One hand over my mouth, I squint, trying to avoid getting any paint in my eyes or mouth. Breathing it in could be detrimental to my health, and considering how messed-up I already am, I don't particularly want to play with fire. The cans last a lot longer than I would have thought they could--I presumed we would use them up quickly, but we haven't even gone through one can yet. I glance over at Scourge, who is hastily spraying "You're Too Slow" next to a 'drawing' of Sonic he created; it features the emerald hedgehog standing above the sapphire one triumphantly, and I smirk. How childish and petty this seems... Fortunately, Sonic himself is childish enough to let it get under his skin. Turning my attention back to the cartoon skull I was painting, I roll my head from side to side to stretch out the muscles in my neck while surveying my work. It's nearly finished, almost flawless, with the red splotches of paint behind it truly bringing the white of the bone to life. "Next place we paint, we should tag with our names!" The malachite hedgehog chirps, shaking the can as he steps back to admire his art.

"Perhaps," I reply, lowering the hand on my mouth to rest in my pockets as he turns around, something else having caught his eye. He's too easily distracted, I muse silently, biting my lip as I carefully spritz some black onto one side of my skull, trying to define it, but refrain from ruining it. Narrowing my eyes, I lean a bit closer, concentrating hard. A sudden peculiar dizziness seizes me, and I stop, shutting my eyes violently. A vision flashes across my eyelids; I watch as a familiar azure rodent skids into view, at the other end of the alleyway from us. In third-person view, I see myself turn, saying something, as Scourge stumbles backwards, frightened. The blue hedgehog stalks forward, speaking, but I can't hear him and the miasma at the edge of my sight keeps drawing my attention away from reading his lips. He lunges forward, shouting something, and a battle commences--we were foolish enough to let ourselves be trapped in a dead-end alley, and now it's all over for us... Or so it seems. I open my eyes, the mirage vanishing, and a grin flashes its way onto my face as my head clears.

"St-Stripes--!" Scourge yells, falling over backwards, and I hear the sound of shoes skidding on concrete. Closing my eyes again, I lower my head, forcing the smile off my face.

"Looks like I finally caught up to ya!" An arrogant voice calls as he begins to walk forward.

"Aw," I say in my usual monotone, turning to look at him and letting the arm holding the can relax, "I wasn't even done yet."

"Save it, Shadow!" Sonic keeps walking forward, exactly as he had in the daydream I had. "You guys are goin' down!" He's almost closed the gap between us, and with a final shout of "Here we go!" directed at no one, he lunges forth, aiming for Scourge.

My smile returns as I whirl suddenly, throwing the can right at the blue hedgehog; it beans him right in the face, and blood spurts from his nose. Too bad I already know what you're going to do, Sonic, I think to myself as I leap forward feet-first. His posture shifts midair as he extends his right arm down to catch himself, wheeling his left foot directly at me; before it can connect, I duck around it, knowing its exact path, flattening myself to the ground, my knees now even with my head, body folded a bit awkwardly in half, and I'm grateful I haven't eaten much; I reach both arms beneath me, shoving my green best friend as far away as I can from the fight, then balancing on one hand with the other free. My available hand connects with Sonic's ribcage as I deliver an open-palm strike, throwing him back against the wall. Enclosed spaces really aren't my thing, but right now slamming Sonic from one wall to another sounds like a fantastic idea. A smug sneer disfigures my face as I grab my opponent by the ankle, yanking him back towards me, whirling one leg up to kick him square in the face, twisting my lower half rapidly. He groans, still coughing from the lack of air in his lungs, and I continue to pull him, flicking my wrist to fling him up and over me. As he sails overhead, I rapidly somersault backwards, using my already-outstretched foot--the one I didn't use--to smash him in the head again, speeding up his flight. He hits the bricks so hard that several crack, and a few come undone entirely, tumbling to the ground alongside him as I flip to my feet elegantly.

"Stripes!" Scourge yells--the timespan of my beatdown was short enough that all my friend could do was get to his feet before it's over. "He ain't come alone--look!" Pointing to the open end of the alley, he backs up. I whirl around, snarling, to spot the sapphire-furred fool's friends, along with an entourage of police.

