ARAAT3: The Forbidden Experiment

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A Rose And A Thorn 3: The Forbidden Experiment

Co-Written by Harley Quinn hyenaholic and Froggy22651

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Harley: I return! Fresh of mind and with new ideas from having nothing to do all holiday but wish I was back home. And I see that some people don’t like the idea of Tails being gay. Well, it’s your loss if you stop reading now, when there’s not even any actual slash in this fic.

Froggy: Slash being the actual act. Not the declaration. Tails is 15 now. He’s old enough to make up his own mind. Indeed.

Harley: Now, Kirjava wins, for writing the Most Intelligent Review! Although the correct term is ‘Train Wreck Fiction’. We are intensely glad you read all of them. Indeed indeed.

Froggy: Shut up and get on with it.

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Chapter Seven: Afraid

Mirage could feel the first few rays of morning sunshine coming through the windowpane and striking her face. She had every intention of rolling onto her other side to shield herself from them, but stopped when her shoulder gave her the most abominable stab of pain. She cursed in feline and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ah, good morning,” Espio said quietly. The chameleon was already awake and had been for hours, keeping watch over the both of them.

"You are awake already?" Mirage muttered, "Or do not you ever sleep?"

"Yes, but I don't need to sleep very much,” he replied as he turned to face her, leaning against the wall next to the window, "Did you sleep well?"

"I did not dream," Mirage replied in her clipped, precise voice, which probably meant 'yes'. She forced herself to sit up, ignoring any pain and pulling the sheet around her tighter with her good arm.

"Feel like eating anything?" Espio asked, holding up a plastic bag with various foodstuffs in it, "I picked up a few items while you were asleep."

"I have not eaten properly since back at your HQ," Mirage admitted, and started to reach for the bag, "Why do you care, anyway?"

"Do I need a reason?" he asked in return as he handed the bag to her.

"Maybe not, but if you have one I would like to know it," Mirage investigated the plastic bag's contents.

"I just felt like being kind to you,” the chameleon explained, "I get the feeling you haven't had a lot of that in your life."

"Too damn right," Mirage found a tuna sandwich, and started to eat it, "Look, I..." she stopped, trying to work out her sentence properly and eat at the same time, "You felt like being kind to me. Huh. How much are you being paid to spout that? I am at least 56 years old. And I may have life experience of only a few weeks, but I am not naïve. Unfortunately."

"You think I'm lying, trying to manipulate you for my own ends," Espio said, "You’re wrong. I'm here because I made a promise. I'm not being paid for this; it's a personal favour for a friend."

Mirage swallowed a mouthful of tuna fish, "Well, you are sticking to your story, I will give you that," she admitted, her eyes watching him intently, "Well... thank you for... the food, anyway." She finished the sandwich.

"You're welcome." If he was offended at all by Mirage's accusations, Espio didn't show it. As always, he was calm and serene.

Mirage looked at her vest, which was covered in blood, "Ugh. Nothing gets blood out, you know?"

There was a brief silence, "Blood is hard to wash away,” the chameleon agreed with a slow nod. Although, from the way he said it, his meaning was probably different and more serious than hers.

Mirage tilted her head to one side. She wasn't a people person. Sometimes she might understand completely, and another time she might be completely blind to the other’s problems. But this time, the chameleon sounded like he wanted to say something. Sometimes people wanted to be pushed into talking, "Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked him, "I cannot promise I will understand, but I will listen."

"What are you afraid of?" Espio asked, suddenly changing the subject, his amber eyes looking at her sharply.

Mirage blinked, "Ashura," she said automatically.

“But why are you afraid of Ashura?” Espio asked her, “What did he do to you?"

"I think," Mirage said quietly, "I think you would prefer not to know the details. But... he can get into your head. He can... make you imagine that terrible things are happening to you…" she squeezed her eyes shut, "And you fight them, but they are inside your head, like they have already happened. False memories. Old memories relived. You actually remember the feel of the pain, like it happened just... just now."

Espio winced, imagining what that had to be like. The ultimate torture technique: think up something horrible and project it into the victim's head. He could have done any manner of horrible things to her without laying a finger on her... Suppressing a shiver, he slowly nodded his head, "I understand... but you can't let fear of him rule your life."

"How can you understand how I feel when you do not even know what he MAKES me feel?!" Mirage shouted suddenly. She looked away from him then, down at her lap, "I have to get away from this place..." she muttered.

"And go where?" the chameleon asked, "Where will you run to next? And the next, and the next? You can't run forever, Mirage. I know. I've tried it."

"I have found that the 'to' usually takes care of itself," Mirage stood, holding the sheet around herself around her, "It is the 'from' you should be concerned with." She snatched up her bloodstained vest. Well, it had looked worse. At least this time it was her own blood.

Espio sighed quietly and shook his head, turning away from her and looking out into the streets, "I know that you can't want to run forever," he said.

“Sure I can,” Mirage rested her forehead on the wall, then turned back to him, "But I know something too - that ninja do not have honour. They have nothing more than the satisfaction of a job cleanly done. So you are either not a ninja, and you are lying to yourself, or you are a ninja, and you are lying to me. Which is it?" She turned, and ruby red eyes burned into those of amber yellow.

For once, Espio couldn't meet her gaze without flinching. Turning away from her, he looked at the ground, "You're right,” he said quietly, "Ninjas are not honour-bound warriors; they are assassins and spies." After a moment of silence so thick that it could be cut with a knife, he looked back up into her eyes. "I killed a kid, alright? On my first mission, I missed my intended target and killed some child who was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

To his surprise, there was no judgement in the hedgecat's expression, no sudden disgust in her eyes, no accusing glare. She just blinked and considered it, leaning on the wall, "In certain circumstances, Samurai would have to dress in enemy clothing to cross territory. But when it came to the battles itself, they would throw aside their guise and fight with honour."

