Stranger

Shadow stepped into the hospital room, kicking the body of the unconscious guard to the side. He pulled up a chair right next to the bed of his fallen companion.

Just looking at her was enough to set his soul ablaze.

How could he be so… daft? To allow such a thing to happen. He blamed her as well, just as he should. But it was his unannounced duty to protect her. And in this moment, he knew that he failed.

She looked beautiful, like always.

Her fur was white with tints of gray, some of her fur had been singed in the blast. She had a deep vertical gash across her muzzle, along with a couple of welts. Yet her eyeshadow was still perfect and sparkly, like it had been that morning.

Back when everything was okay.

She breathed softly. Peacefully.

She was an angel. Tranquil, delicate, pure.

Her eyes fluttered open at one in the morning. To her surprise he was staring right at her. Intensely, worriedly, painfully.

"Are you okay?" He asked gruffly, grabbing her hand.

She jolted at the action.

"Yes, I'm fine." She pulled her hand away. "What happened?"

"Your incompetence got the best of you." He said in a tone that lacked emotion. Was it too soon to make a joke? Was it wrong? He knew that Rouge had an uncouth sense of humor. He figured she'd appreciate that he tried to add levity to the situation.

But instead of smiling at him, she shifted away from him.

Her turquoise eyes dimmed and he could tell that she was hurt, that she was pained beyond physicality.

There was something peculiar in the way she moved.

Even though she could walk perfectly fine and talk, the doctor said they still had to 'run some tests.' Whatever that meant. He had no interest in bothering to figure out why she couldn't come home, he rather liked having her apartment to himself, but the house wasn't as lively as it used to be. As it should have been.

Still, he watched the way she walked. She didn't limp, she didn't falter, she didn't stumble. But where was the sway of her hips? The seductive gait that never failed to capture any red-blooded male's attention? It wasn't there.

She came back from the bathroom, not acknowledging her dark friend. Simply staring at the wall.

She didn't say much to him after she woke up. She gagged on the hospital food and flipped through television channels. It would have been easier on him to just stay home and wait for the phone call that would tell him she would be discharged. Visiting her didn't feel like a yearning, it felt like a necessity.

He was pleasantly surprised when she decided she wanted to talk to him.

"I don't have many friends, do I?" She asked softly, smiling wistfully.

"Hm?"

"You're the only one who bothers to visit. You and the robot. There are no gifts, no tears, no one else seems to care."

"Who else would you want to visit you?" He looked at her curiously.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

"You were never fond of the other agents at GUN. As far as I'm concerned at least. And I know you don't like faker or any of his loser friends."

"Faker…" Rouge whispered, looking at Shadow.

"Sonic." He said the name bitterly.

Rouge's ear twitched. He recognized the look on her face. She was pondering.

"Sonic?" She asked, "Who's that?"

Shadow stiffened, his now shaking hands holding onto the handles of his chair as he stared at her tensely.

He realized now that he wasn't looking at Rouge, but a Stranger instead.

Shadow wasn't unaccustomed to amnesia by any means, but he had no idea how in the hell he would be able to help someone else under these circumstances.

Here was the Ultimate Lifeform, using all of his willpower to walk a helpless Stranger navigate her way through a club that she built, slaved away countless hours for, an area filled with sex, alcohol and drugs, a raunchy place that she had put her heart and soul into.

"Why is the music so loud?" She asked, rubbing on her large ears.

He didn't answer, simply holding her hand, which remained limp in his hold, like a prepubescent child that was opposed to the idea of holding onto the hand of someone that was the opposite sex. If she were Rouge she would have held on like her life depended on it.

"Hi, love." Rouge purred, wrapping her arms around her partner and pulling him close.

He grimaced, breaking away from her embrace immediately.

"Don't touch me like that." He snarled, turning to glare at her, but gawking instead.

She was wearing a peach, form fitting dress. Her makeup was beautifully crafted tonight, in a style that he had never seen before.

"Why aren't you dressed?" She asked with a pout.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You're my date to the ball we're having at GUN."

"I never said I'd be your date."

" 's because I did. Come on, get in your tux. We're gonna be late."

"And what if I don't want to?"

Rouge shrugged, keeping a playful expression on her face.

