St Valentines day! I think this is a fitting day for a chapter, don't you?
Okay, despite what you're probably thinking, I am alive. I know, I know, it's been two months since my last update on here. The break has been killing me but I needed some time away from Fanfiction to clear my head and to focus on real life. On the bright side, this means that I've got a few new ideas and I'm really trying to straighten up my writing technique. However, you have my humble apologies for the disappearance. You may throw some tomatoes at me, if you wish.
Righty-ho, thank you very much to: PoeticLover1996, The High School Hero, musicalocelot, Chrissie the hedgehog, KumarKitty24, shadamy1fan, AHeartForStories, shadamyhater, werewolf lover99, GuestKori, Steve993, Zgirl101, judithrobasky . love1234, Eli Swafford, ToxicWolf1132, waveandcipher, Alphastorm, ThatOneRandomFangirlx, Superkamiguru100, TheMidnightShadow, animelover5641, foreverlcky13, Guest, Blackmage23, Unknow, The Whisper, Guest, SonAmy Otaku! Thank you so much for being so lovely, guys (and waiting for bloody ages for an update. Sorry again!)! 367 reviews!? This is too awesome for words. Thank you so much! You don't know how much this means to me :3
Replies:
PoeticLover1996 - Oh yes, I am enjoying tearing things up *evil laugh* as long as I can put it all back together again XD I've gotta say, Fiona, Shadow and Sally are probably my favourite characters for this story. In M.M.G, it was Sonic, Amy and Silver - but the other three have just really grown on me :3 I hope that my writing does them justice! And yeah, Amy's finally doing something right! Especially in this chapter. Thank you ever so much and I can't wait to see another one of your awesome updates! :D
The High School Hero - FFN BFF! It feels like ages since I last spoke to you! :'( My break has lasted way too long (admittedly though, being ill and having exams isn't entirely my fault) How are you doing? Ah ha ha, yeah, this is similar to the S.C.B triangle with Cosmo, Tails and Cream! ;) But we still don't know who will win in this story...? *dramatic music* Well, I hope you're well, H.S.H, and we'll speak soon! :D
musicalocelot - Thank you very much! I know, I'm sort of destroying every relationship at every turn! I'm too mean *crazy grin* although...we haven't seen much Knuxouge yet. We will soon, I promise! And I promise not to destroy that relationship ;)
Chrissie the hedgehog - Ah, I'm afraid I can't reveal that information ;) there will be some SonAmy soon, though :D
KumarKitty24 - Ha ha, of course it was a cliff hanger! ;) I couldn't have left it without one, could I? Ah, I asked my friend about that spelling mistake and she agreed with you - I'll change it after I've posted this! :) Sorry that this update has taken so long and thank you very much! :D
shadamy1fan - Drama-filled, eh? :D I shall admit that the Silvaze situation is progressing in this chapter (in a good way) so I hope you enjoy that! :D And, the CosmoXTailsXCream triangle will be addressed soon! :3
AHeartForStories - Yes, I'm looking forward to writing another confrontation scene with Fiona and Shadow! :D I read your other review on M.M.G (thank you for that, by the way! :D) and I shall sort out the character's home life when they go home for Christmas in a few chapters time :) I may mix things up for them at home - but I haven't quite decided yet :3
shadamyhater - Ah no, no Shadamy in these couple of chapters :3 Don't worry - this chapter is basically focused on Silvaze :3
werewolf lover99 - Here is the chapter! (Finally XD)
GuestKori - Hey there! Merry late Christmas and happy new year to you too! :D Ah, I hope there aren't more life problems for you? D: I hope things have picked up a bit - even if they are still awkward. Here's a chapter to cheer you up! ;) Yay, Scourge is one of my favourite characters too! :3
Steve993 - Thank you very much! :D Yep, Amy's finally deciding to do something right ;D Scourge and Fiona have a really interesting relationship that I hope I've been able to channel through in this chapter. They're also probably my favourite characters to write about ;D And here is the next update, at long last!
Zgirl101 - Ha ha, yeah, cliffhangers are my specialty! XD Aw, thank you so much! :3 Well, I'm always trying to improve my writing (because it's no where near perfect) but it means so much to hear that :3 Nope, I'm not in college - but I'm afraid I can't divulge my age. Official secrets ;)
judithrobasky . love1234 - Here is the update! :3 Sorry that it took so long!
Eli Swafford - Hey there! I'm glad you're feeling a little bit better (only time can heal these kinds of wounds). I'm happy that you enjoyed the last chapter and I hope you enjoy this one too! :3 I'm really sorry that I didn't get round to updating before Christmas - I honestly tried to, but the chapter just didn't flow very well and I needed to re-do it. Happy belated Christmas and new year! :D I had a nice New Year and I hope you did too! :D
ToxicWolf1132 - Did that last chapter sound like closure?! Oh - well, I would estimate that 'So, this is love' is about half-way through (roughly), so it's not really going to end soon :3
waveandcipher - Ha ha, definitely XD Yep, you'll get to see if the Silvaze plan works better than the last one :D Ah - Soul Eater. I have definitely heard of it but I haven't actually watched it. My friend adores it and he says that it's great but the ending sucked :S Yeah, Fanfiction's new look is pretty cool, actually. I've gotten used to it :D
Alphastorm - Ah, well, thank you very much for your support :3
ThatOneRandomFangirlx - Thank you very much :D The chapter has finally arrived! ;D
Superkamiguru100 - Wow, I'm so glad that you like it that much! :D Ah, yes - I had already considered the problem of Sonic's 'first' kiss. There is an explanation and it will pop up soon, but not quite yet. However, I have addressed 'Sonic's first kiss' in this chapter just to show that I haven't forgotten about it :) Your suggestions are really good - I will definitely consider them for future chapters :D Thank you very much!
