Saturday, December 9, 2006

Nothing lasts forever cha3
Shadow and Rouge in…
Nothing Lasts Forever -Phase 3- “There is a time for everything: a time to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace”- Ecclesiastes 3:8

--

Once back inside, Rouge shivered and shook some of the rain out of her hair. She glanced to Shadow, who had already begun to slide off his soaked gloves.

Eyeing his motions silently, Rouge could feel the unforgiving emotion she held towards him begin to melt away.

Even though he did try to end his life before, his dedication to her showed which value he honored more.

‘…I guess I can forgive him…’ she thought to herself with a smile. Then just as quickly as it arrived, her serenity faded and worry played across her features. The fact that Shadow had stayed with her was putting them both in danger. The thought crossed her mind that they should leave Club Rouge and seek refuge someplace far away. But that would only increase their chances of getting caught by the President’s wandering henchmen. Her eyes narrowed as she continued to look at him in thought. It would be best for them to lay low at Club Rouge a few days before trying leave to someplace else.

This could also be her last chance for freedom if she ever were to be found by the authorities, and because she couldn’t leave her newfound love, she took it upon herself to make the most of her unpromised time.

Noticing her eyes, Shadow slightly turned to her with a rare affectionate expression. “Yes…?”

With a faint smile that hid her wandering thoughts, Rouge lead a hand through her damp locks and gave Shadow a slight nudge on the arm.

“…You know, you’re not half bad…”

“ ‘Not half bad’…?” Shadow repeated, placing his gloves aside and turning to face her. His arms instinctively encircled loosely around her waist and pulled her close. Moments passed as he gazed into her eyes, without saying a word. Not used to so much attention, but certainly enjoying it, Rouge playfully slid her arms around his neck and pressed her nose to his.

“…That’s what I said.” She spoke in a low and seductive tone “…And it almost seems to me like you want something…”

“Maybe…” Shadow uttered, slightly lowering his eyelids to give her an alluring expression.

Rouge scoffed, then delivered a soft and quick kiss to his unsuspecting lips.

“Mm...” Shadow commented, licking his lips. “That’s what I get, huh?”

Rouge said nothing for a moment, but allowed her eyes to thoughtfully mingle with his. Being so close with him made her worries melt away. It had only been minutes since their first kiss, and already they were starting to sound like long lost lovers. The thought nearly crossed her mind that it could be a sign, yet she placed it aside, momentarily and touched her lips to his again.

His taste was rich, and seasoned and was in a far contrast to his tender virgin lips. If she hadn’t already known he had kissed her first, she wouldn’t have believed that no other woman had already devoured the taste.

She had become so deeply enthralled in the delight, she barely heard the low and faint moan that escaped from him.

Figuring she had better end it now before she ended up with him undressing her in her bedroom or something spontaneous like that, Rouge lightly pressed her fingertips to his chest and slightly nudged him away from her.

A bit confused, but figuring she had a good explanation, Shadow’s lips reluctantly left hers and he rested his forehead against hers while lightly catching his breath.

‘He’s out of breath, already? …Yeah…his first kiss was with me, allright.’ Rouge smugly mused to herself.

“…Something wrong…?” he asked, his eyes lightly closed.

“No…nothing’s wrong…” Rouge paused as she felt his lips reach the top of her eyelid and shuddered. ‘…’

“Hey…Shadow…”

“Mm?”

“You’ve been out in the rain three times already… You should probably take another bath…”

Shadow sighed, sounding a little disappointed. “…But I’m already clean…”

Rouge giggled. He really didn’t want to leave her side. ‘How cute…’ she thought.

“Come on, Shadow. This will be the last time you’ll have to get in that tub…”

Hearing those words, Shadow slightly pulled away from her enough to look her in the eyes. Wordlessly, he gave her a look that she read too easily.

Rouge sighed and rolled her eyes. “No, Shadow, I’m not getting in there with you. That tub is big only enough for one.”

Shadow glanced to the bathroom, which was ¼ the size of a football field, then shook his head. “No it’s--”

“Just get in there, first, okay?” Rouge playfully shot back. “Come on!”

Shadow didn’t even have time to argue. Rouge had grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into the bathroom.

“The sooner you get in, the faster you’ll be done.”

Listening to her words, Shadow said nothing as his mind started to wander. Going back in that bathroom brought back unfavorable memories of the encounter he endured earlier. As much as he despised going back in that place and being completely vulnerable, he knew it was best for him to face his demons first before Rouge ever found out.

He did plan to tell her about the voices in his head and the bittersweet persuasions they burned into his soul, but that time would come later.

Wordlessly, he glanced at her before leading his eyes to the tub—hoping that there would be a later for the both of them.

“Allright, Shadow, strip down and jump in.” Rouge said nonchalantly. Giving Shadow a smug grin and a wink, she quickly turned and left for her room before Shadow could respond to her words.

Alone again, Shadow sighed and ran a hand through his quills. He knew that something was on her mind, but he had no idea what. “…What is she up to, now…”

--

“I swear… He’s a frisky one, I know it…” Rouge mumbled. In her room, she pushed the door half-closed and quickly loosened her robe. Peeling the thin clothing off of her bare skin, she shuddered at the sudden cold that attacked her and rubbed her arms.

