Matchmaker
A/N: Whew! It's been a while, hasn't it? I've hit over 120 reviews on one story!
Rikku: Everyone who reviewed gets free peanut butter cookies!
Author: some are allerigc to peanuts, you know?
Rikku: Oh! Well... umm... here's chocolate chip cookies!
Author: I've given up on trying to explain ot her how bribing people is wrong...
On with the story!!
Rikku: The author gets all the credit and the fun lines! It's not fair!
Author: Life's not fair, deal with it.
With the girls, one hour later…
The female hedgehog slumped into one of the medicine sized waiting chairs in the local Station Square hospital, her mud coated, pale hair covering her face as she gazed at the floor. Her dull jade green eyes seemed to stare at nothing. The brand new clothes that she was so mad for dirtying were now covered in soot from the gravel she had collapsed on. The pink beauty's slender navy gloved hands were covered in blood from Julie-Su.
Her companions looked as awful as she did.
Rikku's once sunset colored fur was now an awful pale yellow. Her slender, newly polished to perfection hands were also covered in blood that none of them bothered to wash off. Ears flattened to her head and tail dragging on the ground, the vixen paced the room, wringing her hands together from some unknown reason. Her hazel eye were dulled and, as the rest of them, pasted on her face was a worried frown.
The female cat across the room did not look much better. Jeans dirtied from collapsing on the ground, Blaze sat in the slick chair, her dull golden gaze staring at the operation door. Her once slick lavender fur was now close to an eerie white. Bloody white gloves matched the others.
It had been one hour since the ambulance had arrived at their destination. One hour since they had helped lift Julie onto the 'on-wheels' bed. One hour since they had drove to the nearest hospital, sirens blaring, with a cold female echidna. One hour since they had wheeled Julie into the operation room, saying that they had to operate immediately. One hour the girls had waited in heated silence (The silence was temporarily broken when Silver called from Tails' house, alerting them that Knuckles would be down there momentarily and that he had informed everyone.)
Tense heaved itself into the air around them.
Worry,
Fear,
And anger accompanied it.
Without warning, the white middle doors leading to lobby burst open, accompanied with a tired red echidna.
Seeing their expressions and conditions increased the worry in his face. Rikku momentarily stopped her pacing to give him a nod of acknowledgement.
Knuckles' voice came out in a hushed whisper. "Is she…?"
"We don't know yet." Blaze's voice came out choked and raspy.
The male shook his head in frustration. Anger over boiling inside of him, Knuckles slammed his fist into the wall, cursing as he did so. A small crack appeared in where he had slammed his fist. "I should've been there with her!! If I would have just walked her home! …"
Tears sprang to the corners of his eyes, but the stubborn echidna refused to let them fall. Collapsing in the black cushioned chair next to Amy, Knuckles slumped forward and rested his head on his hands.
The girls had cried all of their tears, sobbed all of their cries, and muttered all of their prayers. Nothing was left, but to wait.
Another hour passed and still no updates. Still the group waited, determined not to leave until they heard of Julie-Su. Silver and Sonic called for info, but nothing new.
A third hour slipped its way by. Rikku continued to pace, while the others sat in their chairs, motionless. The white doors leading to where their friend laid stood motionless. The guys called again for updates.
5 am came and went. Nothing. At this point the group was growing testy and impatient. When the guys called again, Rikku yelled into her cell phone, "YOU KNOW WHAT?! STOP CALLING! WE WILL CALL YOU IF WE FIND OUT ANYTHING! NOW GO TO BED AND SHUT THE HELL UP!!"
Slamming her cell phone shut, the irked vixen turned the power off and threw it at Blaze to keep. Thankfully, the cat caught it before it crashed into her forehead.
At this hour, Amy had fallen into a light sleep, her body still covered with mud and dried blood. The pink beauty's pale hair draped over her like a curtain.
The echidna was also feeling the effects of worry and lack of sleep. His dreadlocks were now turning a slightly lighter shade of red, making his green vanes stand out more. The whole time he had his head in his hands, not moving, so they could not see how his face looked.
Once Rikku, having thought that he was sleeping, gently poked him in the shoulder, getting no reaction. The vixen tried again, this time receiving a painful smack to her hand. No one bothered Knuckles after that.
The fifth hour finally came. The group was on the edge of their seats, wondering if their friend might already be gone from this world.
As all hope seemed to drain from the room, the white doors suddenly swung open. A raccoon in his thirties, it appeared, stepped out covered in a green/blue operation suit, hat, and mask. Blood covered his gloves.
Removing the mask, he gazed at all of the eager faces quickly surrounding him. His gray face turned into a grim expression.
Amy gave a small sob, new tears she thought she shed slid down her face. Rikku turned her back on the group, not letting any of them see the tears finding their way down. Knuckles looked like he was about kill the guy.
