At least I was quicker this time :) I think this chapter is a teensy bit longer but I think it's better than the last one. A big thanks to Lightning Eyes, awsomeman13, BlueyO (sorry to keep you waiting ^^'), Zebra, Skyelara, LuvyRosy, supergirl and redshadow29 for your reviews. I can't tell you how glad I am that you take the time to let me know what you think about my writing :)
Anyways, on with the chapter. I hope you like it!
Chapter 7 – Who's the Man?
Knuckles got into his fighting stance, holding his fists ready. Andy had accepted his challenge. He raised a fist, and with a battle roar he plunged it towards Andy's face.
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Amy's mind was racing with wild and panicked thoughts.
'Get out of the way,' she told herself desperately. 'You can't fight him so get out of the way!'
Finally her body caught up with her mind and she threw herself to the side, narrowly missing Knuckles's clenched hand. He wasn't expecting her to move so soon and he staggered slightly, before turning round to strike again. This was so typical of Knuckles, Amy thought, frustrated. He just had to turn everything into a fight, didn't he?
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"Come on now, Knuckles. Big boys don't fight," said Rouge in her soft and sugary voice that she used to win him over. She stepped towards the fuming echidna but his angry eyes were shielded, resistant to her charm.
"Yeah, well if your precious Andy is so strong and brave then he won't have any problems, will he?" Knuckles retorted, smashing his fists together aggressively. Without wasting another second, he ran at Amy again and she could practically see his strength building up, ready to be released.
Her eyes flitted to Rouge, who was making punching motions and mouthing to her, "Hit him, hit him."
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Amy just shook her head at the bat. She needed her hammer to attack properly, but without it she was stuck. As Knuckles reached her, her adrenaline peaked and she dived out of the way once more, desperately trying to look tough.
"Aren't you even going to try and fight me?" Knuckles shouted.
"I'm just warming up!" Amy cried, thinking of Sonic and his quick remarks. She backed away from him, and he moved forward, keeping a constant distance between them. "You know… dude… fighting makes you lose brain cells!" she called anxiously. "Not that you had many in the first place-"
"Shut up!" Knuckles yelled.
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"Chill, bro! Let's just settle this over a-" Amy couldn't even finish her sentence as Knuckles swung a punch at her and she narrowly avoided it. She staggered backwards, thankfully finding a tree behind her for support.
'He is so dead when all this is over,' she thought angrily.
Just at that moment, a flash of blue indicated that Sonic had arrived and Amy winced. She couldn't stop herself from turning around to see him pause beside Rouge, watching the fight in surprise.
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"Knucklehead's started a fight again?" Sonic asked Rouge.
"Mm-hm. Nothing unusual there," she said, folding her arms as Amy just managed to dodge another one of Knuckles's blows. "Andy's doing well," she added, remembering the whole purpose of this. "He's giving Knuckles a run for his money."
Sonic looked past her for a moment to observe the fight, watching Knuckles's hits getting closer to his rival's face every time he tried. "Are you sure?" he said. "It looks like he's struggling. I think it's time to step in-"
"No," said Rouge. "No, Andy can handle it. He's the strongest guy I know. Trust me. And by the way, how's Tails's little thing with Cosmo?" she asked, buying time.
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Meanwhile, Amy was running out of breath. She was sure she'd felt the edge of Knuckles's fist brush her ear the last time she'd dodged him. She leaned against the tree again, and suddenly she knew what to do. She stayed in front of it as Knuckles moved towards her, ready to jump. She was trying very hard not to move until the last minute, battling off the urge to flinch away too early. "You're going down," she muttered under her breath as he reached her. She leaped away from him and he did exactly what she hoped would happen.
He went headfirst into the tree, but she hadn't considered the aftermath.
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The sheer force of his lunge had a huge impact on the tree, and a loud cracking could be heard from inside it. Amy could feel Sonic and Rouge now watching as well, wide-eyed, as the trunk sprouted a huge, gaping crack that ran across the entire body of wood. It spread further, and the leaves at the top of the tree quivered as the whole thing began to slowly tilt backwards. With a painful groan, the trunk broke completely and the tree crashed into the ground below, making it shake. Panicked birds left the other trees, screeching loudly. Then there was silence.
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Amy stared at Knuckles, who was amazingly conscious and wincing as he rubbed his head crossly. She suddenly felt guilty; she'd never hurt him that badly before. "Oh my gosh, Knuckles, I didn't hurt you that much, did I? Are you alright?" she cried, bending down to examine him. Then she remembered her role, and hastily stood up. "I mean… Suck it up, dude!" she shouted. She nervously looked at Sonic and Rouge to see their reaction and quickly spat on the ground to finish her performance.
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Sonic stared at her. His gazed moved slowly down to Knuckles, then back up to her. Suddenly, he burst out laughing. He tried to speak but couldn't stop himself from hooting with laughter. "Aw, man," he breathed, in between chuckles. "He got you good, Knuckles!"
