ARAAT4: Origins

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A Rose And A Thorn 4: Origins

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: Welcome back… Shadow! Well, not instantly, but definitely in this chapter.

Froggy: Somebody’s going to get their ass kicked this chapter! I love it! It makes up for the Fantasy-esque stuff that Harley bullied me into cramming in here! Also, for those of you who are interested, Midnight finds out more stuff about his past.

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Chapter Fourteen: Open Your Mind

Mirage sat quietly in ARK's massive library, reading a book for the third time. The ARK didn't have many books - well, not books that were made of actual paper. Paper was out of date. She put down the book made of paper and smiled thinly. Now she knew what he was... and what she was.

They walked among mortals, shared this world, this plane of existence, with mortals. But they had another of their own. They had many names, but their true nature inevitably came through. Humans ignored them of course, because if they knew what horrors lay only the thickness of a shadow away, they would go to sleep with their eyes wide open. But they were there, just the same.

The Visitors. The Watchers. The Hunters.

They gave you exactly what you asked for, but never what you wanted. And they always wanted something in return; usually more than you could afford.

They loved riddles, and playing games, especially with people's lives. But they made the rules up as they went along, and never told you when they changed. They were unreliable, and whimsical, balancing any good they ever did with capricious evil. When people lost track of time, they were responsible. When people disappeared, they were laughing.

And they had power. Trapping them was a bad idea, as was trying to get a good look at them. The stories made them sound tame, subservient... but even the trapped ones waited for their chance to break out. They thought revenge was the same as justice, and fear was just as good as respect.

They were demons, really. Except for one thing, which was so often forgotten.

They were heartbreakingly, breathtakingly, dangerously beautiful.

Mirage smiled again unhappily and looked up at the large mirror in the library. She didn't want to move, but her legs did so anyway. She looked in the mirror, and now that she knew what she was looking for, she found it. It was dulled by the cross between species and the creation in this world, of course...

She rested her forehead against the cool glass, closing her eyes, disgusted at what she was a part of. Not really wanting to believe it, but knowing it was true. Remembering the games she had played, and how she had enjoyed it. She wondered who had called Ashura up, and what they had wanted from him, and what he planned to take from them.

"Mirage?" Midnight's familiar voice spoke up. The echidna was sitting in his own little spot nearby, reading something on echidna history that had caught his interest. But now his attention was drawn to the troubled hedgecat, "Is something wrong?"

"Hmmm?" Mirage turned around, "Oh, nothing is wrong, Midnight..." she lied, badly. She managed to force a smile onto her face, "I was just thinking…"

Her lie was easy to see through, but he could understand. They both had a lot to think about lately, and not all of it was pleasant, "It'll be ok,” he said.

"I hope so," Mirage crossed over to him and sat next to him, "I just needed to be sure..."

Midnight closed and set down his book, turning slightly to face her. Closer up, she could see that the book was about the ancient echidna civilization, "Sure about what?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

"About what my father is..." Mirage sighed. Midnight raised an eyebrow, and she reached over for the book on the top of the pile, handing it to him. The title was 'Aladdin'. All of the other books referenced various mythical folklores too.

The dark echidna frowned, looking at the various books in confusion, trying to find a connection between them all, "I don't understand..."

Mirage sighed, "I think my father is a djinn." She saw Midnight's confused expression, "A genie. Not the tame, storybook kind... the real thing, the kind that is a shadow's width away from being a daemon."

The echidna shook his head and looked down at the books again, "You really think they exist?"

Mirage hesitated for a long moment, "I exist," she said finally, although this answer didn't really commit herself to anything.

A cold feeling pooled in Midnight's stomach, and the echidna reached over to rest his hands on the hedgecat's shoulders, "This is not your fault,” he said, looking into her eyes, "The fighting, the tragedy, the death... it’s not your fault. You don't place a curse on those you get close to."

Are you so sure of that? Mirage thought doubtfully, "It is a game," she said softly, "It is all a game to him, and we are the pieces."

Still looking into her eyes, his own steady and confident, he told her, "There is always more than one player in a game, and eventually, everyone loses."

Mirage smiled a little, then looked up at the mirror again, "I know what he is..." she said softly, "I just wish I knew what I am."

One of his hands left her shoulders and caressed her cheek, "I know what you are,” he said, "You are everything I've ever wanted and more. You are good, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Yourself included."

Mirage's face broke into a slow, genuine smile, "What is it you want? I only know I want to give you it..."

