[Oceanera12: Hey y'all! I hope you liked the last Manic chapter, because we're turning it over to Halo again! Hope you enjoy.]

Another Halo-written chapter, folks! I'll probably be writing most of the Manic chapters from now on, since writing from his POV is kind of my niche. [Era: Um… I'm doing some stuff too, but she is pretty accurate.]

Comments!

Agent BM- She's not going to find her brothers for a while, but in the meantime there'll be plenty of action.

Gwencarson126- Glad to hear it!

Zosonils- Aw, you're nice. ;) [Era: Well, you mentioned this story in it and I thought your story is just as good. Glad it makes your day (because when I see an alert for A Tale of Origins it makes my day! (; )]

Autumn- Glad you're not dead, but now what am I going to tell the coffin salesman? ;) [Era: *face palm* You're fine. I completely understand (because I do that to.)]

Wafflesbelike-NYANCAT- It's great to hear that you're enjoying these chapters! Thanks for reading!

Manic's POV:

It had been a good day for me so far. I hadn't been mugged, I hadn't come face-to-face with a person who wanted me and all others like me dead, and the cops obviously hadn't found out about what I did to their donuts during my last visit to the county jail (last Tuesday, if you're keeping track).

But 'good' can also be another word for boring.

So mostly because there was nothing better to do, I headed out on the town to go people-reading. It's like people-watching, but instead of just guessing the facts about people, I know basically everything about them: their likes and dislikes, hopes and dreams, what they ate for breakfast that morning, you get the point. And I can learn all this just by looking them in the face, and if I really want a good reading, then brushing up against them gets a ton of information...one reason I'm not usually one for physical contact. It's a bit more complicated than that (certain folks are harder to read than others), but these are just the basics.

Freaky, right? Yeah, that's what I think too. I can barely understand it myself, but I know it comes in handy when I need to see if someone's as trustworthy as they claim to be. Plus, it's fun to mess with people. Watch and learn, kids.

Out on the uptown area of Station Square, I strutted down the sidewalk like I owned the place, weaving in and around the clusters of busy people. They were a mix of Mobians and Overlanders, but all looked as if they needed to be somewhere in a hurry. Distracted by the cell phones plastered to their ears, any one of these suckers was a prime target.

I scanned over the crowds, information flooding my brain. Over there was an office secretary on the way to her building… Nah, she's struggling, I ain't stealing from her, I thought, shaking my head.

There was a mime over on the street corner. I made a face; going within ten feet of those weirdos was against my beliefs, so this chump lucked out. Besides, he didn't even have a wallet on him, just some pity pennies in that hat on the ground.

My focus drifted up to one of the towering apartment complexes. Maybe the streets had lost their appeal for now, but how about the buildings?

I walked down the street to a fruit stand, discreetly swiping a banana and hiding it in my knapsack. Slipping into the line of people trailing down the cross walk to one of the buildings, I blended into the crowd heading into a luxury penthouse building. The lobby was littered with people waiting for elevators. I stepped onto one along with three or four others.

For a long time, I just stood there quietly among the other passengers. Then, right as the doors to the next floor were about to open, I shouted out of nowhere, "Group hug!" then proceeded to enforce it.

See, this is what I do with my free time.

I know what you're thinking, what a creep, right? And you're right. I am a creep. I accepted that a long time ago. But fear not! There is a method to my madness!

Which I will tell you after I'm through with my fun.

The next round was my favorite. Two more people walked onto the elevator. Time to outdo yourself, Maniac.

"Ring, ring," I said, very loudly and deliberately. The people next me gave me strange looks, but didn't really start to look frightened until I pulled out the banana and put it up against my ear.

"Hey, Marty… Yeah, I'm doing good. How about you?" I spoke into the banana, walking around casually in the elevator. The two people trapped with me both were very alarmed at this point, both very stiff and rigid as I walked around them, eyeing me suspiciously. I continued to talk into the banana phone until the doors re-opened and one of the passengers frantically scurried out, leaving me and the other one alone.

I said nothing, but stared intently at the woman for a while. She looked at me briefly and forced a pained smile. I didn't move, but continued to stare. She finally had enough and decided to confront me.

"Young man, may I help you?" she asked apprehensively.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I said, shaking my head and averting my gaze. "I didn't mean to stare. Your aura is just so… intense." The lady looked mildly horrified for a moment, then forced another smile.

"This might sound strange…" I started, saying it slowly. "...but may I read your palm? I can do that. I'm a psychic, you see."

"Uh huh…" she said, scooting a little farther away from me.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"N-no, I can't say I do." Liar. I could tell that she had always believed in the supernatural.

"I can sense that what you claim isn't true," I said thoughtfully, staring at her without blinking. "Allow me to prove my abilities." I seized her right hand and focused on the palm. Hoo boy, big wave of info.

