Hello! Lykcan here and this is my very first Sonic the Hedgehog fanfiction featuring Knuckles and Tikal! Please bear with me as I am fairly new to this and it is a hobby I just got into. Also it's my first mature one so I apologize as well. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations. They all belong to Sega.


Alone No More: A Knuxikal Story

A bright sunny day lit upon a gorgeous scenery of green grass and lush jungle. Several animals can be heard from within with occasional growls and grunts let out. The sounds of feet striking the ground meant that the inhabitants within roamed around to do whatever they need to on such a great day. A nice breeze blew through the thick branches on trees that filled with healthy leaves flowing in the wind, with several exotic birds flying about in search of food or playing with their kin. One of them flew towards the outskirts of the jungle and was met with a strong gust to which it flew against; upon looking down however, it immediately retreated with a shocked look on its face. Reason for it being not because It was spotted by a predator, but because the outskirts was just that… nothing but sky with a few clouds passing below.

The whole environment was literally in the sky, floating thousands of feet into the air with plush clouds passing by its rocky body from below with some gently hitting its rough surface. The whole structure itself was a giant floating island with jagged stalactites on its lower portion and the top containing the large forest with several mountains that jutted out from the center. To a normal individual, this type of thing wasn't very common lest it would have made them go out of their minds to see a giant atoll hovering close to the atmosphere. If they were to witness it firsthand, no one would believe their story as stuff like this is normally involved in myths and legends. Unfortunately though it is real in this story.

One would also wonder: what keeps the island afloat. Well for that, the scenery changes away from the jungle to another part of the island located next to the center. At this location, the environment is different yet retains the wild aspects of the jungle.

Ruins of an ancient civilization were present with several structures intact and others destroyed long ago, either from conflict or of time wearing them down. The structures themselves were made of stone and the design was of a tribal origin, meaning that its ancient inhabitants were very close to nature and practiced worship. Scratches and impacts upon their surface also would assume that they were militaristic, using physical force to prosper or attain power. Drawings were present on the ruins to which tell stories long forgotten about the civilization, and due to their state one would assume that they were wiped out by an unknown event. They would be correct on that assumption; however, they wouldn't be fully right…

Within a deeper part of the ruins, there stood a large structure that remained intact unlike the others. It had several alters around it with some partially destroyed, but there were seven that stood taller than the rest which encompassed the center equally from one another. A set of stairs began from the bottom of the structure to the top, signifying it to be a shrine of some sort. A bright green luminescence gave off there and upon closer inspection, laid a giant green emerald at its center. Seven others like it only substantially smaller sat on the pillars surrounding it, one on each pillar and in different colors. It gave off large amounts of energy just by being close to it and if one were to discover them, they would assume that their energy is what's making the island float high in the sky which would be correct. To others however greed would consume them and they would nab each of them and keep it for themselves.

If they can get past their guardian.

A red humanoid looking creature laid next to it on a grassy patch of field with its eyes closed, hands behind its head and feet crossed. Upon closer inspection it is revealed to be an echidna with red dreadlock quills running down its head and a tail shown from behind itself. White gloves covered its palms to which two spiked protrusions were shown on each hand and red shoes with yellow highlights were worn on its feet. A gentle breeze caressed its face to which it caused its black nose to twitch slightly. Violet eyes revealed themselves to the world, matched with an annoyed look on its face.

This is Knuckles the Echidna, last surviving member of the ancient race that once inhabited the ruins seen on the island and current guardian of the Chaos Emeralds along with its source of power, the Master Emerald. He is also the friend of Mobius' iconic hero, Sonic the Hedgehog. Initially their first meeting wasn't on good terms due to Dr. Eggman informing him that Sonic was going to steal the emeralds, and because of how gullible and thick-headed he was he allowed the former to double cross him and make off with them. Upon teaming up with Sonic after some tough fights with the Blue Blur, they managed to defeat the evil villain with the emeralds returning back to their rightful place.

That time wouldn't be the first on which they were stolen. Several attempts were made in which they were taken off the altar, not only causing the island to fall but also put the world in danger. Primarily Dr. Eggman stole the emeralds numerous times to which Knuckles was dragged into several adventures with not just Sonic but with his other friends like Tails and Amy. Each encounter to retrieve the emeralds was made more difficult as Dr. Eggman's mechanical creations got more sophisticated and powerful, with the two recent ones being the hardest.

The evil genius knabbed the Emeralds during the first attempt to create a powerful being called Chaos and use it to rule to the world under his fist; he summoned the creature by breaking the Master Emerald. With each emerald it consumed, it became more powerful and upon absorbing all seven did it turn into its final form called Perfect Chaos. Knuckles was given the task to find all the pieces of the Master Emerald and put them back together, while Sonic and his friends dealt with Perfect Chaos and Dr. Eggman. In the end, Sonic was able to utilize the positive energy of the Chaos Emeralds and transform into Super Sonic to defeat the powerful foe. Knuckles then brought the pieces together to restore the Master Emerald and Chaos itself disappeared, never to bring harm again.

The second attempt had Dr. Eggman use them to power the Eclipse Cannon made by his grandfather, Dr. Gerald Robotnik. During their adventure, they faced new adversaries with Sonic battling against another hedgehog called Shadow while Knuckles himself got into fights with a treasure hunter called Rouge the Bat. During the climax, the evil doctor used all seven emeralds to power the cannon and blow up part of the moon to display its destructive power. Not only that, but a prototype experiment called the Biolizard was released from its cell and fused itself with the cannon. It absorbed the emeralds' power and became Final Hazard, sending the cannon towards the planet in order to destroy it. Luckily once again Sonic with the help of Shadow transformed into their super forms and managed to defeat it, though Shadow sacrificed himself in the end to repel it fully. Knuckles stood in the sidelines during that final battle, knowing that the emeralds would come back safe and sound. However the event caused him to have some run-ins with Rouge who know at times would come to the island and attempt to steal them to no avail. Their encounters would be humorous as well due to Knuckles' gullible nature and Rouge's flirty attitude.

At the moment however, he is at peace. No Rouge, no Eggman, no Sonic thank god, and definitely no one to bother his solitude and duty in protecting the emeralds for as long as he lived.

Solitude…

That word caused his eye to twitch and his frown to run further down. He let out a deep sigh as he sat up a bit and looked around, the brilliant glow from the emeralds emanating the day and giving off powerful energy. He's used to it since he almost never left the island besides the adventures, and for what its worth he didn't care if he doesn't see much of the outside world anymore. No one to bother him, no one to steal the emeralds, and definitely no white bat to show off her curvy figure to rattle him up.

'I do wish that maybe… I don't want to be alone…' thought the red echidna. The memories of those two adventures played in his head and while he wouldn't admit that it was one of the best times of his life to go explore the outside world, it wouldn't help to relieve him of the fact that he was the last of his kind. A certain event told him of that…

When he was searching for the Master Emerald fragments he noticed that once he retrieved one of them, a vision from the past would be shown to him. Knuckles in reality doesn't know anything about his past: not knowing where he came from, what his people were like, and if anything who his parents were. The only thing he knew was that he was to guard the emeralds for the rest of his life and he didn't argue on that.

Each vision showed the once prosperous civilization that inhabited the ruins back then, and to his surprise he wasn't aware that the people were in fact echidnas as well. He found out that they were once ruled by an arrogant chieftain named Pachacamac who turned the tribe of once peaceful echidnas into warriors and bandits that gained power through selfish ambitions. He led an assault on the Emerald Altar and set it ablaze, causing Chaos to become corrupted and powering up to become Perfect Chaos. The beast rampaged throughout the vicinity and annihilated almost the entire race which made sense on how he was the last one alive. The events however weren't his main focus though; rather it was the one that saved the day during that time.

Pachacamac had a daughter who was the complete opposite of him. While he was bloodthirsty and warmongering, his daughter was calm and peaceful. She never wanted to fight and is against violence to which her father resents her for it. She pleaded for him to stop the attack on the altar but the chieftain of the tribe didn't listen and caused the event that wiped them out. His daughter used an ancient prayer to seal Perfect Chaos inside the emerald, but at the cost of her own body.

Knuckles remembered her fully well. Orange fur with dreadlock quills running down her head with white wrappings on some of them, a gold headpiece that went around her head with several jewels on it, a white sleeveless blouse with a necklace matching the headpiece and a green skirt with square patterns, white gloves and sandals with wrappings around her feet. What entranced him however were her beautiful blue eyes that looked at him in sadness when she was knocked away from the altar by her cruel father during the flashbacks. She was aware of him being there and he was confused in all of this, but he understood well enough on what happened back then and accepted the fact.

However his mind would always come towards that female echidna. To him he felt awestruck not just on her looks, but on how she gave off a gentle aura that calmed down his usually aggressive personality. While Knuckles himself isn't as savage as the warrior echidnas back then, he did show a bit of that trait when he fought against his foes. Every time he would think about those events, he would always focus back on her. Unfortunately he didn't get a chance to ask for her name since the memory faded away, but he would remember how peaceful she was and how she stood up bravely against her father.

