Capítulo 75: Stolen Hearts
"This isn't working… we've been playing for hours, and what do we have to show for it?" Kate asked, abruptly taking her hands off her keyboard while everybody else's instruments trailed off in response. Nikki looked down to the little briefcase they had with a few measly pennies in it. "You'd think Metropolis would be more generous than all the other cities we've been to. Maybe we should cut our losses and just continue to Robotropolis. We could be one major town closer to Empire City by the end of the day."
"Whoaaaa, there. Simmer, Li'l. We all get that you're excited to meet Def Big. We are too," Kofi replied. "But if this trip was all about that, we'd be there already. Sometimes you gotta appreciate the moment, for real. We came here to play our music, show off our talents to the RE, for REAL. You dig?"
"I guess so," Kate sighed. "Sorry, guys. It's just hot out today and I'm kinda upset about my old man's truck getting knifed." She played some random keys on her keyboard.
"Hmm… I've got a plan," Madonna hummed. "Why don't we split up into teams of two and go to different populated areas around Metropolis? If we reach more people in smaller groups, who knows? We could turn more of a profit." Madonna turned to Kate and Kofi. "You guys head to Metropolitan Highway. There's a nice shaded area for you, Li'l." He turned to Peni. "Peni, come with me to the skate park." Peni nodded. "Nikki, Cherry, head to Citadel Robotnik."
"W-what?!" Nikki cried, panicked. "Why us?" Everybody stood in awkward silence for a second.
"Man-O-MAN!" A light blue anthropomorphic rabbit with a red bowtie exclaimed, walking well within 100 yards of the band and smiling at Nikki and Cherry. "I think I'm 'feelsin'' some bad vibes over here. Why don't I come along with you guys? Help work things out between you two?" Kate threw a small rock at the little rabbit's forehead with a loud BAM!
"I'm going to call the police if you don't get outta here, Feels," Madonna threatened the rabbit, a vein bulging out of his head. "We have 3 individual restraining orders against you."
"Go find another alleyway to sleep in. Better yet, a lake," Kofi told Feels. "You a goon, for real." Feels opened his quivering lips to say something.
"NOBODY WANTS YOU HERE," Kate interrupted, shaking Feels as tears flung from his eyes due to the motion. "We have a new guitarist."
"Man, you guys suck carrots!" Feels shouted, hopping away furiously. Madonna turned back to Nikki.
"To answer your question… why not go with Cherry?" Madonna asked. "Cherry told me yesterday that she'd like to become better friends with you. So some 1-on-1 time can't hurt." Cherry hid her face from Nikki. Nikki glanced at her weirdly. "C'mon, give her a chance." Nikki sighed.
"Fine," Nikki grumbled. "I guess we could meet up with the Chaotix after. They made a visit to the hospital to verify some new info we got yesterday, and the citadel's practically right there."
"Yes! You're not gonna regret this," Cherry exclaimed, grabbing his gloved hand and jogging off down the street.
"... Heh. I'm pretty sure I will," Nikki replied, taking the lead and sprinting forward.
Their 1-on-1 time started off slowly, Nikki clearly trying to avoid Cherry's sporadic glances as they wandered around the city. She seemed much more talkative… way more comfortable than before. It could have been Emily's Persona, judging by the faded blue color in her eyes when their glances eventually started to meet. But even then, it seemed like she was putting in some effort to be more close with Nikki. Nikki realized they were in a dense area, so maybe it was in his best interest to try and keep things interesting for her to make sure she wouldn't screw off and paint the town gray. Instead, Nikki figured they would paint it red.
"I've been meaning to ask you," Cherry mumbled as they shared a plate of expensive yet mediocre tacos. Nikki looked over to her. "Why the eyeliner n blush n stuff?" She whispered.
"Tryna lean more into Tails' style," Nikki explained. "He and I are going for uniform."
"Ah," Cherry replied.
"What about you?" Nikki whispered. "The mask, top hat… heart-stealing schtick… feels familiar." Nikki swallowed. "Do you like Persona 5?"
"No… What the heck is a Persona 5?" Cherry asked. Nikki hyperactively burst into an explanation of a bunch of stuff Cherry didn't understand. She looked this game of his up on her phone under the table, but… there were no results.
