelief as Sonic appeared on screen, his mouth widened in his trademark smile, and his emerald eyes gleaming. He strode with confidence to the sound of cheers and whoops, and approached the princess. He was stuffed into a bow tie and blazer, and his quills had been combed into submission. Tails and Knuckles followed close behind, the fox carrying a pillow upon which the crown sat. Amy couldn’t believe her eyes. Sonic would rather be on a rowboat in the middle of the ocean then be involved in this charade. 

“Of course,” Jet scoffed, his attention on the screen now, “I’ve always thought that guy had an ego big enough to match his giant head. Look at him enjoying all that attention just cuz he can run fast.”

Shadow matched Jet’s scoff and his head nodded slightly in agreement. Amy didn’t say anything, but she did know that they were dead wrong. Sonic hated showboating himself. Sure he was cocky in battle, and could be more than confident in his abilities than was appropriate, but she knew mostly an act. All a façade to cope with his unintentional, and unasked for, role as the world’s savior. He always ran from the aftermath of any incident before news crew or officials could arrive. 

Even now, she could see his discomfort on the corner of his lip, and in the way he pulled at his collar before speaking. She knew he itched to run, knew that he’d had to sit too long in order to keep the wind from ruffling his outfit and quills. She felt an urge to run to his side, to help him make an excuse to leave. Bask in the glow of his grateful smile as he dashed away. But those days were over. It wasn’t her place anymore. 

“When the queen comes into this ballroom to make her rounds,” Jet continued, unconcerned once more with what was happening on the screen, “that's when we’ll rendezvous with the others at the vault. The guards in this room will be too distracted with keeping their mighty queen safe.”

Amy was half listening as she watched Sonic place the crown on Sally’s head, the large topaz pendant in the center glimmered gold in the light of flashing cameras. And when the Queen rose and Sonic went to his knees while she stared down at him with a warm smile, Amy couldn’t help but feel a knot form in her stomach. Had there truly been nothing between those two?

It took the time for Jet to struggle through a third champagne flute before the grandiose ballroom doors finally swung open and the royal entourage to enter. “Show time!” Jet hissed with excitement, and he grabbed Amy by the waist and pulled her towards the edge of the room near a door that exited into another part of the palace. Their job was to look like a happy couple near the exit while Shadow created a distraction to pull the attention of the guards away from the door. This ballroom had been chosen as their point of egress due to its close proximity to the vault, and Amy could practically see Jet’s feathers ruffling in barely contained anticipation.

As they stood against the wall, his arm around her body, and his thumb rubbing her side, Amy couldn’t help but glance over at Queen Sally once more, and immediately regretted it. The queen was smiling brightly and chatting up guests while walking in tandem with a certain cerulean hedgehog. She wasn’t wearing the extravagant crown anymore as it was too precious to be worn in a crowded ballroom, and had thus been stored back in the vault awaiting the thieves’ hands. Instead she donned a frosted diamond crown that fit perfectly above auburn bangs. Sonic still had his blazer and bow tie on with his quills only slightly out of place. The couple of the hour moved about in slow motion and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing for the second time that night. 

They moved in perfect synchronization, arms interlocked, as they waded through the crowd. Sally was the perfect height for him, only an inch shorter, and she worked the room like a practiced magician. Moving from conversation to conversation, a polite giggle here, and concerned nod there. All the while Sonic stood next to her like the perfect hero with a dazzling smile etched across his face as his gaze seemed to constantly gravitate toward her. Amy couldn’t help the dark emotions bubbling to the surface of her heart and mind. Had Sonic been lying to her all this time? Were these two as close as they appeared or was it all an act?

“Pretty pathetic if you ask me,” Jet intruded on her thoughts. She blinked, forcing herself to tear her eyes from the nightmare before her.

“Wha?” She mumbled. Jet smirked at her and nodded towards the glamorous couple, while keeping up their waltz.

“Them. Perfect people loving perfect people,” He sneered and rolled his eyes, “Can you be any more boring? Or Predictable? It's too clean, too fake.”

“I don’t know…” Amy replied, forgetting her composure as Betty, “Sometimes I think it would be nice to just have an uncomplicated relationship. Secure and safe.”

Jet chuckled, “Babe, if I ever catch myself in an uncomplicated relationship that means my wings were clipped.”

He pulled her close, the underside of his beak rubbing against her forehead. 

“I much prefer the crazy, sexy, vixen who could kill a man in the dress you’re wearing tonight with just one look.” Amy felt an electric thread course through her from the top of her spine to her toes. Suddenly, she was all too aware of the thumb that kneaded circles into her side, and the blue eyes that pulled her upside down into the sky.

“Who’d want Miss stiff, prim princess when I have a literal psychotic goddess in my arms?”

His breath was on her nape now as his head bent down and he whispered into her quills. She felt something primal and insane bubbling to the surface. Something she’d never felt before, something new. Her eyes instinctively moved to find Sonic, but when she was met with him leaning close to the queen to say something to her, Amy found herself unconsciously leaning into the hawk that held her in a delicious trap.

“You sure know how to make a girl feel special,” she responded, not recognizing the odd tone her voice took. I’m just playing Betty, she told herself as her hand twitched and rose to the hawk’s broad chest. His beak curled in a smile at the touch. Yeah… that’s why… I’m just playing a role. That’s why I don’t recognize myself.

“You know,” Jet purred, his other hand curled around her so that now they were facing each other, “After this job’s over, there’s no reason you and I can’t find more excuses to meet up.”

She felt excited at those words, he wanted her and she could almost taste his desire. It was a feeling she had never felt from a male before Jet, and she felt drunk on it.

“Like I said before, sugar,” She responded while biting her lip, Amy Rose a distant memory, “I don’t play with a boy twice.”

He sucked in a breath, and he nipped the soft skin on her neck. She couldn’t help but let loose a small gasp. Then he angled his beak slightly upwards and practically serenaded her with his voice,

“I think you can make an exception.”

But before she had a chance to respond, there was the sound of shattering glass, and a small scream. Suddenly, the two mobians were almost knocked off their feet as the royal guard at the door they were near burst forward and toward the sound that Amy was now sure was Queen Sally. Jet kept her upright as they looked over at the commotion, they could barely see through the crowd of swarming mobians, but best she could tell, there seemed to be a broken flute of champagne at the Queen’s feet.

“Now’s our chance,” Jet exclaimed, all husky and lewd words forgotten in his excitement. He pulled her quickly to the door and slipped through. Once they were in the hallway, they quickly ran to one of the large windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling, and hid behind one of the curtains as more guards thundered past on their way to the ballroom.

“Here you go,” Jet stuck out his hand, a clunky earpiece in his palm, “This is so our eyes in the sky can help guide us.”

Great, another ‘eye in the sky.’ While Jet turned his head from her to insert his earpiece, Amy took the chance to turn on the small G.U.N. device, in order for Rouge to communicate with her as well. She had a feeling she was going to get a headache trying to listen to not only two different ear pieces but also what was going on around her.

“Nice of you to finally join me.” Amy tried not to flinch as the bat’s voice pierced her skull. She’d have to remember to ask Rouge to lower the volume before the next mission.

“You ready or not?”

She looked up to see Jet waiting, his arm outstretched. Now that they were away from the ballroom, she saw no reason to continue a charade, so she walked past him ignoring the little snicker he made as she passed. As she walked down the hall toward the vault area she rolled up her skirt to reach the small tablet screen she’d strapped to her thigh. She pulled up the blueprints of the castle and guided them through the halls until they reached a hallway that led to large steel doors guarded by two guards. 

“Wave, there are two guards at the entrance, did you loop the camera feeds yet?” Jet asked, staring intently at Amy as she ripped the other side of her skirt up to the thigh once more to pull a small gun from her other thigh.

“Who do you think I am? You’re good to go.”

Jet grinned and asked Amy, “What other toys do you have up those skirts?”

“Stop commenting on my sister and focus on the mission, you damn vulture.”

Amy looked behind them to see Shadow approaching them. She had never been so grateful to see that grumpy face as she was in that moment.

“Very creative insult, for someone who can’t seem to hold a conversation for longer than a few seconds.”

“Would the both of you shut up?!”

“Males.”

Amy winced as Wave and Rouge spoke in her ear at the same time. She rolled her eyes at Shadow and Jet continuing to bicker and decided to take matters into her own hands. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a steadying breath, before leaping out from around the corner and lifting the stun gun. In two quick pulls of the trigger, the guards crumpled to the ground.

The thud of the bodies caused the two males to end their tirade and look over at Amy. She blew her bangs from her eyes and placed the gun back in her thigh holster before sauntering over to the closest window.

“Now that's a female I could see myself getting lost in.” Jet purred as he started to walk down the hall. Shadow was staring at Amy as she whistled a signal into the cool night air. The breeze caused her quills to flutter about her face, and her jade eyes shimmered like jewels. With her quills the same shade as the sky she seemed to be an ethereal embodiment of the night. And if he had chosen to be honest with himself, he would’ve admitted to glancing up and down her body as the sequined ruby dress hugged her alluringly. However, he instead scoffed and mumbled,

“Lucky shot.”

There was a tinkling of metal, and then the silver hawk of Omega swooped down from the darkness, a duffle bag in his talons. He flapped his wings a bit while he laid the bag onto the floor at Amy’s feet, and then perched himself on her shoulder. Amy smiled and lifted her hand to pet his feathers.

“Good job, Omega!”

“Praise noted and appreciated,” the robot replied, his wings fluttering with what Amy would only guess was pride.

Shadow rolled his eyes and knelt down to go through the duffle. He pulled out a device the size of an envelope and walked over to the group waiting for him at the steel doors. There was a keypad with a small screen that showed a password of over 24 characters long. Shadow pressed a button on the side of his device and a compartment opened on the back. He placed the device over the keypad and pressed another button. He was thankful that Rouge had made it so simple, he supposed it was the one good thing about having a thief for a partner. 

“I’ve never seen that before, is it your own design?” Jet inquired as he looked at the device working through decoding the door. Shadow glared at him and said nothing. He wanted this mission to finish as quickly as possible in order to get as far away as possible from the hawk. His lewd comments and cocky attitude was rivalling that of his annoyance with Sonic.

“My brother has a way with the subtle art of code cracking, I much prefer a big bang myself.” Amy replied, attempting to keep the mood light.

Jet looked over at her with a smile and he rubbed his index finger to his thumb,

“And would this little tool be on the market for eager buyers?”

Amy forced herself not to shudder at the thought of the device landing in such sticky hands as the hawk’s.

“We can talk about that later, doll.”

There was a small ding! and a click as the mechanism for the door released. Once the doors opened, they were met with another hallway that looked like a bad rave. Lasers of varying colors and speed danced around the space in a frenzied pattern. 

“Totally outdated and cliche,” the disdain in Rouge’s voice was heavy, “ It’s almost an insult to my intelligence.”

Amy held back a smirk at the bat’s ranting, and plopped the duffle bag down to rummage through it.

“So, who's gonna take the dance of death?” Jet prodded as he cracked his fingers in anticipation.

“No one, babe,” Amy replied with a wicked smile as she pulled out a grey putty-like substance and a nest of wires, “It’s time for Betty Bang to shine.”

Jet raised an eyebrow as he watched her move to the left of the hallway’s entrance to where a biometric pin pad was bolted to the wall.

“There’s no way to crack that unless your little bag of tricks has a vial of princess blood and a mold of her thumb.”

“Relax, like I said before, I don’t do careful and subtle. Sometimes the right choice is the one that goes BOOM!”

She unballed the grey putty, pulling out long strands and meticulously pressed it along the edges of the security pad. Once the whole edge of it was outlined, she detached a red and green wire from the bundle in her fist and poked them on either side of the putty. She had practiced using C4 in the academy, but could feel sweat prickling the back of her neck. If she got this wrong it could blow up - maybe even literally - their mission. She walked out of the hall and back into the first area they had just left while indicating for the boys to do the same.

Shadow followed without comment, and Jet hesitated a moment before following suit, doubt and suspicion flowing off him in waves.

Once they were all clear of the second hallway, Amy took out a small detonator and attached the wires. She was careful to maintain a psychotic grin while she counted down in a gleeful voice,

“3, 2, 1 - BOOM BABY!”

The actual sound of the explosion was anticlimactic and sounded more like a poof than a BOOM! But despite its lackluster onomatopoeia, the lasers in the hallway flickered and went off one by one. 

At first they all stared at each other, eyes wide and hands over ears, until the silence was broken by the raucous laughter of Jet the Hawk. Amy’s face immediately burst into flame, and not even Shadow could hold back a small smirk from the corner of his mouth.

“T-the way you - Hahaha - built that up - wheeze - I was expecting some grandiose thing. But it just sounded like a fart!” Jet was tearing up now as he teased through chuckles.

Amy could not think of another time in her life besides this one where she had been so embarrassed. Not even the constant past rejections from Sonic could compare to this moment.

“Yeah Betty,” Shadow added, not being able to help himself, “Where’s the ‘Boom Baby’?”

This only served to fuel the fire, and now they could even hear the two females on the other end of the earpieces attempting to hold back snickers.

Amy stamped her foot, and frowned, “A boom is a boom, no matter how small.”

Again, it was like trying to smolder a fire with gasoline, and she was feeling very self conscious about the laughter and smirks, and their judgement was thick in the air pressing her from all sides. 

“Shut up, you assholes,” She finally growled, covering her anxiety with anger whisking past them and into the second hallway.

“Omega thinks the level of noise was appropriate for the mission at hand. Anything at a higher decibel would’ve alerted any guards nearby.”

Amy looked over at the robot who was still perched on her shoulder and gave him an affectionate tap on the top of his head. She smiled warmly as the laughter finally died down to coughing and said, “Thanks Omega, I can always count on you.”

The robot made a trilling sound, and returned her petting with a little nudge of his head. 

“Yeah, yeah. I guess the bird is right,” Jet relented, but a ghost of a smile still lingered along his beak. 

“I’m growing old listening to this shit,” Wave groaned,  “would you imbeciles get a move on so I can retire at a beach resort and have enough money for young, attractive males to wait on me hand and foot?”

“You heard the boss,” Jet said, “Let’s get a move on.”

…

“Okay, the last thing you need to do is something I like to call the Rouge Secret Handshake.”

Shadow rolled his eyes as he held his face steady against the large door of the vault. He had just spent the last ten minutes following the chatter of the bat through the intricate instructions on how to crack the Dragon’s Hoard 36LJ. It took all his Chaos given self-control to not tell her to shut the fuck up when she had went off on a small tangent about some other job she had done where - blah blah blah.

“So what you’re gonna do is tap above the dial six times, turn it to the left three times, and then the right until you feel it catch, and then… slam your hands five times on either side of it as hard as you can.”

Although every fiber of his being screamed that no way in hell was he doing that, he couldn’t refute anything she’d told him. He may not trust her when it came to treasure, but when it came to cracking a safe, there was no one better. He followed through with the instructions, and once he had finished slamming his hands on either side of the dial, he looked up expecting the doors to do something. All he was met with was silence and stares of bewilderment from his two companions. He didn’t know how long he stood there with his hands on the cold metal door until he heard suppressed laughter in his ear.

“I can’t believe you actually did the hand stuff! All you had to do was turn the dial! Oh man, I wish I could see your face right now!”

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Shadow hissed, his quills bristling slightly in anger.

“What was that?” Jet asked.

“Nothing.” Shadow growled, “It's open now, so let’s get this over with.”

Both Amy and Jet stifled their laughter as best they could, realizing it was best not to press the issue while Shadow pulled the heavy doors open. The inside of the vault was the size of a small food mart, and had its very own ailes of glass displays and pedestals featuring an array of precious artifacts and items. On one of the shelves that lined the wall sat rows upon rows of golden bars, and further down a detached display exhibited what looked like the turquoise chaos emerald.

The group made their ways down the aisles, and Amy watched as Jet seemed to move with purpose. He barely glanced at the treasure around him, and his arms stayed planted at his sides. She found this odd. Why would a thief not make any stops to stick a few of the smaller items into his pocket? Sure, their main goal was the crown, but why would he avoid touching anything else? Quickening her pace a bit to stride side by side with Jet, she angled her head downwards and looked up at Jet to appear flirtatious as she pried into his intentions.

“Nothing catching your eye?”

His eyes moved to look at her for a moment, but he just smiled and continued down the aisle.

“I’m only here for the big payout, no need to bother with the small stuff.”

“Okay,” Rouge drew out the word, all merriment from her prank lost in her voice, “That’s weird. I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off anything in that place if I was in there. What’s this boy’s game?”

Amy was glad that Rouge seemed to catch onto the feeling she had as well. After a moment's silence, Rouge came back on the line,

“I don’t like this… Shadow, I think you need to arrest him right now.”

Shadow stopped dead in his tracks, and reached up to turn off the earpiece he’d received from Jet.

“What are you going on about?”

Amy did her best to distract Jet with questions and comments, all the while keeping Shadow in her peripheral vision.

“Something isn’t sitting right with me Shads, I know we wanted to wait till the crown was in his hands, but I think we just need to cut our losses.”

“We can’t, you idiot,” Shadow replied, “Have you forgotten that the bird hasn’t done a single illegal thing yet, except for not stopping us? If we arrest him now he could beat the charge and then we will have made fools of ourselves.”

“Damn it Shadow, I'm the team leader. This is an order, arres -”

“No. We’re seeing this through till the end. You forced us to do this, so we’re gonna finish it.”

He ignored her curses and quickened his pace to catch up with the couple who was now waiting for him by the crown display.

“Do we need to find you a restroom or something?” Jet jeered as Shadow approached.

Shadow growled and jammed a finger into Jet’s chest.

“I was just picking up a little something for myself, unlike you who doesn’t have the balls, I wanna get the most I can out of my efforts.”

Jet’s beak broke into a large grin, and one of his brows raised as he considered the hedgehog before him.

“Really? You grabbed some stuff off the shelves did you?”

The way he asked the questions made all sorts of alarm bells ring in Amy’s mind. She stepped back and made a small ‘x’ with her fingers, her eyes wide with warning. But the hedgehog ignored her and the concerns being hissed in his ear from Rouge.

“What are you, a cop?” Shadow sneered. Amy flinched, not liking the dangerous glow that had developed in Shadow’s eyes. 

“Cop? Where did that come from?” Jet mused, his feathers moving subtly as he shifted his stance.

“Hey, sorry about my brother, babe,” Amy smiled and placed herself between the two males, “He can get a little sensitive when it comes to what he’s owed. Can you just grab the crown and let’s get this over with.”

Jet stared down at her, his blue eyes searching hers. He lifted a hand and rubbed her tricep gently.

“Only if you promise to call me for our long overdue second date.”

Amy forced herself to keep the smile on her face. It wasn’t charming anymore, not with the sudden urgency that hung in the air like stale fruit. She wanted this mission to be done with so that she could go home, wash the itchy dye from her fur, and stay up all night watching soaps with Omega.

“Sure, sugar, whatever you want.”

Jet’s grin widened and without breaking eye contact, his hand left her arm to land on the crown.

“It’s been fun,” he said as he lifted the crown from its perch just before all hell broke loose. A loud alarm split her eardrums and short circuited their ear pieces. Lights began flashing as metal walls erupted from the ground at every display to lock the items in place. Then Amy felt mountainous pressure force her downward, causing  her to collapse face first onto the floor so hard that her vision darkened for a moment. 

Once her head had stopped spinning she was able to see that both Shadow and Omega had also fallen to the ground. She willed herself to move then, but her body remained frozen. The immense force causing every muscle in her body to scream, unable to beat the force keeping her trapped like a fly in honey. She tried to move her head, and that’s when she realized that there was only one person completely unaffected by the gravitational force. Jet’s feet stood in her limited line of vision, and she heard him chuckling. 

“Sorry, sweetheart, but plans have changed.” He leaned down so she could see his face, and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to punch the smirk right off his face.

“You… how…” Each word was a struggle, but Jet just smiled at her sympathetically.

“Wave and I heard about this sneaky little trap from the engineer of this place, and the smart girl that she is, she developed a countermeasure.”

