Chapter 5: Perfection

Soon, Amy and Nack both finished their meals, and Bean brought them each a hot fudge sundae, which were also on the house. Nack muttered thanks to Bean, while Amy politely thanked him and started to partake in the nice dessert. She had never before been treated like this. Sure, it was different, and she wasn't 100% sure if she loved it or not, but it really was a change of pace and she found herself having fun tonight. She never would've thought that spending time with her enemy would be so fun. In the back of her mind, she was considering this a date, but she would never dare ask Nack if that's what it was; she loved to tease him, but didn't want to push things too far.

Nack mainly focused on his sundae without so much as looking at Amy. He didn't really know what to do after this. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he realized that this was like dinner and a movie, except in reverse. But, if that was the case, was he technically on a date with the annoying pink hedgehog sitting across from him? No way could it be that; it sickened him to even think of it like that. He was simply making her feel better about herself so that she wouldn't kill herself. Wait, why would he care about that? He WANTED her to die, and she was STILL his enemy! Why in the world did he care so much for tending to Amy and making her happy? None of this made any sense to him!

Ten minutes later, both Nack and Amy were leaning back in their seats and smiling to themselves while rubbing their stomachs. Neither one had eaten anything like this before. In all fairness, when Nack came there, he never honestly ordered anything that special; this one time with Amy had made him pick something more unique, oddly enough. For Amy, she was used to fast food or old stuff back home, since no boy ever bothered to take her out or offer to buy her something, and she didn't exactly have a job to pay for much stuff, either. Neither would admit it, but they were both thankful for this nice dinner.

"Well, Pinky, I hope you enjoyed that, since it'll be your only time!" Nack smirked, glancing over at the pink hedgehog at long last, "Even if you come back here, you won't get a free meal like this again; it's because of me that you're even here."

"Oh, shut up, Nack," Amy frowned, wiping her lips with a napkin and checking her dress for any stains, "Bean might be evil, but he's my friend, too. So, I highly doubt that this place ONLY likes you; I bet some people in here like me, too!"

"Yeah, nice thoughts, now let's wait until the men in the white lab coats come and take you away," Nack grinned, loving how angry Amy was looking. She had been yanking HIS chain the entire night, so it was his turn to do the same. It almost looked like they were playing with each other, trying to see who was best at riling the other up.

"If anyone is mental here, it's you, weasel!" Amy responded after calming herself, crossing her arms and staring at Nack as though he were her opponent in a game of chess, "You go around using your guns to freak people out and you don't even care if you kill them or not! You're a true psychopath if I ever saw one, and you belong back in jail, not in a hospital!"

"Oh yeah? Well, toots, I've been in jail, and they've never been able to hold me!" Nack spat back, since it was now his move, "Oh, and you wanna talk about psychopaths? Let's talk about psychopaths, shall we? WHO'S the one who followed around a moronic simpleton for most of her life, only to get rejected by him? WHO'S the one who stalked that very same idiot and has been called a stalker and a freak? WHO'S the one who wields an outrageously-huge hammer that can smash people into dust? WHO'S the one who screams, throws tantrums, and whines about not getting her way? WHO'S the one who…?"

"Your life span is growing shorter with each word you speak, Nack," Amy interrupted, looking livid beyond rage and on the verge of erupting, which in turn was making Nack grin from ear to ear, "So I'm not perfect! I don't think YOU'RE perfect, either! I'd like you to point out ONE person in the entire universe who is perfect, and if you can, then I'll admit that you're right and that I'm crazy. Go ahead and pick someone, but before you do, just think about each person very, very carefully."

Upon hearing this little challenge, Nack grinned and rubbed his hands together. He was obviously about to say himself, but when he stopped to think about it, he realized that he was sometimes clumsy, he HAD been thrown in jail sometimes, and he usually failed his missions; a perfect person wouldn't have that happen. Growling, he was forced to try and think up someone else. Mina came to mind, but since she was weak and wasn't strong, Nack concluded that she wasn't perfect. He then went to Sally, and while she SEEMED perfect in many ways, he realized that she was also bossy and HE hated her; a perfect person would probably be loved by everyone, right? It was then that it struck him: was there ANYONE who was loved by everyone?

Nack dipped his head and thought harder, but he just kept coming back to the same conclusion: Amy was right. Nobody was perfect. But, still, what did that prove? Nack was about to retort that Amy had made a stupid challenge, but when he stopped to think yet again, he realized that he had insulted all of her faults and had made fun of her for them, so maybe this was what she was trying to point out. If so, the weasel started to feel a bit guilty about making fun of her.

"So, Nack, you have an answer?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow at the weasel after he looked back up from his thoughts and seemed ready to give an answer.

"No, I don't, hedgehog," Nack said after giving a big sigh, shaking his head in annoyance, "I can't think of anyone that's perfect, not even myself."

