So... thanks to kid, SilverDawn2010, stained-theory, Skyelara, Delta 2-1 and... 'I don't know who I am' (lol even though you were sitting next to me in class :P) Your reviews made me smile! :) And here is chapter 4!

Chapter 4 - Absence

The sun was beginning to sink very slowly into the horizon as Amy made her way home. She'd wasted a significant amount of time just deciding which route to take, knowing that she couldn't take her ordinary path in case it looked suspicious to any of her friends that might be nearby. So she'd opted to go through the forest that eventually ended at her road, although it was a long walk. The sky was starting to morph into a dull blue at its highest point, but a bright orange still remained. The light of it was partially blocked by the trees that clogged the forest pathway, and Amy began to walk a little faster, not wanting to be left in the dark.

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A light chill nipped at her arms as she paced through the woods but she ignored it, reflecting on her plan in its current stage. Although Rouge had discovered her identity straight away, it was merely a minor setback, Amy hoped. She'd fooled Knuckles, Tails, and most importantly, Sonic, so it was going fairly well. A flicker of excitement sparked inside of her as she contemplated her plan. As a boy, she could begin to gain Sonic's trust and get to know him as well as possible. He'd surely spend more time with her as Andy than he would when she was Amy, which saddened her a little but she knew it was the truth.

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After what seemed like hours, she finally reached her home. She scanned her surroundings, making sure that nobody was around, and quickly ran into her house. She smiled in relief. She'd managed to last a whole day without having too much trouble, so the rest would be a cinch. Her only issue was how she was going to meet the rest of her friends, but then that was where Rouge came in. Overall, Amy thought, everything was according to her plan.

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She turned to go into her kitchen, when a loud knock sounded from the door. She went to answer it and stopped herself, remembering that she couldn't. She stayed in that same spot, listening carefully. There was yet another series of impatient knocks that almost made a short rhythm. Amy froze. Who would knock so quickly like that?

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Then came the voice from the other side of the door. It was masculine; slightly deep but soft at the same time.

"Amy? You home?"

Sonic! He was here! He was actually here, knocking on her door! Amy bit her lip. A surge of anticipation rushed through her body and she had to suppress the urge to run to her door and tear it open. She was still partly shocked that Sonic was visiting her. What was he doing there, anyway? Making her decision, she raced upstairs into her room and over to the window. She cautiously peeped through a crack in the curtains, spying on the handsome hedgehog outside her door.

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He was standing on her doorstep, one foot tapping impatiently. "Amy?" he called again. He looked through the peep hole in the door, seemingly becoming more anxious as nobody answered. "Amy!"

Amy scrunched up her fists, her nails biting into her gloved palms. It was starting to become increasingly difficult not to answer the door. She huffed crossly to herself. The one time that Sonic came to her house and she couldn't answer him!

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Sonic waited a little longer, and he looked up at the first floor windows. Amy jumped away from the glass pane, moving hastily behind the curtains. She held her breath, as if she was afraid he'd hear it. She remained still for a while, before gradually peering through the window again. Sonic was starting a look a little worried and Amy felt a hand of guilt tug at her heart. She longed to call out to him, to wave, to do something other than just stand there watching him!

'Oh God, this is killing me,' she thought, exasperated. 'This is so unfair!'

It was irritating, to say the least, that she'd spent years of her life chasing after the blue hero; waiting, praying, wishing for him to sweep her off her feet, and only when she couldn't answer him, he turned up on her doorstep!

Did the world love to punish her?

So much of her time had been taken up by her attempts to get his attention, and now – in some ways – she finally had it. And yet she couldn't accept it. Instead she was sentenced to watching him call for her, unable to respond to him for fear of ruining her plans completely.

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It then occurred to Amy that Sonic hadn't seen the note she'd stuck to her front door. After she'd written the letter to her friends explaining her absence, she'd definitely taped it there. She leaned as close to the window as she dared, looking down at her doorstep, and grimaced. The note was lying face down in the grass beneath the door. Amy cursed under her breath. It must have fallen when she closed it earlier.

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To her relief, it was at that moment that Sonic finally noticed it and picked it up, observing it curiously. He turned it upright and began to scan the words on the page, and Amy felt a wave of butterflies in her stomach as she awaited his reaction. His eyes narrowed as he concentrated on the note. He held it closer, looking more and more confused as he read on. Amy gripped the curtains that shielded her from his view and winced. Sonic's eyes widened and he paused, seeming to read the note over and over again. It was as if the small letter was written in another language; he looked so bemused.

