Screaming. Blood. Death. Screaming. Blood. Death. Screaming. Blood. Death. Blood. Blood. Blood. Death. Death. Death. Death. This was all you could see. All the while a dark figure stood in the middle of it. You couldn't make out who it was though. They suddenly started to turn. It was—
"Gah!"
You woke up in a could sweat. You let out a breath as you put your hand on your face, covering your eyes. You'd been having nightmares ever since you left the death egg. You slid your hand from your eyes down to over your mouth. What was wrong with you... You slowly sat up on your bed, grabbing a pair of fuzzy socks and putting them on. Today was gonna be a lazy day. You walked to your vanity. You took your hair out of the bun you had it in and began to brush it out. You just wanted these nightmares and unwanted thoughts to go away...
God, you needed to get some coffee...you needed to think straight. You thought, putting on some mascara. Obviously these nightmares weren't going to go away if you didn't get closure...you needed closure...but how—
Your train of thought suddenly stopped when you realized Rouge wasn't in her bed. You assumed she would've been back by now. These nightmares had you worried like they were trying to tell you something. You let out another breath before narrowing your eyes a bit. You immediately got up, running out the door. You needed to see where everyone was now, or else you were gonna have a straight up panic attack. You ran down the hallway, quickly making an extremely tight turn and crashing straight into someone. Whoever they were had fast reflexes, because they immediately grabbed both your arms and hoisted you up before you could fall. You had squeezed your eyes shut in defense and when you opened them, you were surprised to see Knuckles. You just stared. He gave you a frown before hoisting you up a bit more, then simply walking away. That was extremely awkward...
You silently turned and watched him take his leave. You gave him a dirty look even though you knew his back was turned towards you. You then continued running towards the meeting room. You burst through the doors. Thank god, everyone was there, even charmy. You let out a sigh of relief before walking in calmly like nothing had happened. You were a bit surprised though, the last time everyone was in the meeting room was your last mission. Was there something you didn't know about?
"Hey guys, did I miss anything?" You asked, walking towards everyone.
"Well hello, sleeping beauty." Sonic turned towards you.
"It's not even that late, is it?" You asked.
"Nah, I'm just playing. ...You look like you just got out of bed though." He chuckled.
"I do not!" Sonic just let out another laugh. You looked down at your outfit. You supposed that you had just ran out with only a tank top, spandex, and fuzzy socks, but still, you brushed your hair and put on make up!!! "Whatever...just, what's everyone doing in here?"
"Oh, we're planning the party."
"Party?"
"Yeah, we're celebrating Eggman and Infinite's defeat."
"defeat?" You repeated.
"...Why are you repeating everything I say?"
"...But...what— what do you mean defeat? How do we know they're not still out there?"
Everyone seemed to turn their heads towards you and Sonic's conversation. "They were still on the death egg when the bomb went off, trust me, they're gone."
"They could've used an escape pod." You disagreed.
"Tails' built a tool that could go up into space. All it's readings show no signs of life, no sign that there could've been an escape pod used—
"What about teleportation?" You interrupted.
Sonic let out a small chuckle. "Hah, Y/n. Everyone knows that a teleportation from our planet to space is way to far. It's impossible to do so."
You suddenly felt like an idiot. You turned your head a bit and looked towards where Shadow was standing. When he came to rescue you from the death egg, you had accused him of just teleporting when in reality it was impossible to even do that. Wow, you felt like an asshole. You turned your head back towards Sonic before Shadow caught your gaze. "Really..." You gulped, your ears drooping a bit.
"Yeah, I assumed everyone knew that though."
"Heh...yeah...but anyways, I don't think this is a good idea." You stated, in all seriousness.
"Oh, come on, Y/n. Relax. I know you're kinda traumatized, but we all are. We need to except the fact they're gone...I don't want you to just always be sad. That's not good for you." Sonic exclaimed.
You were touched by his concern, but you knew he was wrong, they were still alive. You could feel it. "It's not a good idea, Sonic. Trust me."
"Even Knuckles agrees, Y/n. We all do." As if speaking of the devil, Knuckles walked in with a cup of coffee in hand. You didn't appreciate having to see him twice in two days, but now you would have to speak to him. You had to convince him to not let this whole party thing happen.
"Commander, I don't think this is a good idea." You spoke up.
Knuckles looked around a moment seeming confused you even spoke to him. "...What's not?" He finally asked.