"Wait…really?" Amy blinked, totally in shock. She wasn't expecting Nack to be so honest; she definitely was expecting him to boast about himself or at least say that one of his other evil friends, if he had any, were perfect. But, instead, he was being honest; it was kinda creepy. "So…uh…you realize that we all have faults and it's wrong to hurt others because of them, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Nack sighed, looking away from Amy, "I guess I might've went too far with insulting you…sorry, Pinky." Now Amy was really getting freaked out; Nack apologizing for a mistake was not expected. Did she have this effect on him? Didn't any other girl ever try to be nice to him and see where it led? It was kinda sad to think about, but now Amy was too busy looking at Nack with the same stunned expression as before.

"Uh, apology expected, Nack," Amy said, smiling weakly at the weasel, "But, um, how come you haven't called me by my real name yet? It's not important, but I was just curious."

"Because regardless of what we're doing out here, you're still a good-for-nothing do-gooder and you are my enemy," Nack said, slowly rising from his seat and glancing towards the door, "I do not show respect towards my enemies; they're my enemies for a reason, you know."

"But…Nack…that may be true, but after tonight, can you really say that we're still enemies?" Amy asked, quickly rising to her feet as well and looking at the back of Nack's head, "I mean, yes, I still hate you because of what you do, but…please answer me! Why have you done all this for me? Answer me!" Amy finally couldn't help herself, and found herself yelling out the question that she had been wanting to ask all evening. All around her, everyone stared at the twosome and whispered to each other. Nack just slapped his forehead with irritation, but didn't look back at Amy.

"I told you, Pinky…that's none of your business," the weasel muttered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a few dollars. He set them on the table as a tip for Bean, and then started to walk towards the door, never looking back at Amy.

"Nack, wait for me!" the hedgehog yelled out, running after the weasel and getting more people to stare at the two of them. Nack clenched his fists and his teeth as Amy ran after him, his tail flicking around like crazy and accidentally knocking over a few nearby chairs, due to his tail's strength. When they reached the door, Bean was standing there and he held it open for them.

"Thanks for coming you two!" he said cheerfully, smiling at Nack and giving a nod to Amy, "Come back soon, okay guys? Oh, and Amy? The next time I see you, I'll be sure to show you my newest bomb…it's a KILLER." He grinned naughtily, while Amy rolled her eyes at the duck's pun.

"Whatever, Bean," she muttered, giving him a nod as well, "Have a good night." She quickly followed Nack back out into the cold night, the door being closed behind their backs. Amy had no idea what time it was, since she didn't wear a watch and there weren't any clock towers nearby. The hedgehog shivered again, hugging her body and blowing into her hands simultaneously to try and keep herself warm. However, at that moment, a coat was suddenly shoved into her hands.

"Here, Pinky," Nack said, glaring at her and forcing the coat on her, "I'm tired of seeing you shiver like a popsicle, so just wear that and stop your whining!"

"But…but…where did you get this?" Amy asked, quickly putting the jacket on without a complaint, looking at Nack with a thankful expression.

"I snatched it off the lost and found table while you were talking with duck boy on our way out," the weasel growled, turning back around and heading for his bike, "If you don't want it, you don't have to wear it. I just thought you'd want it."

"Nack…you were worried about me being cold, weren't you?" Amy said, smiling and following the weasel, "You won't admit it, but that's the real reason why you got it, wasn't it?"

"NO, IT WASN'T!" Nack snapped, kicking a random trash can while trying to find his bike in the darkness, "I just got tired of seeing you shivering and looking cold, so shut up!"

"In other words…you were feeling bad for me and wanted me to be warm."

"DAMMIT, THAT'S NOT IT! NOW SHUT UP!"

Amy giggled to herself and zipped herself up, watching the agitated weasel look for his Marvelous Queen motorbike. By this point, she was getting used to Nack's rudeness and was starting to see through it; it was clear to her what Nack was doing, at least she hoped it was clear to her. Most of her was considering Nack's insults and yelling moments to be cover-ups for the kind things he was doing for her, and she thought it was cute. However, a small part of her still had nervous doubts; maybe Nack WAS doing all this for a reason, and maybe she was playing right into his hands. Amy knew that she always got herself into trouble, and if Nack was really playing her, Sonic probably wouldn't be around to rescue her this time. This was her choice, and she prayed she was making the right one.

"Nack, it's sweet of you to give me this coat, but are you sure that you don't want it? You don't really wear any clothes, after all," Amy said, watching the angry weasel kick another garbage can while looking for his bike within so many others, "I mean, I at least wear clothes…you mainly just have your belt, your hat, your gloves, and your boots."

"For your information, we weasels have thicker fur than you hedgehogs, and I'm not too bothered by the cold like you are, Pinky," Nack stated, glancing at the hedgehog in the dark and sniffing a bit, "Besides, we weasels are warm-blooded creatures."

"Uh, we hedgehogs are too, Nack."

"Well…you women just have lighter skin and you get cold easier or something."

"You just made that up."

"Hey, I already admitted that I'm not perfect! What more do you want from me?"

"Well, what else do you got?"

"Just shut up and help me find my bike before I take the damn coat back!"