TheMidnightShadow - No worries! :D I like listening to people and I always like to offer suggestions if I can help someone :3 Ah, yes (I know that the Christmas episode of Doctor Who has already passed. My lateness is dreadful) I've been so excited about the 50th Doctor Who Anniversary! I think that they did a wonderful job! A lot better than I was expecting! Admittedly, I wasn't as keen on the Christmas episode but they did an okay job. But, that's just my opinion :)
animelover5641 - Ah, well, I'm really sorry that THIS update has taken so long! :/ It won't happen again! ;) *probably* I'm glad you like it! :D
foreverlcky13 - Aw, thank you very much :3
Guest - I'm glad you're enjoying it! :D
Blackmage23 - Ah, yes, I see what you mean about the flashbacks. Hopefully, this chapter is a lot simpler ;) Haha, well, I'm not going to give anything away about Fiona yet ;D And Silvaze will soon be coming your way ;D
Unknow - Thank you very much :D Here is the next chapter for you! :3
The Whisper - Don't worry - I definitely plan to continue and finish this story, so there's no need for drastic actions ;) Thank you very much and I will simply say that 'Shadow is his own man' ;D
Guest - Thank you very much and I plan to! :D
SonAmy Otaku - Aw, thank you very much! :3
END OF REPLIES!
So, on with the chapter! I can finally say that the mood of this update isn't too maudlin! ;D
Enjoy! Xxx T.C. xxX
P.S. Three words: Sonic Boom Trailer
Chapter 22 – Dreaming of love
(...Amy's P.O.V...)
I was walking. Walking for what felt like forever. My feet were simply leading me through a labyrinth of corridors, unable to stop. I had lost my bearings completely - I had no idea where I was. I think I passed the drama rooms, possibly. I wasn't certain, though.
The lights were so bright. Whereas my art corridors were a creamy colour, this side of the university was unbearably white. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if I would ever stop and work out my location. Honestly, walking seemed like the easier option.
Before I knew it, I was suddenly inside one of the rooms. I didn't even remember opening the doors - I was suddenly there. There were no students and it didn't look like a drama studio. It actually looked like a normal school classroom. Weird.
The room was also extremely intense - I feared that my eyes would burn from all these glaring beams that had an unidentifiable source. My skin suddenly felt very cold - as if there was a strange presence in the room. I glanced about, but I was alone.
Alone.
...
I stepped further into the room, casually running a hand across one of the desks. The wooden surface was cold to touch but it reminded me of the previous years. A smile curved onto my face, as I lowered my hands to my sides.
Arms snaked around my shoulders, gripping me in a hug. I froze, helplessly static. My skin suddenly burnt at the touch, as my cheeks also sparked with heat. I didn't look at the person, but I suddenly had the feeling that it was Shadow. But it didn't feel like him.
Perhaps it was Scourge.
No. It was too gentle for him.
I glanced down at the bare arms on my shoulders, before I was pulled into someone's chest. Lips skimmed my hair, before settling on my neck. They were warm and soothing.
"Simply gorgeous,"
His mumble caressed my skin, sweetly, causing me to shiver in pleasure. Cautiously, I bent my arms upwards and placed them onto his skin. He was warm; warm enough that my palms started sweating. My eyes fluttered closed.
He'd obviously stretched round, slightly, as the lips moved to my cheek. I giggled, girlishly, feeling my skin react by heating up. The male laughed too, his smile pressing against my skin.
That laugh.
Those arms.
That kiss.
My smile faded, as I opened my eyes and stepped out of his arms, turning to face him. He looked surprised - and wounded - as he lowered his arms to his sides. The emerald eyes searched for an explanation, before they slumped to the floor. Even his ears drooped downwards.
"I'm sorry," I called, hating the mixture of desperation and hurt that was in my voice. I was surprised by the sensation of tears that were fizzling in my eyes.
He shook his head, but noticeably clenched his fists, "Doesn't matter. It's over now,"
"I don't want it to be!"
He was in front of me, glaring into my eyes. I almost felt afraid of him, "Then why are you blaming me? This is your decision! You chose for this to happen,"
I clenched my own fists, "You can't honestly think that!"
"It's the truth, Amy,"
"...I...don't know,"
His laugh was horribly dry in my ears, "You don't know. Okay, well, come and talk to me when you DO know. I'm not gonna wait for you to get over your jealous hissy fit,"
I took a staggered gasp, feeling slightly dizzy. This wasn't the boy that I fell in love with, "J-jealous!? You think I'm jealous?"
"I know that you're jealous. You're scared of my history with Fiona. And if you don't let it go, you're just going to be another part of my relationship history," He was walking away, towards the door.
I stormed after him, "Are you threatening me!?"
"Threatening? Sure. Call it what you like. I don't care. But you need to decide - I'm not going to wait forever. Neither is Shadow,"
"He's got nothing to do with this! Stop pulling other people like Shadow and Fiona into this! In the end, this is about you and me,"
He stopped, just by the door. His harsh tone had subsided, "You and me?"
"If we want to make this work, we need to be honest. You can't hold back. Look, I realize that you don't want to be reminded of it, but I might be able to help you. I'm not trying to hurt you - I want to make it better. Why won't you let me help you?" I could see his muscles straining and relaxing in his arms.
He spun round, taking confident steps towards me. I, rigidly, stayed in one place, allowing him to approach me. He stopped in front of me, still remaining an inch or so higher than me. His head was hanging low, almost childlike, as he stared at his shoes.
I took hold of his hand, "...Sonic...?"
"Because it hurts." He looked up and moved closer.
Our lips connected. I blacked out.
(...Sonic's P.O.V...)
Without my consent or approval, I somehow ended up in the middle of a darkened room. The floor beneath my feet was made up of snow-white tiles that seemed symmetrical in design. The rest of the room was concealed in a thick darkness. Bewildered was an understatement - I had no idea where I was.
There was a sudden flick of a switch, activating a light at one corner of the room. A black chair was underneath the spotlight, with a familiar female upon it. She grinned, slyly, before giving me a sarcastic air-kiss.
"Hey, babe," She purred.
I stayed exactly where I was, "Fiona...what are you doing here?"