"Damn," I hiss, backing up, "I didn't see that coming." We can't take all of them on right now, not without it leading to casualties--I thought this would a hedgehogs-only fight. But of course, where this idiot goes, all his flunkies follow. Scowling at the group, I back up to stand beside my emerald friend as he settles into a fighting stance.

"Let's go, we can take 'em!" He shouts as they begin to walk down the corridor towards us, menacingly.

"No," I growl softly. "We aren't going to fight them." Analyzing our surroundings, I scan for an outlet. We can't dash past them, since I know they'll just catch up to us again; I won't fight them here, where we're at a disadvantage, but how do we get out?

"Shadow and Scourge the Hedgehogs!" A cop calls out, sounding confident. "A warrant is out for your arrest! Please come with us quietly and you will be subject to a fair trial!" Yeah, right. I glance over my shoulder, gears turning in my head; staring at the wall behind us bearing our art, I narrow my eyes as an idea begins to brew. Yeah, that might work...but I doubt he'd like it.

I grit my teeth. "Wh-What are ya sayin', Stripes?" Scourge stammers, looking nervous. "There's no way out of this other than to fight!"

"You're not thinking three-dimensionally enough." With a smirk, I turn to face him. "Do you trust me?"

"What?!" Astonished, he gapes at me, so startled he drops his fighting stance--precisely the reaction I seek. "Have you lost it? This isn't the time for--" My face resumes its usual stony expression as I interrupt him.

"Do. You. Trust. Me?" I reiterate in a snarl, stepping slightly closer as I prepare for what I'm about to do.

"Of course I trust you!" He snaps irritably, still a bit surprised and off-put by my behavior. "I don't see how this is re--WHOA!" I cut him off my grabbing him abruptly, wrapping one arm around his torso as I whirl around, facing the wall; with a single bound, we soar high up into the sky, and I stretch my free hand out onto the bricks, my claws sinking into the cracks. I twist, throwing Scourge far above me, and once he leaves my grasp I slash my talons down the wall, leaving deep scoring in the stones as I create a handhold for myself. Above me, my green friend wails in surprise and terror as he tumbles end over end, and I pray I didn't miscalculate the trajectory of my throw. Clenching my jaw, I tighten my grip on my handhold, feeling the muscles in my arm strain as I fling myself towards him, ascending the wall easily. He starts to fall just as I tackle him onto the roof, shoving him to the ground and cartwheeling up over him to land a bit unsteadily on my feet, staggering slightly. He wheezes, the wind knocked out of him, and lies stunned for a few minutes.

I, too, am a bit worn out by that--he is a lot heavier than I'd thought he'd be, but some of my struggle undoubtably comes from my lack of training lately. I really ought get back to working out, I think to myself as I turn, walking towards the edge or the roof to see what the police are doing. To my surprise, I see the twin-tailed fox glaring right back up at me from the ground, childish face twisted with fury. The echidna has paused to look at Sonic, but he too gets up to glare at me. "Hmph," I snort, speaking to no one in particular, "is he truly that badly injured? That was just a small bit of sparring...What a weakling." Venom drips from my voice as I turn around, gritting my teeth. For some reason, I really hate that blue idiot.

"We're coming for you, Shadow!" The fox screeches up at me as his fire-engine-red friend steps up beside him, cracking his knuckles.

"Then come at me," I call back nonchalantly; turning away, I fling the last words over my shoulder. "I'll be looking forward to it." Nudging my friend with my foot, I hiss, "Get up or I'm leaving you behind!"

He scrambles to his feet as I continue to stalk across the roof, my blood still pumping in my veins. I want to fight. That little skirmish wasn't fun enough for me--I want to fight someone else. Someone stronger than Sonic. Someone who is an even match for me. "Hey!" Scourge snaps, running up behind me. "What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was what?" I answer smoothly, trying to relax, but my raised hackles give me away and I know it. My vision blurs red, and that same out-of-body sensation threatens to take hold of me. I fight against it, struggling internally, and doing my best to keep the war out of my expression.

"Whaddaya mean, 'what the hell was what'?! You know what I mean!" He steps in front of me, cutting me off, and I hiss agitatedly as my fingers start to twitch. No, no, get away! I don't know if I'll hurt you, back off! Unfortunately, he pays little attention to my rather obvious fury, barreling on like there's no tomorrow. "You picked me up and threw me like a--like a--" he searches for the right facsimile, and I can practically hear the gears turning in his head; eventually, he finds the right term, finishing, "--like a rag-doll or somethin'! What was that for?!"

