Life Among Friends... [Closed for now.]

A dodger blue wolf gave a long yawn as she crawled out of bed and walked into the kitchen. Her bedroom wasn't all that impressive... It was just a blue room with a walk-in closet and a small bed that had white and blue sheets. Her kitchen was the same... It was a small tan room with a pantry just next to the silver fridge, a small sink with a window above it, a stove, a small 4-slot toaster, and a microwave just to the upper-right of the sink... The wolf scratched her ear lazily as she walked into the kitchen and... was something burning? The wolf quickly opened her eyes and spotted a black wolf over by the stove burning what looked sorta like eggs. "Hi, Ru!" He said happily before coughing and taking the eggs off the stove. "I uh... tried to make you breakfast and... I burned it... like I always do..." The wolf sighed and dumped it in the trash. Ru chuckled and walked over to Mike. "And that's probably why you work for minimum wage at Burger King... But what I'm really wondering though is how you got in..." "Hotel manager..."

[Ru: 129... I'm starting to lose count a bit...] [Mike: 4. OMG.]

A small snort escaped Ru's nose. "The hotel manager?" She questioned, raising the edge of her eye at the black wolf. She then let her eye-edge relax and glared amusedly at Michael. "Don't tell me you beat him up or scared him..." Mike rolled his eyes at this comment. Why did this comment appear so often? "Ru, just because I put on a tough appearance doesn't really mean I am.... Besides, you do the same." Ru chuckled and moved closer to the black wolf. "Of course..."

"So how'd you get the key?" She added after a few seconds of silence. A nervous expression plastered itself on Mike's face as he began to rub the back of his head nervously. "I... sorta freaked him out..." "Mike!" Ru snapped, punching the wolf teasingly in the arm. "It was an accident!" Mike protested, taking a step back and using the spatula in his hand as a mean of defense. "What would you do if you saw a four-foot wolf with three scars running across his left eye glaring at you?!" "...Good point..."

[Ru: 130--Level Up!] [Mike: 5--Level Up!]

"So how'd you get here anyways? With your inexperience with Chaos Control, and the fact that your motorcycle is totaled, and for the fact that you can't even afford tickets for either planes or trains! What did you do; walk here?!" Ru questioned- rather a bit loudly- as she threw her hands into the air. Mike laughed nervously. "Ye-yeah... I walked.." Ru sighed and shook her head. "You walked... just to visit me..." The wolf then stopped and looked up at the black wolf as she put her hands on her hips. "You know, most girlfriends would probably call that stupid... I find it cute..." The wolf then gave a small snort as she drew her head back away from Mike's face and crossed her arms again. "So why are you at my house at about eight in the morning?" "What? A guy just can't walk all this way to visit his girlfriend and cook her breakfast when he finds she's still asleep? That's cold, Ru." Mike said, leaning in on Ru's face with a serious expression plastered on his face. Ru chuckled and pushed Mike's face away from her. "Okay, I'll stop with the questions... But I'm fixing breakfast now, okay?" "Gladly."

[Ru: 131.] [Mike: 6]

[Shortly after breakfast...]

[Outside....]

"So where are we going, Ru?" Mike curiously questioned as Ru angrily pushed the walk button. "Blasted thing must be broken..." She muttered angrily as she watched it fizzle, spark, and fail. She then turned back to Mike. "Well, I've always been telling Ace and the others about you. And since you're here, I get to introduce them to you!" She yelled happily before turning to the button. "Now if only the &*&#@* thing would work..." "Maybe it would work if you stopped jamming your finger into it?" Mike questioned as he looked over at the button. "It's because it's stuck...." Ru growled, still continuing to jam her finger on the walk button. After a few pushes the wolf let out a very aggravated snarl. "Oh to heck with this! Come on, Mike!" Ru yelled, grabbing Mike's wrist and walking away from the busy street. Shortly after they left, the button finally worked... Then exploded a few minutes afterwards...

[Ru: 132] [Mike: 7]

[Later...]

