Yes! This was almost a weekly update! :') I am finally done with exams, so I can actually ENJOY life! Updates will definitely be better now, though obviously not all the time - I do want to do other stuff in the summer..
Anyway, this is the 17th chapter, making this my longest story on the site! :D But, it hasn't been easy and I have you wonderful people to thank for taking the time to read it. So thank you, November Ember, anon, Super-Shadow1248, SilverDawn2010, RandomKid2012, sonicathehedgehog, hot pink123, Comrade Athelwine, Romantic Person, Hollie the hedgehog, Rosy the Spazz, 4everLucky18, bitchbecrazy, Danielle Fenton, Alexandra the Leopard, Hazel The Rabbit, AmeliaTheHedgehog, ShadAmy4Eva, Mi123, Miss Topaz, shirinuigoddeviantart, BlueyO and Skyelara.
It's crazy how lucky I am. Thank you, SO MUCH. :') It means a lot that you're all reading this. I just hope that you'll continue to enjoy it. The pressure's on ^^"
Quick shout out to anonymous reviewers: thanks guys. Sorry I can't reply directly to you, but thank you for your kind and helpful words. :)
Anyway, I hope you enjoy my 'debut' chapter 17! :P WOOP!
Chapter 17 – Dawning of Disaster
With his concerns dissolved in the very depths of his mind, Sonic ran back to the workshop, and was surprised to hear two voices rather than the usual one. Tails and Andy were on the couch, talking. Sonic leaned over the back of it and ruffled both of their heads, making them yell in surprise.
"Mind if I join the party?" he grinned.
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"Sonic," Tails scolded, but he was laughing.
Andy was not. He scowled at Sonic, desperately trying to rearrange his angled quills. "That's the second time you've ruined my fur," he growled.
Sonic merely chuckled. "Sorry, Andrea. I'll send for an emergency hairdresser, pronto," he teased.
Thankfully, an amused smirk tilted Andy's lips. "Shut up."
"How did it go with the Chaotix?" Tails asked.
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Amy tensed. Sonic's cheerfulness was a good sign, wasn't it?
"It was okay," Sonic replied. "Vector hadn't really found anything, though. It was kind of pointless to be honest."
Amy allowed herself to breathe again. Thank goodness for that! All of her worrying had been for nothing. "Then how about we just stick to searching by ourselves," she suggested. "We could try again now if you wanted to."
Sonic smiled at her. "Yeah, okay."
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"You're going to look again?" Tails said. "Sonic, don't you think you should take a break?"
"Did Amy take a break whenever she was looking for me?" Sonic demanded, and his eyes suddenly hardened with determination.
Tails said nothing, but silently shook his head.
"Then I'm not gonna stop until I find her."
Amy felt her stomach somersault, and she had to fight to keep her grin at bay. Oh, how she wished she could somehow record this.
.
"Okay," said Tails, though he sounded unsure. "But don't be out too long."
Sonic's expression softened again, and he allowed his trademark grin to return. "Yes, Mom," he chortled. "Come on, Andy, quick, before she grounds me!"
"Hey!" Tails protested.
Amy giggled, jumping off the sofa to join Sonic. There it was again, that amazing rush of happiness whenever she was around him. How could one person be so intoxicating?
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"I'm not a girl," Tails said, forcing himself not to laugh.
"So get a girlfriend," Sonic teased. "Cosmo, shall we say?"
Tails's cheeks gained the hue of a tomato. "What?" he cried. "N-n-no! We're… I-it's not like that!"
"I know, Mom! I was only teasing ya! I know you're a woman really," Sonic grinned and winked, as he and Amy walked out of the workshop. "Bye now!"
"Bye Mrs. Hedgehog!" Amy called.
"I'm not a hedgehog!" Tails yelled after them. There was a brief pause. "Or a woman!"
.
They burst into peals of laughter, and Sonic gave Amy a rather animated high-five.
"That was genius!" he cackled. Then he wiped his eyes. "He'll get me back for that later."
Amy grinned. "You do tease him a lot," she reminded him.
"It's not that much," he said, smirking. "And I've got to keep up my title of the older brother, haven't I?"
She rolled her eyes, though of course he couldn't see it from behind her sunglasses.
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It was at that moment that they cut into the path of Rouge, with her arm firmly hooked around Knuckles, who quickly averted his eyes as soon as he noticed the two hedgehogs. Rouge waved at them, smirking as she sauntered over, dragging Knuckles behind her.
