A Rose And A Thorn

~~~

A Rose And A Thorn

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

~~~

Froggy: 0ohk mj kffbggx wins the title of Most Stupid Review, Like Ever. If he wants Sonadow, why’d he read this fanfic? Why doesn’t he just Google ‘Sonadow’ and stare at some furry hentai of Sonic and Shadow going down together?

Harley: Most Intelligent Review goes to ‘A fan of Sonic’. My word yes, if Sonic raped Amy, Shadow would tear open his stomach and throttle him with his own small intestine. Oh yes. And we don’t want that, do we?

Froggy: We don’t?

Harley: No. Then he couldn’t be in the sequel. Yeah, you read that correctly. Sequel. Oh, and one more thing – what makes you think you’ll be spoiling it by saying what you think? I wouldn’t tell you if you got it right, anyway.

Froggy: Now… commence with more Rougic!

~~~

Chapter Ten: Heroic Rescue

Sonic was walking through Club Rouge, the flowers that Amy sold him still in his hands. He felt strange with them in a place like the club. He was still steamed about the fight in the florists, but his nervousness over the current situation drowned out his frustration. He could worry about that later. For now, he just wanted to find Rouge...

Rouge looked up at him, walking towards her, and smiled. Getting last night out of her head had been extremely difficult, and in the end she'd given up and just let it lie low in her memories, like a rake in the grass.

Sonic hid the flowers behind his back as he approached her. She was cleaning glasses at the moment; the bar looked vacant. Good, he wouldn't have to worry about people watching, "Oh, hello Rouge. What's up?"

"Nothing much," Rouge answered, "The Club's always a bit quiet at this time. By tonight, you won't be able to move for custom - if you want to come," she added with a small grin.

Night clubs and bars were not places you would normally see Sonic the Hedgehog, but he couldn't see the harm, "Sure, I'd like to come," he said with a smile, "Uh... you're not too busy right now, are you?"

"Just cleaning glasses," Rouge admitted.

Sonic swallowed and steeled himself. "Cool. I, uh, got something for you..." he said. He pulled his hands out from behind his back and presented Rouge with the flowers.

Rouge gasped. Most guys didn't go out on enough dates with her to bother with courtship and flowers, "Oh!" she said, her voice a near squeak. This did not seem to be enough, "Thank you!" She took the flowers cautiously.

Sonic could feel his cheeks start to burn as she took the flowers. Was she alright with them? Do he do something wrong? Right? He didn't know for sure, and the uncertainty was maddening. Why was he so nervous about this, anyway? It was confusing.

"Um, what nice flowers," said Rouge, "Um..." She could feel a real blush rising to her cheeks, red hot. She finally found something to say, "Shadow never brought me flowers," she said.

Sonic smiled. She seemed pleased with them. Surprised, but pleased, "You like 'em?"

"Yes... what are they?" Rouge asked. She didn't know much about flowers. To tell the truth, she'd have preferred gems as a courtship present - but then Sonic would be just like every other guy she'd slept with. This was a change.

Sonic scratched his head, trying to remember the name of the flowers. He didn't know much about them, honestly. He just hoped that she would appreciate the gesture, "I don't remember, but the florist said they were a good choice," he said cautiously.

It didn't occur to Rouge to ask where he'd bought them. She left the bar and went into the back. Sonic followed her, watching as she filled a very expensive, antique vase with water and put the flowers in them. When she'd done, she turned back to him and smiled, "Thanks," she said, and after a moment, cave him a rather cautious hug.

Sonic gratefully returned the hug, comforted by it. It made him feel better to know that at least someone still appreciated and believed him. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her gently.

Rouge was feeling slightly worried. Well of course last night had been more than sex to Sonic, she'd made sure of it... but for some strange reason, she was feeling a strange hot feeling in the back of her neck about using him to get back at Shadow. A normal person would have identified this as guilt. After a moment, she relaxed some more in Sonic's arms. It was probably a perfectly normal reaction, she reasoned.

Feeling her relax made Sonic do the same. He realized that he could stay there in her arms all day and never get tired of it... but he didn't want to seem too clingy. Reluctantly, he ended the hug and stepped back, stealing a quick kiss from her as he did so, "Hey, is there anything around here I could help you with? I don't have anything better to do."