“I’m freezing…!” She forced out through gritted teeth. “Shadow better come out of there fast!”

At that moment, the sound of rushing water floated into her ears, and she paused to listen. “…Finally… He’s taking a shower. Good. He should be out of there in no time.”

With that said, Rouge allowed another shiver to pass, then went to her closet to pick out a robe made from a towel-like material, but stopped herself. Thinking for a moment, a smile inched her lips and she took out the silkiest robe she had. Slipping it over her slick skin, she tied it loosely, and opened her door.

“Time for me to speed things up a bit…”

--

Casually allowing the warmth of the clear water to dribble across his quills and dapple his fur, Shadow sighed, and tried to keep his mind relaxed. He had to admit, he did feel much more at ease after expressing his feelings to Rouge and eagerly accepting hers. But, deep down, he knew that not only was he the reason of her new joy, but he was also the embodiment of her peril. Him being with her put them both in danger, but also opened a door to their souls that sought to be locked forever. Even if he was never meant or created to fall in love, Shadow would never trade the feelings he shared with Rouge with anything in their world, or the next.

Their bonds were strong, but Shadow knew that even their most enchanting and honest moments of love wouldn’t last forever. Part of him felt guilty for allowing things to be led this far, and another part wished this new bliss would last an eternity and never leave him.

“…I…I have to make choice…” he uttered without barely recognizing his own voice. “…A choice that will either strengthen her safety, or hinder it… …Maybe…I shouldn’t be here…”
Traitor…

Never meant to be…

Give up…

With his mind becoming clouded with thoughts of his own and that of the dark, Shadow hung his head. His aimless eyes caught a glimpse of the rushing water hurrying quickly down the drain as if it had no other choice. Seeing that made him question his own existence. Was he to follow an inevitable path as the water? A path where it was his purpose to just let things happen and not try to stop them?

“…To blindly follow the path that leads me…” his voice lowered, and assimilated with the sound of the splashing water “Will I be able to test the chains of fate and live my own life the way I see fit…?”
That is…your destiny…

Hearing the sudden encouraging voice, Shadow perked his ears and nearly choked on his breath. “…Maria…?” Shadow murmured with a cough. Breaking out of his ring of restless and repetitive thoughts, he pushed all else aside and looked around.

The corrupted voices in his head usually carried their acidic taunts in broken phrases, but this time was different.

“Maria… It is you…” he uttered, placing a fist to his chest. “…I know you’re here. You’ve always been here… Always in my heart.” He sighed. “…I don’t have to keep pretending anymore…”

…Just believe…

Shadow was silent for a moment and hung his head. Slowly, his words came to him. “I understand now. If this is truly meant for me, then…let Rouge be happy and safe… no matter what happens to me… That is all that matters to me now…”

There was a soft whisper in the back of his mind in response, before the brief feeling of serenity he felt left him and dissipated into the heavy mist of the water.

“Thank you…” he mouthed. With a sigh, Shadow slightly lifted his head to the spray of the water and suddenly felt the air around him get briskly cold. A curious eyebrow raised, he turned to the curtains to find them being pulled aside by the hand of a certain bat-woman.

Standing next to the tub, she flashed Shadow a sly smile.

“Rouge…” Shadow muttered, barely parting his lips. The thought had actually crossed his mind that she would come to see him in the shower, but he never imagined that she would actually do it. Wordlessly, his eyes wandered from her face and fell on her bare shoulders that peeked out from the lazy attempt at putting on her robe, then traveled a little lower.

Feeling his cheeks grow hot, Shadow casually lifted his eyes back to hers. “What are you doing…?” He questioned in a level tone.

Aware that she was sparking his interests, Rouge allowed a grin to smugly pass before stepping a little closer. “It’s not fair…” she replied placidly, getting another raised eyebrow from Shadow. “What’s not fair?”

“It’s just not fair…” Rouge repeated, slowly pulling on the already loose tie to her robe, undoing it even more. Wordlessly, Shadow’s eyes left her face and traveled down to her hands parting the thin material of her robe.

His breath was soon caught in his throat as he watched one slight movement of her hand peel off the veil that hid her voluptuous curves. Shadow could feel the warmth returning to his face as he followed the garment’s fluid unravel down the length of her body and curl to the floor in a silken whisper.

Panting lightly from the race of his heart banging against his chest, Shadow’s eyes left her robe and snaked onto her ankles, gradually touching and teasing the fullness of her lush and supple curves as he led them upwards.

‘…Beautiful…’ he thought, his eyes lingering in the nape of her neck before beholding her face. There, he narrowed them. “…You’re…gorgeous, Rouge…”

Hearing the serious and sincere tone in his voice brought a pure amazed smile to Rouge’s lips. She had been called beautiful, but never gorgeous. And especially not in the way Shadow spoke it.

Feeling a blush rise to her cheeks, she masked her embarrassment by folding her arms behind her head and striking a rather enticing pose that almost got Shadow to choke on his own breath by just looking at her.