"I'll just go ask Knuckie then. It should fit him too…" She trailed off, noticing his peeved expression. "What? Don't tell me you're jealous."

"I wasn't going to say that at all."

"Fine…" She stood up, grabbing her purse and walking towards the door. She opened it slowly, still waiting for him to change his mind, to cave and run to his room and change into the outfit that she had rented just for him.

He didn't budge.

With a sigh, she opened the door and headed towards her car when a bright flash of light startled her.

Shadow was holding onto his chaos emerald, wearing the tux with a frown on his face.

"I'll chaos control you there." He said simply.

She smiled, not at all fazed by how fast he was able to put on his outfit.

Her expression was sultry, flirtatious and mischievous.

He decided then, to himself, that it was for him and him only.

"What was I like?" The Stranger asked, looking at Shadow.

He watched her longingly as she took a sip of her coffee. She drank it black. How could she drink it black? He wanted to modify it. To add the cream and sugar and milk that made her toes curl up in delight. But this wasn't Rouge. This was someone else.

Perhaps he had been more attached than he thought he was. Or he felt like he had a debt to repay. Rouge was in there, constrained within the brain of the Stranger sitting before him. Suffocating, struggling, trying her hardest to break free.

It was the only reason he could think of to stay. He cared about her too much to leave her. She was clueless and needed someone, and she was there for him when he was in a similar position.

"All I really know is that my name is Rouge." She giggled awkwardly, scratching her ear.

"Mm." He mumbled, swirling his own coffee around. He was the one that liked to drink it black but instead he drowned the roasted flavor with milk, four creams and six packets of sugar. He wanted to taste what Rouge found so appealing.

"Tell me, please. You're the only one that can."

He sighed, closing his eyes. She sat there with her legs uncrossed, wearing sweatpants with a large t-shirt that covered her chest fully.

Ironically, the lack of exposed cleavage was infuriatingly distracting for the dark hedgehog.

"You're a thief. A narcissist. You're cunning, devious, and ruthless."

Her face fell again. It went to that look of sadness and despair. It didn't look right on her. She had used that expression so much in the past few days that it was beginning to lose its meaning.

Shadow had witnessed Rouge with that look only a handful of times in the several years that they worked together.

Usually it was when she told him about a piece of her past, something dark and sinister that she refused to tell to anyone else.

But now it was Shadow that was giving her a piece of herself.

His heart couldn't take it.

"I sound like a total bitch…" She mused, talking to herself mainly, not directly to him.

He thought of the promise she made to him at Wave Ocean, of how she lugged him to her apartment in the rain, of all the times she cleaned his wounds, of her slender arms wrapped around his body when he wept for Maria.

"You weren't that bad."

He couldn't breathe.

His heart was beating erratically and the room was spinning. He didn't know what to do.

Sayonara, Shadow the Hedgehog.

Those were the only words ringing through his head. He couldn't think, he was shaking, in an immense bubble of fear.

The door was kicked open.

"Oh my chaos! What happened!?" The Stranger looked at Shadow, who was convulsing on the floor, and immediately grabbed him, wrapping himself within her embrace.

He breathed heavily, not pushing her away but not accepting her either.

He looked at her, and for a moment she looked just like Rouge.

Physically, yes, it was Rouge. Same flawless features, same beautiful eyes, same curvaceous body. But the mannerisms, the personality, the soul within… It wasn't her.

But in that moment, the concern in the eyes of the Stranger, the emotion…

For Rouge, it had been concern for his wellbeing. For the stranger, it was pure confusion.

And yet, the resemblance was uncanny.

She began stroking his shoulders, another Rouge-esque action, but it didn't ease his fear.

The only one that could do that was Rouge. Only her touch could calm him down. Her devotion to him, her attachment to him. It was his safe haven.

But he wasn't being held by Rouge. This woman that was clutching onto his body didn't know how to help him.

They were both frightened, both exposed.

He felt her body quivering beneath his.

It was then that his breathing slowed down.

In their cluelessness they found comfort.

Commander Abraham had been very understanding of Rouge's condition. He usually wasn't thoughtful when it came to such matters but Rouge was one of the best agents at GUN, and one of the more experienced employees within the workplace. He had a soft spot for not just her, but Team Dark overall. He told Shadow to pass on messages of love and encouragement to Rouge, but there was no point, because its meaning would be lost on her anyways.