"Ru!" A black and white husky yelled as he ran over with a silver hedgehog- who strangely had a wolf's tail instead of a hedgehog's- following him. "It's good to see you again, Ru!" Ace happily said as he stood in front of Ru and wagged his tail. Arian calmly approached the wolf and stopped just by Ace's side. "We haven't seen you for a while... Still can't keep away from Emerald Town?" Arian questioned, still very calmly. Ru let out a small sigh. "Nope..." Arian gave a small nod then turned his attention to Mike. "And who's this?" "Oh! That's Mike!" Ru yelled, turning around to face Mike. He walked closer to Ru's side. "Hello." "So this is the Michael you've been talking about so much..." Ace murmured as he looked the wolf who was slightly a bit bigger then him up and down. Arian did the same. "I see he's got that tough appearance you've been telling us so much about.." Arian mused. Mike smirked and crossed his arms. "Yep. That's tough guy, Mike for you and- ow!" Mike yelped as Ru suddenly elbowed him in the arm. She then smiled at him and rubbed her head against his face. Ace blinked confusedly then looked at Arian who was staring at the three scars that ran across Mike's left eye. "I believe those are the scars he got from attacking you?" He mused accidentally out loud. "Hey, it was because of-" "Calm down, Mike!" Ru snapped. Immediately the wolf gave a groan and backed out of Arian's face. "It's a bit of a touchy subject, Silver." "It's fine and- FOR THE LAST TIME, I AM NOT SILVER THE HEDGEHOG!!!!!" "But you're silver..." Ru whined as she put on a fake sad appearance. "And a hedgehog." Mike added. "Anybody could possibly mistake you for- AAH! PUT ME DOWN!!!" He yelped as he was suddenly picked up by Arian's telekinesis. Ru sighed and smacked her face. This wasn't going too well...

[Ru: 133] [Mike: 8] [Ace and Arian: 1]

"Arian!" Both Ru and Ace snapped at the same time. "Put him down!" Arian sighed and put down the black wolf. Immediately Ru ran over and hugged him. "Are you okay, Mike?" "I'm a little nauseous... But that was kind of fun!" Mike replied happily. Ru groaned and rolled her eyes. "Michael..." She then got to her feet and helped the wolf up. "Hey Ru, can I ask you something?" Ace questioned, approaching the blue wolf. She turned to face him. "Yeah, Ace?" "My sister's missing again... I think she may of went to visit Ollie at Eaglegate... Can you help me find her?" "What?!- Why?! Bad things happen when she's around!" Ru yelped.

"Okay... I know she's a little crazy, and that a hobo lives in her backpack... But seriously. She's been gone for more then a week now." Ace whined. Hopefully she's dead... Ru thought before sighing. "Okay I'll help you find her... But if only Arian comes with me! I need someone to keep her from smacking me with a Shadow the Hedgehog doll*..." "Yeah... Sorry about that..." Ace murmured sadly. "Actually, I need Arian to come with me in case she's on top of a building again or something..." "Oh, okay." Ru replied simply. "Well, good luck and thanks for helping me, Ru!" Ace said before running off with Arian trailing after him. Mike scratched his head in confusion before turning to Ru. "Who's his sister?" "A feline/canine hybrid named Lauren... She's his adopted sister... And believe me, meeting Mephiles is better then meeting her...."

((Occ: *In a part of Ru's story, when she first meets my fursona she/I smacked Ru with a Shadow the Hedgehog doll. Who I must add is my favorite character out of the Sonic the Hedgehog series... <3))

[Ru: 134] [Mike: 9] [Ace and Arian: 2]

[Much later....]

"HOW HARD IS IT TO FIND A STUPID KID?!?!?!" Ru yelled loudly after she threw a building she had recently picked up to look under. "Maybe if you stopped destroying the city..." Mike started, unfortunately Ru still continued to act crazy. "She's a wily one, Mike... Laura or whatever her name is has powers that could probably even rival a lower ranking deity... And she loves tormenting me... Maybe she's the reason why I'm still alive! I gotta get hit by a car!" Ru yelped before attempting to run into a busy street. Fortunately Mike caught her. "Ru, have you been taking that medication again?" He questioned as he held the blue wolf up off the ground. She looked at him, then looked around suspiciously. "Maaaaaybeeee..." "Hand it over." He growled, holding out his other hand. Ru sighed and put the bottle in his hand, then waited to be set down. "You've got to stop taking that stuff!" He snapped as he set her down. Ru whined and turned around. "But it tastes like cherry cola!" "I don't care what it tastes like!" Mike snapped, causing Ru to flinch slightly. "And I don't care if it makes you feel better! You've got to stop taking it and that's final!" "Yes, sir..." Ru whined before looking at the road. "And stop trying to commit suicide." "Aw..."