Sonic raised his eyebrows questioningly at Amy, nodding towards the apparent couple as they made their way over.
She smiled proudly. "I hooked them up," she explained.
"But I thought you were with Rouge?" he said.
"Nah, that was nothing serious. These guys are the real deal."
"Oh, really?" Sonic smirked. Perhaps Tails wouldn't be the only one to be teased today.
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"Hi, boys," Rouge purred as she and Knuckles reached them. She kept a firm grip on her prize, as he suddenly looked like he was going to run for the hills.
"Hey Rouge, Knuckles," Amy greeted.
Sonic grinned at the two, and Knuckles was sure he caught a little glint of evil in his eyes. He knew that look. The hedgehog was obviously feeling cheerful and most of the time, for Knuckles, that wasn't a good thing. To his surprise, Sonic said nothing. He just smiled at them, and Knuckles eyed him suspiciously. That smile was far too big to be innocent. Knuckles sent him a glare that said, 'One word and I'll kill you', but Sonic's grin simply widened.
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Although poor Knuckles looked embarrassed enough at being seen on his date with Rouge, Amy couldn't resist. "How's the date going?" she asked.
"Well, let's just say that maybe he does compare to a blade of grass after all," Rouge said, running her finger down Knuckles's chest.
His cheeks exploded with colour and he coughed. Clearly, Sonic felt that this was the perfect moment to make his input, as he began to hum, very loudly, the tune of Can You Feel the Love Tonight. Knuckles sent a full-power scowl at Sonic, gritting his teeth. Amy and Rouge ignored the humming, partly because they couldn't decide whether to laugh or tell Sonic to stop.
"I'm glad it's going well," Amy said. "And it's the perfect weather for it, isn't it?"
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Sonic hummed louder, all the while retaining his innocent expression.
"Yeah," Rouge replied, almost having to shout over Sonic's humming.
"Shut up, Sonic," Knuckles snarled, beginning to crack.
Sonic paused. "Oh, sorry, Knuckles, is my humming bothering ya?" he said, his smile stretching to impossible lengths.
"No. You are," Knuckles snapped, breaking free of Rouge's grip and pressing his face up to Sonic's.
"I try to set the tone and this is the thanks I get?"
Knuckles was practically baring his teeth. "I'll give you something else in a minute!" he roared.
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Rouge stepped in and gently held Knuckles's shoulders. "Knuckie," she said smoothly, disregarding Sonic's sniggering at her pet name. "How about you go and cool off, hmm? I don't want you all worked up on our date."
Knuckles visibly relaxed, but his frown remained. "Watch it, hedgehog," he spat, and trudged out of the clearing, muttering.
Amy raised an eyebrow at Sonic.
"What?" he said, his grin slowly returning to a normal size.
She shook her head, holding back a giggle.
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"So, what brings you two out here anyway?" Rouge asked. "Searching for Amy again?"
"Yeah," said Sonic. "If my luck stays like this we'll find her in a matter of seconds!"
"By luck you mean finding innocent people to wind up?" Rouge smirked.
Sonic chuckled. "What else could make the day any better?" he joked.
"Trust me, I know exactly what you mean."
"And now you've got Knuckles wrapped 'round your finger, huh?"
"Oh, Big Blue, I always did," Rouge purred.
.
Amy smiled at Sonic's remarks, though she couldn't help feeling a pang of jealousy. He was having a conversation with Rouge like it was nothing and yet when Amy wasn't 'Andy' he hardly said two words to her. Knuckles was wrong about one thing: Sonic wasn't uncomfortable with girls. He was speaking so confidently, without a hint of awkwardness. It didn't matter who it was, Sonic the Hedgehog could easily talk to any girl, as long as it wasn't Amy. And she hated it. Why was he so uneasy with her?
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True, her acting as a boy had earned her a powerful friendship with him, but not as herself. She couldn't change the fact that he didn't speak to the real her, and that was what really mattered. What if, when all of this was over, nothing changed? She couldn't bear to think that they'd resort to their old ways: Amy chasing Sonic, and him never looking back.
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Amy left her thoughts for a moment as she listened to his laughter: deep and hearty. Why couldn't he laugh like that with her?
"Well, I'd better go and see that you haven't scared him off," Rouge said, still smirking. "Later, Blue. Bye, Andy."