He walked into the living room that morning to grab his coffee and head over to headquarters to meet Omega. He noticed the Stranger sitting at Rouge's vanity, fumbling with the cosmetics.

She noticed his gaze on her and turned to look at him. The eyeshadow was shoddy, and the lip gloss glided past her lips.

"You heading out?"

He nodded solemnly.

Rouge never wore pink eyeshadow on Mondays. What the hell was this girl doing?

The Stranger smiled at him warmly.

"Well I hope you have a good day today."

She turned back to continue applying her makeup.

She took the foundation out, staring at it for a long moment before popping the cap off.

"I don't really know what I'm doing." She confessed, laughing at herself.

He had watched Rouge put her makeup on every day. He knew all of her techniques, what to put and where to put it, and even though he had never laid a finger on her makeup before, he found himself walking over to the Stranger briskly and grabbing the makeup and all the tools that Rouge would have used if she were free.

"Let me do it for you." He said, cupping her face and allowing himself to get lost in her eyes.

The Stranger looked up from her book, seeing her friend look at her with a pining expression.

"Is there something wrong?"

He walked over to her, grabbing the book and flinging it to the side.

"Hey! –"

"I need you to remember." He said desperately. "I need you to look at me."

The Stranger's shoulders slumped a little. She knew he was impatient for her to regain her memory, but she hadn't made much progress.

"The doctor said it could last for months. Even years. I don't… I don't know what to do. You've been good company but…" She bit her lip.

He bowed his head down before looking up again.

"Just say something stupid. Shimmy your hips. Show some skin, damn it. Make a sexual innuendo out of something I say. Or just use a cheesy pickup line."

She arched an eye ridge at all of his requests.

He noted her hesitation and it made him even angrier. Rouge wouldn't have hesitated. She would have complied to those requests. Hell, he wouldn't have had to make those requests."

He put his hands on her shoulders. She flinched at his touch.

"Do it. Make me angry." His grip tightened.

"Wh-What?" She wasn't following.

He took her hand, placing it to his torso.

"Touch me. Caress me. Play with the white tuft of fur on my chest. I hate it when you do that." His voice cracked. He was shaking again.

She snatched her hand back, only to reach out and cup his muzzle.

He didn't realize he was crying until she started wiping his tears away.

"…You're a pervert." She mumbled.

Shadow shook his head, more hot tears streaming down his face. It hurt. It hurt so much. It wasn't fair. Why did it hurt so badly?

"No. You're the pervert."

"Do you care about me, Shadow?" Rouge asked, laying her head on his shoulder.

He looked down at her.

"What?"

"Do you care about me? What kind of person am I to you?"

"You're my ally." He answered simply. "I care about what you have to contribute to our team."

She pouted. He knew it wasn't the answer she was looking for, but it was the only answer that could keep him safe.

"And me? Have all these years of working with me not meant anything to you?"

"It means that you are a valuable asset to Team Dark. I'm glad to work with someone so formidable."

"Shadow. Come on. Just admit that we're friends."

"We're partners."

"We're FRIENDS. You care about me because we're friends."

"I care about your wellbeing. For the sake of Team Dark."

"If someone shot me in the head right now, you're telling me you wouldn't be fazed by it?"

"I never said that."

Rouge smirked.

"You're so stubborn. Just tell me that you care."

"Why are you so persistent on this?"

"Because you're the Ultimate Lifeform. You're going to be here forever, but I won't."

He wasn't sure of how to respond.

Luckily for him, she continued to talk.

"And one day, you're going to lose me. And you'll regret not telling me how much you cared."

She lifted her head off of him, standing up and walking back inside.

Shadow watched her go; the already chilly weather became seemingly chillier with her absence.

"Tell me more about her," the Stranger said, swirling the cereal around in her bowl.

He looked up at her. She looked radiant. Her face was healing up and her fur was as white as snow.

She was still on hiatus, not that Shadow was upset; the Stranger wouldn't know the first thing to do out on the field. She rarely ever put makeup on. And she stuck to dressing modestly.

It was like another entity had plunged itself into Rouge's body.

Still, she looked elegant and beautiful. He still found it hard to keep his eyes to himself.

