PAST MEMORIES, PRESENT PROBLEMS
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to get these last chapters up. I've been swamped with Cross Country and homework. This goes out to Crazy the Echidna, my first reviewer. Thanx for the support, man! Anyway, here we go!
"He's beautiful, Locke!" "Just like his mother." "What will we name him?" "These spurs give me an idea. We will call him Knuckles, after the warrior clan his ancestors descended from."
FLASH "Can you say mommy?" FLASH "Can you name the first Guardian?"
FLASH "How did my little angel sleep last night?" FLASH "Good, you're awake. Hurry and eat. We need to begin martial arts training in ten minutes.
FLASH "Are you having fun, sweetie?" FLASH "Find the value of x in this equation."
Lara-Le was watching the news when her new husband, Wyn, walked in the door. "How was work, Wyn?" she asked. "Boring as usual. How are you and the baby?" he said as he put his arms around her. "We're both fine. Just think! In a few more weeks we'll have a beautiful baby in our lives!" she said with a happy smile as he sat down on the couch with her. "I can hardly wait," he replied. "I just know that Knuckles is going to be a great big brother! But I wonder how he feels about it? He already has enough stress being the Guardian," Lara-Le said, looking a bit troubled. "He's very responsible, and can take care of himself. You don't need to worry about him," Wyn said with a smile.
"So what's on?" he asked. "The dingo housing problem again," she said with a sigh. "What else is new?" Wyn said sarcastically. The news announcer stopped and looked off to the side of the screen for a second, catching their attention. "I have just received word that the Guardian has been rushed over to Echidnapolis Hospital for unknown reasons. Paramedics at the Commons Hall we're baffled at the Guardian's rapid ailment. We'll have more on this story as it unfolds." "Wyn! Knuckles is in the hospital! I have to see if he's alright!" Lara-Le yelled, standing up. "I'll go get a cab. Grab your coat and umbrella. You can't afford to get sick with the baby due in a few weeks!" Wyn said as he threw on his coat and ran out the door. "Knuckles...please be okay, sweetheart," Lara-Le whispered as she rushed to get her coat.
Mighty sat on a stool next to Knuckles' hospital bed. All the others were sitting on benches, waiting in silence. Mighty didn't want to leave Knuckles' side until he was sure he was okay. Knuckles was his best friend. Knuckles' vitals were normal, his pulse stable, and his breathing regular. The only major thing the doctors had to do was wipe the blood away from his muzzle. What had happened to him? All they could do was wait.
Finally, Lara-Le and Wyn came rushing in the door. "Knuckles! Oh, my God, is he okay? Mighty, please tell me he's going to-""He's fine, milady. That's what's so strange. It's like he's sleeping or something," Mighty said, trying to calm his friend's worried mother. Lara-Le sat down next to Knuckles and rubbed her hand along the side of his face. "What happened?" Wyn asked. "I can answer that," an echidna doctor said as he walked in from a back room. "Well? Don't leave us in suspense, doc!" Vector snapped. "We ran every possible test to see if we could find some sort of problem, but they all came up negative. Then we checked his brain schematics, and it was there that we discovered something rather interesting," the doctor said, glancing over at the peaceful form of Knuckles.
They all turned when the door burst open again, and in ran Locke, Knuckles' father. "Knuckles! Is he all right? What's happened to my son?" Locke asked as he ran up to Knuckles' bedside next to Mighty and Lara-Le. "The doctor was just getting to that," Lara-Le said. "As I was saying, his brain schematics showed abnormal signs in the area of the brain that stores memories. After a thorough analysis of the schematics, we discovered the problem." "WELL?!?!" Locke said, raising his voice in irritation. The doctor gulped, and continued with his explanation. "Repressed memories are re-surfacing in his mind, causing his body to react to the sudden surge in strange ways. It's like getting electric shocked, in a way. In his case, he suffered from intense muscle spasms."
