Amy Rose walked about Death City enjoying the pleasant weather of the afternoon. Saturday was the day, and it was an important one. Her plan to marry Sonic would run full speed ahead after today. Sonic had invited her over to his place. That's right. HIS place.
She'd always been impressed with Sonic. He was at the top of the weapon and meister class(despite his bad grades), charming, laid back. But to think he actually had his own place in Death City instead of living in the DWMA dorms with the other students! Sonic was a confirmed bachelor with his own place. Amy knew what needed to happen.
"Sonic!" She would proclaim as he opened the door. They'd hug.
"Amy, you're here early!" He would probably say.
She'd laugh shyly. "Sorry Sonic. I finished my errands early and figured I'd just head straight here. I hope it's not a bad time," Amy would smile up at him nervously.
Sonic would probably crack a joke or say something like: "Only a bad time if you didn't want to be stuck alone with me for the next hour," He'd probably accompany his statement with a finger pistol or two. Okay, maybe not two, that would be a bit much. One finger pistol seemed pretty likely, though.
Amy would reassure him with a more confident smile. "No, I'm glad I'm finally seeing your place for the first time,"
"I guess I better give you the grand tour," He would definitely say with a wink.
The grand tour. Amy let out a happy sigh at the thought of it. She needed that tour in her life more than anything. She inspected a wristwatch tucked partially under her glove. It was almost 3:00 PM.
"Tails wants to have a study group tomorrow for that big test. Come over to my place at like, four," Sonic had told her on Friday.
She would be just under one hour early. Any more than sixty minutes and she would risk giving up the game. It would give her enough time with Sonic before the others arrived. Cream wouldn't be taking the test and Knuckles would never be caught dead studying. Tails was punctual and precise so he'd show up right at four. Shadow gave off a 'fashionably late' kind of vibe, so he wouldn't be a problem. The stars had aligned on this one.
There it was. The apartment complex. Amy walked inside and looked for the appropriate room number with a growing anxiety. She was impressed by how nice the complex was, but also felt intimidated. Nothing but the best for Sonic, right? She had to be at her best, too. Amy began feeling even more nervous. She was at the door now; all she had to do was knock.
"Focus on the grand tour, Amy,"
Amy steeled herself and knocked on the door. The following moments of waiting were agonizing. It sounded like a TV was on, but she couldn't make anything else out. After what felt like an eternity, the door could be heard unlocking. This was it. Darkness pooled up in the entryway and didn't give way to the light from the hall. Amy could make out the outline of a hedgehog. Her plan must be set in motion.
"Sonic!" Amy hugged as if her life depended on it.
"Amy?"
That didn't sound right. She would be putting the grand tour on the line, but she had to end the hug now to make sure she had the right person. Amy stepped back and gasped. It was Shadow.
"You're not Sonic!"
"Neither are you," Shadow hit a light switch and the apartment's small entryway lit up properly.
"I meant I only hugged you because I thought you were Sonic,"
Shadow didn't reply. He simply walked back into the apartment as if nothing had happened.
Amy frowned. Who did he think he was, acting like that? He had just been hugged by Amy Rose herself. Sonic always had something to say when she hugged him:
"Amy, let go,"
Maybe that would seem like a bad example to a layman, but Amy knew that Sonic liked playing hard to get. Shadow wasn't fooling her with that shallow cool-guy facade.
"Wow Amy, you're early," Sonic was visible now that Shadow had moved.
"Yeah I uh, finished my errands early so I came straight here,"
"So you could put the moves on Shadow?"
"I-I thought he was you!" Amy could feel herself blushing. Sonic was giving her a smug expression that wasn't helping. "I didn't know he'd be early too,"
"Early? He lives here," Sonic raised an eyebrow.
"You said this was your place,"
"Well, it's mine and Shadow's,"
Sonic dropped that statement casually, as if the conversation was over. As if there wasn't a grand tour to be had. A grand tour that was rightfully Amy's. She looked around the apartment in an attempt to make up for what was now lost.
From the entryway, the apartment opened up with the living room on Amy's left and the kitchen at the right. One hallway led back a short distance, containing three doors, likely Sonic and Shadow's respective bedrooms alongside one bathroom. A couch lined the wall that faced the entrance with a reclining armchair next to the window. The kitchen was compact, and had a table nearby for dining.
Amy noticed that there were various boxes, bags, and other miscellaneous objects scattered about the apartment. It wasn't a pig sty by any means, but there were definitely two men living here. They even had 'The Chair' which was a chair stacked high with DWMA textbooks, papers, jackets, etc. Anything that didn't belong on the ground, but wasn't important enough to be put away properly, always ended up on 'The Chair.'
Whatever additional wonders the apartment held were barred by a knock at the door. Amy opened the door to see Tails looking up at her.
"Wow Amy, you're early,"
"That's exactly what I said," Sonic laughed.
"You're early too, Tails!"