The two hedgehogs waved, and Amy tried to swallow her qualms. They started walking again, but a silence hung between them. Sonic picked up on it instantly.
"You okay, buddy?" he asked.
"Mm," Amy murmured, avoiding his gaze.
"Andy," said Sonic, standing in front of her. "What's the matter?" Concern was entwined between the hues of green in his eyes.
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They stopped. Amy breathed deeply, biting her tongue. It was best not to mention it, despite how much it was bothering her. "It's nothing."
"Come on, man. I won't tell anybody. What's on your mind?"
"It's just that…" Amy tensed. Perhaps she could just come out with it? She'd never find out the truth otherwise. "Why are you so happy and comfortable talking to Rouge, and yet you avoid Amy?" she blurted out.
"What?"
"It's not just Rouge, it's all the girls. You're fine when you're talking to them but Amy makes you nervous! What's so bad about her?"
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Sonic's eyes widened, and his vibrant demeanour vanished. "Hey, we talked about this before," he said. "There's nothing wrong with her, but I told you, it makes me feel uncomfortable when she… you know."
"When she cares about you?"
"No!" Sonic protested. "But you know what's she's like! It's not easy when she's so… open about her feelings."
"But you act like you completely hate it!"
"No, I don't!"
"You do! It's like you can't wait to get away!" Amy cried, letting her frustration get the better of her. "You're fine if Rouge flirts with you but the second that Amy even smiles at you, you run away!"
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"That's not true!" Sonic growled, traces of anger now lining his gaze. "Come on, Andy, we talked about this and you said you understood! You said you'd do the same thing!"
"But I didn't mean that! I wouldn't ignore her!" Andy cried, clenching his fists.
"Oh, and you're perfect to her?" Sonic demanded. "What's all this about anyway? You got a crush on her or something?" He wasn't even sure where that had come from. It was probably Vector's crazy ideas infecting his mind, but now that he'd noticed it, he couldn't ignore it.
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"What?" Andy was stunned, silent for a moment. "Of course not!" he snapped. "W-we're friends!"
"And that's why you're so concerned about how I treat her, huh?" Sonic cried. "Why you're so interested in her love life?"
"I-I'm not! We're just friends!"
"Sure you are," Sonic growled. Then he heard his own voice, heard the anger radiating from the sound, and he almost jumped. This wasn't him.
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Amy swallowed, taken aback. Where had Sonic gotten these ideas from? This was so out of the blue; she didn't know how to react. She'd hardly ever seen his temper rise like this before. And judging by his somewhat dazed expression, neither had he. "Sonic," she said, finally lowering her voice. "What are you saying? Where is this coming from?"
He heaved a sigh, and his shoulders dropped as he released his tension. He ran a hand through his quills as he said, "Sorry, Andy. I know, I went kind of crazy there." He shook his head, looking ashamedly at the dirt below them. "I don't know where that came from. I think I'm just tired, but I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
"It's okay," she said quietly, after a pause.
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Forcing his breathing into a regular rhythm, Sonic looked back up at Andy. Guilt punctured his mind. He knew that his little outburst had been Vector's words getting to him. Hadn't he buried those doubts? And yet they'd been hiding beneath the surface, tainting his thoughts. He didn't want to think in this way but he couldn't help it. He couldn't seem to block that tiny voice inside his head, taunting him, trying to twist the facts to put Andy under a bad light. But he wouldn't listen to it.
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"I really didn't mean that, Andy," he said, noting his friend's hesitance. "Maybe I'm a little uptight from not finding her, and I just snapped. But I know it's not like that, really. Can we pretend that that didn't happen?" Sonic asked, attempting an apologetic smile. To his relief, Andy smiled back, relaxing.
"Yeah," he said warmly. "I understand."
Relief settled in Sonic's stomach. "Thanks, buddy. I appreciate it. Sorry for flipping out at ya."
"I'm sorry for criticising you."
"Nah, I deserved it. It's true, I need to chill out more with Amy. Thanks for knockin' me back to Earth."
"No worries."
.
Amy was, in fact, slightly worried, but she decided to accept the fact that Sonic was stressed. It was still a crazy accusation though. It seemed too automatic, too natural just to be Sonic's tiredness getting to him. Though it was only for a brief moment, spurred on by his irritation, he looked like he really believed what he was saying. But anger could do that to a person, couldn't it? And he did say that he didn't mean it. Amy had experienced many arguments before, where she too had said stupid things in her rage, so she could relate. She was just thankful that he wasn't serious about it. In situations like these, she knew, it was best just to forget the whole thing, as Sonic had asked.
