Chapter 3.1

Failing Hearts [part one]

Author's Notes:

WARNING: Chapter three is currently at the top of the list of the longest planned chapters in Colors Fade history – peaking at over 30,000 words. Due to this, chapter three will be split into three parts – you are currently reading part one. Enjoy!

OKAY HELLO EVERYONE ;w; How have you guys been? I'm not even going to make a remark on how long it's been since I've updated… ugh, I'm sorry. *bows sadly* FORGIVE ME O^O

Now, I suppose you guys are expecting me to make up an excuse, and all I can say is that everything you can possibly imagine got in the way of me writing this. Like this thing! *lifts up giant elephant cutout* IT WAS LIKE, WHEN YOU'RE DRIVING IN THE COUNTRY AND THERE'S A COW IN THE ROAD… EXCEPT I WAS WRITING AND THERE WERE MANY, MANY ELEPHANTS IN FRONT OF ME THAT KEPT ON TELLING ME NOT TO WRITE

It wasn't even writer's block, more like physical things, like the flu and one of my accounts somewhere else got hacked, so I was very wary and weary for a while. Anyhow, I'm back now! Since this chapter is split into three parts, there should be monthly updates for a while – the time I take to write chapter four will take place whilst I update with the other two parts (I have the other two parts already written, so I just have to proofread and write up the notes and then they will be ready for posting). Things might get a little slow, again, since I have to work on my original novel before June 30th (more on this in the Extra Notes), and I actually have at least three surprises for chapter four! I'm going to stay hush-hush on the surprises for now, but you guys will hear more about them in about two months, in the Extra Notes of Chapter 3.3! I'm sure you guys will want to hear about what to expect in this chapter: in part one, right now, we start off by a fun narration by Ace the Hedgehog, owned by Mecha bot 0.4 (I used to love his lemons!). Then, we find Tails, and he's in a somewhat… sinister situation. We move onto a humorous encounter in SS Glassworks, and we end this part right when things start to pick up. Within the SS Glassworks part, two new characters are mentioned: Turquoise Stone, owned by canikostar99 and Elle the Hedgehog, owned by Kyoru-Sonamy Fan. All three of the new OCs will have appearances in chapter four – we'll officially meet Turquoise and Elle, and Ace will have a cameo appearance. We'll meet him completely in chapter 8 or 9. Part two is a tad more exciting, but gets rather boring near the end. And finally, we move onto part three, which is my favorite, for we revisit the worlds we were introduced to in chapter one, as well as a brief insight towards a brand new world. THAT IS VERY EXCITING, YES? ;w; This current part (number one) is actually my least favorite of all three parts, so please bear with me. AND ALSO, none of this was written *recently*. The other two parts were written from late February until now, but everything in this chapter was prior to that – the Ace intro was written on December 20th, Tails was sometime in December as well, and the SS Glassworks part was written from November to early February. They were all edited this week, but the drafts are… kind of stale, compared to the other two parts which I'll release soon. Thank you to everyone for letting me use their OCs, thank you for reading, and thank you so much for the reviews! The reviews are what push me to write more – I always go back and read my reviews for a boost when I'm procrastinating. So every review, a line or six paragraphs, means so much to me! Thank you guys for everything! ^w^ BUT my goodness, look how much I've spoken! I'll see you real quick in the Extra Notes, please enjoy!

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

Sparks fly against your face. Water pools at your feet. Earth crumbles around you. Air chokes your breath away. Light simulates a comforting facade. Darkness is portrayed as twisted and winding. Things are never as they seem. But what things seem are what you see, what you believe. A facade dances with success. The sweet petals seem poisonous, the uplifting wings of birds seem metallic. Crimson burns your throat. The sun sets, the sun rises. The facades remain surrealistically the same.

My name is Ace the Hedgehog, and I have a story to tell. Now, don't go thinking that I'm one of those supernaturals - I'm just your average, dangerous hedgehog with a knife and some connections with your supposed "Heroes". I don't have powers, I can't read minds - that would be handy, but nothing has been placed in my hands before without a fight. I might be powerless, but I do have fighting skills, so also don't think that you can saunter up to me, gaze into my cyan eyes and try to use me as a practice toy. If you have a brain, heart, and backbone, however, I don't believe that you'd really want to fight me after you hear what I have to say.

