Chapter 2

Niko's Revelation Pt. 2

Niko smiles back and blushes. "R-really?" Niko said excitedly. He couldn't believe it. Sapphire said he was a good kisser. "Thanks...you don't know how long I've wanted to kiss you..."

Sapphire couldn't help but laugh a little. "I don't know if I should be flattered or scared." Good ol' Sapphire humor. "Hey, don't blush," she added thoughtfully, nudging him.

Niko had always been told by his mother "Never be afraid to let your heart to someone you care about" and boy, did it feel good to do so. Sapphire meant the world to him, and he was opening his heart to her. He looked at her and realized that she was the one for him. Remembering the second reason he was there, he cleared his throat and pulled out a rose from his back pocket. "Sapphire? Will you go to the Valentine's Day Dance with me?"

Sapphire subconsciously scowled. "Do I have to wear a dress?" she asked, removing the scowl from her face. She didn't want Niko to think he did something wrong. It was the sheer idea of going to a dance, a Valentine's Day dance of all things.

Niko had totally forgotten Sapphire's dislike of anything Valentine's Day related. Boy did he feel stupid at the moment. He came to his senses and answered Sapphire's question as best as he could. "Well," he replied. "It's not a formal dance, so you don't have to wear one." He remembered it was at the beach. "In fact," He continued. "It's at the beach. I remembered how much you liked the beach so I asked the planning committee to hold it there, to which they agreed."

At this, Sapphire smiled. "I do love the beach," she told Niko, her smile growing. "And thank goodness it's not formal. I am not wearing anything like that." She overdramatically shivered, though she smiled, too.

Niko laughed at this. "Well, the dance is tomorrow at 5pm." Niko pointed out. "I've already got what I'm gonna wear ready."

Sapphire let out a breath. "I've still got to pick something out. And it's not going to be easy."

Niko looks at Sapphire with feigned confusion. Believe it or not he never saw Sapphire in a swimsuit before. Whenever they'd go to the beach as kids, she never wore a swimsuit, just a pair of shorts, a tank top and sandals. He began to wonder what she'd look like in a bikini. However he forgot he has a weird gift...the uncanny ability to project his thoughts so anyone around him can see what he's thinking. At the moment he was picturing Sapphire in a strapless bikini striking a pose like a supermodel would. Upon seeing this, Sapphire slaps him in the back of his head, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Huh?" he said rubbing his head. Seeing his friend's angered and somewhat embarrassed face made him realize he gift kicked in and she saw his idea of what she'd look like in a strapless bikini. "Oops..." he said bowing in apology. "Sorry. I haven't been training myself to control that lately...man is Professor Prower not gonna be happy about this. Keep this between us, will ya?"

Sapphire narrowed her eyes at Niko. "Maybe. Just because we started dating, doesn't mean you can picture me in bikinis. At least, not while I'm around. I looked hideous." She shook her head and sighed. "I would never wear anything like that. You know I'm not that kind of girl." Wait, did Niko think she was that kind of girl? At this thought, Sapphire subconsciously frowned.

Niko had forgotten they were going out now. Then he suddenly pictured-rather broadcasted to Sapphire-the conversation he and Professor Prower had said to him before he left earlier that day.

"Hey Prof?" Niko said embarrassed to his caretaker.

"Yes, Niko?" Professor Prower replied. "And I told you you're free to call me "Tails" or "Dad"."

"Oh yeah..." he said."I got a question...it's about the upcoming Valentine's Day dance."

Tails looked at his young teenage ward. He never saw him so red in the face before. "Yes...I said you could go, Niko."

"I know...Dad," Niko continued. "I was thinking, I can get into the dance free if I had a...a..." He stammered at these last words. He knew Tails wouldn't approve of him hanging out with girls because of his psychic gifts. The only exceptions were Mina Mongoose, his adopted mother and Tails' wife, Amy Rose, Sally Acorn, Fiona Fox, who denounced her evil ways and proved it by bringing Niko to Tails and Mina when he was seven, Tikal, Shade, and Sapphire, who Tails believed, "is as much boy as she is girl. AKA, a tomboy". Maybe if he told Tails he was going to the dance with Sapphire, he'd let him have his first date.