"No…" gasped Blaze reading the male's thoughts. "Please! Tell me she isn't…"
Suddenly the grim face he wore turned into a joking smile. He let a small laugh escape. "No, your friend is fine. That's just a joke we play on all the eager family and friends when their loved one survived. It actually gets quite funny--."
The male raccoon was cut off by a golden vixen continuously smacking him in the shoulder.
"What were you thinking?!" she yelled. "This is a hospital man! There's no time for idiotic jokes like that! We were worried! We waited for six hours and you come out here and give us this cruel, sick joke! How dare you?! I bet your mother would be ashamed! Huh?! How would you feel if we did that to you?! Huh?!" Anyone could tell that Rikku was joking, for she only hit him lightly and tears of relief were choking her words as a grin was plastered on her face.
Blaze had collapsed in her chair again, muttering, "Thank god…" Amy also had tears of relief flowing down her cheeks, while trying not to laugh as her friend lectured the doctor. The doctor was holding his hands over his head, laughing as the vixen continued with her fake fury. Knuckles had slid to the floor, his expression unreadable as tears leapt into his eyes.
Her telling off done, Rikku stopped hitting the doctor after many pleas of mercy choked by laughs. "So when can we see her?" the vixen asked, swinging her arms with an innocent grin.
Fixing his hat and gloves, the doctor looked at the group. "Well I don't know if your kind," he gestured to Rikku, "would be allowed into a room with records of assaulting a doctor such as my standard."
"Wha?" The female baffled, knowing he was only joking. "Why you…" With that, the vixen continued her light smacking and lecturing.
"Okay! Okay!" the doctor held up his hands in defeat, as the female fox stopped her lecturing and playful smacking. "You can all see her tomorrow. Right now, she's resting."
"So what's the damage?" questioned Blaze, a slight grin forming on her face from Rikku's antics.
"Well," the raccoon said, picking up a nearby clipboard. "Your friend is very lucky. Apparently, someone shot her. The bullet went right through, injuring one of her ribs and a backbone. We've put her in a spinal cast that she had to wear for around one week. The girl is a very fast healer, apparently. Other than that, nothing else besides some fatigue is amiss. She might suffer from memory loss for the past hour events because of blood loss though."
Putting the clipboard back down, he smiled at the group. "Now, I suggest that you all go home, clean-up…" he mentioned, looking at Amy, "and come back here tomorrow refreshed and renewed."
"Wait a minute, doc…" Knuckles said, "How long does she have to stay here?"
Scratching his head, the raccoon pondered on that for a moment. "Well… Depending on her condition… about one week or more. She should be feeling better after the cast is taken off. Which will be in one week."
The male nodded his head. "I see… Well, guess we better get going."
With nods of gratitude to the doctor, the small party headed out of the hospital.
Walking on the empty side walks of Station Square at six o'clock in the morning, the group headed on in silence.
Reaching the nearby streetlight, the four parted ways. Knuckles headed to the catch the Mystic Ruins train and the girls to their apartments.
"Oh my god!" gasped Amy, suddenly.
Blaze gave her a questioning look.
"We forgot to tell the guys about Julie!" explained the pink beauty.
Rikku and Blaze's eyes widened.
The female cat shook her head. "And I left Rikku's cell phone at the hospital."
"You what?!" fumed Rikku.
"Well if you hadn't tossed it at me and kept it yourself that would've solved this little problem!" snapped the cat.
The vixen gave her a light smack on the arm. "I was too worried about Julie to think straight!"
"Sometimes you don't think at all…" muttered Blaze.
"What was that, fire cat?!" Rikku snapped, giving her two more playful smacks, just like she did to the doctor.
"Hey!" shouted Blaze putting up her hands to defend herself.
"Ah well…" sighed Amy, trying to ease the tension between the two feuding friends. "Knuckles will surely tell them and we can get the cell phone tomorrow when we go… it's no big deal."
"Fine…" mumbled Rikku, stalking ahead.
"Good with me," agreed Blaze, catching up to the fuming vixen.
The pink hedgehog let out a small sigh. "Never a dull moment," she thought, racing to catch up.
A few seconds of silence passed between the girls.
"Who do you think could've shot Jules?" Rikku suddenly pondered out loud, wrapping her dirty turquoise coat around her tighter.
Leaving Amy and Rikku in the back, Blaze strode in front, emotionless as usual. "Don't know. Could've been Eggman…"
The pink hedgehog quickened her pace to match that of her companion. "But Eggman hasn't been seen in years. Since the Black Doom incident he disappeared along with Shadow…"
"Maybe he's returned," guessed Blaze.
Could that mean that Shadow has returned to? "But Eggman doesn't know that Jules is with us. Why would he shoot her for no reason?" questioned the stubborn hedgehog.