Taking stupid pictures in the photo booth, going to the park and seeing who could run around the most loop-de-loops without getting dizzy, it wasn't long before Nikki began to genuinely enjoy himself. Cherry looked like she was having a lot of fun. They had long conversations about their many travels. "Little Planet? Angel Island? LOST HEX? Man, I'm boring compared to you," Cherry pouted. "I went to, like, Casino Park once and it sucked. Tried the pinball, lost a bunch of money and got so mad I stole the hearts of everyone there. I was an alcoholic for two days until I brought myself to unequip those Personas."
"You think you have problems? I wasn't even able to drink pure water for a whole week after fighting Calamity Chaos. And I was already scared of that stuff," Nikki jeered. Cherry laughed loudly. Then… the chip in Nikki's glasses began to buzz. An incoming call. "Oop— hold up, gotta take this." Nikki ran up to the roof of a building under the afternoon sky, and slid the chip out of his glasses. It transformed back into tablet form. He answered the call.
"SONIKKUUU!" Amy cried as Sonic picked up. "How are you? When are you coming home? You look so pretty!"
"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Ames," Sonic sighed. "I'm good. I don't know when I'm coming home for sure. And thanks! You… you look pretty too…" Sonic ended up just mouthing the last few words as his voice went silent. He had to wonder why Amy looked so fancy all of a sudden. "You got a date?" Sonic half-teased her. It was meant to be funny, he was just trying to mess with her a little like many times in the past. However… just the thought of her going out with someone oddly frightened him now.
"No! No, I don't have a date!" Amy whined. She looked deeply offended. "I just wanted to look real nice for our video chat. Because I love you and only you, y'know!" Amy blushed. She looked angry. "I know you don't want this call to feel like a date, but…!!"
"Chill, I was kidding," Sonic snickered joyfully. He looked down at the tablet tiredly. "How's Tails?" Amy took a deep exhale, her panic being swept away with the air that had been trapped in her lungs.
"He's been better," Amy replied. "He was especially sick today, but he went out of his way to help me pick out a nice dress."
"Ah. It's okay, I'll let him rest," Sonic sighed. "Just, when he's ready to talk, tell him I'm sorry for being gone so long. Lots of stuff came up."
"Okay. I will," Amy replied. They sat in silence for longer than they usually did, just looking into each other's eyes through the screen. Cherry watched from the sidewalk below as a collection of rainclouds blocked Nikki out. She couldn't hear him at all, but her eyes could barely make out a large smile. He was even laughing. Like he was talking to someone who was just a really good friend… Yeah, this eased Cherry's mind a little…
"I can't wait for you to come home," Amy sighed.
"Yeah…" Sonic sighed, looking to the sprawling Robotnik Empire city around him. The honking of the cars, the incoherent conversations of the crowd below… the pit in his chest as he felt that he had taken this place for granted somewhat. "Yeah, I can't wait to come home either."
They kept the conversation rolling like a snowball. Sonic and Amy alike could feel the words coming from their mouths grow more and more intimate. Every sentence more deep and personal, maybe even cheesy at times. But it was okay. It felt like nothing could ruin the moment for either of them. "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" Amy asked.
"Couldn't tell ya," Sonic told her. "I don't like thinking about the future."
"Why not?" Amy asked. Sonic bit his tongue as he attempted to let her know about all of his fears. All of the possibilities. All of the certainties that terrified him which were waiting just around the corner.
"Because I have everything I want already," Sonic muttered, smiling as he ignored those worries for a second and just looked at Amy. Only Amy. She was smiling.
"Hello there, stranger!" The janitor exclaimed in a friendly tone. "Sorry, it's closing hours. Time to go."
"Ah, yep. Sorry, I'll be going," Nikki replied, nodding understandingly. He looked back to the Tails Electric, which the janitor couldn't see as he cleaned up, throwing away the beer bottles and cigarette butts littering the roof with a smile on his face. Nikki looked back to the Tails Electric. He knew he couldn't call Amy by her real name, but he couldn't just hang up without saying something either. What was he supposed to do? "Erm… call you later, babe." He told her.
"Y-you too, babe!" Amy beamed. Nikki ended the call, and her smiling face disappeared from the screen.
…
Nikki and Cherry sat by the side of Citadel Robotnik after a few minutes of playing in the rain. It made them two dollars, which was… something. Nikki was resting his fingers, but Cherry wouldn't let her musical mood run dry. She was playing a familiar song on her harmonica as Nikki just leaned against the wall, Madonna's electric guitar still attached to the amp. He noticed this, and leaned down to turn off the amp and save battery. However, in the process, he bumped into Cherry. A surprised squeak came out of the harmonica as Cherry dropped it to the ground.