"Waiting for you to make the choice,"
"Choice?"
Another spotlight flickered into view, revealing another girl that I recognized. I didn't have the same fear-struck reaction when I realized who she was, "...Mina..."
"Hello, Sonic," She nodded, politely, with her purple locks cascading over her shoulders. My heart squeezed and strained, as I swallowed down my guilt, with my jaw clenched.
"Why are you here? Where am I?"
"You need to decide,"
"...yeah, that definitely answered my question,"
The third spotlight slammed down through the darkness. I rolled my eyes at the next girl, "I didn't expect to see you,"
Bunnie shrugged, calmly, whilst fiddling with her cowgirl-hat, "Well, I'm here now,"
The fourth light appeared faster than the rest of them, and I actually felt happier as I smiled at Sally, who was shifting on her chosen seat, "Sal. Please tell me what the hell is going on and how I get out of here,"
She laughed, brightly, making me smile back at her, "Hold up, speedy. You've still got one more chick to choose from,"
The final light shone onto the floor, a good few feet away from me.
I almost didn't want to see the fifth girl. Of course it was going to be her. Ironically, she made me feel calmer and safer - yet I felt worse when I looked into her eyes. Guilt overwhelmed me, "Ames?"
Her smile was beautiful, but poultry in comparison to her best smile, "Hey, Sonic,"
My eyes swiveled between each of the girls, "So, ladies, what the fuck is going on?"
"You need to choose one of us," Mina piped up, causing everyone to stare at her. She immediately lowered her head, shyly.
I made eye contact with Amy. She glanced away as soon as we met, but a hint of a blush was starting to spread across her face. With a small smile, I shifted my head towards Sally, watching a grin form upon her lips. She knew my answer. My attention fell back to the middle of the room and I stated, "I mean no offense, but I know who I'd choose,"
"Then let's raise the stakes," Fiona was perched on the chair, with her legs crossed. The tights were taut and smooth on her thighs. Black high heels were slipping off her feet – hanging on for dear life. Her ebony mini-dress was threatening to get shorter and shorter as she shifted in her seat. Unlike usual, her hair wasn't tied up by a ribbon, but it didn't grow much in length, "If it's such an easy decision - then who would you save from death?"
"P-pardon?"
"Only one person can be chosen. Who would you save and who would you kill?"
I shook my head, defiantly, "I can't make that choice. I refuse to,"
"If you don't, we'll all die,"
"W-what?" I blinked, refusing to believe that this was happening. She was lying. It wasn't exactly out-of-character for Fiona, "You're lying,"
"Want to put it to the test? Each chair is rigged with explosives. If you don't decide - the bombs go off," The fox giggled, smirking at Sally with frightening intensity, "Boom,"
"I wouldn't look so smug if I were you. He's not going to save you," Sally sighed, ruffling her hair with one hand, as if the entire situation was boring her to death.
I groaned in frustration and panic, whilst beginning to pace about the room. Fiona, Mina, Bunnie, Sally and Amy. There was no contest about who I loved. That was easy. But one of them had been my best friend (aside from Tails) - and we were close to being friends again. One of them had completely misunderstood me. One of them simply made the mistake of falling for me. The final one was cruel - but none of them deserved to die.
Admittedly, I didn't entirely believe Fiona about the explosives - but I didn't want to push my luck, either. The best plan was to pretend that I was deciding, and instead, come up with a way to save all of them. Easier said than done.
"Tick tock, blue," Bunnie mocked, rocking backwards in her seat. She, certainly, didn't seem concerned about her possible death. Perhaps she'd already decided that I wasn't going to choose her, "We haven't got all day,"
"Ignore her, Sonic. Take your time," Mina offered me a warm smile, and in response, I grinned back at her. How could she think that I was actually considering the deaths of four girls?
Fiona rolled her eyes, "But try to do it, quickly,"
"Why are you making me do this?"
"Because it's fun,"
Her answer shocked me, but I had no idea what to reply with. Sally made the quip that Fiona was a 'sick psycho and should consider some safe hobbies, like sewing'. Fiona swore back at her, colourfully.
Amy said nothing.
I found myself watching her: noticing the way that she was sitting forward in her seat, the way that she was biting her lip, the way that she was staring at the floor. I silently begged for her to look up and smile at me; she didn't.
"Time's up, babe," Fiona struggled to keep the smile out of her voice. I was starting to wonder if she had gone insane, like Sally said, "Choose. Now,"
"I can't," I had no plan, "You know I can't..."
"Choose. Or we all die. It's either one person, or we're all dead,"
I still couldn't make that choice. Who was I to decide? "How can I make that decision?"
"You don't have to," Amy spoke up, raising her head and finally acknowledging me, "I'll choose,"
I couldn't believe the words that were coming out of her mouth, "What?"
"I'll choose for you. I'll choose who dies,"
My eyebrows scrunched together, "I thought I was choosing to save one person...?"
"No. You were meant to choose someone to kill,"
"W-what? Stop!"
Amy kicked the underside of her chair, in one clean motion. I heard something burst, and then there was a clicking sound.
"AMY!"
I was surrounded in darkness.
(...)
I shot straight up in my bed, arching my back. My forehead was clammy and my skin was layered with sweat - which was problematic as I shivered from the cold of the night. Bed sheets were twisted and hanging off the bed, collapsing onto the floor. I yanked the sheets back over my body, as I shuffled back to laying on my side. My eyes didn't have time to adjust to the darkness before I shut them again.
What the hell was that?
The expressions of the girls flashed through my mind. They looked exactly the same as they did in my memories. I'd never seen them all together before, all together in one room, interacting with each other. It was exactly how I imagined it would be: Fiona was determined, Mina was sweet, Bunnie was confident, Sally was awesome and Amy was beautiful. Or maybe that was just how I viewed them.
My heart was pounding in my ears, loudly, as it rapidly beat against my chest. I had no idea what to make of my dream. What did it mean? I wanted to kill one of them? I'd never do that. And, in selfish honesty, Amy would be the last person that I'd choose.