Rouge laughed, "I've run this Club almost on my own for years now..." she saw Sonic's face, "But hey... there's sure to be something..."

Sonic grinned, "If you can think of anything, just let me know! I'll be glad to!"

"Well, I was going to wash the floors this afternoon," Rouge said, "Normally it takes hours. But that's hardly a challenge befitting of the Hero of the Planet!"

Sonic's grin widened, "You're right. Not a challenge at all. It'll be done before you can say 'what was that?'!"

Rouge handed him a mop and bucket, "What was that?" she asked.

Sonic took the mop and bucket, winked at the bat, and zipped off in a flash, instantly getting to work scrubbing the floors at sonic speed. Rouge laughed out loud to see it. The entire floor was scrubbed in seconds. A moment later, Sonic was leaning against the wall, spotless floor beneath him, and the broom beside him, whistling to himself.

"I don't think I've got enough jobs to keep you busy for the afternoon," Rouge chuckled, cleaning a glass.

"That's the point," he said with a wink, flirting with her.

Rouge's face broke into a grin. Normally she was the forward one... it sure made a change. She walked over to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, "Well, there are other more fun things to do here," she said, smirking.

Sonic smirked back, meeting her gaze with his own. He had a good idea what she was talking about, "Oh... what did you have in mind?" he asked quietly, leaning closer until their noses touched, wrapping his arms behind her back and stroking the base of her wings.

"A little cuddle... a few kisses... and take it from there," Rouge answered, half-closing her eyes as she felt Sonic's fingers running down her spine.

Sonic's eyes narrowed, and he smiled playfully as he scratched her back a little harder, "Hmm... that does sound like fun..."

Rouge giggled, her wings spreading slightly as he scratched. After a few moments, she kissed his lips passionately.

Sonic returned the kiss with equal passion, sliding his tongue past her lips, his hands moving down her back and clutching her rear, lifting her up into his embrace.

Rouge's wings flapped lazily, a sign of pleasure that Sonic could now identify. She sucked on his tongue lightly, her large hands moving over his body slowly.

Sonic ended the kiss, drawing his tongue out slowly. He nuzzled her, grinned, and asked softly, "Where should we take this?"

"Into the back," Rouge smiled, kissing him lightly and guiding him into her own living room, richly decorated with a lot of plush.

Sonic looked around at the place and nodded his approval, "Nice..." he said before giving her another quick kiss.

Rouge returned the kiss, only deeper, and pulled back, lounging on the couch seductively.

Sonic smiled as he looked down at the lounging Rouge. Slipping his gloves and sneakers off, he crawled onto the couch with her, wrapping his arms tightly around her, his lips exploring hers. Rouge moaned softly, pushing her hands through Sonic's quills, then running her hands down his body again, squeezing gently at first, then harder.

"You like that?" she asked Sonic, through a mouthful of him.

"Hmm... oh yeah..." he moaned softly. Sonic's hands roamed her back, caressing, scratching and squeezing. They slid lower, over her hips, and up to the front of her body. He felt her belly and chest through her tight clothing as he buried his face in her throat, licking her neck.

Rouge leant her head back, exposing her neck, and reached behind herself, unclipping the large heart that covered her chest. It slipped a little, and she dropped it to the floor, baring her breasts.

Sonic suckled her throat as he ran his hands over her breasts, rubbing and squeezing roughly, just as he knew she liked it. Like him. In the past, he didn't give Rouge much thought, just lightly dismissing her as bad news and continuing on his way, but now that he had spent time with her, he realized how much fun she could be, and he wasn't just thinking about the sex. He enjoyed her attitude, the casual way she lived life. She was someone who could actually keep up with him, and that was an exciting thought to the blue hedgehog.

Rouge moaned louder, her hands slipping lower, rubbing Sonic's belly lightly. She began to kiss his neck and shoulders, enjoying the feel of him. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she liked having him close; he made her different, less of an object.

Sonic smiled, enjoying the tingles of pleasure from his stomach and neck, a shiver running down his back, making his quills twitch. Slowly, he crawled down her body, his hands roaming lower, resting on her hips. He licked and suckled on her breasts, gradually getting rougher about it as he went about removing her boots and pants.

