Yo! Long time no see, hm? To make up for it, here's another fanfic. I hope you guys like! :D
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the SEGA/Archie characters utilized in this tale. Just the original characters! If I use any that is... Nufufu...
- o - o -
Chapter One / Never Alone.
" I waited for you today,
but you didn't show. "
- o - o -
She had finally grown up. She was tired of watching everyone leave her behind. Her cute little bob-like haircut cascaded past her shoulders, now unable to tickle her nose when the wind would pick up. The headband, the boots, and the little red dress had found their place in the depths of her closet, letting a wider array of clothing hang prominently on the rack as well as neatly tucked away in her dressers. Her wide jade green orbs still held tightly onto their shine, but would quickly lose their luster when a blur of blue would speed on by.
Inside, she was quite aware that he would leave her love unrequited, but the fighting spirit within her wouldn't settle for such. So she fought for him silently. Her tactics had changed exponentially as the days passed. From glomping and shrilly announcing her blue hero's name, she moved onto invitations she would either hand to Tails, or leave it in their mailbox if she happened to be visiting the Ruins.
But at every date she planned, she would only stare at the empty seat across from her.
No matter how disheartening it was, she would not back down. It would be a waste of the years prior to the present. She didn't want nine fucking years down the drain.
And here she was, sitting alone at yet another forsaken restaurant in this city. It was one of those more well-known restaurants around, however, getting reservations were a cinch to get. If you reserved six months in advance, that is. It was one of those late night restaurants, where the difficult reservations to acquire were for the tables seated on the patio for dining under the stars. It was quite the romantic setting, and Amy hoped this time around, her hero would at least attend this date. She had poured so much of her time making this night perfect over a six month span, so the hope was held high.
The pink hedgie exhaled, stilling lingering in the deep recesses of her mind. A chilly breeze somehow penetrated the barrier of warmth that the heat-emanating torches maintained to keep the outside guests from freezing to death. Amy rubbed her goosebump-ridden arms, despite the fact she had also shrugged on a cardigan before she left her apartment. She couldn't help but let another sigh escape her lips.
Checking the silver watch clinging loosely on her wrist, she pushed a curled quill away from her cheek before realizing it was almost ten minutes to midnight. Three hours late. She shut her eyes in frustration, her fingers trying to smooth out the knot forming between her eyebrows.
Then the chair in front of her moved.
Slowly peeking at the figure now seated across from her with much anticipation, Amy brushed her fringe from her view. Her eyes widened and instantly grew muddled with distinct confusion, "U-Um, that seat is- "
"For your incompetent, self-proclaimed boyfriend?" the brown squirrel purred interjectedly.
Amy's expression switched to anger in an instant, her cheeks puffing up in suit, "He is not incompetent! Who are you to say anything about Sonic?"
"His girlfriend," she replied smoothly, her chin resting on the support she created by propping her elbows on the table and lacing her fingers together, "And I'm pretty sure he would never go out with you, little naive Amy Rose."
The pink hedgie's chest swelled with anger and despondence, but it didn't falter the ever so dead serious smirk plastered on her muzzle, "He never told me anything about dating such a little bitch- "
The stinging sensation resounding within her cheek cut her rant short. The bitch had dared to slap her. Seething with utter rage, Amy flung her arm out, beckoning her weapon to appear. With a puff of smoke, it gleamed in her grasp as she gripped the handle tight enough for her knuckles to turn white.
The squirrel scoffed bravely, flipping her fringe from her eyes, "You wouldn't dare."
Amy's smirk deepened, her voice building up to a roar, "I would!" The Piko Piko Hammer took no time to fully swing back, but before she could knock the bitch's pretty little head off her shoulders, a familiar voice rung out. "Ames!"
Within her peripheral vision, a flash of white and red whirred past the velvet ropes sectioning off the line awaiting to be seated and the tables. They watched the lanterns above rock back and forth wildly as Amy had her hammer tugged easily from her hands. Swiveling around, she was met face to face by a grinning echidna. "Knu- ckles..." she muttered in surprise.
The guardian pointed behind her, indicating he was accompanied by someone else. She followed his finger and found Rouge and the squirrel glaring each other down. The female bat quickly caught her stare from the corner of her eyes, breaking from her glaring contest to shoot a full smile at the pink hedgie. "Hi, hun! Long time no see!"
Amy couldn't help but smile back. It had been a good few months that she rarely saw anyone but Tails and the occasional blue hedgehog rushing past. Cream had run off and was busy growing up, Rouge and Knuckles had been in and out of Club Rouge for treasure hunts, and who knows what everyone else was up to. They didn't know how bubbly it made her to see their faces in person.