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They carried on with the search, slipping back into friendly conversation. Sonic stayed casual, but truth be told, he was still dwelling over their argument. He hadn't been completely honest, because he was very aware of the fact that Vector's words had provoked his outburst. But he couldn't tell Andy that; he didn't want him to feel interrogated. Though, he probably did, and Sonic had himself to blame for it. His sudden, indignant anger was out of character and he knew it, but he couldn't seem to control it. It all related back to the tiny part of him that almost believed Vector's theory.
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The poisonous shadow of doubt in his mind was growing. He could feel it. He caught himself, time and time again, analysing everything that Andy did and said, linking it back to Vector's accusation. He scolded himself each time, and yet that doubt continued to manifest itself. It was bothering him, interrupting his thoughts and infecting his speech. When they gave up on searching for the day and Andy left, the weakened fences that enclosed his doubts crumbled, and he allowed it to infiltrate the forefront of his mind.
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For the sake of proving Vector wrong – or so he told himself – he tried to piece together the evidence as he ran through Mobius, working out which pieces fit. And the problem was… a lot of it did. Amy's purse, Andy being outside her house, his questions about Sonic's relationship with her… As much as Sonic wanted to ignore it, it all seemed to point to one answer. Vector's words echoed in his mind.
"Try talking to him about Amy! I bet he'll be real edgy! ...And I bet he's protective over her, too!"
He thought about the way Andy had reacted, when Sonic accused him of liking Amy as more than a friend. He wasn't exactly comfortable. Nobody would be, but what Sonic hated was that he found himself considering what Vector had said.
.
Still, it was true that Andy was protective over her. That much was obvious. Maybe friends were protective over each other but not like that. Sonic narrowed his eyes, slowing his run until he stopped. He'd been running across the planet for a good few hours now and he couldn't concentrate. He was just so confused; he didn't know what to believe. He raked a hand through the fur on his head and groaned. This needed to be sorted out. He just needed some advice or someone that he could talk to, to get some peace of mind at least. He needed a second opinion, and the sole person that came to mind was Rouge. She was fairly close to Andy, so perhaps she could give him some extra information or the slap in the face that he needed.
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Sonic had barely made the decision before he was outside Rouge's door, knocking impatiently. It was fairly late, so he assumed she'd be home from her date with Knuckles. Andy had told him that they'd been stargazing – which had surprised him, to say the least – but the stars were always out early in the spring. His assumptions were right, as the door soon opened and Rouge greeted him with her typical smirk.
"Well, hello there, Big Blue. Fancy coming to visit little old me at a time like this," she drawled.
"Hey, Rouge. Sorry it's kind of late but somehow I didn't think you'd be resting," he replied, still amused at the thought of Knuckles stargazing. "How was your date with the knucklehead?"
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Rouge allowed him to enter, as she said, "Alright, I guess. He's not as boring as he looks."
Sonic chuckled. They both knew that Rouge had enjoyed it more than she'd admit.
"So, what can I do for ya, Blue?" she said, sitting down on a leather loveseat and examining her fingernails.
"Ah, it's nothing really, I just… I wanted to talk about Andy."
The bat's ears perked up slightly. "Oh? What about him?"
"Uh… Do you ever think that maybe…" Sonic said, cursing himself for saying this, "maybe he's hiding something?"
Rouge turned her full attention on him. "No," she said slowly. "What do you mean, exactly?"
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Sonic massaged his temples. "Well… he's so close to Amy and yet we still haven't found her, and he has her purse, and he asks things about her and… I don't know, stuff like that."
Rouge looked thoughtful. "I'm not following you," she said eventually. "Where are you going with this, Sonic?"
Sonic frowned. She honestly wasn't catching his drift? "I just… It all seems too… convenient," he said carefully.
Rouge shook her head, and said, "You sure you're not paranoid?"
"Maybe," he admitted.
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"Listen, Blue, just because Amy had a random unorganised moment and Andy happened to find her purse doesn't mean anything," she assured him. "And the world's a big place. It's no surprise that you haven't found her yet. And you can hardly blame him for caring about his friend, now can you?"
