A/N: Wow...Another quick update. This chapter is kind of parceled together with the last chapter, but I didn't want to make it too long. I'm trying to align my updates so that a particular chapter gets posted on my birthday (less than two weeks :D), so let me know if it seems a bit rushed. I will probably wind up going back and adding more description later if this is the case.

A few things before I begin...Skip right to the Disclaimer if you don't want to read random thoughts. ;)

One thing that I know will be the source of a lot of questions is the status of Station Square in my story, so I had might as well clear this up now. I try to stay as far away from Sonic X as possible when I write due to plot errors...and humans. I have seen all three seasons (first 2 in Japanese, 3rd in French), but it was mostly for the KnuxRouge love! (Episode 52 made me happy!) I love the show overall...In fact, at some points it will probably become obvious that I've watched it. However, the humans bother me beyond belief.
But I digress. At the end of Sonic Adventure, Station Square is in a state of ruin from Perfect Chaos. No matter how Sonic X depicts it, I'm still convinced that the city would be undergoing restoration after it was essentially leveled. It takes a long time to build things...

Central City...Fullmetal Alchemist reference or lack of creativity? - Neither. On Wikipedia (I think...), I saw a paragraph that mentioned that the location of City Escape (Sonic's first level in SA2) might be in a place called Central City, but it's not certain. I decided to use this as the city name regardless. It's very hard for me to type this and "Alfonso" in the same story without thinking of FMA, though...

Alfonso Valente...Why an Italian name? - There isn't really an answer to this...I could have just as well chosen a French or Spanish name for him, but I kind of like how the name sounds. It literally means "valorous and noble" (Alfonso) and "to live well/healthily" (Valente). It kind of fits with the character that it describes. You'll see what I mean soon enough. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own this hot specimen of video game character right here. (-Tugs Knuckles over by his dreadlock-) I also don't own other SEGA characters, places, etc...I own Alfonso, though. :)

Chapter 5 - Alfonso's Spectacle

Amy tugged gently on the bottom of the flowing silk dress and examined herself in the mirror of the cramped, rectangular dressing room. The dress that she had finally selected was truly the most beautiful garment that she had ever laid eyes upon, and she was almost certain that her choice had been made. The lovely gown was knee-length and sleeveless, accentuating the hedgehog's slender pink arms and legs. Crafted of rich scarlet silk, the dress conformed to her figure comfortably and was adorned with small, tailored flowers of a cream coloring about the neck and bottom. Thin vines of silver thread climbed about halfway up the skirt portion of the dress, intertwining and diverging in an intricate pattern. A delicate sash of ivory-colored cord hung about her waist, embellished with minuscule beads that hung lazily and danced when she spun before the mirror.

Smiling, the pink hedgehog did one final turn and adjusted the new hair ribbon that she had selected to match her outfit. It was sewn of pearly silk that matched perfectly with the flowers on her dress and the complementary belt. Three gorgeous garnets were set into the delicate fabric, a design which was completed by overlapping vines of silver thread weaving throughout the gems. All thought of the enormous crater (somehow, dent does not seem to appropriately describe) that this would place in her wallet had disappeared; she had to have the ensemble.

"Sonikku!" she shouted delightedly, opening the door to the dressing room and stepping out into the cozy atmosphere of the store. She placed her hands on her hips and surveyed the room. To her disappointment, all she saw was Tails holding a tuxedo jacket that was as large as he was up to the employee behind the counter.

"...And this is the smallest size that you have?" the poor fox asked, scowling. The plain brunette behind the counter raised her chin and gazed down at him through dainty spectacles before nodding grimly. Tails sighed and turned back to the men's section of the boutique, the sleeves of the jacket tumbling onto the ground as he attempted to maneuver himself while holding it.

"Tails, where's Sonic?" Amy asked, surprising the two-tailed fox.

"Sonic? Oh, he went for a run..." Tails replied, shaking his head slowly. The pink hedgehog sighed and looked at the ground for a moment, then held up her fist with a fierce growl. This alarmed the fox, and he quickly scurried to the section of the store where seemingly identical tuxedo outfits were hung in perfect order.

