Hedgehog Love
Chapter 1
Knuckles watched the fight with wide eyes. "There's no way Sonic can beat her! She's too strong!"
The echidna glanced at the others. Amy was crying and shouting to Sonic, Tails was hovering above her, patting her head. Shadow was behind them a little, arms crossed. Mandy and Candy, Tails' twin little sisters, hid behind Shadow, hugging each other.
"Knuckles! Look out!" the twins called.
As he looked up, the red echidna caught a glimpse of Sonic before he was rammed in the stomach. He was thrown backwards and over the edge of the cliff he was standing on.
Air rushed past him as he fell. Knuckles could see the twins and Tails looking over the edge. Mandy was pulling her sister's ear, crying. Candy was shoving at her, trying to get her off.
'What a way to go,' he mused, closing his eyes, waiting for the impact. 'Falling off a cliff, and I wasn't even doing anything!'
The ice burg drew closer, its peak glinting in the sunlight. The end was drawing near.
As Knuckles opened his eyes for what he thought the last time, he saw a black streak in the sky. It seemed to be getting closer, but he ignored it, believing he was delusional. He closed his eyes and sighed.
"Good-bye world."
The impact never came. And yet he landed on something soft. Opening his eyes, he saw what he had landed on-or rather, in- Shadow's arms. The black hedgehog smirked at him.
"You really think you were gonna go like that?"
Knuckles scowled. "Why did you save me?"
"Because Sonic's a little preoccupied, Tail was comforting the twins, and Amy can't exactly save anything." Shadow grinned. "That's why. Hold on."
Shadow landed on the ice burg feet first and kicked off, heading back up the cliff. Knuckles grabbed onto him to prevent falling again. He wrinkled his nose as snow went up it.
They landed on the cliff and Shadow dumped Knuckles unceremoniously in the snow. He stood up and watched the other go over to Sonic, who had defeated his foe. Knuckles brushed the snow off his behind and followed, putting his hat back on.
"Way to go Sonic! You beat her!" Amy squealed, hugging him around the neck.
"Yeah, thanks Amy. Knuckles, sorry about that. You okay?" Sonic asked, patting Amy on the head and hugging her back.
Knuckles nodded and stole a quick look at Shadow. He was standing alone, arms crossed once again. Their eyes met and Knuckles covered it up by giving him a victory sign.
"Yeah, I'm great."
Sonic grinned. "Alright. Hey, anybody hungry? Dinner's on me!"
The group cheered and started home, Tails herding the twins up in front. Knuckles stayed in the back with Shadow. "When I asked you why you saved me, I meant why did you bother? It's not like we're the best of friends or anything."
Shadow shrugged. "I don't know, I just did. Drop it."
Knuckles nodded and went to join the others.
Hedgehog Love
Chapter 2
Shadow looked up as he heard a scream. And not a girl's scream, either. It sounded like Tails. He rushed to the source to find it was Tails, and Knuckles, Mandy and Candy. The twins were on the ground next to Knuckles, who was lying on the ground, not moving.
"What happened? Tails, what's wrong with Knuckles?" Shadow demanded.
The fox looked up at him. "I don't know. Candy found him like this. He's barely moving! Shadow, do something!"
The twins approached him and looked up at him with large blue eyes. "Please Mr. Shadow, fix Mr. Knuckles. Please?"
Shadow stared at them. "Back off, girls. I'll do what I can." He pushed them aside and knelt next to the comatose animal.
Knuckles was struggling to breathe, small shuddering gasps seemed all he could manage. Blood was trickling down the side of his head and pooling on the ground beneath him. Multiple scrapes, cuts and bruises covered his body, but the wound on his head seemed the worst. Shadow lifted him off the ground gently and started to carry him towards Amy's home, being the nearest.
Tails and the twins followed, Mandy and Candy holding each other's hand.
"Mr. Shadow, will Mr. Knuckles be okay?" Mandy asked, voice wavering. "Can you help him?"
Shadow glanced over his shoulder at her. Her blue eyes were full of tears and one finger was in her mouth. "I can't, but Amy can. He'll be okay, hopefully."
Mandy nodded and continued sucking on her finger. Candy did the same.
"Shadow, should I go get Sonic?" Tails questioned. "He should know, shouldn't he?"
"No, we'll tell him after we get Knuckles fixed up. We shouldn't make Sonic worry over him if nothing's wrong." Shadow shifter Knuckles slightly. "Hopefully Amy can help him."
"Shadow, what happened to Knuckles?" Amy asked, motioning for him to place the injured echidna on the sofa.
"We don't know. Candy found him, Tails told me." Shadow stretched his arms after putting Knuckles down. "Can you help him?"
Amy inspected the wounds and bruises, listening to his breathing. "I think so. Can you go get my bag from under the bathroom sink?"
Mandy and Candy ran down the hallway and returned a few moments later, holding the said bag between them.
"Alright, everybody wait outside. I can't work with all you in here." Amy pushed them towards the door. "I'll inform you of any changes."
The animals stared at the front door as it was shut in their faces. Mandy and Candy looked at each other, then up at Tails.
"Is Mr. Knuckles going to be okay? Can Ms. Amy fix him?" Candy asked, tugging on one of Tails' tails.
"Amy will do what she can, which is a lot." Tails picked up one twin in each arm. "Let's go get you some lunch, okay? Shadow, do you want anything?"
The black hedgehog shook his head. "Nah. I'll stay here and wait for Amy."
The fox shrugged and flew off, twins tucked under his arms.
Shadow slid down the wall to sit and he folded his arms. "What is with that echidna? He always seems to get into trouble whenever I'm around. Either that or I'm the only one around who can help him." He sniffed indignantly. "Oh well. Someone's got to save him.
"He's okay. He's sleeping right now." Amy smiled as the twins cheered quietly. "You can see him if you want."
Mandy grabbed her sister and ran inside. Tails and Shadow followed in a calmer fashion, and Amy trailed after them. They went down the hallway and entered Amy's guestroom, where Knuckles lay sleeping on the bed, a bandage wrapped around his head.
Mandy and Candy stood by the edge, fingers in their mouths, watching their friend sleep. Candy reached up and prodded him gently. "Mr. Knuckles, are you all fixed now?"
Knuckles made a sound of recognition and opened his eyes slowly. "What? Candy, Mandy? Tails? Shadow? Where am I?"
Amy stepped forward and stuck a thermometer in his mouth. "You're in my guestroom, lying in the bed, pretty banged up. It's a good thing Shadow brought you here when he did. If not, you might not have made it." She pulled the instrument from his mouth.
"Shadow? You brought me here?" Knuckles asked, looking surprised.
The hedgehog nodded. "Yeah. I wasn't about to let you die. Again, I might add. Why is it I always end up saving your a-"
"Shadow! The twins!" Tails hissed, cutting off the expletive.
"Yeah, all right. Anyway, be careful, alright?" Shadow turned and exited the room.
Knuckles yawned and lay back onto the pillow. Amy saw this and herded the fox siblings to the door. "Alright, let's let him rest. You can see him later."
After they had left, he put his arms behind his head and stared at the ceiling. 'What is this feeling? I feel, fluttery inside around Shadow.' The injured echidna blinked. 'Can it be that I like Shadow? But, we're both guys...No, I must have a bug or something. Maybe I'm allergic to him, or something. Yeah, that's it, I'm allergic to Shadow.' Knuckles nodded once to confirm his decision, then he rolled onto his side and went to sleep.