Had they really been at it for ten minutes now? Who the hell even cares, Shadow thought to himself as he dodged yet another one of Rouge's signature screw-kicks. Anger distorted time significantly, about as much as a Chaos Emerald distorted time and space. Who to know better than him? At that point in this little skirmish, it didn't matter how long the jet-black, blood-red-streaked hedgehog been fighting with this beautiful, but still quite stubborn, bat-girl. Whether it had been for ten seconds or even ten hours, it was still her fault this petty altercation existed to begin with.

He locked his eyes on his target, curled himself up, and zoomed her way. When he uncurled and landed on the ground, he heard a crash coming from a wall about fifteen feet away. "Hmph. And you had the nerve to call me clumsy," he sneered scornfully. "Might I suggest to you who the situation befits better?" He ran toward her with his fist raised, only to be met with an iron boot sole to his chest. He too eventually made contact with a wall on the other side of where Rouge was standing. He grunted as he got back on his feet; there were moments where he forgot that this bat, this alluring, mysterious girl with glowing skin and flirty aqua eyes, was just as powerful a force to be reckoned with as he was, especially when angry.

"Considering you were the one who tripped, I'd say you!" Rouge, now with a fat lip added to her list of injuries from the fight, darted at Shadow with the full force of a torpedo, but his fist made contact with her stomach and she abruptly dropped to the floor. She felt a gust of wind blow past her as she attempted to stand up. However, thanks to her lack of air, she staggered back down. Damn it, she thought. If he plays it this tough, he's gonna force all the air out of my system.

"That was all your doing, bat-girl," Shadow replied. His blood-red eyes were narrowed now, almost glowing with fury. "If you just mentioned the name--"

"Of my client?" Rouge somehow gathered enough strength to sweep her leg hard enough to kick him in the shins and knock him down. "I don't think so. " He curled up for yet another homing attack, but barely missed; she was back up in the air flying away while he crashed back into the wall.

"Why, you... " Shadow saw her about to fly up toward a broken window. The sunlight made her white hair cast an iridescent glow. But that was the last thing on his mind. Right now, he concentrated on nothing but his growing anger. "DAMMIT!" He focused on his target and homed in. "COME BACK HERE!" He felt himself make contact. A grunt of pain somehow escaped from Rouge's mouth, but his anger clouded his hearing. "Come here and face me...." he snarled.

Rouge definitely felt finished at this point. After being kicked, punched, and shoved around for fifteen minutes now, the physical pain started taking its toll on her. She felt blood dripping down her shoulder and staining her glove. Her jumpsuit was ripped at the legs and at her back. She even spotted numerous scuff marks on her boots.

But she was an agent for G.U.N. And agents like them, she learned, didn't back down easily from fights like these.

"Oh, so you wanna fight dirty now, do ya?" She was back up in no time at all. "Bring it on." she hissed. "Fight me like a man. It'll be the last thing you'll ever frickin' do."

"You dare question my power, bat-girl?" Shadow was infuriated now. "So be it." He eyes flashed with anger as he grabbed the green Emerald he dropped before the fight began. "CHAOS--"

He was cut off by a screw-kick to the face. If his face were ever to show a black eye (assuming his status as the ultimate life form wasn't the case), then it would have emerged immediately. When his eyes were fully able to register his surroundings, the first thing he spotted was his snow-white adversary flying away with the Emerald in her left hand. She turned to face him. "Not gonna happen, mister." She shook her head.

Something whizzed past her faster than she could blink. Sure enough, Shadow had taken the Emerald right out of her grasp. He knew her well enough to know that her left hand was far weaker than her right. Before Rouge could even register what just happened, he charged her way and pinned her against the wall. Her head made contact and she teetered face down to the ground. It took all of her willpower to keep her eyes from watering, blinking rapidly and trying to keep whatever ragged breathing of hers together.

But when she opened her eyes, she saw Shadow on his knees next to her, breathing just as hard and trying to regain whatever composure he had lost. She gaped helplessly at the sight before her; because he had a faster recovery rate than she, Rouge would be finished in no time at all, so when Shadow got back up, she closed her eyes and braced herself for the worst.

The Emerald was in his right hand now, so his dominant hand (his left) could dish out a more potent Chaos Spear, but just as he faced his target and his fingers crackled with Chaos Energy, he witnessed just how serious Rouge's injuries were. He saw the cuts, the blood, the bruises. A black eye was now forming over her left eyelid, and her normally white hair now looked duller with all the scuff marks and dirt in it.