He tapped the top of his shoe with his free hand, and Amy wanted to scream. She had thought it was weird that he’d still worn green sneakers with his sport jacket and attire, but had chalked it up to him not being comfortable in anything else. Sonic had always been the same way. She closed her eyes at that thought. How could she have allowed herself to make assumptions about Jet based on things Sonic had done? His consistent flirting had shaken her resolve, and she had tried to make sense of his behavior through her experience with Sonic. It had clouded what should have been obvious.

“Bastard.”

“Probably. Never knew my parents, so who knows?” Jet’s voice was mocking, and his hand reached down to her wrist. Amy watched in horror as he took the bracelet.

“I knew you weren’t Betty from the moment I laid eyes on you,” Jet continued as he pulled the jewelry from her, “But I was curious, so I played along. And oh boy am I glad I did. See, we were having trouble finding a fence for the crown jewels, them being national treasures and all. But this,” He added while admiring the ruby bracelet,

“This is a forgotten treasure that hundreds of tycoons and billionaires will be chomping at the bits to get a hold of. So I really have to thank you, whoever you are, but now it’s time for me to go.”

As if on cue, the ceiling above them began to splinter and fractalize until it all but disintegrated, raining debris and dust onto them. Amy could just make out the large emerald ship hovering silently above the castle, waiting for the return of its master. Jet started to step past her, when he paused and leaned down to whisper in her ear,

“This may have ended badly for you, but if you somehow get out of this, I’ll be waiting for that call.”

And with a small peck to her forehead and gust of fresh rain scented wind, he was gone. As the piercing sound of the alarms continued, Amy felt her eyes burn, and her jaw clench. This was bad. Very, very bad. But it was about to get much worse.

They felt the hold on them release, and the alarm went silent but before either of them could make a move Amy heard a sound that was the last thing on Mobius she wanted to hear. The familiar screech of sneakers on marble. She felt something cold clasp around her wrists which was followed by a tingling sensation. She sat up, her back to the person who had just handcuffed her, and prayed to Chaos for a way out of this. She didn’t have to look to know exactly who was now standing behind her, and when his voice rang out like a siren's call, her heart sank like an anchor.

“Whatta we got here? A couple o’ no good thieves.” He was bubbly and excited, and Amy shut her eyes as tightly as she could as she heard his foot-falls move around her to her front. “The perfect excuse to leave that stuffy old ballroom. Really I gotta thank y-”

His voice died as quickly as his feet could move. And that sinking feeling inside Amy grew. There was no way, right? No way that he… no he couldn’t possibly -

“ Amy?”

Her eyes snapped open, and she looked up to see him staring down at her with his mouth open wider than the crater Eggman’s laser had made in the moon. She gulped and tried to smile,

“H-hey, Sonic…”

It shocked her that her response was so casual, as though they had just met by happy circumstance on the street and weren’t in the royal vault as thief and hero. 

“Wow… it's really you… I-I -” His expression morphed from confusion to panic. Amy winced and tilted her head in apology.

“I’m really sorry to ask this of you, Sonic… I have no right, but we really need to get out of here before anyone else shows up.”

“We…” Sonic’s emerald eyes shifted to look at Shadow, who was now standing and attempting to yank his hands from the cuffs. Amy knew he wouldn’t be able to remove them, these were state of the art Chaos inhibitor cuffs made from power rings. Their sole purpose was to prevent criminals who had Chaos powers from utilizing their skills.

Sonic scoffed and grabbed Shadow before he could sprint off, and used another pair of cuffs to chain him to a nearby pedestal.

“That means you’re Shadow.”

“Way to state the obvious, you blue imbecile.” Shadow growled. One of his contacts had fallen out, and he would have looked ridiculous if it weren’t for their dire situation.

“Please,” Amy tried again, despising the tremor and desperation in her voice, “We’ll get in a lot of trouble… I swear we weren't doing anything ba-”

“You know,” Sonic interrupted with a cold voice. A voice she had never heard him use. She wanted to cry.

“You were right,” He turned and looked at her, his eyes just as frigid as his tone, “You have no right to ask anything of me.”

The sound of thundering steps of dozens of royal guards started to fill the room.

“I think I’ll just leave you to reap the seeds of what you sowed.”

He turned and started to walk to the entrance to meet the oncoming security, but Amy yelled, “Wait!” and he stopped in his tracks. He didn’t say anything or turn around, but he stayed still.

“A-at least…” Amy swallowed, trying to fix her broken voice, “At least don’t tell them who we are.”

He stood still for a moment that felt like an eternity, but then his shoulders sagged, and Amy swore his entire being deflated. 

“You’re a cruel female, Ames.”

Her heart shattered at the roughness in his voice, at the way he said her name, and she hung her head in shame. There was part of her that was still stuck, sitting alone in that cafe over a year ago. Her heart freshly torn and beating on the floor before the azul male. She wanted to turn back time, to beg him to at least care for her once more. He didn’t need to love her, she just wanted to see that warm summer smile once more. Her mouth opened against her will and she almost shouted her desires,  but then Shadow scoffed angrily,

“We are so fucked.”

She looked up and glared at Shadow.

“You’re not helping! Could you just shut up?” 

He glared back at her, his mouth twisted in a scowl. She turned to apologize to Sonic, but he was already at the vault’s entrance. Soon he was surrounded by a dozen more guards who stopped to speak with him before making their way towards the waiting criminals. But it wasn’t their approach that threw a spike into her chest. No, it was the female that walked up to Sonic, her blue eyes wide with concern as her gentle hand touched his face. It was a touch that he didn’t jerk away from. Her dress sparkled and shone like the fairest of lapis lazuli, and before the sight of her was obscured by the swarm of guards, Amy saw a white gloved hand raise to meet the Queen’s.

She turned her head from the scene, and bit her lip. She hated that she was still so affected by him. Hated that she was caught in an impossible situation. Hated that hand that dared touch him. Hated the tears that burned in the corner of her eyes. But most of all, she hated that the failure of the mission paled in comparison to the disappointment she’d seen in Sonic’s eyes. 

As she was roughly yanked to her feet, angry questions and accusations bombarding her from all directions, all she could do was close her eyes and allow herself to be dragged away. Once she was in the main hall, she glanced up and to the side and caught her reflection in the dark glass of a window. She stared into the sad, jade eyes of a stranger. If only she truly was Betty Bang, because anyone or anything was better than being Amy Rose.

Chapter Text

When I look back to how we used to be, I just can't understand how we got to where we are now...

EPISODE 14: VALENTINE’S DAY SPECIAL

Downtown Station Square

~Valentine’s Day - 7 months prior to Amy Joining Team Dark~

The sun had set early, but that hadn’t stopped the throngs of Mobian lovers from clogging the streets of Station Square like a fat heart’s artery. Amy Rose glared at the passing couples as they giggled in their respective pink bubbles. She was sitting at a cafe, books and papers laid out around her as she studied for her next exam at G.U.N. and she now regretted leaving the cadet dormitories. She hadn’t wanted to stay there with the possibility of her roommate, Tekno, distracting her, but now she would take the incessant chatter of tech and inventions any day over the mewlings and giggles that filtered through the air.

She, Amy Rose, the lovesick Sonic fanatic, had forgotten it was Valentine’s Day. She sighed and closed the book in front of her, it was obvious she wasn’t going to be getting anything done. She packed up her study materials, ordered a latte to go, and took to the streets taking small sips of the hot beverage. As she passed window display after window display of pink and red hearts, she wondered how the holiday had approached without so much as a thought. The commercial industry literally shoved it down consumers throats beginning in January, and the buzz of the female agents would’ve been focused on who was asking who out to see the new Needlemouse Movie that was debuting tonight. She had somehow managed not to hear any of it, or hadn’t registered the meaning.

Or I was deliberately avoiding the subject.

The thought hit her like a sledgehammer, and she paused in her walk. That’s right… it hadn’t been that she wasn’t exposed to it, she had deliberately blocked it from her mind. Mainly due to the subject of her affection hating her. It was only two years ago that she had spent the whole month of February planning extravagant presents and formulating a plan of attack to get Sonic the Hedgehog to go on a date with her. Last year she had found some time to leave him gifts at his headquarters, but this year she couldn’t even do that. Not after the fight they’d just had… not after she had completely pushed him away. Burning any chance she had at even being his friend.

Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest, and she wanted to fall into the ground, she wanted these feelings to go numb. She wouldn’t even care if it meant she could never love again, because what she was feeling now felt like dark, heavy clouds of despair that just would not dissipate. She wanted to scream, wanted to punch that couple that sat just a few feet from her. Wanted them to feel the same pain as her, because how dare they get to have something that was forever out of her reach.

The couple must’ve sensed the murderous aura because the girl looked over and her eyes widened in fear. Amy’s face was twisted in a devious grin, and her eyes were brimming with tears, but she looked anything but sad. She looked more like an insane person ready to tear apart the next person who gave her a side glance. The girl whipped her head around and tugged aggressively at her boyfriend’s sleeve before urging him to leave.

Amy watched them go, a thick armor of anger protecting her from feeling anything else. Once they were out of sight, she tossed her half drunk latte into the trash, and shoved her hands into the grey G.U.N. hoodie she wore. This was pathetic. Here she was, moping around and acting like a mental patient. She turned and was about to head back to the barracks when a bright neon sign caught her eye. It was a human holding a bat, and hitting a small white ball. The words read ‘Batting Cage,’ and below it was a sign that was black with red writing.

‘Single and bitter? Join us for Solo Hits! Break last year’s record and earn a prize! Singles Only!’

Amy stared at it for a moment and then she grinned, an evil light glinting within. Hitting balls as hard as she can seemed like a great way to release some pent up energy before returning to her barracks. 

She entered the establishment, instantly being hit in the nose by the smell of old hot dogs and sweat. The place was larger than it looked from the outside, and although the smell could be better, the place itself looked clean and well maintained. As she walked up to the counter, she noticed that the place was only populated by males, their raucous voices thundering between the metal tinging of bats. When she got to the counter, she noticed a teenage rat that was leaning casually against the wall, his face stuck on an expression of boredom. His bare muzzle was a minefield of angry zits, and his whiskers were tangled and oily from lack of care. Amy walked up and slammed some paper rings onto the counter and tapped her foot impatiently. The rat was wearing a green polo and shorts, but when he saw her, he straightened up and patted at the wrinkles in his shirt. Flecks of unknown food crumbs fell to the floor. 

“How can I help you, miss?” His voice came out in a sickly sweet tone.

Amy smiled as politely as she could muster and pointed to the sign behind him that advertised their single night deal.

“I’d like to participate in the singles challenge.”

The rodent looked her up and down, obviously doubting that she was alone, but when no male companion walked through the doors, he reached below the counter and pulled out a helmet and pink bat. 

“Here ya go miss, don’t worry about the high score, I can just give you a prize anyway.”

He winked, and tried at a smizing smile that came off as a sneer. Amy wanted to curse his snide little face. How dare he assume she couldn’t do as well as any male in the place. She was tired of people looking down on her abilities, so she decided to teach this little asshole and any other male watching, that she wasn’t some weak girl in need of handouts. Amy narrowed her eyes slightly, and started to pull her long quills into a ponytail. Still smiling with fake honey, she giggled,

“Oh I wouldn’t want to get you in trouble…”

“It’s nothing at all miss,” The rat said, his chest puffing out, easily falling into her ruse. She giggled again, her high pitched tone reaching into the depths of the place. Suddenly the sharp tings! slowed until several single male were peeking out from their cages, eyes assessing the strange creature that was called a girl.

“Oh you’re so silly!” She exclaimed, put the helmet on, and grabbed the bat, “Just out of curiosity, what is the score? I’ll try to get close so you won’t get in too much trouble.”

“15,000 points miss, you get 50 points for a hit and 100 for a home run. But if you get 3 strikes you’re out.”

“I see,” Amy feigned disappointment at the impossible odds, and the males around her started to feel a bit antsy.

“Don’t worry little gal,” a large armadillo interjected from the cage next to the one she was standing by, “I’ve gotten the closest, 8,350. I know I’ll get it this round, my prize will be yours.”

Amy turned, her eyes wide and sparkling, “Really? You’d do that for me?”

The armadillo blushed, and scratched the back of his head, “Oh it’s no thing at all. Though I wouldn’t mind if the little lady would join me after for a drink.”

Amy smiled sweetly, and entered her batting cage, leaning her bat against the fence that separated them. “Well, aren't you just a gentleman.”

Her voice was light and bubbly but as her face angled away from him, a dark smirk wrinkled her muzzle and she took off her helmet to remove her hoodie, not wanting to become hot and uncomfortable. The males in the immediate area completely left their cages and crowded around with wide eyes and goofy grins. All Amy had on beneath her hoodie was a workout bra, as she had planned to hit the GYM after studying, and the past year of G.U.N. physical training had been kind to her physique.

Amy turned and looked at the armadillo who looked as though a meteorite had just fallen from the sky in front of him.

“I have a better idea. Let’s make a bet, if I don’t break the record then I’ll go out for a drink with you. But if I do, then you have to fulfill my wish.”

The male blinked for a second, before a shit eating grin developed on his face. To him this was a piece of cake. There was no way this small hedgehog girl could break the record, and even if she did, there was no way she wouldn’t ask for something that was easy to fulfill.

“Okay then doll, you got a deal!”

“Oh wonderful!” Amy jumped up with enthusiasm, her ponytail bouncing and the eyes of several males went up and down to follow her path through the air. 

She put her helmet on once more, and lifted the bat, putting it on one shoulder and then the other. Then she turned to the males watching and awkwardly smiled, “Aww, jeez… this is my first time.”

This caused a roll of laughter to filter through the place, and the armadillo smiled triumphantly. Amy tapped the opposite side of the plate, and crouched down, waiting for the ball to come whizzing past the plate. When it did, it flew by without even the threat of a swing and slammed into the backboard. She heard chuckles from behind her, and a male say, “Wow dude! Looks like you’re gonna get luuuuucky tonight!”

Amy smiled, and waited as the second ball came, but this time she purposely waited until the ball passed the plate before swinging.

“Oh Chaos! This is hard! Can I take back my bet?” She asked innocently, looking behind her at the armadillo. The brown male folded his arms, and shook his head, his mouth split in a smile from ear to ear.

“No take backs sweetheart. You’re only as good as your word.”

“You’re mean,” Amy huffed, and the surrounding men mockingly joined her with sympathy. She turned and began to wag the bat as she waited for the third ball. This time she hit it, and it went flying out of sight. She stood on her tip toes as she watched it soar through the air and hit the large red wall that marked the home run area. Her score board flashed and the words ‘Homerun!’ flashed in pale yellow lights. This time there was silence behind her, and she smirked in glee. 

“Wow! Is that good?”

The males mumbled and the armadillo nervously chuckled, “Yeah doll… but don't get your hopes up. It was probably beginner's lu -”

TING!  

Another homerun. Amy wanted to laugh out loud at the hushed exclamations of disbelief behind her, but she had a record that needed breaking. She settled in and got to work.

“19,900 points! New record!”

TING!

“20,000 Points! New record!”

Amy was beginning to feel a little worn out so she decided it was time to stop. Besides, she'd blown the record out of the water. She stepped back and fanned herself as the ball flew harmlessly across the plate and a voice came over the intercom, “Strike 3, you’re outta here!”

She huffed, and pulled the helmet from her head, her jade eyes bright and her quills splayed in a sweaty mess behind her. 

“Whew!” She exclaimed, and continued to fan herself as she excited her cage, walking past the throngs of males that had gathered around her. They parted like the red sea as the little pink hedgehog walked through, her tail wagging happily. The batting cages were the quietest they had been since its opening; not a single metal ting could be heard. Amy walked up to the counter, the teenage rat stood with his mouth wide open and his whiskers twitching in disbelief. Behind him stood a large skunk male who had a manager's pin on his broad chest.

Amy stood at the counter, and slammed the bat and helmet on the table. She smiled genuinely, and felt elated at her accomplishment. She hadn't felt this good in years.

"So… I believe I'm owed a prize."

The manager made a sound that was close to a coughing chuckle and he walked forward.

"Well little lady, I do believe you are."

The male was smirking and he pulled out a gold ring from the cash register. It had a baseball embedded in it.

"This allows you to come here for free as long as your record holds… and by my guess, that's going to be quite a while."

The skunk was smiling knowingly and his blue eyes sparkled with humor. Amy smiled back, took the ring and stuck out her hand.

"Name's Amy Rose. Just wanted to introduce myself to you since I'll probably be seeing you a lot from now on."

His grin widened and he took her hand in his, "It's a pleasure Ms Rose. My name is Ronni, and if any of these knuckleheads give you trouble, you let me know. Hey! Randy, get your ass over here!"

The armadillo cautiously made his way through the crowd, his hands rubbing against each other nervously.

"Yeah Ronni?"

The skunk smiled and crossed his arms.

"I do believe you owe this miss a wish. And I hope you won't back out."

"That's right," Amy said mischievously, "No take backs, and you're only as good as your word."

The armadillo gulped, visible sweat glistening on his temple. He tried to smile but his voice cracked as he spoke.

"W-what is it that you want?"

Amy smiled, her jade eyes brighter than the sun. 

"Well, if you'd be so kind as to follow me to the tattoo parlor next door, I'll tell ya."

Amy was practically skipping down the street, her lips split in a wide grin, and her ponytail swinging wildly. If she looked insane before because of her anger, she now looked completely mental with a flower growing out of her head. She couldn't get the image of Randy's face as he stared at his new tattoo on his chest, a red rose with the words 'I lost to Amy Rose,' around it. 

Without realizing it, her feet had led her to the one place she never thought she'd find herself. Instantly the smile melted from her face, and her eyes went blank. All her earlier joy was instantly sucked out of her chest and she was left across the street from a large building with three colorful circles forming a sign, her body like an empty husk. There were piles of presents and boxes, stuffed Sonics and flowers, piles of letters that surely confessed many a female's love. 

She felt her stomach do flip flops, and her throat twist. Curse this heart that only beat for a blue blur, curse these feet that always led her back to him. Back to the one who could cause her to feel higher than the moon, and lower than the dirt with just a word. 

She wanted to just leave, to just go home and forget she was ever there. But then the door opened and her heart screamed to run across the street. Sonic stood outside the headquarters, his jean jacket hanging on his arm. He was looking around in what seemed to be shock, but then he started to move through the piles. He tossed boxes behind him, flipped over envelopes looking at names, and when he had finished making his way through all the piles he stood back with an unreadable expression on his face. 

She couldn't look away. People passed her, cars moved and honked between them, but she felt like she was right next to him. She closed her eyes and she could smell him, feel his breath on the chilly night air and hear his chuckle as she presented him with some extravagant gift. She slowly opened her eyes once more, but he was gone, disappeared into the night.

Amy sighed, and turned but against her wishes she felt her body moving across the street. Her backpack slowly moved to the front, and she didn't take her eyes off the doors while her hands riffled through the contents of her back. Fingers grasping hesitantly on a pen, and a crumpled corner of a scrap piece of paper.

She reached the doors, and crouched down, her fingers trembling as she scribbled out three words. She didn't sign it, she didn't leave anything else, she didn't want him to know it was her. For the first time in her life, she didn't want him to know her feelings. She stood when it was finished, and ran from the building, a tear finally falling from her eye, those words pasted to the inside of her eyelid.

I love you.

Team Sonic Headquarters 

~ Late at Night on Valentine’s Day ~

Big emerald eyes stared vacantly up at a ceiling lined with LED lights. They were currently set to red, and the room was splashed in a sinister shade. It outlined the piles of discarded shoes and assortment of jackets of various styles. There was a slight stink of chili dogs in the air, and soda cans glinted like little angry fireflies. Music blasted and he shut his eyes to let the music engulf him.

Valentine’s Day. A day he had always dreaded in the past was almost over, and he couldn't help but feel anxious. Why was he worrying over the end of some stupid holiday? A holiday he hated . The unwanted attention from strange females, the shrieks and squeals as he ran around town, and the pile of junk that always littered the front of his door, always put him in a bad mood. But despite all of this, he found he didn't want it to end. He felt as though there was something missing. Something that was supposed to happen, but hadn't yet. Maybe it was someone…

“SONIC T. HEDGEHOG! TURN THAT DOWN!”