"No," Sonic said quietly. "No, you're right. Thanks, Rouge. I needed that." He scratched his neck, absently surveying the room. His eyes fell onto a leather jacket on the floor, stealing his interest. "Hey, isn't that Andy's?" he said, gesturing to it. He remembered his friend wearing it on spring's colder mornings.
"Yeah. He left it here when he came over," Rouge said, her eyes fixed onto her nails again.
"I'll take it back to him for ya," Sonic offered. "Where does he live?"
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Rouge shifted in her seat. "Thanks, sugar, but I don't know where he lives."
"What?" Sonic raised an eyebrow at her. "You told me that you've been to his place."
"That doesn't mean that I remember where it is."
"But you said that you went there yesterday!"
Rouge looked up from her nails. Her expression was unreadable, her eyes searching. Sonic locked gazes with her, confused. He could almost see the gears of her mind turning.
"Sorry, Sonic," she said, after a pause. "Andy doesn't like people knowing where he lives. I'm not allowed to tell you."
"Seriously?" Sonic asked, incredulous. "Why?"
"It's just his way. Sorry. These lips are zipped."
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"Rouge, I'm not gonna break into his house," Sonic chuckled. "Just tell me where he lives and I'll drop off his jacket and leave."
"No can do," Rouge said firmly.
"What's with all the secrets? You know how weird this sounds, right?"
"It's not a secret-"
"So tell me," Sonic said, nearly laughing at how silly this was.
Rouge stopped for a moment, looking hesitant. "It know it sounds weird, but I can't tell you," she insisted.
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Sonic shook his head, baffled but amused. He picked the jacket up from the floor. "Rouge, come on. What harm can I do by taking his-" He broke off as a bunch of keys slipped out from one of the pockets and fell to the floor. A metallic clink resounded, silencing the room. Both pairs of eyes darted to the keys. Sonic's smile faded. He picked them up, staring at them. The pink and red pattern on the keys was all too familiar, as were the key rings. Instantly he recognised the small plastic heart and the mini photo frame with a picture taken at one of his birthday parties. He knew these keys, and they definitely were not Andy's.
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His attention snapped back to Rouge, his eyes narrowed. "These are Amy's keys," he said, his tone suddenly hard enough to shatter diamond. He could've sworn that Rouge's carefully composed expression faltered for a second, but she appeared calm.
"Are they?" she asked, eyeing them.
"Of course they are. Look at them!"
"I don't recognise them," Rouge said casually.
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Sonic held the photo key ring in her face. "This says it all, don't you think?" Then he clutched the keys tightly in his fist, as a burning fierceness sparked in his eyes. "What the hell is Andy doing with them?" he demanded.
"I'm sure it doesn't mean anything-"
"Doesn't mean anything? He's got her keys!" Sonic shouted. "No one leaves their keys at home!"
Rouge sighed, realising that a more hands-on approach was needed. "Look, Sonic," she tried. "It's not what you think."
"You're covering for him?" he cried.
"No, it's not like that. He was just looking after them for her-"
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"I don't believe this!" Sonic exclaimed, throwing his hands up in frustration. "You were in on it with him the whole time, weren't you?" Suddenly he froze, watching her as understating dawned on his face. "That's why you won't tell me where he lives," he said, gritting his teeth. "That's where he's staying, isn't it?"
"Sonic, if you'd just let me explain-"
"There's nothing to explain!" He began pacing back and forth in the space of Rouge's living room. "I should have known," he growled, anger seeping from his body. "The whole time… The whole time I'd been searching with him and he had these?"
.
"You've got it wrong," Rouge insisted, but her wide eyes betrayed her. "Just listen to me for a second."
Sonic stopped pacing to aim his furious glare at her. "I don't need to," he said, straightening. "I get it, Rouge. I know exactly what has been going on here." He moved to the door, clenching the handle with a tense fist.
"Sonic, wait!" Rouge cried, but she was met with a rush of wind in her face as Sonic burst out of the building. A vacant silence fell in the apartment, as the streak of blue quickly faded. She stared at the empty doorway, feeling her stomach drop. This was not good.
I'm not sure how to feel about this chapter. I'm half-proud, half-worried about it. I worked really hard on it (somehow I spent all day writing half of it) but my mind sort of took over and I'm not sure how well I controlled it...
Anyway, I hope you liked it. I really appreciate your feedback :)
P.S. This is random but the new image manager is so exciting isn't it? :D I'm definitely gonna draw covers for my stories! x3