"A what, Niko?" Tails asked.

"A...a...date..." Niko replied.

"Niko we talked about this!" Tails shouted as if Niko had said something forbidden. Niko looked down in defeat. He knew this is the response.

"No dating until I can control my Psi abilities." Niko said, remembering the first time he wanted to go on a date with Lily, Sonic and Sally's daughter, when he was thirteen. Being sixteen, he hoped his adopted father would be a bit more lenient on the subject, but, apparently, he was wrong.

"But dad, I was gonna go with..." Niko continued, but his voice trailed off.

"Who Niko?" Tails asked angrily. "Who are you going with? C'mon! Speak up!"

"Sapphire." Niko replied, taken aback by his father's sudden anger spasm. One thing could be said about Tails is that he wasn't quick to anger, but the sheer idea that he wants to go to a dance with a girl seemed to p*** Tails off to no end.

"I figured if I went with someone you know and trust, you wouldn't have an issue." Niko continued.

"Absolutely not, Niko!" Tails shouted. "I COULDN'T GIVE LESS OF A RAT'S ASS IF IT WAS GODDESS AURORA YOU WERE TAKING! I TOLD YOU "NO DATING UNTIL YOU CAN CONTROL YOUR ABILITIES!"

The direction the conversation was going was starting to make Niko just as pissed as Tails. He had always been restricted from things like this because he "couldn't control his powers yet" and he "was a danger to himself and others should his powers go haywire." Here he was, sixteen and still can't have a life outside his own house! Finally having had enough, Niko suddenly yells out. "I CAN SURE AS HELL CONTROL THEM BETTER THAN YOU CAN!" Niko shouts out in anger. Calming down after his angry outburst causes the lights in the room to flicker ominously, he looks at Tails pleadingly. "I can control them, dad...why can't you trust me?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO TRUST YOU, NIKO!" Tails shouted in response. Hearing Skye, Niko's adopted baby brother crying upstairs, Tails calms down and looks at his surrogate son with a look that says "end of subject". "You can go to the dance, but you're not going with a girl. End of discussion!" Tails continued.

"But dad..." Niko began to protest but he immediately cowered under his father's angered gaze.

"I told you to never bring this up again and you do so." Tails stated. "So you know what? Forget the dance, Niko. You're grounded for a week. During that time, you're to stay down here in the lab and practice control of your powers. You're also forbidden to go anywhere near or have any type of contact with Sapphire...period until I deem you've gained a satisfactory percentage of control. I'll inform Sapphire's parents when they return from their couples retreat in two days."

"I love her dad!" Niko blurted out, hoping he'd understand. "To keep me from her would be torture for me." Niko falls to his knees as Tails rolls his eyes and walks out the lab. He stops and turns to Niko. "Use that feeling of torture as a reason to learn to control your powers." He said tauntingly. "I'm locking this door so don't even think of sneaking out, Niko." And with that, he left and the windows and door locked up. All Niko could do is sob.

Sapphire manages to shake Niko out of his thought process. When she does, he looks at her. "Sapphire?" he responds. "I-I..." At this he passes out. Just as he passes out, G.U.N. soldiers bust in, attempting to take him away. Sapphire tries to keep them off me by locking us in her room. Soon sounds of a battering ram are heard and she realizes she has yet to try to wake me up with a method that seems to have a one-hundred percent success rate in fairy tales.

"Why the hell not," Sapphire muttered, laying Niko gently on her bed. She reached under her bed and got her pistol out, just in case this didn't work. She leant down and placed a soft, kind kiss upon Niko's lips before quickly checking her gun to make sure it was loaded.

Good part 2 huh? Sorry to leave ya'll hanging but Chapter 3 is coming up and it has some action in it! But ya gotta admit, Tails was being harsh on poor Niko huh? So R&R with your comments and ideas and look at my friend, Anna Cole's fanfiction and I'll see you all next chappie!