At times he would think of wanting to be born around the same time period as her, knowing that he would also not be the last of his kind as well. He would've found her doing some prayer next to the Master Emerald and admire her from afar, in which when the time comes he would ask her out. Whatever the outcome would be, at least the good thing out of it is that he wouldn't be alone anymore.

Knuckles shook his head aggressively and growled. "Stop thinking about the past, there's no way it'll help you." he said to himself. He got up and looked at the Master Emerald, admiring its green radiance and feeling its powerful essence. Walking towards it he placed his gloved palm onto its almost smooth surface, feeling the jagged edges that make up its diamond-like structure. Sighing he closed his eyes and leaned forward, placing his forehead onto the emerald.

"I've kept my eye on you for as long as I can remember. I wish I could've done better to protect you, heck you've been stolen several times because of my stupidness." Knuckles leaned back and opened his eyes, patting the emerald a bit. "I wished I could've been a better guardian not just to you but for the chaos emeralds as well. I let you get broken and had to restore you back to your glory, and for that I'm sorry."

A small frown appeared on Knuckles and he dropped his arm from the jewel, releasing another sigh. "If I can ask from your divine power almighty Master Emerald, I would only ask that…" Knuckles looked down and closed his eyes tightly, a bit of glistening moisture appearing on them. "…that I'm no longer alone in this world. That I'm not the last of my kind, and that maybe I can settle with someone I can spend the rest of my life. I know that's never gonna happen, but if you were to grant my wish my life would have meaning again."

GROWL.

The red echidna sighed a third time and petted his stomach. "Well I gotta chow down now. I'll be back." he said wiping his eyes. With a running start he leaped off the top of the shrine and extended his arms forward, gliding down to the bottom and not knowing that the Master Emerald's glow got brighter.

Swirls of energy spiraled around the enormous gem to which it started converging onto the small area in front of it, molding into an oval that hovered in the air for a bit then started lowering onto the ground. The oval of energy then began transforming into a humanoid shape which was still encased in the glow for several seconds. After a certain time did the swirls start fading into the air with the Master Emerald receding back to its normal glow. The bright encasement of the figure began crumbling into the air, slowly revealing an unconscious being.

"Mmgh…" the creature quietly let out as its eyes opened slowly, shutting them once again and gently getting up with its arms as support. Shaking their head a bit did their eyes open again, taking in their surroundings and seeing the Chaos Emeralds on their altars along with the Master Emerald. Their eyes slowly widened in surprise.

"W-What? The Emerald Altar? How am I here I should've been-?" they stopped as they looked down at their hands. Gloved hands covered them with orange fur running down their arms and orange dreadlock quills cascading down beside their face. "I should be dead. There's no way I should be…" they let out slowly as they pinched their arm. "Ow!"

Seeing that they are indeed alive, the being picked themselves up and looked at the Master Emerald. "Did you bring me back?" they asked to which the jewel only laid there silently. Knowing they won't get an answer from an inanimate object, the creature could only smile and place their hand onto its surface. "Thank you Master Emerald, I am eternally grateful. Though why did you bring me back?"

A sudden thud echoed from behind them and the being turned and looked down to the bottom of the shrine. A red life form was seen running towards the jungle and disappearing into the thick brush.

"Is that an echidna?" Their eyes widened as they clasped their hands together. "That must be…" A wide smile appeared on their face as they started running as well, giving chase to the red being.

A few minutes later…

Knuckles weaved through dense vegetation, punching past fallen trees and solid boulders until he approached an opening revealing light. Coming down to a light jog he cleared a few bushes away to reveal a large open area. The sound of a waterfall was heard nearby and a small lake was present with a miniature island in the middle. A few animals inhabited the area but they were harmless enough not to cause disturbance. Slightly overgrown grass filled the landscape as the red guardian walked upon its pathless surface, light crunching noises being made with every step.

"This garden never ceases to amaze me." he smiled as he walked towards the lake. Looking ahead he placed a hand over his eyes to look at the palm tree ahead. A variety of fruit was seen on its branches at the very top ripe for the picking. "Alright! This'll fill me up real good!"

Knuckles did a high jump in the air and started gliding towards the small island, making contact with the tree and digging his spiked "knuckles" into the bark to hold himself up. He then started climbing up its length until he got to the top and proceeded to grab the first one.

STOMP!

A violent quake shook the ground and caused Knuckles to lose his grip and fall towards the ground, landing on his rear.

"OW WHAT THE HECK!" he yelled while rubbing his behind and getting up. He growled and ferociously looked at where the source was.

STOMP! STOMP!

The red echidna almost lost his balance and turned his head towards the waterfall, noticing that the heavy sounds came from that direction. Slowly did the gushing water separate and revealed a mechanized robot several meters high. It was round in structure with clawed hands and menacing red eyes. The color scheme was primarily red, yellow and black and for Knuckles he didn't have to figure out who it was considering the large metallic mustache sitting on its face.

"Eggman! To think my day could've gone any better!" Knuckles barked sarcastically. The robot merely raised one of its arms to which the clawed hand transformed into a rocket launcher. With no warning did several rockets fire out and aimed straight towards the guardian. Knuckles merely grinned and punched both fists together, charging towards the projectiles.

Several feet away…

The orange furred creature ran to an opening and stopped in front of it, panting a bit while on their knees. "Whew, I need to *pant* start walking more." Getting up they saw a large grassy area with a waterfall and a small island in a lake.

"The Mystic Garden didn't change much all this time." they said smiling, though it went slightly down upon seeing the small island. "It looks like the Chao didn't survive either, but I hope they're doing well up there…"

BOOM!

The being gasped as they looked around and spotted the red echidna dodging several rockets fired by a large robot. Some made impact behind him with several explosions going off and setting small patches of grass on fire. All they could do was hide behind a bush and watch the fight, hands clasp together with worried eyes. "Please be careful."

Back to the fight…

Knuckles jumped in the air and flew towards the mech, getting a grip on its surface and throwing a hard punch. The robot tumbled back from the impact with its eyes glitching out. "Come out and fight like a man Eggman! You can't hide in there forever!" he yelled as he threw several more punches.

The towering titan retained its balance and swiftly grabbed hold of Knuckles, encasing him in a vice-like grip. The echidna tried squirming out of its grasp but to no avail, seeing the mech raise its other arm and converge its claws into a single spike that started spinning like a drill. Knuckles' eyes widened. 'NO! Not like this!'

Using all the strength he has, he placed his hands between himself and the robot's hand and slowly pried away. Its grip loosened upon doing this and when enough space was made, the red guardian started spinning in place with his fists in the air and charged at the mech.

POW!

With immense strength and speed Knuckles tore through its body and came out the other side, landing on the ground and looking back with a smirk. A large gaping hole was shown with small sparks of electricity and damaged electrical components flailing about as the robot started twitching violently from it. Its head turned a full one eighty degrees to stare at him and suddenly its eyes started flashing.

Knuckles raised an eyebrow at this. "What's this about Egghead? Giving up no-."

BOOOM!

A large explosion engulfed the area and swallowed up Knuckles into the blast. The earth trembled for several seconds as black smoke arose into the air and mixed with the white clouds in the sky. Dust, debris and metal fell onto the ground as the smoke started to clear and no trace of the mech was seen. Eventually did the smoke clear out to reveal a devastated grass field with bits of it on fire and tarred from the explosion.

'By the gods NO!' the being that was hiding in the bush shot out and ran towards the tattered land, panic shown on their face as they looked around desperately.

"HELLO?! ARE YOU THERE?!" the being called out with both hands next to their mouth as they looked around frantically for any source of life. A series of grunts was heard and the creature looked ahead to see several boulders and scraps of metal being pushed aside as the guardian of the Master Emerald was revealed, lifting himself up and pushing away at another boulder.

"Crap me and my big mouth. Must've been a stray robot Eggman forgot about but at least it's down now." he said to himself, wincing at the scratches and bruises he has on his body. "A good dip in the lake will solve this, but right now I'm…" his words left him as he looked up again, eyes widening at what presented before him.

Flashbacks came in a rush through Knuckles' mind until they settled onto the source of his focus: the orange female echidna. What he saw in those visions of the tribe that existed back then and the one who sealed Chaos into the Master Emerald, none of that mattered as for the latter… was standing a few feet away from him in physical form.

A smaller orange echidna stood before him. A jeweled headpiece was placed around her forehead with a matching necklace and a white blouse with a green skirt with square patterns. White gloves encased her hands and sandals with white wraps were on her feet with the same wrappings adorning some of her orange dreadlock quills. The outfit looked very traditional and compared to modern times outdated, but for Knuckles it made the female echidna look beautiful. Worried blue eyes stared back at his own violet ones and both simply stood, watching one another. Some time has passed however and the smaller of the two walked slowly up to Knuckles, their concerned expression morphing into a shy look.

