So hi. I'm alive after having dropped off the end of the planet! I know its ages since I've updated, so try not to kill me! I'll try and make this chapter a bit longer, 'cos the other ones always look so small! I don't own the characters, only the plot. Enjoy!

Tikal

There is something… familiar about that echidna. He looks like me, but without the bracelets and beads. It's obvious he's male. I feel like I know him, but that's not possible… He looked like something was troubling him though. I don't know, maybe I ought to look for him. Or am I being too forward? I mean, he looked a bit happier when I smiled at him earlier on the beach, but maybe that was my imagination. I am being too hopeful. I need to forget about him. Yes, forget all about him. Easier said than done.

I walked slowly along the beach, lost in thought, until I found myself in the centre of town, near all the usual beachside shops swarming with crowds. I didn't know why I ended up there; I don't even like shopping! It's far too expensive. I meant to turn round and walk back to my secluded part of the beach and think some more, when a flash caught my eye. A red flash that is.

Knuckles

Why. Why? Why! Why does everyone have to go around with knowing expressions, whispering to each other instead of saying it out loud like normal people? I don't know a thing about what is going on. Why? Because no-one will tell me! I wonder if Rouge knows. Ah, Rouge. I hope she'll accept me even though I turned her down. I don't know what I'd do if she didn't let me be with her.

"A double mint choc chip ice-cream please," I said as politely as I could to the girl behind the counter.

"Would you like sauce with that sir?" she replied, smiling.

"No thanks," I said. I gritted my teeth. Part of my brain was wondering why I was going through the trivial nuisance of ice-cream toppings while I could be out finding Rouge. The other part had died a long time ago.

"Flake or chocolate sprinkles?"

"No thank you." Rawr.

"A Smartie perhaps? It's free!" The girl managed to look happy while I glowered at her.

"No. I do not wish to have a Smartie. I would like my ice-cream with no toppings, in a cone, to go, now."

"Would you like a strawberry on top of that?"

Some people just can't take a hint, I thought as I slammed the door behind me. I really need to find out who's in charge so they can do more checks on the people they hire!

Amy

I felt a bit bad leaving Sonic to explain everything to the rest of them, but I thought it would be better for Knuckles if he heard it from me. If he saw Shadouge out together, either he or Shadow would probably go to hospital by the time they were done. By the time I reached the ice-cream parlour, I was out of breath from having run most of the way. As I stopped to get my breath back so I could actually talk, I saw an angry Knuckles storm out of the door, slamming it behind him and breaking two of the windows.

Clever Knuckles, I thought. And you wonder why you're short of rings when you're done paying off breakage charges. Knuckles seemed to be heading down to the beach again, and I was about to follow when I heard a rustle behind me. Turning round, what I saw surprised me to say the least.

A red echidna was crouched awkwardly behind a bush and was obviously looking at the retreating back of Knuckles. It was a girl, judging by the beads in her hair and all the bangles up her arm. She didn't seem to have seen me yet though. I didn't want to surprise her, so I went down to the beach after Knuckles and sat on a wall where I had a view of both the echidnas.

Things were about to get interesting.

Sonic

"Amy!" I shouted as I ran up to her. I paused, looking around me. There was Knux, walking down the beach, and there seemed to be another red thing crouches in some bushes a little way away. "Amy, you didn't tell him did you? About Shadouge?"

"No," she replied, to my relief. "But it looks like Knuckles has got himself a stalker! Or maybe just a deluded fangirl looking for an autograph."

I looked at the bush again. The red thing had stepped out from behind it and revealed itself as a female echidna.

"But that's perfect!" and I filled her in on the plan that Cream had put forward.

"So you want Knux and this new echidna to hook up and distract him from Shadouge?" Amy said when I'd finished.

"Basically, yes."

"Well, she looks like she's about to make a move now!"

Amy was right. The female echidna had walked past us while we were talking and was following Knuckles down the beach, away from most of the people there.

Suddenly, I had a thought.

"Amy, do you know where Shadow and Rouge have gone?"

Amy looked worried. "Err, well I know they went to the beach over there," she pointed away from us and the echidnas," but that was a while ago and they could be anywhere now. Why don't you run around and find them and I'll stay here and see how this turns out?"

It was a good idea. "Right. We have to make sure they don't see each other. Give me a call if they move anywhere you think they might clash." I gave her a hug and ran off, trying to find Shadow and Rouge.

Tikal

I'm only going to talk to him. Ask him his name. Maybe where he lives. It's not like I'm going to ask him to marry me! Why am I so nervous? Ok, calm down. If I'm that freaked then I can just turn round and go away. Oh no, he's seen me! I have no choice now.

I put on a smile and looked him straight in the eye.

"Hi, I'm Tikal. What's your name?"

There's no going back now, I thought.

There you have it, Chapter 6. Hope it was alright.

Review please! No flames.