"I hang out here all the time," Tails waltzed over to the recliner of which he was well acquainted and took off his backpack. "Everyone's here so we can start studying whenever. Based on the outline for this exam it's looking to be pretty tough."
"Starline did say he wanted to challenge the class early on to see what we were capable of," Sonic recalled.
"Do you think it's true what he said? That whoever gets the highest score on the exam is destined to make a death scythe?" Amy asked.
"I hope so," Tails smiled at the thought.
"Just because you'll be the one with the highest score no matter what," Sonic teased.
"You're not aiming for the top spot? You're still trying to make Shadow into a death scythe, aren't you?" Amy wondered.
"If some test is the only thing stopping me from creating a death scythe, I'm in the wrong line of work,"
Amy thought about Sonic's statement for a moment, then came to a resolution. She'd study hard and score higher than Sonic. She might not be getting the grand tour or any finger pistols from Sonic today, but creating a death scythe before him was a marriage guarantee.
The four of them studied for about two hours. Tails did most of the talking. He was well prepared and gave everyone else a good idea of what might be on the test. Sonic didn't seem super interested, but he didn't complain either. Shadow didn't say anything the entire time, but seemed to be paying about as much attention as Sonic.
By the time Amy and Tails left, she was feeling a lot more confident. The two walked back to the DWMA dorms together.
"Tails, what kind of girls does Sonic like?"
Tails shrugged.
"He's your brother! You've known him for years, it must have come up at some point,"
"I don't think he's dying to talk about that stuff with his little brother,"
Amy sighed. She'd give up for now.
Saturday ended and Sunday didn't stick around for very long. A new week of class at the DWMA had begun. Dr. Starline lectured diligently at the front of the class. Sonic hadn't been listening closely for most of the day, but his ear twitched as his attention was drawn to a shift in topic.
"Soul perception is a crucial tool for any meister, as I'm sure you all know. But there are different levels of mastery that allow for greater utility. When a meister first fine tunes their 6th sense, they can feel the soul wavelengths of the people around them. Training further will allow one to peer directly at the souls of others," Starline around and looked around the room calmly. "I can see every one of your souls from here. Different souls have different traits that can tell you more about who the people around you are,"
Sonic was reminded of how much he'd put off tuning his soul perception. He could sense if a soul was corrupted by trading blows with them and clashing wavelengths. Other than that he was nothing compared to his younger brother.
Tails could visualize a person's soul after taking a few moments to focus. Along with his ability to use soul force, he was gifted in the technical aspects of being a meister. The main thing holding Tails back was his lack of combat experience. Despite pulling off a Witch Hunter not long ago, Sonic was starting to feel limited again.
"That's all the time I have for you today. Don't forget that our first exam together is a week from today," Starline grinned "If you haven't started studying by now, it might get away from you,"
The students began filing out of the room along with most of the Sonic Squad.
"I'm gonna hang back for now. I'll see you guys in a bit," Sonic left his friends so he could approach Starline who was milling about his desk.
"Hello, Sonic. Is the exam preparation going alright for you?"
"No worries there. I actually wanted to ask you about soul perception,"
"Oh?" Starline raised an eyebrow and turned to give Sonic his full attention.
"A while back, Shadow and I fought a Witch. We only ended up defeating a doppelganger. She was just playing around, but if it had been a serious fight we would have been in trouble. Seeing souls properly could help me avoid risking my life along with Shadow's," Sonic frowned at the thought. "I could use your help,"
"Hmmmm," Starline looked away from Sonic, thinking about his predicament. "Sensing witches is more difficult than just looking for their soul. I'd hate to dive into more advanced topics while you have an important exam coming up," Starline gave Sonic a knowing smile. "You've been neglecting your studies enough as it is,"
Sonic sighed and looked away. He said nothing in response to the accusation.
"I imagine you'll still prioritize training your soul perception over studying for the exam. Schoolwork isn't very appealing in comparison to creating a death scythe, is it? So why don't we make a deal?" Starline's grin intensified.
Sonic was annoyed at how easily Starline saw through him, but that only meant that he was talking to the right person for help. "I'm listening,"
"If you can score in the top 10 of the class on this exam, I'll commit to training your 6th sense,"
Sonic's eyes widened. "Oh come on! You've seen me pull off a Witch Hunter! What will passing some stupid test do?"
"Stupid test? Sonic, you wound me," Starline placed one hand on his desk with the other against his head as if he were becoming faint. He then casually hopped up to sit on the desk with both hands resting on its edge then crossed his legs.
"Exams aren't something you can overcome by charging in with a short burst of willpower. No super skill will save you in this situation. Soul perception works in much the same way. Focus is the most important thing. You must step back and evaluate many factors before making a decision. Observe the world around you, then adapt using the knowledge you've built.
"The DWMA's very own Miles Prower is quite adept at this despite his young age. You know that as well as I do, so you also know where to start," Starline hopped up from the desk and held out his hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Sonic frowned, groaned, and begrudgingly shook his professor's hand.
"Deal,"
