Author's note: Hey! Thanx for checking this out! This happens a bit after Knuckles #32, the last issue of the comic series.I don't own any Sonic characters, or Julie-Su and any Archie characters. I'm just a fan w/ too much free time and too many thoughts in his head. It'll start kinda slow, but it gets good late on. I've posted the first three chapters so you can get started. As soon as I get back to my PC on Sunday, I'll put up more. Anyway, enough of my babbling! Enjoy!!!
COMPETITION?
It was a nice, quiet day. The birds chirped as they fluttered through the air, engulfed in the sweet aromas of the dozens of vibrant flowers. The grassy meadows stretched out from the dense forest, until they meet a sudden end. At that point the ground begins to slope downward...inward. One would look down and see the great ocean below them, but no ground. This would be because this particular landmass was an island. An island in the sky. The Floating Island was a host of many different biospheres. Scorching deserts, snowy mountains, grassy plains, you name it, and it was there.
Today was going to be an abnormal day. There would be guests from the surface. They were allies, and friends, and were always welcome. The jet slowly landed on the soft soil. The flight over had been smooth sailing. The Freedom Fighters were all rather excited. The Chaotix had invited them up to dinner in Echidnapolis. Echidnapolis. Perhaps the most advanced city on Mobius. The oldest in History. All were ecstatic about the invitation, except for one.
Sonic stepped slowly off of the jet, grumbling to himself. 'Can't believe I actually came. I mean, Mighty and Ray are my pals, and the others are cool, but I just can't deal with...' "Sonic! Hey! Over here!" a familiar voice yelled. Sonic and his friends turned towards the woods to see Mighty the Armadillo, waving his arms in the air so as to signal them. "Long time, no see, Mighty!" Sonic said after he sped past the others to his old friend, extending his arm. Mighty lightly grasped Sonic's hand and shook it. He knew his own strength, which was a good thing for Sonic. "Yeah, I know. You guys ready?" he said, cheerfully as the others huffed and puffed after running after Sonic. "Yeah...Just let us catch our breath!" Rotor exclaimed. Sonic and Mighty chuckled.
In no time they were on their way through the woods. Mighty pointed out all kinds of plant-life and landmarks to them as they went. As they were walking, Sonic noticed some beautiful flowers and glanced over at Sally. He went to pick some, but yelped when he felt his finger get pricked. "YEOW! What the..." he began, as the others came over and observed him grasping his finger. Mighty pushed some of the flowers away and sighed. "Charmy! What are you doing?" he said, picking up his friend by the wings. He had called Charmy, too, to see if he wanted to spend some time with his old friends and get away from the Honeybee Kingdom. Charmy shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. Picking pollen maybe? I am a bee after all! Not my fault Sonic isn't careful."
Sonic grumbled as he put his sore finger into his mouth. He then took it out and picked up the flowers he had dropped and presented them to Sally. "For you, ma'am," he said with a bow. "Back off, creep!" Sonic's head shot up in surprise. "What?" he questioned, shocked by Sally's remark. "I didn't..." Sally began, startled. "I did," a voice said as Espio appeared in between the two confused Mobians. Sally and Sonic blushed as they glared at Espio, who was chuckling along with the others. "Sorry. Couldn't resist."
"What's with the giggle-fest?" a raspy voice asked. Espio, still chuckling, turned to greet the new arriver. "Hey Vec! I was just..." "Never mind, Espy. Let's go. Ray's saving' us a table at Pops', and I'm starving!" "Heh! Alright, Vec!" Mighty said. They walked a little farther and crossed paths with Julie-Su. "Well, I see the guests have arrived," she said with a friendly smile. "So where's your dance partner?" Vector asked. The Freedom Fighters looked at him and then Julie-Su, wondering what he meant. "Knuckles is off in the woods somewhere and I'm looking for him to make sure he isn't late," she replied, glaring angrily at Vector. "Sure!" Vector grumbled to himself.
Mighty saw a potential problem, so he decided to quickly change the subject. "Why don't we help you look! There's a lot of wilderness to cover!" "Give me three seconds and I'll have found him!" Sonic said with a proud smirk. Mighty shook his head. "Knuckles knows every nook and cranny of this Island. You'll never find him if he isn't out in the open. Plus, you don't even know where he lives, so we'd better stick together. Vec, go tell Ray we'll be right there." Vector nodded and was on his way.
