The big 1-0 for S.S.! I know it took aaagggeess and I'm really sorry for that. To be honest, as well as work, it's partly because I've just started making a Sonic monopoly and I love it so much that I get a bit addicted to doing it :) But now that I'm back into the swing of the story I'm more enthusiastic about it! It's probably 3/4 of the way finished.
ANyway, thank you, SilverDawn2010, Constanza Rose, OddSakura, TrumpetGirl818 and IHeartSonAmy for your awesome reviews! I luv 'em! :)
Chapter 10 – Fog of the Mind
Rikku tilted her feet sideways and the watched the soles of her black boots tip on their edges. She held her hands behind her back, nervously regarding the crimson echidna before her. She understood her friends' concern for her but she was uncomfortable with answering all these questions, particularly from a rather suspicious Knuckles.
"So you just escaped by yourself?" he asked again.
Rikku nodded awkwardly. She took fleeting looks around the room, itching for the opportunity to escape the conversation, not daring to glance into the echidna's eyes.
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It felt awful to lie and she really wasn't used to it but Jecht had been keen to stress that she wasn't to tell another soul about the rescue. She didn't see why not. Perhaps if she just explained that Jecht truly was good at heart and that he was just confused and...
Maybe it wasn't a good idea. She had a sinking feeling that nobody would believe her anyway. It seemed that most of the Sonic Gang disliked the green hedgehog and Rikku couldn't be sure if they'd listen. It was true that Jecht had made bad decisions in life but that didn't make him a bad person, she knew.
.
But still, she'd promised Jecht that she wouldn't say a word. She sighed. "Knuckles, I've got to go now, sorry, see you later," she said quietly. Before he could protest she hurried out of the room, shaking her head. She couldn't stand all this deception. She just wanted to explain everything to her friends and let it all work out. It seemed to become routine to either shrug off her friends' questions or to tell them something untruthful, which made her feel bad.
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In some ways things had taken a turn for the better, she supposed. Jecht had shown a little more of his compassionate side, confirming her suspicions, and he'd saved her life so they were even. But at the same time she'd been finding it pretty difficult keeping so many secrets from her friends, and it felt as if the calm atmosphere was teetering on the line between peace and chaos. She exhaled deeply, feeling the weight of the tension around her. It wasn't exactly the current situation that bothered her, but the unknowing of what would happen afterwards troubled her to no end. The next time Dr. Eggman attacked there was a good chance that Jecht would be with him, and then what? The green hedgehog had shown that he would protect her, hadn't he? But he was still on Eggman's side. Oh, why did this have to be so difficult?
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Rikku gazed at the room that she shared with Amy as she entered it, partly relieved that Amy was absent. She collapsed onto her bed, glad with the little comfort that it gave her from her present circumstance. It was at times like these that she realised the true extent of how much she resented secrecy. She loved to talk things through with those that she cared about and she was being prevented from doing that. In her times of need, all that she needed was to let her heart out to somebody who would listen, and for once, all of her friends wanted to listen but she would hardly say a word. It just felt wrong to act this way; it went against the means that she'd always lived.
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She was beginning to admit that perhaps she was a little naïve, as she banished her earlier hopes that her friends would understand. Of course they wouldn't, she knew that now. How could they? Jecht had been their enemy, and he still was, and he'd lied to them all. He'd upset Amy, hurt and annoyed Sonic, and used them. But he'd never truly wanted them to suffer. Rikku could see, deep down, that Jecht was guilty for what he'd done. He'd felt trapped and had resorted to working for an evil genius, and had followed orders, naturally. He was almost as naive as she was, now that she reflected on it. He tried to appear tough and impenetrable but she saw through it, even if nobody else could.
.
And then there was the most significant issue of all. Jecht was constantly on her mind, all the time. It was almost impossible to get any sleep at night because she was either thinking about him or about what was between them both. That was why she often tried to talk to him despite the danger; she wanted to be near him. She wanted to share her time with him and tell him how she felt. And she didn't feel that he was dangerous anyway. Ever since the day they'd first met, most of her fears had been swept away or belittled in comparison to this new feeling that she'd gained from his company. And while she'd embraced and enjoyed the thrill of this emotion, she'd begun to understand it almost completely.