Rouge took Sonic's hand in hers, and moved it between her thighs with a moan of pleasure. He smiled and rubbed harder between her legs, feeling the warmth radiating off her. He kissed her belly, his other hand still toying with her breasts, "Mmm... Rouge..."

Rouge removed her gloves, running her now bare hands over his body, squeezing his sides, before moving them lower, to his legs.

Sonic groaned, the touch of her bare hands quickly arousing him. He planted another kiss on her belly and then began to crawl back up her, kissing, licking, and nibbling as he went until he was again suckling on her throat, humming happily, his erection pressing against her stomach.

Rouge pushed him onto his back slowly, testing his flesh between thumb and forefinger, still rubbing him. She kissed his lips hard, so hard that the only sound he could make when she came down on him was a muffled squeak. She continued to press her lips against his, silencing any sound he made, and began to push her hips against his.

Sonic's eyes widened in surprise as she came down, him sliding smoothly into her. He tried to moan, tried to gasp, but her crushing kiss muffled both. Stars swam in his vision as she began to ride him, pleasure hitting him like a thunderstorm. His eyes rolled back in his head as he wrapped his legs around her waist and pulled her down harder, his hands clutching at her shoulders. His tongue wrestled with hers as they continued their rough lovemaking.

Rouge's wings flapped in time as she pushed onto Sonic harder and faster, knowing he loved it that way. Her hands groped his body fiercely, as if she wanted to claim him for her own, and she moaned through him, not moving her lips from his.

Sonic drew breath through his nose noisily as she continued her assault on his mouth, not letting up. He moaned louder, trying to cry out her name, but only came out as a muffled groan into her mouth. The inability to scream or gasp, the closeness, her possessive clutching, it all turned him on even more, intensifying the experience. His hands gripped her back tightly, painfully as he hung on, letting the dark goddess above him ride him to her heart's content.

Rouge raised only her hips from Sonic, the rest of her body pressed tightly against him. She slipped her hands under his tail and lifted him a little off the couch as she pressed her hips against him, still squeezing him and moaning in pleasure at the rough treatment he dealt her.

Sonic moaned even louder into her mouth. His tail twitched and wagged beneath him as she pulled him up. His hands slid up to her head and scratched behind her ears as he met her powerful thrusts with his own. Feeling the pressure building between his legs, he wasn't sure how much longer he could last, but he was going to savour every second.

Rouge gripped Sonic tightly, pulling him into a sitting position, a moan deep in her throat as he went deeper into her, and wrapped her legs around his back, pulling him closer.

Sonic pressed Rouge against the back of the couch and finally separated their lips with a loud gasp followed by a moan of pleasure. He pressed their lips together again as he thrust into her as fast as he could in this new position, their bodies grinding together.

Rouge panted for breath, both her arms and her legs wrapped around him. She was enjoying herself far more than she had last night; today felt so much more spontaneous, more passionate. She'd planned last night, and that took some of the thrill away. But this was different... this felt... more real.

Sonic's thrusts became more needy and desperate, his body quivering, "Rouge!" he cried out, "Getting... close!" He buried his face in her neck, clutching her tighter. It felt so good to be with her... why hadn't they done this earlier? He just wanted to get closer to her, to spend more time with her, to live life right on the edge with her.

Rouge's only reply was to moan needily, pushing against him in short, fast bursts. She gripped him tightly, her nails digging into his back suddenly as her orgasm hit, and her entire body tensed, her wings spreading fully.

Sonic groaned loudly, feeling her tense around him. Squeezing his eyes shut, he cried out, "Yes! OH! NGGH!" His own orgasm hit, and he clung to her just as tightly, pressing their quivering bodies close together, riding out their combined pleasure.

"SO-NIC!" Rouge shouted, not even realising she'd cried out his name. As her body calmed again, she began to kiss his lips and neck lightly, still feeling him hot inside her.

Sonic sighed happily, returning her light kisses on her lips and cheeks and the tip of her nose, laying her back on the couch and eventually just resting his forehead against hers, catching his breath.

"That..." Rouge breathed, "Was extremely enjoyable..."