((Hm... Seems I've accidentally made these two out of character... Ah, who cares?))

[Ru: 135--Level Up.] [Mike: 10--Level Up.]

The blue wolf then let out a heavy sigh and plopped down to the ground. "I'm depressed..." "That's because you've been taking medication for something you don't need..." Mike murmured with a slight growl. Ru sighed and got up. "I know... I have problems..." Mike sighed and continued down the alley. "Let's just forget about it..." "Hey, Mike!" Ru yelled after he was at least about 5 feet ahead of her. "I found a hobo!" "Leave it alone, Ru!" Mike snapped, turning around to face Ru. Ru let out a small whine and poked it. "But it's squishy..." "Leave it..."

[Ru: 136] [Mike: 11]

[Much later... AGAIN.]

"Find her yet?" Mike questioned as he watched Ru suddenly fall asleep on a trash can. The wolf let out a small groan as she woke up. "No..." She groaned before pulling her upper torso out of the can. "Gah, why am I so tired?" "Cause we walked around all day looking for Ace's sister? I'm wondering where she could've gone..." "She's a bright but insane kid, Mike... She's probably with Robotnik helping him with his plans of world domination." Ru murmured as she opened the lid to another trash can. Unfortunately for her, there was a raccoon inside that she just so rudely woke up. It lept up at her and began to maul her face. "AAH!!! GET IT OFF ME!!!" Mike turned around and smacked the raccoon away from her. The raccoon shook it's head and let out a hiss at Mike before leaving. "Are you okay Ru?"

"I think..." The wolf murmured, rubbing one side of her face with her hand. She then pulled it away and looked at it as she continued. "I've not no bite marks... Only a few scratches... And it poked my eye so that's sore now... But, yeah, I think I'm good." The wolf then clenched her fist and looked up at the black wolf who was smiling at her. "I'm glad your slight indestructibility outweighs your bad luck..." He said before walking over to a phone and dialing it. "Yeah, otherwise I would be dead by now...." Ru mused before noticing Mike. "Hey, who are you calling?" "Eaglegate... They might as well help since we're turning up with no luck... Do you have a quarter handy?" "No. And why Eaglegate? You know I hate the blasted heroes!" Ru protested. Mike sighed and hung up. "You've always will have something against Shade won't you?" "Hello! He helped ruined my life! I know the guy doesn't like me hanging around... And I know I'm stupid to think he's a friend of mine... He just wants nothing to with me..."

[Mike: 12] [Ru: 137]

The wolf then gave another sigh and pulled a bagel out of her pocket. "Aah, comfort food..." She mused quietly as she stuffed it in her mouth. Mike blinked confusedly at her. "Where did you get that...?" He questioned. "Bakery..." Ru explained through a muffled mouth. She then swallowed the bread whole and exhaled sharply. "Do you think someone kidnapped her? I know this coyote named Ruko who absolutely has no problem with it." "Or maybe she's right here?" Ru and Mike confusedly looked over to a shadowy figure who seemed have a fanned mohawk made out of quills, had green eyes that barely glowed in the darkness, & was wearing a jacket. Next to him a smaller creature with a big poofy tail, bright green eyes which glowed in the dark, giant ears that were at least smaller then a bat's, and long hair. Ru blinked confusedly. "I think I know that voice.... SAVAGE! YOU TURNED YOURSELF INTO A PORCUPINE TO FOOL ME DIDN'T YOU?!" Ru snapped, taking a step forward and pointing her finger at the larger anthro. The anthro blinked. "What? Ru, no, it's me, Jeriko! From Eaglegate?" He explained. The wolf let out a small growl. "Liar!" She snapped, slamming her foot even harder onto the pavement. Mike sighed. "Ru, calm down..." He said putting his arm in front of her to keep her back. The anthro stepped out of the shadows and revealed to really be Jeriko the Porcupine. "I do not lie..." "How could you mistake him for Savage? Savage is even more hotheaded then you! Besides, he isn't as cute as Jer-bear here..." The smaller anthro protested as she followed Jeriko out of the shadows. It was actually Lauren! How grand...