"SONIKKU!" Amy shouted, holding her clenched fists by her side. Her eyebrows were twitching with insanity, and Tails nervously ducked behind a long rack of beige garment bags with "Elegance and Purity" printed on them in faded black ink. Amy took a few steps forward and glared out the door, waiting for a blue blur to pass before her eyes at any moment. When this wish remained unfulfilled, the infuriated hedgehog turned to the craven fox and beckoned for him to approach her. Out of sheer terror, he obeyed the command and stood about a meter away from her. "Now, Tails..."

Amy took a deep breath and the small fox cowered slightly at the tirade that he suspected was about to escape her lips. Surprisingly, she fixed him with a blank expression and did a small curtsey.

"How do I look?" she asked cheerfully. Tails was becoming quite distressed, but he gulped and tried to conjure a response in his bamboozled mind. Amy had just spontaneously switched from being furious to being her normal, effervescent self.

(A/N: The word bamboozled reminds me of pandas!)

"You look...um..."

The fox was still in a state of shock. He absentmindedly perused the hedgehog's dress while the last morsels of his attention flew out the door...where a red echidna had just come into view. Tails blinked a few times, turning his body in the direction of the open entrance. Amy shifted her weight to her left leg and stared at him in a rather irritated way, preparing to criticize his behavior. However, before doing so, she followed his vacant stare to the dreadlocked figure that was now passing in front of the clothing shop.

Amy's face lit up instantly. Taking a step towards the door, she called, "Hey, Knuckles!" and skipped excitedly in his direction. Knuckles easily heard the young hedgehog's voice and he groaned loudly, turning to face the obsessive Sonic fangirl. An encounter with the vivacious pink hedgehog was not what he needed at a time when he figured he might be hot on the trail of the Master Emerald's thief. Despite this, he knew that it was futile for him to attempt to flee.

"What is it?" Knuckles asked, dragging his feet into the boutique and fixing Amy with a bitter grimace. He knew what her question would probably be since she was quite aware of his duties as the Master Emerald's guardian. To his surprise, Amy grinned and did a complete turn before his eyes, concluding with a graceful curtsey.

"What do you think of my new dress?" the hedgehog asked with great anticipation evident in her voice. The crimson echidna smacked his forehead and lifted an eyebrow as he shot her an irritated glare. They stood in silence for a moment as Knuckles realized that Amy was sincere about her inquiry.

"It's quite...red," he finally replied, crossing his arms. Tails exhaled with an amused sigh as Amy merely stood before him, scratching her head with a bewildered expression plastered upon her face.

"You're quite red there yourself, buddy!" joked a snide voice from behind the echidna, and he turned to see a smug blue hedgehog with a half-eaten chili dog clutched in his right hand. Sonic downed the remaining food in one bite as he watched Knuckles' face flush to a brilliant shade of red. Behind the guardian, Amy had immediately noticed the icon of her adoration and had begun to sprint, ignoring her attire.

"SON-IK-KU, YOU-CAME!" she shouted between exhilarated hops. Sonic sighed and yawned as Knuckles approached him, holding his fists up in a menacing stance, with the pink hedgehog directly behind him.

"Stop it, guys!" Tails yelled above the chaos, running up to the trio. Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles all fixed him with identical expressions of vague interest. He had not spoken since before the ruby echidna and blue hedgehog had arrived. "Calm down...Let's figure out what's going on before you all decide to shove your feet down each others' throats!"

While all this turmoil was occurring, the brunette behind the counter glanced up apathetically, flicked her glasses, and went back to browsing a fashion catalogue.

Sonic sighed and glanced at Amy. "I think that the whole city heard you call for me. What do you need?"

The bubbly hedgehog giggled and placed her hands on her hips, ensuring that Sonic had an ideal view of her garb. She held her hand up dramatically and declared, "I wanted to show you my beautiful dress, of course! Don't you think that it's absolutely gooooorgeous?"

