CHAPTER 10

The force of the blow knocked the echidna over. Once he recovered, his own temper snapped. He jumped up and took a swing at Knuckles.

Knckles dodged and swung back. The red echidna hit his target. The other echidna rocketed into the air and landed a few feet away on his back.

"Knuckles!" Tikal screamed.

He ignored her. He jumped on top of the insulter. The two male echidnas rolled on the ground kicking, punching, and biting.

"STOP IT!" Tikla ordered, grabbing Knuckles' arm and trying to pull him away from the fight. "Please Knuckles! Stop this! I BEG YOU!"

"What's going on here?" a voice demanded.

The three echidnas looked up.

Pachamac and a small crowd behind him were all staring. Pachamac had his arms crossed and was frowning. He didn't look happy at all.

"Pachamac!" Knuckles exclaimed totally embarrest.

"What are you doing?" the older echidna asked angrily.

Before the Master Emerald Guardian could reply the other echidna shouted. "He beat me up and I didn't even do anything!"

"That's not true!" the Knuckles exclaimed. "He was insulting your daughter, your majesty. I only attacked him to shut him up."

Pachamac glared at Knuckles then turned his attention to his daughter. "Is this true?" he demanded.

Tikal held the staff she'd found close to herself and nodded. "Yes, Father, it's true," she replied not looking at him.

Pachamac scowled. He didn't seem to believe her. Tikal stared up at him pleadingly, hoping he would if she made eye contact.

Finally his face softened a little. "I believe you," he said.

He turned to the offending echinda, who by now was being helped up by some friends. "Why did you insult my daughter?"

The echidna didn't answer. He looked away, his mouth shut tight.

"I asked you a question!" Pachamac fumed. "Why did you insult my daughter!"
"Because she was throwing herself on him!" the echidna yelled pointing an accusing finger at both Knuckles and Tikal. "She does that with all the guys!"
"She does not!" Knuckles screamed, taking a step toward the echidna. "Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!" Tikal held him back. "Don't!" she hissed in his ear. "That's what he wants you to do. You'll only make the situation worse."

Knuckles calmed down. "But he's making you out to be a slut," the red echidna pointed out.

"Forget about it," she urged. "We know I'm not so let's not let it bother us okay?"

"Okay," he agreed.

Pachamac didn't say anything in reply to the insulting echidna's accusasion. He just glared at him then at Knuckles and Tikal as though they were as much to blame as the insulter.

"Why is he looking at us like that?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't know," Tikal answered. "Maybe he thinks it's just as much our fault as that guys."

"Why would he think that?" Knuckles demanded.

"My father is a mystery," she replied. "I don't understand what he does myself."

"Why is he like that?" the red echidna wanted to know.

"Because he's the leader of our tribe. I think he thinks he has to be that way."

"But not to me!"

"Yes, to you."

"Why?"

"Because you're a stranger to him. He thinks he has to be aggressive to strangers."

"But he doesn't even know me."

"Exactly."

"What? Doesn't he trust people he doesn't know?"

I already told you that. Tikal didn't say. "Uh huh," she answered instead. "That's why I think it's best if you don't start anything even though it's too late now."

Knuckles instantly felt foolish. I am such an idiot! I bet Pachamac is going to have someone spy on me now to make sure I don't hurt Tikal!

"So does that mean we won't have our feast?" he asked sarcasticly.

Tikal gave him a Look. He could instantly tell she didn't want to get into that subject. I'd better not push my luck, he thought. She may be peaceful, but when she does fight she can lay a number on you!

"Forget it," he said quickley.

The echidna princess' face became relieved. Good, she thought, he's not going to dwell on it.

She took his hand. "Come with me," she said, jerking on it.

He let her pull him out of the city. "Where are we going?" he asked.

Tikanl gave no explanation. She led him to a tunnel in the mountain. Knuckles ducked his head to avoid hitting it on the roof. Since the echidna princess was smaller, she had no trouble.

I wonder where she's taking me? Well, I'll find out when we reach the end.

In a matter of minutes they were coming out of the tunnel. Knuckles straightened up and stretched, only then realizing Tikal wasn't holding his hand anymore.

"Tikal?" he said looking around. "Tikal?"