"Just you,” he replied, returning the smile, "I just want to be with you, to share this otherwise empty life with you, and hopefully, to make you as happy as I am when I'm with you."

"I want to give you what you need... not what you wish for," Mirage said quietly, "At least I am different from my father in that way..."

"You are nothing like that monster," Midnight told her.

Mirage smiled again and leant forward to kiss Midnight. They became aware of a voice clearing over them. An irritated Librarian was tapping his fingers on a bookshelf, "The Library is not a make-out area," he said pointedly, "You can stop that, or you can leave."

"Or I can shove this book so far down your throat that you'll be shitting the alphabet, human." At least, that's what Midnight wanted to say. He had noticed his patience with all the non-experiments on the ARK was slipping fast. Thankfully, he kept his mouth shut this time, just glaring angrily at the librarian.

"Come on, Midnight," Mirage took his hand and stood up, "Let us go somewhere else. You can tell me all about the ancient echidnas while we are going there."

Midnight took a calming breath, letting his irritation leave him as he exhaled. Squeezing Mirage's hand, he followed her out of the library. As they walked side-by-side, he spoke, "The echidnas were a successful, warlike people who had conquered much of the world at the peak of their power. But strangely enough, they, the whole civilization seemed to disappear at this peak, and no one knows exactly why. Legend has it that the echidna people were wiped out in a great flood. The last recorded chieftain was a man named Pachacamac. I dug up some records that indicated that Quilla was related to him in some way and served as his enforcer of sorts."

Mirage raised an eyebrow, "And does knowing all of that make you feel any better about your past?" she asked him.

"Not really,” he admitted with a shrug, "But it does satisfy my curiosity."

"Maybe, for now, that is enough," Mirage suggested. She leant over and kissed his cheek, "I cannot say that I am too happy about knowing mine though... echidnas might have been kind of power-crazed... but they were not evil..."

"Neither are you,” he replied, nudging her, "Okay, so maybe you're a little on the naughty side, but that doesn't make you evil." The echidna grinned at her

Mirage smiled. Midnight would always see the good in her, just like Espio had done. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to let him think that. After all, no matter how dark the shadows grew, they still needed light to exist, and even when the light was gone, the shadows were still there, waiting. It was only in creatures like Ashura that the darkness went on forever without end.

She wondered vaguely whether, if Midnight hadn't come into her life, she would have become the endless darkness, or merely the shadow that waited for light, "You give me too much leash," she told him.

"I know,” he said with a slight smirk, "It’s more fun that way, letting my guard down, not knowing what is going to happen."

"Maybe it is not all that smart, of course," Mirage told him as they approached the doors of the training gym.

"It all depends on how you look at it,” he pointed out, pushing the doors to the gym open and stepping through.

Mirage flicked on the regular lighting and stepped over to the weapons cabinet, producing a metal quarterstaff. The damn thing was five foot long, "I know they are GUN," she said, tossing it aside as if it was plywood, "But seriously, what the hell made them think we should train with real weapons? Somebody could really get hurt."

"Maybe that's the point,” a deep and very familiar voice said behind the hedgecat. Midnight had spun around to face the stranger by the time the short sentence was fully spoken, eyeing him suspiciously. The one walking towards them was yet another hedgehog. But what differentiated this one from Sonic was his black and red colour scheme and crimson eyes... all of which reminded Midnight of Mirage, actually.

"Well, this is an unexpected surprise," Mirage said, much more calmly than she felt. She wondered what was next through the door - the Artificial Chaos?

"I could say the same,” the hedgehog replied.

Midnight stepped forward towards the newcomer, placing himself between him and Mirage, "Are you another project?" he asked.

Crossing his arms and smirking confidently, the hedgehog told him, "According to the professor, I am THE project. My name is Shadow."

Mirage sat on the crossbar easily, regarding Shadow's smug features, "You have a name. How nice. I am a Project too. I am Project: Mirage." She fluffed out her quills quietly so that Shadow could see the highlights.

Shadow stared at her quills, noting the similarities between himself and her, wondering why that was. Before he could comment, though, the echidna stepped closer, staring into his familiar crimson eyes, a sure sign of aggression in this case, "What brings you here?" asked Midnight.

The dark hedgehog shrugged nonchalantly, "Training, of course. The Professor wants to test my limits."

"He generally does," Mirage said calmly, "How do you plan to test them?" she asked him, examining her claws as she spoke.

"I can handle that,” said Midnight, his eyes not leaving Shadow's, his posture confrontational, "How about you and I have a little sparring match? I promise to go easy on you. It's your first time on this mat, after all."