I used to have a friend. She was the only friend I had in a long time, and the last friend I've had. I've made acquaintances, even companions, but never friends. There's a reason for that. My friend - she was killed. I can say that simply, bluntly, now, but I used to get a knot tied in my throat, formed by the words that didn't want to released. She was murdered, murdered to make a point. Betrayed. Her heart cleaved in two, broken mentally and physically. I tried to save her. Nothing worked. And I was framed, like that pretty little family portrait hanging on your wall. I felt as if something boxed me up, and I didn't have the heart to deny it. They said that I killed her. That I was a murderer. And, after a while of hearing yourself being called that while fleeing away from your past, you become it. I hung around dangerous people. I saw more blood - of mine, of others - than I've ever seen before. I saw another brilliant female, one who so dearly reminded me of my friend, dissipate into thin air. This female, however, was on a mission, like me - but hers had an aim, a point. She was perfect, like the darkness itself. And she taught me one thing, the single thing that I thought I already knew, all over again.

Nothing is as it seems. There are some things that aren't supposed to be what they are; perhaps even paradoxical. Light might be darkness. Happiness might hold sorrow. Guilty might mean innocent. It will never be what it seems. The only way to know what things truly are is to let your colors fade away, and even then, doubt still lingers.

Ace the Hedgehog, signing off until next time.

Tails the Fox

The steady scraping of metal meeting metal was nearly melodic, along with the soft whirring of multiple machines; the dim, enclosed room lit only by a dusty bulb hanging from a string in the center of the ceiling, with a few electronic lights making their way into the illumination equation as well. The kitsune's workspace was rather run-down, mostly due to his undivided attention to projects that he didn't have time to clean up. Sonic was usually busy nowadays, so he visited every now and then, but not frequently enough for the young Mobian's likings; Knuckles had recently gotten a foreboding feeling in the pits of his stomach, which caused him to stubbornly refuse to leave the side of the glimmering Great Emerald, while Amy was sharpening up her fighting skills for no apparent reason. The Sonic gang, who had endured so much together, had basically disbanded with the lack of excitement, becoming individuals who only interacted occasionally. Eggman was nowhere to be found, and even though one could think that he was working on some plan, there was no evidence to suggest so. They had changed, and whether or not it was for the better or worse, Tails knew that some type of danger would have to arise first to test their bonds.

Speaking of the young male, anywhere from being a tween to a teen, he rolled out from underneath a small car which he was working on, crawling upwards and stretching his cramped arms and tense spine. Without his companions, he had begun to feel quite lonely, and he hated feeling lonely. This caused him to busy himself with countless projects - so many precise machines and gadgets that one could possibly say that he was overworking himself. He was itching to work on a new masterpiece, something huge that he could use to his advantage to make a mark on Mobius, but after a recent visit from Shadow on an embarrassing order from G.U.N. to let the young fox analyze a broken earpiece left behind by a suspicious Mobian, Tails had realized how dangerous Mobius was becoming. Why build something that would just be broken to pieces again? It was pessimistic, yes, but it was the harsh truth. Instead, he was working on useful things, like repairing as many things as he could find, even things that weren't broken – making improvements on things that seemed like the ideal object beforehand.

Running his dirty gloves through his ruffled golden bangs, his aquamarine eyes glittered with exhaustion and he exhaled softly, a puff of air spreading from his lips. He longed to go out into the main part of his workshop, where he could speak to the beautiful plant which sprouted from the love of his life, Cosmo, and make a cup of coffee for his sleepless mind. Cosmo… Her name reminded him that he would never be alone, even though it seemed like he was. A small smile played on his lips, but he knew that he couldn't leave the small workspace that was located in a wedged closet until he finished his current project. Eyes scanning the far wall, he wearily grinned, revealing that the whole wall was coated in a nebula of pictures of companions from all of his journeys, from the winged creature, Chip, to Blaze the Cat, all the way to the picture that was stuck directly at eyesight length: Amy Rose. He had placed her picture at that position so that every time he looked upwards, he would be reminded of who his current project was focused around. Her bright pink fur, her flirtatious wink, her Piko Piko Hammer slung heavily over her shoulder, and her jade eyes gleaming with excitement – the picture filled him with motivation every time he set his eyes on it, reminding him of the task at hand. Flipping his azure orbs back downwards, Tails stared his project right in the eye.

It was a rather small pink car, with just two seats, shining lights on the front, round tires, and another pink tire on the back of it that was patterned with a heart and the words "Amy Rose", as well as a grayish-white hood that could be pulled over the car if necessary. It was a wonderful, very cute vehicle, perfectly suited for its owner. There were just a few problems, of course. The entire of the car was smashed downwards after having been the target of one of Amy's temper tantrums, and the leather seats of the car were ripped to pieces, the stuffing lolling out the side slightly. Half of the car was blackened and scorched from a pursuit of Eggman that went terribly wrong, a long time ago. Tails sighed heavily, his aquamarine eyes scanning the surface. At the moment, he was working on the internal parts – he would have to worry about making it visually appealing again later.