Why would she choose herself?
It didn't make sense.
"Fuckin...dreamsss..." My sleep-deprived words were muffled by my pillow as I fell into a deep and dream-less sleep.
(...Amy's P.O.V...)
She was sitting by the fountain - staring into space. There wasn't even a book in her hand.
A tangled knot settled into my throat, but I wandered towards her. Dark bags hung under her golden eyes, telling me that she hadn't gotten much sleep. The usual shine in her eyes was gone.
Annoyingly, the bench creaked as I sat down next to her. She didn't move her head in my direction, but her pupils flickered to my figure, for a moment. At least she was acknowledging my existence.
We were staring at the fountain, watching the water cascade from the marble curves. Admittedly, it was rather cold - so it wasn't as relaxing as I would have hoped. The urge to huddle further into my coat told me that I needed to hurry up and speak.
"I didn't think that I'd feel this crap when it's so near to Christmas," I pulled a tissue from my pocket and ran it under my nose. My cold was clearing - thank god - but I wasn't feeling 100%.
Blaze shrugged, to my surprise, before shocking me even more and saying, "Colds are like that,"
"I wasn't talking about my cold," My reply was barely a mutter, but we both heard it. The chatter from the surrounding students seemed to halt, as if to give us some much-needed privacy.
Her shoulders shrunk into her body, "I know how you feel,"
I wasn't quite sure what to reply with. I hadn't actually planned what I was going to say. All I had decided was that I was going to apologize and grovel, if necessary. How I was going to reach that point...hadn't been decided.
"Blaze...you don't need to-"
"Forget what I said,"
I squeezed my eyes shut, for a moment, before clearing my throat, "No, listen. Blaze, I'm so sorry. I never, ever meant for this to happen. Honestly, I was trying to help - instead, I just made everything worse,"
She lowered her gaze, but waited for me to continue.
"I'm not going to try and blame it on something else, there are no excuses - but I was desperate and worried. I thought that if I could shock you into action...I could change things..."
"So you called me a 'bitch'?"
"My mouth ran away with my emotions. I was angry. I just didn't know how to persuade you and got carried away. I lashed out with the worst thing that I could think of," I sighed, watching my breath hit the cold air, "You know that I don't mean it. At all,"
She shrugged, childishly, "Maybe it's true. You think that I'm to blame for breaking up with Silver,"
"I don't know. I wasn't there and I don't fully know what happened. I certainly don't know why you did it, so I can't judge. And whatever you do, it's up to you. But don't think for one minute that what I said was true. And I want to be there to support you with whatever you decide to do...if you want me to..."
"I wish I'd let you support me, back then,"
I nodded feebly. There was something that I needed to mention - but I didn't want to ruin my chances of forgiveness, "All you needed to do was ask. Although, I have to say it, but you did say some pretty harsh things, too,"
She shifted on the bench, folding her arms against her chest, "I wasn't exactly in the best of moods. I was hurting. I, too, lashed out. I didn't mean what I said about you turning into Sally. I don't think that, at all. I'm sorry about that,"
"It's alright," A small piece of relief entered my heart. Maybe things would be okay. Perhaps I should try and lighten things up, "But I take it that you think that I'm love sick and desperate?"
"Aw, damn," She mumbled, covering her face with her hands, "I didn't really say that, did I?"
"I think it was the highlight of my evening,"
"Hardy ha. No, you're not desperate, at all. In fact, I think you're the opposite. You're loyal to Sonic - but you don't want a relationship just for the sake of it. I only said that because I wanted you to stop worrying about the Sonic thing,"
"There's no 'thing' about it. We're not speaking. It is most definitely over," I sank back into the bench, starting to feel a lot more comfortable about sitting next to her. The dream from the night before returned to my memories - the intimate moment with Sonic, before he accused me of having a 'jealous hissy fit'. I felt that I should be annoyed at him for that - but perhaps he was right, in a way, and he was only a figment of my dreams.
"Listen, I'm only telling you this because it's important. And I'm telling you now - because it only matters now. Sonic loves you and you have absolutely no need to worry about Fiona. All you need to do is attempt to fix things and allow him to tell you the truth,"
I turned to face her. She was staring right back at me; her golden eyes filling with honesty. My lip quivered, as I pondered the reason for why she would say that, "What? How do you know? Did Sonic talk to you about it?"
Blaze seemed to be struggling to look tear her gaze away, "Not exactly. Well, he did. But not recently,"
"When did he tell you? And what did he say?" I narrowed my eyes at her delayed answer.
"It was a while ago. Back at school. Around the time of your 17th birthday, I think. He didn't plan to tell me - it just sort of happened. I didn't think of it at the time; I didn't think that it was important,"
It was certainly important now.
*FLASHBACK*
"God dammit,"
Blaze looked up, flicking her book shut and glancing around. She was sitting in a secluded part of the school, quietly reading, whilst perched on a rather uncomfortable wall. She hadn't expected anyone to stumble across her. Behind the canteen wasn't exactly a sociable section of the school.
She often came here at lunch. Not because she didn't want to sit with the others - she loved lunches with them - but she felt that it was good for her independence to spend time by herself, reading.
Footsteps came within ear shot and she glanced to her right. To her surprise, Sonic was power-walking towards her, seemingly unaware of her presence. She felt strangely relieved to see that it was him - she could have carried on reading if she desired, due to his obliviousness.
But she might scare him if she didn't announce her presence, "Hi, Sonic,"
He jumped a little, whirling round and grinning when he saw her. Blaze noticed that he had his phone raised to his ear, "Blaze! Hey. What are you doing all the way out here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," She countered, after gesturing towards her discarded book.
He nodded at the book's cover, "Cool. Uh, isn't there a library for people who want to read in silence?"
"It's too stuffy up there. And the librarian hates me,"
Sonic snickered, "Yeah, he's not a fan of me either. Anyway, if you really wanna know, I'm trying to get some service out here. For some reason, I haven't been getting any signal in the school, lately - except for here,"
It seemed like a fair reason, "Is the phone call that important?"
