No. You didn't read this wrong. This is, indeed, an update.

Yes, that is correct. I updated AN4.

Hell is frozen over, I already checked.

As I've said before, I didn't abandon this story. I have had – I still have – a lot to juggle, and not much time. What time I do have goes first and foremost to my original writings – then KatC, and then this. So… I'm sorry. I can't guarantee when I'll update next, but I will finish this. And I can tell you that I won't take another… two years was it? In any case…

Another thing was the nature of this chapter. I rewrote it so many times. There is still some personal stuff about me here, but I tried to keep it to a minimum while still developing the character of Sipp and such on. I hope I did okay with that, and didn't come across as too whiny or such. I'm actually kind of ashamed of this story. I am trying to make a point and stuff, but it's still self-insertion. Oh well. I'll have fun with the next chapter.

Pst, Sipp is around 16 years old here. I'm not 16, and I'm not in Grade 11 anymore :P

Thank you to my lovely betareader; ST, and his hats.

Sorry, again. Reviews are appreciated, just keep in mind what I've said. (And to any new readers, that this story is a couple of years old.) And now, without further ado… the actual chapter. Enjoy.

An Author's Nightmare 4: Trapped in Tokyo

A Dr. Sipp production.

Chapter 9: Intermission

I steadied my trembling and aching hand, pressing it against my forehead.

This was no time to lose heart. After all, I was a woman on a mission.

Taking a deep breath, I summoned any courage I possessed and stepped back into the shower.

Sipp vs. Demonic Hair, Round Four.

Shampoo in my hand, I proceeded to place it on my head, and "massage" my scalp vigorously, slowly spreading it all across the tangled, dirty, oily, mass of dirty-blonde strands that was my hair.

I winced as my fingers got caught, but bravely proceeded.

"Hair, you are going to get clean, nice, shiny, untangled, healthy, and best of all, NICE-SMELLING, if it's the last thing I do!" I proclaimed, having finished spreading the shampoo over my hair, and started washing it out.

I leered triumphantly as another layer of grime came out.

I turned off the water for a second, picked up a brush, took a breath, and then-

"Sipp, you've been in there for nearly an hour," came Sonic's voice.

Indignant about being interrupted in the midst of my great battle, I let out a little "Hmph."

"Unlike some blue hedgehogs," I responded with a grin, "I wash."

"Hey! I wash too, I just don't take five hours to do it!"

"One hour so far, and it takes time."

"That's fine! Just don't, like, drown in shampoo, or something… Supper's in an hour, will you be out by then?"

"Yeah, I'm almost done, anyway."

"Kay."

I heard his distancing footsteps, and, then, satisfied that I was alone, put the brush to my hair.

Wincing and flinching, I began to brush out the knots, and the tangles.

It hurt like hell, but I was brave, I was strong, I could do this.

Brush, brush. Wince, flinch, whimper.

Finally, it was done!

But there was still grime.

"Time for the final, LIGHTNING round!"

Fifth round now… the death match.

Shower, on.

Shampoo, in.

Begin!

Massage, massage, lather, wash, rinse, triumphant pose, repeat.

Wait thirty seconds with conditioner in hair.

Apply body wash.

"Dove soap is awesome."

Wash off body wash. Wash out conditioner.

Mega-rinse.

Dry body, brush wet hair.

"It's clean!"

Finally, it was completed!

My scalp was probably red from all the washing, but was worth it. I was clean, finally!

Blowdry. Brush. Blowdry. Brush.

Dress.

I had a couple of pairs of new clothes from Chris's generosity.

Ella had made a few articles as well. Though I wasn't particularly fond of Chris, I was thankful, and they were rather comfortable, if I do say so myself.

I brushed my hair one last time, cleaned out the brush, cleaned up the bathroom, organized my things, and put them away.

It felt so good to be clean.

I applied deodorant, and brushed my teeth.

The horrible smell was gone, the dirt was gone, the injuries were being taking care of, and fading out, and best of all, my period was coming to an end. (And no more pains!)

There was peace.

I exited the bathroom, and curled up on my bed, letting out a content sigh.

Life was good right now.