[Ru: 138] [Mike: 13] [Lauren: 1] [Jeriko: 19]

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!!!! AND I AM NOT CUTE EITHER!!!" A frustrated Jeriko screamed. Ru's ears flinched as Jeriko screamed into the heavens. Meanwhile Mike walked over to the Wolf/Cougar hybrid. "So you're Lauren, huh? Ru sure put up a lot of fuss over such a cute kid..." The black wolf then gave Ru a glare. "I'm telling you, she's pure, unfortunately cute, evil!" "I am not!" Lauren retorted. "I'm just insane... And I can bend time and space... By the way, it's nice to meet you, Michael." Lauren said as she flashed a smile towards the black wolf. Mike blinked, then lowered his gaze at the hybrid. "How the heck do you know my name?"

"I know! She got me with that too!" Jeriko added. "She's kinda a psychic too..." "Well, maybe you're not going crazy after all... But I doubt she's evil..." "She set Blur on fire..." Jeriko hissed. Mike blinked. "Who?" "OH THANK SOLARIS!!!!" Ru cheered. "You set Blur on fire? Man! This is the best news I've ever heard in my life! Well... Maybe I'm just exaggerating too much and-" The wolf stopped once she noticed Jeriko glaring at her. "What?!" "That's my teammate you're talking about..." Jeriko hissed. Ru let out a small growl. "Oh? And what are you gonna do about it?" "This." Lauren replied before Jeriko could. Suddenly Ru started to glow a bright glow and started to float above the ground. "What the heck?! How can you pick me up with telekinesis? I'm immune to the Solaris-*&*#$@ thing!" "Time and Space bending..."

[Ru: 139] [Jeriko: 20--Level Up!] [Lauren:2. TT_TT ] [Mike: 14]

"Ack!" Jeriko yelled with surprise. "Put her down!" Mike roared. Lauren just chuckled evilly before going into a maniacal, evil laugh. "I TOLD YOU SHE'S EVIL!!!" Ru yelled before she was suddenly thrown into a wall. "Ru!" Mike yelled before running over to Ru. Lauren chuckled evilly before pulling a banana out of her pocket. "Hm... Now that's good stuff..." She said through a mouthful of banana before shoving it in Jeriko's face. "Want some?" The porcupine put his hands up in defense as he took a step back. "No thanks, I'm uh... allergic to bananas..." "NO YOU AREN'T!!!" Lauren yelled before pulling out a durian out of her pocket and throwing it at Jeriko's head. Immediately the durian got stuck, but fortunately, other then that, Jeriko wasn't harmed... Much. "Ow! What the heck is this thing?!" He protested before trying to pull it off. "Alien brain probe." Lauren lied as a sly smile spread across her face. Jeriko let out a very girlish scream before he frantically tried to pull the durian off him. "GETITOFF-GETITOFF-GETITOFF-" "Relax, Jer." Ru started as Mike helped her limp back to the two. The wolf then shifted off Mike and approached Lauren and Jeriko. "It's a durian. You can tell by it's thorny husk and odor." Ru explained. "I got arrested for entering the White House's lawn with a durian. Apparently it was a evil plan to get rid of me by Samson. *#@$& humans... Every last *#@& one of them..." "Hey, there's someone who's too young to swear present!" Lauren protested. "Deal with it, kid." "Oh jeez. You really are a-" "I'm gonna cut you of right there..." Jeriko started, slapping a hand over Lauren's mouth. He then looked up at the enormous fruit stuck in his skull. "Now can someone please get this thing out of my head? I think I'm starting to bleed." "Ooh~ Food~" Lauren groaned from the inside of Jeriko's hand. She then started to make grabby motions at the fruit. "That kid needs to go to a mental institute..."

[Lauren: 3] [Mike: 15--Level up.] [Jeriko: 21] [Ru: 149]

"Here, I'll handle her..." Ru growled as she picked Lauren up and- chucked her away. "Ru!" Both Mike and Jeriko managed to scream. Ru turned around and looked at them sourly. "What?" "That was just a kid!" Jeriko snapped. "Sure she's psycho but still!" Mike added. Jeriko then backed up a bit as he gave Ru a fearful look. "I'm surprised Shade even allows you and Ozzy to be within a mile radius of each other!" The wolf sighed. "Well, Mike? You wanna tell him how much of a destructive weapon I am? He should know... I'm gonna see if the kid's all right." The wolf then walked off into the shadows. Mike and Jeriko looked after the girls before looking at each other. "Wait, you know she's from GUN?" "Yep. When I found out I tried to kill her; but we're over that now..." Mike murmured. "Should we walk and talk?" He questioned after a few seconds. "Just please pull this durian out of my head first..."