"Sort of. I wanted to plan this date with Amy. You know it's her birthday soon, right? I wanted to book a table at this fancy restaurant. I thought she'd really like that as a present,"
"Sounds...quaint," Blaze smiled, sympathetically. Her dates with Silver weren't as public as the pink and blue hedgehogs'. They preferred a quiet night in - pizza, perhaps - with a movie (and lots of gummy snakes).
"Suppose. Only, it seems that the place is booked up and I can barely hear them with this phone line. I've had to hang up twice, already,"
"You can try my phone. I might have some signal. But if it's booked up, why don't you go somewhere else?"
He shrugged, pouting slightly, "I don't really know any other restaurants. I went to this place with my sister but I don't really go to many restaurants. I want this to be a new experience,"
Blaze nodded. She, vaguely, understood the dilemma. She hadn't been to many restaurants herself - but that was never usually a problem. For Sonic, this was a complication, "Well, you don't have to go to a restaurant. Do something that's just as romantic. What did you do with your previous girlfriends?"
He started laughing. A strange, almost sad, kind of laugh. As if he envied her ignorance, "Previous date ideas? Should I take inspiration from my time with Sally?"
"Not the Sally that we knew a couple of months ago. What about before? Did you go on a date with her - as friends - before all that stuff happened?"
"Umm, well, we hung out. Nothing original for a birthday present, mind you,"
Blaze rolled her eyes. He wasn't making this easy, "What about girls before Amy and Sally?"
The hedgehog's eyes misted over, as if he were reminiscing. When he returned to reality, his lips parted in a wistful way. He gradually lowered his head and kicked his shoe into the dirt, bashfully, "I don't really know. Well, sure, there were girls. I had...a stable girlfriend for a period of time,"
The lavender cat frowned. He'd never mentioned another girlfriend. And Sonic was pretty open about most things, "You never said,"
"It was before I came here. It's not something that I like to talk about,"
"It ended badly?"
"You could say that,"
"Well," She shifted on the wall, "What happened?"
He shuffled about, clearly not wanting to talk about it. Blaze sighed, allowing her fringe to slightly cascade into her eyes. He was far too stubborn for his own good. And he didn't look like he was going to admit anything about this 'girlfriend'.
A sudden wave of curiosity poured into her brain. Did Amy know about this? She hadn't mentioned anything - not in the slightest. Perhaps Sonic had asked her to keep it secret; he certainly wasn't spilling any information at the moment. Then again, Sonic was more likely to keep something completely private rather than telling one person. He'd either tell none of them - or all of them.
After all, a secret is best when no one knows that it's a secret. Regarding that fact, Sonic could either make his 'secret' public - or make sure that no one knew that he had a secret in the first place.
"I ended it."
Her head shot up. She hadn't know that she'd lowered her head, "Sorry?"
He winced, ever so slightly, "Me. I ended it with her. She...did something that ruined the relationship,"
"Oh. I'm sorry," That reply seemed rather inadequate, but there was nothing else to be said. Blaze's mind was full of thoughts regarding Amy. 'Did Amy know? Who was this secret girl? Why did Sonic end it?'
Her mind suddenly leapt back through time, leading her to a forgotten memory. It was a conversation that she'd had with Amy, when they'd first met - something about their first kisses. It was a strange conversation topic but it had been sweet. Amy hadn't ventured anywhere near the idea of boyfriends at that point (until she later became a 'smitten kitten' with Sonic) and neither had Blaze. They'd started discussing their friends' romances - and Blaze had discovered that Sonic hadn't had his first kiss.
At least, that was what he'd told Amy.
But, if he'd had a girlfriend...well, Amy couldn't have been his first kiss, could she?
Why would Sonic be in a relationship if they didn't even kiss? Blaze didn't think that Sonic was a 'stud' - but he wasn't timid, either.
Why would he lie about something like that? Something so small and meaningless. Amy wouldn't have cared if Sonic's first kiss had been taken or not.
Sonic seemed to disagree. For some unfathomable reason. It obviously mattered to him that Amy thought she was his first kiss and his first meaningful girlfriend. Blaze couldn't quite comprehend it - she knew that she was Silver's first kiss - but if he turned round and said 'actually, I've kissed someone before you' - she wouldn't be angry. She'd wonder why he didn't tell her - but she wouldn't be angry.
Because it wasn't like Silver still fancied aforementioned imagined girl. And she wouldn't be popping up any time soon.
Sonic didn't need to worry about his ex reappearing. The probability of that happening was microscopic. It wouldn't happen. No way.
People say that it's a small world. It really isn't.
*END OF FLASHBACK*
By the time Blaze had finished talking, my teeth had managed to draw blood on my bottom lip. Blaze revealed the question that she had been considering at the time of Sonic's heart-to-heart with her: the question of me being Sonic's first kiss.
I hadn't considered that. It had barely crossed my mind when I'd met Fiona. I was more distracted by the fact that Sonic hadn't mentioned any other girlfriends. It didn't occur to me that I might not be his first kiss, either.
It didn't hurt me as much as I expected - I just felt a little annoyed that I hadn't worked it out myself.
I was more annoyed about Blaze knowing before I did. First Sally. Now Blaze. How many more people was Sonic going to divulge his secrets to - before he confided in me!?
I felt irritated at how much things like that affected me. Perhaps I was as love sick as Blaze said, despite her change of heart.
Something puzzled me. Why would he lie about this? There could be no rational reason - there simply wasn't an explanation. The reason had to be psychological; somehow, Sonic felt that he wanted to pretend that his previous relationships hadn't happened.
"Right..." I managed to mumble, embarrassingly aware of Blaze's ominous stare. She looked like she wanted to wrap her arms round me in comfort - but hugs weren't really her thing and neither were girly chats.