I was still a bit wary, but there was no sign of Eggman, Shadow, or Rouge, anywhere.

"This is Sonic the Hedgehog, live on location, here in the Thorndyke residence, where the apocalypse has just occurred."

I rolled my eyes, and watched him.

"Yes?"

"It seems that, yes- Tails, tape this, or our viewers won't believe it– YES! Miss Sipp, has ACTUALLY left the bathroom!"

I couldn't help but laugh, and that felt good. I hadn't laughed in a long time.

"Knuckles," he continued theatrically, "Go down, and check to see if hell has frozen over."

I threw a sock at him, but he dodged easily.

"Take up acting, hedgehog, you'd be good at it."

He bowed low.

"Thank you, thank you, you're too kind."

"So, your majesty," I said wryly, "To what do I owe the honor of this visit?"

"I'm bored. And I'm hungry. Entertain me."

I uncurled, sitting up, glancing at him.

"There you go," I grinned, "How's that for entertaining?"

"Hey," he remarked suddenly, "You look…"

"Poofy?"

"… Clean …"

"Brilliant observation, Sherlock!"

"I try."

"It's an improvement," he added, generously, "But were three days straight in the bathroom really worth it?"

"You said five hours before."

He shrugged.

"Time flies."

I smiled again. I had been quiet ever since the ordeal, and I guessed that made him kind of uncomfortable, or at least made him want to annoy me.

I hadn't gotten any lectures other than little ones from Amy. They were basically just reminders not to leap into danger. I had spent the last few days recovering. I had been in bed until the morning, when I had decided it was time to engage myself in a mighty battle against the evil demonic hair, and dirt itself.

I hadn't seen Knuckles very often, but he had stayed around, claiming that he had business here, and that he wanted to make sure I didn't do a kamikaze dive off the highest building of Station Square, or find some other creative way to kill myself.

In other words, he had nothing better to do, he wanted to make sure I was okay, and retain the "tough guy" reputation.

How sweet.

As a reward, I decided I would promote his status from Mr. "I-Have-The-Emotional-Capability-Of-A-Rock" to Mr. "I-Have-The-Emotional-Capability-Of-A-Slightly-Softer-Rock."

The echidna in question appeared in the doorway, and I looked up.

"Yes?"

"Supper is being served."

His eyes shifted to rest on me.

"I want to talk to you afterwards."

Sonic raised his eyebrows, and I nodded.

"Okay."

Sonic grinned.

Knuckles and I both side-eyed him.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing, Have fun, you two." He then offered us a devilish smile, "But don't have TOO much fun!"

Knuckles just stared.

"… What …?"

I, however, being an immature teenager, caught his meaning, and I bashed him over the head with my hairbrush.

"Ew! You pervert! EW!"

"I don't want to know," said Knuckles curtly, and Sonic ran off laughing.

"No," I agreed, "You don't want to know."

Supper was… awkward. I had forgotten to mention earlier my food intolerance, but the cooks were happy to make some gluten-free food for me. I ended up munching on (and savoring) homemade steak and fries.

They expressed their happiness to see me eating with them, alive, clean, and not sick as a dog.
Chris, Tails, Amy, Sonic, Knuckles, Tanaka, Ella, Cream, Cheese, Chuck, and myself were present. Chris's parents were off somewhere, not that it really mattered to me. They chattered, I kept quiet, concentration mostly on my food, occasionally glancing around or answering a question asked of me. Knuckles, I noticed, acted similarly, and once again, I felt a kindred spirit in him.

… A friend?

I'd have to ask him about that.

I finished my steak fairly quickly, taking a sip of Sprite, and leaning back in my chair, wondering if I could ask for seconds. Not that I had to ask, my plate was replaced with a second, full one, almost instantly, and I set to work right after. They were probably the type of people who always wanted to make sure you had eaten something. Not that I minded; it was a contrast to my mother, who frequently implied - and sometimes even outright stated - that I should starve myself. And my weight was average for my height.

Mother…

I pushed thoughts of her and my home to the back of my mind. Getting homesick was the last thing I needed. Besides, I didn't exactly want to go back… My life was definitely not peaches and cream.