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He finally lowered his hand in silence. His expression was wrought with confusion, shock, and most surprisingly, worry. Sonic clenched the hand that held the note, making it crumple and scrunch together. He stared into nothingness, looking almost lost. Amy swallowed the lump in her throat as she gazed at him through the window, which - as the afternoon drifted into early evening - was beginning to mist over, encouraged by her warm breath. She pressed her hand against the glass, anxiously awaiting his next move. He continued to stare into the distance for a moment, before snapping back into reality. His eyes hardened in decision, and with a face set like flint, he shot into the distance, leaving a fading blue streak behind him.

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Amy let out a broken sigh. Her eyes were wide as she sank to her knees so that she was level with the misty window. It took a while to sink in that Sonic had been calling for her, and his reaction to her note was… shock. She'd never seen him look so confused or troubled in all the time that she'd known him. He'd seemed genuinely bothered by her absence, as well as her rather feeble excuse.

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Surely, with the way he'd acted… Did he maybe care for her, as more than a friend? A flood of hope coursed through her veins at the prospect. The very idea of it made her giddy with excitement. A voice in the back of her mind warned her not to get ahead of herself but sometimes it was just too hard not to. Sonic was often a little uncomfortable around her but there were signs of compassion in him from time to time. But then… they were only friends. That was to some extent why she was doing this crazy plan in the first place. And whether he cared about her like that or not, what did he think of her written excuse?

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It was true that Amy Rose would probably never just up and leave like that. The only question was, did Sonic know that? Amy couldn't be sure. She did know, however, that her seemingly random disappearance would no doubt stir up a significant amount of suspicion from her closer friends. After all, she was sure they knew that she'd never leave without a good explanation. 'Clearing her head' didn't count as a good explanation, as far as she was concerned. Sonic had been known for rushing off whenever he pleased and leaving similar excuses of 'needing time to think', which angered Amy to no end. She didn't accept his excuses, which meant that she was always wondering what was really bothering him. She couldn't help feeling a glimmer of hope that he might be wondering the same thing about her, but she swallowed it down. There was no use thinking like that now.

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It was just difficult when the one she cared about seemed so distant to her because he closed off his thoughts. Sonic was accustomed to isolating himself with the wind whenever personal problems arose for him; it would be weird for him to let down his shields. Amy mourned over this as she changed into her pyjamas, welcoming an early night. Hopefully, 'Andy' would learn all the quirks of Sonic the Hedgehog. With her new identity, she could learn what he loved and loathed, what made him tick, what made him laugh, what he liked to talk about, everything! She let a smile creep up her muzzle as she snuggled into the covers of her bed. There was no use in worrying. She'd just have to wait until the next morning to see how things would turn out.

.***

"I almost forgot that you looked like that," Rouge commented. The ivory bat turned fully to face Amy as the hedgehog left her house. Rouge's dark eyelashes framed her turquoise orbs that were flashing with mischief. She observed the hedgehog, once again taking in her outfit. She smirked. "I've gotta admit, you do look like one of the guys," she said, sounding almost impressed.

Amy smiled proudly, tilting up her chin. "Of course I do. That's exactly why my plan will be a success!"

"With my help, Pinky," added Rouge. She placed a hand on her hip. "If it wasn't for me, you'd still be stumbling around like a lost sheep."

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Amy sent her an indignant glare. "Hey! I can manage just fine on my own, thank you very much! The only reason I'm even letting you help me is because if I don't you'll blab!" she snapped. Then her annoyed demeanour disappeared and she smirked. "But of course you want me to help you get Knuckles!" she giggled, clasping her hands together. She leaned towards the bat, batting her eyelashes with a cheeky grin on her face.

Rouge folded her arms across her chest defensively. "Like I said: I'm only in it to get him away from the Master Emerald. Besides, it would give me better chances of snatching it while his guard's down," she said.

"Sure," Amy teased. Before her ally could argue again, she waved a hand, dismissing the subject. "Anyway, what's the next step?" she said. "Sonic isn't really close enough to me to be comfortable yet."

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Rouge thought for a moment. "Isn't it obvious?" she said, each word rolling off her tongue. "We need to pretend that 'Andy' and I are close friends. That way, I can get you to meet the rest of the gang without suspicion. You only need to meet Cream and Cheese, right?"

Amy nodded slowly. "Right. But we can't just turn up at the door step," she pointed out.

Rouge was unfazed. "I saw Cream at Tails's workshop on my way over here. We'll drop in, pay them a little visit and we're all set," she said smugly.

"But we have no reason to be at Tails's workshop. You never visit him and, technically, he doesn't even know me."

Rouge shrugged. "I'll think of something, easy."

Amy grinned, her eyes shining with the excitement. "Then let's do it!"

So Sonic has finally found Amy's note..What does he think about her absence, and what about when the rest of her friends find out? :) I just wanted to quickly say that I re-read my reviews and I'm really grateful for everyone that tells me what they think. It really helps me out. So thanks, guys. Please review!