The red and black hedgehog gave a cold smile and a low chuckle, obviously amused by the offer. "You really think you can take me, echidna?"

"Yes, do you really think you can?" Mirage called over, only half-joking

"Certain of it,” was Midnight's immediate reply. He had been trained in the art of personal combat for a year, his sponge of a brain rapidly absorbing every technique and style he could get a hold of. No experiment fresh out of the tubes could possibly stand a chance against him, and any of them to accept such a challenge was obviously a fool.

"Very well. I accept. Teach me a lesson,” replied Shadow, confirming Midnight's assessment of the hedgehog. Finally looking away, the blue echidna walked to the center of the mat and stepped back, giving his opponent room to start. Shadow did the same. The two of them stared each other down, waiting for the other to strike first. The air was thick with tension as the two combatants waited.

Mirage got off her perch on the crossbar and wandered over to the weapons cabinet casually, leaning against the wall. She wasn't planning on giving aid to either of them. If you fell, sooner or later there would come a time when you didn't deserve to be caught. Better that they both learn that now.

Shadow blinked. Midnight charged. Winding up, the echidna launched a powerful punch at the hedgehog's face, strong enough to daze him at the least and incapacitate in at the best. It only worked, of course, if it actually connected; the punch only touched air, Shadow bending backwards to avoid it. Immediately after, Midnight drove his other fist towards Shadow's stomach, and he casually sidestepped it. The cloned warrior sped up, launching punches faster and faster, and the new experiment continued dodging them, backing up with each attempted blow.

Midnight snarled in frustration; his opponent was startlingly fast. He began to throw kicks into the mix. Shadow leapt over a low kick, ducked a high one, and practically glided away from one aimed between. He was inhumanly fast, in fact. Like his namesake, Shadow appeared untouchable. But unlike most shadows, this one could touch him. As they neared the edge of the mat, Shadow finally made his move, catching a punch aimed at his fist. Midnight tried to twist his hand free, but it felt like it was caught in a vice. Drawing back his leg, Shadow slammed his foot into the echidna's chest, sending him flying across the mat, skidding to a stop where he first began the fight. To him, it felt like someone had pounded him with a baseball bat. Coughing and getting to his knees, he looked up in disbelief.

Shadow just smirked confidently, "Well?"

Mirage watched with a distinct interest. Her hand slid into the weapons cabinet and closed around two fighting daggers, which she silently secreted inside her vest, and the leather holsters on the inside, "Is that all?" she spoke up suddenly, “I was just getting interested."

Grimacing and growling, Midnight's answer was to get back to his feet, doing his best to hide the pain he was feeling. He was certain that the blow had cracked a couple of his ribs. So his opponent could hit hard and was difficult to touch, but he wasn't about to let some upstart newbie best him now, in front of Mirage, no less. The echidna rushed forward again and repeated his tactic from earlier, punching and kicking at the hedgehog, and like before, Shadow dodged them all easily, smiling and cocky. Overconfidence would be the weakness that Midnight would exploit. He sent a punch in Shadow's direction, and predictably, the agile and fast hedgehog moved aside. The echidna warrior, however, didn't follow through, a fake which he immediately followed with a spinning kick which connected solidly with the dark hedgehog's face. That right there should have been brought the new experiment down, but he merely faced Midnight again, glaring angrily and wiping away blood from his split lips.

Mirage sat back up on the crossbar, watching intently, with a small smile on her face, "That is right, no surrender!" she shouted, although it was unclear as to who she was calling to.

Before Midnight knew what was happening, he was staggering backwards in pain, having been struck in the face by his younger adversary. The fight suddenly became an inverse of what it had been, Midnight trying and failing to dodge to blows, being forced backwards as Shadow went on the offensive, pummelling the clone mercilessly.

Mirage remained perfectly impassive. She wasn't going to intervene. She had been certain from the start that Shadow would win this fight, and whether he did or not, it was important that she remained neutral.

Shoving the dark blue echidna back, Shadow leaned down into a crouch, a murderous look in his red eyes. Shocked and battered, Midnight backed up, prepared to defend himself when suddenly Shadow turned into a spinning blur of quills, ripping across the floor towards him. Eyes widening, the echidna leapt and spread his legs in midair, watching as the hedgehog passed underneath him. As he touched back down, he noticed slivers of rubber from his boots missing and blue hairs from his legs shaved off and resting on the mat. Far too close for comfort. Turning around, he saw Shadow standing there, launching a kick at his face. The clone caught the kick before it connected. Before he could do anything further, though, an orange glow shot out from the hedgehog's shoe, pushing him away and burning his hand. Off-balance and confused, he couldn't defend himself from the next kick that sent him sprawling to the ground. This time, he found that he couldn't quite get back up. Panting and groaning, Midnight lay there on the mat, with Shadow looking smugly down at him.