Sonic sat straight up in his bed and looked over at his door to see a very irate fox standing in his doorway with his arms crossed. Sonic reached over and grabbed a remote that sat in a pile of chip bags on his night stand. Once the music was turned off, the fox visibly relaxed and he sighed,

“Look, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but can you take care of the presents crowding out the door? It should be safe now under the cover of darkness.”

“Geez, Tails, upset that there aren’t any for you?” Sonic teased with a light hearted smile on his face. Tails’ face flushed and his fluffy tails swished back and forth.

“I don’t care about that stuff,” He mumbled, his cheeks puffing out in a pout. Sonic grinned, he thought it was cute when his little bro got embarrassed, but maybe he had gone a little too far.

“Alright, alright,” He relented, raising his hands up in mock defeat, “Don’t get your tails in a knot. I’ll go clean them up right now.”

Tails groaned and rolled his eyes before making his way through the hall and to his room. Sonic continued to smile as he watched him leave, but the moment he was out of sight, the smile melted from his face. He leapt out of bed and dashed to the front door, pulling it open to the night air. Immediately, he felt a pile of stuffed animals fall onto his feet, and an electronic voice squealed in a high pitch,

“Be my valentine!”

He visibly shuddered, this was going to be a nightmare. Swallowing, he leaned down and before he even realized what he was doing, he was searching through the items. Bears with hearts were cruelly tossed aside, stuffed plushies with his likeness ignored, and envelopes feverishly ripped open and the cards glanced at quickly before being tossed together in a pile behind him. What was he looking for?

Eventually, he’d gotten through the entire mess of it all, and that empty feeling he had inside him since this morning had only grown larger. He stepped back, his face twisted before settling on a hard frown. Just what in Chaos' name was going on? As he looked down at the piles of broken hearts he realized with a jolt why he’d been out there in the first place. It was time to clean up. He then became painfully aware that he’d neglected to bring trash bags. He went back inside and to the kitchen to retrieve some, but whoever had changed the trash last, had failed to replace the empty box of refills. 

He returned to the front door after tracking down a box in the bathroom, and got to work shoving presents and love confessions into bags and running them to the dumpster. He had just finished tying up his fourth bag when he noticed something that he hadn’t seen before. It would’ve gone unnoticed if not for the fact it had stuck to the bottom of his shoes like gum. He pulled on it and saw that it was the corner of a notebook page ripped from a book. He almost tossed it immediately thinking it was part of one of the other messages when he realized that there was a message scribbled on it in haste. It wasn’t neatly written following the lines nor was it a piece of a longer note. No, this note had been written after the corner had been torn from its host page. It was three words, unsigned and lacking any cutesy glitter or heart dotted letters. But he swore he recognized the handwriting. He’d seen it many times before after all. And he realized that this was what he’d been searching for all the while. 

I love you.

Piles of junk forgotten, he stood up with his hand clenching the scrap of paper like with the grip of a vice, and he looked frantically around searching for pink quills and red dress. All he saw were speeding cars and canoodling couples walking hand in hand. Where was she? The note had not been there earlier, she must've just been there. She couldn’t be far. He started running up and down the sidewalks and alleys surrounding his building, but he couldn’t see those bright jade eyes anywhere.

Frustrated with himself, he started to run, faster than he ever had, with only one destination in mind. A place he hated. A place he thought he’d never set foot in, even if the fate of the world depended on it. 

Before long he found himself standing before G.U.N. headquarters, the bright LED lights from inside burning his eyes. He took in a gulp of air, a small puff of breath clouded his vision for just a moment before he took a step forward. 

The inside of the building was just as unwelcoming as the exterior. Everything was grey and black, metallic and corporate. Some weird, jazzy music attempted to lighten the atmosphere, but it only served to grate at his nerves. His body was stiff and every step was like wading through mud. All his instincts and his mind screamed at him to run far from there, but his heart… his heart urged him forward. He steeled his focus and approached the desk of a sheep receptionist that was chewing and popping pink bubble gum in boredom. She didn’t look up as he approached nor when he stood right in front of her. She was staring at a tablet in her hand, and small sounds of TV shows filtered quietly out of the device. 

He stood for a moment, waiting for her to acknowledge him, but after a few minutes of silence, he cleared his throat meaningfully. The sheep popped the bubble of gum, her black painted lips clenching, and her brown eyes rolled as she finally looked up.

“Welcome to the Guardians Unit’s of Nations, Station Square Headquarters.” She droned, “How can I be of assistance ?” She said the last word as though it had been tortured out of her.

“Um, yeah, hi,” He answered awkwardly, but when she just rolled her eyes again with only a click of her gum in response, he gulped and shook out his quills. Get a hold of yourself, you’re not this introverted. He hated this nerve-racking building, and the evil people that resided in it, but he had to get through this. He had to see her. He’d hated how they left things in that cafe. Hated that he didn’t know how to make the first move. How to build a bridge to overcome their fight. But as always she’d done what he never could. She’d reached out and given him an opening, and he’d be damned if he let it slip through his fingertips.

“I’d like to see one of your agents.”

The sheep groaned and sat up in her chair, turning to a computer screen in front of her.

“Name?”

“Amy Rose.”

The sheep typed her name in the computer and tapped her finger on the desk as she looked at her screen.

“No agents by that name.”

Sonic bit back a retort and took a breath before trying again.

“Okay, maybe she’s under your cadets? She entered your program about a year or so ago.”

More clicks and pops of gum before finally she responded, “And what’s the purpose of your visit?”

Sonic stared at her dumbly. What was he supposed to say? That he wanted to mend some broken fences? That he was a friend and needed to see her? Or maybe that he had something she had asked for? Just what would sound believable enough and important enough for the sheep to let him in? Then it hit him. Curse this infernal day.

“Um… well… it’s valentine's day, and I’m… I-I’m her boyfriend ,” he said the word so quietly that the sheep had to lean forward.

“What was that?”

“H-her… um” He tried again through gritted teeth. He could feel embarrassment and shame well up from the bottom of his gut, and he considered just turning around and leaving. But then his fists clenched and he felt the paper note crinkle. That was enough to calm him down. Yes, it was okay. Amy had always proclaimed he was, and if she heard that her boyfriend was waiting for her, he bet she wouldn’t hesitate to come running. He was worried that if he just said ‘friend’ that she would ignore him.

“Right…” the sheep drew out the word, obviously not believing him. 

“Why don’t you take a seat while I make a call.”

Sonic turned and walked over to the nearest chair, his face ablaze and his quills shaking from stress. Once he was seated he shoved his face in his hands, What in the hell did I just do? It shocked him that he had even uttered those words. In the past the thought of dating Amy Rose had caused him to physically shake in his sneakers and run to the other side of the word. But at some point through the years that feeling had faded into something new. Something warm and gentle. In addition, Amy had matured out of her fangirl obsession and had become more of a friend and confidant than ever before. He had seen her strength not only in battle, but in the way she handled herself in the face of his constant rejection.

Beyond just that, he had grown to appreciate how wonderful a person she was. Capable, smart, and always kind. She could be feisty when needed, and maybe nagged him a bit more than he liked. But he knew he could count on her to be there for him, no matter what. Why hadn’t he noticed this before?

He still wasn’t ready to fully admit his feelings for her, but he thought that he might finally be ready to explore something new with her. This past year of not having her near him, not hearing her voice or seeing her smile had been torture. He’d never admitted it to himself before today, but the moment he had seen her message, the dam he’d built around his emotions had burst open and a pink wave had washed over him. It had swept him up in its warm waters and guided him in a strong current until he’d found himself here. By calling himself her boyfriend, he had all but confessed his feelings to her.

“Sonic the Hedgehog. Never thought I’d see you again.”

“Am -” Her name died on his lips when he looked up to see who was standing before him. Pandora the Jackal stood with her hands on her hips, a wicked smile plastered on her face. 

Sonic frowned and narrowed his eyes in disdain.

“Move on, hag, I don’t have time for you. I’m waiting for someone.”

Instead of leaving, the female tilted her head back and laughed. The sound was evil and made him miss the bell-like sound of Amy’s voice even more. He stood up and went to move past her, but she took his arm.

“Let go.” He growled, jerking away.

“If you’re waiting for Amy, I’m afraid she won't be coming.”

Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, his heart beating like he was in the middle of a run.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Pandora smiled like a cat that had caught a mouse. She lifted her hand and started examining her fingers.

“You should’ve seen her face when she heard her ‘boyfriend’ was here to see her. I’ve never seen someone look more disgusted.”

Sonic felt his heart sink, but then he turned, anger burning in his eyes. He dashed up to her and got right in her face, growling with as much venom as he could muster, “No way in hell will I believe a word you say. I remember how you treated her, you're no friend of hers. Don’t think I won’t finish what I started all those years ago.”

Pandora’s exterior cracked, and her hand shot up to her throat, fear causing her pupils to dilate. Sonic sneered and turned, intending to just search the building himself. When he heard a nervous yet devious chuckle.

“There’s no way you could. Besides, she knew you would think that, so she wrote this little note for me to give you.”

Sonic turned, his eyes narrowed to slits. He didn’t trust a single word that came out of this witch’s mouth, but when he looked at the extended paper, he recognized the handwriting immediately. It was the same as the handwriting on the note he clutched onto desperately.

He snatched it from her hands and at first read it with eagerness. But the excitement quickly died as the words on the page came to life. 

Hey,

I should’ve told you this before, but you absolutely disgust me. The way you treat me and the things you say always cause me to doubt myself and make me hate myself. I couldn’t even look in the mirror without gagging at my own reflection. I don’t know why you said or did the things you did. Maybe it's because you're pathetic and small, or maybe it’s because you’ve never loved something besides yourself. 

But I’ve decided, now that you’ll be far away from me, that I won’t let what you did to me keep me down. I’ve decided that it's my turn to reject you and all you’ve done to me. And once I came to this realization, I realized how truly sad and pathetic a person you truly are. Why did I allow myself to ever feel anything for you in the first place? I won’t allow you to affect me anymore.

If you see me, don’t talk to me. If you hear about me, don’t reach out. I hope I never have to see your face ever again. And I hope you get the help you need to become a better person.

Goodbye forever,

Amy Rose

Sonic stared at the letter, the page trembling in his hand like it weighed a thousand tons. He could feel the venom and the poison in her words as though she stood before him speaking them. He felt his heart tear in two and his chest become empty. He didn’t breathe, he didn’t speak, all he could do was stare at those words, written with anger and purpose. He knew that he’d fucked up a year ago. Knew that every time he’d rejected her that he’d broken a piece of her. But she had always forgiven him, always came back to him with a smile and outstretched arms. She had always loved him and always been graceful towards him. And he realized that he’s taken that for granted. 

“I told you,” Pandora said with fake sympathy in her voice, “I truly don’t know how one girl could be so cruel.”

Sonic looked up at her, and anger flared up within him once more.

“You don’t know a damn thing about her.”

He shoved past her, hard, causing her to fall down, and he dashed away leaving only a sonic boom behind. He ran. Ran for hours. Ran like he would never stop. It wasn’t until he had run so far to be in another time zone that he finally stopped and fell down in the middle of a dark wood. He stayed still, his lungs heaving and his eyes burning from what he would only admit was from the wind beating his face.

Two pieces of contradicting papers were in his hands. Which one should he believe in? Which was the truth? But as he lay there under the early morning stars, he realized it didn’t matter. Both were true and both were false. Amy had loved him for so long but had also been rejected by him for just as long. He shouldn’t be surprised that she had finally given up on him. And the way they had left things. Him refusing to hear her out, his condemnation of her life choices. He had simply been worried for her, but he’d been obtuse and stupid. He’d said things he hadn’t meant and hurt her deeply.

He couldn’t stand what he had done. This was all too much for him. This was why he’d hated the thought of a relationship. Everything she had said in the note was right. He was pathetic. He was disgusting. His hands raised to his eyes, and he yelled angrily into the sky.

He would do what she wanted. He would leave her alone. She deserved to move on and find her place in the world without him. Sonic didn’t love her. No, he had just been missing a friend. He cared about all his friends, and if staying away from her was what she needed, then he would do just that. Besides, he couldn’t trust himself if he saw her again. He never wanted to feel the deep hurt that he was feeling now ever again.

Amy Rose was finally gone from his life. It was what he had always wanted, wasn’t it?

Yeah. He would be just fine. 

He stood up, plastered his signature smile on his face, and shook out all his negative emotions from his quills. He was Sonic the Hedgehog. He didn’t need anyone. He dashed away, hoping Tails hadn’t seen the mess he’d left before he got home. The last thing he needed that night was a lecture from the young fox.

He followed the rising sun into the dawn, his path laid out before him in golden light and his hands refusing to let go of the two papers clenched desperately in his hands. 

Chapter Text

Team Dark's Rose Coverart by: mysuperlaserpiss on Tumblr

EPISODE 15: Hands to Hearts

Downtown Mobotropolis PD

~September 28, 23:13~

Ringing phones and scratchy radios added to the frenzied soundtrack of the cluttered, chaotic precinct. Royal guards and police officers alike screeched at one another as they darted every which way, crinkling papers, missing trash cans and typing furiously on keyboards kept tempo to the frantic atmosphere. 

Contrary to the madness surrounding her, Amy Rose sat perfectly still on a metal bench behind iron bars. She was still wearing her red sparkly dress which earlier that evening had swept the floor with its hem, but now was torn up to her thigh and shedding sequins like a dog’s fur in summer heat. Half of her quills were still done up while the other half frizzed out at weird angles. Her hands were folded neatly on her lap, one was gloveless and the other rubbed a thumb against fur on the bare wrist above the red satin fabric. Her face was distant and devoid of emotion. Other rowdy females that were arrested for a myriad of things stumbled and mumbled about. Occasionally, one would get in Amy’s face and shout or growl profanities in hopes to gain a reaction from the stoic, ebony hedgehog, but nothing seemed to crack her disposition.

Click. Clack.

Despite the chaos, the controlled beat of heels was like the drop of a pen at a silent library to Amy, and finally her composure cracked. 

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

One by one the people occupying the bullpen of the station looked up and what they saw was enough to quell the clamouring of officers and arrested criminals. Only the mobians in the holding cell with her seemed oblivious to the impending doom that slowly approached. As the sound grew closer, Amy shut her eyes for a moment to gather herself, but despite her best efforts, each click and clack made her stomach sink deeper and deeper. The sound came to a stop outside her cell, and it was then she forced her eyes to open and gaze upon her fate. 

A small, white feline stood with a hand on her hip. Her fluffy tail was sweeping back and forth at a deceivingly calm pace, and despite the height and size difference between her and the two large G.U.N. agents that stood on either side of her, her presence was the most intimidating. Now that she was standing before the cell, all the inmates had frozen in mid–action. Some were in a dog pile on the floor from a tussle while others had been stopped mid ass scratch. The whole scene reminded Amy of some cheesy comedy sitcom. One of the females made the mistake of spitting and cursing about the ‘Feds’ in Chief Snow’s direction. All the cat had to do was slowly move her cold eyes to lock with those of the unruly criminal, and Amy could visibly see the soul leave the poor female's body. 

Everyone seemed to be in a stand still until finally an officer cleared his throat and squeaked out,

“W–what is G.U.N. do–”

“That one,” Snow’s perfectly manicured finger came up and pointed to the middle of Amy’s head, “is mine.”

Amy gulped, stood slowly and walked purposefully towards the cell door, carefully stepping over the mobian heap on the floor. The officer hurried to fulfill Snow’s command, and fumbled with the key before the door popped open. The Chief jerked her head in a wordless order to follow her, and then she began to stride out into the hallway. Amy kept her eyes downcast as she followed the sound of Snow’s heels and the footfalls of her two shadows outside of the precinct, but her walk of shame was interrupted by a painful bump into another body in front of her. She was forced to look up from her solemn march, and stared into the green and red flames of Shadow’s eyes. 

One of his contacts had been knocked out, and he was also in black–tie attire that had seen better days. The gel had completely given up and his quills had curled back into their signature angles. He didn’t say anything, but aggressively pushed past her and followed the line of agents. She stood frozen for a second, too many emotions swirling in her chest anchoring her. If she didn’t get a hold of herself soon, she was going to faint. She swallowed down the nausea as best as she could; it was time to face the music. She straightened herself and raised her head high before making her way towards the dark, idling G.U.N. SUVs. 

G.U.N. Headquarters – Station Square

~September 29, 00:53~

Shadow’s fingers rubbed the golden ring on his wrist. His ruby eyes were closed and his head leaned against the wall behind him. It was quiet in the small foyer that separated the Chief’s office from the hall. In fact, the whole G.U.N. skyscraper was docile in the middle of the night. Of course, some overzealous agents still slaved away at their computers, but they weren’t anywhere near this floor. He could feel the coolness of the suppressor rings even through the fabric of his gloves. He contemplated removing them and destroying something on his way out of the building. It would be nice to go find some quiet, peaceful corner of the universe and stop torturing himself on this sorry excuse of a planet. In fact the more he thought about it, the more attractive the idea sounded. Why did he even try to do ‘good?’ Why did he try to do anything when everything he did was wrong?  

“What do you think she’s telling them in there?” The question pulled Shadow from his brooding and he glanced over at Rouge. She was sitting a few chairs away from him, her head in her hands. Her ears and wings were drooped and her heeled foot was tapping incessantly on the ground. 

Chief Snow had called Amy and Omega into the office the moment all of them had left the elevator. They had been in there for at least 40 minutes at this point. He grunted, his eyes closing again as he responded,

“She’s probably telling them how this is all your fault for insisting on extending the mission.”

Rouge’s head snapped up and she glared at Shadow, her fingers balling into fists of frustration.

“You’re not innocent in this, what do you think she’s saying about you? You’re the one that fucked up in the palace.”

Shadow growled and sat forward, his finger pointing at her,

“It wouldn’t have been an issue if we had just reported to G.U.N. like originally planned, instead of going forward with your convoluted idea to impress the Chief into staying off our backs.”

Rouge knocked her head back and almost slammed it into the wall, letting out a dramatic sigh as she did so. “You never listen to me! If you had followed my instructions from the get–go instead of lone–wolfing it, then the Chief would be singing our praises right now instead of bailing you out of jail.”

“Why should I listen to you? All you care about are the jewels and you’re not my –”

“Boss?” she interrupted, her turquoise eyes simmering, “Seriously, Shadow, how childish can you be? I’m the senior agent for a Chaos–damned reason. And it's not because G.U.N. has it out for you, like you always whine about. It’s because I know how to operate a mission like this without incident.”

“I’ll believe that the moment I see it, Miss Slam–your–hands–on–the–door–five–times.”

Rouge opened her mouth to say more when the door to the office opened and Amy walked out with Omega perched on her shoulder. Her expression was unreadable, and she softly closed the door behind her. She started to the door that led to the hall, but Shadow grabbed her wrist roughly and kept her from leaving.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He growled, his quills bristled.

She tried to pull her hand away, but he used all his strength to squeeze her hand tight. To her credit, she didn’t even flinch. 

“I’m taking Omega to the techs in order to get him back into his regular body. I’d appreciate it if you’d let me go.”

Shadow didn’t make a move to oblige, but after a moment she pulled so strongly he almost felt his shoulder pop out of its socket. He let go in surprise, and Amy narrowed her eyes at him before turning to the door again.

“Wait,” Rouge exclaimed, rising from her seat, “What did you tell her?”

Amy paused with the door slightly open, and she turned to look at the bat, her expression neutral,

“I told her the truth. As I am obligated to as an agent of this organi –”

“Do you realize what you’ve done?” Rouge growled, her fur starting to poof.

“I didn’t do anything wrong,” Amy responded, “I followed proto –”

“You and your damn protocol! Why are you so rigid? Do you enjoy brown nosing to the Chief so much that you would throw your whole team under the bus?! Thanks to you, Team Dark is over!”

Amy’s eyes widened at this, and her expression finally revealed raw shock.

“What do you mean?” Her voice trembled. Rouge darkly laughed, and rolled her eyes.

“How dumb can you be? Didn’t you notice that we’ve been in hot water with the Chief ever since you arrived? Shadow’s on probation because of the petty little fight you provoked, he could lose all his freedom!”

That was when Shadow felt his stomach drop to the bottom of his torso for only the second time in his entire life. She was right. If Amy had been truthful in her report, that was it for him. He was done for, if he didn’t leave now, he was going to end up on those cold tables once more. Sharp needles and an existence of nothing but test tubes awaited for him. The memory of it made him want to run, but he was frozen in place.