[Mike: 16] [Ru: 150--Level up and oh my Zaire... One-hundred and fifty posts...] [Jeriko: 22] [Lauren/Me: 4]

Suddenly out of the darkness came a flying boot. With it's blinding speed, it hit the durian right out of Jeriko's skull. With, a bit of pain at least. "OW!" The porcupine yelled, curling into a ball as if he was trying to avoid another boot. Ru limped out of the darkness with another boot in hand. "You're welcome..." "Lady! That! Hurt!" Jeriko yelled from inside his spiny ball. Ru dropped the boot and snarled. "And this is why I don't try to do heroics!" She snapped before giving another growl at the porcupine. She then walked over to Mike. "I'm gonna take Lauren home then turn in. My door will be open for you by the way..." Ru murmured before walking back into the shadows. Mike blinked. "Sometimes her Umbrakinesis really freaks me out..."

[Ru: 151] [Mike: 17] [Jeriko: 23]

Jeriko watched as Ru left, then looked at Mike dumbfoundedly. "She has Umbrakinesis? That must mean she's a darkness element." "Yep." Mike replied simply. "She's a lot more active at night then at daytime too. I guess you can thank her old darkside for her... That is, if you follow the shadows..." Mike then turned to walk away. Jeriko stared after the wolf confusedly. "What the heck are you talking about?!" "I... wish I knew..." Mike replied. Jeriko ran over to him then began to walk next to him. "So what is Umbrakinesis anyways? I know it has something to do with shadows..." "Well, Umbrakinesis is the ability to emit and control the darkness and shadows. Basically, the user is granted with the ability to merge with the shadows. One can also change their physical body into shadow, giving oneself a Phasing ability. With precise control, one can merge with the shadows and perform a form of transportation. The only limitation to this is that one can only be transported to another location in the reach of the shadow they are merged with. At least that's what I know." Mike explained. "Huh, I guess that explains Ru's sudden appearances at night... Or it could just be Chaos Control..." Jeriko mused. "It also explains her personality, somewhat." Mike chuckled at Jeriko's mumblings. "I don't think Ru's darkness elemental ha anything to do with her personality. She was made that way." "You mean GUN also created her to be annoying too? Oh great-" "No." Mike interrupted. "I heard from Samson that Ru didn't come out how GUN wanted her to be. Although I don't know the whole reason why- other than she was female and a kid at the time of creation- Ru was titled failed. But since they wasted a lot of time and money on her, they thought she might be of some use to them... So they attempted to train her to become what she was supposed to be. Unfortunately she didn't remember any of her programed training, so they had to do it manually. Sadly, Ru failed that too..." Mike sighed and shook his head. "She always failed..."

[Mike: 18] [Jeriko: 24]

Jeriko curiously turned his head as he watched Mike sigh and shake his head. "They've tried everything; brainwashing, starving, they tried everything to either kill her or break her spirit, but Ru was just too powerful- or failed as they said- for them. It probably doesn't seem like much torture, but Ru's a complex wolf. She didn't just go through physical pain, she went through emotional too..." Mike sighed and shook his head again. "One of the major causes she's like this is shown in her aggression towards, Shade..." "My boss?" Jeriko questioned. Mike looked at Jeriko with surprise. "You work for Eaglegate?" Jeriko nodded. "Huh... That explains the 'teammate' thing..."

"So what with Ru and Shade anyways?" Jeriko questioned after a few seconds. Mike sighed and looked up at the sky. "Oh, Ru's just steamed at Shade for ditching her when she was little... Since GUN couldn't find a use for her, they sent her to UNION's space station thing for two years until they could figure something out... She said she was pretty cold-hearted at first, but this one human girl really treated her nicely- different from what the humans at GUN and Central City did... Soon she started to feel lonely and she started to look for someone who was more like herself- "You mean a fellow experiment?" Jeriko questioned. Mike nodded. "Since the girl, Nicole I think it was, was a human, Ru couldn't fully call her a 'friend'; but she still saw her as a close companion. So she just simply tried to make friends with Shade. Unfortunately she didn't know how to make friends, so she just followed him and his friend for about a year. Eventually she got tired of their ditching and she started to pick on Shade... And I don't mean in the 'older sister' way. Eventually Ru's frustration at the hedgehog turned into pure anger- via Nightmare of course- and she often tried to kill him. Since then she tried to get revenge on the hedgehog. Now she finally remembers clearly what happened and is trying to avoid the hedgehog- but she just can't stay away..."