Brushing his wrist against his forehead, he decided that, yes, a cup of coffee would be delightful. He set down his wrench, moving a few other tools from the ground into his toolbox, and prepared to leave the small closet. He had gotten quite a few things done on that car – another twenty-four hours, and the automobile would be good as new. But, then, he felt it. A shift. The slightest shift, absent of presence, only detected by the change of the flow of air and a mild tinkering of the lighting. The closet door had opened, without his consent. Someone was in his house, behind him. How did they manage to get past his security alarms? That unnerving absence of presence seemed to answer his question.

Prying his eyes to the side, trembling, his aquamarine gaze only caught a brief flash of black from in the doorway, before a streak of silver sped past his face, almost stabbing into his cheek. When he opened his eyes that had squeezed themselves shut from flinching, he met the shining surface of a scissor, poked gently into the pictures on the wall. One of the twin blades was jutted into Amy's heart in the picture, while the other blade fell over onto the picture which was directly to the side of Amy's – a picture of Sonic, which was now overshadowed by the blade pointing at his skull. Tails felt coldness seize his body. A blade in Amy's heart. A knife in Sonic's head. Was this a foreshadowing for the future?

He felt the shift again as the thrower of the weapon crept closer, the fur on his spine shooting upwards. The creature's scent reached his nostrils, warm and sweet. It wrapped around him in a choking embrace, making him feel quite safe, yet also endangered. It was strangely metallic, that scent – almost artificial, as if the creature didn't have a scent of their own. And it was then, that the kitsune realized that the creature didn't have anything of their own. The Mobian knew who it was. The scent intensified, synthesized warmth brushing against the golden fur of the young male. A sharp surface, cold as an icecap, pressed against his neck, hard enough to be threatening, though hesitant. "Don't say a word," whispered the feminine speaker, her voice softer and more gentle than the wind itself. Tails wouldn't dream of going against her wishes; whether that was invoked by fear or trust, one would not know.

The lump in his throat swelled, and he felt his breath become ragged, however, for some reason, he managed to utter out softly, "P.D…"

The mysterious creature felt quite surprised, moving her hand away just slightly so that the blade was at a safe distance away from Tails' neck. "You know me?"

Anger boiled up in the young kitsune, and, forgetting how much danger he was in, he irritably responded with, "Of course I know you! I installed every device in Sayo's house; there's no way that I couldn't know who you are."

"Then you'll be willing to help me?" The voice sounded hopeful, almost too hopeful for him to refuse.

His heart fell, the beats failing. What choice did he have? It was to help her or lose his life. But there was one last question, spiraling off his tongue with an almost teary shake to it, "Why me?"

P.D. hesitated, as if she didn't know the answer to that question truthfully, but after a moment, she allowed her eyes to lull closed, her imaginary feelings melting away and her sweet voice streaming out into Tails' ear. "My point is to push limits, shatter boundaries. Character development, some might call it. You may think that you have as much layers as you can handle, but how will you know? I will add another layer to you, even if you don't believe you need it at first."

Her words were chillingly comforting, and after a moment, Tails let out a heavy sigh, feeling the scared tears that had formed on the rim of his aquamarine eyes dissipate. "What is it?"

Another shift, this one inspired by excitement, burst into life from P.D., and, after a moment of shuffling, the supernatural withdrew something, her fingers sliding in place with the fox's. A shiver passed through Tails' body, racking him, as her fingers intertwined with his and stayed like that for a moment, her warmth sending more energy through his body than he had ever felt. For a moment, the aquamarine in his eyes darkened, and the gold from his fur began to melt away into white, before it blurred, and everything returned to how it was before. Vertigo nearly threw the kitsune off of his feet, but he realized that P.D.'s fingers had left his, and in their place was something cold and metallic. He pulled his hand forward, finding a small, glowing pellet in his palm.

"Drink it," the supernatural instructed softly, moving the blade away from his neck and dropping it with a sharp clank to the ground, beginning to float over to the doorway to get a glass of water for him, darkness pulling her indescribable body with invisible wings. "Once you consume it, little beams of energy will be dispersed through your bloodstream, and until I decide to turn it off, I will be able to see through your eyes. Nothing will be different; you won't even remember this encounter."