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She wasn't sure how it had happened. She didn't know exactly when it happened either, but maybe it was there all along. The only thing that she knew for sure was that at some point, she'd fallen in love with Jecht the Hedgehog. Then it hit her. There was someone who would understand. She could talk to the hedgehog himself. They could talk it through together, and she could help him to see the increasing bond between them. Rikku smiled, relieved at having finally come up with some kind of solution. She wouldn't wait for him to appear outside her window. No, instead she would make it happen herself. She would be the one throwing pebbles. Her decision was made.
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help him to see the increasing bond between them. Rikku smiled, relieved at having finally come up with some kind of solution. She wouldn't wait for him to appear outside her window. No, instead she would make it happen herself. She would be the one throwing pebbles. Her decision was made.
[***]
The heel of Knuckles' shoe kicked backwards into the steps of the Master Emerald shrine as he swung his legs back and forth in frustration. There were just so many things on his mind, the main one being a particular beautiful bat. He'd been about to ask her where they stood with each other when they'd seen Rikku below them. If only he'd got the chance then this whole thing might have been sorted. He rested his chin on his hand. Did Rouge know how she felt about it? What if she didn't really like him and she just held his hand to wind him up? She did seem to like annoying him. Knuckles bit the insides of his mouth, finding himself troubled by the thought. He shook it off, trying to focus on the other issues in his mind.
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There was that large, cannon-like machine in Eggman's base. The villain had said it wasn't the Eclipse Cannon, but what other type of cannon could he possibly need? The Eclipse Cannon was the most powerful cannon that had ever existed, and it was known as one of Eggman's biggest desires to create mass destruction. Unless he didn't want mass destruction... Could that machine be specialised somehow? Knuckles sighed, his frustration quick to rise. He had no idea what that crazy man was up to.
.
Not only was Eggman suspicious, but Knuckles had noticed that Rikku was acting slightly odd. He found it strange that she'd managed to escape by herself. They'd all seen that she was no fighter; she didn't stand a chance against Eggman's robots. So that meant she had to be lying. But why? There was no reason to. And if she was lying, then how did she get out? Had she made an allegiance with Eggman? Knuckles stood up quickly. It was certainly possible. After all, he didn't know Rikku; she could easily be a traitor. He frowned. She'd taken them all for a fool! And to think that he'd been tricked by her innocent act. Why, he'd tried to help her when she was supposedly being 'captured'! It was probably a plan all along. Knuckles clenched his fists. She wasn't going to get away with this. He decided that it was time to have a little talk with their new 'friend'.
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He jumped down from the top of the shrine, but paused as a slender, feminine shadow passed over his own and the girl that it belonged to landed beside him. He felt his face heat up at being alone with her, and all thoughts from only moments ago were wiped from his head.
"Hey there, sugar," Rouge purred.
"Hi". He shifted his feet awkwardly.
Now what?
Now... he asked her what he'd been thinking, he supposed. "Rouge," he said, praying that she didn't think he sounded as weak as he felt. "I... I'm glad you showed up because I wanted to ask you what this means."
Rouge tilted her head. "What is 'this'?"
"You know... How you hang around a lot more and we play-fight together and..." He turned away, bushing harder. "We... hold hands." He kept his distance, feeling so embarrassed it wasn't even funny.
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Rouge suddenly felt nervous herself as she regarded her crush. "Well, what do you want it to mean?"
"I don't know," he huffed, folding his arms. "What do you want it to mean?"
She smiled a little, knowing that he wasn't really annoyed. He was just her incredibly embarrassed, clumsy Knuckles. She placed a hand on his arm. "I want it to be more," she said.
He finally turned to face her properly, surprised. "S-so do I," he said.
"Then let's say you and me make it official, hmm?"
Knuckles' cheeks turned a brighter red than his fur? She wanted to be married? That was a little overwhelming, to say the least. "I... I... that's not what I meant. Well, I mean it was, but not really, because no," he spluttered. He shook his head. "Don't you think we're a bit young for that?"
.
Now Rouge was confused. "No. Knuckles, Sonic and Amy are younger than us and they're already a couple."
"But they're not married!"
"I never said that I-" she paused, suddenly realising his mistake. "Oh." She laughed, earning a scowl from Knuckles.
"What's so funny?"
Rouge just laughed harder. "Oh Knuckie, you're so..." She laughed again. "I didn't want to get married; I just wanted you to be my boyfriend."
"Oh." There was a pause. Knuckles looked around, unsure of what to do next.
Rouge held her hand to her lips to stifle a chuckle and leaned towards his ear. "Now you just have to ask me, you knucklehead."
"I knew that!" he growled, unsure if his cheeks could feel any hotter. Man, this had to be the most awkward beginning of a relationship ever. "Rouge," he said anxiously, "Will you... go out with me?"
