((yes, I know I've been belated in writing. Get off my case. It's been a very busy week and I've been pressed for all sorts of time. And I finally went and got mah hair did... ahem, had my hair done. That AND, I've been somewhat starved for inspiration. Though I have YET to hit a writer's block. :smiles proudly:
Sonic: except for your oldest fics on ffnet...
Knuckles: which she will NEVER finish...
A:-fwaps both their asses soundly- shaddap, you furry little ingrates.
Sn: ...ow..?
K: ...ooo... -wide grin- I ought to insult you more often... -rubs his ass thoughtfully-
A: ...eh...anyway! Right. I'm writing a fic! Yes. -clears throat-
: anyone who thinks I own Sonic should be sentenced to cheese. :
Chapter 9- Inconcievable
"So... where did you come from, anyway?" she asked the small child as she quickly shoveled away her second helping of curry and rice.
"Umm..." she swallowed hard, thinking for a moment. "over there." She pointed in a random direction, the region to which was hidden by wall.
"Oh... so, do you know your phone number? I'm sure your mom's worried sick."
The girl sat in a silent, wide-eyed stare for a moment.
"...what's wrong?"
"M...mommy's in heaven with daddy and Jesus."
Rouge just sat there for a moment, wishing she had chosen her words more wisely.
"So, you live with... relatives?"
She sobbed, rubbing a tiny gloved fist in her eye. "I dun have a place to live now... I wan away."
"Hun, I gotta get you back where you came from. You have to tell me where you're staying."
She shook her head violently, crossing her little arms, lowering her head and pouting.
Rouge stood, sighing with aggravation.
"You can't stay here..."
"Why not?"
"B...because..."
The little girl sniffled, tears welling in her innocent eyes.
"Oh, now...don't cry about it..."
"You're...:sup: m- :sup: mean..."
"Come on, there's no need to-"
And the child began to wail at the top of her little lungs.
"Holy mother of God! Anything but THAT!" Rouge covered her sensitive ears against the shrill audio assault. She stooped next to where the child sat, drawing her into a hug and smoothing a hand over her small back, shushing her in a soothing voice.
"Shhh...it's ok, I didn't mean it... calm down... Don't cry..."
The ferret sup-supped a few times, rubbing at her reddened eyes before quieting.
"You're a nice lady... What's your name?" the girl asked, still a little tearfully.
"I'm Rouge. What's yours?"
She grinned, instantly losing her distress. "I'm Li'l Nikki!"
-o-
"Hoity fuckin' doity! Would ya LOOK at this place?" Sonic said quite approvingly of the inside of the Fairchild mansion.
Knuckles gave him a warning slap upside the head.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"
"Watch your language. We're among those who have manners. Pretend to have some."
Sonic just flipped him the bird discreetly when his back was turned, picking up the bags and following suit.
He froze in his steps, dropping the bags from his now trembling hands and stared, wide eyes growing wider as his sight was directed through the "play room" doors.
"The Maserati MC12 in white and true blue... I've either died and gone to heaven... or I'm having a wet dream..."
Knuckles, noticing Sonic's absence, backtracked until he found him. Upon noticing the hedgehog's steady gaze, he looked in the direction of his undivided attention.
"Oh God... oh God..."
"I know..."
Now both stood and stared, eyes sliding over the smooth shiny forms basking in the fluorescent light.
"The Diablo's mine. Don't get any ideas." came a familiar voice from behind the two.
"Hi, Shadow." both said in monotones, gaze still locked on the sleek sexy forms of the expensive automobiles.
"Karpa, they're here." He yelled down the hall, shaking his head sadly at them and walking off.
The summoned golden echidna slid a hand up Knuckles' shoulder, leaning into his ear.
"We have a nice collection of motorcycles as well..."
Knuckles gasped with glee, spinning around with a pleading look in his wide violet hopeful eyes.
"Go on and play boys. I'll get someone to take these to your rooms for you."
Without further ado, the two were off to play.
"DON'T SCRATCH ANYTHING!"
"WE WON'T!"
She chuckled, resting a hand on a hip. "Boys will be boys as they say..."
She jumped a bit in surprise as a pair of nimble hands slid suddenly around her waist.
"I could prove that theory further if you'd like..." Shadow whispered gruffly into her neck before biting it suggestively.
"Shadow... shame on you...in front of guests..." She giggled breathlessly, meeting his mouth in a kiss from behind.
"They're not paying attention..." he coaxed as he pulled her towards a nearby closet.
"Damn you and your tempting ways..." she giggled again as he closed the door after them.