"Ah— sorry!" Nikki exclaimed, as he knelt down and picked the harmonica up. "Here…" He mumbled, looking away.
"Thanks," Cherry replied, checking for scratches.
"So… where'd you get that harmonica?" Nikki asked. "It looks expensive, but… no offense… it kinda sounds broken sometimes." Cherry looked up at him.
"Oh. I stole it from the Robotnik National Museum of Art when I first got here," Cherry told him.
"Figures," Nikki mumbled. "I went there once when I was little. Does that mean it's the Heartless Harmonica they had on display on the top floor?"
"Yep," Cherry replied. Her eyes turned gray, and she blew into the instrument. All that came out was a dry note that wasn't happy nor sad. Just… heartless. She re-equipped Emily's Persona and then played another note. It sounded a lot more somber now. More personal. "I only figured it out a few days ago. This harmonica's special. I dunno if it's like… magic, or something… but it must react to your persona. The type of person you are, the state of your heart, will dictate the sound of the music. No matter what feel you're going for." Cherry looked at Nikki. "Really helps me express myself."
"Whoa…" Nikki gasped. "Mind if I try?"
"Sure," Cherry replied, handing it back. "I mean, my mouth has been on it. So… if you don't uh… mind." Cherry looked down to the sidewalk.
"The Graying Pandemic isn't transmitted like that, is it?" Nikki asked. He played the Heartless Harmonica without further hesitation. It… made a sound unlike any other. He continued, not quite knowing what it meant.
"I remember that sound," Cherry interrupted. Nikki stopped playing, and looked to her. "It sounds lonely," Cherry mumbled sadly. Nikki looked to her confusedly.
"Lonely? Me?" Nikki asked, a single sweat going down his face. "I mean…" He looked to Cherry, then looked away as soon as their eyes met. "I guess I kinda am."
"Hey, don't look away," Cherry panicked. Nikki glanced back. She instantly felt a sense of warmth. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I get it. I was lonely my whole life." Cherry heard the sound of street lamps off in the distance turning on under the last salmon-colored sliver of sunlight. "Maybe… it doesn't have to be that way, y'know?" Nikki's eyes widened. "Not for me. Not for you."
"Cherry?" Nikki asked, as Cherry smiled big. "What do you—?"
"I thought taking your personality for myself was what I wanted," Cherry sighed. "I thought I wanted to be you. Nikki… no, that's not the case at all. This tour showed me that I can be happy WITH you… not necessarily AS you." Nikki stared at her with an unreadable expression. "Nikki Hedgehog, I love you. I love you because you're one of the only good people left in this garbage rock world. Please… say you love me too." Nikki's emotion became readable. Cherry's gray eyes lit up as she read his face. He was blushing under the now flickering street lamp. But his eyes… told a different story. The red faded from his face, as he looked to the ground. The twinkle of hope dwindled in Cherry's eyes, under the empty starless sky.
"I'm sorry, Cherry," Sonic sighed, looking away remorsefully. "I can't be with you." The words hit Cherry like a railgun point-blank against a grape.
"What?! Why not?" Cherry cried.
"I've got someone else," Sonic replied. "She means a lot to me." Nikki cleared his throat.
"W-who is she?!" Cherry asked.
"Somebody who taught me how to be a better person," Sonic said, looking up at the moon. "She's not the only good thing left in the world. She's somebody who helped teach me that the world itself is good. She helped teach me how to be happy no matter what." Sonic walked over to the amp, unplugged the guitar, and carried them both off. "I just love her. I hope you understand" Cherry watched as he walked away, distraught.
"I understand just fine," Cherry mumbled hollowly. She picked up the money and followed Nikki. "I probably have to stay here, even if I do find a personality. This is where my only friends live, and… I need to stay with them. I'll likely never see you again when you go home." Nikki looked back to her.
"You'll find somebody else," Nikki said. "Promise." Cherry felt tears come to her eyes. She looked down to hide her emotions as they continued along.
They eventually crossed paths with the Chaotix. "Hey, Vector. Find anything interesting?" Nikki asked.
"Yeah. There's something fishy about this situation," Vector explained. "We checked all the hospital rooms..."
"And?" Nikki pried.
"And there's no Silhouettes to be found," Espio muttered. "They're putting those people somewhere else. Only one thing is certain… Those vehicles taking them away are not ambulances."
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