Sonic smirked and shrugged, leaning his open palm against the side of an iron garbage can.

"Well, it suits you," he replied with a wink and gave her a typical 'thumbs-up' gesture. This simple action, however, made Amy ecstatic. She gazed at her hero and sighed dreamily, clasping her hands together as her heart soared to unbelievable heights. "Are you sure you have the money to pay for it though?"

Splat.

Amy lowered her chin with crystal tears forming in her eyes. She wasn't sure at all...

Tails faced Knuckles, who had calmed down considerably since the arrogant hedgehog had made his 'red' joke.

"Now, Knuckles...This is more of a curiosity question, but aren't you supposed to be on Angel Island guarding the–"

"It was stolen!" he snapped, his temper rising once more. "Why else do you think I'd be here?"

Tails frowned in contemplation, but Sonic grinned at this possible opportunity for adventure. His eyes became luminous viridian orbs as he began to assault the guardian with a barrage of questions.

"Really? Who stole it? How'd they get away? Why is your cheek all–"

The enraged Knuckles made a slashing gesture in the air with his right hand, signifying that it would be most appropriate for the hedgehog to kindly shut his mouth. He obeyed without further comment; Knuckles seemed to have a glint in his amethyst eyes that was just short of homicidal.

"Okay, first of all...the Master Emerald is my business and my business alone. I will retrieve it without your help and bring it back to Angel Island. Who...or what...stole it is none of your concern."

With these fierce words, the echidna turned his back to the two hedgehogs and the genius fox and began to stride away. All three pairs of eyes followed him until he turned left at the nearest corner.

"So then..."Amy began, breaking the oppressive silence that now hung like a lead blanket upon the three mobians. After a hiatus, she turned to them with determined eyes. "...You two still need clothes for tonight!"

Sonic and Tails shot each other panicked glances as the fox began to stumble over his reasoning inside of his mind.

"But...but...All of the c-clothes in there are t-too large for us!" Tails stammered, clasping his hands timidly in front of him as his tails twitched wildly.

A hint of mischief ignited in the pink hedgehog's eyes as she spotted a nearby store. With a conspicuous smirk, she replied, "I think that I have an idea..."

As the day progressed, the sun quickly sank beneath the bustling jungle of gargantuan skyscrapers and structures. Slowly but surely, pale lights began to appear in the innumerable windows, spilling out onto the sidewalks and streets. Then, as the second hand continued its endless rotation through the plane of time, the entire city was sent into a state of hushed elation as each individual awaited the birth of the night scene. Finally, as if by magic, the streets were set ablaze by brilliant neon lights and flashy displays of incredible magnitude.

From her vantage point on her ninth floor balcony, Rouge eagerly regarded the myriad of colors that now dotted the cityscape. She was already fully dressed and prepared for the night's main event, but she did not feel the need to depart from her home just yet. Her choice of dress had been a slender black garment that fit her like a glove from her bust to her knees. To enhance this simple design, she had chosen to wear a silver necklace of which the focus was a diamond set into a sleek crescent moon. Around her waist was a silver-threaded sash that she had tied off against her hip. Upon her feet, she had donned a pair of high-heeled black sandals that clacked loudly when she walked upon a solid surface.

Rouge straightened her white, elbow-length gloves and leaned her arms against the railing. She supposed that she should begin to head to the performance site if she expected to reach her glamorous seat without much of a hassle. Returning to her dark bedroom, she located the ticket and checked her appearance once more before she began to travel. Content with what she saw, the bat returned to the balcony and flapped her wings slowly, carefully rising into the air. She knew that such an ensemble was not the best choice of wear to be flying around in, so she lowered herself to the sidewalk with a smug grin and began to walk to Central Square.

Wow, Rouge thought to herself, taking note of the bumper-to-bumper traffic on even the most remote roads, people are really into this Alfonso guy...I've never seen such a mess before!