But before they could simply push the squirrel aside and occupy the table to catch up, a waiter came no later to see to the commotion. Rouge instantly pulled a wad of money from the front of her shoulderless top, tossing it at the human. "That should be enough to cover Miss Amelia Rose's reservation. We'll be on our way now!"
Rouge swooped in to grab her lover's and Amy's hands in her own, causing the hammer to drop and disappear in a puff of smoke upon hitting the ground. As they stormed off the scene, the squirrel forcibly scoffed, "Wow, Amy Rose! You had to get your friends to save you from getting busted up by me!"
Neither of the three spared her a glance, while Rouge scoffed herself, "She's not worth the time, Ames." Their trek soon led them off the restaurant's grounds and back onto the bustling streets of the city. Station Square was not one to really sleep, especially in the months nearing Christmas. Even if midnight were to strike, people were still out in pubs and clubs partying until the sun rose from behind the horizon. It was their routine, and a seemingly daily one at that. Is that why Rouge's club is bursting with life most of the time? the hedgie inquired quietly as they strolled down the concrete to her apartment that wasn't actually too far from the restaurant.
The doorman greeted her in a chipper manner as they neared the door of the semi-fancy apartment structure the pink hedgehog had settled into after losing her last house to a fire; something that was pretty much her fault. Amy had merely overworked herself and accidentally let the cheesecake bake for too long, a result of, yet again, a date with the blue blur.
The pink hedgie returned the gesture with a small smile and a nod of her head as they entered the building through the door he opened automatically for the trio. It took an elevator ride to the fourth floor and a quick fish for her keys before they settled themselves in her kitchen. The girls had occupied the kitchen table, seats perpendicular to each other, while Knuckles decided leaning against the counter near the sink was most comfortable for him. With her head cradled in her hands, Amy popped the darkening silence with the awaiting question in a small whisper, "So... who was she?"
Rouge pursed her lips, biting her bottom lip, "Sally Acorn. Sonic's new- "
"Girlfriend." the pink hedgehog finished, a frown gracing her muzzle.
Rouge leaned closer to her best friend, covering her hand with her own, "You alright, hun?"
"No," her arms dropped to the table in frustration, "I mean, why couldn't he just tell me himself?" she finished in exclamation, her head following her arms in suit, her forehead colliding with a loud thud. The other two occupants of the room winced at the action, both taking a worried glance at each other. Amy felt a hand clutch at her shoulder in comfort, "Ames..." Rouge paused to rub her shoulder, "I... I- I think you should know that they've been together for about a few months now..."
Amy tensed up reactively. The female bat removed her hand to comb through her friend's frazzled fringe, brushing them away from her eyes, "Why don't you go freshen up, sweetheart? Knucklehead and I will stay up and watch movies with you."
"Wharpht?" the echidna exclaimed, his mouth obviously muffled by who knows what. Rouge's head snapped in his direction to glare icily, while Amy peeked from the little fort she created by crossing her arms. The sight was certainly one to behold: Knuckles, who perceived himself as tough-as-nails, had placed the cookie jar on the island's surface with a stack of chocolate chip cookies that the pink hedgie had baked that morning, just for the hero she thought she would take home after dining at the restaurant.
Rouge shook her head in shame for her lover. "It's the least you could do after eating those cookies," she countered, turning back to face the crest fallen hedgehog.
The aforementioned hedgehog was sitting upright with her hands at her mouth, stifling her huge grin formed on her lips. They were dumbstruck, but seeing the crushed hedgie smile through the pain was enough to make them smile, too. "At least someone appreciates them!" she giggled before tears abruptly began to stream down her cheeks.
Frightened, the older female pulled Amy to her feet and embrace her as tight as possible. Amy could feel her emotional state threaten to break down, but she fought against it; she wanted to remain strong. Instead, she pulled away and smiled, walking to the fridge to pull out the gallon of milk and pour Knuckles a glass. "Here," she placed the beverage before him, "before you choke!" Her tone was forcibly light and playful as she wiped away the onslaught of tears. Knuckles grinned, brushing crumbs off his face and taking a huge gulp of his drink. Amy immediately exited the room, a resounding, "You guys better be there when I come back!" called over her shoulder.
The pink hedgie heard an "Okay!" returned as soon as she closed her bedroom door. Sighing as she unceremoniously plopped herself on her vanity's matching bench, she stared at her reflection with a pained smile on her lips. Her tired eyes, her tear-stained muzzle, her curled quills held up by a simple hairband now frazzled from the fracas she had gotten into earlier. Ripping the hairband without regard to how many hours she spent on her quills, she swept them into a messy ponytail.