"Thanks for the lesson,” said the dark hedgehog.

Mirage raised an eyebrow. She certainly wouldn't have given up then. She'd still be limping towards Shadow, even if he’d broken her leg.

Retaining what dignity he had left, Midnight got onto his knees and bowed his head, "I... concede defeat,” he admitted, "You are the greater warrior..." Those words hurt him far more than any of the hedgehog's blows.

"Humph,” Shadow uttered, turning and walking out of the training room, disappointed. It was too easy for him, not the challenge he craved.

Mirage jumped off the crossbar and walked over to Midnight, "So, how did you do?" she asked him with a small smile.

"You saw it,” replied the echidna, still looking down, unable to meet her gaze, "He kicked my ass." Shaking his head, Midnight looked towards the door where the next experiment had left and muttered, "What the hell is he?"

Mirage stretched, several bones clicking into place, "You heard him. Project: Shadow. My counterpart. The Ultimate Lifeform."

"Nothing should be able to move that fast,” he breathed, struggling to get to his feet, "Or hit that hard."

"You lasted almost 60 seconds against the Ultimate Lifeform," Mirage pointed out, "You did pretty well."

"He was toying with me,” Midnight said, standing on shaky legs, "He could have... wait. Ultimate Lifeform?"

"Well, yes, did not I mention that before?" Mirage asked him.

"Yeah..." he replied, slowly nodding his head, "The thing GUN was afraid of Gerald making. That and the planet-busting cannon." The echidna stumbled and fell. He groaned loudly as he hit the ground, feeling whatever was broken in his chest get worse with the impact. Rolling onto his back, he glared up at the feline, "Why didn't you help me? He could have killed me in there!"

"Midnight, did you really want to be saved by a girl?" Mirage shrugged, "This is not a game. In the real world, if you fall, there is not always going to be somebody to catch you. I realised that some time ago. You do not."

"That is a very wrong assumption, Mirage!" the echidna growled, "I know it damn well! I also know that when someone you care about is in danger, you shouldn't just sit there and watch!"

"There are going to be creatures running around this place that you will not be able to beat," Mirage replied, slightly irritated, "I wanted to see how you reacted to getting your ass beat off in a situation where you would not be killed. It was a TEST! Happy now?"

"No," Midnight rolled back over and slowly got to his feet, stumbling towards the exit, "I think I'll go lick my wounds now. Maybe you should watch; see how I react to suffering."

"Midnight!" Mirage followed him, "It is not like that and you know it! Do you think I enjoy seeing you in pain?"

"Not really,” he admitted, slowing down, "But you still didn't lift a finger to help me. You know I would have for you."

Now it was Mirage's turn to be insulted, "Do you think I am a child?" she asked him, her eyes narrowing, "No! I can handle being beaten on my own, I do not need somebody to be some sort of shield for me, and I am not a baby who needs every bruise kissing better!"

"Nor was I offering!" he shouted. Taking a breath, he muttered angrily, "You obviously don't need me. I'll get out of your way, oh mighty Project: Mirage. Have fun trashing GUN with Shadow." Again, he limped toward the exit.

"You are right! I do not need you!" Mirage shouted after him, "I do not even remember you!" She turned on her heel and stared at the wall, her ears flat against her head with rage.

Midnight paused, shook his head, and continued on his way, slowly moving towards his room.