"Why?" Jeriko questioned as he started to fix one of the few rings on his quills. "She's been trying to apologize for a while, but she's been having little-to-no success..." "Why?" "Because of all those years of hating him, it's now become an instinct to hate him whenever she sees him. Really she wants to apologize to him- face-to-face..." Mike then gave another long sigh and put his hands behind his head. "I really wish she'd just apologize to him... She swears that as soon as she can apologize to him, she'll stay away from Shade... Possibly forever... -She knows he doesn't want her around..." Mike then turned to the porcupine as he started to speak. "So her aggressive behavior towards Shade has just become instinct?" "Pretty much..." Mike then let out a small chuckle. "I know, a lot of fuss over something stupid the two did as kids... But Ru was the innocent one when this all started... Both I and Azure believe that..."

[Mike: 19] [Jeriko: 25--Level Up.]

"Who's Azure?" Jeriko questioned. Mike looked at Jeriko. "Oh, you've never been to GUN. Azure was one of Ru's caretakers when she was little..." "What happened to her?" Jeriko questioned. Mike shook his head, sighed, and let his arms drop to his side. "Nobody knows... Some of Azure's friends believe it was Samson's fault... Others believe it was Ru's fault; since she hasn't been seen since Ru was 16..." Jeriko curiously scratched his head. "Wow, you know a lot about Ru's history..." "I'm the only one who bothers to know. Besides, I'm her boyfriend." Jeriko's heart skipped a beat. "Whoa-whoa-wait. -You're actually 'together'? With her?" "Yeah. Is there a problem with that?" Mike lowered his eyes at the porcupine. "N-no. I just... kinda thought that she wasn't looking... and that you were just a friend..." "I'm a friend to her; I'll give you that. But our relationship isn't just because we were in love when we were younger; but because we both understood each other. I perfectly understood Ru's whole personality and design, so I learned how to not get on her bad side. -Unlike most people... And because of that, Ru had a close connection to me because she knew I understood her. -Something most people failed to do." Mike explained. Jeriko nodded. "Huh, so, Ru's just what she is because of a misunderstanding?" "'So misunderstood are the creations of man' is what I always say. Or maybe it's just because it applies to Ru best..."

[Jeriko: 26] [Ru Expert, Michael: 20--Level up.]

[Later...]

"Well, it was nice speaking to you, Jeriko." Mike said as he and Jeriko shook hands. "Same here, Mike. I learned a lot about Ru and now I think I can help the members of Eaglegate stay on her good side as well!" "Just don't tell a lot of people about it..." Mike added. "She's a bit paranoid..." "I won't." The black wolf then gave a nod towards the porcupine as they took back their hands and walked inside as Jeriko left. As soon as he was inside he was greeted by an asleep and snoring Ru. Mike chuckled and picked the tired wolf up, then took her to her room.

[Later in the room...]

After Mike tucked Ru in, the wolf pulled up a seat next to the window and sat in it. It's kinda sad how Ru's personality effects a person's look on her... Samson thinks she's failed, the humans who know she's from GUN look at her with fear, and the members at Eaglegate think she's a destructive, emotionally unstable, experimental wolf... Mike let out another sigh and looked down at the cup in his hands as he played with it. I saw past what other people see... Why can't others? He then turned his attention back up at the sky. Maybe Jeriko's influence on the members of Eaglegate will help her... Besides, she's just like the rest of us. She's got feelings and emotions... We're all the same in some way, aren't we? A small smile spread itself across Mike's face. Yeah... He nodded slightly. He then set the cup on the table and went to the closet to pull a blanket and pillow out to lay on the couch...

[Ru: 155--Level Up!] [Mike: 21] [Jeriko: 27]

[The Next day...]

"AAH!!!" Mike yelled as something hot landed on his face. He fell to the floor in shock. Shortly after he fell, someone laughed. Angrily the wolf got up and glared at the person- or rather, wolf- who just burned his face with a hot pancake. "RU!!!" He yelled as his head started to steam like the pancake. "Calm down, Mike. I'm sorry, but you were sleeping like a log..." "You were the one who was the long when I got back..." He argued. A giant sweat drop ran down Ru's head. "Oh... That explains how I got back... Yeah, that Lauren girl really tired me out." Ru then gave another yawn, just in time for Mike to stick the floor pancake in her mouth. Ru gave an 'ew' groan, then spat it out. "Mi-" "Revenge..." He murmured in reply as a smirk swept across his face. He then walked into the kitchen. Ru sighed and followed after him. "Look, I said I was sorry, and I wanted you to wake up before the pancakes got cold!" "Hm... Cold hotcakes... strange..." Mike murmured as he fell asleep on the table. Ru sighed and smacked the spatula she was holding against her head. "I've really gotta get some friends who aren't guys..."