"Maybe he thought that Julie was you, Amy. Or maybe a shot misfired or something," Rikku explained, jumping into the conversation.
The pink beauty came to halt. Her friends stopped their pace and gazed at her with questioning eyes.
"If that's true…" Amy pondered. "Then, I'm the reason Julie almost died."
"Amy!" Rikku interrupted her accusation. "We don't know for sure if that's the reason. There is plenty of other low life scum living in the alleys that could've shot her. Stop blaming yourself…"
Snapping out of her self-pity, the hedgehog flashed a dazzling smile at Rikku. "I guess you're right. Besides, the important thing is that she's okay!"
Continuing on with her friends, the female noticed that they had arrived at their apartment building. Climbing into the elevator and pushing their floor button, the friends went up in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.
A small ding was heard and the females hurried out of the small elevator. Rikku gave a small wave as she entered her room, which was the second one down to the right. The female cat purred her goodbye, descending to the left and entering the fifth room.
Amy walked on until she reached the tenth door to her right. Taking out a small set of keys, the female entered her empty apartment.
Sadness crept over her as she walked by Julie's room. The echidna's bed sheets were perfectly made, as always, and her clothes were neatly stacked on her bed, waiting to be put away.
Moving on, the hedgehog entered her brightly decorated room.
It looked so different from the one she had when she was a kid! Instead of having only pictures of Sonic, Amy had collected several pictures of Rikku, Julie-Su, Blaze, and her. Everything in her room was made out of solid oak. No more were the pinks and reds, and in their place were purples and blues. Her wardrobe now consisted of more than one outfit, not one of them a red dress mind you.
Slipping through the northern oak door, Amy came into her white marbled bathroom. It was a large bathroom for one person, but the hedgehog didn't mind; she liked the space. It had a large bath, with separate shower, and had jets for massages. Her duel sinks and huge mirror proved to be and added bonus that she enjoyed.
When she was chasing Sonic, the female had never really had her own home. Sure she had a small house, but unfortunately, the female didn't get the chance to stay in it often. Plus, it was smaller than this bathroom.
Undressing, Amy threw her muddy clothes into the hamper and delicately stepped into the shower. The hot water hitting her dirty body felt like heaven on earth. Scrubbing her hands together with the soap, the hedgehog managed to wash away the dried blood.
Looking up to her shower rack, Amy picked out a lavender scented shampoo along with a matching conditioner. The shampoo easily got out the mud and left her hair long and flowing again. The conditioner helped give away to any knots still stuck in her hair.
For a few moments, Amy just let the water hit her. Compared to the day she had been through, this felt like relaxation at a spa. Grabbing her rag and the soap, the female washed away any left over mud or coldness.
Satisfied, the pink hedgehog turned off the water and wrapped her towel around her. Steam surrounded her as she made her way to the mirror. Wow, the shower water must have been really hot. Wiping away the condensing water that gathered, Amy took a good look at herself.
Her shiny pink hair had regained its shine and color. Her jade green eyes were no longer dulled, but still showed lack of sleep. Other than that, her face looked back to normal. Not a trace of mud was in sight.
Picking out her teeth comb, Amy gave her hair a good run through with it to untangle any knots that were left. Once all the knots gave away, the pink hedgehog picked out two blue ribbons. Putting her hair into a ponytail, the female tightly tied her long hair back with the ribbon and began braiding it.
It only took Amy a few minutes to braid her hair and tie it off with the other blue ribbon. The female examined her handy work to find it acceptable. Stepping out of the bathroom, the pink beauty grabbed her light blue nightgown and slipped it on and hung her towel up. The female watched as the steam escaped from the bathroom and evaporated from the room.
Glancing at the clock, Amy found that it was already seven. I better get something to eat. This is the usual time I wake up.
Running into the kitchen, the pink beauty grabbed and ate a quick low-cal cereal bar. With that, the female returned to her room. She closed her purple blinds on the bright sun that she usually welcomed.
Tossing back her blue and purple sheets, Amy gave a yawn and snuggled into her queen-sized bed. Her mind spun with questions but soon sleep claimed the pink beauty.
A few minutes earlier with Rikku…
"Much better," sighed Rikku bouncing out of her shower. She had just washed her hair with a cheery scented shampoo, making her giddy with joy. I know, I'm giddy over shampoo, so sue me. You would be too if you just experienced the day I went through.
Unlike Amy's, the vixen's bathroom was vibrating with oranges and yellows. It was the same style and set up as Amy's, just more lively.
Steam rushed forward as the vixen dashed to her room. (Unlike Amy's, Rikku's bathroom was down a small hall from her room.)
Entering her shocking red room, the vixen tossed on her light green tank top with a little black heart and green silk pants. All the furniture in her room was dark oak. Most of her sheets, rugs, and anything else, were different shades of red or orange. "Now all I gotta do is prepare my hair and eat something. I'm hungry!" commented the vixen to herself.