"I'm sorry that you had to hear it through me. I thought he'd..." She clammed up, not wanting to finish her sentence. I agreed with her: I thought that he'd tell me himself, as well.
I nodded, boldly, "It's okay. Thank you for telling me. I'd rather know than stay in the dark and find out later,"
"I dunno. They say ignorance is bliss,"
True. But not necessarily in this case, "Anyway, I didn't come here to talk about Sonic. You know what I came over here for, other than to apologize,"
"Mm," She looked like she was going to roll her eyes, if I said anything else painfully obvious, "I'm not sure that I want to talk about it,"
I stood up, smoothing my coat down - which had ridden up, slightly, "Fine. Fine. It's your choice. All I'm saying is: 8:30, tonight, outside the uni. You've got a chance to fix things, if you want,"
She leapt to her feet, grabbing my wrist, in case I was planning to leave. I had no intention of leaving, "What?! What have you done?"
"Nothing sinister. Arranged a date. A double date, if you wish. Me, you, Silver and Shadow,"
"A...double date?" Her eyes were growing larger and larger, as if the idea was becoming stranger and stranger, "Why...?"
I grinned, placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn't shrink away, "Because this is a chance to fix things. Listen, Silver likes you. You like Silver. A double date is a perfect way for you two to reconnect - without feeling awkward. Shadow and I will be there to keep the flow of the conversation,"
"B-but...won't it be obvious?"
"Hmm?"
"Obvious that I'm apologizing and that I want to fix things,"
My grin faltered, "Isn't that the reason why you're going on the date? To fix things, hopefully? If you decide to, that is,"
"Well...yes. Yes, I suppose so. Oh. Won't it be weird?"
"I don't see why it would be weird. Like I said, Shadow and I will be there to help. If things become awkward, we'll chat together. Have a bit of a catch-up, eh?"
Her nod became bolder and she seemed to agree with my theory, "You'd really do that? For me?"
"Of course! It'd be a privilege! And besides, it'll be nice to spend some time with all of you guys. I've missed you,"
To my shock, she pulled me in for a brisk hug. I was trapped for a moment - not really having the chance to return the gesture - before I was free again. Blaze's face lit up, "I've really missed you guys too. Especially Silver. I need to talk to him. Thank you for giving me the chance. And I'm sorry about before,"
"So am I. And it's a pleasure. I'm sorry that I made such a crappy job of it earlier. At least I haven't messed up this time. Silver's going to be so pleased!" A smirk curved onto my lips, "Knock him dead, tiger,"
She rolled her eyes, obviously joking. I suppose that she was glad to settle back into the normal routine. I was over the moon that I had my friend back - and if things went to plan - the soul mates would be back together.
Our friendship was still a little precarious and I needed to be careful - but this would be the start of getting things back to normal.
We retreated back into the warmth, before Blaze remembered that she needed to collect some books from the library. It was only as I watched her walk off that I realized: she hadn't told me why she'd broken up with Silver.
(...Sonic's P.O.V...)
"This isn't funny," I bitterly reminded them, nearly tripping over the bed sheets that trailed across the floor, "It's harder than it looks!"
Silver smirked, attempting to hold back a loud laugh. He barely succeeded, "I managed - every time that we washed the sheets. Now it's your turn. Don't complain,"
"Yeah, well, you have psychic powers," My grumble was ignored, as Knuckles and Silver continue to watch me struggle. Shadow was perched on the edge of the couch, supposedly ignoring us, with an expression that showed that his attention kept returning to us, "It's easier for you to make up the bed,"
"Stop moaning, Sonic. At least you don't have to do the shopping," Knuckles reminded me, apparently disheartened by the thought of trailing round a grocery store. Still, I pitied Tails the most - he was given the task of cooking. I was in no rush for when our chores swapped again; when I had to make meals for everyone.
Laundry wasn't a massive trade-up from cooking, though.
Tails had been the one to suggest that we had a rota for our chores. Granted, I would rather do one job for five people instead of doing several jobs for one person. However, Silver claimed that it would get boring after a while - "perhaps we should swap jobs every few weeks" - and the legacy of the chore rota began.
A 'few weeks' had passed and I was now lumbered with laundry (which involved everything from washing to drying. Neither of which, I was massively skilled at). Silver now had to clean the place, Tails was cooking, Knuckles had to shop and Shadow was lumbered with bills. Personally, I thought this was the easiest job - considering that he only had to collect our share of money and send it off to the correct places.
On the bright side, in a few weeks time, perhaps I would be sorting out the bills.
"Well, as fun as this is, we should get going," Silver called over his shoulder, signalling to Shadow, and heading towards the door. I was too busy to protest or comment - but Knuckles wasn't wrestling with Shadow's bed sheet.
"Where are you going?" The echidna asked, curiously. I paused, momentarily, to glance at Silver and Shadow. They looked nervous.
Shadow's nerves vanished, "Nowhere special,"
"Lemme guess, a romantic walk together? Are we going to have to start giving you two 'private moments'?" I grinned, cheekily, but my smile vanished when I saw Silver's shifty gaze. Perhaps this wasn't something to joke about. My tone turned serious, "Hey...you know that we're here for you, right? If you guys actually are dating, we won't judge you,"
"Of course we're not dating, you fool!" Shadow snapped, making me jump, "As if I would be dating Silver,"
We ignored Silver's small mumble of: "Gee, thanks..."
"Don't be stupid, Sonic - Shadow's dating Cosmo, remember?" Knuckles rolled his eyes, mockingly, whilst failing to notice the exchanged glance that Silver and Shadow shared.
I frowned, but didn't say anything. They were hiding something, "So, where are you two going?"
"Do we need to answer ourselves to you? Come on, Silver," Shadow practically had to drag Silver towards the door, who was flitting between day-dreams and reality, "We're just going out somewhere. Do you need to know where and why?"
"Yeah, considering that you never go anywhere without good reason," I hollered, holding my ground against Shadow's glare.