I set my attention back onto the steak.

It was delicious, and I was ravenous, so I stuffed my face while still barely minding my manners, so I probably came across… well, I don't really care, the steak was good!
And it's not like Sonic displayed any sort of manners anyway.

I finished it quickly, and the others, heartened at my appetite (I did look rather pale and sickly, but then again, I'm normally pale and sickly.), encouraged me, and I found thirds staring at me, openly inviting me to eat them.

"I'm such a pig," I muttered happily, then indulged. Of course, this time around, I ate slower, and actually, gasp, gasp, displayed manners! And used them, too.

I finished the plate, refused any more, and sipped on my Sprite contentedly.

"Ice cream's for desert!" called one of the Chefs, and Cream and Sonic practically squealed in delight.

The plates were cleared, and I must say, I was slightly jealous. Of course, those thoughts, (as well as all other thoughts, with the exception of "ICE CREAM!" ) were quickly pushed aside in my head as bowls with generous servings of at least three kinds of ice cream were set before us.

Somehow I didn't think giving Sonic and Cream sugar-filled ice cream was such a good idea.

Oh well.

All spoons on the table were in motion, even Knuckles's, which surprised me, but I got over it when my own lopsided ice cream pile began to topple over.

I squeaked in dismay, holding the spoon to the side of it to stop the fall.

With unparalleled enthusiasm, I went to work, smiling, and being careful not to get ice cream in my hair or on my face. Cream, however, was a totally different matter. She didn't care how many stains or streaks of ice cream she got on herself, just as long as she got ice cream into her mouth. I smiled when watching her. I wasn't very fond of her either, but I had to admit, that was adorable.

I felt warm. I wasn't sure if that was my bladder informing me that it had some releasing to do, or just… happiness. We were all sitting together, all eating ice cream, even Chris seemed tolerable. We seemed… like a family. Had I been accepted? I didn't know. But it felt good to sit at a table with people…

It's not like I ever had a real family. My parents separated, divorced, I bounced back between the two worlds… so radically different, yet…

…Regardless… it felt like…

Missing your mouth with your spoon as you attempt to eat ice cream.

I squeaked out again as ice cream dotted my cheek. I hastily wiped it off, then decided this would be a new form of art – spoon painting. No one heard my squeak, thankfully, so I finished off my ice cream with a smile, making sure to get it all in my mouth and not all over my face.

Seconds came around, and I was full, so I refused, and the table lapsed into chattering. The clipped bits of conversation I heard left me with nothing to respond to them with, so I let my gaze wander instead. I met eyes with Knuckles, who wasn't talking either, and he gestured for me to come. I excused myself, and scuttled after his retreating form.

He settled outside, in a lawn chair, and I did too, making myself comfortable. They had cushions, after all.

"I've asked you this before, but 'thunk' wasn't much of an answer… so… Sipp, where was I in this world of yours?"

"Well, technically, you don't exist, so…"

"I was being serious."

I hugged my knees and gazed at him.

"You actually believe me?"

"I haven't decided yet. So tell me."

I rested my chin on my kneecaps, and let out a little sigh.

"You're pretty much the same. On top of the cartoons, there's also many games… you're in some of them. Also, there are two comics, and probably stuff I'm missing. You're the Guardian of the Floating Island – or Angel Island, and the Master Emerald, which powers it. The only difference is the Island is bigger in some version, and the Master Emerald is in the Hidden Palace."

"Hidden Palace?"

"Underground."

"Mm… so why do you blame yourself for what's happening?"

"I... .. all of this already happened. In a game called Sonic Adventure 2. Sonic X did an adapt of it. But, since I came here… it changed. There are so many things that happened that shouldn't have."

"Outside interference."

He looked thoughtful.

"Though you may not be the only reason. Maybe whatever it is started before you came, and your coming was just a part of it."

My attention had wandered to the ground, but as he said that, I glanced up sharply.

"That … no… Shadow kidnapped me. I don't know why, but I remember Eggman saying I was the wrong person."

"And does Shadow have the ability to warp worlds, or realities, or whatever?"

"No... He shouldn't have it… In fact, they shouldn't have known about my world, period."

