Ah, finally.... The chapters have reached double digits! Yay! Everyone celebrate! Isn't it amazing?! I can hardly believe it myself....

Haha, now, onto a more serious note.... As usual, I'd like to thank all of my reviewers!

And once again, we're taking on another point of view. Let us see where this takes us... Shall we? Into the mind of....

Chapter Ten: So Apart

I stared at the hand of Shadow the Hedgehog in silence. The way the hedgehog positioned his hand over Knuckles' palm alarmed me... But what alarmed me more than that was the fact that the palm of Knuckles' hand was bare... He never removed his gloves...

The black hedgehog was standing several feet away, but there was the distinct smell of blood coming from in his direction....Not from him, though.... The smell was emanating from the lifeless body of Knuckles... I had never seen Knuckles in such bad shape before... From a distance, he appeared to just be sleeping, I suppose.... But from where I stood, combined with my observational skills, I could see the cuts and blood-matted fur that stained his normally powerful appearance... And he was passed out -- not sleeping...

I had often expected it before... After all, it is inevitable that every great creature must fall... Knuckles had always managed to stay so strong... I suppose I just came to believe that maybe there were exceptions to the rule... Perhaps some could stay strong.... forever. Times change, though, and we change with them... Forever.... Forever has become just a word, rather than a measure of eternity... Those who stay strong "forever"... Are just the ones who never fall before their friends... And I am sure it is quite easy for someone to fall when no one else is looking... When that someone lives completely alone... When there is no company of another creature for miles, other than the small wild animals that cannot speak... When that someone, without a doubt, feels that no one cares for him... And he must have plenty of time to feel worthless, considering the amount of time he has to do nothing but sit and think...

Charmy's voice cut through the quiet of the room like a knife as he said, "Well.... This is weird..."

I could hardly hear the bee's words, too focused... Like a knife...? My own comparison set off a new series of thoughts... None of which were pleasant... I looked up from the hands to study Shadow's face. I didn't know the hedgehog very well, but he seemed to have an almost morbid expression... Surely that isn't normal...

Vector was as confused as ever, stuttering loudly, "Uh... So... You're.... uh......Uh, so.... How did this happen, exactly?"

Shadow's dark red eyes moved to look at the crocodile. The hedgehog's voice was quiet. "I don't know entirely. It's difficult to explain. For some reason I felt that I should go out for a run, and that was when I found him." ....Out for a run? ....Then... Knuckles wasn't found on Angel Island...? As the hedgehog spoke, I saw his hand move the slightest bit... Just enough so that I could see what was definitely blood, and not all of it was dry...

I again looked to the black hedgehog's face. There was one thing that worried me... That blood... Was it coming from Knuckles' palm, or.... "His wrist?" My voice didn't change from the usual tone. It rarely does.

Shadow did not respond. He did not even look at me. Instead, he spoke in the same voice as before, in a tone as dark as it was calm. "There's something that you should know... Maybe the bee should leave the room..." I understood. The hedgehog did not believe that Charmy needed to see or know about this...

Vector coughed, sounding like he was choking while replying, "Uh, I don't think that will be necessary... I think we're all pretty clear on what's goin' on..."

I saw the ebony hedgehog blink. "...You are?" I closed my eyes, my head lowering a bit. Vector and Charmy did not need to know this... No one should know Knuckles like this...

Shadow's voice was marginally less quiet, and he said, "I wasn't aware that it was that obvious."

Then I heard Charmy's voice... "Wow. I just didn't know Knuckles rolled that way..." And suddenly the room became a very quiet place.

I turned to stare at the bee in a mixture of disbelief and horror.... What on Mobiuswas Vector teaching that child? I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath for a moment... That moment may have been too long...

".....Hey, uh, Charm.... Maybe you should go to the park or something...." It was Vector's voice... I opened my eyes. Vector looked a little frightened, and he and Charmy were much closer to the door than they had been before. Shadow was standing as still as a marble statue... The only movement came from his left eye which was twitching violently... There was a strange, green glow coming from him... He did not look happy.

I took the opportunity. Turning to Vector, I said quickly, "Perhaps you should take Charmy over to the Rabbits' for a bit." Vector would be glad to take any opportunity to go see Vanilla. They would both be gone for a while. It would work well.

Just as I had anticipated, Vector and Charmy were out the door in seconds.

"What happened to him?" I stared at Shadow, who had barely regained his composure. He looked back at me, seeming almost alarmed by my tone, which had gotten considerably less calm.

The green glow of Chaos energy gently disappeared from around him... His eyes went from my face down to his hand... He said, "I don't know what happened..." The hedgehog's hand moved, and I saw a long, hideous gash down the middle of Knuckles' palm... And a trail of blood coming from what I could only assume was a slice on the wrist... "I found him at the bottom of a cliff..." Shadow paused before deciding, apparently, to tell me. "He was trying to kill himself."

I closed my eyes again. The words stung.... "He was trying to kill himself."....Then it is true... I've failed you... my friend.... I drew another breath, whispering, "Then he's gone..."

"No. He's not." The hedgehog's voice was firm. He sounded... angry that I had said my words.... "He's going to be alright. He will live."

"Knuckles is strong. But how much blood has he lost? Too much..." I swallowed hard. My own words hurt me... I'm a failure....

"I came here because I thought someone could help." He glared at me, bright red eyes blazing, matching the blood on Knuckles' hand. "If you won't help me... Then I'll take him to someone who will." He stalked toward the door...

I do not anger easily. But the fact of some near-stranger telling me that I am not trying to help my friend... "Do you even know Knuckles?!"

He stopped. "Do you?"

"I've known him since we were both young."

"Then maybe you used to know him. But you don't anymore. Time changes us all." ....Weren't those my own words...? What was he using them for? "Sometimes... We lose people. Our actions take us away from the people we care most about..." ....Was he right?

I started to ask him something else.... When I noticed that he had disappeared. I ran to the door, and opened, just in time to see a green flash of light. And then nothing. Shadow the Hedgehog... I don't even know you... Why are doing this?

Vector and Charmy wouldn't be back for several hours. I had time. I needed to get to Angel Island. I didn't want to believe that I'd lost the only friendship I'd ever really known. And there was only one being I could speak to, other than Knuckles himself, who could clarify that I still knew him... Maybe she'd know how to help him... Maybe she'd know how to help me help him...

But how would I get to the island? ...The only one I could think of with a plane was the young, twin-tailed fox who allied himself Sonic... His workshop was somewhere in Mystic Ruins... Perhaps he wouldn't mind if I borrowed it...

Planning on "borrowing" that ship, Espio? Haha. Sorry this chapter took so long (eh, a week and a half isn't that bad, really)... But it kinda gives an interesting idea to this story... Espio and Knuckles were good friends when they were younger? Hmm... What is this? And Shadow's become quite ready to help Knuckles come back to a sane state, hasn't he? All these questions.... And more, I'm sure. Though... You also have to wonder... Rouge has been out of the story for a little while now, hasn't she?

Haha. Started to put R&R (Read & Review).... But then I thought about it, and, well, unless you're just one of those backwards readers who reads the bottom part first.... Haha, you've probably already read this, right? XD So, I figured that doesn't much make sense. Ha, oh, well. Just review then! (Unless you read the bottom part first, of course. Not trying to alienate any of my backwards readers out there! You're all amazing!)