Amy shut the door, and the panic on her face was draining all the blood from her cheeks. But it looked contrived to Shadow, almost mocking.

“What? Shadow’s going to –”

Her question was interrupted by the office door opening, and Snow’s voice seeping out with an ominous tone.

“I’ll see you now, Agent Shadow and Agent Rouge.”

Time seemed to stand still and move fast all at the same time. The quiet was loud and thick, and no one moved until a firm, “now” boomed from the open office. 

Rouge and Shadow turned and walked towards their doom, their legs stiff and rigid in anticipation and dread. But before they entered, Rouge placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder and whispered, “Let me handle this.” 

Then she turned and looked down her nose at Amy, “I hope the one good thing that comes from this, is that we never have to deal with you again.” And with that she pulled Shadow into the office and shut the door.

Snow was sitting at her desk, typing away on her keyboard. The Station Square city skyline stretched out behind her, twinkling like its own galaxy. Past the city stretched the cool darkness of Green Hills, and the sky itself was light grey from light pollution on the low hanging clouds. The two agents silently walked to the two chairs on the other side of the desk from the Chief and sat with nervous quiet. 

Rouge was grateful that it was just the Chief inside and that there was no sign of the Deputy Chief, that rat would just make things all the worse. As the three of them sat in dead silence, Rouge’s wings twitched every now and then as she forced herself to remain patient. This was all about politics now, one wrong move could spell the end for not only Shadow but her as well. As much as she’d like to blame everything on the new team member, she knew she couldn’t. She had to find a way to paint the literal royal fuck up they’d just created in the best light possible. So it didn’t bother her that Snow hadn’t spoken yet, it gave her time to plan her words and gauge the Chief’s mood.

It was easy to tell that the feline was holding back a tsunami of rage. It wasn’t in her expression nor in the soft key taps that filled the room. No, it was in the Chief’s energy. She was able to maintain an exterior of calm, but nothing could get past Rouge's sensitive instincts. She’d spent years honing how to read people and assess any dangerous situation she found herself in. 

Finally, there was an emphatic tap and a couple clicks of her mouse and Snow leaned back, and pulled her half moon reading glasses from her face. They fell to her chest, attached to a beaded necklace that hung around her neck. She folded her hands below the glasses and regarded the two agents before her.

“Special Agent–in–Charge Rouge the Bat, report in.”

Rouge took a deep breath, and started her debrief her heart pounding painfully against her rib cage,

“On September 27th around twenty hundred, our team made contact with the Thieves of Babylon. Their undercover identities intact, Agents Shadow and Rose accompanied them to their ship. There they were told of plans to steal the royal family jewels. Upon their return to the motel, they informed me of the plans, and we decided there wasn’t enough time to mobilize G.U.N. to prevent the theft. We planned on arresting the thieves red–handed.”

Snow stayed silent, her eyes studying Rouge’s face as she spoke, never blinking. The stare of a predator hunting its prey. Rouge gulped and continued, 

“At the palace, Agent Shadow and Rose began to assist in the theft of the crown. Agent Shadow distracted the guards, and soon Agent Rose incapacitated others, giving Agent Shadow access to the control panel for the first door. Agent Rose took care of the motion detecting lasers and finally Agent Shadow cracked the Dragon’s Hoard 36LJ , with my guidance, giving them access to the royal vault. It was then that we noticed something was not quite right, but we pressed forward as we hadn’t gotten any credible evidence of crime committed by Jet the Hawk or any member of the Babylon Rogues. Unfortunately, we did not foresee the trap laid out for us, and the thieves got away.”

Her recount finished, Rouge adjusted her wings so she could lean back and rest on the chair. Her heart was still beating in anticipation of what was to come next. But instead of responding to Rouge, the feline merely shifted her mismatching eyes to stare at Shadow.

“Agent Shadow, do you have anything to add?”

Shadow’s eyes narrowed and his mouth parted, but Rouge subtly pressed on his foot with hers. His left hand clenched, but he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“Nope.”

The Chief regarded him for a minute, and then sighed, lifting a hand to rub her temple.

“See, I’m having a hard time understanding the situation. Unfortunately, your ear pieces were fried and the log lost with them. Agent Rose had a different accounting of the events, so you can see why I am confused.”

“I don’t know what that girl told you.” Shadow growled, “But it was her that –”

Snow lifted a hand and stared at Shadow with fury in her eyes,

“I’m going to stop you right there, Agent Shadow. I gave you a chance to speak and you chose silence. It's now your turn to listen. You would do well in the future to respect the authorities in your life.”

Shadow’s muzzle twisted with anger, but he stayed silent, his jaw clenched in a hard line.

“Agent Rose was very clear about who was at fault,”

Both Rouge and Shadow tensed.

“She said that the thief, Jet, had picked up on her false identity from the get–go. And that she had failed to relay that to either of you, not wanting to be the reason the mission failed, and not wanting to disappoint you. She also said that she had allowed herself to get distracted by Jet’s advances and failed to notice the trap.”

Rouge and Shadow looked at each other, a mix of emotions was shared between the two. So far it seemed like Amy hadn’t divulged anything that could specifically get them in trouble and they were shocked that she hadn’t thrown them under the bus. But more than that, relief had begun to spread warmly from their stomachs, and Rouge could actually feel the muscles around her gut relax.

“In addition, she said that in efforts to impress me and the team, she had ignored her gut and continued with the mission against her better judgement. She also said that her past relationship with Sonic had made the situation worse and led to your arrest. Thankfully, it seems as though the Hero at least followed her wish to not reveal your identities, so we were able to keep this out of the public eye.”

Snow paused, watching their expressions carefully. After a moment she pushed back from the desk and walked over to her printer, pulled out a stack of papers, and placed a portion of it on her desk, in front of them.

“These are the headlines that will be issued out tomorrow.”

Among the pile were headlines about an attempt to steal the crown, with two thieves in G.U.N. custody. Some mentioned the notorious Thieves of Babylon, but most only verified that the attempt had failed.

“The royal family sure has a way with the press,” Rouge muttered, slightly impressed. Snow narrowed her eyes and smacked her hand on to the desk, startling both agents.

“I wouldn’t get comfortable if I were you. We aren’t out of the shit yet. You’re lucky Queen Sally even humored me with keeping our names out of it,” her voice was hissing at this point, “She only agreed because so far as they can tell, nothing was actually taken from the vault.” 

Rouge looked up and met Snow’s gaze at that, shock pushing out any fear she might have had.

“Nothing was taken?”

Snow sighed and pressed the area above her nose turning to the side before she answered. Her tail was swishing back and forth with jerking aggression.

“The crown was sitting in its display untouched. The Queen is having her servants go through the vault inch by inch, but so far nothing has turned up. She has asked us to assist with the investigation since this was our shit storm to begin with. Metropolis Headquarters has a team working on it with the royal guards as we speak. Although…” she paused and looked right into Rouge’s eyes. Her gaze was filled with curiosity, and warning as she regarded the ex–thief before her.

“If you have any idea what may have been taken, now would be the time. Agent Rose said she only saw him touch the crown. Is there anything you know that would contradict that?”

“No.” Rouge responded, keeping her tone even. She’d seen the bare wrist of Amy earlier, and had known her favorite treasure was now in the hands of the green bastard. But her immediate concern had been preserving her and Shadow’s job so she hadn’t had the time to fully let the realization sink in that he’d gone around and stolen it over the crown. Of course, she was royally pissed, but she was starting to come to another realization as well. Amy had protected them. Yes, she’d let the bracelet fall out of her hands, but she hadn’t let the team fall with it. A newfound warmth for the girl was beginning to take root in Rouge’s heart, and for the first time, she was actually grateful to have the pink hedgehog on the team.

“Now, rightfully so, the Queen has asked for reparations for this blunder to be done swiftly and fairly.”

Once more, the room filled with thick tension. Both agents leaned forward, fists clenched and frowns tight as they tried to keep the growing anxiety at bay.

“Agent Rose’s account of the events made it very clear that she was the main problem with how wayward this mission went. As a result, she has been suspended without pay for two weeks.”

Rouge felt another new emotion twist up in her stomach like a writhing snake– guilt.

“You both will also have your pay docked, but I agreed to follow Amy’s wishes to not enact further punishment. Firstly, out of respect for her and her honesty. Secondly, taking into account how new she is to field work, I am inclined to agree that although unintended, her actions most greatly affected the outcome.”

Once again relief flooded Rouge, but this time it wasn’t as sweet. The toxic guilt still welled up from within her like a spring.

“I wouldn’t look so relieved if I were you. The other reason is I'm hoping that by following her wishes, she will reconsider her decision.”

The Chief sat down with a sigh, and closed her eyes for a moment.

“She told me that it wouldn’t be fair for the both of you to be severely punished for her faults and inability to work with you amicably. She said that it was clear to her from this incident that she is not the right fit for Team Dark, and so she requested reassignment.”

“What?”

Rouge looked over at Shadow in surprise, she hadn’t expected him to speak, let alone express what sounded like disbelief at the mention of Amy leaving. Snow seemed surprised as well, her eyes widened and slowly blinked before regarding the hedgehog before her.

“Do you have something to say, Agent Shadow?”

Shadow also seemed taken aback by his exclamation, but he swallowed and leaned back once more.

“Nothing. Just surprised that after all I had to go through, that she would just bow out of the fight like some coward.”

Rouge shut her eyes in irritation, and Snow’s mood quickly shifted back to frustration. She crossed her arms and leaned forward, her voice coming forth in a growl,

“Agent Shadow, this is now the second time you have disrespected me tonight, and there will not be a third. Am I understood?”

Shadow merely narrowed his eyes. Fury crawled under his skin, visible to all in the room, but Rouge thanked Chaos that he kept his mouth shut.

“As I said before, I’m hoping she will reconsider.” Snow said pointedly, her finger tapping her arm, “Her suspension begins today, and she has been told to not step foot on any G.U.N. owned facilities for the span of her suspension. She said that she would take the time in her hometown and think it over.”

This time Snow looked at Rouge, “I suspect that there is more to the story than any of you are telling me. I even tried to have Omega provide me with his record of the events, but he claimed to not have any due to the security trap in the vault and not being in his regular body.”

Good job, Rouge internally praised the robot. Thank goodness his wires seemed to be fried or crossed. In the past he’d been the biggest hurdle in keeping mistakes under wraps.

“But I– against my better judgement– still believe that you four can make the best team G.U.N. has seen since its founding. If only you idiots would stop trying to fuck things up.”

Rouge blinked several times in surprise, she had never heard the Chief curse and it was as refreshing as it was terrifying.

“However, I also don’t want to keep torturing the poor girl, so if she reports back to duty and still insists on a transfer, I will oblige.”

“I don’t understand why you’re sharing all of this with us,” Rouge replied, “You know better than anyone how much we wanted her removed from the team. Are you hoping that this has somehow changed our minds?”

Snow looked at her with an unreadable expression, “I think, Agent Rouge and Shadow, that if the two of you put your hands to your hearts and really think about what you would be missing out on if she were to leave, you would find that you would be a couple of fools to let her go. Now,” she said, waving her hand in front of their faces and turning back to her computer screen, “get the hell out of my office.”

Team Dark Living Quarters

~September 29, 03:01~

Amy's heart felt desolate as she stuffed a black duffle bag with some clothes and necessities. She hadn't turned on her light and moved about the room in darkness. Her body felt heavy from more than just exhaustion. She was worried, angry, sad, and despondent all at once. An emotional cocktail that made her stomach clench with nausea and her throat feel tight.

Earlier, she'd barely managed to force her legs to take her from the Chief’s office to the tech floor. Tekno wasn't on shift, so she'd left Omega there with instructions to wait for Tekno to arrive in the morning.  Omega had flown from her shoulder to the desk, his little metal claws kneading the surface as he found a good purchase. Amy patted his head with a sad smile and turned to leave, but before she left, Omega called out to her,

“Omega wants to know something, before Amy Rose leaves. It pertains to the Amy Rose Relation files.”

Amy had felt her heart clench, but she didn't have it in her to ignore the bot. She turned and sat down with a heavy sigh in Teknos's seat.

“Sure, Omega, what is it?”

The metallic hawk’s head angled to the side so that one of its red reds could focus fully on her.

“Omega wants to know why Amy Rose wants to leave the team. Omega is worried that he did something to cause Amy Rose to leave.”

That's when her throat had closed up, and she felt a painful lump cause her voice to come out hoarse.

“You’re worried about something? That's a big deal.”

Omega tilted his head to the other side, his beak opening as he spoke,

“Omega will make note of the progress. But Amy Rose did not respond to the inquiry.”

Amy smiled and lifted her hand to pat Omega's head again. She found it had become a habit to do so the past couple days, she would miss the little robot.

“It's nothing you did, Omega. You were a lovely friend and teammate.”

She swallowed, trying to hold back tears, but against her will, one small drop escaped to splash between them.

“Why is salt water pouring from your eyes?”

“Because I'll miss you, and I'll miss being on the team.”

Omega stayed silent for a moment, his metallic feathers fluttering as he moved his wings a little.

“Omega has solved Amy Rose's problem. If Amy stays, then Amy will not miss Omega or Shadow or Rouge.”

If possible, Amy felt even worse than before, but she clenched her fist on her thigh and tried to keep her voice steady.

“I'm afraid that's not possible anymore. I just don't… I just don't belong here.”

She turned away from his glass eyes and bit her lip before continuing,

“I really wish it had worked out. I've never belonged anywhere, and I had hoped I could find a place here. When I heard I was assigned to this team, I was excited for more reasons than just being with people I knew. I’d followed your guy’s career, the way you protect each other like a family. The way you all came from backgrounds that were less than ideal yet still proved that it doesn’t matter what happens in your past; it's what you make of yourself in the present. I wanted that same chance. But there's no room for me. Shadow and Rouge don't need me… I just mess everything up.”

She sighed and turned back to Omega,

“I'll be okay, it'll hurt for a little while and then I'll get used to it. I'm good at adapting,” she gave him what she hoped was a convincing smile.

“Besides, just because I'm not a part of the team doesn't mean we can't still be friends. I'll email you and when we're free we can meet up.”

“To go shopping? Omega can carry all of Amy's bags again. Or to watch more Starry Nights, Omega must learn whether or not Spike and Stella continue their courtship.”

Amy giggled, feeling a little lighter at the thought of spending time with the robot. At least she had gained one friend from all this, and that would be enough.

“You're right, Omega, we should totally do that.”

Omega's wings fluttered and he tapped back and forth on his claws. If Amy didn't know any better, she'd say he looked happy. She smiled warmly this time and patted his head once more.

“Just wait here for Tekno, she'll take good care of you.”

“Omega trusts Amy, and will obey her command.”

Amy punched the last of her clothes into the duffle with force. The image of a little robot waiting patiently to follow her command was still burned in her mind like a curse. She felt like she'd just abandoned a puppy that would wait for her until his metal rusted and his bolts popped from their sockets. She hated that her promise to him had been a lie… how would she be able to meet with him after this? He was G.U.N. property and she doubted they would look kindly on him leaving his appointed assignment on Team Dark just to spend frivolous time with her. 

She hated this. She had wanted to stay on the team, grit her teeth, and wait until they accepted her. But after their reaction when she'd stepped out of Snow’s office, she knew she'd made the right choice. The hate and distrust was evident in their expressions, and she also couldn't get Shadow’s look of devastation from her mind. Why was he so upset? She would even dare to go as far to say he was scared. What had Rouge meant by him losing his freedom? She hated that they had been brought to that state because of her. Whether or not she had actually done anything to warrant the treatment, it didn't matter. Nothing she could do would fix how they chose to view her. How much their bias clouded their view of her. So it was time for her to go.

She shouldered the duffle and made her way through the living quarters. Neither Shadow, nor Rouge seemed to have returned, which was a blessing. She wasn't sure how she would face them.

Stepping outside into the night, Amy felt as she had two years ago. Betrayed, helpless, and utterly – wretchedly – alone.

Meadow Lane – Enroute to Team Dark Living Quarters

~September 29, 03:23~

Rouge sped down the road, her mind spinning faster than the wheels on her car. Her music was blasting loud enough to shake her windows, but it did nothing to drown out her conscience.

Amy Rose did nothing wrong. In fact, she covered your asses. And you're just gonna let her take the fall for everything? 

She gritted her teeth and slammed her foot harder into the peddle, the scenery outside blurring into a painting. She couldn’t believe she was actually feeling guilty about someone else. Rouge the Bat never feels guilt. Not when she's stealing, not when she teases her teammates, and especially not about some other female's misfortune. It was new and uncomfortable. Just why had Amy’s self sacrifice affected her so much? 

She thought about the day at the mall, the sadness and trauma she’d seen in Amy, yet her strong will to continue smiling and push through. The way she had not only proven she was different than what everyone thought she was, but had also shown she was better than all the rest. Her determination and loyalty to the people around her was admirable, and Rouge found that, if she was honest with herself, she liked the young hedgehog. Why couldn’t I admit that until just now?

As if summoned like the devil herself, Rouge’s headlights lit up a miserable looking girl trudging down the road. She had black fur and clothes on and it was only thanks to the gold rings around her wrists that glinted brightly in the light that Rouge slammed on the brakes. The girl jumped back in surprise, a large duffle hanging on her shoulder like she'd just ransacked someone's home.

Or her own room .

Rouge stared at Amy for a moment, her heart unnaturally squeezing, before she rolled her eyes and popped open her passenger door.

“Get in.”

Amy didn't move, her body stiff and her eyes looking at Rouge with suspicion. Her hand gripped the strap of her pack and she shouldered it up before she leaned over and said, 

“No thanks.”

Amy slammed the door shut and started walking down the road again. Rouge growled in frustration and did a u–turn to pull up next to Amy. She rolled down her window, and tried to smile as nicely as she could, but it came off as more of a grimace.

“Come on, don't be like that. Let me at least give you a ride to wherever you're going.”

Amy’s irises shifted to glare at the bat from the corner of her eye. Rouge shivered at the similarity to Shadow she had with her fur colored and the anger in her expression.

“I can manage.”

Rouge scoffed, keeping pace with the hedgehog who was now moving faster.

“Are you really gonna walk the whole way? Green Hills is a huge area, it'll take an hour by foot to even leave it.” 

Amy smirked and started running, her speed reaching freeway speed. Rouge had to punch on the gas to keep up, her car whirring in surprise at the sudden acceleration.

“Have you forgotten? I can run faster than your car can travel. I just wanted to walk and think.”

She slowed her pace again, and Rouge felt whiplash as she slammed on the brakes once more.

“Just leave me alone, Rouge. I'm sure you've heard, I'm not coming back. So just go back to your home and forget I ever screwed up your life.”

Rouge felt her heart twist even more painfully at the look Amy had on her face. She looked exhausted, and her makeup was still in disarray from the mission. Her quills had been pulled back into a hasty ponytail that looked matted and her whole demeanor was deflated. Suddenly, Rouge felt the urge to hug the girl. She stopped the car, placed it in park, and opened her car door. She didn't think about what she was about to do, didn't care how embarrassing it would be. In that moment, all that mattered was holding together the broken heart she saw in front of her.

As her arms closed around the shorter girl, and she pulled Amy to her, she heard a shocked squeal,

“W–what are –”

“Shhh,” Rouge hushed, her hand coming up to hold Amy's head to her chest.

“Amy, thank you.”

Amy blinked, her jade eyes bright with confusion and disbelief. Her arms were stiff at her sides, and she felt the duffle slip and fall to the ground. She couldn't see anything around her, except for the road lit up by Rouge’s headlights.

“Thank you for protecting us. No matter what else happens, I won't ever forget what you did for us.”

“R–Rouge?”

Amy felt tears burn her eyes, and her body trembled like a leaf.

“Please, Amy. Let me at least give you a ride, don't go off into the night alone like this.”

Amy felt something crack and shatter within her. Her knees bent, but Rouge's arms tightened around her and kept her upright. Amy’s own arms came up in desperation, and she held onto the bat like her life depended on it. 

“I–I don't want to be alone,” Amy mumbled.

“Then get in the car.”