"So," he rubbed his arm in thought, "Like I said. You didn't start it, you're just caught up in it. Do you know who and why Eggman was after? That might be a clue."

"No... I'm sorry, sorry. But… they apparently lived nearby me, Unit ten… if we could find out a way to research... or something…"

"A start."

We lapsed into silence, and my gaze wandered. He caught my eyes and spoke again.

"And your world… what's it like?"

"Like this… but… no talking animals. Otherwise, it's pretty similar."

"And you… what is your life like? What's your family like?"

He... he was taking an interest in me?

"My parents are alive… divorced. I live with my mother, and um… I had an older sister, but she died. My dad remarried."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. I… I go to high school, I'm in Grade 11… I like to write in the spare time that I have, and read, hang out with my friends, play video games, be on the computer… and then pretty much normal teenage interests, except the illegal stuff."

"Your writing… is any of it about us?"

"Some of it is… we call it fanfiction. I have a fanfiction series going, you're the main character… but it's my version, so a lot of things are really different…"

He didn't respond, and I adjusted the position of my legs.

"I wonder if it exists as another reality…"

"Who knows? I'd imagine you desperately want to get back home."

He regarded me again, and the attention was slightly unnerving.

"I…" I avoided his gaze, "I don't know. Kind of. Apart from almost getting killed, being sick, beaten, etc… it's kind of nice here. I do kind of miss home, though… but… um…"

He waited, saying nothing, only watching me. I shifted under his scrutiny.

"I… … my life is kind of crappy, to be honest."

Still that look.

"How so?"

Again, I hesitated. I barely knew the guy… but in a way I knew him very well. Damn, this was confusing. Oh well, what harm could it too? … Apart from the humiliation that he could cause me, of course.

"For one… my mother…"

"Yes?"

"You sound like a psychiatrist."

"You're being vague. If I was being a psychiatrist, I would be saying things like 'How does that make you feel?', kid."

"Don't call me kid."

"Well?"

So I told him. I tried to stick to the facts, but I found myself rambling. He listened quietly. I stopped myself, and then looked to him.

He gave me a quick pat on the hand, which I assumed was supposed to be his attempt at comforting me. Either way, I gave him a little smile.

"It's not all that bad though… I have awesome friends, among other things. I do kind of miss it… I'd like to get home, at one point, anyway."

"I'll help you get home, then. And… well, you're welcome to stay here as long as you want."

My grin widened a bit.

"Thanks."

"Not that I have the authority in the house to say so… but… oh well."

I'm not sure what's more shocking – being in a world you thought was fictional, or the fact that Knuckles does not only smile, he also has a sense of humour. Shock, horror, poodle.

Okay, that was mean, but I wouldn't be Sipp if I didn't think (or say) some witty commentary.

"I'm guessing you don't want to talk about your life anymore."

"Ten points to Einstein," I responded, "You're learning."

"Six minutes."

"Wha?"

"That's how long it took for you to make any commentary."

"It's kind of sad that you were counting."

He shrugged.

"Anything else you wanted to ask me?"

"I think that's enough brain overloading for now."

"Don't you want to ask me about what happens afterwards?"

"I think our supposed future has been screwed with enough."

"So does that mean you believe me?"

"I suppose. Not sure what to make of all this, but it does seem as an explanation for… everything."

He rose from his chair, and as did I. And then I remembered.

"Knuckles!"

He turned his head slightly to meet my eyes.

"Um… would you say that…"

Again, he waited. I didn't know why it was suddenly becoming more difficult to speak. Okay, maybe I do, awkward topic.

"Do you consider me a friend?"

A pause. A rather long pause.

"… That's a strange question."

He started to walk back towards the house, and I followed.

"…Well? Is this strange question getting an answer?"

"The others are probably finishing up now. Let's head back inside."

I couldn't see his face, so I was left to assume that either he was extremely offended, or… perhaps flustered? Did he think I had cooties, or something?

Regardless, I let it slip, and followed him inside. I tried not to get upset over it, but there was a little twinge of hurt.

The others either didn't notice our absence, or didn't care. There wasn't even one inappropriate comment from Sonic, which was odd, all things considered.