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The pearly white bat placed her hands around his neck. "I thought you'd never ask," she breathed. She leaned forward, her lips getting closer to his. But Knuckles wasn't moving. She glanced at him, taking note of the uncertainty in his purple eyes. A laugh escaped her. "Means yes, Knuckles."
The echidna blushed again, but couldn't help grinning at her. His girlfriend. "I knew that," he whispered, his mouth moving closer. Their lips touched and the couple shared their first kiss, loving every moment. Knuckles suddenly wasn't embarrassed anymore. Being a little slow on the uptake wasn't a problem, not while he had Rouge. She loved him just the way he was. And he felt exactly the same way for her.
[***]
For the remainder of the day, Rikku was more communicative, pleased with her plan. She went about the house with a smile on her face with the promise of meeting Jecht as soon as Amy was asleep. And sure enough, as night fell across the town, she'd already put her pyjamas over her clothes to hide them before the two friends had gone to bed. She lay in silence, straining her ears for any signs of Amy stirring. She found none and carefully swivelled into a sitting position, with her feet dangling across the carpet. She watched for a moment, her eyes trained on the shape that was her sleeping hedgehog friend. Once again, there was no movement or sound apart from a soft breathing coming from the pink girl. Rikku hopped out of bed, quickly peeling off her pyjamas to reveal her usual outfit underneath, and after a quick check of her appearance she noiselessly ran down the stairs and into the cold night air.
.
It was silent outside without even a gentle breeze. The darkness smothered the scenery, cloaking it in mysterious shadows. The weather wasn't strong at all, excluding the light mist that danced around the trees. Rikku paid no heed to her surroundings and immediately broke into a run, heading into the forest towards what she hoped was the right direction to Eggman's base. Her breath came out in short bursts as her feet pounded through the trees and the wispy fog gently traced her body. The sharp chill of the night didn't faze her. Her determination pushed aside the sharp coldness and her eyes shone with excitement.
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As she drove her legs to move faster, it didn't occur to her that the person she was looking for might not have been where she thought, but instead was nearby. It was only when a flicker of green caught her eye – a green slightly bolder than that of the forest – that she suddenly dug her feet into the ground and came to a halt. Her body lurched forwards slightly and she wobbled before catching her balance and quickly turning to look at the person opposite her. Her face lit up, realising that Jecht was in fact a few metres away from her, partly shrouded in the fog. He was facing the other way and his head was tilted upwards as if looking at the stars. She grinned and ran over to him.
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"Jecht!" she cried.
The green hedgehog turned around and his solemn expression morphed as his orbs gained a subtle spark. As soon as he faced her, Rikku threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. His eyes widened at this unexpected, foreign embrace and he stood unmoving for a moment. She released him gently, meeting his gaze. He blinked and finally summoned words from his mouth.
"Rikku," he said quietly. "What are you doing out here?" Even he was a little taken aback by the soft tone in his voice. It was a huge contrast compared to his previous behaviour. It only made him realise how much had changed between them since he'd saved her from Eggman's base.
"I could ask you the same," she smiled.
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When he didn't reply she laughed so quietly it was inaudible. "I was actually looking for you," she admitted. She watched his expression gain a hint of surprise once again as he regarded her curiously.
"For me?"
She nodded. "I was going to Eggman's base but then I saw you here."
Jecht suddenly frowned. "Why would you go back there? You just got out of that place. You shouldn't even go near it. It's dangerous."
Her ears lowered briefly at his firm gaze until she suddenly wondered if he was being protective of her. Or perhaps that was wishful thinking...
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No, he definitely cared. After all, that was why she was there in the first place. "I know," she said, "But I wanted to see you."
His face softened. "Why?"
"Because I wanted to talk to you," she said, her volume lowering again.
"Okay. Go ahead."
She kept her eyes on his, entranced by the pools of lilac. There was an uncovered softness in them that hadn't shown before and it drew her to him. "It's just that... I've been thinking about all that's happened and I'm finding it hard with all these secrets," she confessed. "But it's not just that. I've mostly been thinking about the 'Legend of the Soulmates' and what it means, and... well... it's between us, isn't it? We're soulmates," she breathed.
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Jecht said nothing. He didn't deny it but didn't confirm it either. He just watched her carefully her, observing her. Her resolve to make him see her theory was strong and he couldn't help admiring it. And yet, she hadn't really rushed him. She hadn't actually pressurised him, although he felt awkward at times. It was just strange for him to meet a person like her who could make him feel this way. He kept quiet for a moment and she continued.