"But what caused this? It's never happened before," Espio asked. "Well, perhaps great amounts of stress. We all know how stressful the life of a Guardian can be, so perhaps that could be the cause. Can anyone verify this?" The doctor asked, looking at them. "Well..." Mighty began, "His girlfriend broke up with him today." "What?" Locke and Lara-Le said in complete synchronization. "Long story that I don't wish to tell," Mighty said with a sigh. "Well, I suppose if they were close..." the doctor began. "They were Soultouched," Mighty threw in. "That would do it," the doctor said as he nodded. "Does he have any emotional problems?" the doctor asks. "If not talking about them counts as a problem, then yes," Sonic said. "That is a serious problem. This cou-"
Suddenly, Knuckles' head shot up as he gasped and looked around with a strange look of confusion in his eyes. "Wha-what happened?!?! Where-""Calm down, Knux," Tails said as he smiled at his confused echidna friend. "Knuckles! I'm so glad you're okay, sweetie!" Lara-Le said as she leaned over and hugged her son. "Mom? Dad? What...happened?" he asked as he looked around at everyone and then at the doctor. "I'll explain it to you, Guardian," the doctor said as Vector groaned, not wanting to hear it again.
The doctor explained the problem thoroughly to Knuckles, who was highly shocked by this news. "Now I've been told that you don't go to anyone for emotional support. This is another cause of the problem. These attacks are triggered by severe emotional stress. Unless you want this to happen again, then you'd better start...how to put it...spilling your guts," the doctor said. "So this could happen again? But is it really a problem? I mean...there's only so much I can re-remember. Once I remember all that I've repressed, won't it stop?" Knuckles asked. "That is unknown, and is the reason why I'm against letting one of these attacks happen again. And if it does, you do not require medical attention. Just some rest to let your mind reboot itself. But still, I advise that you try and seek some kind of counseling, or even just talk with your friends and family about your feelings."
Knuckles just sat in silence. The doctor then averted his attention to Lara-Le. "So, how's the baby?" he asked. "Fine. Still kicking around," she said as she smiled and sat down next to her son. "You're going to be a big brother soon. The baby will be so lucky to have a brother as smart, as kind, as honest-"The word honest stabbed at him and caused him to flinch, making Lara-Le stop mid-sentence. "Don't say that, mom. Just stop talking," he said as his sad face drooped down. "Isn't Julie-Su going to come? Did anyone call her?" Wyn asked, forgetting what Mighty had said earlier. Knuckles' body flinched again at the mention of her name. "Either way, she wouldn't. And she has every reason not to come," he said as he stood up. "Thanks for your help, but right now, I want to go home. I'm...I'm tired," he sighed as he walked for the door.
Sonic stood in front of the door and said, "Perhaps you should follow the doc's advice and talk about this. It'd be a lot better than moping around." Knuckles looked up, glaring, and punched him right across the face. "Don't you dare try and tell me what's good for me!!! I don't see you and Sally getting all cozy, so why don't you work on that instead of worrying about me and...and..." He found that he couldn't even speak her name, growled in frustration, and ran out the door. "At this rate," the doctor said as the others helped Sonic get up, "he'll be having another attack at any time."
Smash!!! Another picture of himself shattered against the wall. "IDIOT!!!" he yelled as he picked up a chair and flung it across the room. "STUPID!!!" he shouted as he picked up yet another picture and threw it at the wall. The frame shattered and a fragment of glass flew and cut his arm. He looked down at it and watched as it healed at an alarming rate. "I can heal that...but I can't heal our broken bond," he whispered to himself. The storm intensified outside as lightning flashed and thunder bellowed. "She was everything to me...she made me feel like I mattered...like I had a reason to get up every day." He growled in frustration and anger and yelled out, "I WAS TRULY HAPPY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE, AND I HAD TO GO AND SCREW IT ALL UP!!!"
