Hybrid

Prologue

A/N: That's right, another "kids-of-the-sonic-characters" fic. By the way, Noir is French for black, like Rouge is French for red. Just wanted to bring that up.

Rain pelted the city streets in the moonlight. Two figures stood side by side, walking slowly along the road. One hedgehog and one bat.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Rouge?" the hedgehog asked quietly.

Rouge gazed at the child she held in her arms. Her eyes lingered over its black quills, and the pale red streak that ran down them. Its wings, tucked against the child's back. Their son.

"Shadow," she murmured. "I don't know. It's what's best."

Shadow nodded solemnly. He knew the kid would grow up like him: unaware of his past. He never would meet him, or Rouge.

I never meant it to be this way, he thought.

"This is the house," Rouge finally said.

"Yeah," he agreed with a sigh. "This is the house."

Rouge gazed at the child one more time, giving it a quick kiss on the forehead before handing the bundle to Shadow.

"Goodbye..." he whispered. "...Noir." Then he placed the sleeping child on the house's front porch and rang the bell before darting into an alley with Rouge.