Tails looked dubious, letting the silence be drawn out for as long as was possible. P.D.'s time was running out, and after a moment, she moved what would've been a hand towards her stomach, clutching it heavily and beginning to pant as blackness began to leak onto her fingers. "Please," she begged, "I need this."

There was no turning back. Inhaling sharply, the boy gave himself a shake, and murmured with huskiness filling his voice. "Alright." The silence was there again, the supernatural finally going the get the glass of water. Tails felt coldness grip him again. What was he about to do? Glancing at the pill in his palm, he whispered, too soft to be directed at someone except himself:

"Only for you, P.D."

SS Glassworks

"Proposition," corrected Saki, closing her spring-like eyes, sticking her round nose up into the air and lifting a gloved finger.

"You're not one to correct me," spat Sky defiantly, her light fur swishing as she whirled to the side. She locked her ruby gaze with that of Saki's – they battled each other simply by staring.

"Um, you guys are the owners, right?" came an overtly-sweet voice, causing the two bosses to break away from each other, fastening their orbs on the newcomer who was lingering in the doorway. It was none other than the pink hedgehog that LL had attempted to help earlier – her interruption had lengthened the suspense of Sayo's proposition. Jade eyes shimmering with agitation, Amy's face danced with an expression which was a mixture of anger and respect; a very strange combination. She still held her giant hammer in her right hand, slung over her shoulder in a such a fashion that one would think that she was going to topple over any minute now, though she held herself high and strong, her beautiful face lit with furious emotions. Without waiting for an answer, she thumped over to the desk, pushing past Sayo, every step she took shaking the world like thunder. That same sweet voice rang through the air, stinging LL's still-pounding head, and making the other three heroes uncomfortable. "One of your employees insulted my Piko Piko Hammer!"

"My apologies," Sky said coolly, her bright red eyes shimmering with fake interest.

"Well, Saki does agree that it's a bit of a piece of junk..."Saki added, twiddling her small thumbs innocently.

Blitz pushed herself deeper into the room, her blond quills swishing gently with her movements. "I'll admit that it's crafted finely, but I've seen better."

"What?!" spat LL suddenly – and defiantly – also leaping forward with his long legs, aquamarine pools staring with shock at his bosses and his identical companion. He was evidently smitten for the hammer, swooning over it with glittering blue eyes. "It's a work of art!"

"The weapon-makers know best," Sayo awkwardly chided, in a futile attempt to cool the slowly blazing fire. Glancing over the golden hedgehog's broad shoulder, his inky black eyes met the soft crimson orbs of Kiya, who remained silent despite evidently recognizing Amy. The blue female gently smiled at Sayo, but, not knowing how to react, the white rabbit looked away, embarrassed.

Leaning forward ever so slightly, allowing the glittering sunlight filtering through the bluish glass to set her aquamarine fur aflame, Sky calmly set a warm aura of authority flying through the air. "May I ask who the worker was?"

Amy, who seemed to have calmed down from her outburst of rage, let her wrist drop to her side, causing her Piko Piko Hammer to thrum against the ground with an earthquake-like thump. Inhaling, she moved a finger to curiously scratch at her cheek, trying to look past the cloud of anger and think back to who exactly had caused that outburst. "She didn't tell me her name..." the pink hedgehog began hesitantly, then, as if hearing those echoing words about her hammer once again, her determination flared back to life and she stood tall again, sputtering out, "But she was advertising this company left and right and was armed with a lot of glass weapons!"

"What did she look like?" prompted Sky inquisitively, her curiosity and desire to help seeming quite genuine.

Amy bit down on her lip heavily, as if she had already forgotten, but after a movement, an invisible light-bulb brightened her memory and guided her to the description of the worker. "I think she had short aquamarine pigtails and chocolate eyes..." she began, her voice screeching to a slow pace once again.

"Turquoise Stone!" Saki exclaimed suddenly, smashing her hands onto the edge of the desk and rattling the wooden surface. Proudly puffing out her chest as if Turquoise was a child who had received a compliment, Saki beamed with glee. "Saki will have to give her a raise!"

Amy's jaws fell slack. Sky slid her feet out from under the table and discreetly – and aggressively – kicked Saki around the shins for what she said. Sayo felt quite awkward, LL was giggling in a futile attempt to lighten to mood, Kiya was cowering against the doorway with approved wariness, and Blitz was just enjoying the show.

"What?" Saki groaned when she noticed the silence, her golden eyes innocent and evidently not noticing the problem. "I was just saying that Turquoise knows a good weapon and a bad one when she sees it! And that tree trunk –" she chuckled as she pointed to Amy's hammer, "– is definitely the latter."

