((( what did I tell you? Here I am! And you better feel lucky. I'm ill and I wanted to sleep in, but nooooo I had to get my blonde ass up so I could write you a story. You guys sure must be special. ... that and I had been stewing story ideas in my head all night. I'm thinking of adding a ferret. (actually adding, not THINKING of adding) his/her name would be Lil' Nicky. Only dilemma is I don't know what gender to make it! Nicky is a unisexual name! Anyway it will be light blue in color, and will be the cousin to Nack the weasel. He'll be trying to teach Nicky the trade of the thief, but Nicky will fail horribly being that he/she is so clumsy and, for the life of her/him, really doesn't care. All Nicky wants to do is have a little fun, and this 12-year-old (possibly younger) will become the ever-annoying prankster of one of my fics. Now that I've given away a good portion of my plot, you better be good readers to poor influenza-stricken me and give nice reviews (and chicken broth) so I can get better ;;)))

Knux: I think I've really begun to like our author.

Sonic: me too.

A: you're only saying that because you both got lucky. T.T

K: getTING lucky, as it were.

S: in the process OF getting lucky.

A: oh, I'm notthe English major, I don't know anything T.T you guys annoy me.

Tails: that's a nice change. Usually YOU'RE the annoying one.

A: -strangles Tails with his own tails- ANYWAY, I feel like corrugated shit today, so I may be less than perfect in spelling and grammar (even though I truly AM an English major.) so forgive me if I commit all unholy of taboos and gasp make a TYPO!

All: GASP!

Rouge: even though you've made all sorts of typos before and never bothered to correct them. SHAME! That and I'm still a minor character in your story. ;-; I thought you LOVED me!

A: -huggles Rouge- of COURSE I love you! But if people saw us together, they might start to think things...

-they kiss passionately-

K: naaaaaaa...O,o -drools-

S: that was...unexpected...and interesting...-covers Tails' eyes-

#$AHEM! No, I can't seem to keep Knuckles in a cage, so I don't own him. Or anyone else for that matter. EXCEPT ALL CHARACTERS THAT ARE MINE. wa.$#

Chapter 9- What's Love Got To Do With It?

God forbid she should allow him one fucking hour of sleep. Nooooo, she had to keep him up half the night... well, he may not have minded that, but then wake him after five minutes of sleep and demand that they go get the emerald THAT VERY MINUTE! Even HE wasn't that obsessed.

"Karpa, darling, my surveillance drones all showed the same thing. She left around midnight, went to this apartment, and then never left. She's probably going to spend the night. IT'S LOGIC. Please be reasonable..."

"I've had about enough of your defeatist attitude." to which he sighed heavily in exasperation, "We will keep on course as PLANNED and succeed. I will not sit and wait for you to have your beauty rest. If you can't keep up, then I suggest we limit our exerting activities." She looked at him with an eyebrow raised.

"No! No, I'll be fine." Shadow growled, heaving forward the control stick of the minicopter (one of Shadow's side projects) and swerving off in the direction of downtown Monotreme.

------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh...God!"

"Did... did I hurt you?"

"No, it's... it's so...big..."

"Sonic, please turn the TV off. I have work in the morning. T-T"

"No, wait! Watch this part, pleeease?"

"Turn it off. Now."

"Damnitalltahell. "

(AN- oh, I'm so evil. I'm SO evil. I bet you thought that was the lemon, too. Oh, well, HERE it is!)

-------------------------------------------------

Of all things, this was the very last he'd expected he'd end up doing that night. Sure, a little booze, a scary movie... Who woulda' thought it would end up like this? (AN- I would :D)

She groaned lightly as he slowly slid inside her, gripping the sheets tightly. His tendrils hung loosely about his shoulders, grazing her skin as the two bodies pressed and merged against one another. He kissed her roughly as he thrust more forcefully. She broke away from the kiss and cried out, hissing a breath through her teeth as he continued.

"y'ok?"

"yeah, don't stop..."

His thrusts became harder, climaxing at a point where the headboard was crashing against the wall. Tarsa moaned loudly, now gripping his back with her nails. Her legs tightened around his body as she felt herself slipping into intense orgasm...