-
"I won't hear another word of it! Our security is the best in the industry!" Cerebus bellowed from behind his ornate desk. He was wearing an expensive black suit with gold cufflinks and slight aristocratic frills around the neck. His fur was a bright golden-yellow, brighter than Karpa's hue. His thinning silver locks tossed as he swiveled angrily in his large leather chair, folding his hands and pursing his lips indignantly.
"Yes, but it's lacking one thing!" a light brown echidna in a blue silk shirt and designer jeans retorted. He reached over the desk; grasping the chair and swiveling it back around so he could face him.
"What if the assailant doesn't care about getting caught? That is our only weakness."
The two brothers glared each other down for a moment in rising anger before the elder huffed, reaching in a drawer for his pipe.
"What do you know about assassins, Radien? You haven't been in a war! The closest thing you know to defending your own life is fencing!"
"And the Jujitsu was for fun, was it?" Radien growled, voice rising. "And the hours I spend at the shooting range? I think you know a little less than me. Especially at your age when you begin to forget things...getting harder to move, is it? A little creaky at the hinges?" he leaned in, taunting.
"Oh, shut up. You've been touchy since you hit thirty. It's understandable." he responded calmly, puffing at his pipe as he lit it.
"Bugger off, you old bag!" Radien fairly shrieked, storming out of the office and slamming the large door behind him. The old echidna only chuckled softly, waving the match in his hand to put it out.
-
Brown eyes watched calmly as the enraged marsupial muttered to himself whilst striding angrily down the corridor. She'd heard the whole discord with little difficulty from her hiding spot, somewhat conspicuous in a corner on the ceiling. Radien was right. No manner of high-tech surveillance equipment would hamper her. As long as they all died, nothing else would matter. Not that she'd let herself be seen...
She dropped from the ceiling, stuffing the suction cups in her lightweight pack before adjusting the sheath on her back.
Jujitsu, eh?
Can't save you now...
"Daddy?" a small voice called.
"Yes, Pattie, dear?" Radien called back sweetly, his mood suddenly shifting at the sound of his daughter.
The child came pattering up to him from her nursery door, stuffed bear clenched in her tiny fist.
"I found my bear. He was hiding behind the bookshelf."
The father chuckled as he picked her up, resting her on his stomach.
"And how did he get himself there?"
"He was scared." She said matter-of-factly.
"Of what, pray tell?" Radien batted at her little nose playfully.
"The red death."
Aka's eyes widened at the sound of this and she flattened herself against the wall. She hadn't been seen and even if she had...how would the child know?
Radien just chuckled, touching noses with the toddler. "Have you been into Daddy's books again?"
"...yes. But I enjoy them. They're better than nanny's silly bedtime stories."
He just laughed as he set her on his hip, carrying her down the hall. "You're a strange little one, you know?"
"Yes, Daddy. I know."
-o-
"Well." She said, drawing a hand across her face. This was the last thing she wanted to do that night.
"Hey, if you don't wanna do it, I could help..." Poe offered.
"Nah, it's my job. I gotta finish it. Damn, And it happened to ol' Bill too. I'll miss him, I will." She sighed heavily before slinging her rifle over one shoulder, her cat-o-nine tails over the other. On the clock again.
She trudged down the stairs, dreading her own duty. Money wasn't really the reason she did what she did. It was all she knew how to do. That, and her life depended on it.
She jolted in surprise to see her own victim waiting for her in the parking lot, leaning against his black Chevy.
"By the look on your face, I doubt you wanted to see me."
She sighed. "On the contrary. You're just the person I was looking for." She stepped forward, clapping a friendly hand on his shoulder. He sighed.
"It's been fun. You've been a real chum, you 'ave. And I'll miss you."
"Oh, don't talk like that. I'm not going anywhere." He smiled cockily.
"Now, don't make things difficult for me... You 'an I both know one of us has to go, an' I'm never the one."
"Well, neither am I, sweetheart." He gave her a peck on the cheek before jingling his car keys and opening the shotgun door for her.
"Let's take this somewhere quiet..."
"Right. Don't do that again." She glared at him as she got in.
"After tonight, you won't have to worry about that."
((And another short and pointless chapter ends. You're right, whoever you where that said I have very little plot. I'm making it up as I go along from here. Yawn, and it's late. And I'm senseless. I promises to have some detailed lemoniness in ch 10. Stay tuned, I'll probably update shortly. Nighty.))
Knux: LEMONY FRESHNESS AT LAAAST!
Sonic: Boo-yah -does a little dance-