"Hi…"

Knuckles didn't say anything back from the response she gave; he was lost not just on her looks but at how angelic her voice sounded.

'It can't be… no my mind is playing tricks on me!' Knuckles thought. 'But… I can actually feel the soft aura she gives off. Just like her.'

The orange echidna averted her eyes for a moment then looked back at him, her ocean-colored eyes noticing a bit of bleeding flowing down his cheek. "Oh my goodness are you okay?" she said, lifting her hand up and lightly touching the area around it. Knuckles flinched very lightly but continued to look in shock. Eventually he shook his head a bit and blinked several times.

"There's no way. Did the Master Emerald grant my wish?" he said quietly. The smaller of the two heard him, a smile slowly making its way. "I-I believe so. I don't understand how I came back alive again but… I'm glad I got to."

Knuckles' lips trembled a bit at the realization: he's no longer the last of his kind. Tears threaten to spill from his eyes to which the orange-colored girl noticed and lifted her other hand to gently wipe them away. Her smile never left as she cupped his cheeks, not minding that a bit of his blood stained at them.

"I remember you when you visited the time that my father attacked the altar. You were wondering of what was going on and I wished I could have explained more, but the Master Emerald may have noticed that it needed you so it was only for a brief moment." she explained. "Do not worry though, I can explain everything to you if you want to."

Knuckles thought about that. He can finally learn more about his past and what happened long ago! He can learn his true heritage, what the tribe practiced back in the day and hopefully find out of any blood-related relatives that he never knew such as his parents. However… none of that mattered to him as he overwhelmingly wanted to know more about the person in front of him.

"…That would be great." the red echidna started to smile and rubbed his arm in nervousness. "Oh um sorry about what happened here, got into a fight with a robot."

The smaller echidna giggled. "It's fine, I've watched from behind a bush and you were very strong against it. Fortunately, you're not as vicious as the warrior members from the tribe." she said, running her hand along his cheek. "You're completely different from them and I admire that."

Knuckles blushed a bit and looked away. "Um hehe thank you." he said then turned back. "By the way, I'm-."

"Knuckles." she responded. Knuckles himself was surprised. "Wait how did you-."

"I had a feeling that was your name. It was also the name of the tribe back then." she smiled and placed her hands behind her back shyly, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. "My name is Tikal."

'Tikal… wow.' the red echidna thought.

GROWL!

Both turned red while looking at each other and turned away, smiling nervously. Knuckles chuckled while placing a hand behind his head. "Sorry about that, I haven't eaten anything yet and was planning to until that robot attacked."

Tikal laughed gently. "It's fine, I can prepare us something if you'd like. Seeing that I just came back into the world of the living, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be coming back with a full stomach."

Knuckles smiled at her response. Her coming back alive in front of his eyes made his whole world turn a lot better, even if Eggman's creations ruined it for a bit.

"Well if you plan on that then I'm very grateful. Let me just fix the garden hehe." Knuckles asked. Tikal looked at him in concern once again. "Please don't, let me tend to your wounds first."

"Don't worry about it. I've taken a lot worse than this so I'll be fine." he gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad that I'm not the only one anymore." the red echidna then turned and started clearing away at the debris and metal with several punches and shoves.

Tikal looked at him in awe and gently smiled. 'You won't be the only one anymore Knuckles… and I hope you can accept me.'

A half hour later…

"And done!" Tikal chipped out loud as she looked at her work. Knuckles stared at his arm which was covered in white wraps as he moved it slowly up and down. They were sitting next to the lake as the two were done with their respective tasks, now with Tikal healing Knuckles and finishing tending to his arm. It didn't hurt at all compared to right after the battle as he struggled a bit to move the rubble due to the pain. He didn't want to worry her more however so he didn't show and his stubbornness wouldn't allow it either. After a few more movements he looked at her and bowed slightly. "Thank you so much Tikal, I appreciate it."

Tikal shyly grinned while tucking back bits of her quills. "I-It's not a problem Knuckles. I-I don't want anyone to be hurt th-that's all."

Knuckles grinned back. He then looked at the other parts of his body which were also bandaged up. Her touch and gentleness were unlike anything he ever felt and he wished that she didn't stop. She stated that she healed some of the other echidnas besides prayer so she became pretty adept at it; Knuckles was hoping that they weren't any male echidnas his age however.

"Oh and also I've prepared us a meal as well." Tikal said and pointed towards a collection of fruit, except it had several other things such as berries, vegetables and herbs added as well and made into a feast-like display. The guardian's jaw dropped at the sight, the echidna girl noticing and with a giggle lifted her hand and closed his mouth.

"Let's eat."

"So our people weren't always a warrior tribe?" Knuckles questioned to Tikal as both ate their food. The smaller of the two gave a larger portion of the feast to him for his heroic action a while ago, but he insisted that they get equal shares to which she agreed.

"Before my father, my grandmother used to lead the tribe and she provided a peaceful society to everyone through her teachings. She never wanted anyone to resort to violence nor fight one another." Tikal stopped for a moment as she frowned a bit. "Everyone loved her and the way she treated us, but she died unfortunately and she passed everything she knew to me."

Knuckles also frowned at the explanation. "She sounds like someone that would've done a lot of good in the world. Reminds me of an annoying blue hedgehog that comes by once in a while hehe."

The orange echidna smiled a bit. "Well she wasn't as outgoing or inspirational as Sonic, but she had a giant heart that resonated kindness. All that went away when my father took over and he made all the men turn into vicious savages that only wanted to conquer others and start war."

"Well I'm sorry to say but he sounds like a total jackass." Knuckles replied. Tikal looked at him in confusion. "A what?"

Knuckles mentally facepalmed. 'I forgot she's from 3,000 years ago. Stupid me.'

"It's someone that would hurt others to get a quick buck and insult them while they're at it." he explained.

"Oooh okay, but what do you mean by 'buck'?"

"They go after money by taking it away from others without asking." the male echidna states. Tikal took this all in and frowned more, which caught Knuckles off-guard.

"A-Ah b-but I don't mean he's THAT bad! I-I meant he could've at least- GAH! I don't know what to say but please don't be-."

"It's fine Knuckles. I understand." she interrupted him and looked him in the eye softly. "I tried convincing him to forego his bad intentions, but he wouldn't listen to me. He had almost everyone go after several of the other villages and kill innocent people."

Tikal began tearing up and sniffed before wiping them away. "It's okay though. He's no longer with us and to be honest, I'm glad he's no longer alive but to see him act that way I don't think I can see him as a father anymore."

The red guardian can only sit there taking it all in. He hasn't taken another bite from his food and was focused on the sad girl in front of him. His willpower is asking him to comfort her somehow, but his pride and stubbornness due to his inherited warrior blood saw it as a sign of weakness. However he acted according to what he believed in.

Tikal gasped as Knuckles raised his large hand and placed it on her shoulder, a comforting gaze provided to her from him. "What happened in the past is the past. I may not be good at words or anything, but you being alive again means that the Master Emerald gave you a new beginning. You can start your life over again and this time without much violence or war."

The orange-furred girl stared at him wide-eyed and unexpectedly, launched herself at him. Knuckles did not expect that, wide-eyed as Tikal had her arms wrapped around his neck and the feeling of liquid dampening his fur as the smaller of the two buried her face in his neck.

"Y-You're r-right. This is a n-new start for me. The M-Master Emerald wanted me to e-enjoy life again the way I should have." Tikal slowly pulled back and looked at him, smiling widely while keeping her arms around him. "Thank you Knuckles, for your inspiring words."

Knuckles blushed lightly and grinned, rubbing his cheek. "Ah it's nothing, just helping out." he said, the realization kicking in for him on how close their faces are to one another. "So um, are you good now?"

Tikal giggled and nodded. "Yes, I am good."

"Good, so… I think you can let me go now." he bluntly stated. The smaller echidna blushed and immediately released him, looking the other way embarrassingly. "S-Sorry!"

'Wow, she's really cute. Though there's something I do want to know.' Knuckles thought as he got over the awkwardness for his side. "So getting away from the bad things now, did you have any other relatives besides your grandmother and father?"

Tikal placed her finger under her chin in thought. "I've never known my mother and I didn't have any brothers or sisters. I didn't even have any uncles or aunts to be honest."

The red echidna mentally sighed in relief. 'So I think she wouldn't be my direct ancestor, but just to be sure…'

"So I was also wondering, for my part I've never known my past and I'm hoping to know anything about it. Was there anyone that might've looked like me?" he questioned.

Tikal shook her head. "I don't think I would've known. The tribe all looked similar to one another."

"Oh, okay." Knuckles quietly said. Tikal looked in concern. "Did you want to know of your relatives?"

"Well yeah I wanted to know what my parents were like, but I forgot you were born waaaay before them." he replied. The smaller of the two frowned a bit. "I'm sorry, I wish I could tell you but I wouldn't have known who your ancestors were."

"It's fine, but that does mean something though."

Tikal looked at Knuckles in confusion. "What would that be?"

Knuckles smiled gently at her. "We're not related at all."