As the door closed, Mirage turned slightly to watch him go, an anxious expression on her face. This was such a stupid thing to argue about... she wasn't even sure of what she'd done wrong. She just knew that she wouldn't have wanted anybody to interrupt a fight between her and any sparring partner. Besides, it was her brother versus her lover. Who was she supposed to side with? She gave a quiet mewl of discontent. She wasn't sure what she should feel sorry for, but she did know she didn't like seeing Midnight in pain. She left the gym and headed for the labs. They surely would have something that would be of use.

~~~

Reaching his cell, Midnight dragged himself inside and carefully lay down, groaning in pain. The echidna was embarrassed and angry. The embarrassment was easy to understand; Shadow had made him look like a complete weakling in their battle. Anger, though... it was harder to identify the cause. Was he angry at Shadow for defeating him? Was he angry at Mirage for being so casual and cool about testing her mate through pain? Or was he angry with himself for reacting the way he did? Whatever the case, he just wanted to forget the whole mess, for things to return the way they were between him and Mirage.

Mirage had just left him there to be beaten by some psychotic kin of hers; of course he should be angry! Right? Wouldn't he interrupt such a fight to save her from such a humiliating and painful defeat? He would and he already had! But as he thought that, his argument seemed to lose weight. He knew the real reason he was so bitter; he was taking out his shame on her when he should have been learning from his mistakes. It wasn't her fault for staying out of the fight, it was his for blaming her. After all, he was the one who started the fight in the first place.

He heard somebody knock on his door, "Um, Midnight? Are you in there?" Mirage's voice called out tremulously.

Taking a deep breath, the echidna replied, "Yeah, I'm in here."

Mirage opened the door a little way, "Can I come in?" she asked him, her voice uncertain.

"Sure,” was his reply. The echidna slowly sat up.

Mirage came in, her tail tucked slightly between her legs, "I do not feel very sorry," she said quietly, "But I do not like seeing you... hurt." She held out her hand, in which there was a small tub, "I lifted this from one of the labs. It is supposed to reduce bruising and promote the absorption of Emerald Energy into the bloodstream," Upon seeing Midnight's expression she added hastily, "They made it for me, but it should work just as well on you - without the Emerald power thing."

Nodding slowly, he said, "Ok. Thank you, Mirage. And... I'm sorry for yelling at you. I didn't mean it..."

"You sounded like you did," Mirage sat beside him, "Lie on your front," she added. He did as she asked, rolling onto his front slowly, putting as little pressure on his chest as he could. She spread some of the ointment on her hands, and started to rub Midnight's back slowly. At first she wasn't sure of what to say, but then the words seemed to flow, "I could not step in, you know? It would be like... cheating. It was a fair fight. Besides, Shadow would never have let you forget that you needed a girl to save you... it was like when I was fighting the Gizoid... I was so relieved when you came, but... I was so ashamed. I should have been able to handle it! I needed to be able to handle it! But I could not, I needed help, and I felt... well, pathetic is an understatement. I did not want you to feel that way. I thought you would, if I burst in..."

Turning his face towards her, the echidna smiled slightly, "You're not just some girl. You happen to be a highly advanced and incredibly sexy biological weapon. I'm just a clone of an ordinary man. No shame in getting help from you. ...In a real fight, the end result is death, and the enemy will not play fair. If one of us is losing, they will not hesitate to kill us. In those times, the only thing we can depend on is one another. Do you understand?"

"What I also understand is that you do not do yourself justice," Mirage shifted slightly and put more of the ointment on her hands, rubbing Midnight's shoulders firmly, "But yes, I understand well enough. Do you feel any better now?” she asked him, still rubbing.

Midnight closed his eyes and nodded his head. "Yes, that feels very nice,” he replied quietly, making little sounds of happiness as she rubbed him, "I don't think I've ever felt so sore. That guy hits like a freight train."

"Shadow certainly does not pull his punches," Mirage agreed, "But then again, if you are going to hold back just because it is training, you will never reach your full potential."

"A fair point, I admit,” he told her, "I never held back with you, and you've become so much stronger for it. I'm proud of you, Mirage."

Mirage wiped off her hands on her own body, and ran her fingers through Midnight's dreads, "Thankyou," she said quietly, lying down beside him, her tail looped loosely around her waist.

Midnight rested a hand on her tail and laid back to nuzzle his cheek against hers. "No, thank you,” he said softly, "I needed that."

Mirage smiled and closed her eyes, purring softly, "It is just that..." she hesitated, "It is not about the future any more... I mean the past... I mean, I do want to stop it... but..." she swallowed, "But it does not seem so important because... I love you..."

"I love you, too,” he whispered, "I don't know what the future will bring or how this will all turn out, but I do know that." Reaching down, he affectionately scritched her belly.

Mirage began to purr louder, then took Midnight's hand in hers and looped it around her shoulder loosely, bringing her lips very close to his ear, "Tonight?" she whispered, her voice soft and enquiring.

"Yes, tonight,” he breathed, sliding his fingers through her fur, feeling his heart beat faster at the sound and meaning of her words.

~~~

Harley: Well, they made up fast! So, Ashura is a genie? Yeah!

Froggy: It might be easier to consider him as a kind of alien thing….

Harley: But I wanted him to be a genie! Come on! It’s my account! Anyway, somewhat surprisingly, not every time Mirage and Midnight bugger off to have sex will be documented. Something far more important is happening next chapter.