The Freedom Fighters were surprised when they saw Knuckles' home. It was a cave. Just a cave. There was a city just a few miles away and he lived in a hole in the ground. Mighty went to knock the door, but paused. "What is it Mighty?" Tails asked. "You hear that?" They all turned around and heard a strange noise off in the distance. "What do you..." Sally began, but before she could finish her sentence, Sonic was out and back. "What IS it, then?" she asked. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Gotta see it yourself." Sonic said.
They followed him into the woods and it became clearer what the sound was. It was a guitar. But who was playing a guitar out here? When Sonic pushed some of the brush aside, no one knew what to say. A familiar red echidna was lying down with his back against a tree. Next to him were his shoes, his bare feet dipped into the pond in front of him. His left glove was on top of his shoes, and his right glove held a guitar pick. He had an acoustic guitar held against his chest, just below the white crescent collar that ran under his neck.
"Okay," he said to himself out loud, certain he was alone, "Let's take you for another whirl." He began to play, and did so with great skill. His friends stared in awe from the bushes. Their eyes began to widen as he picked up the tempo and began to play faster, not missing a single note. He finally began to slow down the tempo and shocked them all when he began to sing.
This is my paradise,
This is my cold prison cell.
This is my paradise,
This is my Heaven and Hell.
This is my paradise,
This is the place I hate and love.
This is my paradise,
This is all I'm thinking of.
Each and every day,
Begins and ends the same old...
Each and every day,
Doesn't matter what I think or...
This is my paradise,
This is my emerald in the sky.
This is my paradise,
This is the place I'll live and die.
Each and every day,
Begins and ends the same old...
Each and every day,
Doesn't matter what I think or...
This is my paradise,
This is my cold prison cell.
This is my paradise,
This is my Heaven and Hell.
Each and every day,
Begins and ends the same old...
Each and every day,
Doesn't matter what I think or...say...
After a moment, he stopped playing. The others were still in a trance. His voice was so soothing, so sad, that they had gotten lost in his song. He sighed, but looked up with a slight smile and said, "Well, I still have the old touch. But hey! When you're all alone with nothing to do for a few years, you pick up a few hobbies. Nice to know I still got it" He stood up and slipped his single glove and his shoes on. "Better swing this by the cave and get over to Pops'," he said, looking up at the position of the sun, "I'm already late."
Suddenly there was a snap in the bushes. Knuckles' body tensed up, and with his glaring eyes, he surveyed the area around him. He began to sniff the air, which made his friends nervous. Although they were hidden, his sense of smell was extremely precise, like all of his other senses. Fortunitally, they were down wind, but if they moved, he would hear them. It's not that he would hurt them or anything...well, maybe Sonic...but Knuckles was a very private creature, and would find this violating.
Suddenly, some of the pollen Charmy had collected floated into Antoine's nose. He let out a sneeze that even a deaf person could have heard. Everyone else cringed. "Alright! I know you're in there! Come on out!" Knuckles yelled. To his great surprise, the Freedom Fighters and most of the Chaotix stepped out of the bushes. If the look on his face didn't reveal it, Knuckles' blushing cheeks showed that he was embarrassed. "Hey...Knux." Mighty said with a friendly chuckle.
"Wh-what are you guys..." he began, until he was cut off by Charmy. "Man, Knux! Why didn't you tell us you could play the guitar like that?" "Or sing so well..." Sally added with a dreamy sigh, which made Knuckles turn red with embarrassment and Sonic turn red with jealousy. "Well, I...I don't...like to talk about myself, so..." "We can talk more later. Right now, Vec and Ray are waiting for us, so let's go already!" Espio said. Everyone nodded in agreement. "I'll be there as soon as I can. I just need to run this home," Knuckles said, slightly lifting his guitar, then lowering it again, still blushing. "Okay, but hurry," Julie-Su sighed.
Pops' Diner was a usual hangout spot for the Chaotix. They were frequent customers, and Pops really liked them. He was more than happy to save some tables for their friends. They were all seated, waiting patiently for Knuckles, who was the current topic of discussion.
"Did you guys know he could do that?" Tails asked the Chaotix. They looked at each other and shook their heads. "Had no idea. Wonder why he never told anyone. I mean, sure he's a private guy, but it isn't that big a deal." Vector replied, still surprised by the story the others had told him.