"Well, I mean I was an only child and didn't bear any children and I only had my father and grandmother. What would you mean by that?" Tikal asked.

Knuckles chuckled and waved her off. "Nothing, just something I wanted to know too."

The orange echidna however knew why he would ask that, but she kept it in the back of her mind for now. She would have to play it safe however.

"So does it also mean that you were trained to fight too?" Knuckles asked her. Tikal nodded to that. "Yes, my father taught me but I don't really use it. I didn't even use it when they threatened to destroy the Emerald Altar."

"I see, so you really want everyone to have peace with each other." Knuckles said. Tikal nodded to him again. "I want everyone to not resort to violence in any way."

Knuckles smiled at her. "You really are honest with that. Like I said I can't guarantee everyone will follow that, but don't you worry me and my friends will make sure the world is a better place for everyone!"

The female echidna smiled back and laughed. "I hope you do, especially with how to defeated that giant thing."

The red guardian laughed heartily rubbing his head. "He wasn't so tough. Just caught me off guard but someone had to do it." He then noticed her staring at him with an unknown look on her face. Due to how thick-headed he was, he wasn't sure what it was but it was a look that was foreign to him.

"You're not like the others in the tribe. You have a warrior's spirit, but you use it to defend those that are in need. I don't sense any bloodlust in you, but you show courage in the things you do even if the outcome might not look good." Tikal got closer to him and rested her hands on her lap. "Though I do not like fighting, you do it because you want to protect. There's reason why and for that, I do wish I was like you when I tried defending the altar."

A blush appeared on his face, looking down with a sheepish grin. "H-HEY! Don't spit out too much praise for me haha!" he blurted out.

Tikal giggled. 'Not just courageous, but nice and funny… and cute~.'

BOOM!

The pair jumped from a sudden tremble in the air. Knuckles was the first to notice the ground darkening as he looked up to see gray clouds up above about to cover the radiant sun. Another bout of intense thunder echoed around the area and he noticed the sky darken with the wind picking up.

"It looks like there's a storm coming." Knuckles informed as he looked down at Tikal who shivered a bit. He then got up and offered his hand. "C'mon we gotta get you out of the coming rain."

The orange-furred girl was surprised at his gesture but without a second thought grabbed his hand. A jolt of electricity poured into one another as Knuckles lifted her off the ground.

'Woah, her hand is so small!' Knuckles thought.

'His hand… the way it's wrapped around mine, I feel protected.' Tikal mused as well.

"Oh and one last thing: what about Chaos?" he asked her.

Tikal simply smiled. "He's at peace. I may have left with him when Sonic stopped him but I only miss him lightly. I know he's doing well wherever he is and he would approve of me coming back alive."

Knuckles grinned. "Alright so no more bad feelings then." he said as Tikal nodded happily and both took off into the jungle back to where they came.

Next to the Emerald Altar…

"Never thought I'd be coming in here again." the guardian of the Master Emerald asked himself as he and Tikal approached a dome-shaped structure made out of the same brick as the ones in the ruins. The difference is that is looked a lot newer and had windows along with a door. He took out a key he kept hidden and inserting it into the lock, he turned the knob and the duo managed to get in just as the rain started pattering on the surface.

"Oh my goodness…" Tikal watched in awe at the interior. It looked modern compared to the outside and bigger as well unlike the outside. A small kitchen was present with a fridge, stove and sink with a couple of cabinets and a dishwasher at the side. It connected to a small living room that had a single couch along with a flatscreen TV that was currently off and a small fireplace next to it. Two sets of doors were opposite to the living room with one most likely holding the bathroom and the other being the bedroom. All in all, everything looked cozy and to Tikal it was a scenery completely different to what she experienced back then.

"My buddy Tails did this for me when he and Sonic were on the island. He insisted that I at least had some sort of house so I don't constantly sleep out there in the cold." Knuckles explained. Tikal looked at him in shock. "You don't live in this?"

"Not really, I normally stay outside to keep watch on the Master Emerald in case anyone tries to steal it. I have traps set up around the island too so I can catch them ahead of time, but for some people I know they sometimes don't work." he stated.

Tikal looked back at the interior and then back at him. Knuckles had a feeling what this would mean and he wouldn't have it. "Oh no I'm not gonna sleep in here. I have to make sure the Master Emerald stays safe so you just stay in here-."

He was cut off by her torn expression: eyes threatening to spill tears as her lips trembled in sadness. Her hands were clasped in front of her, silently praying he reconsider.

Knuckles' willpower crumbled immediately and he looked away. 'DAMNIT! WHY DID I HAVE TO SAY NO! Her puppy eye look is way more powerful than that damn bat's!"

He peered back and upon seeing the first tear run down her cheek and fall to the floor…

"OKAY! I'll stay!" Knuckles walked quickly to her and hugged her. "…I'll stay. Just don't cry, please."

Tikal sniffed and hugged back, burying her face in his chest. "Thank you." she said, secretly smiling.

Knuckles slowly released her and wiped at any leftover moisture on her face. Tikal blushed at the gesture but didn't protest. "Well if I'll be staying here, let me just activate the defense system." The male echidna walked over to the cabinets and opened one of them, revealing a large red button. "I think Tails meant this one?"

Upon pressing it, he heard a mechanized sound from outside and quickly walked to one of the windows. Tikal followed behind him and peered from his shoulder. From outside several turrets were appearing out of the ground around the altar and in sentry mode, moving their barrels in several directions slowly. Even though the rain hits their surface, it doesn't cause them to short-circuit and the red laser from each of them meant that any movement, the turret would catch it and neutralize it.

"That should do it." Knuckles grinned.

"Wooow. We never had stuff like this in my time." Tikal said. The larger of the two turned to her. "Well you'll see it a lot. Tails is a genius at this stuff so whenever he stops by you'll know."

The orange echidna nodded. "I'll look forward to not just meeting him but your other friends as well, and this time as a living being."

Knuckles chuckled at the response, and then… silence.

'Crap I don't know what to say now! C'mon Knucklehead think of something?!' Knuckles thought frantically.

Tikal shyly watched him with admiration. 'Now that I see it he's so handsome. He may not be the brightest but it is true that he does have a valiant heart. Oh if only he accepts me, please Chaos allow us to be one.'

The orange echidna broke the stare after a few seconds and looked at the TV upfront. "What is that?" she pointed towards it.

"Oh that's a TV. I don't know the full name of it but it basically shows things in real life from a distance when we can't be there to see it." he explained.

"So is it like pictures?" Tikal questioned.

Knuckles watched up to it and grabbed the remote. "Yeah, but the pictures are moving." he then turned it on and a show that displayed a family talking with one another was seen. "See? It uses 'signals' I think that's what Tails called them, but pretty much you can see what they're doing in here and not be actually in front of them at all."

Tikal looked very mesmerized at this and got closer for a better look. She raised her hand towards the screen and touched the glass, feeling the warm surface upon her fingers. "This is truly incredible."

Knuckles chuckled at her curiosity. "Well this is how things are like 3,000 years later. Very different from all that basic stuff you used before. I don't use the things in here much because I'd rather stick with what Angel Island gives me naturally."

Tikal took several steps back and looked at him smiling. "I think it's great that you and your friends have things like this to enjoy. All I had was sticks, sewn dolls and the Chao to keep me company."

"Well you don't have to worry about that anymore, you're in a new beginning like I said." Knuckles stated as the red guardian sat on the couch and leaned into it, patting the seat next to him. "Now sit so you can see what the TV has."

Tikal grinned and did just that, getting herself comfortable as Knuckles changed it to a random channel…

Two hours later…

…only to almost fall asleep as the pair were watching a cheesy romance movie that happened to start just as he switched the channel. Unlike him, Tikal was very engrossed in it with her hands on her mouth and wide eyes watching as the man in the movie was arguing with the love interest's father on why he should be together with her. The sounds of thunder and rain from outside didn't deter either of them as the noise from the TV mostly drowned out the intense ambience from the outside.

'Well, as long as she's happy… that's all that matters…' were the last words he thought before sleep overtook him.

Tikal squealed in delight as she saw the man and woman reunite with one another after the man proved his worthiness, ending it with a kiss as the movie rolled into the credits sequence.

"That was amazing! Knuckles did you see-." she couldn't say more as she noticed her male companion knocked out and slightly snoring. Tikal giggled at how splayed out he was. 'I think he's not into things like this, but he's not leaving which is good.'

Her mind went back to the last scene in the movie, her eyes traveling back to the TV then back to him. Ocean-blue orbs stared at his lips which were slightly parted and subconsciously wasn't aware that she was getting closer to them.

'He won't mind… right? I mean… w-we d-did hug and such.' Tikal kept getting closer until she was over him, hands beside his head but making sure not to make too much movement. She took the time to look at his features; broad face, sharp closed eyes, slightly long black nose, nicely tanned muzzle and almost soft lips that slowly hypnotized her.