I snort, crossing my arms to keep my hands still; my blood still feels like it's boiling, but I can feel the energy inside me lessening. Why do I feel like I should attack him?! "It was the quickest way to get up here," I snip irritably. "You'll have to forgive me for not asking permission," sarcasm drips from every word, and Scourge bristles, "but I knew you wouldn't be on board with the idea. You're too proud for your own good, honestly."

"What?!" He crows, outraged. "I am not too proud for my own good! I just don't wanna be treated like a toy!"

"If you were a toy," I roll my eyes, feeling my anger slip from me bit by bit, "I wouldn't be having this ridiculous argument with you when we could be escaping." Shoving past him, I sigh, "We need to get out of here. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt, and I'm sorry if I handled you a bit too roughly, but we're in a hurry."

"Yeah, okay," he grumbles in a tone that implies he isn't buying my apology yet. "Lead the way, Stripes. Just don't pick me up again."

"Wasn't planning on it." I stop at the edge of the roof, glancing back. "You're heavier than you look." He glowers at me as I leap off the building, aiming for the one next to it. My stomach lurches as I feel myself begin to fall, but I swallow down my panic and simply stretch my claws out to grab onto the bricks, grimacing as my skin shreds and my talons break.

Above me, my emerald friend lands squarely on the rooftop, having taken a running jump; he turns around and stretches one hand down to me. "Why d'you always gotta do things the hard way, Shadz?"

I grab his hand, trying to keep my bloodied fingers off his gloves. "Guess it's just in my nature," I grunt, heaving myself up onto the roof. "Thanks," I breathe, running my hand through my hair--to my surprise, I realize that my hood fell off at some point this evening. Not that it matters now--our next and penultimate stop is Soleanna, and given that our cover has already been blown, people seeing us is no issue.

"Let's hurry," Scourge calls over his shoulder as he starts jogging across the roof, picking up speed. I nod silently, dashing after him.

---------------

Is he still upset at me? I can't tell. I glance over at the uncharacteristically silent emerald hedgehog running alongside me as we leap over a gap in the buildings. I wish I hadn't almost lost control. I wish I'd just bitten my tongue and not said anything. What the hell is wrong with me? Hopping nimbly up onto a chimney, I vault off it, aiming for a different building than Scourge. He doesn't notice--or, if he does, he refuses to acknowledge me. Why do I keep getting this dizzy, not-really-here feeling? What's going on? Fear has been my constant companion these past few days as I ask myself more questions than I know how to deal with. I don't always need to have all the answers, but tonight I wish I did. Wishful thinking doesn't get me anywhere, though, I sigh inwardly as I leap off a high-up building, using a drainpipe to steady myself as I land heavily on a fire escape. I need answers, but I don't know where to get them. All I know is, it's not safe to be around me. I was so close to ripping Scourge's throat out when he stepped in front of me, and he didn't even realize. It's not safe for him to be near me. Pain flashes through my heart at that thought as I dive off the fire escape, my thoughts racing faster than my feet. I can't leave him behind, though--I saw how that almost ruined things between Rouge and I, and there's no way I'm ever going to risk something like that again! And he won't believe me if I tell him. No one will! Who's gonna believe that my own 'inner demons' or whatever are trying to take over my mind? I'll be put in the looney bin for sure. I shiver, imagining being locked up in a cell again. No, no, never again. None of the doctors, none of the hospitals--never again! I drop into a roll to land on a slanted roof, sliding off it easily to land right beside my green friend, matching his pace evenly. He doesn't look over at me, and I feel worry start to gnaw at me. Why hasn't he said anything? It's been over an hour now and he hasn't said anything to me--he hasn't even looked at me out of the corner of his eye! Does he hate me now? What's going on? I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, trying to clear my mind. I wish he would say something. I like it better when sound blocks out my thoughts--all these fears yammering in my ears all the time is going to drive me crazy. Since I'm already teetering on the edge of insanity, I really do need to stop thinking for just five seconds. Five seconds. Please?