"This party. If the whole city is gonna be there...that could be the perfect time for Eggman to attack."
"...Eggman is dead, Y/n."
Ugh. Now you were just starting to get pissed off. No one was listening to you. "But, Knuck— Commander, there's still so much we need to learn about...Infinite and his power." Knuckles didn't even seem to be listening. He was more or less just staring into space. "...Um, hello? Knuckles."
"Sorry, what?"
"You're not even listening." You growled. He sorta just shrugged before walking off. "Thanks for your help, asshole." You mumbled.
Sonic gave you a blank stare. "Wow, didn't realize you and Knux had tension."
"Well, we do." You said, crossing your arms.
"Listen, Y/n. While you were gone, we learned a lot about Infinite and his powers."
"...You did?"
"Yes. I can fill you in if you're really that worried."
"I am."
"I can tell her." You turned to see Silver behind you.
You and Silver had settled back in your room. He had made you promise to let him finish the movie if he told you, which you agreed. You sat at your vanity, Silver on your bed, as you continued to do the rest of your make up. "Well, hm, where to start... I guess first off, the source of infinite's power is called the phantom ruby."
You turned towards him. "Ruby?"
"Yes. I'm not sure if he's really approached you personally, but I'm sure you've noticed the ruby on his chest."
You nodded your head. "...I have." You were wondering where that came from, but now that made sense.
"He has the powers to make illusions. Illusions that feel and seem so real, they can physically hurt you."
"Huh?"
"Here, let me try to help you better understand. ...It's like a dream so real, if you bump yourself in it, you'd wake up with a bruise."
"...How is that even possible?"
"We're not really sure, just something Eggman cooked up, I guess. Remember that first attack in the city? That's why there were two Shadows at a time. That's also how Chaos, Metal, and Zavok were there to. Simply just illusions." You were speechless. That kind of power was extraordinary. "I know, it's hard to believe." You nodded. "Welp, where's the remote."
"That's it?" You asked.
"Yep."
"But...that doesn't really help."
"You promised." Silver pleaded, making puppy eyes.
You sighed. "It's in the drawer next to you."
"Yes!" Silver cheered, opening the drawer and getting the remote. "I'll have to rewind it a little since I kinda feel asleep." He laughed.
"Go ahead."
Silver rewound it to about an hour in, and you knew the movie was at least close to two hours. Of course, that was around the part where the murder took place. When that part happened, you couldn't help but look away. It still shocked you how easily someone could betray another, and made you kept thinking of Zero's story with Jackie. It was just like that actually... That's it! You couldn't get him out of your mind and you knew you wouldn't until you had closure... or just something. Answers. Anything.
No one else would listen to you, so you knew you were on your own. You would have to come up with a plan to leave, and you wouldn't come back until you found him.
You slowly crept out of your room. It was probably around midnight. You hated to have to leave this way, but no one would listen to you. They were all having fun when the enemy was still out there. You didn't know how long you would be gone, because you didn't even know where to start looking. You walked towards the kitchen. Food and water would obviously be a necessity for you to bring. When you got to the kitchen, you immediately opened the fridge and looked inside.
"What are you doing?" You suddenly heard a voice. You jumped, almost falling backwards. You thought everyone was asleep. You looked up to see Shadow in front of you. "Jesus christ...you scared the shit out me." You panted. Shadow shrugged before grasping your shoulder and moving you to the side of the fridge. You weren't bothered by it, all you could do was focus on breathing.
"What are you doing up?" He asked, leaning down and poking his head into the fridge.
You let out a final shaky breath before speaking. "I could say the same to you."
Shadow leaned back with a bottle of whipped cream in hand. "Bold of you to assume I sleep." You gave him a blank stare, you weren't sure if he was being serious or not. "I'm joking." He said with a small chuckle, before spraying a bit of whipped cream on his finger and licking it off.
"Heh..." You sorta just stood there. He had completely blown your cover and the two of you were just having a normal conversation.
He placed the whipped cream back in the fridge before looking back at you. "So, where were you trying to sneak off too?"
"What do you mean sneak..." He gave you a blank stare. You sighed. "If I told you, you would just try to stop me." Shadow leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. "I'm not trying to stop you from doing anything. Besides, that's never stopped me."