~~~

Amy stood behind the till, on the phone, filling in an order for someone who was busy grovelling for forgiveness from someone else. Or something like that, it wasn't her job to know the details of other people's relationships, "A dozen red roses. To the Night Babylon district, this address," she told him, handing him the address and the bundle of flowers.

Shadow carefully took the flowers and the address, looking at both. It was his first delivery to carry out. He checked the address again to make sure. Navigating the city wouldn't be a problem; he knew his way around it very well. Smiling at Amy, he said, "I'll be back soon."

"I know you will," Amy told him.

With that, Shadow left the florists behind him and took off towards the flowers' destination. He couldn't go as fast as he could; doing so could damage the flowers. However, traffic couldn't get in his way like with most delivery boys, something he proved by running up the side of a building and taking to the rooftops. He would be there within mere minutes.

The lady who answered the door didn't look very happy when she saw the flowers, "Oh, no, not again..." she muttered. She gave him a tip, took the flowers and closed the door in his face.

Shadow frowned, wondering what that was all about. The black hedgehog shrugged. It was none of his business. No, his business was to return to the shop and get the next delivery. He took off again, a blur of motion cruising through the city

And somewhere very close... Cream was returning home from the theatre. She wasn't frightened or alone. She was with Cheese, after all.

"Hey there kid," a harsh voice whispered out of an alleyway, "Want some candy?"

"No thank you," she answered, "My mom says I shouldn't take candy from strangers."

"It wasn't an option," the voice hissed. A rough hand snatched her and Cheese out of the street, covering her mouth.

Two large men were looking down at her menacingly, and smirking.

"Chao Ar-" Cream started, before one of them slapped her, and the other punched Cheese into the wall, where it slumped unconcious.

"Right, she looks young enough, let's get started," said one of the men. He pushed his hand up Cream's skirt and into her panties, and she started to wail in fear, before the other slapped her sharply again.

Shadow skidded to a halt, frowning and straining his ears. He could have sworn that he heard a scream in the air.

"Quiet, girl!" snapped one of the men, "You want to get us into trouble?"

Cream continued to try to scream, her small mouth covered by a hand.

Shadow's ear twitched. Something didn't feel right. Generally when he had such feelings, they had a good reason for being there. Walking along the rooftops, he tried to determine where the sound was coming from.

As one of the large men pulled Cream's panties down to her ankles, she bit on the other's hand and started to scream again, "Somebody please, help me!" she wailed, before the man hit her down to the ground.

That, Shadow heard very clearly. He recognized the voice as Cream's. He sped over to another rooftop and looked down into the alley, the source of the screaming. Two large men were harassing her, Amy’s best friend. As one of them stuck their hand up under her skirt, the hedgehog's eyes widened and then narrowed in anger. He began to imagine others he cared for in the same situation; Maria... Amy... His vision clouded over and turned red. Throwing caution to the wind, he dropped off the roof, landing in a puddle of leftover rainwater, splattering it everywhere. In the dark shadows of the alley, the red of his eyes and fur seemed to glow, making him look less like a hedgehog and more like a demon that had crawled out of the depths of hell.

For a moment, the men were so engrossed with hurting Cream that they didn't even notice him. Then one of them, the one who had been trying to undo his belt, heard his ever-deepening growl and looked up.

Shadow slowly stood up, his eyes burning into them from the dark, "Hurting a defenceless child to fulfil your sick fantasies... you’re pathetic," he growled.

"Hey, isn't that-" the two men stood up. One dragged Cream up with him, and held a knife to her throat, "One step closer, and this little bunny goes squeak!"

Shadow said nothing, walking towards them, still glaring at them without blinking. He gestured towards the man holding Cream hostage. A flash of purple materialized out of nowhere, and the man dropped both Cream and the knife. He clutched at his charred hand, screaming in agony. Shadow just continued walking towards them calmly, like he had all the time in the world, "Hurting that little girl was the worst mistake you bastards ever made... and your last."

Cream scurried away into a corner of the alley, clutching the unconcious Cheese, tears trickling down her face. She looked terrified – and with good reason.

With a burst from his jet shoes, Shadow was on the men. A blow from his fist sent the one with the burned hand crashing against the brick wall. The man tried to fight back. But he was used to opponents both smaller and weaker than him. Neither man stood a chance.

Shadow could have finished them in seconds, but he felt like toying with the bastards first. He gave them a chance to attack, dodging easily. They might as well have been moving in slow motion. In an unexpected move, Shadow reached down and yanked away one man's belt. His trousers fell down his legs, tripping and unbalancing him. Shadow disappeared in a flash of blue and reappeared right behind him. He wrapped the belt around the man's throat and tightened it. Hard. As he collapsed to the ground, clawing at his throat, trying to draw a breath, Shadow walked towards the other partner in crime.

The man staggered to his feet again and was about to run when a Chaos Spear tripped him up, "Don't kill me man," he pleaded with the enraged hedgehog, "We were just kiddin' around with her! Playin’ a game!"

Shadow kicked the dropped knife into the air and caught it as he stepped towards the remaining man. He placed one foot on the bastard’s chest, pinning him down, "I don't find your games very amusing."

"Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me...” the thug begged again.

Shadow shook in rage as the thug begged for his life. He wasn't in the mood to be merciful to perverts and sickos like that. In a flash of motion, he bent down and pushed the knife up under the thug's chin, driving the blade deep into his brain. He walked away from the twitching corpse and approached the man whom he had begun to strangle, "Any last words?" he asked coldly.

"K-k-kid's still... watchin'..." the man managed, pointing at the terrified Cream. She'd just seen Shadow push a knife into that man's head and was hiding her eyes, cowering.