Amy quickly stepped back from the hug, her head down, but she nodded silently, picked up her bag and got in the passenger side of the car. Rouge followed suit and slid in behind the driver's wheel. Amy’s face was angled away from her, but Rouge could see in the reflection of the window that the girl was crying silently. Rouge sighed, and put her left hand on the wheel as she turned and faced Amy.

“So, where’re you going?”

Amy sniffled and her hand came up to discreetly wipe her eyes.

“Station Square Train Station is fine.”

Rouge observed the hunched shoulders and terrible state the hedgehog was in. She doubted there were any trains scheduled for a few hours, and she also had a feeling on exactly where Amy’s final destination was. She just couldn’t let another female sit alone in a huge city train station, looking like she was in desperate times.

“You’re going to Knothole, right? Snow mentioned you were going to spend some time in your hometown, and I’m guessing that’s where it is.”

Amy shifted uncomfortably in her seat and glanced at Rouge.

“Snow told you that?”

Rouge turned back to the road, and put her car in drive.

“She told me you want a reassignment too.”

Amy stayed silent, her body rigid and her fists clenched at her sides. Rouge looked at her from the corner of her eyes for a moment, before pressing,

“Look, I know we haven’t exactly made the most welcoming environment for you,” She heard Amy make a small grunting noise, and even Rouge grimaced a bit at her own choice of words. Who was she trying to kid? They’d made her stay with them absolute hell.

“I can understand why you’d want to leave. You were right to say that's what we wanted.”

Amy turned her head once more to the passenger window, her discomfort emitting from her like tidal waves.

“But… I think you should give us another try.” As she said the words, Rouge realized she truly wanted her to do just that. 

Snow had been right. Once Rouge truly gave thought about Amy and her performance on– not only this mission– but all the other challenges thrown the small hedgehog’s way, she’d realized Amy had changed. She wasn’t a little Sonic–crazed brat anymore, she was a full grown adult who’d trained and improved herself to stand strong. She was loyal, bright, smart, and she'd protected the team over herself. The pink hedgehog had earned her place on Team Dark, and Rouge wasn’t about to let her go so easily.

Amy sat in silence for a long time as a torrent of emotions overwhelmed her. For weeks, she had battled with their animosity and forced acceptance of her place in their team. She’d tried everything she could, and still she came out with nothing. Yet now, this was the first time that she’d been given such genuine sincerity from Rouge. Maybe things could actually be different this time.  But there was something holding her back.

“Rouge, I appreciate you saying that, I really do , but how can I trust that you and Shadow will stop treating me like a nuisance?”

She turned then, her eyes bright with green fire, “You’ve made it seem like you accepted me in the past, but the moment it came to trusting me tonight, you immediately accused me of throwing the team under the bus. Do you realize how much that hurt me?”

Rouge felt her stomach drop a bit, it was equally impressive and uncomfortable that Amy had no issue calling out the injustices committed against her. 

“You really don't pull any punches, do you?”

Amy visibly flinched, and her demeanor lost some of its fire.

“I used to… but I don't see the point anymore.”

Besides, Amy thought to herself, regardless of Rouge’s treatment and distrust, she's never actually attacked or abused me.

“You're right, Amy,” Rouge said as she turned onto the highway that would take them to Knothole, “I haven't exactly given you a reason to trust me. But…” the bat paused for a moment, and Amy saw something shift in her expression. She couldn’t put a name to the emotion the bat was showing, but it was honest and open.

“But you've given me every reason to trust you .”

Amy felt a weight lift with those words. Relief flooded her and with it she felt even more tired than before. But she just sucked on the inside of her cheek for a moment before responding,

“Rouge… I can't tell you what it means to me to hear that from you. And if it was just you I had to worry about, then I wouldn't hesitate to give it another go. But…” her voice trailed off and she bit her lip in frustration. Rouge glanced at her again and sighed heavily,

“But,” Rouge finished the thought, “Shadow has given you an even bigger reason to stay away. Is that right?”

Amy nervously met her gaze before turning her head and nodding silently. 

“I just don't think it can work if Shadow is against it.” Amy replied, her heart clenching at the words, “I truly want Team Dark to be the best it can be, but if my presence causes Shadow to lose his cool or make him so uncomfortable it compromises the team, then it's not worth it.”

Amy smiled at Rouge, but it looked pained and forced.

“I just can't do that to him or you. I want to be a part of the team… a support, not a hindrance,” she turned once more, her arms crossing in a way that looked like she was giving herself a hug.

“If Shadow told you that he was on board, would that change your mind?” Rouge asked, already kicking herself for making more work for herself. She could already see the angry and defiant face of Shadow as she tried to convince him to take Amy back.

“D–do you think he would?”

The hope in the girl's voice was enough for Rouge to gain the motivation to weather the ebony, grumpy storm that was about to come. 

“I'll see what I can do. I've known the dark prince long enough that I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make him see sense.” She chuckled a little, and for the first time that night Amy gave her a genuine smile.

“Well, you know where I'll be for two weeks.” 

Rouge grunted and returned Amy’s smile. For the rest of the ride, the two girls listened to music and chatted about their favorite artists, both of them desiring a lighter topic of conversation. It felt a little awkward at first, but once they got into a debate about who was better (hotter) between Benny the Skunk or Ruben Ruby, the energy between the two of them relaxed significantly. Rouge marveled at how relaxed she felt. She hadn't had a girl–friend for ages, and it hadn't really bothered her before now. But as she spoke with Amy about boys and gossip, she was reminded of that day in the mall. She found that she might actually enjoy Amy's company.

It took a little over an hour before they reached Knothole, and then the music turned down while Amy guided Rouge throughout the small town's downtown area and through a semi rural neighborhood.

“Turn right here, and it'll be the second house down.” 

Rouge pulled up to a small light blue house with a red door. The garden in the front was overgrown, but from what she could see in the limited light of her headlights, there used to be a flower garden. The house gave off an empty feel and although it was painted in bright colors, the lack of occupancy made the house look creepy. Amy reached behind her to pull her duffle around, and her hand reached for the handle before she paused and cleared her throat nervously.

“If you wanted,” Amy said with a careful tone, “It's pretty late… you could stay in the guest room.”

Rouge regarded the girl for a moment. As much as she wanted to give Amy some company, she also had something she had to do. Besides, Rouge was pretty nocturnal most days, so staying up for a couple days didn't bother her too much.

“I'd like to but I should really get a head start on cracking that hard ebony shell.”

Amy nodded, her teeth digging into her lip. Rouge tried not to feel guilty, but the little hedgehog was making that difficult.

“Alright, I guess you're right…”

Amy opened the door and stepped out, but before she shut it, she leaned down and looked at Rouge with a nervous smile,

“Thanks for the ride, but– um– I have another favor to ask.”

Rouge tilted her head, hoping she wasn't about to insist on her staying the night, but what came next surprised her more than her own change of attitude towards Amy,

“Could I get Knuckles’ phone number?”

Rouge blinked a couple times, her seafoam eyes wide and lips slightly parted. She cleared her throat, and tried to keep her voice neutral.

“What makes you think I have that big, red goof’s number?”

Amy smirked, a teasing light sparking in her jade eyes.

“Come on Rouge, don't make me embarrass the both of us by making me say what we both know to be true.”

Rouge narrowed her eyes, but pulled her phone from her pocket.

“What do you need it for anyway?” Rouge inquired. If she was gonna give information, she was gonna get some.

“Well, if you're successful with Shadow, there's something I have to fix before I return.”

Rouge gave her a look before sharing the number in a text.

“This wouldn't have anything to do with the blue blemish in your life, would it?”

Amy sighed, and her eyes took on an empty look.

“If I'm going to continue running into him against my will, then we need to come to an understanding.”

Rouge stared at Amy, once more impressed. She seemed sad but determined. She’d once thought that when it came to Sonic, Amy couldn't see sense. But the girl looked like she'd rather do anything else than talk to the speedster. She was curious just exactly what had happened between the two of them, but this wasn't the time or place.

“Well, for all our sake, I wish you luck.”

Amy smiled, and hiked her duffle bag up as she stood straight.

“Thanks, Rouge. See you when I see you.”

And with that, she shut the door softly and made her way to the house. Rouge waited until she entered, and a light turned on in the front window.

I really do hope it goes well , Rouge thought as she pulled out of the driveway and made her way back home.

For both of us.

Chapter Text

Amy Rose by: obito.bis on Instagram

EPISODE 16: Hearts to Hedgies

Team Dark's Living Quarters

~September 29, 04:33~

Shadow stared at the guts of his motorcycle and gripped the handle of his wrench in frustration. After returning to the living quarters, he’d made quick work cleaning himself up so that he could immediately set about carefully pulling apart his classic bike in hopes that some TLC with it would help to calm his mind. But as the minutes turned to hours, he slowly came to the horrible realization that not even his beloved hobby was enough to eradicate the pink storm in his mind.

He threw down the wrench and glared as it spun and slid across the smooth garage floor. Why did she ruin everything? But as he stared at the wrench laying in the shadow of a workbench, something else was nudging at his mind and heart. Did Amy truly mess everything up? Or did he simply refuse to let her be anything else besides a failure? He’d had to admit to himself that Amy had done right by him. Whether she’d had the intent to save him or not, he owed her one. And that was possibly the real reason he felt frustrated. Shadow the Hedgehog never owes anyone anything.

The garage door shuddered and began to lift. He watched as a purple sports convertible was slowly revealed, and he wondered if it would be in his best interest to make himself scarce. But the guts of his baby laying around him was enough of an anchor to make him stand reluctantly still. The car pulled forward, and he could hear the thumping of music emanating from the vehicle. As the garage door lowered, Rouge exited with a beep of the car, and then, to his utter dismay, made a beeline right to him.

“We need to talk,” the bat announced firmly, her seafoam eyes giving him no other option, “Now, I’d prefer to do this over a nice warm cup of coffee– after the night we’ve had I need one– or we can do it right here. Your choice.”

Shadow glared at her and crossed his arms, but he sped around in a small black tornado, making sure his bike parts were placed out of harm's way. He jerked his head to the door and wordlessly made his way to the kitchen. Once they were inside, Shadow set about brewing some coffee, while Rouge took a seat at the island in the center of the kitchen. There were a few things in the universe that brought Shadow joy and one of them was coffee. Being one of the few things he could taste, coffee was somewhat a special delicacy to him. When he was at home, he refused to let anyone else make it for him, and he could sometimes be found browsing artisan coffee shops for quality beans and coffee making tools. The french press he was using was his favorite equipment for brewing so far, the one good thing he had from his time on Earth. 

Rouge watched him in silence, a yawn breaking the quiet every now and then. It was still too early for the morning sun’s light to spread its rays across the sky, but the horizon outside their window began to lighten up and the stars started to twinkle out. There was a small hiss as Shadow carefully pressed the coffee, and watched as the lovely brown liquid bubbled around the press to fill the compartment above. He finally felt his heart relax for a moment, and the morning was almost blissful. Almost. 

He set down the mug for her and she grabbed at it like a person thirsty for water in a desert. He watched with mild disgust as she took a large gulp, a small drop escaping the rim of the mug to roll slowly down her white fur, staining a brown line as it went. He always found it irritating when people didn’t treat coffee with the respect it deserved. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from the horror even when she slammed the cup down and the small remaining coffee sloshed violently. Barbarian. 

“Shadow, I need you to tell me something.”

“What?” He responded, turning his back to her and leaning up against the island as he enjoyed the first sip of his morning cup.

“Why do you hate Amy so much?”

Shadow scoffed, the coffee tasting more bitter than usual, and gently set down his cup.

“Didn’t we already have this conversation two weeks ago?”

“Sure. But you weren’t exactly forthcoming, were you?”

Shadow folded his arms and closed his eyes, his back still to the bat. He didn’t want to have this conversation again, because nothing had changed. The only difference was they now had a chance to get rid of the girl once and for all.

“I don’t see why this even matters. She’s put in for transfer. We got what we wanted.”

“It’s not what I want anymore.”

Those words slammed into Shadow like a hammer to anvil. He felt the world turn upside down and spin. What in Chaos' name was this bat going on about? Last he’d seen, Rouge had been accusing the girl of destroying the team, and now she actually wanted Amy to stay?

“I’ve thought about it, Shadow. For a long time, more than just last night,” Rouge continued, her voice soft and even. She could feel tension coming off him like she was a radar scanner. She swallowed and started to fidget with her mug.

“All the reasons and reservations we had for Amy being on the team have been proven ridiculous.”

“Speak for yourself.” Shadow growled, his coffee growing cold behind him on the counter. 

“I’m not convinced she isn’t a spy for Snow, or worse, the higher ups. What do you think will happen the moment they think they can’t control us anymore?”

Rouge winced. She knew this was a deep seated fear of his, hell, it was hers too. G.U.N. had a habit of making their less than savory agents disappear after termination. And here they were, a team consisting of a world destroyer, a thief and an ex–badnik. If she was fired, she’d have to move to another planet just to avoid being arrested for all her gem liberating. Omega would be judged as obsolete and mostly end up on a scrap pile. Whereas Shadow… Shadow would get the worst of it. Locked up in some lab, a sick scientist's pet project. Forever shut away from the world. She shuddered at the thought. But she also knew, there was no way Amy would ever betray them.

“Shadow, she’s stuck her neck out for us in a way that not even I have done for you before. If she hadn’t taken the blame for the past couple days, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to protect you from Snow.”

“I don’t need protecting.”

Rouge felt anger boil up inside her at his stubbornness. But she shoved it deep, deep down. The last thing she could do was get angry, it would give him every excuse he needed to run out of here and never speak about it again.

“I’m going to ignore that comment and chalk it up to morning grump, because we both know you did.” Rouge got up and walked around so that she was right in front of him. He narrowed his eyes at her, but didn’t run. She took that as a sign to continue,

“Shadow, you have to admit that she knows a lot more than we do about the inner workings of G.U.N. We can use that to our advantage. She’s smart, capable, she’s proven she can fight. And, I’ll say it again, she proved her loyalty to us last night.” She placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder and looked at him with genuine concern.

“What more does she have to do to prove she belongs?”

“Belongs?” Shadow muttered, his ruby eyes burning beneath red–lined lids, “She doesn’t belong with us. She’s the ‘perfect’ graduate, Snow’s little pet project. In what world does she belong with us ?”

“Shadow…”

“She’s probably just trying to gain our sympathy so she can report on us to the higher ups. Why else would they put their top cadet graduate with us?”

Rouge let her hand fall from his shoulder, there was nothing she could say to change his mind when he got in one of his paranoid spirals. 

“I don’t care what you think the truth is, Shadow. I want her back and you’re gonna go get her.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Fine,” Rouge relented, “I’ll drop it for now, we do have two weeks to bring her back after–all.”

Rouge picked up her mug and gulped down the rest of her cold coffee. 

“Would you swing by headquarters and pick up our favorite eggbot? The tech team should be getting on shift soon, and if no one is there to monitor his transition to his body, they could try to give him one of those ‘upgrades’ again.”

Rouge plopped her mug in the sink, and stretched her arms above her head with a yawn. Her wings fluttered and flapped a bit before she shuffled through the kitchen.

“And where are you going?” Shadow scoffed, irritation flowing through him from more than the conversation topic.

“Bed. I need a beauty nap.”

G.U.N. Station Square Headquarters

~September 29, 05:18~

Shadow stomped up the skyscraper stairs, his curled spines bobbing up and down as he made his way up. He didn’t like the new attitude that Rouge seemed to have about that pink thorn in his side. Everything was shifting towards her and away from him. It was infuriating, ridiculous and he wanted to turn back time and prevent her from joining the team from day one. 

Once he reached the floor of the tech offices he slammed the door open and made his way down the hall to Tekno’s office that she shared with her team. He busted through the door with gusto, causing two techs near it to flinch in fear.

“Where’s Omega?”

Everyone in the room glanced at each other and no one seemed eager to step forward to help the angry hedgehog. He was about to yell again and maybe pick an unfortunate soul himself to help him, when a short green canary stepped forward with a bubbly bright voice.

“Well if it isn’t tall, dark, and broody!”

“Shut up, bird,” Shadow growled and folded his arms as he regarded the young tech. She had a similar energy to that pink menace he would rather not think about.

“Where is my robot? You better not have screwed up his processing.”

Tekno sighed and rolled her eyes, her large gold earrings glinted as she jerked her head to indicate somewhere behind her.

“He’s over there, don’t get your quills in a knot, I didn’t do anything to him that would change… well harm him.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes and stepped up to her, not wanting to put up with any more female games. He could feel the energy in the room turning against him, but to her credit, the canary didn’t seem phased by his anger at all.

“What did you do to him?”

She narrowed her eyes on him, but turned around and walked around her desk to where Omega was sitting in standby. She lifted his arm and pressed the screen. Omega blinked to life, and stood up.

“Hey big guy, it's going to feel a little weird for a little while being back in your big bod, especially with the improvements I made.”

Shadow sped over and was about to knock the girl aside, when Omega made an odd whirring sound. His robotic hands started to twirl and many compartments opened and closed and joints bent while he tested out his new functions.

“I am very impressed with the new installments! Was this all you, little bird?”

Shadow couldn’t help but let his jaw hang slightly open in surprise. Why was Omega speaking in first person and not third?

“My operating systems have never worked better, and all the outdated programs are gone. Look, Shadow,” The robot thrust his arm forward in front of Shadow’s face. Shadow looked down to see that the old green and black screen had been replaced with the best tech G.U.N. could offer. It was a colored screen and even had a little holographic lens that was currently projecting a red colored bearded dragon mobian wearing a black jumpsuit, dancing around with maracas.

“The hell…” Shadow muttered in disbelief.

“Amazing!” Tekno exclaimed, her blue eyes wide and bright with excitement as she started to buzz around the robot like a bug.

“I was expecting there to be a development of personality, but not this quickly! He’s already projecting himself in mobian form.” She turned and looked at Shadow with expectant eyes.

“Have you guys been trying to help him with his personality even with his previously limited AI? It's the only thing that can explain how he's able to express himself on this level.”

Shadow blinked at her, “Do what now?”

Tekno cocked her head, a look of confusion and disappointment was reflecting in her eyes.

“Then why…”

“Amy Rose was working with Omega – I mean – me on something to do with, what she referred to as, a heart. I am still not completely versed in its language or understanding.”

Omega was staring at his arm and the little mobian projection was filtering through different actions and expressions as he watched. Shadow shook his head and grabbed the small canary, pulling her away from the eggbot and muttered to her in a lower voice,

“What did you do to him?”

Tekno yanked her arm from him and glared up at him, “You know you make it real easy to hate you.”

“I don’t give two shits what you think of me, answer the question.”

Tekno sighed and shrugged with her arms out, “I just wanted to help my friend Amy out. She said this old hunk of metal was the only one who accepted her… now I can see I made the right choice,” She looked him up and down with a piercing gaze of judgement, “I wanted her to be able to connect with him on a deeper level. Omega already had sentience, it was just being suppressed by some shitty programming.” At this she looked around at the fellow techs, and Shadow could see that most of them wouldn't meet her eyes.

“Bunch of shitty programming from a bunch of little cowards.” She said a little louder, most of the techs turned away and tried to look busy. She stared at them with a satisfied look and blew her bangs from her face with satisfaction. Shadow couldn’t help being a little impressed with the short girl’s command of the room. Not only had she made everyone in there respect her, but she also hadn’t been afraid to go against one of G.U.N.s standard policies. Keep a robot's freewill to the minimum.

“Well, if I find anything that you did to him harms him, you’ll have to answer to me.”

“Oooh, I’m so scared of the big, grumpy, emo dark prince of G.U.N.” Tekno smirked up at him, her arms crossed.

Shadow glared at her, not breaking eye contact as he addressed his partner, “Let’s go, Omega.”

Omega stood and walked over to the glaring mobians, and Shadow turned and stomped out without looking back.

Team Dark's Living Quarters

~September 29, 19:27~

Shadow stood back and looked over his bike. It was shining brighter than a chaos emerald, and when he turned it on, it purred like a panther. After bringing Omega back, Shadow had locked himself in the garage. He didn’t want another chance encounter with the bat. He was still irritated with her attitude, which seemed to change more often than a street light. Despite this, he’d finally felt some semblance of sanity return after spending all day working on his bike. He looked down at his grease stained gloves and chest, and decided it’d be best to clean up and get his leather jacket before heading out for a test drive. He was making his way through the foyer to the stairs, when he heard a mechanical whirl from the shadows. He tensed, but when he saw who it was, he sighed and started forward again.