You glanced around. You remembered that night that he left. You tried to get him to stay, but he was determined to leave. You still never really understood why he left, but Rouge has explained that he had a...difficult past. That wasn't the first time he had to go off on his own. ...That felt like such a long time ago. It became a kind of awkward silence, you just stared at the ground a moment.
...Well, he wasn't gonna tattle tale on you...so now was your time to go. You opened back up the fridge and quickly grabbed a few things. Shadow eyed you wearily and you were starting to get uncomfortable.
"...uh..." You piped up. "...Your hoodie should be in the dryer, by the way. I washed it for you...you should go get it before it wrinkles."
His face twisted into something almost smug. "I'll do that."
Before you could say anything else, he teleported out of the room. You let out a sigh of relief. You supposed your cover had only been partially blown. You continued to creep down the hallways, being extra careful when passing by anyone's dorm. Luckily, you were able to make it to the exit. You looked back once before making your way to your first destination. Mystic Jungle.
...You were sure Shadow wouldn't mind if you borrowed his motorcycle.
Something about being alone in the jungle definitely made you feel uneasy...but you intended on making this a quick trip...nothing to be scared of. You were thinking Eggman would end up using the old factory here for something, but when you made it there, it was exactly the way you left it. You walked up to the crumbled walls and quickly scanned the area. Nothing. You sighed. You didn't know where else to look. You assumed your best bet was to search the nearest city that was closest to the death eggs location.
You looked over the decaying structure once more before turning away. You suddenly stumbled and fell straight to the ground. You coughed once before standing and rubbing off any dirt that got on your clothes. What the...? You looked at where you had tripped and saw a large ruby sitting right there on the ground. What was it? ...It looked almost like...Zeros phantom ruby? It couldn't be though, it looked like it'd been here for awhile. You picked it up and examined it. Maybe it was something someone dropped when the facility here was still working...
You supposed you would keep it just in case it ended up being something important. You stuffed it in your bag without a second thought, you just wanted to get out of this jungle. Your next destination was simply the closest city to where the death eggs location had been. You knew you were sorta pushing your luck, but you assumed they couldn't go very far.
The trip there was quicker than you thought...Shadow's motorcycle was faster than a normal one should be, you didn't mind it though. Rain began to fall and you knew it wasn't safe to drive a bike out in a storm. You would have to pull over. It was now beginning to pour, water dripped from your hair and down your chin...probably ruining some of your make up. You wrapped your hands around your head as if to try to keep yourself dry, but obviously it was no good.
You didn't even have anywhere to stay, or take shelter. You wandered around a bit at a fast pace, trying to look for anywhere to take refuge and completely leaving the bike behind. (You'd have to go get it later) You ran around for a good five minutes but couldn't find anywhere to go. You reached a local park when you started to hear thunder, making you jump. You wandered past a play set running your hand along a broken swing before seeing a bench in the distance. You slowly walked over and sat down. You shivered as the rain continued to pour down. You wrapped your arms around yourself to try and keep warm...but it only made you feel lonely...like it was an invisible hug or something.
You sniffled once before just staring down. ...Why did you come here? What were you hoping to accomplish by this? Clarity and closure? Sure, and for what? Obviously he made it quite clear as to where he stood. You raised your hand to your cheek, remembering the wound that was once there. It's not like you would be able to find him anyways. Even if you did, you'd just end up getting yourself killed. Idiot.
Maybe the only reason you wanted to find him, was because...you still wanted something. ...Something beyond closure. You sighed as you placed your hand on your forehead, covering your eyes. It was stupid of you to come here. You slid your hand down over your mouth as you felt your eyes seem to tear up. Idiot!
You suddenly felt a figure loom over you...and a voice you recognized all to well. "...Hey, what are ya' doing out here all alone?" You flung your hand over your face and tried to look down out of his view. No, no! It couldn't be him. "Ya' realize it's pouring right?"
"I could say the same thing about you, now leave me alone!" You hissed, hoping he would leave before seeing your face.
"Well, I'm involved now, so I'm afraid I ain't going anywhere."
"...I said leave me the fuck alone!"
He paused. "Listen, I understand ya' must be in a tough situation right now...If there's anything ya' wanna talk about...anything I could do?" You didn't respond. "If ya' think you've made a mistake...trust me, I've done a lot I regret too—
"It was a mistake..." You crooked, interrupting him.
"...What was?"
"Meeting him at all."