In the dizzy euphoria of drunkenness and arousal, the two bodies felt as one. He couldn't discern where one ended and the other began. He was locked in this sensual summit where only the two existed, existed as one perfect entity. He let his head sink to her neck as he held her close, praying that the night would never end.

-----------------------------------------------

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S NOT HERE?"

"It's not here. Damn. Then they must have done it to her as well..." Karpa held her chin in thought.

They stood in the middle of Tarsa's messy apartment. Shadow's ears twitched as he strived to sense the emerald's essence. He finally sighed, laying them back and glancing at his counterpart.

"What are you talking about?"

Karpa sighed, sitting on the unmade bed. "My sister and I were born as twins to a renowned family. Our line was bred for our distinctive characteristics: yellow to golden-brown skin; numerous long, thin tendrils; and of course our accent, but that's a learned trait. When we were born, no one knew what to think of it. We both bore the crescent of the guardian, but one of us had a defect. Tarsa was born a different color, blue of all hues. A disgrace to our family. Even though we were twins, stories might have circulated that she was illegitimate. Not only that, but there couldn't be two heiresses to the gem.

"At the time, it was the Lumin Emerald, sacred to the highbred. Our family was on the brink of war with a neighboring country, the cause for which was lost in years of distrust and trepidation. Our spies had discovered they were plotting to take the gem for themselves, so my father gave it into the trust of his confidant, Nupus, for safekeeping. Unbeknownst to him, Nupus was a radical of the black arts, and used the emerald's power to aid the enemy hordes. Through his spells and incantations of hatred, the emerald turned black and its power darkened.

"My father apprehended the fiend just in time, but failed to retrieve the emerald in one piece. You see, Nupus had tried to destroy it, but only succeeded in breaking it in two before it was confiscated. The gem, now blackened, reeked of bad intention. He couldn't fully destroy it because it was his people's, so he had another plan."

She grasped Shadow's hand, pressing it to her chest. His fur stood on-end and his quills quivered into their upright, defensive stance. The energy surged from her very bosom.

"My God... it's..." he stared in disbelief, unable to finish his sentence.

"He had one half surgically implanted in me at a young age. The other half was supposedly kept in his care. Tarsa was put up for adoption, never again able to take the Fairchild name. But, you see, I've been looking for the other half of the emerald most of my life. My father most certainly doesn't have it. So she..."

Shadow backed away quickly, looked around, a hand to his forehead. "This is too much... it's IN her? AND you?"

"That's how it seems. I was hoping it didn't have to come to this..." she sighed. "This is where you come in."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

He woke to the sudden movement of her body as she turned away from him in her sleep. He had to think for a moment, recalling the night's activities, wondering exactly how it had all come about. He wrapped his arms around her waist, drawing her close, breathing deep the scent of her hair and enjoying the feel of her skin. However it happened, he was glad it did. He had no regrets.

"Knux..? You awake?"

"Yeah..."

"nnn... good morning..." she turned to face him, touching noses. He chuckled tiredly, leaning in to kiss her neck.

"So, do you even remember last night? You were pretty loaded..." he nipped at her skin playfully.

"I know. I'm sorry you had to see me like that..."

"What? I liked that side of you... You were...assertive."

"Was I?" she asked, smiling as she pushed him on his back, sitting on his stomach.

"Very."

She leaned in and bit his lip, growling.

"Yeah, like that."

Without warning, she froze, eyes widening. Shooting upright, she gasped suddenly, clutching at her chest and screaming in agony.

"Tarsa? What's wrong? What happened?"

"Oh God... Oh God, no...it BURNS!" she clawed at her chest, nails tearing at the skin as the ripping, burning sensation intensified. Knuckles tried to calm her as she screeched in anguish. With a final shuddering gasp, she fell limp and didn't stir.

"TARSA!" he shook her forcefully, breath quickening in alarm. His brow knotted and his lip quivered as he tapped gently at her cheeks, the listless expression in her wide, lifeless eyes causing utter panic to rise in his gut.

"Oh, please… God, no… TARSAAA!"

((dun dun DUN! What happened to Tarsa? Is she alive? What does Karpa have in mind? Find out in the next exciting episode of AVERAGE JOE:HAWAII!
-gets pummeled by Knux- )))

K: I hate you now. T.T