“Chaos Omega, I almost attacked you.”

“Agent Shadow’s scared response is noted.”

“I wasn’t scared,” Shadow retorted, unsuccessfully trying to hold back a growl. The robot tilted his head and walked forward, his glass eyes seemed to hum in amusement.

“Were you waiting for me?” Shadow asked, his arms folding as he regarded the bot. Something definitely seemed different about him.

“I was, I wanted to speak with you about something outside of normal protocol.”

Shadow tensed once more, but his affection for the robot prevented him from running away. He could already tell that he was not going to be a fan of Omega becoming more… relatable.

“Since when did you have desires like that?”

“I’ve always had programs running in the background, but until earlier today it was difficult to fully process them.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes and made his way to the living area.

“Alright,” he relented as he flopped onto the couch and watched the bot follow him into the room to stand at attention a few feet away, “What is it you need to talk with me about?”

“I need to confirm something for my Team Relations File, Sub–file, Amy Rose.”

Now he really dreaded what was coming.

“Rouge informed me that Amy Rose will return, if we all agree to have her back. This makes my processors function at a higher level. I believe that Amy would classify this function as ‘happy.’”

Shadow gritted his teeth and looked away from the robot.

“Rouge said she is in agreement, and I have run the options through many algorithms and predictions and have concluded it would be best for the team if Agent Amy Rose returned. What is your decision, Shadow?”

Shadow stared at the robot for a long time, and then shut his eyes as he answered, “No.”

Omega made a whirring sound, and his hands spun a few times before his voice came out with a tone Shadow could've sworn was irritated.

“What is Shadow’s reason for saying no? Omega does not understand the logic.”

Shadow blinked, surprised that the robot had reverted back to referring to himself in third person, almost as though he was slipping due to distress. He wondered if the robot truly had a sense of self and emotions now.

“She doesn’t belong with us, Omega,” Shadow replied sternly, “Everything she does is annoying and I hate how much she gets in the way.”

“Amy is helpful. She helps Omega understand new system processes.” Omega took a step towards him, “Amy made top scores in the academy and proved her prowess in battle when you dueled her,” another step, and Shadow leaned back into the cushions, “Amy Rose took the fall so that Team Dark as a whole could remain intact. And,” he was now foot–to–couch with Shadow, who’d been forced to pull up his legs to avoid being stepped on.

“Amy protected Agent Shadow from being terminated.”

Shadow felt his heart beating a bit firmly in his chest, and he realized in shock that he actually felt a little fearful of his friend. Shadow coughed, and pushed the robot away while he stood.

“Can it, Omega. She doesn’t belong and that’s that. If she’s so great then she’ll have no problem going somewhere else and getting out of my quills. Now move, I need to take a shower.” Shadow shoved past Omega, and tried not to let his shaking show. He had to get the hell out of there now. Before he could leave the room, he heard a click and Omega’s voice utter out in monotone, “Audio file #0312, logged for the Amy Rose file on September 29th at 02:13,” There was a slight pause and then suddenly Amy’s voice filled the room,

“I just don't… I just don't belong here.”

Shadow felt his jaw clench and his fists ball, but he didn’t move,

“I really wish it had worked out, I've never belonged anywhere, and I had hoped I could find a place here.”

Shadow felt old memories encroach upon the mental shield he always kept erected, images of golden hair, bright laughter and blood. So much blood.

“When I heard I was assigned to this team, I was excited for more reasons than just being with people I knew. I’d followed your guy’s career, the way you protect each other like a family. The way you all came from backgrounds that were less than ideal, yet still proved that it doesn’t matter what happens in your past, it's what you make of yourself in the present…”

Loneliness, the sense of failure to protect those he held most dear. Making choices, desperate choices, to destroy anything and everything to fix his failures. Eventually finding his solace among two other rejects of society.

“I wanted that same chance. But there's no room for me. Shadow and Rouge don't need me… I just mess everything up.”

Mess everything up? He scoffed, irritation at something he couldn’t put his finger on was scratching painfully at his heart,

“I'll be okay,” He hated the tremble in her voice, the way she constantly tried to assure others, and he felt the need to punch something. 

He turned, ready to yell at the bot to shut it off and leave him alone, but instead he met the large jade eyes of Amy. He almost fell over in surprise, before realizing her face was three times bigger than normal, and flatter than usual. Omega was projecting a massive hologram of Amy’s face as her voice came out thick and shaking. As she spoke, her mouth was twisting and twitching into an odd smile, and those eyes. They stopped his heart, pulled at his mind, slammed against his defenses, and pulled up another memory. One that reflected hope and the earth in those green pools and not the hurt and betrayal that now glittered in the corners of her eyes, 

“...it'll hurt for a little while and then I'll get used to it. I'm good at adapting.”

The image paused on her expression and Shadow had to look away in an attempt to stop the burning sensation that was spreading from his chest to his throat. It failed miserably.

“Jeez, that girl really needs to learn how to let out her true feelings. Maybe give somebody a good slap.”

Shadow looked up to see Rouge was now leaning against the opening that led to the foyer. She was wearing fuzzy black and purple chao slippers and her hair was pulled back from her face which was covered in a charcoal face mask. Shadow narrowed his eyes, “How long have you been there?” 

Rouge shrugged, and blew on her nails as she regarded him.

“How long are you going to be stubborn?”

Shadow wanted to give her a slap himself, but he was finding it was harder and harder to hold onto his earlier anger. 

“Shadow,” Rouge’s tone became softer, “We need to stop this. These walls you’ve put up, that we’ve put up, they’re outdated, honey.” She pushed off the wall and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“And I know you’ll never admit this, but I think part of the reason you are pushing so hard against Amy joining us, is because you like her.”

Shadow’s reaction was immediate, he practically gagged and his face twisted like a screw.

“That is so wildly –”

Rouge rolled her eyes, “Shadow, I know a lot more about you then you think. I know who it was that convinced you to save Earth. I know that you used to go out of your way to make sure she didn’t fall into danger, a certain castle and lost bunny come to mind. Besides, I also know that your favorite thing to do is push and push people away so they can’t leave you first.”

Shadow frowned, his mouth opening to argue, but then Rouge put a finger to his lips, “You would’ve done the same to me if you could’ve. You had no choice but to accept me and Omega because of G.U.N. None of us had anywhere to go, all of us were going to be locked up or destroyed because of our mistakes. But we were given a second chance. And whether you admit it or not, this little rag tag team has become more than a work obligation or simple friendship. It’s a family.”

Shadow looked away, but his shoulders relaxed and he didn’t argue or deny.

“Amy is just like we were in the past. Alone, and rejected by the world. You saw how her supposed friends treated her. Hell, Sonic arrested her.”

That made Shadow scoff, and roll his eyes, “That blue imbecile has been surprising me more than usual with his cruelty lately. I also don’t mind the obvious discomfort having Amy on our team seems to cause him.”

Rouge smiled, her wings flapping a bit as she turned with her arms spread and walked around him.

“Exactly. Shadow, she’s proven her loyalty to us time and time again. Besides, she cleans so I don’t have to. She cooks and bakes, and don’t think I haven’t noticed you on more than one occasion scarfing down those little dark chocolate covered coffee beans she makes.”

Shadow blinked at her in surprise, “She made those? I thought you found them at the store and started getting them…”

Rouge scoffed and poked a finger into his chest, “You really think I would get something so bitter? She saw you making coffee one day and started making those for you. I’m surprised you didn’t notice.”

Shadow gulped and closed his eyes. He really, really wanted to hate Amy. Wanted to drown these doubts and memories that picked at him like termites with a wave of unadulterated rage. But why? Rouge was right. Just what had Amy truly done wrong to warrant his ire? He also didn’t want to admit it, but she’d also been right about him lik – appreciating– Amy’s help on the ARC. For reminding him of his promise to Maria. 

He sighed, “Fine.”

“Come on Shadow, stop –” Rouge blinked and her large ears fluttered, “Wait… what did you just say?”

“I’m not going to repeat myself,” Shadow growled and he pushed Rouge’s finger away from his chest.

“So you’ll let her on the team?” Rouge pressed, ignoring the dangerous glow in his eyes.

“Yes,” he practically hissed the word out like a snake.

“You’ll stop sabotaging her?”

He rolled his eyes, “Yes.”

“You promise to stop giving her a hard time?”

“Only if she doesn’t fuck up.”

Rouge stared at him with narrowed eyes until he groaned, “Fine! I’ll try, but I won’t promise to be the girl’s friend.”

Rouge grinned, “Sure, sure. Because we’re family right?”

Shadow growled, “You’re really testing my last nerve, bat.”

She laughed and patted him hard on the back, causing him to grunt.

“I know, I know. I’m just happy that's all.”

“I am also processing happy reactions as well,” Omega announced, his little holographic bearded dragon dancing around in a happy rhythm, shaking mini maracas. Rouge’s face mask cracked a little as her brows shot up into the air, “Well, that’s new.”

Shadow sighed and folded his arms, “Look, now that that’s settled, I’m going to take a shower and then a long bike ride, hopefully far far away from here.”

He turned and shouldered his way past Rouge, but he didn’t make it very far as he was stopped by her iron grip on his upper arm.

“Not so fast, grumpy hedgie. There’s something you have to do.”

Shadow gritted his teeth, “Do you really think I look like I’m in the mood to do one of your inane errands? I already told you what you wanted to hear. Now move.” He pulled his arm from hers and started towards the stairs.

“You have to tell Amy that she is part of the team.”

He stopped with his foot raised, “Why should I? You wanted this so bad, so you tell her.”

“I can’t,” she muttered.

He turned and stared at her, “Last I heard, Tails made a fortune with a little electronic mini tablet he calls a cellphone, use that. Should be easy enough with how versed you seem to be with your many male suitors.”

Rouge laughed, “Wow. You sound like such an old male sometimes. I would loooooove to make this easy on you. But unfortunately, Amy said that you had to be on board, and she really needs to hear that from you, not me.”

“Why?” Shadow asked, regret flooding him like a high pressured storm.

“Because the girl thinks you hate her, and she won’t believe me if I tell her otherwise.”

“But I do hate her.”

“OH. MY. CHAOS. SHADS!” It was Rouge’s turn to explode and she flew through the air like a bullet, her wings flapping furiously to keep hovering above Shadow like an angry bird. Black flecks of face mask rained down upon the hedgehog below. Usually he’d retort back at her for being disgusting, but he stopped. Sure, she could get snappy and annoyed with him, but rarely did she ever let this type of rage flare up. Most of the time she expressed displeasure with him by being passive aggressive and teasing him for a while before simmering down. But tonight she looked downright murderous. Shadow tried to calm his heart, which was beating quickly for the second time that night. 

“I’m not in a good mood, I haven’t had good beauty sleep in days, my favorite jewels were stolen by an arrogant little fuckboy, and I had to cater to your fragile ego. Take some damn responsibility for your actions and relationships like an adult.”

Then she grinned at him evilly, and her seafoam eyes got bright. The wind swirling around them lessened and she gently landed before him. “You know what,” Rouge said as she turned around and picked up a fallen slipper, “Don’t tell her for all I care. But if you don’t, I will take payment for my bracelet.”

Shadow narrowed his eyes, and dusted himself off before glaring at her, “And that’s supposed to terrify me?”

“It should, because the only thing that’s gonna satisfy me is seven brightly colored emeralds which I would love to turn into my own personal jewelry line. I’m thinking about starting with the most classic color… green.”

Shadow’s glare deepened, “You wouldn’t dare. You don’t even know where to look. I hid it well after that girl invaded my private property.”

Rouge laughed evilly, and her chest thrust forward in pride, “I’m not called the world's best thief for nothing Shady. If I really wanted to I could find all seven in a few days, and I would make damn sure you never saw a flicker of their light for the rest of my life. Maybe even into eternity.”

Shadow studied her for a long moment. He wanted to tell her to fuck off and go about his night. But he also knew that she wasn’t bluffing. As good as Rouge was at finding treasure, she was even better at hiding it from the world. He knew it was no empty threat. He sighed and started up the stairs and for what felt like the hundredth time that night he gave out a defeated, 

“Fine.”

The Childhood Home of Amy Rose

Knothole Village

~September 30, 07:16~

“Damn it!”

Amy cursed and sucked on her pinky to relieve the pain of a fresh burn. She glared down at the pot of oatmeal that bubbled and spit angrily on the stove before her. She turned down the heat to a simmer and placed a lid over it before going to the kitchen sink to run her hand under water. The liquid came out in a rusty red color for a moment before bubbling and turning clear once more. She stuck her pinky under the stream, and took a moment to look around her house.

There was a layer of dust over everything, and the corners of every room were home to webs and eight–legged creatures. There were white sheets covering most of the furniture, and the whole place smelled musty and stale. She could see the orange of the morning sun just beginning to streak through drawn curtains and splash the edges of her room in a golden glow. Small sparkling specks fluttered in the morning light like fairy dust. She had spent most of the previous day sleeping, only waking to take a long shower with special shampoo to rid her fur of the dark reminder of failure, and to shove some old crackers down her throat. 

Now that she was fully rested, it was time for her to set about putting her house back together. If she was gonna stay there for two weeks, she’d better make it livable. She moved from sheet to sheet, shaking them out and folding them neatly, a small pile of yellowed fabric slowly growing next to the fireplace. Despite her coughing and sneezing from the dust, she welcomed the task. It helped to distract her from all her issues and one problem in particular… a big blue problem. Regardless of whether or not she stayed on Team Dark, she did still plan on remaining a G.U.N. agent. It had become painfully obvious that Sonic was becoming a huge obstacle in anything she attempted to do, and if she wanted to keep her job, the both of them needed to come to an understanding. 

She sighed… the great thing about having two weeks to fix it, was having time to push it off. She'd worry about it tomorrow. For now it was best to focus on the matter at hand. She turned and pulled the curtains open, soaking in the early morning sun. Her eyes were closed for a moment, and she felt like things were finally clicking into place. She would be fine. She always found a way to break down any barriers that blocked her from happiness. If her bliss was not to be found on Team Dark, then she would find it somewhere else. And if Sonic refused to cooperate, there was always the option of being transferred across seas to a different G.U.N. headquarters.

She smiled at the thought. The more I think about it, the better that sounds. She could explore another part of the world on the dime of another, and she would reduce the chance of running into Sonic– or anyone else– to almost zero. Sonic was not known to travel across seas if he could help it, and Team Dark also stuck mostly to this side of the planet as well. Maybe a fresh start was exactly what she needed, just like two years ago.

She sighed, satisfied with that plan, she opened her eyes and stared out to her yard. Her rose bushes lining her white picket fence had seen better days. She would have to trim the branches and hose down the fence, maybe repaint some of the stakes. There was her apple tree, which definitely needed pruning, its branches ladened with ripening fruit. And then there was Shadow the Hedgehog leaning against his bike. Wait… 

Amy started to cough in shock, doubling over, and as she fought to tame the violent spasms, her tear–rimmed eyes glanced at the ebony hedgehog that stood in wait. He was leaning back on his personal bike, his leather clad arms folded and his eyes shut in a frown. His fur was clean of the black dye, and he was wearing a new pair of air rocket shoes that she hadn’t seen before. But it was his bike that drew most of her attention. It was a beast, much larger – and more beautiful – than the G.U.N. issued one. It practically blinded her as the sun bent and bounced off its gleaming surfaces. There was an artistry of pipes and metal parts that wrapped around its body, and it was painted black with red accents. It and its rider almost looked like a bad photoshop amongst the green overgrowth of her yard.

She stared at him for a long moment, but when he didn’t disappear, she was forced to come to the realization that Shadow had come calling to her humble abode. Panic then ensued as she became hyper aware of the state of her home. She didn’t know how long he had been out there. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say that he looked asleep, but now that she was aware of his arrival, she couldn’t leave him out there for long. She quickly set about fluffing the pillows of the furniture that she had already uncovered and hiding anything she still had to put away in the hallway closet. Then she ran upstairs to change out of her tattered sweat suit, and into jeans and a red t–shirt before dashing to her front door. She stood for a moment, trying to catch her breath before opening the door. The crisp, cool air of early autumn flooded around her like a cold embrace, and she shivered, folding her arms together in a failed attempt to shield herself from the chill.

She shuffled closer to Shadow, still unsure on whether to bother him or not. That’s ridiculous! Amy thought, shaking her head, he’s the one that came to my home uninvited! I have every right to disturb him. Encouraged by her own determination, Amy straightened her back and approached him with purposeful steps. As she approached, Shadow didn’t make a single sound or movement. His quills fluttering in the wind were only thing that gave him away as a living creature and not a lawn ornament.

When she was within spitting distance of him, she stopped and planted her feet firmly to the ground. She cleared her throat and was about to confront him when he pushed off the bike, and opened his eyes to stare at her with those smoldering ruby eyes of his.

“You gonna invite me in or what?”

Amy’s mouth hung open in a mixture of disbelief and rage. Her hand raised and her finger popped out to point at a spot between his eyes– ready for a lecture– when her eyes caught the sight of her neighbors beginning their morning rituals. There was Sal, getting the newspaper across the street and pretending not to glance their way when he thought she wasn’t looking. The children of the Badgers ran around playing with sticks, and as they passed, they slowed, their mouths slackened into little 'o's and large eyes stared at the two hedgehogs without shame. But worst of all was her next door neighbor, Old Lady Marge. The elder couldn’t help but angle her ears towards them and peek from the top of the fence separating their properties. Amy sighed. It didn’t surprise her that her neighbors would be curious– she’d been absent from the property for months.

She grabbed Shadow’s wrist silently, and roughly pulled him towards the house. He made a sound like he was going to protest, but when she whipped her head around with a venomous glare, his words died on dry lips. Once inside, Amy shut the door with both hands, leaning against it with her palms while she tried to compose herself. Shadow still didn’t say anything, and Amy debated on the merits of opening the door once more and kicking him to the curb. However, morbid curiosity as to the purpose of his visit won out in the end, and with a sigh she pushed off from the door. Running a hand up through her bangs and down the side of her head, she forced a smile as she made Shadow an offer,

“Want some breakfast? I just made some.”

Not waiting for a response, she pushed past him and moved through the living room into the kitchen. She heard him follow behind her and pull out a chair at her breakfast table. She could feel his eyes boring into her as she chopped some dried fruit and blackberries that she grew in her garden. She worked in silence and tried to focus on the warm steam wafting from the oatmeal, and the creamy color that swirled as she mixed some evaporated milk into the mixture. Usually she would use heavy cream, but she hadn’t had the chance to go to the market yet. Remembering that Shadow liked coffee, she made sure to pour out two cups. She also took out some cocoa powder to sprinkle on top of the oatmeal to bring a little bitterness, yet richness to the simple dish.

She walked over to the table, placed a bowl and mug in front of Shadow and sat down across from him. Neither hedgehog said a word. Shadow didn’t touch anything she put in front of him, he simply sat and stared at the pink female. Amy slowly took delicate sips of her coffee and took a bite every now and then from her oatmeal, while she stared out into her backyard. Her fur had a slight purple hue to it due to the black dye, and her quills were slightly shorter than when she had joined the team, but they still reached a little past her shoulders. They were down, and slightly wavy from lack of styling, but he could smell just a slight hint of floral scented soap wafting about the tantalizing smells of breakfast and coffee. He wondered briefly what flower it was. It was delicate, yet warm like strawberries, and he’d smelled it on her before, but didn’t really take notice until now. Was it because he was avoiding his purpose of being there?

“You know,” Amy’s voice was quiet, almost like a whisper, “There was a time where I was so in tune to the changing of the seasons.”

Her breath rippled the steam rising from her mug, and her long lashes fluttered as she blinked slowly, her gaze still trained on the garden outside.

“I used to plan for the rain of spring, perfect for flowers and vegetables. Got excited for the sweet berries that grow in the summer sun. And craved the crisp cool wind of autumn, the changing of leaves, and the warm flavors of pumpkin and cider.”