'He's perfect… just this once…' Tikal started closing the distance between them, a red hue getting bigger and bigger on her face. She could feel his hot breath against hers and it only enticed her to keep going. Inches turned into centimeters, and centimeters turned into millimeters.

'A-Almost… there…' Tikal tightly closed her eyes and lightly puckered up.

"Mgngh…"

Tikal darted back quickly and sat unmoving, a huge blush apparent as she embarrassingly looked down. Knuckles' eyes slowly opened as he got up and rubbed his head. "Whew, what a nap. So did *yawn* the movie finish?" he asked.

"Y-Yes!" she let out in a high pitch. Fortunately Knuckles was still in almost dreamland to pay attention to how loud she was but he didn't care.

"Well alright, anyway I'll be heading to *yawn* bed. If you wanna watch anything else just press the buttons that I told you about." he explained.

"O-Oh no that's a-alright. I'll be going to s-sleep as well." Tikal managed to control her tone, but she still stuttered due to the shock.

Shrugging, Knuckles went towards the door that lead to the bedroom and disappeared within. Tikal on the other hand fumed with herself.

'WHY DID YOU DO THAT?! YOU ALMOST HAD IT! This is so hard!' the female echidna whined and placed her face in her hands. "He'll never like me…" she said, feeling tears prickling her eyes.

'No! I can't give up!' her conscious asked to her and suddenly she felt courage flowing through her. Wiping her tears she lifted her face with a determined expression and fists at her sides. "I know Knuckles wouldn't give up either so I have to try!" The orange-furred girl's expression left her as soon as it came as sadness replaced it. "But how can I tell him?"

An idea shot in her mind, at the cost however that her face turned incredibly red and her eyes widened all the way. "Unless I have to resort to… that. But… he is a male so…" Tikal said to herself, then walked towards the other door the led to the bathroom as she took off her gloves.

'I have to try. If he doesn't accept me… I don't think I can live without him. Please Knuckles… please…'

A few minutes later…

Knuckles sat on the queen-sized bed currently in a predicament. While he's happy that he's no longer the last of his kind anymore, the fact that it had to be someone of the opposite sex within his species made it A LOT harder to control himself.

'What the heck is wrong with me?! Why do I feel like this?!' he mentally thought out loud. The red guardian was still a bit of a stranger when it comes to romance, only seeing tidbits of it whenever Amy is around Sonic but the latter clearly refuses to engage in her clingy affections. Tails would be too young to understand and with Rouge… there is no way he'd ask her for anything related to the topic. Plus add to the fact that he's been on a floating island for almost the entirety of his life alone made him very new to experiences like this and how to approach it.

'I barely know her much and already it's like my stomach is squeezing itself!' Knuckles groaned in frustration while taking off his socks. His clothing only consisted of his gloves and shoes so he was basically "naked" all the time just like Sonic, Tails, Shadow and the weirdos from the Chaotix group. The girls that he knows all have clothing on them and sometimes he wonders why they wear too much that makes it more restricting in terms of movement. If he were to ask them that though, he'd be in for a rough surprise.

Knuckles sighed and shook his head to get away from the thoughts, pushing his shoes under the bed and getting up to stretch his worn body. The bandages were still around him and fortunately the bleeding stopped a while ago; Tikal wrapped fresh new ones and oh did Knuckles relish the feel of her soft hands.

Once he got a good enough stretch did he start grabbing the sheets and pulling them back so he can get in them. He stopped however as a random thought came into his head about Tikal, wondering how she's doing.

Several ideas came into his mind and one of them stuck out more than the rest: her business in the restroom. The male echidna imagined her probably taking off her clothing to wash herself and seeing how nicely developed she was, it made Knuckles feel more than just whatever he feels in his stomach. The clench turned into a knot as Knuckles thought of her body, going from her nicely shaped breasts, flat stomach, amazing rear and wonderful legs. All this made the knot go further south and made a certain part of him reveal itself.

Knuckles looked down to see a pinkish tip coming out of his pelvis which grew in length the more he thought of his female companion.

'What the heck is this? Why is my thing acting like this?' he questioned himself. Apparently living alone on the island with no interaction with the opposite sex made him clueless on what is going on; not even Rouge made him react like this.

'Crap! If Tikal sees me like this I'm-."

KNOCK KNOCK.

The red guardian froze. The sound of the door being struck gently from the other side caught his attention and he gulped in fear.

"Knuckles are you asleep? Do you mind if I can come in?" the sweet and gentle voice of Tikal came from the other side.

He remained silent for a bit then cleared his throat. "U-Uh n-no not yet! J-Just getting the bed ready!" Knuckles stated as he frantically tried to find something to hide his junk. Unfortunately this caused him to move erratically and hit several pieces of furniture he had in the room which caused a bit of noise.

"Are you okay in there? I'm hearing a lot of noise." the female echidna asked. Knuckles turned towards a drawer quickly, his tool flinging itself about. "E-Everything's okay! J-Just need to- OW!" he yelped as his injured arm hit the side of a vanity.

From the other side Tikal heard this and became worried. 'I don't think he's okay. C'mon Tikal, this is your chance!' she thought as she made up her mind. "I'm coming in." And she opened the door.

Both stood a few feet from one another, silence ever present that it can be cut with a knife. The storm outside raged on however but the ambience of it did nothing to break the dilemma that started.

Knuckles stood with his back leaning against the vanity, violet eyes wide as a deer caught in headlights. His hands gripped the wooden frame from behind like the jaws of life, several cracks making their way onto the surface.

Tikal stood in the doorway, unmoving as well. Blue eyes were just as wide yet if anything her pupils dilated to the extreme with a hand on her mouth. Her vision was focused on the male in front of her, but her precise view wasn't anywhere on his face…

"U-U-UM I-I C-CAN EXPLAIN! YOU S-SEE I T-THOUGHT O-OF THIS STRANGE I-IDEA AND- NO W-WAIT I M-MEAN- GAH NO NOT THAT!" Knuckles panicked and contemplated on just jumping out the window. Seeing that it was the only way to save whatever dignity he had left, he looked towards the glass frame and bolted.

Tikal however broke her trance when he did that and got there before he did, having a quicker response. Without a second thought, she tackled him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips greeted his as well.

The male echidna was shocked, standing frozen as the orange-furred girl kept him there with eyes closed and smooching him like there's no tomorrow. He had no clue on how to respond since he's never done something like this before, but during it did he start to feel warm all of a sudden.

'W-WOAH! What the-?! This is-?! Ah to heck with it!' Knuckles decided not to think and let his own lips do the thinking for him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and brought Tikal closer to also engage in the gesture, her happy squeal encouraging him.

The kiss was astronomical to the pair as mental fireworks set off in their heads. Soft yet inexperienced movements in it were pure and gentle. Knuckles never knew how soft Tikal was until now and for Tikal, it was everything that she expected and more. Tears of joy fell from her closed eyes as she finally was able to become bold enough to do something like this. For Knuckles, this was a whole new thing for him that hopefully occurred a lot more often.

They passionately made out for a couple of minutes, sometimes frenching with Tikal's tongue shyly poking his own larger one to which the latter brought out to caress hers. The female moaned happily from the action and only brought him in closer to deepen the kiss.

Eventually air became an issue for both and they broke away slowly, a small string of saliva connecting their lips. Both opened their eyes to see one another; both faces were flushed with half-lidded eyes staring at each other, panting lightly from the experience.

"Wow…" they both said at the same time. Both looked down in embarrassment from saying that and Knuckles was more in shock on what she had on: three green leaves each covered her private parts with two covering her breasts and one her pelvic area. That's all she had one as well with only her headpiece and necklace on as well.

"U-Um, w-what's with the-." he started but was cut off.

"O-Oh this? W-Well u-um, I w-wanted t-to… y-you know…" Tikal took a few steps back and showed herself fully to Knuckles, hands put together behind her nervously. "I w-wanted to… c-confess something…"

"What w-would that be?" Knuckles' stuttering started going away as he became more interested. What did she want to say to him?

"W-Well, even though w-we haven't known each other for long." Tikal's confidence was slowly building and she looked him in the eye with slight desperation. "I-I l-lo… I LOVE YOU!"

Knuckles couldn't believe it. Destined to be the last guardian of the Master Emerald, the last of his kind to continue a legacy that would end with him, and would wind up being alone for the rest of his life… was just confessed to by a revived member of the tribe he originated from. And by someone he thought of ever since he laid eyes on them.

The silence was nerve-wracking and Tikal thought that he probably was disgusted by the confession. Tears made their way once again and she started trembling. "I-I u-unders-stand i-if y-you d-d-don't f-f-f-." she couldn't continue; the thought of rejection shattering her heart into billions of pieces.

Knuckles' train of thought broke from her voice, her words, her body expression, her tears…

'DO. NOT. SCREW. UP.' came to the red guardian's mind. Composing himself, he gave her a smile and walked up to her. An embrace followed as he kissed her, mimicking what they did earlier.