[Ru: 156] [Mike: 22]

"So where were you last night?" Ru questioned as she sat on the table next to Mike. "I was talking with Jeriko..." Mike murmured as he tiredly sipped his coffee. "Huh..." Ru murmured before looking at the coffee. "Is that coffee?" "Hey, I'm not designed to be a ball of energy like you are, Ru." Mike protested before falling asleep again. Ru blinked. "Apparently it doesn't work on you... Strange..." The wolf then got off the table and went to the window to think of a plan to wake Mike up.

Then it hit her. The wolf turned around, cleared her throat, then yelled in his ear. "MICHAEL WOLF, STOP SLEEPING ON THE JOB!!!" Immediately the black wolf woke up with a scream. "I'M SORRY SI-" By this time he noticed Ru smiling. The black wolf angrily narrowed his eyes. "I'm going to kill you, Rubina Ace Wolf..." The blue wolf laughed nervously, before trying to jump out the window. Unfortunately, she crashed into it. "Ow..." Ru groaned weakly. Michael stopped his glare, blinked, then rushed over to Ru. "Are you okay?" "I... think... Is my ceiling normally supposed to have Eggman on it?" Ru questioned. Mike raised the edge of his eye and looked up. After a short while he looked back down at Ru. "You still have that medication somewhere don't you?"

[Ru: 157] [Mike: 23]

The blue wolf giggled a bit drunkenly, then got to her feet. "Maybe I do~ Maybe I don't~ I'll never be a- *Hic* -swami.." Ru murmured before suddenly falling asleep on the floor. Mike sighed, then went to her bedroom to dig out the medication.

[Later...]

"Ru, I'm ashamed of you." Mike growled as he threw the bottle into a swear and turned to the blue wolf. Ru sighed and flattened her ears. "I am too Mike... But I don't have very good self-control; you know that..." Ru whined. Mike sighed and shook his head. "I know... But it's beyond me as to how you found the guy who sells that stuff again." "Oh, he was killed by the law or something last December or something... I just found his case near the Emerald Town jail." Ru replied simply before hiccuping. "Gah, I still have that stupid bubble..." Mike sighed and shook his head. "Of course you did... But seriously, Ru, can't you stop? You stopped two Christmases ago. What caused you to start again?" "Solace- *Hic* -Dover..." Ru growled bitterly before hiccuping again. "Ugh... I think these- *Hic* -hiccups are giving me heart failure or something... I need something to drink..." The wolf then looked around for some water stand before she was suddenly tackled to the ground by Mike. "AAH!!! *Hic* *Hic* What did you- *Hic* -do that- *Hic* -for?!" Ru yelped. Mike sighed and got off her. "Didn't work, huh?"

[Ru: 158] [Mike: 24]

"Ya think?!" Ru snapped, jumping to her feet. "Ru, what's wrong? You never snap at me like that..." Mike whined as he took a step back; she defiantly wasn't playing a game. Ru sighed. "I'm sorry, Mike... Maybe you should just leave..." Mike frowned at the blue wolf, then went over to hug her. "No way, I'm by you're side one-hundred percent, Ru; and nothing's gonna change that." "Yeah, that's what you said before you found out I was from GUN." The blue wolf growled slightly. "Hey, I was a stupid kid back then, we all were once." Mike protested, letting go of Ru and backing away. Ru rolled her eyes and walked past him. "Do you think Shade will believe me if I used that in a apology?" She questioned, suddenly changing the subject. Mike shrugged and followed her. "Maybe..." He murmured before noticing a tree in full bloom. Hm... I know that one flower always impresses girls... But I've always wondered what a tree in full bloom did... Mike then quickly looked over to Ru who was busy pushing a walk button angrily again, and ran over to the tree.

[Ru: 159] [Mike: 25--Level Up.]

Mike cautiously looked the tree up and down. It was a plum tree and it wasn't extremely big... It was just a little on the small side... But it still worked. The black wolf calmly approached the tree, then pulled it up and ran over to Ru.