I retook my place and sat. There was a glass of water there now, which I sipped at while glancing around. The others were still at their ice cream – and Sonic was just as dirty as Cream was. I had to smile at that.

I turned to glance around at the others, and nearly jumped when I saw Knuckles standing next to me. I was sure he had moved away, how the hell did he just appear besides me? Echidnaportation? Stalking lessons?

I opted to blink owlishly at him instead. He raised his hand… and then patted me on the head once.

How… dramatic.

"You're a good kid."

"Wha.. hey… hey! I'm not a kid!"

He paid no heed to my protesting, and instead went on.

"I have some business to take care of. I'll be back in a day or so… don't get yourself killed without me or anything."

"Yes mother," I responded evenly, "Because I just love going out and killing myself. It's like a hobby I do daily."

He raised the patting-Sipp-hand in what I could only assume was a lazy wave (How much effort does it take to actually wave anyway? Next to none!) and left. Amy turned to look at him as he did, frowning, but otherwise, there were no other reactions. Most likely they were already accustomed to his echidnaportation.

She sighed after he left. "I wish he wouldn't do that."

I blinked. "What?"

"Just get up and leave… even when he's with us, he still keeps a great deal of distance…" she changed the subject suddenly, "But you two seem to be getting along."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just looked at her stupidly. "Um… thanks… I think…"

She looked like she might smile for a moment, but then her expression turned grim again. "But he's doing it to you too."

"He probably has to check on the Master Emerald or something," I responded quickly.

"For an entire day?"

I fell silent. And then…

…She patted me on the head once.

Why does everyone keep doing that? What am I, a dog?

"You're a good kid."

I gave her a mildly annoyed look. "You do realize I'm older than you, right?"

She just grinned at me. And then, before I even knew what I was doing, I found myself babbling.

"Just keep at it. He'll warm up to you eventually. He just needs time." She blinked at me, and I suddenly felt awkward, "Erm, well, that's my guess… yeah…" I trailed off, embarrassed now. She was quiet for a moment, and then…

…Patted me on the head. Again.

I sighed. Her grin returned. "You have ice cream on your shirt. You should change."

"I… what?"

I looked down at myself, and… there it was.

A stain.

I gasped. "But… how?"

"Quickly!" she pushed urgency into her voice, "Before you get infected by icecreamitis! Or before Sonic sees you and laughs at you!"

"Like he's one to talk," I muttered, but wasted no more time. I couldn't risk getting icecreamitis. Or having Sonic laugh at me.

Naturally, I got lost looking for my room. Maybe it was just my absent-mindedness. Or maybe the stain had already taken over my brain. Maybe I was being controlled! The stain wanted to prevent me from finding my room! Of course, with me getting lost in the massive mansion through the amazing ability of alliteration I would never be able to find my room and change my shir–

And seeming to appear out of nowhere, there was the door, in all its…doory… glory.

"I am a mighty adventurer," I mumbled to myself, feeling like a total idiot but enjoying every minute of it. After successfully entering, I began to dig through my tiny pile of gift clothes. There were two t-shirts. It was a very difficult decision to make. I could practically hear the dramatic music in the background as I looked between the two of them.

Blue… and blue.

How… dramatic.

I was giggling like a moronic schoolgirl as I changed and deposited the stained t-shirt into the laundry basket. My easily amused natured never failed to amuse me. That was kind of like the picture within a picture thing, right?

"I am so philosophical."

I tottered over to the window, looking out with a happy sigh. The night had just began, and the pinpricks of light were everywhere. It was quite lovely to behold. My eyes drifted lower, looking for something – maybe Knuckles – and something I did see, but it was definitely not Knuckles. I squinted. Cheese the chao. It looked like he was floating – no – there was red. I leaned in closer, and instantly all mirth and all happiness was gone.

Shadow. He had the chao pressed to his chest, arm wrapped around him in a chokehold. In his other hand, he had a phone. He was glaring up at me – but I saw his eyes flicker between me and the phone next to me. I understood.

The chao looked rather distressed, squirming – but I couldn't hear anything. Shadow now seemed to be calling someone.

The phone next to me rang.