Tikal immediately pounced on him and wrapped her legs around the larger male, giving off a muffled cry in their show of affection. Knuckles maintained his balance and could only reply with gentle movements of his mouth. The feeling of contact with one another set their hearts pounding and release of the stress that they felt all go away.

Knuckles decided to sit on the bed so he'd be more comfortable as Tikal was now straddling him. A few more minutes did they make out and eventually another bout of air was needed, hesitantly pulling away slowly and looking at each other lovingly.

"I love you too." Knuckles said, letting it out naturally with confidence. Tikal smiled widely and wiped her eyes, giggling.

"Th-Thank you, Knuckles." Tikal replied, going in and pecking him on the cheek before nuzzling under his chin. The male echidna closed his eyes and sighed, nuzzling the top of her head in return. He pulled her back a bit and noticed something different: she looked more beautiful than he ever imagined.

A nice round face, mesmerizing blue eyes with well-defined eyelashes, small cute black nose and a nicely tanned muzzle, along with incredibly soft petite lips that he just wanted to dive back into. All in all, she was everything that he ever wanted and more.

"K-Knuckles?" she said nervously as the male kept watching her in awe. She cheered happily inside however, seeing that he reciprocated her feelings as well and that he's VERY interested in her.

Knuckles heard her luckily and shook his head, grinning sheepishly. "Hehe s-sorry about that. It's just… you're really gorgeous."

Tikal flushed incredibly red at that, watching him in awe as well. "R-Really?"

His grin was replaced with a soft smile. "Yeah, no doubt about it." Knuckles got close and rubbed his nose with hers, the latter immediately doing the same. She shifted in his lap to get a better position… yet…

"OH!"

The orange-furred echidna jumped slightly in surprise at something poking her from below. Knuckles felt the sensation and blushed, the contact foreign to him as he sees her looking down. His elongated cock moved itself under the leaf covering her pelvis and for the guardian of the Master Emerald, he could only think of warm and wet.

"U-Um, s-sorry about that!" Knuckles panicked. He didn't do anything as Tikal merely gazed in surprise.

'He's so… big.' the smaller girl thought.

"O-Okay um here lemme just get you off." Knuckles found his words as he brought his hands to her shoulders, gently pushing her. However Tikal felt it and she placed her hands on his biceps, stopping him. She then looked at him, flushed but giving him a sincere smile.

"It's okay Knuckles. Just a little surprised that's all." she then moved her hands to cup his cheeks and brought him in for another kiss, short and sweet pulling back. "I-I didn't know you felt like this as well."

Knuckles averted his gaze for a second then looked back at her. "W-Well I actually don't know what's going to be honest. I just thought of you without clothes and… well… I'm sorry." he said ashamed.

Tikal laughed softly and kissed him again, nibbling his lower lip in affection and pulling back again. "Don't be. This is also the reason why I came in like this."

Just as before, the orange-furred girl brought him back in and both passionately kissed. Their tongues danced with one another as their love mixed and mingled for all that was worth. The heat from their bodies being elevated that their fur felt like mini heaters to one another but they didn't mind it, only wanting to be in each other's company. Their sounds of smooching resonated in the room even though the storm outside still raged on; the faint comfortable light from the room gave a cozy feeling for both of them as they continued their gentle exchange.

Tikal in her excitement started to grind her hips against his, moaning into his mouth as she felt his cock rub against her womanhood. The wetness that released itself from her flower slowly covered Knuckles' member and he shivered at the feeling. It was a strange sense, but his mind was slowly going into overdrive trying to control his hidden primal instincts. The red guardian grabbed her hips and supported her by grinding back against her, pulling her down more onto his member and feeling her lower lips almost consume him.

"Aaah~." Tikal gasped in pleasure. Her face contorted into one of delight, mouth slightly open and closed eyes as she moaned more from the experience. Knuckles took this opportunity to dart towards her neck and lightly bite it.

"Oooh~… mwhah~… Knuckles~…" the female echidna mewled, letting the larger of her kind nibble at the area around her collarbone. Her panting increased the further he went along her neck, stopping right at the middle then kissing his way down south all the while they kept grinding against one another.

Her bosom presented itself to Knuckles with two leaflets covering what he knew was underneath. Not taking them off immediately, he settled by releasing his hold on her hips and moving his hands to grasp each globe.

'Holy…' was his only thought as he couldn't describe the softness of each of her breasts, gently playing with them as he squeezed and moved them about. Tikal continued to moan from his actions, though she got a bit annoyed that he was teasing her.

"Knuckles… ah… ah… PLEASE SUCK THEM!" she had enough and pushed her chest towards his face. The male was surprised at her forwardness but not wanting to make her angry obeyed and placed his hands on the leaflets. Upon removing them he was greeted by two beautiful pink nipples that stood up at attention for him. As though he were hypnotized Knuckles slowly inched his way towards her left tit and latched onto it, giving an experimental suck.

"AH!~" Tikal cried out in pleasure and grabbed his head to keep him there. Seeing as the girl of his dreams was very pleased he continued this action, suckling her nub while also twirling his tongue around it and her areola. His other hand worked on massaging her right breast to keep it company while his left hand returned to her hip to continue to support their movements.

"Oh my god~!…Ah~…Ah~…Mwhah~!" she let out in delight, feeling his tongue on her tits as he started alternating between the two. For a moment did he place his face in between them and at that point did Tikal move her hands and squeeze her boobs together to cover it. She giggled at the action for a bit but continued her lewd sounds upon his return to sucking.

With a growl Knuckles turned them both and brought her onto the bed, moving himself further down her body as Tikal gasped at the action.

"K-Knuckles! That was so s-sudden~." she breathed out, using her arms to put herself up a bit to see what he's doing. The red guardian left a trail of kisses that made it past her stomach to which the female echidna laughed, until it changed into a cry of pleasure upon feeling Knuckles' lips almost touching her lower ones.

"…woah… girls have something like this?' Knuckles thought staring at her honeypot. Her quivering lower lips sheened from the bodily fluids she was currently releasing along with a small nub appearing at the top of it. All this was very new to him and he had no idea if he was pulling it off correctly.

"D-Don't stare at it Knuckles…" he looked up hearing her voice to Tikal's averting eyes; her face incredibly red if it can get any more than that as she almost covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just… this is all new to me…" he admitted. Tikal slowly uncovered herself and was surprised for a bit, but changed into her gentle expression.

"It's okay Knuckles, I actually thought you knew what you were doing… I mean if you did it with… s-someone else." she whispered the last part, almost choking it out. Knuckles however felt her slight distress and shook his head. "No, I've never done it with anyone. To be honest… you're also my first kiss. If you wanna make fun of me, you can-."

Knuckles felt her cup his face and gently stroke his cheeks with her thumbs, causing him to look up into her beautiful ocean-colored eyes. "I will never do that. I-It's also my first time… and my first kiss with you. I love you and I won't ever leave you for someone else. You'll always be my first and last." she said with a loving gaze. The male echidna teared up a bit from that but nodded and wiped his face, looking back down to keep up his work. Without a second thought, he brought his mouth towards her flower.

"AAH!" she screamed out, arching her back and feeling his tongue dig into her hot orifice. Eyes wide as dinner plates and tongue hung out her open mouth as her panting and moaning increased tenfold, Knuckles himself having to hold her hips to keep her steady as he licked her inner walls. Every part of her was thoroughly caressed as Knuckles tasted everything in her sweet honeypot, listening to her joyful moans as if it was music to his ears.

"KNUCKLES~!... AH~!… OH GOD~!" Tikal couldn't contain herself, clenching her thighs together and burying him deep into her lower lips. The red guardian felt the gush of her nectar leaking out and to him it tasted like grapes, his most favorite fruit. The taste made him crave more and with renewed vigor increase his assault, adding his hands to further spread her lips and alternating between her opening and playing with her clit.

"OH! OH! OH MY LORD! KNUCKLES~! I'M CLOSE!" Tikal yelled in happiness with her eyes clenched tightly, gripping the sheets with all her strength. Her core was ready to burst and the male echidna's efforts were unrelenting and just what she wanted. She was able to hold out a bit more… until he bit her clit lightly.

"AAAAHHHHH!" the female echidna screamed in pleasure, squeezing her legs around her lover's head and cumming right into his mouth. Knuckles' instincts were kicking in as he put his mouth on her lower lips in a tight seal, drinking everything she gave him. He put his hands on her rear to bring her even closer as she rode out her orgasm, moaning the whole time along with her hands going towards his head to keep him there.

"Aaah~… ahhh~… mwah~… ha~… ha~… ha~…" and just like that, Tikal's moans lowered as the last of her nectar left her body and straight down Knuckles' throat. The red guardian took his mouth off her flower with a gentle pop, a string of saliva connecting the two. He looked up to see her face, all red and sweaty from the experience with both eyes staring at him half-lidded and an open grin greeting him as she panted.

"*pant* Wow… that was *pant*… amazing~." she coaxed out with effort. Knuckles grinned in satisfaction then moved up to her level. She invited him by spreading her legs and moving a hand below to spread her womanhood, wagging her tail as well.