Upon closer inspection, the former spy also observed that cars were parked haphazardly in every available spot. Citizens and visitors alike were pouring out of every imaginable vehicle like circus performers out of a clown car. The sidewalks were flooded with every shape and color perceivable as Rouge made her way through the ocean of excitement and confusion. It was truly a remarkable sight to behold, even to one who had lived in the city for as long as her memory could serve.

Using every tactic that she had learned from her urban life and her years as a treasure hunter, the skillful bat began to weave through the thick crowds as she trekked to her destination. Her greatest advantage in this situation was not her skill, her looks, or anything that she knowingly relied on. What distinguished her from the typical event-goer was that she had almost infallible insight on the layout and nature of the city.

"Um...Amy...Are you certain that this is absolutely necessary?"

Tails tugged at the collar of his tuxedo jacket, staring up at the crazed pink hedgehog. She folded her arms against her chest and scoffed at the fox and the blue hedgehog who was currently trying to keep his tiny pair of pants from falling down.

"Of course it is!" Amy replied in a daze. She performed an elegant twirl and her scarlet dress flared out in the nighttime breeze. "Besides, you two look absolutely adorable!"

Tails looked down at the snug tuxedo outfit and over at Sonic, who was still preoccupied with the pair of pants. He sighed and tried to take shallow breaths out of fear that the buttons would pop.

"Don't you think that they're a little small...?" he asked with a frown, readjusting the flimsy collar. Sonic lifted a finger to say something and muttered a stifled curse word when the trousers fell about his ankles. Amy, however, heard this utterance and shot him an intimidating glare.

With a final push of effort, Sonic managed to align his pantaloons in such a manner that they refused to budge. He smirked proudly and gave the pink hedgehog his classic wink. Amy smiled back, quite amused by his antics, and approached him to straighten his collar.

"You're so great, Sonikku!" she exclaimed joyfully, reaching out to perfect the figure of the handsome hedgehog that now stood before her. Sonic took this gesture as the beginning of a hug, however, and took a long step backwards. To his right was a small telephone booth, and he examined his costume in the reflection of the scratched, graffiti-covered plastic.

Tails sighed at the pair of hedgehogs and intervened, "Was it really necessary to dress us in doll clothes, though? There's a tag sticking into the middle of my back, and it's really irritating!"

"Aw, Tails..." Amy whined, turning to the two-tailed fox. "It was so difficult to find anything in that toy store that would pass as decent clothing! Can you two try to bear with it, at least for the show?"

The fox's gaze dropped to the ground and he groaned loudly.

"I suppose..."

Amy had caused quite a ruckus in the second shopping area that they had visited. After a good half hour of searching, she had come across an appealing display in which about twenty stuffed bears had been dressed and arranged as if they were participants in a wedding. While immediately drawn to the exhibit because of her chimeric fantasies that she would one day stand before the altar with her azure beloved, further inspection revealed that each "male" bear was clothed in a miniature onyx tuxedo. Without hesitation, the delighted hedgehog had then proceeded to hop over the low rope fence and remove two of the lightweight nuptial garments. A female owl had advanced to stop the hedgehog from causing any further damage, but Amy had already run to the purchase counter with a deranged gleam in her eyes. Sonic and Tails had followed quickly, frightened by their colleague's intentions.

Once she arrived at the counter with the owl fast on her heels, Amy had slammed the apparel in front of the employee. At first, Amy was told that the clothing and dolls were for display only and that she would have to return the habiliments to their rightful exhibit. The pink hedgehog, however, was not pleased with this response. After a few blows from a particular yellow mallet, the two peons had felt more than obliged to exchange the raiment for a meager sum of money. Thus, the company had exited the store with their brand new wardrobe in vividly-colored shopping bags.

