"When you look in a mirror, you see your many different faces. Each one is tied to its own destiny.. which will you choose?"

Her footsteps echoed in the halls. I counted them. One, two, three, one, two, three, all in a fine, fashioned order. Every day, that's how she would walk. Like the wind. It's something that scared me, yet entranced me all at the same time. She was like that; a hated engima. No one could label her; she was like a butterfly. You wanted and tried again and again to pin her down, yet you can't even get a good look at her. She's already gone. Sometimes I think she's sprouted wings; she certainly acts like it. She has this air of bored superiority around her, maybe that's why they hate her so much. I don't know why, she seems perfectly fine to me. Then again.. I fear I'm not so normal myself. But who defines what's normal, anyway? Maybe her and I are the normal ones. Maybe.

Their voices ring out to her, but she pays them no mind. They're not worth her attention. Gods, how I hate those voices. They shatter your eardrums with incessant and uneeded chatter about nonsense and unimportant things. Yet, as I hate them, I can only wonder about her. Was she visiting the college today, too, like me? I wanted to ask her, to say her name aloud, but I knew I couldn't do that. I'm not in her world. I only wish I was.. one of these days I was just going to grab her, kiss her, and be done with it. Then I'd at least be morally satisfied. Excitement fills me at this thought, fear and glee rushing to my head and filling my senses with the familiar sensation of giddiness. I stifled back and childish laugh for my own sake.

"Hiya Knuckles, what are you doing at the college today?"

I turned around to see the small rabbit, now a beautiful young doe. Her hair had grown and her amber-brown eyes shone inanimately; dull and blank. Cream colored fur served as her namesake and her signature green outfits made her stand out slightly. I respected the girl, for as cheerful as she seems, she's dead inside. Something had been taken from her.. and us. But it affected her the most. Tails.. our good pal, genius, and all-around innocent friend had been killed.. and the rabbit never stopped loving him to this day, I noted, and she'd never love anyone else. Love. I mentally scoffed for even musing about the word; such a thing did not exist to me. Or.. did it? I looked back at Amy, who was now conversing with a student nearby.

"Oh, just checkin' up on you." I smiled fondly at her.

"Really? Thanks, but I'm fine. Took my pills and all."

Cream needed to take pills to suppress her depression. Hell, the girl wasn't even allowed to be within ten feet of sharp or pointy objects; she had tried to commit suicide once, and was in a mental asylum for two years. A lot of people were afraid of her after that, but I wasn't. She was still Cream; she just needed some help to stand once more. She was like a younger sister to me, and it would stay that way. Forever. Just as she would love Tails.. once more, I looked back at Amy, who was glowering at her friend and didn't look pleased. Moreso than usual. I shrugged, took Cream by the wrist, and walked over to Amy. The young rabbit smiled wryly, then looked from me, to Amy, to the girl she was talking to, who currently had a bitchy look on her face.

"Heya Amy."

"Hi Cream." They knew each other?

"Lyla."

"Cream."

"Knuckles." I laughed nervously as the three females glanced over at me, bored and annoyed.

"Hehe, sorry."

"Anyways," the cat, Lyla, paused. "You have no right to be here in this college. You graduated, you leave. Now same for you, echidna boy." I growled.

"Watch your mouth, you sound more idiotic than how you look. And that itself is near impossible."

Sure, it was mean for such a little comment. Sure, it was childish. I sure as hell didn't care. She was insulting my species and Amy. Bad mix. Now as long as she didn't have a go at Cream, I think she's safe.. for now. Maybe. Supposedly. Perhaps. I didn't really care. Now I'm just rambling. Grin and bare it. What? You don't want to? I don't care. Deal with it. Ramble, ramble, ramble, ramble. Ha. Fear me. I rambled. I'm still rambling. Is it annoying yet? Is it? I hope it is. Your mom thinks it is. I think it is. Do you think it is? I hope you think it is. Yay, am I annoying? I damn well hope so.

"You little bastard!" she sneered, turning on her heel and walking away. Click.

I looked over at Amy, which is where the click had come from. Her apple green eyes fixated onto me, and pulled me into their fiery depths; all I saw was hatred in those eyes, and I needed to look away. I couldn't, and I swear I saw Hell in her eyes. She wanted revenge; badly, and I saw the soul of a broken girl who'd murder if needed; all through apple green eyes. She finally broke our gaze, and I could only panic. What had she seen in my eyes? Could she see me now? She smiled at me. Amy Rose. Smiled. At me. I think I fell into Heaven.. her smile was gentle and grateful, not scheming and mischievous like her earlier smirks and sad half-smiles. A happy, real smile. My heart fluttered and flew away, leaving me breathless.

"Thank you." her voice was soprano; high and open with a sense of anger around it, but gentle nonetheless. It wasn't so high it was odd or disgusting, but enough to show that she still had her youth, and of course she did; she was only nineteen, after all. When she spoke, it reminded me of a single, quavering note on a violin, dying out then coming back up again, beautiful, clear, and ringing. Our eyes met again and I swear I melted, just like I'd seen Hell in those eyes before. I never guessed how much she really knew; how much of life she'd actually tasted. I wanted to share everything with her, suddenly. My life, my secrets, my fetishes and favorites; a sensation I'd never once felt before, and it thrilled me, shook me, took me in all at once as if I was sucked into the ocean.

"I--you're welcome." the words came automatically, though they stumbled around in my voicebox before they rolled off of my tongue in an awed voice; she was an angel. It wasn't her beauty, though she really is quite lovely-- it was the way she walked, as she breathed in every step that echoed her sorrow and rippled the water underneath her wings; it was her musical voice that led me to believe she was an instrument herself, soaring above all glee and freedom, unbroken liberty pulsing through her veins. And this is why I love her so.. not only that, but her passion, her determination, her unique flair and individualistic style. I smiled at her, I gave her an odd look, I said her name softly, anything to illicit some sort of reaction or response. Finally.. she turned her gaze on me.

"Yes?" the response was simple, but in my mind I swooned.

"Uhm.. I was wondering.. if.. you'd like to go out to dinner with me." a smile lit her features. Another real smile..

"..I'd love to, Knuckles."

x----------x

It's over..? O.o Nope, I actually decided to do one more chapter after this. :3 Sorry this took so long, I wanted to make this with care, and I got a little stuck on some parts so I waited it out. The little rambling part was just a fill-in, gomen ne. :3