Knuckles glared at him, slowly getting to his feet. "Shut up, Sonic," he growled through clenched teeth.
Amy smiled in relief. "Who's the man?" she said proudly.
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This made Sonic laugh harder. He doubled over, clutching his sides and breathing deeply. When he finally calmed down, he patted Amy's shoulder, grinning. "You're the man, buddy," he laughed. A few more snickers escaped his lips. "Aw, that's hilarious," he said to himself quietly, wiping his eyes. "'Suck it up'… ha-ha… I'm not gonna forget that one."
Knuckles stormed off, muttering furiously under his breath. Rouge watched him leave and pursed her lips.
"I'll catch you later 'boys', I've got places to be," she said coolly, and her wings swiftly opened. She soared into the sky and out of sight, but both hedgehogs knew where she'd gone.
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Amy turned to Sonic and smiled. This was her chance, she decided. She needed to move her plan into the next stage. "So… Sonic, bro, do you wanna… hang out and catch some rays or whatever else us guys do?" she asked, showing him her 'boyish' grin. Sonic hesitated, and Amy held her breath.
"Sure, 'homie'," he laughed. "I've got nothing else to do."
He'd agreed. Amy was surprised at how easy that was. 'I just got Sonic to spend time with me!' she thought excitedly.'Just like that! Being a guy really is like having an access pass!'
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Suddenly she felt shy. "Erm… so what should we do… man?"
Sonic shrugged and started walking out of the woods. Amy stood still for a moment, feeling very new to actually spending time with Sonic. He wasn't leaving already, was he?
"You coming?" he called.
"Oh, right! Yeah!" she replied, trying to look as cool as possible while swaggering over to him.
Sonic eyed her walk and shook his head, chuckling.
"What?" she demanded, feeling self-conscious.
"It's just your walk," he grinned.
"Oh… yeah, well, you've gotta keep up the cool, ya know?"
"Yeah," Sonic laughed again.
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Amy beamed as they walked together, realising just how easy it was to be around Sonic. 'Now if only he'd find it so easy with the real me…' She shook away the thought. Her gaze followed her trainers as she walked, the soles scuffing the dirt with each step. She focused intently on the tiny dirt clouds that rose from the ground whenever her shoe came into contact with it.
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She was just tuning out of reality when she became aware of Sonic's eyes on her, and she quickly looked at him. He was casually taking her in with his eyes, noting her appearance. She felt her face heat up.
He was checking her out! Amy couldn't believe it. He was actually checking her out!
"Cool trainers," he commented.
Amy wanted to slap herself. "Thanks," she murmured.
'Idiot. You're supposed to be a boy. Obviously he wouldn't be checking you out,' she told herself crossly. Being with Sonic nearly always meant that she couldn't think straight.
'Right. No more side-tracking. Make conversation or something!'
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"So, Sonic, do you play any sports?" she asked.
"Does running count?" he grinned.
"Apart from that."
Sonic's brow furrowed in thought. "I guess I play baseball with the guys from time to time. Soccer's pretty cool. Oh, and it's become a habit of mine to foil plans of evil scientists," he said, smirking.
"Tell me about it. We do it all the time!" said Amy. When he looked at her in confusion she laughed nervously. "I mean you do it all the time. So I've heard," she added hastily.
He seemed to accept that for an answer and he turned back to the path ahead of them.
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There was a moment of quiet between them, with only the sounds of their footsteps and the spring breeze. Sonic was the first to break it.
"Hey, Andy, what's the deal with you and Rouge?" he asked curiously. "I know she flirts a lot but she's sticking to you like glue."
Amy pushed up her sunglasses and thrust her hands in her pockets. "What can I say? The ladies love me."
Sonic chuckled. "Obviously," he said. "But is it a long term thing, or...?"
Amy shrugged. "Dunno. I don't really have long term things. I'm just a lone free ranger, drifting around wherever life takes me." She couldn't help wanting to grin. That response was just so Sonic.
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The hedgehog in question let a side-ways smile creep up his muzzle. "Hah. I know the feeling," he said, his smile quirking in amusement.
The pathway took them out of the woods and into the Mobius town centre, which was filled with locals strolling through it, enjoying the sunshine. Amy looked around, smiling appreciatively at her surroundings. At least her sunglasses came in handy on days like this, and it helped that she thought they added to her coolness.
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The two of them walked through the town for barely a few minutes before Sonic stopped abruptly. Amy almost crashed into him, and observed his staring expression. Before she could ask what was up, a grin spread across his muzzle and he said, "Heaven just came to visit."
Amy followed his gaze, and was hardly surprised to see a brightly painted chilli dog stand situated across the road. She blinked and he was already at the stand, rubbing his hands together and hungrily eyeing the chilli dogs. She laughed and ran to join him.
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He paid the clerk and happily collected two chilli dogs, licking his lips. "You want one, Andy?" he asked.