The Stranger was smarter than she seemed. She gradually swapped pronouns, referring to Rouge as 'her' instead of 'me.' She must have noticed his discomfort and knew that she wasn't the woman he wanted her to be.

"What would you like to know?" Shadow asked.

"I want to know about you and her. What kind of relationship did you two have?"

"We were partners."

"Is that it?"

I wish.

"Yes."

"I don't believe you." She crossed her arms, unintentionally pushing her breasts up. Since she was wearing a tank top that morning, she was showing off some major cleavage. His eyes gravitated toward it immediately. It wasn't a sexual look; he couldn't care less for how much or how little of her body that she showed off. It was odd to him, to find solace in seeing her breasts. The Stranger was so conservative in the way she dressed while Rouge was audacious. He missed it so much.

"Why not?"

"The way you stare at me – at her."

"I'm waiting for her to come back."

"Because you two were close, were you not?"

He closed his eyes, massaging his temple momentarily.

"…I suppose. About as close as I would allow myself to get to someone else."

The next question startled him.

"Was she in love with you?"

He looked at her incredulously, not believing she would be bold enough to ask such a question.

But what if the answer would set Rouge free?

"Yes." He whispered.

"How did you know?" She prodded, now interested in the conversation. The hedgehog wasn't social or amiable in the slightest. She figured that he was more of a brotherly figure. Knowing that there was something between Rouge and him intrigued her.

"Because…" He felt his eyes watering up again. He felt weak. "Because I was distant. Rude. Abrasive. I tried my hardest to push her away from me. But she still took care of me. She still looked after me. She still… snuck her way into my heart. And there was no reason for someone as selfish as her to do that. Love was the only plausible explanation."

She set her spoon down. The silver clacked against the wooden table. It was one of Rouge's favorite sounds.

"Did you love her back?"

The tears dropped onto the table. His eyes were burning. There was no sniveling. Just his tears cascading from his face as he continued to talk in his same, deep voice that lacked all emotion.

"Unfortunately." Was all he could say.

She laughed sadly, shaking her head.

"Why didn't you tell her?" She stood up, walking to the other side of the table to wipe his tears once more. He found no comfort in the action.

"She's usually the one to make the first move."

"You're so handsome." Rouge murmured sleepily.

They were in a hotel room, they had ventured out of town for a mission and had to find a place to stay overnight. The white bat sat across from her black and red counterpart on her bed, ogling him shamelessly.

"…Thanks." He decided not to entertain her by telling her to knock it off. She grinned, showing off her pearly whites.

"You're welcome baby." She said playfully.

"Any reason you're telling me this now?"

"I like looking at you." She said. "Your looks compensate largely for your horrible personality."

He rolled his eyes.

"I could say the same for you."

There was a pause.

He realized then how flattering his words must have sounded. He meant to come off as snarky but that was almost… smooth.

He looked at Rouge, who was now beaming with joy. His words affected her more than anyone else's. It was pleasant actually.

"So you think I'm beautiful?"

"I didn't mean to say it like that." He muttered.

"But… you think I'm beautiful, right?"

He scoffed.

"Is the sky blue? Is the grass green? Do you really need me to respond to questions that you already know the answers to?"

Their cheeks were both warm and rosy.

There was another brief moment of silence.

"I've made a decision, Shadow." She said all of a sudden.

"Hm?" He closed his eyes, ready to sleep and end this conversation once and for all.

"From now on, you're the only man that I'll flirt with." She said proudly.

He peeked one eye open, using it to look at the bat, who was now laying down, ready to sleep.

"…Good." He whispered, meaning for only him to hear, but Rouge with her adept hearing heard him loud and clear.

Shadow was walking down the hallway when he saw her again.

She froze, smiling at him.

Chaos, she was so beautiful.

"Yes?" he asked.

"At the hospital… I meant to ask you something. I didn't get the chance to, and it slipped my mind until now."

"What?" He was curious now, not worried about his next destination as much as before.

"…What is your name?" She asked shyly, biting her lip. "I know this is a bad question, but I never did get a hint as to what your name could be. I figured if I'm going to get any closer to Rouge… or should I say myself... Your name would be a good start."

He nodded in agreement.

"So, who are you?" She asked, holding her hand out for a handshake.

He smiled halfheartedly, taking her hand in his.

"I'm Shadow the Hedgehog."

a/n: I love these two very much.