He didn't speak; and he didn't need to. His eyes said enough.

Pick it up.

I did, on the first ring. My heart began to race.

"Girl," he greeted, and there was something rather unsettling in his tone.

"Shadow," I returned quietly.

"I have the rabbit's chao here," he stated, as if I was too stupid to realize that Cheese was Cream's chao, "If you leave the mansion now and tell no one, I will not harm it. I promise you that. However… if you don't… if you tell anyone…"

There was an ominous pause, and I thought I saw him tighten his grip on Cheese. "… I won't stop with the chao."

"What do you want with me?" I tried to keep my voice as steady and steely as I could.

"I'd be content to see you die," he spat, "But the good doctor wants you alive. I will oblige him."

"Wh–"

"You have ten minutes," he cut me off, and then hung up before I could say anything more.

I slowly put the phone back down, heart racing now.

Shadow wasn't bluffing.

Something stirred inside me. My conscience, maybe?

Why, oh why couldn't Knuckles have stayed another night?

I stood there for what seemed like forever. It was probably only a minute. A quiet fear began to settle over me, on top of the feeling of anxiety that had come with Shadow's phone call. I found myself at a loss. I didn't even like Cream or Cheese, but that didn't matter now. Shadow would kill Cheese and he made it clear that that would only be the beginning.

I let out a deep breath, and began to pace in my room. Thinking was difficult now. It was clear that I had no other choice but to comply…

What would Eggman do with me? I tried to think back to Sonic X, to how he was, but my thoughts were jumbled. He was light-hearted, wasn't he? It wouldn't be so bad… Maybe they could even rescue me…

I was trying to console myself, and it wasn't working very well. Regardless, it looked like I had no other choice. I calmed a little, running it all over in my head again. His condition was for me to leave the mansion.

He didn't specify anything after that. I couldn't return after that – he would cut me off for certain. But…

Knuckles was somewhere in the city, wasn't he?

A wild hope filled me, then. I just had to find him… somehow escape a ridiculously fast hedgehog.

Great.

I rummaged around in my room. I found my old bag – right at the top, a few cans of coca cola. I felt myself smile weakly at that. Exploding Sodas… I dug in deeper. Half-rotten fruits. I wrinkled my nose in a disgusted fashion, but still... they were weapons. A small knife, for said fruits. I had never stabbed anyone before, nor did I think I would be any good at it – especially considering the other party was the aforementioned super-fast, super-strong, super-angsty hedgehog… but to be actually armed gave me a small consolation, and that was what I needed. No pepperspray. Damn. A few bandages and some medical gauze… a change of clothes – particularly, the clothes I had come here in, but completely clean (and nice smelling!). Why did I have the feeling that someone else had donated to my bag? Oh well. More food – not rotten this time. A water bottle. Some unopened pads… what was I going to do with those? Maybe if I gave them to him he would start having angsty flashbacks about how Maria always used Maxipad… Hairspray. How did hairspray get in there? Oh well… There was one last thing at the bottom. A small statue – shaped like one I had seen a long time ago… the Thinker, I think it was called. (Ha. Ha. Ha.) I examined it for a moment. I had never seen it before in my life. But… it was blunt. It was kind of heavy. I could use it as a weapon. That was good enough for me.

I took a deep breath, and stopped pacing, zipping up the backpack and putting it on. No doubt I was running out of time… I couldn't waste any more. I seized a nearby glass of water and downed it one gulp, almost choking. Then I drank another. And another. After the third, my throat didn't feel as dry – though my heart was still pounding. I couldn't linger anymore, I knew that for certain. I forced myself to walk. Slowly, at first, but as I left the room I picked up speed. The mansion was oddly vacant. All witticisms failed me; but I kept my mind on my task. For once, I didn't get lost. I made it out the front door. I saw no one – heard nothing. But I knew he was there. I kept walking. The gates were open – the path was clear. Shadow had seen to that, no doubt.

Deep breath. I was still walking, albeit quickly – when I left the property. I looked behind me. Faintly, I heard a noise – probably Cheese. It was done. He was free. I knew that instinctively. Shadow would be approaching me now…

I ran.