A ghost of a smile graced her lips, her soft voice and gentle features were stirring something within him. Unsettled, he turned his head to look where she was staring. He hadn’t noticed before, but her yard was beautiful. Wild, yet he could tell there had been hours spent under the sun and rain. A pink hedgehog working alone with dirt and small shovels, tending with love and care to the plants that thrived under her hand. But now only a whisper of the neat garden remained. What was left were plots of weeds and chaotic berries, covered in the first layer of fallen leaves from the early fall. 

“But now,” Amy continued after a moment’s silence, “Now I barely care about the weather, let alone a garden of living things. I wonder when that happened…”

She gently placed her mug down and finally turned her steady jade eyes onto Shadow. He stared into them, trying to read a weakness there, but all he could detect was a subtle curiosity.

“What brings you here, Shadow? I can see it’s not the coffee.”

Shadow swallowed and leaned back into his chair with a sigh. He wanted to get this over with as soon as possible. There was just something about this girl that unnerved him to his core. Made him second guess his words, restrain his reactions, and stir long forgotten emotions. This was not something he enjoyed, but there was something else that had started to blossom in his heart since the day before. Something that kept him in his seat, and silent. He reached over and grabbed the coffee, blowing on it. He was skeptical at the quality of a pot over his french press, but he really needed the caffeine boost right now.

The flavor that warmed his tongue was filled with the power of the sun. It was lighter, fruitier, than the roasts he was used to, and yet it still had depth. He wouldn’t go as far to say it was the best coffee he’d had, but it did make him raise a brow. If she could do this with an old glass pot, he wondered what she could do with his french press.

“It’s a light roast, when I have coffee I enjoy this version better for the color and higher caffeine. It does the job without bothering me as much with strong bitterness.”

Shadow looked at her from over the rim of his mug, deciding whether or not to respond. But before he had a chance, Amy leaned forward, her chin resting in her propped up hand.

“I have a feeling I know why you’re here. But I would very much like to hear it from you.”

He placed his mug down, and grunted with irritation while looking to the side. “Well if you’d let me get a word in, then maybe I would.”

Immediately, he regretted snapping. He was sure she would take it as an opportunity to kick him out, he folded his arms and kept his gaze from her. But when she didn’t react or say a word, he looked back at her. She was sitting in the exact same position, her green eyes shining in the sunlight that filtered through the house. She didn’t look particularly pleased, but she also stayed quiet. Like a panther observing her prey.

“Look, Rouge and Omega want you back.”

“I see,” Amy responded slowly, leaning back into her chair and holding her mug of coffee to her chest while looking at him.

“I’m fully aware of their opinions on where I will go after my suspension. But Shadow,” she paused and sucked her bottom lip a moment before continuing, “What do you want?”

“I don’t care.”

She stared at him, her gaze strong and unyielding.

“Shadow,” she said calmly, “I’m serious. I can sit here and tell you all my good qualities, I can beg and humble myself before you. But I don’t think that’s what you want. That’s why I’m asking. I truly wish to know. What does Shadow the Hedgehog want? Not Rouge, not Omega, or even Snow. What do you want?”

His response caught in his throat. He was so ready to get this conversation over with, so ready to hop back onto his bike and never look back. But he realized quite suddenly that this girl before him was the only one who had asked him this question with sincerity. Ever since she had joined the team it had been about what G.U.N. thought was best. What Rouge wanted to do, what Snow forced them to do. His opinion hadn’t mattered. His voice, although loud, had gone unheard. Had he truly wanted her gone, or had he been drowning in the feeling of insignificance? Even before her arrival, no one had truly asked him what he wanted. Scientists had made him without his permission, his loved ones had left him without his say, and he’d been forced to follow the shady commands of his DNA donator. When had his life ever been his?

“I like you, Shadow.”

Shadow’s eyes snapped to look at her, his ruby eyes blazing, his instinct was to start a fight. But the sad smile that graced her lips froze him.

“Despite everything, I still see the hedgehog that chose to save Earth when he had the power to destroy it. I see the hero that saved Mobius from a tyrant that would use him to burn it. I want to be your teammate. I want to be your friend.”

“You’re insane.”

She blinked at him for a moment, and then she laughed. It encompassed the room, but wasn’t too loud. It drew the memory of golden locks and blue eyes from the depths of his mind. All Shadow could do was stare at her in shock.

“I think you're right,” Amy managed as her chuckles quieted, “I’d really have to be if I still wanted to be friends with a guy that would rather see me dead.” 

She shrugged, “I guess it’s my flaw.”

Shadow regarded her for a long time, and despite everything, he felt himself relaxing. Maybe the idea that she wasn’t as perfect as everyone had made her out to be helped to lessen his anger. Or maybe it was that laugh…

“I don’t know.”

“What?” She asked, tilting her head. Shadow gritted his teeth, but he didn’t feel like stopping.

“I don’t know what I want.”

Amy nodded, “An honest answer. Do you want me to leave the team?”

He closed his eyes, his brow furrowing, “I don’t know.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

He knew what Omega wanted him to say, what Rouge had ordered him to say. He knew what G.U.N. was trying to force upon him. But what did he want to say? A day ago, if she had asked him, the response would’ve slipped off practiced lips. But now?

“I… don’t know.”

Amy stayed silent, and when he opened his eyes to look at her, he saw that her eyes were also closed. They sat there in silence for a while. Shadow didn’t know what to do. He had never been placed in a position like this before. Everything with her was new and foreign. His confusion clouded any desires he may have had. He reached over to the spoon sitting in the cooling oatmeal, and with nothing else to do, he placed a bite in his mouth. For the first time in decades, he tasted something besides cardboard. It was subtle, but there was a sweetness from the berries and dried fruit that seemed to tickle his tongue at the edges of the bitter cocoa and soft oats. It was like eating a fruit flavored mocha. Suddenly, he thought about those chocolate covered coffee beans.

“There is something I want.”

Amy’s eyes opened and she looked at him with curiosity, “Oh?”

“I want more of your cooking.”

Amy Rose smiled, her face beamed with something he couldn’t understand.

“I think that can be arranged.”

Chapter Text

Amy Rose by: obito.bis on Instagram

EPISODE 17: Hedgies to Healing

Master Emerald Temple

Angel Island

~October 13, 15:00~

Warm, golden colors painted the trees of Angel Island. Wind blew through branches, pulling leaves from their summer homes and into the air for a winter's rest. Flickies and small rabbits poked their heads around trunks as squirrels and chipmunks scurried up and down bark. All the woodland creatures were busily preparing their homes for the coming chill, and the air was filled with chirps and tweets. Peaceful and tranquil, save the area surrounding the Master Emerald’s temple.

Rouge walked around the massive emerald, her mouth drooling, and her finger tracing its edges as she went. Following closely on her heels was a growling echidna, his amethyst eyes were ablaze and he was trying to both pull and push her away from the gem. But every time he touched her, she would take the opportunity to turn the tables, and flirt with him until he was so flabbergasted that she could once again turn to the emerald while he stood in shock.

Their endless bickering was the background to Amy’s angst. She was sitting on the top step of the temple with her back to them. She was dressed for battle in her red suede jacket and black and red adventure outfit, her quills in a half pony. She’d swapped out her sports skirt for warmer cargo pants that were black and ombre red towards the bottom. Despite dressing for a fight, she found her confidence had stayed at home. Her black combat boots were thumping up and down in a frantic rhythm and her fingers were picking at the scar beneath black fingerless gloves. She bit her lip, trying to hold back a deep sense of dismay growing heavy in her stomach. 

“He’s not gonna come, is he?”

She heard the bickering and movement behind her come to a dead stop, and the heavy silence was so tangible that it pushed on her back. She heard a hushed voice, and then felt a large hand cover her fingers, gently stopping her incessant scratching. She turned with wet jade eyes to look into the sympathetic expression of Knuckles. He had sat down next to her, his bulky body awkwardly folded and his long legs bent on the small steps.

“Ames… just give it a little more time.”

“It’s been an hour, Knux,” she hated the sound of her whiney voice. Knuckles smiled at her a little concerned and rubbed his thumb on her hand encouragingly. 

She could feel tears threatening to spill from having her pain understood by a caring friend, something she hadn’t had in months– no, maybe even years. So to prevent herself from turning into a mushy pile of hedgehog stew, she turned away and leaned the side of her head onto his shoulder. She felt him stiffen a little and cough, but he didn’t move. His quiet comfort and support did well to calm the torrent of swirling emotions in her stomach. She sighed, and she felt him shift a little.

“We knew this would be a possibility,” Knuckles growled a bit as he spoke, “Sonic isn’t known to run quickly towards awkward situations… especially when it comes to you.”

Amy flinched, and her emotions started slamming against the walls of her stomach once more, causing her to feel nauseous. Before she could say anything, she felt a hand pop into the space between them, and her head was roughly pushed to the side. Rouge plopped herself down on the steps, separating them, her wide hips lurching them both slightly to either side of her. She dropped something into Amy’s lap before crossing her legs. Amy stared at her with wide eyes for a moment, while Knuckles seethed. But Rouge just smiled with an edge to her gaze as she ignored the echidna behind her.

“I brought you a little chao thing, give that a pet to calm your nerves.”

Amy tore her eyes from the display before her to look down into her lap. There was a baby chao staring up at her with large blue, quizzical eyes and a small stubbed hand raised to its mouth. It had the blue and yellow skin of an undecided chao, the little ball above its head formed into a question mark. Amy was confused at what to do, but when the little eyes of the chao started to become wet with terrified tears, she quickly extended a hand to pet the top of its head. It flinched, but very quickly started to smile as its little floating ball turned into a heart and it leaned into her hand. Amy beamed down at it, and her heart began to feel a little lighter.

Next to her she could hear the other two beginning to bicker again;

“What gives, Rouge? You can’t just kidnap a random chao and throw them around!” 

“Oh, give it a rest big guy, you’re just jealous I didn’t kidnap you!”

“Y–you… shuddup!” Knuckles stuttered, his cheeks turning red under tan fur.

The two of them were nose to nose, and the air around them was electric. Knuckles was glaring with his hands clenched into fists, while Rouge’s wings fluttered in annoyance. As Amy watched them, and felt the fuzzy softness of a happy chao beneath her bare hand, she couldn’t help but smile happily. Even though Sonic had stood her up, it was nothing new. But this? Hanging out with Rouge and Knuckles, this was special. It was something she’d missed; light–hearted teasing and close proximities to other people. 

This hadn’t been the only time in the last two weeks. Both Rouge and Knuckles had visited her several times. Sometimes separately, and other times together, but any time they’d come to see her, was a good day. When was the last time she had felt so comfortable? So relaxed?

“Thanks, guys.” Amy said with a giggle that rang out like bells.

The two treasure hunters stopped their banter to look at her curiously.

“What’s this? I thought you were all mopey,” Rouge observed with a raised brow. Amy smiled at her and cradled the chao in her arms as it yawned and its eyelids drooped.

“I was, but,” Amy looked up at the temple’s ceiling, leaning back on her hands as the chao curled up in her lap.

“But, it’s okay. Him not showing up tells me all I need to know.”

She looked over at Knuckles, whose brows were furrowed, and his frown was deep enough to make a fang pop out between his lips.

“Can you let him know that I don’t blame him for standing me up? And that I’ll make sure to stay out of his way from now on?”

Knuckles growled, stood up and shook his head violently, punching one hand into the palm of the other.

“Why do you always let him off the hook like that? He’s an idiot for not showing up! You don’t owe him anything!”

“But Knux, I do. I hurt him a few years ago… and it was all my fault. I was being selfish and–”

“Selfish?!” Knuckles nearly yelled, “How can you say that when he’s the one that’s always treating you like a second rate citizen? Just what happened between you two anyway?”

At this, Amy could see Rouge’s ears twitch in excitement, and the bat leaned the side of her head into her hand as she waited expectantly for the answer. Amy gulped, Why is everyone so curious all of a sudden?

“I–I… well, the thing is–”

Just then there was the buzz of propellers cutting through the whistling of the autumn wind. Everyone looked up to see a blue and yellow biplane glinting in the pale sky. Immediately Amy’s body went into overdrive. She tensed, felt hot, and her throat was pounding as though her heart had tried to escape her chest through her mouth and had gotten lodged there. The chao could feel the shift in her mood, and it quickly hopped off her lap, waddled toward the Master Emerald and gave it a hug. It needed an energy boost after all that drama.

The plane grew closer, and the three of them watched as it came down for a landing in the field next to them. Amy stood, her arms stiff at her side and her teeth dug into the sides of her cheeks. Was she really ready to face her biggest fear? She suddenly understood Sonic in a way she never had before, because the instinct to run was slowly traveling from the bottom of her toes to the tips of her quills. This is not good.

A door on the side of the plane jerked open, and a red shoe with a gold buckle popped out from under it. It hesitated in the air for a moment before a blue hedgehog was pushed out by an annoyed fox. Sonic stumbled a bit onto the ground while rubbing the back of his head. He was wearing a light blue, acid wash, jean jacket, which was splashed with colorful embroidered patches. The two heroes seemed to be arguing with each other, and they stood by the plane not even looking over at the trio waiting for them.

“He sure knows how to make an entrance,” Rouge mused, her voice sounding slightly impressed, “He even puts my fashionably late to shame.”

Amy said nothing, her nerves holding her throat and voice captive. But as the minutes wore on, and neither hero approached, Knuckles grew increasingly agitated. Amy looked over to see his amethyst eyes ablaze and his fist clenching and unclenching, causing the muscles in his large arms to flex and swell. Rouge had her eyes glued to his chest and arms, her mouth in a smirk of appreciation. After a moment more, her finger raised in an attempt to trace one of the popping veins, but to her dismay her touch seemed to be the spark that ignited the beast, because Knuckles went careening down the steps of the altar to quickly approach the feuding duo. His quills were curling slightly upwards as he went, and the two girls quickly chased after him, Amy trying to calm his rage.

“SONIC!” Knuckles boomed, his accent from his tribe becoming thicker in his fury.

Sonic’s head whipped around, and his ears pressed down to the top of his head in fear at the large echidna. 

“How dare you make a lady wait in turmoil? Where is thou dignity?!”

Before Sonic could respond, Knuckles grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and lifted him in the air. Tails yelled, “Hey!” launched into the air, and tried to pull Knuckles’ hand from Sonic, but he might as well have been trying to move a mountain.

Sonic was grimacing and his mouth was twisted open in a snarl, “Why do you care Knuckles?! I thought you were trying to stay out of it. That’s what you told me last time.”

Knuckles glared and pulled the hero closer to his face,

“Things change little hedgehog. Especially since Amy came to me for my aid.”

Sonic smirked, “Thought you didn’t do other people’s dirty work anymore.”

Amy was watching the scene unfold in utter shock. She knew that Sonic and Knuckles would butt heads every now and then, but this was on another level. Rouge was standing next to Amy with her arms crossed and her hip jutting out, her fingers played piano on her arm, and her turquoise irises moved to the side to give Amy an almost enviously impressed look,

“I didn’t know you were the type to have males fight over you.”

Amy glanced at her with an annoyed look before she dashed in a pink flash to put herself between the two feuding males. She stared up into Knuckles’ fiery eyes with a pleading look,

“Knuckles, please! I promise you, Sonic isn’t the one at fault.”

Sonic, who’d been distracted by his anger with Knuckles, suddenly felt his heart drop to his stomach and his expression fell at the appearance of Amy and the sound of her voice. Knuckles noticed the change, and something about the guilt, hurt, and betrayal reflecting in the hero’s eyes made Knuckles’ rage diminish. Was it really true? Amy wasn’t known for being the one to do the hurting, so he’d just assumed Sonic had been the one at fault. He loosened his grip and let Sonic fall. The blue speedster looked away from his friends, and Amy’s heart broke. This was not the same Sonic from two and a half years ago. Where had the larger than life smile gone? His sweet yet cocky attitude?

“Sonic… I–I need…” She glanced around at everyone staring at them. The weight of their stares made her feel like she was trapped in a coffin and not standing in the middle of a vast meadow. Her breath was starting to hitch, and she almost started to gasp when she heard the loud voice of Rouge ring out.

“Well, well! That sure was a great show!” She sauntered over and grabbed hold of Knuckles’ arm to pull it to her chest. Immediately, the echidna’s skin got redder than his fur, and his head whipped down to look at her.

“Don’t you think we should leave these two hedgehogs alone for a while?”

“What are you doing here?” Tails interrupted, his blue eyes skeptical, and his tails swishing in irritation.

Rouge raised a brow at the rude fox and gave him a glare that would’ve made paint crack. But to his credit, Tails merely flinched and looked away without moving.

“Not that I have to give you an answer, kiddo ,” Rouge drawled, “But Amy here’s my gal, and she needed a ride. So I guess I’m here for the same reason you are.” She fluttered her wings pointedly, still staring down on the fox.

“S–sorry, Ms. Rouge,” Tails muttered, his large ears dropping a little, and his cheeks blushing under white whiskers. Rouge looked at him for a second more before a huge smile crept over her face, and she used her other arm to loop it around Tails neck.

“Ya know, you’re kinda cute when you’re being polite.” Rouge purred a little. 

“Amy!” Rouge announced, while she turned and dragged the boys, glancing over her shoulder at the two baffled hedgehogs, “Take your time, girl, I’m gonna take these boys on a little trip.” She smiled devilishly before taking flight in the air, the screams of Tails and disgruntled growls of Knuckles fading into the distance as they disappeared over the temple and out of sight.

Left alone, the two hedgehogs stood awkwardly and quietly, without looking at each other. Sonic was kicking at invisible rocks and Amy was smiling nervously while looking at where the others disappeared to. She could feel the urge to disappear into the ground growing stronger with each long second of silence that passed. This is going so great.

She shut her eyes tight and blurted out, “Uh, wanna go sit on the steps of the altar?”

There wasn’t a response at first and she worried that he was going to ignore her, but just when she was about to burst from anticipation, she heard a “Sure.”

Then a gust of wind whipped past her, making her quills flutter, and when she opened her eyes, Sonic was already sitting on the steps with his head to the side. His lips were pursed, and he’d shoved his hands in his jacket pockets. His whole body seemed stiff and tense, giving the impression that he wished to be anywhere but there. Amy sighed, and slowly walked over to join him. As she approached, she watched in amazement as little chao suddenly popped up from all over the place to crowd Sonic. They started crawling into his lap and pulling on his quills, their little voices chiming out excitedly for his attention. Before long, Sonic couldn’t help but grin and smile at them, giving them pets and lifting some up and down, playing airplane. She stopped at the foot of the steps, just entrapped in that smile. Chaos, how she’d missed it. Craved it.

“You can come over and help me out.”

She jumped at the sound of his voice. He still wasn’t looking at her, but he scooted over a bit to give her more space next to him. Amy felt a lump form in her throat, and as she took the steps up to meet him, her legs felt like they weighed more tons than a train. She desperately wanted this, but at the same time, she desperately wanted to avoid it at all costs. What if there was no fixing this?

She sat down, and Sonic gently placed a chao in her lap. This one was already beginning to turn an ivory color from being in the hero’s presence for just a few minutes. It looked up at her, and tilted its head like the one from earlier, and Amy realized it was the same one. She raised her hand, and it immediately pushed its head forward to meet her palm. She smiled and began to pet it.

“I’m glad these little guys are here,” Sonic murmured, and she could see some pain in the corners of his eyes. The other chao were all piled up and spilling off his lap, most were already asleep, and the rest had heavy laden eyes. Amy smiled as she watched, and responded with a soft voice,

“Well, they can sense a good person when they see one. Just look at how much they lov–”

The word died like a shooting star on her lips, and she bit her lip hard, drawing blood. Sonic flinched, and the corner of his mouth twitched. They sat in heavy silence for what seemed like forever, before Sonic finally sighed, and met her eyes for the first time in years. His face was twisted in an awkward expression and when his voice came forth, it sounded a little broken,

“I’m at a loss of words, Ames. I’m no good with this stuff.”

Amy felt her heart tear at the sound of her nickname. He had said it so naturally, like they hadn’t just spent years apart. Like she was still special to him. She felt tears begin to spill from her eyes, and drop to her lap. The chao sitting on her made a concerned sound, and its little hand lifted to touch her cheek.

