Chapter 2

"Sticks, please put Agent Rose down," Jack O'Malley sighed, logging into his computer.

"Sorry, sir," Sticks apologized, deadpan, before dumping Amy off. The pink hedgehog nimbly landed on her feet and glared at Sticks, giving her a shove. Rouge followed the girls into the large frosted-glass office, and the three of them sat down in the hard plastic chairs facing O'Malley's desk.

"So, are you going to tell us where we're being reassigned, or do we have to guess and hope we get close?" Rouge asked sarcastically, leaning forward.

"I could fire you for speaking to me like that," he replied firmly.

"But you won't."

"No, I won't," he sighed. "Because I haven't been able to find anyone else who's willing to take this assignment."

"I love being last choice," Sticks muttered.

"It's not last choice. Actually, you guys are perfect for this. Sticks and Rose have been there before, anyway."

Amy's mind went slightly blank. She already knew what he was going to say.

"Hey," she heard a voice behind her remark, but she was too comfortable to even move, just blinking one eye open lazily. She was lounging on the beach, on her stomach, wearing a red polka-dot bikini top and a pair of jean shorts. Her short pink hair was pulled back with her favorite red headband, and the late sun was just beginning to set.

A familiar blue hedgehog was standing above her, his gaze flicking over her body. She felt a smidgen of satisfaction at this, fully knowing that her best friend and long-time (secret) crush had been noticing her body as it matured more and more lately. Her breasts were just beginning to grow, at the point where they were just noticeable, and she had visible hips now.

"You're staring," she remarked, turning over so that the sun could hit her bare stomach.

"A-am not!" he protested. She loved seeing him flustered, because it was such a rare occurrence.

"I'm joking," she giggled, getting up and brushing the sand off her backside. She set off down towards the water, and he followed closely behind.

The two stood side-by-side, about a foot apart, letting the warm ocean water wash over their feet.

"So what'd you do today?" Sonic asked, finally breaking the silence.

"This," Amy laughed, spreading her arms out to indicate the whole of the beach. "It was so quiet all day, I just couldn't bring myself to leave."

"Lucky," he replied. "Some of us don't get to lounge around the beach all day."

"Really?" she inquired, arching an eyebrow. "Then what did you do all day?"

"Well… I played soccer with Tails, Knuckles, Silver, and Shadow…" he muttered, avoiding her gaze.

"Mhmm," she smirked.

"You look… nice," Sonic complimented her, beginning to blush and still avoiding her eyeline.

"Yeah? Come get me," she taunted, wading out into the water. She knew how much he hated swimming. But he also hated losing. So she was only mildly surprised when a hand closed around her arm and pulled her down under the water. The two popped up seconds later, laughing too hard to catch their breath. A cinema-style splash war ensued, and it only ended when Sonic grabbed her around the waist and squeezed, something he used to do all the time when they were kids.

Only now, they both realized that they weren't kids anymore. They also realized just how close they were to one another.

Amy, too cautious to say anything, just stared. Sonic finally broke the silence. "Got you."

She let out a half exhale, half laugh just before he leaned in and kissed her.

She was completely caught off guard, and her eyes went wide just before they drifted shut of their own accord.

Sonic had no idea what he was doing, or what had possessed him to kiss her, but the second he captured her mouth with his own, his mind when blank and he realized just how well the two of them fit together. She tasted like bubble gum, and her soft hair fluttered around his face.

Amy was vaguely aware of the sensation of Sonic's hands brushing over her hips, but she was more focused on his tongue tracing the delicate line of her upper lip. It felt REALLY good, and she let a tiny squeak slip out. He smiled into the kiss, slightly amused by the sound she'd just made.

"Are you two KISSING?!" a voice screamed from the shore. The two broke apart to see Knuckles, Tails, and Sticks standing on the shore and staring at them.

They quickly scampered out of the water and went up to meet their friends, both of them blushing furiously.

"Were you two just making out in the middle of the ocean?" Knuckles asked, raising his eyebrows.

Amy opened her mouth, but Sonic cut her off. "No! We weren't!"

She glanced at him with some confusion on her face.

"Dude, we saw you," Tails pointed out.

Sonic looked over at her, fear written across his features. "S-she dared me. You guys know I have a twelve-game running streak of Truth or Dare!"

Sticks shrugged. "Fair enough. Hey, you guys want to come to the movies with us?"

"Wait, I'm still-" Knuckles interrupted, but Sticks stomped on his foot and he shut up.

"Sure, we'll be right there," Sonic nodded. Sticks led the other two boys off the beach, both of them glancing back at Sonic with strange looks on their faces. Sonic turned to face Amy, the air between them thick with betrayal.

"Wow," she snorted.

"Amy, what did you want me to-"

"You could have said anything else! If it's so embarrassing for you, why'd you kiss me in the first place?" she yelled.

"I don't know!" he cried desperately. "I just didn't want them to-"

"What, you didn't want them to make fun of you? You made that pretty clear," she retorted.

"Amy, come on, I shouldn't have done it. It was a mistake," he pleaded, and hurt flashed across her face.

"Right," she answered, her voice faltering slightly. "Great to know my first real kiss was nothing but a mistake."

"Come on, Amy," he begged, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Screw you," she hissed, shoving his hand off and turning quickly, flying back towards her house as quickly as her legs would carry her.

The memory shook Amy like an earthquake, and it was clear Rouge had noticed, because she quickly grabbed Amy's hand under the desk and squeezed. Sticks and Rouge had both heard the story exactly once, the first night they had all become full agents, and none of them had ever mentioned it again.

"You're joking," Sticks groaned. "Boom Beach? Really? What could there possibly be there that-"

"Chaos Emeralds," O'Malley interrupted her. "Agent Shadow was assigned to the case, and he managed to find four of them before he had to be reassigned to a new mission. We've spoken with a contact there who already has one of them-"

"Knuckles," Amy whispered to Rouge, still dazed.

"-and your job is going to be to spend the next few months there. We need to find the last two, and fast. There have been stirrings from Mephiles lately, and we're starting to become concerned."

"Wait," Sticks stopped him. "If Mephiles is stirring, then what about-"

"Blaze? We've gone that route too," O'Malley finished.

Blaze the Cat was a distant ally of GUN and a personal friend of Amy and Rouge. Years ago, she had contained Iblis by sealing it inside herself and, in turn, agreeing to contain it for as long as she lived. If Mephiles was stirring, then so was Iblis.

"She's been feeling things," O'Malley continued. "We're keeping a close eye on her, and she's been extremely cooperative. We have a standing meeting twice a week, and she's already agreed to commit herself to captivity here if it becomes too much."

"I'd like to see her soon," Amy said suddenly. "If it isn't too much trouble."

"I'll let you know the next time she comes in," O'Malley agreed, writing it down in his calendar. "The three of you need to leave tonight, if you can. Boom Beach doesn't have teleportation pads, which means you'll have to fly out late tonight. We'll confirm the tickets within the next hour."

"How long are we stationed there?" Rouge asked.

"As long as it takes," he replied, shaking his head slightly.

The three girls left the office, with Sticks and Rouge slightly supporting Amy.

"You don't have to do this," Sticks murmured.

"Of course I do," Amy sighed. "It's my job. I'm a big girl."

"Still," Rouge argued. "I know you don't want to see him, but if we're there, you're going to have to. There's no way around it."

"Just because I have to see him doesn't mean we have to get along," Amy stated firmly, walking ahead of the girls. Rouge and Sticks shared a look, then hurried after their friend.