Sky's eyes were twin moons, wide like a rampaging dragon, and she was extending her fist, preparing to chuck a blow at Saki any minute now. However, Sonic's chaser's anger was enough to make each of the Mobians in the room turn to stone, frozen in place. Her bright ivy eyes darkened a few shades, almost taking an amber tinge by the fire that roared to sparkling life within her irises. Her fingers curled so roughly around the handle of her now-raised hammer that one would think that she would snap it – and her fingers – in half. Instead of throwing a murderous tantrum, though, like everyone expected, all she did was twist her head to the side, loosening the stiffness of her body and allowing her eyes to become frighteningly wide open. "That's it," she said in a strained voice, the words crushed between her gritted teeth like grapes in a fruit press. She threw her arms up in the air with exasperation, scuttling over towards the door like a beetle. "Everyone in this company is crazy!"

"No, no, wait!" cried Sky, leaning over the desk so far that her knees dangled on the edge of the surface. Her evident alarm caused Amy to whirl back around furiously, nearly beheading Kiya with her Piko Piko Hammer in the process. The blue female said nothing; her pink friend who she had not seen in almost five years must have not recognized her. A quick flashback to three hedgehogs, two being Kiya and Amy, with the third being a lavender one with icy eyes – I recall her being called Elle, I believe – flashed before the mage's eyes for a split second before she turned back to trying to figure out why she was here and if she should be scared.

"You see..." Sky began softly, biting her lower lip, her scarlet eyes seeming desperate to keep Amy as a positive customer, "Don't let Saki bother you! She's... Well..." Sky hesitated for a moment, choosing her words carefully, "If you tell her that something she said is cheesy, she's the kind of person who will ask if it's ricotta or mozzarella."

"Oh..." Amy murmured wistfully, confusion blurring over her expression like ice would frost over a windowsill.

"That's–" Saki could not even finish her retort, gasping with such a sound that resembled a dog growling. She was trembling with rage, her bubbly, light gold eyes pirouetting with shattering anger. Her finger was pointed accusingly at Sky, and her mouth was gaping wider than a lion. Then she suddenly clasped her hands together, her jaws closed in a thin, devilish smile, those glittering eyes full of deviance.

"Sky's the kind of person who, if you say, 'You're a boring, stuck-up smarty-pants who would rather spend their days reading a book about staplers,' she would answer subconsiously and distractedly, 'I am...' Ha!" sputtered out the little purple hedgehog, quite pleased at her cleverly decent comeback.

It was Sky's turn to gasp, tumbling back into the soft blue computer chair with a defeated thump, followed by a pouting, whiny moan of, "I am not!"

"Oh, really?" snickered Saki, hopping from foot to foot for having broken Sky's coolness.

"Yes, really!" The blue rabbit's voice rose to a crackling pitch, and a moment later, she sank deeper into the chair, embarrassed that her calmness had vanished in front of so many strangers. Saki, however, was enjoying it too much, and she had another devil-like plan.

Wrapping her arms around herself, cradling her own thin frame, she slowly ran her fingers through her own fur, her orbs growing hazy, a crimson blush growing on the brim of her muzzle and squiggling all the way across her cheeks. The world melted away, and all eyes were on her as she flirtatiously gave her hips a little sway. The words rolled off her tongue seductively, her sweet voice sugaring the words and making them seem so much more appetizing. "You're a boring, stuck-up smarty-pants who would rather spend their days reading a book about staplers,"

Sky was mesmerized, awestruck with her ruby eyes twirling in spirals. She felt her stiffened body relax, her movements fluid as she flopped deeper into her chair, jaws gaping wide. Her words were slow and drawn out, and she hypnotically responded, "I am..."

"See?!" blasted Saki, waggling her fingers and waving her arms around in victory, an arrogant grin spread across her muzzle. She pointed her index fingers to herself, chanting some taunts at how amazing she thought herself to be.