At the sheer memory of this disaster, Tails shuddered and averted his eyes from the unpredictable rose hedgehog. He was personally concerned that Amy might be charged with a misdemeanor or even a felony for her actions against the defenseless workers that had stood in her warpath. Though no permanent damage had been done, Amy had certainly spared no expense in "persuading" the employees to let her have her way. Such behavior from this normally merry hedgehog terrified him, and he often found himself overwhelmingly relieved at the fact that Sonic did not show many signs of having an infatuation with his stalker because of how she might react if the cobalt hedgehog happened to displease her in a relationship setting.

"All right, you two," the enthusiastic hedgehog began, finally trapping Sonic's arm and pulling him beside Tails, "that's enough of this childishness. Shall we go and find our seats?"

Tails turned to the large, boisterous crowd that had amassed before Central Square's grandiose outdoor theatre. Through the sea of eager faces and chattering mouths, he could barely see the top of the colorful stage. He considered flying over to investigate the structure by utilizing his two bushy tails, but a hand on his shoulder prevented him from making any rash decisions.

"Come on, Tails," Amy's calming voice urged gently. "I have the tickets, and we should make our entrance before the place gets entirely packed."

Beside the fox, Sonic surveyed the attire of those who had gathered to attend the show. All of the women were adorned in slender, attractive garments that shone magnificently in the pale moonlight. The men who had decided to appear were garbed in very formal tuxedos. In light of this attire, the wear that Sonic and Tails had squeezed into appeared very false and inexpensive. However, as these outfits had been mere dolls' clothes to begin with, this fact was not very surprising.

The blue hedgehog shrugged off the thought and took a couple steps toward Amy, eyeing the surrounding scene with partial interest. He felt her hand intertwine with his as the trio approached the ever-growing crowd, but he was too absorbed in this unexplored area of the city to pay any heed to what his obsessive pink fangirl might be doing.

Before the group had traveled ten steps, the blue hedgehog came to an abrupt halt and stared to his immediate left. Amy glared at him and grunted in annoyance before following his glare. Together, they squinted at a familiar white figure that appeared to be on her way to the premiere.

Amy blinked rapidly and held her right hand to her mouth in wonder.

"Is that...?"

Rouge held the crumpled ticket in her hand and smiled. She had arrived at Central Square, and the enormous crowd of event-goers had come into view. Gazing once more over her sleeveless, strapless gown, the alluring bat confirmed that she exuded perfection before becoming engulfed in the deluge of gaudily-clad romance zealots. Inhaling the cool night air, she turned and prepared to maneuver through the cluster of flashy ensembles.

"Hey!" a male voice called, carrying over the droning of the masses. Figuring that this shout was not directed at her, she ignored the oddly familiar voice and continued to walk. A blue blur (A/N: Who could it be?) passed before her, coming to a complete stop only a couple feet before her. She heard approaching footsteps and spotted a pink hedgehog and two-tailed fox sprinting over to her.

"Well, well..." she said as she glanced between the three recognizable faces. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Sonic and Tails grinned at her remark, but Amy scowled and crossed her arms as she inspected the bat.

"Rouge the Bat, right?" Sonic asked, and Rouge smirked and nodded. He turned to Tails and Amy. "First Knuckles...and now Rouge? Man, who else are we going to see while we're here?"

Rouge blinked a couple times at the mention of the echidna's name. Why would he have come to the city when he had his Emerald to protect?

Amy, on the other hand, was rather skeptical of Rouge. Ever since she had come into the picture, the bat had never established herself as being on a particular side. She was similar to Knuckles in that sense, for his alliances with Sonic were only temporary and generally were due to overlapping goals. However, her avaricious yet obscure personality marked her as someone in whom Amy could not have confidence for the time being.

Knuckles told us that he was here because the Master Emerald was stolen, the hedgehog thought, folding her arms across her chest. If he came to a place like this to look for it and, strangely enough, that bat is here, could she be the one who took it? I mean, she has tried to before...

"Are you all right?" Rouge inquired, noticing that Amy appeared to be in deep contemplation. At the sound of the jewel thief's voice, her chin snapped up and she blinked.

"I'm fine..."

The bat smirked at her reply and turned to Sonic.

"So...you mentioned that the echidna is here?"