"I may have a theory about that," Sally said, gaining everyone's attention. "Sooo...Spill it, Sal!" Sonic said. "Lets think for a moment: we all know that Knuckles isn't exactly an open book when it comes to how he feels," she began, with everyone nodding in agreement. "Maybe that's just his way of expressing his feelings. His way of letting them out." "That's a pretty weird theory Sal," Sonic remarked. "But it does make sense," Rotor replied, backing up Sally's idea. "But that ain't gonna help 'im. He's still buildin' up all them feelings he's got inside, 'n one day he's jus' gonna break down. It ain't all too healthy for 'im," Bunnie commented. They all agreed with Bunnies' statement. Knuckles has been through a lot in his life, and has never consulted anyone for emotional support. If he continued to build up all these emotions, he would become an emotional wreck.
"Drop the subject. Here he is," Espio whispered. Knuckles stepped in sweating and panting. "Sorry...I'm late," he said as he huffed and puffed. Everyone greeted him as he sat down. "We already ordered. We figured you'd want the usual fruit salad and, you guessed it, fruit punch," Mighty said to his friend with a smile. "Yeah, yeah," he replied with a smile. He seemed a little more timid than usual. Perhaps he was still a little embarrassed about before. Julie-Su, who was sitting next to him, nudged his shoulder, looked up at him, and smiled. He couldn't help but smile back. Sally watched the whole interaction and began to wonder, 'Are those two...'
"Order up!" Pops' yelled. They all went up to the counter and grabbed their food. "I think we need a little guy/girl separation time," Sally suggested. The girls went over to their own table as the guys pushed two tables together to sit down. "Hey, Sonic," Mighty began, "The girls table is over there," he said, pointing over to the girls. "Very funny," Sonic replied as everyone chuckled.
The guys were talking about their recent exploits as the girls talked about, well, the boys. "Vec seems as obnoxious as ever," Amy commented. "Oh, yeah," Julie-Su replied. "So how's Knuckles?" Sally asked, hoping to branch out into the topic. Julie-Su looked at her with a surprised gaze. "Ummm...he's fine. Nothing out of the ordinary!" "Do you like him?" Amy asked. Julie-Su's eyes widened as Sally and Bunnies' glared at Amy. "Amy, that's not very polite!" Sally scolded. "I just wanted to know!" Amy said, trying to defend herself. Sally looked over at Julie-Su to see that she felt really uncomfortable about the previous question. 'Maybe there is something going on...'
"Anyway," Bunnie said, "What wuz Vec sayin' 'bout you 'n red bein' dance pardners?" Julie-Su let out an annoyed sigh. "I danced with him one night, and that was it!" "When was this?" Sally asked. "His birthday," Julie-Su replied. "Oh, yeah. Sorry we couldn't make it for that." Sally said. Julie-Su shrugged her shoulders. "It's okay. He knew that things were getting a bit difficult down there, so he didn't mind." "How'd it go?" Sally asked. "Well, we caught him completely off guard. You should have seen his face," she said as she giggled. "Ah'll bet. 'N how wuz 'is dancin'?" Bunnie asked. "He was really good. It wasn't formal dancing or anything, so it wasn't too difficult."
Sally, Bunnie and Amy watched as Julie-Su slipped into a somewhat dream-like state, with a bright, happy smile on her face. "I'm guessing a little more happened that night that you're not letting on," Sally said with a mischievous smile. Julie-Su blushed and twiddled her thumbs. "Well...he kissed me," she said. The three female Freedom Fighters raised their brows and smiled. "Wow. So how was it?" Sally asked. Julie-Su sighed dreamily. "It was perfect. Who would have guessed he could kiss like that?" Suddenly, the look on her face faded away into sadness. "But...nothing's really happened since then...like he's losing interest."
Sally put her hand on Julie-Su's shoulder and smiled. "No way. Don't turn around, but he's glanced over at you once every minute." Julie-Su lifted her head slightly and smiled. "I guess we're really Soultouched..." "Whuts the Soultouch?" Bunnie asked, confused with what Julie-Su was saying. "It's the way echidnas find out who they're supposed to be with." The other three girls raised their brows in surprise. "So it's telling you it's him?" Amy asked with a large smile on her face. "Yes," she answered. "And it's telling him it's you?" Sally asked.