"Y-you tricked me!" Sky sputtered, the irises of her eyes seeming like pinpricks compared to how large the whites grew with shock. She, too, began flailing her arms around like a headless chicken, but for a completely different reason. This went on for a few moments until Sky thought up a good retort, which was abruptly shot down by a cocky remark by the pinkish-violet hedgehog. However, once her panic died down, Sky regained her senses and slyly poked at her own chin, narrowing her eyes and grinning mischievously. Her lips moved, saying something so innocently insulting that no one except Saki caught it, her calm, mysterious voice heavy with the knowledge that she was being slightly misbehaved. Now, Saki was the one that was gawking like a crow, dry-heaving for air that wouldn't reach her lungs. She began to tremble with rage, her cheeks glowing scarlet from anger, and after a moment of shrieking, she slammed her index finger forward, pointing accusingly at Sky and screaming out many insults at once, the words jumbled up. Her business partner's jaws felt slack, the rabbit's blue fur standing on end hostilely. After a moment, though, a sweat forming on her forehead, Sky's voice cracked and her retort slipped through gritted, flustered teeth and jaws. Saki was quick to act, replying in the same high-pitched, headache inducing ring. Back and forth, weaving the threads of anger through the thick air, the partners argued, beginning to get engrossed by using gestures and small fighting techniques in their rage, their screaming almost making LL's sore brain collapse, nearly causing him to faint again. The golden hedgehog grasped the edge of the doorway, coughing gently. There were some who were amused, though.

The deeper they got into the argument, the sillier their retorts grew, and Blitz could not hold it in, releasing her comicality in a chorus of chuckles which took her breath away. Kiya nervously giggled, persistently unable to completely trust those around her, and still shaken up from the teleportation – however, Sky and Saki could lighten even the dampest moods. Sayo simply looked at the brawling with an awe-stuck, intrigued, interested expression, remaining within his slightly emotionless way.

But Amy, who had no intentions of staying, knew that the little fight that broke out would be her only chance to possibly escape. Giggling softly (quite another mood-swing), she swung her Piko Piko Hammer upwards over her slender shoulder and passed Kiya, feeling a sense of recognition but not having the time or chance to look twice. There was one flirtatious hedgehog, however, who she'd have to get past first; one who knew that he had to try and save the business' perfect reputation before it was too late. LL, pulling himself together, stepped swiftly in front of the doorway, puffing out his chest and wrapping his hands behind his back. With a sexy grin, he remarked, "Hey, lovely."

The impatience and fire in Amy's emerald eyes were almost enough to make LL curl up in a ball and hide, but he stood his ground, his smoothness seeming to calm the pink female down just a tad. Yet, she still snapped at him, rougher than intended. "What do you want?"

Biting his lip, Leo attempted to figure out a good, caring response that wouldn't involve the touchy subject of SS Glassworks. A light-bulb clicked in his head, and, smiling even more broadly, he offered, "How about your number?"

That was a good move, in Amy's book, anyways. If he had said that to Inazuma, he'd probably be pulverized. The hammer-girl had actually taken it to heart, contemplating it as she scoped out every inch of LL's hot body, the thought getting more and more appealing as the seconds ticked by – Leonardo Linnattan was basically every girl's dream guy. The idea was short lived, though, as another thought of her blue love, Sonic, whizzed in her mind. Whizzing past, just like him... Ahh...

"I already have a boyfriend," Amy arrogantly turned LL down, breaking into her own fantasies about Sonic and simultaneously getting mad at herself for stopping her thoughts. Sky and Saki had suddenly stopped arguing, and now, all multihued eyes (including those of the other three heroes) were trailed on the duo in the doorway. LL glanced over Amy's shoulder, and he glimpsed the bright, unnatural lights of a computer screen – Sky and Saki had apparently made up within a few seconds, standing quite close and affectionately next to each other; though, one could possible say that they were hindering some kind of hard feelings, not making eye-contact with each other. Saki was holding a mini-laptop, and both her and Sky were making vigorous and urgent gestures towards it. On the computer screen was a picture of Amy, with very much information about her below. The words were too small and scrolling too fast for him to read it meritoriously, but something listed under "Hobbies" caught LL's aquamarine eyes. The first thing on the list, bolded, italicized, and underlined, in a larger font than everything else, read: "Chasing her crush, Sonic the Hedgehog."

That's who she was! LL knew that the name Amy Rose sounded familiar – he couldn't believe that he didn't recognize her voice from all those radio interviews with her that he tuned into when he was bored. In fact, he couldn't believe that he didn't recognize her at all – the golden hedgehog even had vibrant mini-plush of the hammer-girl stored somewhere in his office desk drawers, given to him by some co-worker on a special occasion. Not believing his amazement at meeting her at last, he read that line on the computer again: "Chasing her crush, Sonic the Hedgehog."

His aquamarine eyes widened as a brilliant idea, like lightning, struck him – he drew his index finger to his lips seductively, his eyes becoming slits: he looked quite stunning. His jaws parted and his charming, smooth voice spilled out like a waterfall. "I can help you get Sonic."

Saki and Sky's mouths both fell slack, but their shock was short-lived, to be replaced with dark clouds that hovered across their expressions with embarrassment that LL had given up the chance to have a steady girlfriend yet again. Saki even let out a small wail of protest.