I suppose this really does make her the clumsy one, Shadow mused to himself, but after seeing her not even making an effort to stand up, his thoughts pondered on the now twenty minutes before the fight. She hadn't done anything to instigate it; he did. And now his friend, his partner, his ally, was on the ground before him, nearly severely injured, because of him. It was the last thing he wanted to ever happen to her. Him being the reason only exacerbated it further. What he had to do now was make it all up in some form.

Rouge's eyes opened. The pair of aqua-blue eyes he'd come to secretly admire had lost their familiar sparkle. She tried standing up again, but only staggered back down. She couldn't even bring herself back on her knees; she was that hurt. "Do your worst," she muttered, casting her eyes down and closing them again.

But this time, she felt no shove or kick or punch anywhere. Instead, she felt Shadow lifting her back up to her knees. Opening her eyes once more, she looked to his and no longer saw the narrow death stare of relentlessness heading her way, but a look of concern, instead. "What are you--"

He raised a finger to her lips. Obediently, she stopped talking. He took the Emerald from the floor and raised his free hand to her face. His eyes slowly closed and, concentrating as hard as he could, let all the Chaos Energy flow from the Emerald to Rouge. Without thinking, he let his thumb caress her bruised cheek carefully. Under his touch, her skin grew warmer. He opened his eyes halfway and saw her glowing a faint red. Her hair was a brighter white now and all of the cuts and bruises were disappearing.

Shadow's eyes widened; she was recovering at a remarkably fast rate. Even the fat lip she developed halfway through their little altercation was no longer swollen. He moved his head nearer to Rouge for a closer look. Out of nowhere, now that they were this close, he suddenly felt a powerful urge to try something. He leaned in closer and let his eyes close again slowly as he let their noses touch, then their foreheads, and finally pressed his lips to hers in a strong but gentle kiss.

What?! Rouge eyes widened as she attempted to keep her composure throughout, but not all of it was enough to keep from drawing in a sharp gasp at Shadow's impulsive gesture. As if he could read her mind, he moved his hand on her cheek to stroke her hair gently, letting her know that this was the same Shadow as before the fight, the one who cared very deeply about her well-being. He let his other arm gently wrap around her waist, pulling her closer. Rouge, feeling much more secure, slowly let her arms circle his neck and kissed him back.

Somehow Shadow gained the courage to deepen the kiss, tilting his head at an angle, dropping the Emerald and running his fingers through Rouge's hair. She complied and wrapped her arms around him even more. Eventually, they were backed up against the wall, using it to get back up to their feet, still kissing. They didn't let up until two minutes later when their lungs demanded more air. Neither of the two wanted it to end, but they broke apart reluctantly, their eyes opening slowly.

For a moment, it felt as though time stopped through the effects of Chaos Control. Perhaps it did; they spent what felt like an eternity just staring into each other's eyes, their foreheads and noses still touching. Neither of them said a word. They never needed to, anyway. There were always moments between them where they could easily communicate solely by looking into each other's eyes. This time, not even communication was a factor here, but admiration. Shadow noticed she stopped glowing, but the sparkle in Rouge's always-beautiful eyes returned, and Rouge found the strength ebb back into Shadow's red irises.

He couldn't think. He could only do. The only coherent thought that ran through his mind at the moment was her name. "Rouge..."  He ran his fingers through her hair and dipped his head down, brushing his lips against her neck. After he worked his way back up he once again gazed into her eyes. This needed to be the last time they ever fought. For the rest of the time being, he would protect her at all costs, just like before. As long as he was around, his ally was safe.

Rouge looked up into his eyes. "So...about that whole 'clumsy' bit..." she began, but she was silenced by his lips against hers once more. Whether he wanted to shut her up or just plain kiss her again, she had no idea, but without any other fully-functioning thoughts in her brain, she gave in.

It was a quick kiss that ended as suddenly as he instigated it. "Leave it," he replied to her. He picked up the Emerald from the ground and circled his free arm around her waist. "We'd best be pushing on."

"You're not even going to ask about the client?" Rouge asked him tentatively. "You were so curious about it a few minutes ago."

He stared into her eyes again. He knew well it would take him ages to not get lost in those alluring pools of ocean-blue.

"I don't give a damn about that anymore." He looked at all the damage around him. "Chaos Control!" They warped away. All that was left was the damaged walls around them. Nobody would ever have guessed that in only the span of a mere half-hour, all that occurred there was because of one little word: clumsy.