"So... you're saying that I'm a former ninja converted into a samurai?" Espio asked, spreading his arms out to his sides.

"Huh... ninja do not convert," Mirage's face twisted up, "Trust me, I am a murderer and a saboteur, by your morals at least. If you are not a ninja... then you never were."

"I turned away from the ninja way of life,” Espio admitted, "I ran from it out of guilt and dedicated myself to a higher purpose. I didn't want to be a murderer."

So you run too, Mirage thought briefly, but dismissed it, "You snapped that thug's neck in the street," she pulled on her vest, which now sported a large hole over one shoulder as well as the bloodstains, "And I did not hear you protesting when I took out his three accomplices. You must have been watching."

"I did what I had to,” Espio said simply, looking back out the window again, "They had chosen to harm you, and I couldn't allow that. There is a difference between battle and murder."

"Whatever you believe," Mirage pulled on her jacket, covering the vest, "Codes... ha! There is only the necessary and the unnecessary. Deciding the difference is a choice for the individual."

"And I've made my choice,” Espio said firmly as he walked over to the feline's side.

Mirage stepped backwards, "You do not have to come," she said, "It is not necessary for you to get involved in this."

"Like I said; I've made my choice,” the chameleon explained, "I'm coming with you."

A soft whine rose up in Mirage's throat. She considered it, "Then follow," she said finally. Her expression melted into its emotionless normal state, "I am going to Grand Metropolis. It is a large city. One of the largest on the planet. I will not be easy to find there."

"I agree,” he said, walking in step with her, "Grand Metropolis is a good place to be lost in the crowd. Once we are there, we can take the time to figure out a solution to your problem."

We? Mirage shrugged and winced as her shoulder gave a stab of pain, "I see no immediate solution to my problem, short of ensuring the demise of Ashura. And I cannot do that. Nor can I allow you to try."

"Why not?" asked the ninja chameleon, "I'm certain that Ashura can be killed, and he should be. Not only for you, but for anyone else he could harm."

"He will kill you, and I... it would be a pointless death," Mirage replied, "He is stronger with the Chaos Control than even Shadow. You, and others, will die if you contest him."

"So... what? We should just lie down and let him do whatever he wants?" Espio shook his head. "There are some things worse than death. I would rather die than submit to a tyrant!"

"I sympathise," Mirage replied, "But if that is your attitude... then you will. He has got a Plan, and it requires me for its completion. When he needs me, he will come for me. And lacking in morals though I may well be, I have some shreds of sanity. That is why I run, rather than fight a battle I cannot hope to win… nor surrender to..." she added in a quieter voice.

Espio didn't like it, but she had a point. He would do no good by throwing his life away pointlessly. However, if Ashura needed Mirage for his plans... that was a weakness that could be exploited, "If he needs something from you to succeed, that means that he is not invincible. We just need to figure out what his weakness is."

Mirage opened her mouth, and then closed it again. The chameleon knew far too much already. If he got himself too integrated in the whole business, he could get badly hurt - in more ways than one. For some reason, she cared if he got hurt. Maybe it had something to do with him saving - helping her last night, she corrected herself mentally, "Oh yes, everybody has weaknesses," she said, "I strongly doubt however that his weakness is something you could exploit."

"Whether it is or not, we shouldn't rush any such decisions,” said the chameleon, "It will be a while before we can consider it, anyway. One step at a time." They could worry about the green hedgehog later, whenever he made his move.

"Yes," Mirage agreed, "Today Grand Metropolis. Tomorrow? Who knows? Maybe I'll even manage to acquire enough money to rent an apartment." The way she said it made Espio doubt she would do so through legal methods.

If they had to steal a little to get by, he figured that it was justified in their rather sticky situation. It just wouldn't be him doing the stealing, "I hope so. Having a bed to sleep in again would be a welcome change."

"As for next week... Maybe I will throw him off and head somewhere quiet..." Mirage sighed unexpectedly. Why did she find it so easy to talk to Espio? Normally she wouldn't talk to people. Most people made her feel... wrong. Like her head was being pulled in two directions at once. Espio didn't. She sagged a little, and sighed again.

Noticing the sigh, Espio careful reached over and placed one hand on her undamaged shoulder, "It'll be alright,” he said quietly, "The situation is not as hopeless as it might seem."

For whatever reason, Mirage was not as quick to distance herself from him, as he had grown accustomed to. After a few seconds, a small smile, almost hopeful, formed on her lips. It was gone in a moment, but Espio knew it had been genuine, "Perhaps..." she said carefully, "Perhaps you are right... Or perhaps you are just ignorant. Either way... thank you." There was a silence, but she spoke again before he could, more quietly, "And thank you for... for saving my life."

Espio made no outward sign of his feeling. Inside, however, he was smiling, "You are very welcome, Mirage,” was his reply.

They were coming to the city boundaries now. Mirage looked out across the buildings thinning and becoming more widely spread. She could imagine the terrain they would cross too, before they reached Grand Metropolis... it would be so endless, wild, lonely... and free. A long moment passed, and then she took Espio's hand off her shoulder, "Let us get moving," she said calmly, "Time is not for wasting."

"Roger that,” replied Espio, all business again, "We can't linger here too long." With that, he and Mirage quietly made their way towards the next city.

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Froggy: Ah, and to the city. What awaits them?

Harley: Sex?

Froggy: Actually, that’s a pretty good answer. Even if you are being a dumbass.