Julie-Su didn't answer at first. She turned her head slightly and glanced back at Knuckles. He had been looking at her, but turned away to the other guys for a second, and then looked back at her with a pleasant smile. He motioned his mouth so as to say "Hey", but no words came out. She smiled and did the same and turned back to the girls. "Yeah," she finally answered.
They all finished eating and decided to go for a stroll around the city before the Freedom Fighters had to depart for the night. It had been warm all day, and the cool evening breeze was welcome and greatly appreciated. The skies were clear, and the stars were all out. It was a perfect night. A cab pulled up next to an apartment building across the street. Nothing out of the ordinary. The passenger stepped out and observed her current residence. 'It's a nice place. Wow. I can't believe it's been over three years now. I wonder if I'll see him. I wonder if he'll remember me. Who am I kidding! This city is huge! It'll be like finding...' "Hey, lady! You forgot your suitcase!" the cab driver yelled. She turned around and pulled her suitcase off of the cab. As the cab departed, she noticed a familiar face across the street. "Didn't take as long as I thought," she said smiling.
Knuckles was telling the Freedom Fighters about the city and its origin, when he paused at the sound of a somewhat familiar voice calling his name. He turned around and gasped at what he saw. Even though it had been a few years, he knew who she was. She was a white bat, wearing a black body suit with a pink, heart-shaped chest plate and white boots and gloves. She ran up laughing and threw her arms around Knuckles' neck, who grunted as he caught her.
"Oh my God! Knuckles, I can't believe it's you!" "R-Rouge?" was all he could say. "Yeah, silly! I'm so glad you remember! It's been so long! Here, let me get a good look at you!" she said as she stepped back with her hands still on his shoulders. She gave him a quick look over. He was tall, with his muscles well toned. His shoulders still had a bit of broadening to do, but that was to be expected, being that he was still young. She then looked up at him. He was really handsome, too.
"Wow! You look great! And a lot cuter, too," she said with a wink. "Kn-Knux, who is sh-she?" Ray asked. Knuckles turned over to his friends who were staring at him and the white bat. "Uhhh...This is Rouge. I met her a few years back before I met you guys." One by one, Knuckles introduced Rouge to his friends.
"And this is Sally," he said, getting out of breath. "Wait a sec...THE Sally?" Rouge asked him. "What do you mean?" Sally questioned, unsure of how she knew her. "He used to talk about you a lot. You were his...childhood friend or something, right?" Rouge asked her. "Yeah, I was. What did he say about me?" she asked, staring and grinning at Knuckles, who was blushing again. "All good things. Like how nice and pretty you were. Not that you aren't now!" Rouge said, trying not to sound insulting. "Awww...You're a real sweetheart, you know that, Knux?" Sally said, giving him a big hug, which made him turn even redder.
It was a good thing that Julie-Su left her blaster at home, because if she didn't, both Rouge and Sally would be on the ground. It was one thing for a total stranger to make moves on her guy, but now Sally too? She wanted to yell and curse at the two of them, but she stopped herself. They were only flirting with him. It wasn't that big of a deal...awww, screw that! Yes it was!
"Well, it's nice to see you again, Knuckles. If you wanna catch up some time, I'm staying in apartment fourteen in that building there," Rouge said, pointing over at a green building. "I gotta get settled in. Catch ya later, cutie!" she said as she leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Uhhh...bye?" Knuckles said as she walked away.
Mighty cringed when he saw Julie-Su. She looked as if she was going to explode. Not like a grenade, either. Like a nuclear bomb, mushroom cloud, mile upon mile of devastation explode. If she glared any harder at Rouge, the bat would have burst into flames. Her entire body was tense as she clenched her fists. She motioned to take a step forward, but Mighty grabbed her wrist. "Calm down," he whispered. "She's just an old friend of his, that's all. Don't worry about it." She let out an aggravated sigh as she glanced over at Knuckles with curious eyes.
Knuckles turned to them, not sure of what to say. "Well...I guess I have a story to tell, then," he finally said with a nervous smile. "Yeah you do," Vector replied. "Who was that? She's steamin', man!" The whole group turned to glare at Vector, then turned their attention to Knuckles. "Well," he began, "It was about three years ago..."