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"And I have reasons for saying that. I mean, I've barely known you a week but it's like I've known you all life. I feel like I can understand you and know that you understand me. And then when you told me the legend, it just sounded like it fit. And I guess what I'm really trying to say is that over the past few days I've come to realise that I... I've fallen in love with you," she finished, smiling nervously.
Jecht's eyes widened so far he wondered if they'd stay on his head. He swallowed as if digesting the information.
Rikku... loved him? That was- It was just-
.
Still he said nothing. He should have seen it coming, he supposed. There was something between them but it was daunting to be uncovering it so soon. He felt almost trapped. Red lights flashed in his mind, warning him not to be involved in this but he'd found that as time went on, those warning signals were doused by his newfound passion and... and something else. Oh, but surely he knew what that feeling was by now? She'd just spelled it out for him!
.
But even now he fought to control it, until he remembered Rikku's words back in Eggman's base. Love was a good thing, she'd told him. The amount of times that he'd heard that was ridiculous. And yet, coming from her made it believable. If that connection between them was love then maybe it really could be true. It didn't really feel painful, as he'd expected it to. It was just... intriguing and it felt so damn good to have somebody care about him the way she did.
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Rikku understood him so well it was unnerving. She'd even out rightly told him that she knew he was afraid, and he didn't bother hiding it from himself any further, because it was true. He was afraid. He was new to love and it frightened him to think that he was surrendering his restraint over himself. It was scary. He didn't like allowing himself to be swept off his feet. He didn't like getting on a ride when he didn't know exactly where it would take him. He was scared of getting hurt. He was scared of submitting control. And most of all, he was scared of falling in love and then losing it. And he knew that he'd already gotten the first part of that.
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With all of these thoughts cascading through his mind, he was still able to capture Rikku's next words.
"I just want to know if you feel the same way," she said gently.
Jecht swallowed again. Did he feel the same? "I... err..." he stuttered. "I mean..."
"Just be honest," she encouraged.
"Well, you see..." He scratched his head. How to explain himself? "Life is... kind of like a cheeseburger," he said. She stared at him but he continued hastily, wanting to make himself clear. "You know, first off you get the plain, basic part – like the bun – and then you get into the more complicated stuff – like all the lettuce and the tomatoes and the onion. But that whole time, you're waiting for the thing that will make it easier and makes it all that much better, which is the cheese. And you're... you're... like that," he said, watching her anxiously.
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Rikku raised an eyebrow but she giggled. "I'm a slice of cheese?"
Jecht blushed furiously. "You know what I mean. You're... I'm..."
"Just say it."
He stopped twiddling his fingers and put his hands on her shoulders, with a strong but gentle grip.
Aw, screw it, he thought. No more games. Just tell her the truth!
He took a quick, deep breath and trained his gaze into her beautiful lime orbs without hesitating for an instant. "We are soulmates," he said confidently. "And I love you." In that second, he knew there was no going back. And he didn't care. It felt as though those spoken words had completed the puzzle and ridden his mind of anxiety and confusion. He barely noticed that the fog had thinned around them, allowing them to see more clearly.
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Rikku's smile couldn't be bigger and she let out a tearful, breathless laugh. She laid her arms on his shoulders and stepped closer to him, looking slightly up at him from the minor height difference. Their lips drew closer, and for the first time, neither of them hesitated in the slightest. The kiss was strong and powerful, and both the hedgehog and the cat put everything they had into it. They released the imprisonment over their emotions and all of the love and the passion came tumbling out through the open floodgates. Waves of excitement and adoration crashed around them and the electrifying spark returned to them, tingling up their spines.
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When they finally broke apart, breathing softly and watching each other, Jecht found his hands holding hers. He chuckled nervously, before all of a sudden his expression went back to its solemn look before she'd come to the forest. He gave her hands a small squeeze, but his eyes held a seriousness about them that immediately caused Rikku to lose her smile. Something was bothering him. And just like that, the fog thickened again as if to bring back his troubles.
Ooh what's Jecht going to say? dum dum dumm...
Oh and BTW I made a new poll to find out about the paragraph spacing that I use, so please submit your votes so that I can see if it's helpful or not. Thank you.
And yeah I added a Knouge scene, hope you liked it! :)
Thanks for reading this story so far, peoples! ^_^ Reviews are vair nice if ya don't mind :P