"So she is," Shadow stated, right before he launched a kick at the man's throat, stamping on his windpipe and crushing it. As the man writhed on the ground, struggling for a breath he would never have, Shadow gently picked up Cream and Cheese, carrying them away from the alley.

Cream was freezing cold and trembling in Shadow's arms. Her dress was wrinkled and stained, her face was dirty, and Cheese was still unconcious. She didn't seem to know what to say - and it wasn't hard to figure out why. She'd just been sexually assaulted and watched her attackers die horribly.

"I'm sorry," Shadow whispered, "That shouldn't have happened."

Cream sniffled, "I was s-s-s-so sc-scared," she said, her voice shaking.

"I understand. But you have nothing to fear from them anymore," he said, "I'll take you home..."

"You... you killed them," Cream whispered.

Shadow’s face became grim, "It's the only way to be sure."

"Whatever am I ever going to tell Mom?" Cream sniffled, "And Cheese is all hurt..."

"I don't know," he said quietly, closing his eyes, "I can tell her, if you wish."

Cream didn't seem certain, "Do you think she'll be angry at me?" she asked.

"Of course not. She would never be angry at you for this," he reassured her.

"Will she be angry at you, do you think?" Cream asked.

"...I hope not," he said, "But it doesn't matter."

"Okay... but you can tell mom," Cream looked unhappy, "I don't know what they were doing... but I don't think they should have been doing it."

"No, they shouldn't." Shadow took them both to Cream's home, giving her a smooth ride. Miss Flora was probably going to lecture him about being late, but he didn't care. This was far more important than that.

Before long, Shadow was standing outside the door of that house, pressing the ringer. It wasn't Lady Vanilla who opened the door though, it was some sort of maid - Cream's family was very, very rich.

She stared at Shadow leading the crying, crumpled Cream, shocked, "Lady Vanilla!" she called, "Cream is back-"

A large, plump Doe who would have been quite attractive fewer ten years and thirty pounds bustled to the door and gathered up Cream into her arms, “Oh, Cream!” She looked down at Shadow, "What on earth happened?!" she cried.

"She was attacked and dragged into an alley on her way home," Shadow said calmly, "I intervened and stopped the attackers before she could come to greater harm. Then I escorted her home."

Lady Vanilla looked down at her daughter, "Is this true, Cream?" she asked her.

"Yes, mom..." Cream cuddled her mother tightly, "Some big men tried to h-h-hurt me and they hurt Cheese too... Shadow saved me," she finished

Lady Vanilla nodded, "Well, Mister Shadow, it seems I owe you a great debt of gratitude. Please, come in."

Shadow looked uncomfortable. He had been away from his job long enough as it was. He didn't want to get Amy into trouble, "I appreciate the offer, Lady Vanilla, but I have an appointment elsewhere. A promise I need to keep. Would it be alright for me to come back later?"

"Certainly, Mister Shadow," Lady Vanilla brought Cream back into the house, "You are welcome in our home now," She leant down to her daughter, "Now Cream, you can have a nice warm bath, and then you can tell momma the whole story..." Then the door closed.

Shadow sighed in relief as he turned and ran off towards the florists. He felt... good. He felt like he had done something right, and he liked that. The coming lecture from Miss Flora didn't seem so bad when he thought of that.

~~~

Amy was trying to serve three customers at the same time, who all wanted the same thing, but not quite, and looked rather hassled. She looked up at Shadow as he came in, but before she could speak, Miss Flora came in.

"Where have you been, lad?!" she asked him, more exasperated than angry, "There's flowers waiting to be delivered!"

"I'm very sorry, Miss Flora. I got a little sidetracked... it won't happen again."

"It had better not!" Miss Flora told him. She bundled a phenomenally large bouquet into his hands, "This is for a wedding! Without the bouquet, the bride can't stroll down the aisle and all that merry business. They ordered late. I hope you're fast, because you've got about twenty minutes to get down to the Emerald Beach! Hurry!"

Shadow smirked, hefting the large bouquet, "I'll show you the meaning of fast," he said as he turned and raced out the door. Twenty minutes? No problem at all.

~~~

Harley: The next Chapter is so good, I swear. Oh, you’ll wet yourselves. I couldn’t put it in this chapter, it would get smothered by the attempted rape of Cream and Rouge on Sonic sexfulness.

Froggy: Is that even a word?

Harley: It is now. Sexfulness! It’s like sex, only more so! Oh, yes… read and review – I insist! Or Shadow will come and get you!