"I wish to mate with you Knuckles. I want to become one with you if you can grant me that wish. Please…" she asked him with the last part said in a low volume. Knuckles melted at how cute she sounded, even more when she curled up a bit yet at the same time slowly wrapped her legs around him.

"I accept Tikal. I'm still new to this so… I'll do my best to make you happy." he said moving up and bringing his member close to her core, rubbing her velvet folds with the tip. She moaned happily and closed her legs around him more. "Please… hurry my love~."

Not willing to disobey her, Knuckles proceeded to insert the head and watched it become swallowed up. Knuckles seized up, feeling how incredibly tight and warm she was just from the tip and imagining what it would be like when he puts the whole thing inside.

"Guh… wow." he breathed out, looking up to meet her gaze. Dread immediately filled him upon seeing her clenched face like she was in pain. "Are you okay?!" the male echidna panicked. "If this is hurting you I'll take it out and-!"

"NO!"

Knuckles trembled for a second, the sense of fear go into him as he watched Tikal look at him with a pained yet angry look. "I-I'm sorry I-I yelled. Just please… don't." She brought him down to her and kissed him sweetly, hands burrowing in his quills then breaking their interaction. "I-It's fine. My grandmother told me about this and that it'll hurt for a second. Just please… don't leave me…" she whimpered. Her sorrowful look broke his defenses and Knuckles nodded.

"Okay, I'll go bit by bit." he whispered back. The smaller echidna nodded and brought him close again, arms moving around his neck as she felt him go further inside her. The pace was painstakingly slow and Knuckles felt more warmth and tightness the more he went in, almost causing him to just instantly go in.

'It's so good… but I don't want to hurt her.' the red guardian thought, looking down to see he was halfway in. Tikal had a few tears in her eyes and bit her lip from screaming out, digging her fingers into his broad shoulders but not too hard that it'll hurt him. Knuckles understood and didn't mind it, going further in until he felt it: a thin barrier.

"W-What is this?" Knuckles asked. The orange-furred girl breathed out to calm herself from the pain. "D-Do not worry my love. Just break through it." she replied.

Breathing out as well, Knuckles did a sharp thrust and deeply inserted himself through the barrier.

"AAH-MMFFFH!" Tikal almost screamed but Knuckles darted in and kissed her. She cried heavily but her pained sounds disappeared into their passionate exchange as she gripped him hard towards her. Her legs wrapped tightly around him and after a few moments did her cries started settling down.

'Heh, just in time… but… ooohhh.' the male echidna couldn't believe it. His mind melted at the most incredible feeling he is having in his life. His cock was surrounded by plush tight walls of unbelievable warmth that just wanted to suck him in further. An immediate pressure built up inside of him and he felt like he was about to burst, but he held it in through sheer willpower. He looked at Tikal who had her eyes closed tight and sniffled, still in pain but was assured that it'll hurt for a bit. Then he looked down…

… to see a streak of blood drip out of her.

"O-Oh no… No… I-I'M SO-!"

He was silenced by another kiss. She smooched him so hard that Knuckles felt like his lips would be torn off, but closing his eyes he kissed her back, the sound of her moan ringing in their exchange. They broke apart again, the smaller echidna softly looking at him.

"Shh, i-it's okay. This is n-normal, it only means th-that we're mating. W-We are one." Tikal began grinding her lower half against him, gasping from the movement. "Now please, mate me."

With no further comment Knuckles slowly pulled back with his member halfway out, then thrusted back in hard.

"AH!" Her response was instant, squealing as she clenched herself around his body along with his member inside of her. Knuckles could not think straight and continued the pace, their hormones kicked into overdrive and all the male thought of was to pleasure and rut his female.

"AH~! AH~! AH~! OH~! OOH~! FASTER~!" she shouted, the red guardian groaning in delight and picked up the pace and slamming hard into her. Her walls clenched like a vice around him and the sounds of their pelvises making contact resonated within the room. She brought him close and nuzzled his neck, moaning into his ear which brought happiness to the protector of the Master Emerald.

"Tikal, *pant* you're so *pant* hot and tight *pant*." Knuckles muttered. The female echidna smiled brightly and gasped happily, nuzzling his face with hers and kissed his cheek. "You're-AH~! So big-OH~!" she responded. They couldn't focus on words, mainly thinking about the incredible sensation they are both feeling. Knuckles kept a fast pace, hilting inside of her fully several times and feeling her fluids leak out and dampen his pelvis. Her moans were complete music to his ears and while he enjoyed it, he wanted to make her feel better upon eyeing her defenseless chest.

"OH KNUCKLES~!" she yelped when her lover attached his mouth onto her nipple once again, feeling him suck the nub and work her tit with his tongue. She ran her fingers up into his quills and played with them, gasping in pleasure at how good everything was feeling. "AH~! AH~! I-I-I'M CLOSE!"

Knuckles didn't know what she meant by that, but not wanting to ruin the moment kept his thrusting and started going harder. His balls hit her rear to which he grabbed her by the butt with both hands, lifting her lower half up a bit to get a better position. Her cries got louder from the action, feeling from inside that he hit new areas that caused a whole new level of pleasure from her.

"OH MY~! TH-THIS IS-AH~!" Tikal couldn't speak, her vision seeing white from the penetration. Arching her back she gripped the sheets hard and wrapped her legs tighter around him. Knuckles in turn bent down and sucked on her breasts again, kneading her ass with both hands and using one of them to caress her tail.

"OH~! AH~! I-I'M! I'M!" Tikal gasped.

"GRRGUH!" Knuckles growled, feeling the pressure inside of him ready to burst. He kept at it, the harsh slaps from their lower bodies starting to rock the bed and making it creak. If they kept going it would start to break, but unfortunately since it's both their first time…

"KNUCKLEEES!"

"Tikal!"

They both came at the same time.

The red guardian felt something release from his member and flow inside his mate. He hilted himself fully inside and kept it there, groaning low with eyes tightly closed. He gripped her ass tight but not enough to hurt her, the feeling of how soft and plush it was causing him to relish it fully.

The female echidna released her own juices which spilled onto both their pelvises, as well as feeling his essence shoot inside of her. Her belly felt the incredible warmness from his seed and her voice let out one long moan. Her grip on him was secure and didn't bother of ever letting go.

"Aahhhh~." Tikal let out as Knuckles huffed out panting, his arms keeping him from falling on her so instead he slowly made his way down and stayed slightly above her. They basked in the afterglow, his member still inside of her with both areas twitching from the intense pleasure.

Knuckles recovered faster than she did and looked at her, seeing her eyes closed gently as she tried finding her breathing. Her dreadlock quills splayed behind her in a bit of a mess and the sheen of her sweat was apparent on her face. The red hue and happy grin on her face were indication that she loved the experience and upon opening her eyes, gazed at him adoringly.

"Thank you… Knuckles… I… love you." she whispered. The male echidna grinned back and pecked her. "I love you too."

Knuckles then slowly pulled out, seeing his member drenched in her juices and her womanhood leak out whatever leftover he released inside her come out. It was very erotic to say the least but for Knuckles, it was something he would cherish for a long time…

…until his cock sprang up again.

Tikal saw this and smiled. Having recovered as well she rolled over and wiggled her butt at him, gesturing him to come over with her finger and a seductive look. "Come here my love~. I want more~."

Knuckles was pretty shocked. This was a whole new side of her that was completely different from the sweet and wholesome nature that she normally has. It wasn't anything bad, but he definitely did like this side of her and did wish on seeing it more often if they did this again.

The larger male complied and crawled over to her. The smaller female then placed her hands on her ass and spread them open, revealing her second hole. "Please… mate me here as well…"

Knuckles looked down to see a puckered star between her butt. He was no stranger to what comes out of there, but because he was inside of where she would do number one and how good it felt being inside her he wasn't gonna complain. He lined himself up to her other hole and prodded the head onto it. Tikal shivered at the contact and moaned.

"Be g-gentle my love, it's my first time there…" she asked him. Knuckles nodded and taking a deep breath, pushed the tip slowly into her rear as it disappeared from view.

Tikal arched instantly, her mouth wide open and eyes stretched out as far as they can. A near-silent squeal came out of her and Knuckles looked worried, but shook his head knowing she allowed him to do this. He went in further and groaned lowly, experiencing something completely different.

'W-Wow! She's even more tighter in this one!' he thought the further more he went in. Her rectal walls hugged him like an iron grip and fortunately their mixed fluids provided enough lubricant to have him easily go in. The echidna male couldn't fathom on how insanely good it felt in her ass, almost cumming there and now but as before he withstood it with sheer willpower.

The orange-furred girl eventually got back down on the bed and gripped it tightly, her teeth digging into the sheets feeling his large member go into her backdoor. 'O-Oh m-my… th-this i-is… aahhh~…' she couldn't think straight at all, her rear taking him all in the more he went. Each movement caused her inner nerves to send immense pleasure through her body and already she could feel her bodily fluids leak out once again from her pussy.