"Hey Ru, I got something for you~" He said as he walked next to her side. The blue wolf looked at Mike, then up at the tree. "WHAT THE *&#$?!" The female wolf then gave Mike a look of surprise. "WHAT THE HECK, MAN?! PUT IT BACK BEFORE SOME PERSON COMES RUSHING AT YOU WITH A BROOM!!" Mike shrugged and threw the tree back into it's hole. He then turned back to Ru. "I'm sorry Ru, it's just I've always wondered how a female would react if you got them a blooming tree instead of just a flower." "Well now you know..." Ru gasped, holding her hand to her chest. "Solaris I think you scared me so much I died for a few seconds..." "I'm sorry..." Mike whined. Ru exhaled shakily and fakely smiled at the black wolf. "It's okay... I just didn't expect that..."

[Ru: 160--Level up.] [Mike: 26]

Ru and Mike then gave each other honest smiles before Ru was suddenly knocked over by a female cerulean hedgehog. "What the heck, lady?!" Mike snapped. The hedgehog looked at him over her sunglasses, down at the blue wolf. "I'm sorry, am I standing on somebody you knew?" She questioned, starting to squish Ru with her foot. "Ow! That is my frackin' tail!" Ru yelped. Immediately the hedgehog jumped off. "Oh, sorry. Guess I shouldn't board while it's windy out; got knocked right off my board. Also it seems I landed on your girlfriend here." The hedgehog then turned her head down towards Ru who was struggling to get off the ground. "*Cough* I think you knocked some of the air out of me..." Ru groaned before stumbling to her feet. Mike inched over to help her. "You okay?" "Yeah..." Ru murmured before turning to the hedgehog. "Okay, so who the heck are you?!" She angrily snapped. The hedgehog put her hands up in defense. "Whoa, calm down mutt." "I'M NOT A DOG!!!" Ru snapped in anger. Mike grabbed her by the arm to keep her back. "Relax, Ru!" He snapped at her. Ru stopped her growling and backed off. Mike cautiously took his hand off her arm and turned to the hedgehog.

"Sorry about that. Ru's a bit suspicious of new people and hates it when people call her 'a dog'. She's also a little suspicious about your species as well..." Mike murmured, looking the hedgehog up and down. Ru sighed and stepped forward again. "Answer my question; Who.. are.. you?" A small growl escaped her mouth. "Ru!" Mike snapped quietly. The hedgehog chuckled. "I'm Aellai; but you can call me 'A' if you want." "A, eh?" Ru questioned. Aellai nodded. "Well, I now deem you the person with the weirdest nickname in the world..." Ru snarled. "Ru, be nice." Mike whispered. "Is that a challenge, mutt?" Aellai taunted with a big over-confident grin on her face. "You're on, rat..." Ru growled back. "Fine, we'll aeroboard all the way to GUN base, then the center of the city..." The hedgehog said before whistling. Immediately her Aeroboard flew back to her. The hedgehog then jumped on hers and looked at the wolf. "That is, if you have an aeroboard..." Ru snorted and threw hers into the air, then landed on it. "Impressed?" Ru questioned as she gave the hedgehog her own confident grin. "Hm. Nice piece of junk..." The hedgehog growled before looking forward and racing off. Ru turned to Mike. "Here's a map to Central City, the town center is north of here, if you run into a silver cat with a black tail, his name is 'Shadowtail'. Tell him you know me, and he'll help you." Ru explained as she handed him said map. She then quickly yelled "bye!" before speeding off after the hedgehog; leaving Mike alone and lost. "...Ru?"

[Aellai: 1] [Mike: 27] [Ru: 161]

[Meanwhile...]

"Hm. Not bad, mutt..." Aellai growled. "But can you do this?" The hedgehog then suddenly jumped onto a building's roof and started to grind on it. Ru rolled her eyes. "Anyone can do THAT..." She growled before suddenly jumping off her board and spinning in the air along with it as it moved. Aellai rolled her eyes this time. "How is that even possible?"

[Elsewhere...]

"I'M NOT LYING!!!" Mike screamed at the top of his lungs as he ran away from an angry Shadowtail. He didn't even steal that guy's wallet! Shadowtail gave an angry yowl and only proceeded to chase Mike. "COME BACK HERE!!!"

[Aellai: 2] [Ru: 162] [Mike: 28] [Shadowtail: 1]