Amy's limbs turned to jelly, her strong shell breaking apart into a thousand pieces, her pink quills swishing as she hung her head and loosened her stiff body in defeat, her expression also turning a few shades darker. Little squiggles of dark blue and indigo whizzed around her face as a sign that she was admitting to failure. She was not Sonic's girlfriend – she would be someday, though!

LL could be that passageway, that slippery tunnel to the blue blur's heart. But could she trust him? Nowadays, everyone on Mobius seemed somewhat suspicious. The pink hedgehog inhaled a few times, the air shakily climbing through her throat and lungs, and then it snapped. She snapped – back into reality, that is. Her facade glazed over again, her stature returning to stiff and defensive, her jade eyes gleaming with a million sparks and her expression determined, with a hint of defiance. She studied Leo's body one more time, her skeptical eyes searching him, as she dug into her dress pocket, shuffling for a few minutes until she withdrew a small, crookedly-cut piece of crumbled paper, slapping it into LL's now-outstretched palm. She flushed a bit under his expectant – and then satisfied – expression, but she felt oddly comfortable around the kittenish male. Still, however, her fingertips didn't move from the paper, so the scribbles of her phone number and address could not be viewed unless she firmly entrusted it into his hand. The hesitation – the suspicion – was kicking in. A pause, with a searching, scrutinizing look: "You're not some kind of weird creep, are you?"

This was enough to make LL burst into fits of laughter, chuckling after he realized that he could not keep his composure. After being a lover for so long, he knew how the strings worked, and even though it would be best to say something relieving or sincere, he wanted to cause some sort of frustration from his bosses, even if it meant probing the same emotions from Amy. "Only if you want me to be." He flashed a melting, arrogant side-grin.

The frustrated groans, hopeless mumbles, and exasperated grumbles were priceless, Sky and Saki easily getting worked up over his reply, and they even murmured something about firing him to teach him not to act like that – an action they could not take since... Well, he had already been fired! LL let a small giggle escape, but he played it off as being a stray laugh from Amy's ticklish question.

The chaser, however, didn't seem fazed. In fact, at most, she seemed satisfied with his reply, and, giving herself a heavy, brief nod, she softly responded simply with, "Good." Her fingers left the paper, letting the shred fall completely into Leonardo's hand, leaving her personal information at his disposal. She took a slow step backwards; right before pointing towards him like a mother would to a child.

"You can call me later, and we'll work something out," she instructed, her words sharp and to the point.

"Whatever you say, my dear," LL said in return, smiling charmingly and stepping aside, allowing the doorway to be free. Almost immediately, Amy leapt forward, rushing out of the room as if it would be suffocating to spend another moment in the chokingly infuriating office. LL looked after her with a smart grin, before turning his attention back to the others in the room, who had fallen silent and were now shifting in the hush. It was strange without Amy to provide comic relief, and as LL realized that apprehension was building, he almost wanted to call his new friend back.

Blitz twiddled her thumbs, eyes focused on Sayo, who seemed somewhat confused about nothing at all, and then to Kiya, who seemed like she would faint away from wariness – you heard right, wariness, not weariness – any moment. Finally, the former thief's eyes settled on LL, and something strange, almost resembling foreign emotions, stirred within her, as if there was an invisible bond between them. She had heard that certain Mobians who looked and acted alike were possibly related in an alternate dimension, or even the same person, far, far away, but could that be possible? Were her and this male who was seemingly a twin to her really… just that: a twin? Thoughts, things to ponder on, whizzed through her mind, and she only clicked back to reality when LL caught her eye and smiled, causing her to smirk in return and focus her attention back on the structure of the glass building, which had intrigued her since she set eyes on it.

The silence was finally broken by Saki, whose chirpy voice was extremely exhausted. Her sighs racked her whole, doll-like body, her legs giving way as she collapsed with fatigue into her chair, eyes lulling shut with a mixture of frustration and boredom. "What a nuisance."

"Saki!" Sky scolded, waggling a finger in front of the tired, young hedgehog's face, trying to make her level of authority force Saki to learn manners. However, the little one mused on.

"Such a toaster licker..." she lazily twisted her words, her eyes lulling shut for a moment with dissatisfaction. She swung her legs heavily back and forth, her arms slung over the armrest of the office chair, her tongue lolling out her mouth. And then, as quickly as she dozed off, she screeched back to consciousness, her sharp voice cutting through the air like a fresh slice of honey ham buttered with sweetness – served on a piece of gorgeous, golden-brown, slightly charred toast. Saki almost dozed off again with her food fantasies.