Rikku slid along the hall to her bathroom, finding her curlers in their usual spot. Wrapping her curly hair (Rouge-styled) around them, the vixen secured each one. She had to do this every night to keep her hair bouncy and pretty.
Her fur had returned to its normal glossy gold color. Her eyes also showed lack of sleep but were bright and cheerful, like her. Her tail had been washed and fluffed, so she held it proudly up.
Finished, the female dashed to the kitchen. Every appliance in the kitchen was black. Sliding into her funky black table set, Rikku grabbed and grape fruit from her basket of fruit. Devouring it quickly, the vixen tossed the skin, (I hate the skin!) into her black trashcan.
Returning to her room, the vixen flipped down her red cover sheet. Plopping herself onto her queen-sized waterbed, Rikku gave a contented sigh.
Sure her family had been rich, but she never got to spend any time with them. Having her brother Chad leave for college had made her extremely lonely in the big house. Moving to Station Square had probably been the best thing in her life. She met her first real friends: Amy, Blaze, and Julie-Su.
She had also found love: Tailsy. Notice had. Having broken up, Rikku didn't know where she and Tails stood; whether on the brink of close friends or something more.
Her thoughts whirling, sleep finally found the vixen.
A few minutes earlier with Blaze…
The cat curled up on her cream colored couch, a bowl of cereal in her hand.
Having already showered with her blueberry fragrant shampoo, Blaze was feeling pretty good. Her tried bones relaxed into her silk tan pajama pants with matching button down shirt. Her smelling of blueberries was tied back with a tan ribbon.
Her newly clipped claws tapped on the bowl as she ate her fill.
Questions and thoughts whirled through her head until she thought she would burst. Who had shot Julie? Was it really Eggman? If so, why had he returned now? Why did he shot her? If the evil doctor is back, does that mean Shadow is too?
Groaning with overwhelming thoughts, Blaze set down the bowl on her white glass toped table and placed her head down on the white pillow.
Flipping herself around, the female stared out the window. The sun was brightly showing over the horizon. Happiness seemed to emit from the whole scene, while the cat's mind was in turmoil.
Why did all of this have to happen now? First, Silver and Amy kissed. Then, Sonic acted all weird around her. She had shown her weak side, which she had learned never to do. And now, the whole Julie being shot thing was just too much.
Dealing with her feelings was hard enough.
As she gazed out the window, Blaze felt her eyelids grow heavy. Grapping a tan colored blanket off the back of the couch, the female wrapped it over her.
Soon, sleep befell the cat.
A few minutes earlier with Julie-Su…
The female echidna moaned in pain as her eyelids flickered open. At first her heart stopped. Where was she? Why wasn't she in her bed?
Trying desperately to sit up, Julie suddenly felt a sharp pain zap through her, making her cry in agony. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she sit up? Why did she feel so weak?
Three squirrel nurses along with a raccoon doctor burst into the room. The nurses quickly grabbed some kind of shot and injected the liquid into her arm. The echidna was too weak to fight back.
Were they killing her? Were they turning her into some kind of experiment? Were they evil minions of some kind of evil dude? Why had she no memory of this? "Wha--?" she began, but the raccoon shushed her.
"We'll explain everything in the morning," he stated, the three squirrels walking out of the room. "This medicine should help ease the pain and make it possible for you to sleep."
The echidna managed to nod her head, suddenly feeling drowsy. For evil minions, they weren't so bad.
Before she could ask anything else, the doctor exited the room. Sitting alone in almost absolute darkness, Julie tried to recall what had happened. The only light came from the full moon shining through her window.
Her memory drew up a blank. The female's eyelids began to get heavy.
All of a sudden, the shutting of a door was heard.
Trying to stay awake and sit up, Julie had no idea who it was. Whoever it was crept too quietly to belong to this building and she had a feeling they weren't supposed to be in her.
The figure stepped closer to her bedside, cloaked in darkness. At this point, Julie-Su was a having a major battle to stay awake.
The medicine was working quickly.
Trying to at least make out the figure, Jules saw that it was a male hedgehog, resembling Sonic. No, it couldn't be Sonic? Why would he sneak in?
Thoughts draining to sleep, Julie managed to whisper, "Sonic?"
The figure, with his back to her whirled about.
The last thing Julie could remember before her eyelids closed was seeing a pair of crimson eyes.
A/N: I just had to put how they felt okay? I know this chapter was basically meaningless, but I had to put it up. Things will be kinda mellow from here on. Sorry all you action lovers. Remember at the beginning the thing with Le Re's restraunt and Rikku telling him to be there? That's going to come back. 'Angelz in Training' will began as soon as this piece ends, hopefully sometime before August.
See ya!
Rikku: Review for cookies! Chocolate chip is available if you're allergic to peanut butter!