After a minute and a half, Knuckles felt his pelvis hit her plump posterior. His arms shook from the unimaginable experience he's having which caused him to lightly fall on Tikal, his head near hers as both breathed heavily. A low growl emerged from his throat as he gave one good thrust, his mate throwing her head up a bit letting out a whimper.

"A-Are you okay?" Knuckles whispered to her. Tikal turned her head slowly and kissed him, the latter returning it with both not moving yet. A few seconds in they separated and she nodded, watching him with half-lidded eyes. "Y-Yes, now do me. Do me and make me yours~!"

Complying with her request, the emerald protector started moving his hips in a slow motion. He could feel her walls clench on him so tight that he felt like he couldn't pull out, but luckily the fluids still on his member were enough to make him slightly pull out and thrust back in. Tikal gasped when he went back in, his large cock hitting places she never knew could be touched. Her tongue lulled out her mouth as her head fell onto the bed, moaning as he felt him go rougher and faster.

The smacks of his thrusting echoed in the room as Knuckles watched his member disappear into her tailhole. He got up slightly to gaze at her nicely developed ass and with both hands gave them a squeeze towards each other; Tikal moaned higher at the action and contracted her buttcheeks together, making him groan at the feeling.

"T-Tikal, you're s-so amazing." Knuckles let out and lowered himself back onto her, careful on not putting his entire weight. The female echidna looked to her side and noticed his large hand next to her small hand and with a bit of effort, reached towards it and grasped it.

"H-Hold- AH! me Knuckles… I-I want to OH~ know y-you're AAH! th-there~." she requested. The larger male nuzzled her neck and accepted, his crimson hand intertwining with her peach-colored one and grasping each other tightly. They did the same thing with their other hands and she cried in happiness from both the contact and the experience she's feeling in her rear.

Knuckles groaned again and increased the power into his thrusts. He noticed Tikal also humped back to meet his plunges which only increased the pleasure ten-fold. Her walls got tighter and tighter the more he went in and the feeling of it caused the red guardian to fully unleash his primal urges. Gripping her hands a bit more he went all out, ferocious piston-like movements making him look as fast as the Blue Blur himself. Tikal's moans were at an all time high, trying to keep up with matching his shoves.

"OOHHH KNUCKLES~! FASTER~! DEEPER~! AH~! AH~! AH~!" the female echidna gasped uncontrollably at the elevated sensation. Her ass clenched more around him and her fluids leaked out faster, falling onto the bed below and wetting it. A heavy pressure built inside her lower region and when they met each other's thrusts exactly, that was it.

"AAAAHHHH!" Tikal screamed at the top of her lungs, her pussy gushing out nectar which splashed upon their lower bodies and fell onto the bed below them. Her whole body trembled from her climax, still feeling his primal thrusts inside her. Fortunately when she released did her ass contract even more which was enough to send him over the edge as well.

"FUCK!" Knuckles cursed, hilting himself all the way and releasing his seed. The male echidna clenched his fangs tightly, relishing the feeling of her rear gripping him well and convulsing around his member. He wrapped their arms closer together, humping her gently and riding out the afterglow as they breathed heavily.

"K-Knuckles… *pant* I l-love you *pant*… so much." Tikal whispered to him, pecking his cheek. Knuckles moved his head and kissed her back, stopping his movements and staying still inside her. "I *pant*… love you *pant* too… my princess."

The smaller female smiled at his compliment and slowly started getting up. The larger male felt it and got up as well, his member sliding out of her ass to which it leaked out a bit of fluid. Tikal shivered upon feeling her second hole filled up as well; it was a strange sensation but she loved it knowing it came from him and couldn't wait for more of it to come.

Knuckles breathed deeply and reclined himself onto the pillow of the bed. His eyes were closed as he let out soft pants, recovering from their intense session. He has a lot of endurance due to his warrior training, but he would need to train further in this aspect if he wanted to extend their intercourse.

The emerald guardian suddenly felt a bit of weight on his pelvis and a hand grab his member. He slowly opened his eyes to see Tikal lowering herself onto his cock, her flower gulping his cock into it with both groaning at the sensation. Fully hilting him inside her, she placed her hands on his broad chest and rubbed it softly.

"One more Knuckles… let's go slow on this one~." she purred, moving her hands up to cup his face and gently kiss him. Knuckles obliged and kissed her back, moving his hands to her rear and lifting her up only to thrust back down.

"AH~!" Tikal gasped, their mouths separating for a moment before she dove back in. They both met one another in a slow rhythm, kissing passionately at the same time with both their eyes closed. Their tongues caressed one another and explored each other's caverns, though Knuckles was stronger and more assertive to which Tikal squealed in delight whenever he overpowered her. The feeling of him dominating her made the orange-furred echidna shiver, knowing that she was safe and protected with him.

Soft squelching of their love organs meeting one another echoed within the softly lit room. The storm outside continued to rage and not give up, though it was no issue for the two lovers as they focused solely on each other and nothing else.

Knuckles and Tikal grinded against one another, feeling their genitals almost ready to release once again. Due to already climaxing, their third sexual intercourse made them very sensitive and they knew they wouldn't last long.

"K-Knuckles~… I'm-" she couldn't finish as Knuckles came and kissed her again, feeling her moan inside his mouth. They separated after and looked at one another lovingly. "I-I'm close t-too Tikal." he responded.

"Th-Then let's… Oh… do it together~." she moved her arms around his neck and brought him to her once again. Knuckles responded by speeding up a tiny bit, their bodies making contact with one another until it finally got to them.

"Mmmmm~." Tikal moaned in the kiss as they both came, feeling his seed shoot up inside her pussy for the second time. Her fluids shot out and covered his cock with her essence along with both their pelvises. They remained hilted for a couple of seconds, then rode out the last of their afterglow to which they separated and watched each other softly.

"That was incredible Tikal. I hope I was good enough." he asked her in a low voice. The smaller of the two giggled and laid her head on his chest. "You were amazing Knuckie. I thought you didn't know how to do it?" she questioned.

Knuckles chuckled at the nickname she gave him. "I don't. I just went with what my instincts told me. I might not be smart in everything but that doesn't mean I'm not quick to learn." he said kissing the top of her head. "I'm glad I was able to experience this with you, Tikie."

Tikal blushed at the nickname he gave her, but sighed happily nonetheless. "I should be thanking you. I've never had this before I sacrificed myself to seal Chaos, but I'm glad it was with you my love."

The red guardian smiled at her, feeling her head move to gaze up at him. The shine from her headpiece added beauty to her, but to him it felt like it may have bothered her. Tikal gasped when he reached to take it off, setting it aside on the bedrest beside them. Not only that but he also removed her necklace, leaving her just as bare as him.

"I want to see you as you Tikie. You look ten times more beautiful without it." Knuckles grinned and nuzzled her nose. Her eyes widened at the compliment and with a huge smile, pounced at him and brought him in for another kiss.

Upon releasing it did Knuckles separate to look at her curiously. "So does this mean that… we can repopulate our species?"

Tikal's smile turned into a frown as she looked down in sadness. "Unfortunately no Knuckie. My father made me sterile to prevent me from bearing children of any of the male echidnas. While he was vicious in his war campaigns, he didn't want anyone to spoil our bloodline."

The emerald guardian slightly frowned at the news, hugging her close as she tightened her arms around him. "A-Are you okay with th-this?" she asked with a bit of fear.

"I'm alright hehe. As long as you're here I don't mind if we might not be able to save our species." he asked her. Tikal smiled then leaned back, giggling a bit which confused the larger male.

"I also forgot to tell you: Since we're both guardians of the Master Emerald, it provides us with a blessing that greatly increases our lifespan to the point of immortality. That way…"

"…we can be together, forever." Knuckles finished her sentence in shock. Tikal nodded happily and hugged him close. "If you're okay with it."

Knuckles shook a bit from the revelation and gave a huge grin, hugging her back tightly. "I'm absolutely okay with it!" he said out loud and moved her back a bit to look at her. "I know that starting today I'm not the last of my kind anymore, but it also means one other thing."

Tikal raised her eyebrow at this. "And what would that be?"

Knuckles brought his forehead to hers and smiled genuinely. "I have something to protect and cherish way more important than the Master Emerald…"

This brought tears to Tikal's eyes as she whimpered, throwing herself at her lover. "OH KNUCKIE~!"

Knuckles was not prepared for the onslaught of smooches brought by his new girlfriend. Love and affection poured out of her as the red guardian laughed and kissed her back. In between their kisses did she pull back a bit and watch him with all the love she has. "You'll never be alone my handsome guardian."

Knuckles teared up at her statement and smiled. "And I'll always be there for you my beautiful princess." After that did they immediately resume their make-out session which lasted throughout the night. For Tikal, it was a blessing that she came back to the world of the living at another chance to experience life all over again alongside her newfound love. For Knuckles, he will no longer be the last of his kind and will having something even more precious to protect; more importantly, he will never be alone again.

Fin.