He sat down on his couch and picked up a picture that was hanging up beside it on the wall. It was of them on their first date. It was probably his favorite picture. She was resting her head against his chest as they were posing for the picture. His arms were around her waist awhile her hands were mounted on his shoulders. He loved her smile in that picture. She looked so happy. So did he. A tear rolled down his face, as he couldn't find himself to destroy it. Once again, he felt that cold chunk of ice in his heart...where he used to feel her.
Suddenly, he began to feel cold, even tough he had started a fire in the fireplace. He knew, however, that he wasn't cold. He had felt like this before. Earlier this evening. He stood up, but quickly collapsed to the floor. His eyes rolled back and his nose began bleeding again. He arched his back, and once again flopped down onto the floor.
"Locke, why don't you let Knuckles play and have fun like other children his age?" "Because he isn't like other children his age! He has a duty to fulfill, and I have to prepare him for it?" "Did your father do all of this for you?" "All Guardians go through this! It's a standard requirement!" "Ju Jitsu is the standard requirement of a four year old? Locke, please! You're teaching him mathematics that I didn't learn till I was much older than he is!" "Lara, you need to accept Knuckles' responsibilities. It'll be time very soon for him to go." "Go? Go where?" "Go with me back home. To the Floating Island." "Locke! This is his home! I'm his mother! I'm not letting you take him! Don't tell me that you had to leave home at this age, because I know you didn't until you were at least nine or ten!" "Lara, listen to me! Knuckles is...different from the previous Guardians. He has a destiny that only the Walkers themselves can foresee. It hurts me too to take away his childhood. It really does. And I know it hurts...but in about two weeks time...you'll have to let him go." "...Fine. Take my child! Take my pride and joy! Take my little boy away from me! You guardians are all monsters! All of you!" "This was their decision. Not mine. My father, Hawking, and I were all against this, but we were overruled. I'm sorry, Lara." "You aren't the echidna I married. Locke would have rather died than see this happen to his son! You? You're a coward! ...I-I'm filing for a divorce." "Lara?" "Goodbye, Locke. I hope you're happy with the life you've chosen for yourself."
"Thanks for letting us crash last night, guys," Sonic said as they walked through the woods. "Sorry you had to get stuck here. I can't believe the storm got so bad! I mean, look at the woods!" Espio exclaimed as he outstretched his arms in front of them. There were downed trees, branches and logs flung about. The storm greatly intensified during the night. "Ah hope Knux is feelin' betta today," Bunnie said. "I just hope he made it home okay through this storm," Sally said in a nervous voice. Sonic grumbled as he rubbed the left side of his face. "So what's with the whole band thing you guys got goin' on?" Rotor asked. "Oh yeah. After what happened, I forgot about that," Sonic said. "Well, long story short, we discovered each others musical talents and decided 'Hey! Let's make a job outta this!' Now we play at the Commons Hall every weekend," Mighty said. "Neat," Tails said as he stepped over a downed tree.
Knuckles' cave was the same. Just a cave. Mighty walked up and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he opened it slightly to peek in and gasped. He threw the door open, revealing Knuckles' motionless body lying on the floor amongst broken glass and mangled picture frames. "Not again!" Amy yelled as they all ran over to his side. "Help me get him into the next room! We can lie him down on the bed!" Mighty yelled as he and Vector took his arms and legs and gently carried him over to his bed and laid him down. They were relieved to see that he was okay.
The Freedom Fighters looked around, a little surprised at their surroundings. The bedroom was pretty ordinary. A bed, a dresser with some picture of his friends and family on it, a closet, and a lamp. The other room had a couch, a table, some chairs that were thrown about the room, a fireplace, and an indoor waterfall. Although it was a mess, being that there was glass all over the floor, it was a lot nicer inside than they had expected it to be. Amy picked a picture up from the floor and looked at it. It was the picture Knuckles had refused to break. She walked over to Mighty and asked him, "Was this on his birthday?" Mighty smiled when he saw the picture. "Yeah," he replied. All of the Freedom Fighters gathered around to take a glance. Sally took the picture and rubbed her finger along it. "Look at his face... he looks so happy. I've never seen him smile like that before," she sighed. Suddenly, Knuckles began to stir. "He's coming to," Rotor said to alert the others.