"Now, see here, young man-"

"Your life line indicates that you will become terminally ill in the near future," I interrupted, my tone grave. The woman's face turned a sickening shade of grayish-white. I continued, "And your heart line is unclear… almost as if…"

"As if what? What?" she demanded frantically.

"Oh- oh no!" I said, stumbling back and holding my forehead, grimacing painfully.

"A-are you alright?" asked the woman, terrified. "What's happening?"

I twitched and writhed, falling to my knees and holding my head. "Th-the spirits!" I shouted. "They speak to me! ... fr-from beyond the veil…!"

"What do they say?"

Time to wing it, Maniac. "It… it is unclear… what they wish to convey…" I suddenly sprung to my feet, a wild, crazed expression look in my eyes. I seized the woman by the shoulders, staring her straight in the face.

"The Fates have informed me of your eternal destiny," I said slowly, my eyes watering from not blinking for so long. "You… you are in grave danger. Your soul is in grave danger..."

"Danger? What sort of danger?" she asked. I couldn't believe she was still buying this, but I kept playing along.

"That… that much is unclear," I said, holding my temples and squeezing my eyes shut. I could hear the doors opening again and knew I had to wrap it up.

"But, I know this much…" I said, looking her straight in the eye.

"What? Tell me, please!"

"You must go home… stay home, be safe," I said earnestly. "Turn on your burglar alarms, stay inside… the spirits say this will be sufficient." She nodded and bolted out of the elevator.

And that's how I spent most of my day: confusing people, creeping them out, or just plain scaring them. I had to change elevators every now and then because folks were starting to call security.

But I wasn't just doing it for the laughs. Nope, in the course of five and a half hours, I managed to snag fifteen wallets, nine belts, seven necklaces, twelve watches, two hats, five bracelets, and one very expensive pen. That's what I'd call that a productive afternoon.

A few more rounds, and I'd be done for the day. I stood in a corner as the doors opened again and an attractive female bat walked in. Her fur was a pristine white and her muzzle a soft peachy-orange color. Her hair was short, it framing her round face and highlighting her stunning turquoise eyes. She wore only the bare essentials of cosmetics, just a swipe of soft pink lip gloss and turquoise eyeshadow that matched her eyes exactly. She wore a black trench coat with gold buttons, high heeled white boots with hot pink hearts on the fronts, and long white gloves reaching up to her elbows, and carried a small hot pink handbag. She looked about eighteen or nineteen, but had an air of maturity about her that I didn't see often. But the oddest thing about her was that I wasn't able to get a read on her.

I stared at the back of her head for a minute, straining my brain to figure her out, but nothing came. So she was one of those folks, huh? Well, maybe if I played one of my tricks, she'll open up.

I sauntered over next to her, grinning. Her eyes flicked in my direction for a moment, but she continued to ignore me.

"Hey there," I said. She stared at me for a minute, then determinedly looked in the other direction.

"Come here often?" I asked. She didn't even flinch; it was like I wasn't even visible. I eyed her handbag discreetly, wondering what might be inside. Judging from her apparel, she was pretty well-off. If only I could get a read on her…

I scooted a little closer to her, smiling warmly. "What's your name?" I asked, readying my hand to slip into her purse.

She turned her head to face me, returning the smile and scooting just the tiniest bit closer to me. It's working! I thought. Now just slip in, and…

Out of the blue, the bat's knee jerked forward and plunged into my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and slamming me into the elevator wall. I slid down to the ground, my back against the wall, cradling my agonized stomach. I dared to look up and saw the bat sneering down at me, hands on her hips. She reached down and in one fell swoop, snatched me up by the scruff of my neck with both hands, giving me a glare that turned my blood to ice.

"Poor, naive little street thief," she said sweetly. "Did you really think it would be quite so easy to rob me? Idiot." Even though I couldn't get a read on her, I could tell that this girl was dangerous. But I could handle danger, and weaseling my way out of sticky situations was one of my specialties.

"Hey, hey, hey, calm down!" I started. "Be reasonable. Let's talk this out, okay?"

She smiled. I didn't like the look of that.

"Of course, hon!" she said, that poisonously sweet tone getting even sweeter. She released me from her grasp. "I'd just love to talk it out with you! You go first." Suddenly, her arm whipped forward and wrapped around my neck, gripping me in a headlock. I tried to squirm free, but she was deceptively strong.

"You wanna talk, nancy-boy?" she hissed. "Then say. Uncle."

Unbelieveable.

Un.

Buh.

Lieveable.

"Wh-what?" I choked out, incredulous. This was happening.

"Say it!" she shouted, her grip tightening. I yelped in pain. Keep the dignity intact, Matthews. YOU WILL NOT GET BEAT UP BY A GIRL.

"No, I ain't gonna say it!" I yelled, moaning as she squeezed harder and harder.

