Guardian Angels

S1:E2: The Promise Of Protecting You

FYI: If you are still a little confused on what Kathy the Moth looks like, then I'll tell you. Think of Mothra in the Heisei era, or to be specific, Mothra from "Godzilla and Mothra: Battle for the Earth" but with a hot-pink dress and hot-pink dress shoes with sequins on both of them. That's what she looks like. Also, fun fact, when Kathy was in her Rainbow Form in the last chapter, her skin design was a reference to Rainbow Mothra in the "Return of Mothra" trilogy. I hope that this clears the confusion up. Anyways, enjoy reading this chapter!

The rain was still pouring down as the storm continued. Knuckles and Kathy were soaked in the rain, but they still took it well as they got closer to the shack. It was five minutes of silence between them before Knuckles decided to ask Kathy some more questions that he had on his mind.

"So, where are you from, Kathy? I don't think that I've ever seen moths of your kind before," Knuckles muttered calmly in curiosity as he kept carrying Kathy over his back.

"Oh! Umm...I'm...Uhh...not from this dimension. I don't think that you'll believe me when I say this but...I used to live in the Sol Dimension before coming here in this dimension," Kathy answered calmly yet sheepishly with an awkward smile as she kept holding onto Knuckles tightly yet gently while he carried her.

Knuckles' interest was piqued when Kathy just said "the Sol Dimension". He then calmly replied in curiosity with a little, solemn frown, "The Sol Dimension, huh? Hmm...I think that I've heard of that dimension before...Yeah, it was the place where Blaze lives in, right?".

"Ah! You know Blaze, Knuckles?!" Kathy exclaimed in surprise as her eyes went wide and as her mouth went agape.

Knuckles slightly looked up at Kathy in surprise of her response while he exclaimed back in shock, "Wait! You know her?!".

"Yeah! I've only just met her about a week ago! We've become good friends since then!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cute smile on her face.

"Ah! Really?!" Knuckles exclaimed back in surprise of this. He had never thought that Blaze would gain a new friend besides Sonic, Tails, and Cream. So...Kathy is Blaze's new friend, huh? Interesting...Knuckles thought calmly in curiosity as he waited for Kathy to reply.

Kathy nodded happily as she replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile, "Yep! She was in a tight situation with having her kingdom being taken over by our very own archenemies. We had teamed up together to get her kingdom and her Sol Emeralds back. Thankfully, we did manage to get them back, and now, her kingdom is safe thanks to us working together".

"I...I see. Wow...I wouldn't have expected Blaze to nearly lose her kingdom to her very own archenemy, but I'm going to guess that it was a very surprising situation even for her to deal with. I'm just glad that her situation is over and done with. But on another note...you were the one who had helped her get her kingdom back, right?" Knuckles replied calmly in somberness and in curiosity with a little, solemn frown and with raised eyebrows before he looked back at the path ahead of him.

"Uh huh! She had asked me to assist her on her journey! I was very happy to have finally helped someone who was in need! My assistance has rarely been called for these days since the people in the Sol Dimension and in the Sol Kingdom feel more arrogant and self-sufficient in their abilities to defend themselves and their homes. So, it was quite a surprise to me that Blaze was humble and had asked me to help her stop Dr. Eggman Nega in his scheme. Quite out of the blue actually!" Kathy replied brightly with a cheerful smile and with another nod then solemnly with a little frown as she recalled her past adventure with Blaze.

"Oh? Blaze had actually asked for help? That's...a new one. When she had first came here in our dimension...she was reluctant to ask anyone for help. I guess that she really had her hands tied up if she had asked you for help," Knuckles replied calmly with intrigue as he was listening to Kathy. He frowned a little as he pondered calmly in curiosity. I wonder what Kathy had meant when she said her assistance had rarely been called for these days. Hmm...I'll keep this thought for now and maybe ask her about it another time.

"Huh? I didn't know that Blaze was reluctant to let others help her before. I guess that she must've changed a lot since then if she was so withdrawn from others around her," Kathy replied calmly with a little frown as she looked up in the rainy sky above.

"Tell me about it. When Blaze first met me, she refused to take my advice and go ask Sonic for help, and then, she kicked me into a pile of rocks!" Knuckles replied calmly yet a bit irritably as he rolled his eyes before frowning deeply while he recalled that annoying memory.

Ah! Knuckles had mentioned Sonic! Does he know Sonic?! But on another subject, Blaze did what?! Kathy thought in shock with a surprised look on her face as her attention was on Knuckles again.

"What?! She did that?!" Kathy exclaimed in surprise with a shocked expression on her face as she put her head onto Knuckles' right shoulder to look at him.

Knuckles turned his head to the right as he calmly answered with a solemn frown, "Yeah, she did do that. I'll admit that I didn't see it coming. Although...I was partially the one to blame for evoking her to begin with. She really didn't give me a good impression of herself when we first met, but eventually, I saw that she was a good person on the inside. So, it's all good between us".

Kathy was stunned to hear that was how Knuckles had met Blaze. Although she can't hide the huge smile from her face after hearing that funny story. Knuckles saw that smile and asked calmly in confusion with a little frown and with a lowered eyebrow, "What are you smiling about?".