"How would you know? You're too wrapped up in your own world to notice anyone else,"
To prove his point, Shadow slammed the door behind him, still taking Silver with him. I sighed, tempted to drop the sheets and go for a run - but none of them would forgive me for just dropping my chores and I wasn't exactly in the right health to go for a run. Whenever I coughed, breathed or laughed, a melody of pain would slam against my ribs. However, I refused to sit around and do nothing, waiting for it to heal.
"That went well," Knuckles commented, dryly, "As if Shadow couldn't get any more suspicious,"
I didn't give a reaction, letting Knuckles wait before I replied, "You better be thankful that Tails isn't here. You didn't need to bring up Cosmo and Shadow,"
"Oh come on, Sonic, don't tell me that you believe that bullshit lie? It's clearly false!"
I distracted myself from the duvet, which was tangled up in the sheets. Knuckles' statement was much more exciting than laundry. His comment intrigued me, "What do you mean?"
"How blind are you?! I mean, Shadow and Cosmo? Really? Yeah, cause that relationship has been obvious since day one. Think, Sonic - name one time when Shadow and Cosmo have shared any kind of chemistry! He has shown no attraction to her, whatsoever! Him and Amy? Yeah, I could see them dating. Shadow and Rouge? They're good friends. Heck, I could even imagine Blaze and Shadow going out! But Shadow and Cosmo? That's like you dating Cream! It just wouldn't happen!"
I mulled over Knuckles' theory. He had a point. Shadow and Cosmo's sudden relationship seemed incredibly odd. Knuckles was right - they shared no chemistry. They certainly weren't the strongest friendship in the group. But a relationship? That was just weird.
But how could I comment on the weirdness of relationships? We could be wrong, horribly wrong - and contradicting them would just be causing trouble for no good reason. If they wanted to pretend to be dating, then that was their choice. No matter what Knuckles or I thought, "Even if you're right - what does it matter? They're not causing harm,"
"What does it matter? Dude - Tails' heart is breaking! You know how he feels about Cosmo! They're harming him!"
"They wouldn't do it for a malicious reason. They're not trying to hurt him. Don't even consider that,"
Knuckles' eyes widened, before they reduced in size and he began to pace about the room, "I wasn't saying that. God, I know that Cosmo doesn't want to hurt him. But, what if they're doing it for a good reason, but then it backfired?"
I rolled my eyes, proceeding to carry on with the duvet. I really wanted to rip Shadow's sheets into shreds, no matter what he would say, "What are you implying?"
"All I'm saying is - what if Cosmo, or Shadow, came up with the idea to get back at someone?"
"Eh? What are you on about?!"
"Think about it. Shadow liked Amy, right? His feelings haven't faded, yet. If he asked Cosmo to pretend to date him - he might be able to spark some old feelings in Amy. She'd be jealous of Cosmo and would start to fall for Shadow,"
I snickered, shaking my head at the same time, "That's insane. Shadow wouldn't do that. It's too...calculated for Shadow. If he still wanted Amy - he'd probably just punch me and ask her to reconsider,"
"Don't be so blind. As if he'd do that. Sometimes, it feels like you don't know us at all,"
My anger flared, "Oh yeah? What about you? You're accusing Cosmo and Shadow of plotting against us!"
"I'm not saying that! I'm just saying that they're trying to spark feelings. It's not exactly unbelievable! Alternately, maybe they're dating in order for Tails to become jealous of Shadow!"
"Cut it out, Knuckles. They wouldn't do that. They're not stupid - they know that it wouldn't work," A propelled sigh escaped from my lips, "I know that you feel bad for Tails. I do too. But...we can't change what Cosmo feels. Love or otherwise,"
For a minute or so, Knuckles stood and watched me - almost threateningly - as I continued to button up the duvet cover. His eyes narrowed; violet orbs glaring into my mind. I gave him a few side glances and, eventually, he seemed to get the message. He headed for the door, only turning round to tell me:
"By the way, Sonic, you're not the first person that I'd come to for relationship advice,"
He closed the door, softly compared to Shadow, leaving me to grind my teeth in irritation and throw Shadow's pillow at the wall.
(...)
I really wanted to find Tails - perhaps he would have an explanation for Knuckles' insane theory. The red echidna himself had vanished - probably lurking off to find Rouge. Of course, I'd noticed that the two of them had been spending time together. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone else and I had no idea what they were doing - but it was probably something along the lines of kissing.
Admittedly, I had no clue where Tails was. He'd rushed off - mumbling something about cooking books - and didn't look back. I'd been a bit preoccupied (damn Silver's pillowcase) and hadn't managed to catch up with him.
Then again, discussing how Cosmo might be 'dating' Shadow to make Tails jealous - that probably wasn't the best conversation to have with Tails.
I had no idea where I was heading. I just wanted to get out for a bit; enjoy the rare December sunshine. Running wasn't an option - but walking was. I still needed to read up on the information that I had missed in the previous lectures - but that would have to wait. I didn't really feel like studying.
As I left the campus, a grin found it's way onto my face. It was crisp and chilly - but strangely relaxing. If I ignored my ice cold arms, I could pretend that it was mid-spring.
The sun really was shining: it hung clear in the sky, exposed by the clouds. Granted, there were huge streaks of grey mist in the sky - but I ignored it and focused on the lime-green grass that was also soaking up the sunlight.
The town was rather busy, which was to be expected, since it was the weekend. My attention was drawn to some red and blue bunting that was flapping in the wind. It looked rather cheerful - perhaps there was a market or something going on.
I suddenly felt rather self-conscious, as I stood in at the edge of the campus, staring at nothing. A couple of students strode past, not taking any notice of me, but I lowered my head as they passed.
Someone tapped my shoulder, causing me to whirl round. I raised my eyebrows when I saw her, "Mina?!"
My mind flickered back to my dream. She looked identical to the girl who was sitting in that darkened room.
She blushed heavily, digging at the ground with the toe of her green boot, "Hey, Sonic,"
"It's been so long! I heard you were here...but I didn't..." I felt tempted to greet her with a hug - but, somehow, that didn't feel right. I knew that I'd upset her. The things between us hadn't ended very well, "How've you been?"