"I said say Uncle, sissy boy!Before I beat you unconscious!"

"You're bluffing!"

"Really? Wanna test that theory, sweetie?" One of her fingers struck a particularly painful pressure point on my neck, and I cried out before I could stop myself. The elevator doors re-opened, and the small crowd of people waiting all let out a simultaneous gasp. But the bat didn't even seem to notice them.

"I'm gonna give you one more chance, hon," she said, that venomously sweet tone returning. "Now, say. Uncle!"

I had reached my limit of pain tolerance. "Fine! Uncle! Uncle, Uncle, Uncle! Lemme go, ya-"

"Uh, uh, uh! Didn't your mother ever teach you to talk nice to girls?" She released me from the headlock and I was about to break into a run when she roundhouse kicked me in the side, knocking me to the ground. I lay on my back, groaning and gasping for air. She stood over me smirking, then rested her left boot on top of my stomach.

"Aw, did I pway too wuff with the pwetty widdle pwincess?" she crooned in mock-baby talk. "Well, maybe he'll think twice before trying to pickpocket a poor, defenseless young lady like me, hmmm?" I stared incredulously up into her icy turquoise eyes.

"Who- who are you?" I asked.

She smirked. "Name's Rouge, sweetheart. Have a nice day."

The defeated and utterly perplexed Matthews Hedgehog trudged out of the building, his head swimming with the impossible situation that had somehow occurred: for the first time in six years, our hero had been beaten up by a girl.

I walked down the sidewalk like a zombie, barely conscious of my surroundings.

It was said to be impossible. No normal female should have that kind of power, the power to overcome the awesome Matthews Hedgehog. The only other girl ever to have accomplished such a feat… we aren't going to talk about her right now.

I wandered into a park and plopped down on a bench, staring off into space and pondering the same question: HOW?

How could this happen? I mean, yeah, I should have gotten tipped off that she was something special when I couldn't read her, even when we made physical contact. But still!

I had let my guard down, that's all. Yeah, she just caught me by surprise.

Or not.

Yeah, I had definitely been caught off-guard, but she was still stronger and smarter than most of the gang rivals I fight on a regular basis. And I knew that the feeling I had that she was frikkin' dangerous was spot-on, even if it wasn't from reading her.

Checking one of the watches I had swiped, I saw that it was already seven thirty. Geez, how long have I been sitting here? I thought. I got up and made my way back to the downtown area. Not for any particular reason, I just needed some more time to think.

Our hero, with no clue on what to do next, walked aimlessly down the street. Where was he going? Not even he knew.

Later that night, I couldn't sleep.

No matter what, my thoughts always drifted back to her. I couldn't stop thinking about her. It had been years since any girl had proved herself capable of taking me down in a fair fight, even if she had the element of surprise. Sure, I knew lots of girls who can make it in a fight, but not like how Rouge did it. It just didn't make sense.

I turned over in my sleeping bag, trying to allow my eyelids to grow heavy with sleep, but they stayed stubbornly alert. What had she done to me? I couldn't even get a good night's rest.

All through the night I tossed and turned, trying everything to take my mind off Rouge. I stretched. I ran in place. I counted sheep. Nothing helped. But all that time I spent lying awake may have been good for one thing. I knew what I had to do.

I had to see her again.

So what do you guys think? What do you think is going to happen between Rouge and Manic during their next meeting?

Also, a note- Manic narrating himself will be in just about every Manic chapter, even if it's just for a little bit. I do this because Manic's personality is basically my personality (but from a guy's POV), and I narrate myself all the time.

So, a brief explanation on how Manic's powers work: Like Sonia's, they are a product of Chaotic energy in his blood. But while Sonia's powers work with telling the future, Manic's powers allow him to read minds, so to speak. As explained at the beginning of the chapter, he can look at you and know almost everything about you, and even more if he makes physical contact (skin on skin only- touching someone's gloved hand wouldn't work).

But also mentioned above, some people are harder to read than others. For example, if you are a person who generally wears their heart on their sleeve, he could learn every tiny detail about you in about ten minutes, except possibly your name if you haven't already given it to him (if you give him your name, it's like opening a new door in your brain- he can figure you out much quicker and easier). But if you are a person who is gifted in concealing their true thoughts/ emotions (Hi, Rouge), it's much more difficult, even if he makes physical contact and knows your name. He can also tell what emotion(s) a person is feeling and whether or not they're lying.

You guys liking the Manic chapters so far? If you do, please tell me in your reviews!

Halo Out!

[Era: … I have no idea what just happened. :O Just kidding. Totally knew that was going to happen, but still, I'm dying of laughter. That. Was. Awesome.

On a separate note, Halo and I wrote a hilarious one-shot called, 'Hedgehog or Tails'. It has something to do with a coin and guessing probability. And there may be money involved. We'd love to see what y'all think.

Anyway, Review please!]