She removed the rings and bracelets that decorated her hands, taking no time to undo the clasp to the faux pearl necklace resting upon her neck. Her matching earrings and strappy white heels were taken off her person next, leaving Amy to walk barefoot to her long mirror to snake out of her clothes.
A dress and cardigan found their way back to the hanger they shared. Her fingers traced down to the hem of the skirt, her mind caught up in thoughts. Sonic would never know how long it took me to find this dress, a yawn escaped her, nor would he care. About five department stores was all it took her to find this dress. It resembled a long babydoll shirt; the top section black with elegant lace, the skirt creamy and silken as the rest of the dress. A black, silk sash accented where the top and the bottom met, it's bow neatly tied off to the side. Amy could've sworn she would've killed for the dress, immediately taking no time to purchase the dress, in the right size, of course, and bringing it home, excitedly anticipating the date six months in advance.
Amy rubbed at her face, shaking away the memory. She was so frustrated that her idiot of a hero could stand her up after all this time. She knew she told Tails that this would be the most extravagant of them all. Oooh, Miles! You're going to hear from me! she thought, her eyebrow twitching in rage. How could Tails, of all Mobians, let this whizz past his to-do list? He was Tails! He was always on top of what Amy asked him to do...
The pink hedgehog heaved a heavy sigh as she rifled through her dresser to slip into a set of more comfortable clothes. She soon fished out a beat up, over-sized shirt and cotton short shorts, pushing her feet into some fuzzy purple slippers before leaving her room with some blankets to descend down the stairs. Rouge and her knucklehead of a lover had already combed through her stacks of DVDs, knowing all too well that she was quite the hoarder for movies and hosting movie nights back when everyone was easily contacted. "Aha! How about- "
Knuckles cut the female bat off, indirectly pointing out the fact that he was the only male present. "Is it a chick flick?"
"What of it?" she retorted loudly, snorting, "After all, I know you'll be the first to fall asleep whatever the movie is!"
He grumbled and retreated to a corner of the L-shaped couch, kicking his shoes off in the process. Amy watched him huddle up and rest his head against the couch's arm, causing her lips to twist into small smile. She, herself, settled onto middle corner, letting her body push against the soft cushions as she wrapped herself in one of the blankets. After popping in the movie, Rouge plucked one of the blankets and, without unraveling it, forcefully threw it upon her lover's curled up body. The glare she earned was only returned with a playful raspberry as she placed herself between the two, draped the over-sized cloth on her lap, and pressed play.
As the night drew on, the movie was merely background noise to the two females as they chattered away and shared whatever part of their lives the other had missed, taking notice that Knuckles had greedily sprawled himself on his part of the couch. His mouth agape with drool slowly trickling down his muzzle, Rouge could only snort and giggle at her lover's form. "And to think, that thing sleeps next to me in bed every night..." a corner of her mouth pulled up tightly in a half-smile.
Amy's stifled laughter died slowly as she rolled her eyes. "How could you love such a thing?" she playfully commented, letting her hands drop to her lap.
"Because he's a sweetheart." Rouge replied without avail, staring lovingly at the guardian.
Amy smiled softly as she gazed on. She remembered how many times she would sneak glances at her hero. He had always saved her every time she was in trouble, however, she was usually was the catalyst of the chaos they would find themselves in. Amy was the bait, weak bait. Sure, she had her Piko Piko Hammer, but what good did that do against metal claws that encircled her by the waist and pulled her away from safety? So she worked on that, too, with something she had luckily come across: boxercise. It gave her the confidence that shone during her spat with Sonic's girlfriend, she thought with distaste. Had he really gone for someone who was just overflowing with the bitch syndrome?
Even though her thoughts whirled endlessly, the pink hedgie slowly found herself drifting off to slumber, one thought standing out from the rest. Well... there went nine years down the drain.
- x - x -
End Chapter One.
- x - x -
So Amy's grown out of being a loud-mouthed squirt, and is trying out the whole "mature" scene to see if Sonic'll be attracted to that. But after figuring out that Sonic himself hasn't told her that he'd gotten himself a girlfriend, she painfully begins her journey to move on. Now if only that would happen in the canon universe...
Oh! MAYBE. Just maybe I'll add in some SonAmy for fans of the couple later on. Who knows what I have planned? Oh wait, I do! :D
Until next time, dear readers!
Maschera di Miseria has signed off.