"Oh, babe, if your upset over some dumb guy, don't let it get to ya. Whatever it was, it wasn't your fault—
"Yeah, it was yours." You said, turning towards him, a sharp glare in your eyes. Rain dripped off his green quills and off his leather jacket. Shades on top of his forehead. He looked you over once. "...Aye, I suppose it was." There was a moment of silence. "How'd ya get here?"
"Do not change the topic!" You growled. "What were you thinking that night!?"
"Listen, Y/n. I was drunk."
"And, you think that just makes it okay!?" He shook his head. You just sighed. "Whatever. It's done and over with. Just leave me alone." You repeated, standing up.
"Where is he?" You heard him speak up.
"Huh?"
"Your knight in shining armor. Where is he?"
"...Gone."
Scourge looked you over, the rain continuing to pour. "Why? If he can't see the amazing girl in front of him—
"Please stop, I wish you wouldn't say that. In fact, you have quite the nerve to mention him at all..."
He raised a hand in defense. "You're right, my apologies, love." He smiled. You crinkled your nose at him. He paused a moment before patting the spot next to him. "Ya' wanna talk bout' it?"
A chuckle escaped your lips. "Scourge, you and I are not about to have a normal conversation."
"Suit yourself, babe." He said, leaning back and spreading his legs apart taking up most of the bench. You just looked him over once. He was quite the attractive little asshole, wasn't he? Arrogant, conceded, rude...yet he wanted to sit here and talk to you. You let out a breath before sitting down on the little space that was left on the bench. "Ah, there ya' go." Scourge chuckled, leaning his head back a bit.
You just frowned before wrapping your arms around yourself and looking down. He shuffled a bit before taking his jacket off and throwing it straight on top of you. "What—
"Ya' looked cold, love."
"I don't want your stupid jacket, Scourge." You exclaimed throwing it right back at him.
"Aye, that's to bad." He admitted,putting it back on.
You sighed. It was freezing. "...Thanks though..."
"Aye."
There was a moment of silence before you suddenly burst. "Ugh! Why are guys such stupid assholes!"
He shrugged. "Sometimes it's not always their fault. Maybe somethin' going on in their life. Maybe the person their with—
"Are you saying, it's my fault...?"
"No, no, babe. I'm just answering your question. Of course that's no excuse but..." He trailed off slowly.
You nodded. "...I don't know what to do. I try so hard to hate him. But...I just can't. It seems everyone in the world is against him but me. After everything...I don't understand why I can't just let go of the past. It's like...he was different around me...but then just...just...changed. It seemed like he wanted to tear me apart. And, I guess now, I just want closure."
You placed your hands over your face. "I want to know...was it me...who drove him to this? Was it me who made him finally lose it? And, after he trusted me..." You could feel the tears sting your eyes. "Was it—
"Pay no attention to that bastard, Y/n." Scourge interrupted.
"H-Huh?" You looked up at him.
"Ya' did nothing wrong. But, now the rest is up to ya'...forget him, or go back to him. Ya' can't let anyone else decide for ya'." He stretched a bit before standing up. "...Follow the path you believe in." He concluded, taking a few steps forward, his back to you.
"...But, how do I know which path is right?
"Who knows." He shrugged, looking back at you. "Either way, your agonizing pain and suffering...is quite the sight to look upon."
You let out a small gasp yet at the same time, you were completely speechless...and he knew that.
"Keep at it, Y/n." Scourge smiled. You just narrowed your eyes at him. "Who knows, If you keep making that sorrowful face...you might just prove worthy of still more of my love." He laughed, giving you an army solute and running off, leaving a large wind gust behind him. You sighed. He was crazy. All he wanted to do was see you suffer, and you should've known that. But, like it or not, he actually gave you some good advice. He listened when no one else would. Guess he had some sort of good in him.
You wrapped your arms around yourself again. It was so cold, and it didn't look like it would stop raining for quite a while. You sniffled once. Coming out here was a total waste. All you ended up finding was that weird ruby looking thing...but that's not what you came for...
It was probably around three in the morning...the sun would come up in a few hours. You were sure the rain would stop by then. You placed your hands back over your face and leaned back on the bench. You were so tired it was almost comfortable...tired, freezing, and soaked with nowhere to go. Well...this was the worst turn of events. You thought to yourself, before closing your eyes and falling into a deep slumber.