Sonic nodded and started to speak, but Amy rushed over and covered his mouth. He grunted in confusion as Rouge raised an eyebrow at the strange pink hedgehog.

"That's none of your business!" Amy snapped as she glared at the suspicious bat. Rouge shrugged and started to leave.

"Well, with that said, I'm off! Have fun at the show." Rouge smirked. "And Sonic...your tag is showing."

Amy shifted her glance from Rouge to the top of Sonic's pants, where a small tag was visible to the right of his tail. She reached down to fix it as Sonic realized what this meant.

"Wait, Amy! Don't touch–"

Unfortunately, Sonic's warning came a bit too late. Amy tucked the tag in, thus disturbing the very fragile alignment of the trousers on his body and sending them plummeting to the cement. The blue hedgehog groaned as he reached down to pick them up and held them in place. Amy, Tails, and Rouge watched the entire episode unfold with suppressed laughter. Sonic whipped around and furrowed his brow.

"These weren't meant to fit a hedgehog!" he complained, and Amy giggled at her hero.

Rouge left the group with a parting wave and melded into the ocean of faces. As she made her way to the grand outdoor theatre, she thought of the guardian that Sonic had mentioned and wondered what he could possibly have come to the city for. The stubborn Knuckles would willingly trade his life for the safety of the Master Emerald if the situation called for it. With that in mind, it seemed strange that he would endanger the gem by leaving the shrine on Angel Island...

When she reached the entrance, she stared down at the very steep series of concrete steps that divided the rows of the amphitheater-esque performance area. Although she had come almost an hour early and a large amount of attendees were socializing outside of the site, the red velvet seats were already packed with thrilled fans. Grasping the steel railing, Rouge carefully descended the stairs as she scanned her ticket. Her seat number was listed as "A6," which she had instantly figured was a front-row seat. To her curiosity, however, the bat noticed that the closest row to the stage was comprised of about six boxed-in areas, each holding two chairs and a small table.

As she drew closer, she carefully examined the row letters that were visible on the arms of the aisle seats. Rouge had just passed the K row, and there were nine rows in front of her, excluding the box seats. She paused for a moment and figured that the row of velvet chairs closest to the stage must be the B row, while A-row seats were located in the prestigious boxes.

Turning to survey the A-row areas, she instantly observed that none of the seats had been filled yet. She supposed that these spots must belong to wealthy folks who were currently discussing the latest gossip outside of the theatre. A solitary figure was sitting alone in the box at the bottom of the stairs, his gloved hands clasped in his lap as he regarded the vivid stage through his thin spectacles. He was dressed in an orderly charcoal suit, and his pointy ears were pressed against his dark fur as he churned solemn thoughts in his mind. Rouge smiled and hurried down the last several steps, nearly losing balance when her heeled shoe struck the bottom step at the wrong angle.

When she was about to alert the creature to her presence, a portly rabbit in a black vest jumped in front of her and bowed before her. Brown eyes bored into hers from the mass of light purple fur that now towered over her. The bat, slightly intimidated, took a step backwards and switched into a fighting stance. Upon seeing this, the hare chuckled and patted her on the shoulder, shaking his head.

"I'm just here to check your ticket, ma'am," he assured with a wide smile, fixing her with a friendly gaze. Rouge felt her cheeks flush and she handed him her ticket, which he skimmed a few times. He nodded at her and grinned. "The guest of honor, hm? Your seat is in this box right here."

The rabbit stepped out of her way and gestured to the box that the thoughtful figure was seated in. Rouge offered a comical salute and the attendant waved in acknowledgment before hopping up the stairs to check the tickets of the stream of guests that had just flooded in.

Rouge walked into the small seating area and stopped about five feet from the occupied chair. She smirked as the cat before her heard the clacking of her heels and gazed up. His once-somber face lit up at once with pleasure, and he stood up and took a few steps toward her.

"I'm glad that you decided to come," the cat greeted merrily, offering a courteous bow. "You look absolutely ravishing!"