"...um, good, I guess. I've kept to myself, mostly. I just wanted to check that you were okay,"
I frowned, "Why wouldn't I be okay?"
A blush spread over her cheeks, like wildfire. She looked guilty, like she'd given something away, "Um, no particular reason. I just wanted to see how you're doing. It's been a few years, hasn't it?"
"S-sure. Yeah, it has. Sorry, I'm just surprised by seeing you. I vaguely heard something about you doing a music degree...? My friend also does the same course as you,"
"Oh?" She cocked her head to one side, seemingly happy that I had directed the conversation onto someone else, "Who's that?"
"Cosmo? Cosmo the seedrian? You might not know her,"
"That name rings a bell. The green girl, right?"
"That's the one,"
"Ah, she's nice,"
There was an uncomfortable pause. I frowned, racking my brain for something to talk about. Surely, it would be a terrible idea to bring up what happened between Fiona, Mina and I. I didn't need to be reminded of the fact that the poor girl had been accused of falling in love with me. I still wasn't entirely sure if that was true - at the time, I barely knew Mina and didn't believe that she could fall in love with someone who she knew so little about. After all, I'd adopted the phrase 'locker buddies' for our friendship. I was such an idiot.
"So, got a boyfriend?" Wow. Subtle. Great way of trying to find out if she still liked me. Good one, Sonic, good one...
She blinked at my forwardness, "Uh, no. I haven't really felt that strongly about anyone since...well..."
"Right, right," I desperately didn't want her to say it out loud, "By the way - me and Fiona...we're not together anymore,"
"I figured. Considering that Scourge is her boyfriend,"
That fact didn't really surprise me. They both despised me, they both loved being cruel, they were both cocky and arrogant - they were perfect for each other. It still slightly hurt that Fiona would lower herself to that level. I used to think that, if she tried really hard, Fiona could be a nice person. Maybe I was just fooling myself. It made the pain fade, a little.
I shrugged, not entirely sure of what to say, "Yeah, well, um..."
"Have you met anyone?" She countered, copying my own question. She wore a little smile, as if she knew what I was going to say.
"It's...complicated. Incredibly complicated. I sort of have. But we're not together,"
"Right, right," Mina ruffled her hair, before straightening her purple and black dress. She didn't look any different to the last time that I saw her. Although, her eyes sparkled in a different way, "Listen, I better go. It was great to see you. I hope that I see you round,"
"Yeah, same here. Mina - if you want to hang out at all and talk, uh, drop by. You can have my number, if you need to contact me. Or something, you know, I mean if..." I sighed, smirking slightly, "Feel free to stop me whenever you want,"
She giggled, cutely, before reaching out and giving me a companionable hug, "I will. Although, I think I know where you're staying. I'll just come and visit you, if I want to talk. Don't feel shy to drop by my place either. It's room 32, girls' section, obviously. I better go - I'll see you round, right?"
"Yeah, sure..." I mumbled, watching her leave. She seemed distant, in a way. She wasn't the same shy, blushing girl that I knew from years ago. She seemed independent. Perhaps university had changed her.
It had changed me. But not in a good way.
(...Fiona's P.O.V...)
Pouting, I watched the scene unfold from our discreet hiding place. So, Mina was talking to Sonic? Without consulting me? Either she was going to report back to me with good news - or she'd made a fatal mistake and had decided to betray me.
"Get ya hands off me, fuckwit,"
"Come on, babe. No need to act like that..."
"In case ya hadn't noticed, ya girlfriend is six centimeters away. And I aint interested,"
Scourge made a sound of displeasure, "You're no fun,"
Bunnie didn't bother to reply. I snickered a little: she was rather interesting. The rabbit never failed to come through for me and she had no desire to give into Scourge's persuasions. However, there was something slightly off about her. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. She wasn't weak like Mina - but I never felt that I could completely trust her, unlike Scourge.
"Whatever. Fi, why are we hanging around here like idiots?" Scourge grabbed my wrist, attempting to turn me round, just in case I wasn't listening. I shrugged him away, making it clear that I was busy thinking. He growled, "This is lame. We haven't done anything interesting lately,"
"Oh, sorry, hun, I forgot that mah purpose was to make your life interesting," I could practically hear Bunnie's eye roll. She really wasn't a fan of Scourge. I personally found their banter hilarious - but I didn't make the mistake of laughing.
He snarled this time, clearly getting pissed off by her attitude, "Watch it, bun buns. Don't push your luck,"
She wasn't threatened by that - it clearly didn't have the impact that Scourge had hoped, "Same to you,"
I took the opportunity to dig around in my handbag. Scourge had a point - we hadn't really done anything in the past couple of weeks to break Sonic. Or Shadow, for that matter. Scourge had cooled off and seemingly forgotten what the black hedgehog had said. But I hadn't. I was going to break him. Mentally and, possibly, physically. I don't forget that easily.
My lips curved upwards. There it was. My hand retreated out of my bag, gripping onto my trusty blood-red lipstick. I felt that I could treat myself to another coat of red on my lips. It was like a drug for me - actually, power was like a drug for me. Beauty meant that I had power. And my red lipstick made me feel confident. Confidence was beautiful.
I applied the lipstick, smacking my lips together to get an even coat. Quickly shaping the bow of my lips, I pressed my mouth together for the final time before facing the other two. My grin was infectious - although I noticed that Bunnie's smile quickly disappeared.
"Well?" Scourge's tone was impatient. He was clearly confident that I had some new plan, "What now?"
"Find out everything that you can about Tails, by the next time that we see each other again. I think it's time that him and I had a little chat, don't you?"
Scourge nodded, slightly smirking at my implied intent. Bunnie didn't really react - wearing a neutral expression - before watching Scourge retreat into the shadows of the buildings. I redirected my attention to Sonic, but I didn't ignore her mumble of: "You're getting obsessed with revenge."