Knuckles slowly opened his eyes and rubbed his head. He sat up and looked around to see his friends around him. "What...why are you all..." "We couldn't fly through the storm, so we crashed here," Sonic said. Knuckles looked over at Sally, who was still holding the picture, and took it from her gently. "I'll take that," he said as he placed it in his dresser and closed it. "Listen...I'm sorry for what I said about you and Sonic last night. I...I was way out of line. Just because I was angry with myself doesn't mean I have the right to lash out at other people. I...I'm sorry," he said as he looked at Sally, then Sonic. "And I think I owe you a free shot," Knuckles said as he stood up in front of Sonic, looking at the bruise on the side of the hedgehog's face. Sonic smirked, then sighed. "I hate to pass up a free shot on you, Knux, but you're hurtin' enough already." Sonic frowned when he saw his friend's head droop.
"What exactly is the problem with you two?" Espio asked, since nobody knew any of the actual details. "I...I really don't wanna think about it," Knuckles whispered. "Then at least tell us about these flashback attacks. What have you been remembering?" Vector suggested. "It's really strange...like my life is flashing before my eyes. The first time it happened, my parents were deciding what to name me...and then last night, they were arguing about me and my responsibilities as Guardian. It all comes rushing so quickly...it's-it's...like dying or something," he said, scaring everyone else in the room. "Don't say zat! It iz very...very creepy!" Antoine said, shivering. "Yeah, don't scare us!" Amy scolded. Suddenly, Knuckles' head came up and he walked towards the door. "Where's the fire?" Tails yelped as Knuckles walked by him. "During my last flashback, my mom said she was going to divorce my dad. J-Julie said that we were ending up like my parents. I'm not going to lose her and be forced to marry someone I don't love so that the Brotherhood can have their next Guardian! I had that flashback for a reason. I'm talking to her now, whether she likes it or not!" With this said he ran out the door and disappeared into the woods.
When he got to Julie-Su's apartment, he was at a loss for words. There she was, packing he few possessions into the back of a cab. He watched as she stepped into the cab and they began to pull away. "No...NO!!! JULIE, WAIT!!!" he yelled as he tore after the cab. The cab driver looked in his rear view mirror and noticed an echidna chasing them. "Hey miss, should I stop for that guy?" he asked. Julie-Su looked back and sighed. She turned around and wiped a tear off her cheek. "No...just keep going," she said just above a whisper. "Sure? He seems to know ya," the cab driver said. "He may know me, but I don't know him," she said. 'I only thought I did," she thought to herself as a tear fell from her eye.
The cab pulled to a stop at a red light, which aggravated Julie-Su. She had hoped to avoid seeing him again. He ran up to the window panting. "Julie, wait! Don't leave!" "Why shouldn't I?!? The only reason I ever decided to stay here was because of you!!! Go find your next girlfriend, why don't ya?!?!" she yelled out the window. "Julie-""No! You can't change my mind! I have nothing worth staying here for. I'll miss the guys...but I can't stay here just to watch you flirting with other girls! Wake up! I don't love you anymore!!!" Knuckles just stared at her angry eyes. "Goodbye Knuckles. I hope you're happy with the life you've chosen for yourself." Knuckles just stood there as he watched her face move farther and farther away, until she was out of sight. He fell to his knees with his hands over his heart. He could feel that cold, icy feeling again, only it was stronger this time. It felt as if his blood was freezing inside his body.
"Hey! Get outta the road, punk!" someone yelled as he beeped his horn. Knuckles slowly stood up. "Yeah, I'm talking to you! Move it!" Knuckles turned to him, revealing who he was. "Oh! I-I'm sorry, Guardian! I didn't realize...you must have your reasons..." Knuckles didn't even pay any attention to him. He clenched his fists and teeth until he looked up at the sky and yelled out in frustration as loud as he could. He growled, scaled the side of a building, and glided away as fast as he could.