Rouge lounged on top of an extremely high platform within 'Casino Night'; she had been growing increasingly irritated by her newest target, one Leila Porcumyer, whose family had moved to Mobotropolis a couple of months ago. Rouge used her position within G.U.N to seek out families such as this and earn herself a little extra cash, but this kid was trying her last nerve- after a month of barely venturing outside her own back garden the girl suddenly decided to run around this stinking casino every day, and so early in the morning! Rouge was a sexy secret agent and a treasure hunter extraordinaire but she was definitely not a morning person!

"Good morning Rouge." Sonic's slightly disgruntled voice came from behind. He'd been trying to seek out the bat since Cream gave him the heads up about her spying on him spying on his newfound interest.

Rouge adjusted herself from her lazed position into a more seductive one, wearing a knowing smile "Well hello there big blue" she cooed "I almost thought you'd lost interest in our little athlete down there."

"It's a good show." Sonic shrugged with his trademark grin. "But what are you looking to get from all this?" he nodded in her direction.

Rouge chuckled darkly, circling the hedgehog and guiding him to the edge of their platform with her hand on his shoulder,

"Look at her Sonic" Rouge pointed out the determined little porcupine as she sprung from stand to stand in an almost fluid movement, Sonic felt a familiar flutter in his chest, and a smile spread as he took note of how much she had improved since he first saw her a week ago.

"Now, looking at that scruffy little thing, you wouldn't think she was the heir to a fortune would you?" Rouge judged the teen rather harshly "It's plain to see that she has no idea what to do with the money already available to her, and so I think I'd be doing her a favour by lifting some of that future burden, don't you?"

Sonic was shocked to hear this information, and as much as he hated to agree with Rouge, the girl really didn't look like an upperclassman.

"…What else do you know?" Sonic asked hesitantly, knowing he was setting himself up for mockery.

"Why? What's it to you?" Rouge leaned in inches from his face; Sonic unhooked her arm from around him and backed away with an irritated look.

"It's just- she's just- interesting is all." Sonic folded his arms in defiance, truth be told even he didn't know how to define this strange interest he'd developed; and the sharp eyed Rouge, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes, decided to change her tactics in getting her prize.

"It makes me sad to see that you have become so obsessed by that bald old man and his games" Sonic turned his head and gave the bat, who was now smiling sympathetically at him, a questioning look. She wandered over to him and once again roped her arm around the hero "that you don't even recognise when you like someone."

"Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Sonic freed himself from Rouge's grip for the second time and chuckled at her girlie assumption. "I don't even know her name for chaos sake."

"Do you want to know her name?" Rouge said temptingly.

Sonic paused for a quick moment, leaning in like an animal baited with food "D-do you know it?" he asked with great curiosity.

Rouge sniggered "Sonic, honey. Don't you think you should find out your crush's name from the lucky lady herself?"

"She's not-"

"Oh please, I've been watching this girl for months and she's bored me to death. You see her for one day and follow her around this dump all week like it's a freakin' parade. Now go and talk to the girl!" Rouge smacked the back of the hedgehog's head in hopes it'd bash some sense into him.

"Yeah, yeah I will." Sonic stepped towards the edge of the platform, his voice sounding a little relieved now that Rouge had decided the next course of action for him. He turned and pointed a firm finger at the seductive bat "But not because I like her!"

"As if you'd know." Rouge mumbled to herself as she shooed him off the platform. Her plan was working perfectly.

"And another thing" Sonic rushed his words out as he teetered over the edge "if I talk to her, you gotta promise me you'll stop trying to rob her!"

"I wouldn't dream of it." Rouge whispered into Sonic's ear and kissed his cheek before shoving him off the edge.

Rouge couldn't help but admire her own genius, convincing Sonic that his interest was in fact a romantic one had lightened her workload by heaps- no girl could resist a famous hero's affections, no matter how clueless that hero was when it came to emotions, and soon enough the rich little snob would be inviting Rouge as part of the Sonic Team into her house with open arms. The best part of this plan, however, was that she didn't have to come back to this grimy casino ever again!

Sonic meanwhile, dropped into the zone a little paralyzed from Rouge's affections, they were so adult compared to Amy's constant glomping. He shook his head and started his search for the new girl that would be entering his life.

Even though she was already half way through the zone when Rouge pointed her out, Sonic was gladly surprised at how speedy she had become. He picked up his pace and made his way towards the zone's end; thoughts on what he should actually say were buzzing around in his mind like angry bees and the small flutter in his chest was now thumping.

While all this was happening, Leila gracefully jogged past the finishing post, this time trying to look like she wasn't about to die of exhaustion, she had gathered quite a collection of humiliating photos over the past week and it was important that this one was different.

Looking around at the zone she had been conquering with her dwindling time, Leila sighed wishing she had recorded it better. She turned her attention to the photo as it pinged out from the little sign post's dispenser, a smile emerged at the successful attempt at a good picture and she clipped it to her list along with the other photos.

"Well" she said tapping the little post "I guess this is goodbye then." And with that, she left the casino, got into her little car and drove back to her home which stood within the posh side of Mobotropolis.

For Leila, the summer had ended.