The bat responded to this appreciation with a simple nod and stared at the stage with interest. Though its surface was nothing out of the ordinary, the exciting backdrop was lit by every hue of every color imaginable. Every few seconds, these colors would swap and slowly dance with each other, sometimes overlapping. The whole display was very fluid and well-produced, causing the entire light effect to have the appearance of rippling water. If not for the myriad of shades and pigments, the experience would be reminiscent of gazing into the clear surface of a lake on a slightly windy day.

"Looks like it's going to be quite a show," Rouge remarked, and the cat grinned and sighed nervously.

"Well...I hope you're right...um..."

He met her eyes and raised an eyebrow as if asking a tacit question.

"Rouge, Rouge the Bat!" she replied pridefully, spreading her wings as if to prove a point.

The cat nodded and held out his hand politely.

"It's nice to meet you, Ms. Rouge. My name is...well...technically Alfonso the Cat or Alfonso Valente...but please call me 'Alfonso.'"

Rouge blinked at him, unable to believe what she was hearing. The Alfonso Valente? The producer who had designed this entire premiere?

"Well, Mister Alfonso," Rouge responded doubtfully, subtly mocking his method of speaking, "It was very thoughtful of you to invite me, but why did you choose me in particular?"

The cat lowered his hand when he realized that the bat had no intention of shaking it. Despite this, he seemed very delighted that she had come.

"You seemed rather troubled when I came across you, and it was rather impolite of me to startle you like that. I figured that this might help to improve your mood."

For a moment, Rouge reflected on her dream and the meeting with the cat. Since that occurrence, she had not thought of her nightmares and the horror that accompanied them. This was perhaps the first day that she had truly been herself in many months.

"You don't have to say 'Thank you' to be grateful, as you know," he stated, interrupting her thoughts. Rouge merely nodded as the cat continued to smile pleasantly. He gazed at the stage in a trance, as if his life's efforts were manifesting before his eyes in full beauty. "You're not the type of person that would say it...It hurts your pride, I'm assuming."

Rouge stared at him with astonishment, unsure of whether to feel bewildered or insulted. As she prepared to question him, Alfonso glanced around the site and pulled a slip of paper out of his chest pocket. After reading it over, he placed it back in his jacket and frowned.

"I need to prepare for the show now, but I will be back at intermission."

The bat nodded in approval, and he sped past her and up the steps, presumably to find the backstage entrance. She turned away and sat down in one of the cushioned chairs, gazing up at the inky sky. Due to the city lights, only the brightest of the stars were visible to the naked eye. Truthfully, the one downside that the glamorous Rouge found in city life was that the darkness of night was always ruined by blinding lights. She favored the allure of the shadows over the flashy array of glows that marked the typical nighttime scene. She had resided in the city for as long as she could recall, and thus she had developed her bewitching appearance and personality.

Rouge sat back in the seat and closed her eyes, relaxing as she awaited the opening of the performance. Because of her early arrival, she knew that she would have to wait a miniature eternity. The excited mumbling from the multitude of ecstatic fans was beginning to bring pain to her ears, and she sighed as she covered them gently. When she had grown accustomed to the noise, her thoughts gradually drifted from the unusual feline to her dreams of Knuckles. Upon returning to her apartment the previous night, she had slumbered peacefully and dreamlessly. Now that the echidna could possibly be nearby, swarms of thoughts battled in her weary brain. In truth, she almost wished that they could meet by a streak of luck so she could manipulate his gullible mind.

All in good fun, of course, Rouge thought with a smirk. That Knucklehead takes everything too seriously.

As she thought of the crimson guardian, her clever grin turned into a genuine smile and she sank into the cushioned chair. Once again, the concerns that plagued her dreams had faded into bliss.

A/N: Aaaand that's all for chapter 5! I hope you liked it!

(-Looks around expectantly-)

Oh, right...um...Knuckles is on a mission... :)

That means I have to say his line, though. -.-

Review, Review! Lauren likes reviews!