“I’m sorry, Sonic. I’m so so sorry. A–and… and I miss you.” She whispered the words, her vision a blur through water. She wanted to scream, wanted to crumble in–between the cracks of the altar steps and disappear. But then something happened. Something horrible and wonderful all at the same time. Something she never imagined would happen even in her wildest of dreams. 

Sonic’s arms closed around her and he held her close. His fresh scent was summer and oranges, it filled her senses and stopped the tears. Amy sat frozen for a moment, before her arms came up and clutched onto him like her life depended on it. He squeezed her tighter and she started bawling ugly tears of despair. The chao scattered from between them, but neither hedgehog cared. 

“S–Sonic, I–I’m so sor–”

“It’s okay, Ames. I’m sorry too.” His voice seemed to tremble, and Amy could feel him start to pull away. She held on for a breath before she let go, still a bit in disbelief that it had even happened.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Amy blubbered, “I–”

“You don’t need to say anything.”

“Please, Sonic,” she pleaded, and grasping his left hand, she looked into his emerald eyes, “I want to tell you… I want to tell you everything, and nothing, and anything you want. Please…”

Sonic stared at her, his brow furrowed, but he nodded silently, and even moved closer to her. She let go of his hand, but to her surprise he held onto it.

“Okay, Ames. Go ahead.”

It was like a flood gate had opened. All of the sudden everything that had happened in the two and a half years of their separation came spilling out. Cream leaving. Her failed attempt at joining him. Her decision to go into the cadet program. Pandora. And finally joining Team Dark. Her fears. Her pain. Her hopes. Her dreams. And her joys. All spilled out onto the altar steps. And Sonic just sat there, listening. It was bizarre, unreal. It was as though there was something about that place. Maybe it was the Master Emerald, or the sweet chao that sat around quietly listening. Or maybe it was the awkward, kind hand of a nervous hero that firmly kept hold of her. It was like everything she had been letting build up within her was being pulled out from the very depths of her soul, and she was stripped bare before him.

“...and so, I decided to go back. But if I’m going to do this, I need to get right with you.”

Her story finished, she took a deep breath and looked over at him. He released her hand to raise both his hands in front of his face, and he leaned his forehead onto them with his eyes closed. She felt that old friend, anxiety, return and she tried to give a small laugh,

“I–I mean, I understand if you don’t want to be friends with me anymore,” she rambled quickly. If she talked fast enough she could keep the tears from falling, “I–I just need to know if you are willing to be civil in public…”

“Civil?” Sonic muttered, his voice scratchy.

Amy gulped, “Or maybe at least friendly acquaintances?”

“Acquaintances?” 

Amy started to feel a little anger blossom in her chest but she shoved it down.

“Come on, Sonic, I’m really trying here.”

His head raised then, and he looked at her with the most conflicted expression she had ever seen on him.

“Chaos, Amy! I just don’t understand! How can you talk like this?”

“Like what?!” Amy couldn’t help it, her voice rose and her body warmed with anger to the point she could no longer feel the autumn chill.

“I’m not doing anything, Sonic! I’m trying to be mature and do the–”

“Oh, mature are you?”

“More so than you!”

“You call cutting off your friends mature?”

“I’m trying to apologize–”

“Yeah!” He yelled as he stood, his emerald eyes burning, “by saying I’m not special to you anymore. Isn’t that what you already wanted? Me out of your life? Because I thought I was already giving that to you!”

He was breathing heavily and his quills were bristled in anger, but there was something false about it. Something that made Amy’s own rage simmer to a calm realization. Sonic was afraid. He was broken–hearted. Because of me? Does he… She couldn’t even bring herself to think about the words. But something else was picking at her mind, and she decided to worry about that first.

“What I wanted? What do you mean I wanted this?”

Sonic turned, his back to her and his arms stiff at his sides.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t remember.”

Amy stood, her hand reached up to touch him, but at the last minute she retracted it.

“Remember what?”

“The letter.” His voice was almost a whisper now.

“What letter?” That itch was getting stronger now, and she could feel her stomach turning and twisting. Something wasn’t right.

“T–the one you gave me. O–on Valentine’s Day.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing for two reasons. One, this meant that he had found that little scrap of paper she'd tossed on the pile of gifts. And two, Sonic the Hedgehog was stuttering. She had never heard him sound like this before, and she was shocked to her core that a simple I love you, had caused him this much turmoil. Hadn't she said it to him many times before? Still, she gritted her teeth, Just apologize. If he's gonna be an asshole then it's best to get somewhere manageable with our relationship . Take the high road.

“I'm sorry, I didn't think it would hurt you.”

Sonic scoffed, his arms folding onto his chest.

“You think it wouldn't hurt? Chaos, Amy, I went to G.U.N. headquarters– a place I despise– and I even… I called myself your b–boyfriend, and you wrote that in response?”

Amy’s knees buckled and she actually fell, slipping down a few steps. What the hell had she just heard? He'd called himself what? 

At the sound of her fall, Sonic’s head whipped around and a look of panic moved across his face. He hurried to her side and offered a hand. She looked up at him, and felt her heart beat quicker as she let him help her up. Keep it together Amy, don't let your emotions get the best of you. There's something here that isn't quite making sense.

“Sonic. I have no idea what you're talking about.”

Sonic’s face went pale, then red, and she saw the telltale signs of him rearing to run. She grabbed his arm and with her other hand, forced him to look her in the eyes. 

“I'm serious. I don't remember anything about you coming to see me.”

He stared down into her jade pools and found no deceit reflected in them. He felt some of the tension lift from his shoulders, and his body relaxed but with it came a wave of confusion.

“I don’t understand… I came to see you because of the little, um, note you left at my door,” He blushed, and he sat down, trying to avoid her eyes. Amy felt her own cheeks grow warm and sat down with him.

“I… I was happy, Ames. I thought you wanted to be, well, I guess I thought you wanted… And I wanted to…. oh jeez, I’m getting all tripped up…”

Amy couldn’t help but smile a little, and she had to force down a giggle. Sonic’s nervousness was adorable and she just couldn’t tear her eyes away from him.

“It’s okay, Sonic, just skip that part.”

He grimaced. He didn’t really want to skip it. He wanted to get better at expressing these types of emotions, but the mystery of the letter was more pressing, so he took in a breath and steadied his voice.

“Okay, well I went to see you… I thought that if I told the receptionist that I was your boy, ehhum, boyfriend ,” the word was like molasses on his mouth, and Amy’s grin grew bigger, “I thought you would know right away it was me, and that I was, ya know, ready.”

We’ll come right back to that in a minute, Amy thought to herself, but placed a hand on his knee and nodded for him to continue.

“Well, that jackal bitch came down and gave me a letter you’d written saying it was for me and that you wanted nothing to do with me.” His voice hitched, and all the warm fuzzies that had started to grow between them melted like spring snow.

“A letter? Sonic, I promise you, the only letter I wrote to you that day was the one on your doorstep. What did the letter say?”

Sonic’s face twisted, and his hurt was plain as day, but he cleared his throat and recited like he’d been practicing lines for a horror play:

“ Hey,

I should’ve told you this before, but you absolutely disgust me. The way you treat me and the things you say always cause–”

Amy gasped, and she stood up in a fury, her quills bristling against their metal ring. “That. Fucking. Bitch.”

Sonic stared up at her with wide eyes and an open mouth.

“Ah, sorry, Sonic,” Amy gave an awkward grin and forced herself to calm down. “I just can’t believe she did that! I really need to find a way to beat the shit out of her one day.”

“Amy?”

Amy looked over, she’d almost forgotten why they were talking about this in the first place, but for the first time that day she felt true relief start to settle in her heart.

“I did write that letter,” Amy admitted, “But I didn’t write it to you.”

Sonic looked at her for a moment, and his head tilted a bit. Amy sighed and leaned back on her hands to stare up at the dust swirling in the small space of the altar.

“I wrote it to Pandora when she graduated. As a way of closing that chapter of my life. I thought she would’ve tossed it. But I should’ve known she would use anything she could against me.”

She closed her eyes and rested her head in her hands, “I’m sorry that happened, Sonic. I had no idea.”

Sonic had a chao in his lap again, and he pet it absentmindedly for a few moments before responding,

“I guess… I guess I should’ve known you wouldn’t say something like that to me, I mean usually your words are hard to hear for a completely different reason.” He chuckled and she could see his whole demeanor shifting back to the relaxed hero she remembered. She smiled.

“Yeah,” Amy replied, “Why did you believe her? I mean you didn’t know everything she did, but you had to know she didn’t like me after that date– I mean the cafe.”

Sonic glanced at her, his expression was hard to read, but then he sighed, and leaned his head in his free hand as he continued petting the sleeping chao.

“I guess… I guess some of what was in the note really hit home for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,” he paused and frowned, “I know I didn’t treat you the best, Ames. And after that fight we had, I had a lot of time to think about that. About what I did to help create the distance between us.”

Amy raised a brow, and smirked at him good naturedly, “An introspective Sonic the Hedgehog? Now I’ve seen everything.”

“Hey!” Sonic responded with a slight jerk, which caused the sleeping chao in his lap to groan in protest. He pet it again to lull it back to sleep, and then turned to her with a smirk of his own, “I can be emotionally aware…” and then softly, "sometimes.” 

They smiled at each other, but then Sonic’s eyes took a more serious tone, and his mouth relaxed as he stared at her. Then his hand went to the back of his neck and he scratched underneath his quills as he stared straight ahead into the forest as he continued,

“Especially when it comes to you.”

Amy hesitated, she wanted to respond, but she didn’t want to break whatever spell the blue hedgehog was under. 

“You said you missed me Ames… but I don’t think those words can even begin to explain how I felt with your absence. Why do you think I invited you out to that cafe? Why do you think I chased after you? Me chasing you ,” He chuckled, “Now that’s a novelty.”

He turned and looked at her, “What I’m trying to say is, I started to understand you. Understand all those things you used to say to me and do for me. And when I read that letter, it just confirmed what I tried to ignore. I’d done a lot of awful things to you, and the thought that I had driven you to doubt– even hate– yourself? I couldn’t handle it. I thought it was just better to push it all down, keep my eyes focused on the track in front of me, and leave you to live the life you wanted… Unbound by your feelings for me.”

Amy felt her heart squeezing. Never in her life had she imagined Sonic could think about her like this. She knew he cared for her, but she’d wrongly thought it was just out of a sense of duty. But the way he was speaking, it was almost as if…

“But when I saw you… in Eggman’s headquarters… I don’t know. It was like the world had flipped upside down and I was underwater. And you know I can’t swim.” He tried to lighten the tense mood with a trademark smile, and Amy returned it. But she still felt that anxiety, and it was pressing into her, screaming at her to say something. To make him say what he was so obviously dancing around. She gulped, and tried to not stutter as she replied,

“Sonic, I don’t know what to say… it sounds as if–”

“As if I, Sonic the Hedgehog, love Amy Rose?” He asked it so matter–of–factly, that Amy thought she’d blacked out for a moment. 

Her face was comically frozen in the expression of someone who’d learned the color of the sky was actually green and not blue. Sonic chuckled, and he reached over to grab her hand. She felt electric shivers tickle from her fingers to her heart. He was looking steadily into her eyes, and she felt shaken by the confidence he seemed to exude. He pulled her hand up, and she could feel him trembling. She realized he was just as nervous as her. His lips pressed against her knuckles and this time her body violently shivered. She could feel his lips tickling her through her gloves as he continued,

“I tried to run from it because I couldn’t face the fact that I’d brought the person I obviously can’t do without to a place where she hated me, and worse, herself. I was being– no, I am– a coward.”

“Oh, Sonic…”

“Ames, can you ever forgive me?”

At this, she lurched forward and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his shoulder and mumbled into blue fur,

“How could I not?”

His arms came up, and gently held her to him. She could hear his heart beating just as frantically as her own. A wild rhythm that hammered against each other, and she felt something in her heart fall into place. Something that had been empty, was full once more. She wanted to live in this moment for the rest of eternity. But the chao between them had other ideas. Suddenly, they felt two small stubs push against them, and they separated to look at a very annoyed chao that was now standing on the step between them with its little arms on its hips as it glared fiercely at the two of them. Then it seemed to huff and turned to waddle away from them. Amy and Sonic stared at the chao with wide eyes, then at each other, and they burst out in laughter. After a few minutes of the joyful harmony, they sat staring at each other, an action that had become all too common that day.

“So…” Sonic finally said, his awkwardness returned. Amy smirked. It was nice that the shoe seemed to be on the other foot.

“So?” She asked, feigning ignorance. Sonic narrowed his eyes at her, realizing what she was doing.

“Come on, Ames. I’m no good at this… what happens now?”

Amy looked at him, and then shrugged, “I don’t know.”

Sonic’s mouth hung open, and his emerald eyes stared at her in astonishment.

“What do you mean you don’t know?”

His naivety and innocence was charming, and Amy wanted to endlessly tease him. But she knew that wasn’t going to get them anywhere.

“Sonic, look, I may seem like I know everything there is to know about relationships, but I've never actually been in one… you have yourself to thank for that.”

He shifted and grinned at her guiltily.

“So, we’re both a couple of dummies when it comes to this part,” She continued, “But there is something we haven’t addressed. It needs to be resolved before we can even begin to consider our options.”

“And that is?” He asked, his emerald eyes soft and his smile warm as he waited for her to respond. She gulped. Almost wishing she didn’t have to say what she needed to.

“G.U.N. and Team Dark.”

Instantly his smile disappeared and he looked off to the side, “Right… that.”

Amy narrowed her eyes at the tone he used, and she crossed her arms before continuing.

“Sonic, this confession, or whatever you wanna call it, doesn’t change my mind about G.U.N.”

“But how can you still want to work for a place that allowed the type of abuse you experienced?” Sonic asked, his quills bristling a little.

“I get that you don’t like G.U.N. but–”

“Amy! They turned a blind eye! You were… Chaos help me, you were tortured. And it's not just you! Don’t you remember how they targeted me and tried to kill me? What about all the directors that take bribes and do things in the dark?”

“Some of G.U.N. may be like that, but at least where I’m stationed it's not like that at all. Chief Snow is an upright Director, there is no proof she was, or is, involved in anything underhanded.”

Sonic scoffed, and looked away with his brows furrowed, “I didn’t think you were that naive. There’s no way someone got to that position with their hands clean”

Amy stared at him. Everything had been going perfect until this moment, but as soon as she mentioned her career, the situation had quickly devolved once more. She could understand Sonic’s hesitance and hate for G.U.N., but she had her own reasons to stay. She liked it. She liked doing things on a team, and liked having a purpose.

“Sonic,” she started carefully, “I understand your fears and I know you’re just saying this because you care about me. And you’re absolutely right, G.U.N. is not perfect, and I know there are things they do that are not okay.”

His shoulders relaxed as she validated his concerns.

“But, I also love my job.”

Sonic looked over at her, she was smiling and her expression looked strong and bright.

“I’m really good at it. I graduated top of my class. I am learning so much and can do so much good . I can help the world in a very real way. And even if G.U.N. has rot within it, I feel confident that I can help to change things. I know it won't change just because of me, but if everyone sits idly by and doesn’t do what they can within their power to fix things, then nothing will ever get better.”

Sonic sighed, and took her hand, “Look, Ames, I’m probably the best person who can relate to wanting to help the world. But why does it have to be with G.U.N.? You… you could come join us. Be a part of Team Sonic.”

Amy wondered if he was being serious. She expected him to be looking at her awkwardly with a forced smile to prove that they were just empty words to get his way. But instead, she saw him staring steadily, and his eyes even seemed a little bright with excitement at the prospect. In that moment, it was like all the hardship and torment she’d gone through had led to this. She opened her mouth, ready to agree, her heart beating with elation, riding a high of having all her youthful fantasies come true, but then oddly enough, she was stopped by the memory of ruby eyes and an awkward promise.

I want more of your cooking.

Her mouth snapped shut, and she blinked in surprise. Why was she thinking about this right now? Then more memories started playing through her mind, like Omega and her in the living room of Team Dark, watching shows and trying to teach a robot how to feel. Rouge, coming to her house, painting Amy’s nails while gossiping about the team and headquarters. And then there was Shadow. She had worked so hard and gone through so much, and she had finally gotten him to– just a little bit– open up to her. They weren’t anywhere close to being friends after just one small promise, but the way he had been so genuine with her, and the subtle invitation he gave made her feel good. It was something she had earned , it hadn’t been given easily or even completely willingly. 

She wasn’t ready to give up everything she had accomplished. She wanted to carve her own path, and joining Team Sonic felt like a step backwards, not forward after all she’d endured. Although being a part of Team Dark was definitely challenging, she felt like it was exactly where she was supposed to be.

“I can’t, Sonic. Actually, the thing is… I don’t want to,” She saw his face become downcast, and she squeezed his hand.

“It’s not that I hate your team, or aren’t happy about the offer. It's about where I am now in my life. Sonic, even though we were separated for over two years because of stupid misunderstandings, the fact is that during that time, I’ve changed.”

“And,” she continued while standing up and stretching her arms, “I like who I am now. I wouldn’t go back for anything.”

She smiled at him, and Sonic couldn’t help but be in awe of her. She was confident, and strong, and although she’d always had those qualities, there was something else in the way she held herself. Something that attracted his gaze and caused butterflies to swirl in his stomach. He wished he’d gotten to know her sooner.

“I like it too,” He finally admitted, his cheeks blushing, and he broke their eye contact to look down at his fidgeting hands, “Especially the new look.”

Instantly, Amy’s body was alit with a burning sensation, and her stomach twisted in a similar way to when she’d been undercover with Jet. 

“Oh, uh, thanks.” She murmured awkwardly, her face refusing to lose its smile. Both hedgehogs looked anywhere but at each other, with twin smirks of embarrassment on their muzzles. After a few tense, but warm, moments Sonic stood and reached behind his head and into his quills. He rooted around for a moment, before pulling out a small, red box. 

He shuffled on his feet for a moment, before thrusting the box towards her a little aggressively. 

“What’s that?” Amy asked curiously, taking the offered item in her hand.

“Well,” Sonic pulled the word out, attempting to force the rest out with it, “It was your birthday recently… and when you wanted to meet up, I– uh– remembered I’d gotten this for you as an apology, years ago, after our fight in the cafe.”

Amy was only partially able to hear his words, her bubbling excitement distracting her from giving him her full attention. She held the box in her hand for a moment, fingers hesitantly curled around it. Her nervous anticipation prevented her from opening the top, but Sonic’s expectant looks that reflected the same amount of nerves she felt, were enough to push her to open it.

Inside, sitting on a velvet pillow was a necklace with a heart shaped pendant. The gem was pink, and sparkled up at her from the silver encasing. She felt her breath hitch, and her finger trembled as she touched the jewel.

“It made me think of you… I bought it before you changed up your style. Not that I’m saying it doesn’t suit you anymore, I just mean if you don’t like it, I can return it, or–”

“You’re rambling,” Amy teased, but she picked the necklace up and offered it to him.

“Put it on for me, will ya?”

Sonic gulped, and he felt his legs itching with the need for speed. But he shoved it down, and grabbed the necklace as Amy turned around and lifted the quills that were half down. He had never felt this anxious in his life. The slim, bare neck that lay before him in wait, seemed more terrifying to him than any badnik he’d ever faced. With fumbling hands, he pulled the necklace around her, trying to focus on the glittering silver and not her floral scent that tantalized him as he worked. Finally, when he was finished, she turned around and he tried to smile normally as she fiddled with the pendant and stared down at it in silence.

“I love it.” Amy murmured, and looked up at Sonic with the grin from their youth. An expression he had desperately missed.

He coughed to cover his blush, before stepping down a step, lifting his hand and giving her one of his brilliantly confident smiles. His other hand bent behind his back and he looked up at her from under arched brows, his emerald eyes mischievous and bright,

“I may not be very good at talking, but I am good at running.”

Amy giggled a little as he wiggled his brows a bit for emphasis.

“Is that so? I barely noticed,” she teased, her fingers lightly touching his. Sonic’s grin grew wider, and he scooped her up as she squealed, and he held her close to him as he stared down at her with soft emerald eyes.

“Whadda say, Amy? Run away with me?”

Amy smiled up at him with bright jade eyes, “Take me away.”

There was a sonic boom as the two hedgehogs disappeared from the altar, leaving a disgruntled chao with its hands over its ears staring after them.