But what was she crying out about? "I never want to meet someone like her again!"

"Saki, what did I tell you– " Sky impatiently started to protest to her business partner's insults towards Amy, but cut herself short, deciding it wasn't worth it.

"Toaster licker," Saki continued to mumble, shaking her legs around a little bit in the air with exasperation. "She licks toasters!"

Sky sighed, a heavy inhalation of air from her nostrils into her lungs, shaking her head with disappointment. Wearily bending over in front of Saki – which, I must say, wasn't the best idea, considering her miniskirt – she said in a sing-song-y, tempting voice that a mother might use on a child, simply saying, "Sakiiiii, I have buttons for you to press."

Saki defiantly looked at Sky – she simply looked. Her golden eyes pierced the sweet coating over the blue rabbit, venomous like a snake which was striking its prey. Quite bluntly, the little hedgehog growled, "How dangerous?"

"The preposition!" Sky replied cheerfully, as if the reminder of what they were about to announce before Amy interrupted would spur something in Saki's cloudy mind.

"Proposition," Saki corrected once more, hopping off her chair with a devious smile – still seeming dubious and frazzled, but regaining a bit of humor after outdoing her partner once again. Little black clouds of agitation whizzed around Sky's head, but she said nothing, simply staring at Saki enigmatically out of the corner of her ruby eyes.

Then she turned her attention back onto the four others in the room, her voice monotone, metallic, and oddly unfeeling – robotic as if she had practiced it many times, over and over. "Continuation of cliffhanger, take two."

She widened both of her arms this time, in an embracing gesture which was extravagant and utterly exciting all over again. And then, a hint of mischief and amusement in her voice which was evidently acting, she grinned and murmured, "Sayo has a proposition to make."

Anticipating silence was thrown directly at them, hanging in the air like music-less spider strings which would shatter at any moment. Sky blinked, her faked grin beginning to fade as she narrowed her eyes, growling, "Sayo, propose."

Sayo simply stared at her in his odd way, his face blank and cryptic, as if he didn't understand what he was supposed to do. Piercing, inky black eyes flowing forwards to scan the two rabbits gently, he furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

"Saki doesn't think we taught him how to do that, yet," Saki murmured, leaning forward and muttering into Sky's ear in her forced attempt at a whisper.

Sky heaved a very loud sigh, abruptly slapping her arms back to her side and grumbling apologetically at the three other Mobians, "Since our preposer–"

"Proposer," Saki corrected once more, tipping her nose towards the calm rabbits – both Sky and Sayo – pointedly.

Sky stuck out her tongue mockingly, flipping her ears dramatically before continuing, "Since our proposer apparently has no intention of revealing our important statements, I will proceed to do so, instead."

Her movements were stiff, and her deathly stare which fell on each of the animals whom she had previously dubbed the four heroes ensured that they would remain silent. She turned her attention to Saki, simply commanding, "Saki. Buttons. Press."

?

To be continued…

-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-

Extra Notes: THERE WE GO! owo How was that? That was part one – next on the list, part two! Right, um, I'll probably try to update around the time of CF's one year anniversary, on June 21st, but I might be a ~little~ held up. You see, I completed a writing competition in November, which won me five free copies of my novel. THE THING IS, MY NOVEL ISN'T FINISHED AND I CAN ONLY RECEIVE THE COPIES BEFORE JUNE 30th! :O So, until then, I need to scramble to make all those edits. Due to this, I'm unsure if I'll be able to update until July, and I'm also unsure if I'll be able to respond to PMs and reviews. But still, every message, every review, everything you guys do… inspires me and makes me happy! So please, PAT YOURSELVES ON THE BACK : D Thank you for reading, I'll see you soon!

SEGA owns the universe, all official Sonic characters, Mobius, and almost everything to do with this fandom.

SunnyAirisu222 owns Sayo the Rabbit, the main antagonist, the story, the plot, and any added elements, buildings, and background characters.

Zelzaina and Lina owns Kiya the Hedgehog, and most of her design.

Blitz the Hedgehog owns Blitz the Hedgehog, and most of her design.

Comrade Athelwine owns Leonardo Linnattan, and most of his design.

DazzleFox (on Deviantart) owns Saki the Hedgehog and Sky the Rabbit, and most of their designs.

Mecha bot 0.4 owns Ace the Hedgehog, and most of his design.

canikostar99 owns Turquoise Stone and most of her design.

Kyoru-Sonamy Fan owns Elle the Hedgehog, and most of her design.

Thanks for everything, guys! See you soon!