A bit nervous, yet content with her brazen act, Rouge allowed a casual smile to play across her lips as she let Shadow’s eyes consume a bit more of her before unraveling her wings to their fullest and draping them over her body.

Shadow had a better chance at catching his breath after her treasures were concealed and lightly curled his hands into fists, out of habit.

There was a flicker of hunger in his eyes, and Rouge couldn’t help but chuckle to herself about how captivated Shadow was. Yet, she was just as amazed as she was amused.

“…Hmm what happened?” she mused with an alluring curve to her words. “ It got so quiet all of a sudden…”

When Shadow didn’t answer, she smoothly lifted a leg into the tub and placed her fingers on Shadow’s chest. At a loss for words, Shadow eyed her with a seductive expression as she lightly pushed him slightly further into the shower as she stepped in.

“And as I said before,” she paused, giving him a playful, yet alluring look, “…you’ve bathed twice since being in the rain, and I haven’t even been in the shower once. It isn’t fair…”

“…So…?” he muttered, not taking his eyes off her.

“You were taking too long. I got tired of waiting…” she confessed with a seductive smirk and stepped closer to him, so that they were both in the direct sprinkle of the water.

Her playfulness got Shadow’s mind to wander, as well as his eyes.

Even though her wings covered most of her body, the fluid cascading of the steamy water splashing across her bare shoulders and running down her neck was more than enough for his eyes and he unconsciously licked his lips.

Catching his interest, Rouge licked her lips as well and stepped closer to him, ruffling her wings. “Looks like you liked what you saw…”

Shadow felt his breath grow short as Rouge’s slick body inched closer to his. “…I did…”

With a light smile, Rouge lifted her arms and seamlessly unfolded her wings to present her curves to the steamy water, as well as Shadow’s eager eyes.

But just as quickly as they were revealed, her succulent curves quickly disappeared into the protection of her wings. Yet, a few slicked places still tauntingly peeked out at him. Parting his lips to speak, the bewildered hedgehog found himself at a loss for words, as his eyes seemed trapped between her sleek shoulders and her moistened lips.

Soon feeling guilty that he had been staring at her more than doing anything else, Shadow began to force himself to turn slightly away from her, when a slender hand raked through the fur on his chest. He shuddered from the sudden shock of sensitivity that shot through him and a low moan tumbled from his lips as he turned to face her.

He knew that she knew exactly what she was doing and knew exactly how to get him.

He became hers at that moment and there was no turning back.

“...Rouge…” he panted lowly, feeling his body quiver from the warmth he felt from both the steam of the shower and from the depths of a newly discovered emotion.

A maelstrom of thoughts flooded his mind, as his heart pounded wildly in his ears.

“What do you want from me?”

Rouge’s smile faded as she took in his words.

She had merely gotten in the shower just to tease him, but she figured that she’d end her little game quick before things got out of hand.

A light smile curved her lips as she gently combed her fingers through his white tuft of fur and leaned in close enough to be able to lick the water off his face. Instead, she placed her soft lips to his cheek, and then born from that kiss was a flurry of them to his nose, and then his lips. A faint sound was Shadow’s response, but before he could make a move to embrace her, Rouge slightly tugged on his fur and whispered in his ear. “I want you…to get out.”

Shadow had to catch himself from losing his balance. “You what….”

Rouge giggled and playfully turned him around. “You heard me, now get out! A girl’s gotta have her privacy!”

Reluctantly stepping out of the shower, Shadow half-frowned and glanced back at her. “…Tease…”

Rouge raised an eyebrow at his comment, then gave him a seductive look. “Hm. What can I say? It’s a gift.”

“Hmph.”

Rouge laughed and curled a lock of drenched hair around her finger. “…Why don’t you dry off and get comfortable? Go in any room you like, but don’t leave this building, got it? That is, unless you want a cold shower from the rain.”

Smirking faintly, Shadow crossed his arms and turned around. “Hmph. You just had to throw that in, didn’t you?”

“Mmmhmm. Oh, and Shadow?”

“Hm?” he wondered, slightly turning to face her. With a giggle, she brought her slender fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss with a wink before closing the curtains behind her. “Wait for me. I’ll join you later… So don’t fall asleep.”

Shadow’s ears twitched at her words as he raised a high eyebrow.

Wordless, he stood motionless for a moment, just staring at her silhouette behind the curtains. Not knowing what to think, he shook his head, then grabbed a nearby towel to dry himself off with.

Glancing at the curtains again, a thought passed his mind and he snatched up the towel that she would need to use once she got out of the shower and dropped it in a nearby hamper on his way out the room.

Closing the door behind him, he sighed heavily, then began to make his way to the couch to rest. He frowned when he noticed how wet with rain water it was.

‘Rouge must have carried me here first when she arrived….’ he thought. Turning away from it, he found himself left with the only place left to go…Rouge’s bedroom.

A thin smirk inched his lips from the thought of Rouge setting him up to go in her room passed through his mind.

With a sigh, he ran a hand through his quills and shook his head. “What am I going to do with you…?” he smiled.

Then, without much choice, Shadow nonchalantly made his way to Rouge’s room.
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