He saw her advancing toward a bridge. He looked beyond the bridge. Don't tell me! He saw the shrine for the Master Emerald up ahead.

I wonder what she's planning on doing?

Tikal walked toward the shrine as if in a transe. When she reached the foot of the steps she fell on her knees and lowered her head.

Knuckles waited. A half hour passed and she made not further movement. I wonder what's wrong, he said taking a step forward.

Suddenly she stood. She looked up at the Master Emerald. It glowed intensly. "Thank you," she said softly.

"Tikal?" Knuckles said, noticing she didn't move again.

The echidna princess looked at him. Her face was blank. Her eyes were vacent.

"Tikal...," he said again, hesitating.

Light returned to her eyes. She walked up to him and out a hand on his arm. "Something happen?" he asked her.

"I was discussing something with the Master Emerald that's all," she said a tiny smile on her face.

"What was that?" he wanted to know.

She looked up at him. "Can't you guess?"

"No," he said, a bit unnerved by the way she was acting. "Are you all right?"
Her face showed disappointment. "I'm fine," she said darkly.

Is she mad at me! "Okay," he said not believing her for a moment.

"Well, if you can't guess we what were talking about I'll tell you." She paused. "It's you."

"Me?" he asked startled.

Now she looked away suddenly shy. "Yes, you," she said softly."I...I think I have feelings for you."

Knuckles was speechless. Tikal had feelings? For him? Did she like him? Did she LOVE him? He couldn't believe it.

He took a step away from her. "Let me get this straight," he said. "You have feelings for me? Like, what kind of feelings?'

Tikal looked at him. Her eyes grew huge. "Like a girl likes a guy," she said hesitently. She turned away. "Maybe I shouldn't tell you."

"No," he said grabbing her arms. "You can tell me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Tikal still hesitated. Knuckles waited. She would tell him. She only needed to work up her courage.

"Knuckles I don't know how to tell you this but..." she paused. "I do. I do have feelngs for you. I don't think I do I know I do."

"What kind of feelings?"

"Emotional. Lusty perhaps."

"Lusty."

She was shy again. "Forget it."

"I will not forget it!" he said shaking her forcefully. "You can tell me your feelings, Tikal. I won't bite you!"

Now she seemed ready to say something. "Knuckles do you ever have feelings for anyone?"

Great, back to the feelings.

"It all depends on what kind of feelings they are."

"The special kind. The kind that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy. The kind you get when you're around someone you feel emotionally secure with."

Get to the point. "You mean like you?" he asked.

She stared at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Tikal, I have to tell you this. When I'm around you I do feel emotionally secure. Being around you keeps me at ease."

Her eyes were starting to sparkle. "That's how I feel when I'm around you," she said.

"It is?"

She looked at him guardedly. "Knuckles I'm afraid to tell you this but I have to."

"Yes?"

She said nothing.

He waited. She stood right in front of him. Her eyes expressed alot. "Knuckles, I think I might be in love with you," she finally blurted out.

Knuckles stared at her, startled. He hadn't expected her to be so outspoken about it. "What?" he asked, not sure he heard her right.

"I love you," she said looking away.

He said nothing. She took his silence the wrong way. "I knew I shouldn't have told you!" she wailed. "Now I bet you think I am stupid and childish!"

"No, I don't," he said soothingly. "I don't think that way at all. I'm just a little surprised at your courage to confess this to me. I've never had a girl like me before. Sure Rouge flirts with me once in awhile but she's a slut anyway. So that doesn't count."

He shrugged and chuckled. "All well, we all have our feelings," he said nervously.

"Do you think I am a fool?" she asked.

Knuckles gripped her arms. "No, I don't think you are a fool," he said looking into her eyes. "The thing is I was trying to figure out how I was going to tell you the same thing."

She stared at him. She hadn't expected him to care what she thought. "You... But you..."

"It's hard for me to show how I feel about people," he explained carefully wrapping his arms around her. He felt her tense. "Oh, sure I didn't think it at first but it kinda came in time. Slowly but surely."

He looked in her eyes again. "I love you too."

She stared up at him. "Knuckles," she said.

Before she could say anything more he kissed her.