Amy shook her head. "Nah, I'm cool, bro. They look too spicy," she said.
"Have you ever tried this little taste of heaven?"
She shook her head again.
Sonic's eyes widened. "Seriously? You've never tried a chilli dog?" he exclaimed.
"Nope." It was true. In all the time that Amy had known Sonic the Hedgehog, she'd never tried his favourite food. She'd never understood what he found so appealing about them. They just looked so greasy and all that chilli put her off.
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Sonic thrust one at her. "You've gotta try one," he said earnestly.
She held a hand in front of it, watching the steaming chilli nervously. "No, thanks."
"Seriously, dude, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Sonic the Hedgehog is offering you one of his chilli dogs, just so that you can bask in its glory. This is the greatest honour I could ever give," he said, holding up his other chilli dog as if it were a trophy.
Amy smiled, holding back a laugh at his wide eyes, full of enthusiasm. Over a chilli dog. "Well, I've got to admit that it's a big deal that you're sacrificing a chilli dog. I know how much you love them."
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Sonic paused holding up his trophy. "Wait. How did you know that I love chilli dogs?" he asked.
Amy was stumped. "Uh… doesn't everyone know that?" she said, secretly praying that everyone did.
"I guess stuff gets around when you're a hero," he replied. "But that's beside the point. You have to try one."
Amy looked at it again. She wasn't too keen on spice, but was somehow convincing herself that it might be an idea to see what her love interest liked so much about these things. After all, it was her goal to be closer to him, so this might be a start. "Okay," she said slowly, accepting the chilli dog. "Thanks."
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She held it to her lips, feeling its steamy heat creep up her nose, and took a tiny nibble. Sonic chuckled.
"No, you've gotta take a bigger bite than that," he said.
She obeyed, biting off a mouthful and chewing it, half-worried that the spice would suddenly settle on her tongue. But it wasn't too spicy. It actually had quite a nice flavour, she decided. "It's pretty good," she declared, noticing Sonic smile in satisfaction. Then he observed her chilli dog, frowning slightly.
"Ah, hang on a sec. I forgot to put enough chilli on that one," he said, gesturing to his own snack that was piled high with chilli. He reached for the bottle of the spicy condiment, holding it over her chilli dog.
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"No!" she said quickly. "Thanks, but I don't want any extra spice."
"Aw, come on. Trust me. You liked it the first time, right?" he said.
She sighed, holding it out. "Go on, then."
He squeezed the bottle, pouring the chilli all over her food. "Now try it," he said proudly.
She did, and quickly finished it before she could change her mind.
"Even better, huh?" Sonic said.
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Amy was about to answer when she felt the aftertaste. A sudden rush of heat fired up her throat and her tongue burned. She almost swore as the sharp temperature pierced her taste buds. "Oh, my god!" she choked. Completely forgetting her new persona, she jumped up and down, clenching her eyes shut as her face got hotter. "It's really hot!" she yelled, waving her hands in front of her mouth. "My eyes are watering!"
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Sonic had to turn in his lips to stop himself from laughing. He watched as Andy hastily bought a water bottle from the clerk, jumping up and down the whole time. "You know," he called, "water actually makes it-" But the other hedgehog had already downed the bottle. "…worse," he finished. He waited as Andy paused, feeling a brief moment of relief, before his eyes shot open.
"It burns!" he screeched.
Sonic felt his stomach tense from holding back laughter. The way Andy was jumping around and screaming, he sounded almost like a girl.
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It was a good five minutes before Amy eventually calmed down, still wincing at her poor burning tongue.
Sonic patted her shoulder. "It wears off," he chortled.
"It had better," she growled.
"Sorry, buddy, I thought you'd be able to handle the heat."
"You have very warped perceptions of heat intensity," she muttered, earning another chuckle from Sonic. While annoyed that her taste buds were still zinging, she felt glad to be in his company. She couldn't stay mad at him for long anyway.
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They walked in silence for a while, seeing as Sonic had bought several more chilli dogs, and was scoffing them like no tomorrow. Amy, however, was scanning her mind for another conversation starter. An idea came to her quickly, out of her own curiosity more than anything else.
"So, Tails told me that one of your friends has left for a while," she said, unsure of whether or not it was the right thing to say. But she was dying to know how Sonic was feeling about the whole situation.
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"Oh… yeah. Our friend Amy," he said quietly, his smile vanishing. "She sort of… ran away."
'I didn't run away!' Amy protested mentally. 'The note clearly said that I just needed some time to myself, that's all!' She decided to voice this. "But Tails said that she'd written a note saying that she just needed to clear her head."
Sonic sighed, keeping his eyes on the ground. "Yeah, but I'm not so sure I believe that."
Hopefully you enjoyed that. I tried to tackle a few things in that chapter: Amy's acting like a guy, Amy accidentally leaving hints, Knuckles feeling jealous etc. But more of that in the next chapter.
Please review; I love knowing what you think :) Thanks!