Solutions Gain Absolutions

So then, it's a date?

Team Dark with the expansion of Team Chaotix, Silver and Midnight traveled through a dark cave by a dark wood small boat just enough to fit them, hardly.

"So eh, you lot goin after that treasure under tha cave eh?" the so called 'captain' of the small boat asked his ears drooping low though for a dumbo mouse the position in which his large ears were in could hardly be told.

"Yeah you bet mister! This is the greatest treasure hunting team in the world!" Charmy cheered.

"That's because you have me." Rouge chimed in proudly.

"Oh is that so?" The mouse blushed softly, "Well I happen te scoop up a few good things 'ere and ther' on mah trips out tah sea, maybe yu'd like tuh come down and take a peek at all mah lootin glory sometime eh?"

Shadow's heavy glare brought the captain to a choking silence, hell it made him freeze up so bad he stopped the boat, "T-too busy then eh, I-I got it."

Rouge giggled batting her eyes and glancing between Shadow and the captain.

"You feel it right? Just up ahead." Midnight rose from her seat she was sitting at quietly having not been paying attention to the conversation at all.

"I sense it." Shadow nodded before he realized everyone was blankly staring at the both of them.

"It's not like chaos emeralds, it beckons more to your very energy of being, not just your intentions be it good or bad." He explained, "It feels more like... like..." He sighed deeply looking to Midnight to help with a proper explanation only to receive a quick shrug of no effort at all.

"When you finish teaching the children you can come and join me." She smiled placing a hand on the fur of his chest and slowly dragged her fingers through it as she slid past him until she stopped her hand on his shoulder, "Don't keep me waiting too long." She chimed before diving from the boat into the water and seemingly swam as if she was one with the water itself.

Shadow looked back to even wider and confused stares and an angry heated face of Rouge glaring bullet holes through his head, while Silver had the indescribable look of sick depressive betrayal to his face.

"It's complicated to explain." He finally answered back with a shrug.

"I feel it." Silver said almost in a whisper, "It beckons to the soul, and anticipates the unknown future."

"There, good enough explanation to me." Shadow shrugged, "So can this boat go any faster or are we just going to float around here all day?"

"Oh eh no sir sorry, but this is as far as I go near the thingy in ther'! Told'jya I'd take ya close but this is as far as I'mma willin to go."
"So be it then." Shadow pulled out his chaos emerald, "Silver make sure everyone else makes it in unharmed, we'll meet up inside." He ordered before he disappeared in his chaos control.

"Wait for me!" Charmy squealed buzzing out of his seat taking lead in the cave.

"Charmy!" Espio jumped up with natural reflexes but was only fast enough to grab his shoe, yet the little bee filled with excitement picked him up during flight dangling him in the air as he reached the end of the boat, "Charmy wait!" He called again being lifted out and now held on to the legs of the child beginning to turn pale, "You're crazy! Vector hurry up and help me with this brat!"

Vector smiled the growing tension between this new cat and Rouge, and bothe the female's' relationship with the hedgehog seemed odd and to give things an uneasy shift, plus the discomfort it made Silver feel, but his little team of goof-balls were always just that, and they looked like they were showing no signs of changing.

"Well Silver I'll be waitin for ya." He looked over to the grey hedgie beside him still wearing a heavy frown only to have it lift quickly in an attempt to hide his feelings. He stood up and dove in under the water and, as a crocodile was a naturally good swimmer and he emerged on the other side of the cave meeting his group that were now in an argument amongst themselves.

"Well sweetie that just leaves you and me." Rouge said through an exhale. Silver perked up only seeing her talking to the robot Omega.

"How's that big fella gon' get to the other side?" The captain asked.

"We carry him..." She answered, "They don't call us 'super' hereos for nothing darling." She smirked and flapped her wings gliding over the robot and grabbing his handles pulling him with ease over the water to the other side.

The captain now looked at Silver clenching his fists and watching his feet before without another word he stood with his shiny teal aura around him and simply walked across the water leaving the Captain in sparkling amazement.

--

"Well took you long enough." Midnight purred as Shadow appeared next to her.

"Sorry." He answered and began looking around for the scepter.

"In a rush for something?" She smiled watching him.

"Yes actually. We're on a mission and I tend to stay on track, remember?" He reminded as their first missions together took mere seconds to complete when paired together.

"Like a machine..." She said dropping a mental bomb in his head causing his quills to spike and he froze.

"What did you say...?"

"Oh I mean, your one track mind while playing fetch for the commander. All systems are programed on a target and can't be overwritten--"

"DON'T compare ME to a machine." He hissed angrily, "I can think for myself and no one has programmed me to do anything! I've got free will just like any other person, I just prefer to have my jobs done promptly so I can have time for other things."

"Other things? Like what, when was the last time you and your wife had any time together?"

"That's getting really personal, and I feel it's the inappropriate time to be talking about the topic."

"Aw, Shadow doesn't let anyone through his main frame, he's got one strong firewall." She teased.

"Hilarious." He growled without a smile.

"Maria...?" She hummed softly, "That seemed to be a password for everything of yours back in the day, do you remember?"

"What are you doing?" He finally turned giving up his search and put his full attention to her. Her curved hips swayed in the dim lighting coming closer until their face inches apart.

"Prying you open to get to your soft gooey insides. This 'too cool' for anyone, 'I can't have any fun' attitude you flaunt about. Come on Shadow we've been working together for maybe only a few weeks but we've been through a lot don't you think?? You aren't the cold hearted hedgehog you try to make everyone think you are. You asked about my bruises and scratches from Mephiles, genuinely concerned."

"Sure whatever I think I see your point, but this is really a bad time to talk about stuff like this getting to know each other better and all, maybe after work over coffee, or dinner." He shrugged feeling his heart jolt in his chest and he felt somewhat dazed. Did he really say the words that came from his mouth, and that easily?

"Dinner sounds nice." Midnight smiled widely twitching her tail excitedly, "It's a date then!" She leaned in hovering her lips above Shadow's before both their ears twitched to the loud sound of the child Charmy and they quickly separated themselves distantly and resumed to act as natural as possible.