But what if he does hate you? What if he is angry at you? What will you do then? You abandoned Rouge to find your home, and you made a friend out of Scourge somehow--Rouge most likely has moved on by now and forgotten you. But what are you going to do if he hates you? You care about him, don't you? Or were you just using him, like you do with everyone else?

I shake my head vigorously. Shut up! Shut up, I don't use people! I've never done that!

That was part of your job once, wasn't it? You just wanted him along so you could use him to help you. He's stronger than you, and you know it--you're just a parasite, feeding off others, aren't you?

A voice interrupts my internal fight; as we leap off a roof, Scourge clears his throat, then says, "Uh, hey, Stripes..."

I blink and my vision re-focuses as we land on yet another roof. "Huh? What?"

"Are you okay? You look," he pauses, brows furrowed, then starts over. "You look stressed-out."

"I'm fine," I reply shortly. Why won't you just be honest with him? I grit my teeth, turning my head away from him.

"Are you sure?" He frowns. "Seriously, you don't usually show a lot of emotions on your face, but right now you look like you're about to snap."

"That's because I almost did," I mutter before I can stop myself. Terror spears through me as I realize what I've done. No, no, I didn't just say that out loud... Sweat beads on my forehead. Crap.

"What do you mean?" Puzzled, my malachite-furred friend stares at me hard. "Hang on, stop a second."

"We need to keep moving," I reply, back-pedaling fervently. "We need to get out of this city." Taking a deep breath, I force myself to put a lid on my emotions. Inhale, exhale. Imagine all your problems floating and drifting away with your breath. Inhale, exhale. They're all wafting away, carried by the breeze... Turning back to him, I continue, "Look, we can have this conversation some other time, okay? We have to focus on getting to Soleanna now."

"Alright, alright, Stripes." He shrugs, conceding defeat. "But I'm holding you to the promise that we'll have this conversation at some point." Speeding up, he leaps forward, leaving me behind.

"It wasn't a promise!" I yell after him, trying to catch up. "Hey! I didn't promise--oh, never mind," I sigh as he leaps down off the last building on our horizon just as my feet graze the roof.

"Hurry up, Stripes! We gotta cross the highway now!" He calls up to me as he plummets, curling up into a ball.

"Wait, what?" I yell, bounding off the roof as well, my rocket-powered shoes roaring to life as Scourge bounces off the ground, still a sphere; once level with me, he uncurls, smiling at me, and we descend together, though he's faster than I am.

"Ya heard me. We're going across the highway!" He flashes me a grin. "Don't'cha wanna go car-surfing?" Landing in a crouch, he cracks the pavement as I land elegantly beside him, standing stiffly upright.

"I don't know what that is, but I don't think I want to know," I reply dryly, crossing my arms. "Can't we just run alongside it?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Getting to his feet, he dusts his jacket sleeves off, beaming rebelliously and pushing his sunglasses back up onto his forehead.

"Does getting hit by a car sound fun to you?" I raise an eyebrow, my eyelids half lowered across my eyes. "Keep in mind that if you say yes, I'm going to start to seriously question your sanity."

"I was under the impression that you did that already," he quips, stepping a bit closer to me and lifting his right hand to high-five me, for whatever reason.

I oblige, clapping my left hand on his, keeping my right hand--which is still bandaged--in my jacket. "Isn't that why we work together?" I reply, "We're both goddamn crazy."

He laughs as he walks past me, hopping onto a fence and sitting down on one of the posts. "True, true, Stripes, but we're different kinds of crazy." Looking up at the star-filled sky, he sticks his hands in his pockets, a thoughtful expression on his face. Their light reflects in his eyes, twinkling and shining a bright white in the ocean of his irises. I've never noticed it before, but his eyes have a certain depth to them; they show a lot more thought than his personality gives off.

I step up beside him, blinking at the stars as they glitter. "Hey, shouldn't we get going?" I ask as I climb up onto the fence beside him.

"Yeah." He mumbles, but he doesn't move. I smirk.

"D'you wanna stare at the sky for a little bit?" I tip my head to one side, swinging my feet a bit. He glances at me out of the corner of his eye, and I assure him, "We left the police in the dust earlier, and given the state I put Sonic in, we won't have to worry about him for a while."

"Yeah." He finally answers my question with a grin, leaning back slightly.

"Yeah," I chuckle, turning my attention back to the stars, "me too."