"Nothing! Just...Hehehehehehehe! Hahahahahahahaha! THAT was how you had met Blaze?! REALLY?! Hahahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed in amusement with a huge smile on her face before she burst into such a silly giggle fit.

H-HUH?! Knuckles thought in surprise and in confusion with a shocked look on his face after hearing that response.

"Hahahaha! I guess that means you got the short end of the stick on that one, Knuckles! I didn't get kicked by her when we first met! You were probably just unlucky there! Hehehehehe! I'm so sorry that was your first encounter with her, Knuckles! Hahahahahaha! That must've sucked!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile while giggling cutely.

Knuckles blushed brightly after he heard Kathy's adorable giggles, but he was more focused on what she said as he exclaimed back in shock with a sheepish look on his face, "Hey! Don't laugh! It's not funny!".

"Hahahahaha! To you, it's not! But to me, it's hysterical! You just got one-upped by a girl you just met! That's amazing! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile on her face as she giggled some more.

"It's humiliating," Knuckles muttered flatly in annoyance with a deep frown and with a deep blush as he looked away from Kathy in embarrassment. It's not my fault that I'm surrounded by girls WHO ARE LITERAL MANIACS AROUND HERE! Knuckles thought sassily in annoyance and in frustration while listening to Kathy giggle a lot after hearing his response.

"Hehehehehehehe! Aw, Knuckles! You're so funny! Hahahahahahaha! I'm sorry that I can't stop laughing at you! It's just so hilarious to me! Hehehehehehe! You're not mad, are you?!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cute smile while still giggling as she stared at Knuckles.

Despite feeling embarrassed that Kathy was laughing at his humiliating memory, Knuckles can't fight off the little smile that was forming on his face. Tch. It's hard to stay upset if I keep on hearing those infectious giggles of yours, Kathy. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement with a little, coy smile on his face.

Kathy smiled even wider when she saw Knuckles' growing smile on his face. "Knuckles? Are you smiling over there? Hahahahaha! I knew it! I knew that even you can't deny the hilarity in your 'tragic' memory of being beaten up by a girl!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in a playful tone with a giggle as she gently poked at his right cheek a little for emphasis.

Argh! She's doing it on purpose! She's trying to get me to laugh! No! I won't lose to this! I won't laugh just because of this girl's...Umm...silliness! I won't let her affect me! Knuckles thought brightly in amusement and in determination with a huge smile as he fought the urge to laugh after hearing Kathy's goofy inflections in her reply and feeling her playful pokes. He looked back at Kathy while still smiling hugely as he replied calmly yet brightly in amusement, "I'm not smiling because I find it funny. I'm smiling because you keep on giggling! Just cut it out!".

"Aww, you smile whenever I laugh or giggle? Hehehehe! Are my giggles that contagious to you?" Kathy replied calmly yet sweetly in amusement and in curiosity with another cute giggle as she beamed at Knuckles.

"Yes! N-Now...q-quit it!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with some hesitation while smiling hugely as he tried not to laugh in his response.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! I can't now with that response! Hehehehehehehehehehe! I'm sorry, Knuckles! But I just can't do it! Hehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back jovially in amusement with a huge smile while having another giggle fit.

Knuckles then face-palmed himself while shaking his head. He had a fixed smile on his face now after hearing Kathy's response. As he continued hearing Kathy's cute giggles, he then pondered calmly in amusement. Hmph. Ridiculous. That's who she is. And yet...I can't help myself but be amused by her. I've only just met her, and I'm already enjoying her company. …...Either that or I'm just going insane...probably the latter. I blame my lack of sleep for this. They say that your mood gets rather...loopier when you're feeling tired and hadn't gotten any sleep yet. I wonder if that's the case for Kathy too due to how late it is. Although...

Knuckles then put his hand down and turned his head to look at Kathy with an amused smile on his face. He can see her giggling even more since he's just staring at her.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! What?! Hahahahahahahaha! Why are you staring at me like that, Knuckles?! Hahahahahahahaha! Was it something I said?! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amuement with a sweet smile while giggling a lot.

"..." Knuckles said nothing but kept staring at Kathy with a calm expression on his face. He can never understand why Kathy's joyful laughter is affecting him like this. He does know that he finds it adorable at least, but he doesn't know why it's making him smile. Could it be because he's been in such a depressing state for a long time that he forgot what it's like to laugh or smile like this? The same kind of laughter that Kathy is expressing right now? Something that is so free and light that it makes you forget all the pain and sorrow that you have in your heart? Knuckles can't help but feel relieved as he watched Kathy smile and giggle silly at him. Just watching Kathy being happy and silly is making him feel calm while being around her, and somehow...he has a feeling that it would never get old.

He then finished his musings while having a fond look on his face. …...I have a feeling that it's not the case...and I don't mind it at all.

"You done yet?" Knuckles asked calmly in amusement with a playful smile as he saw that Kathy was calming down now.

"Hehehehehe! Yes! Yes! I'm done! I'm done for now! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge smile while a few giggles slipped by.

Knuckles rolled his eyes playfully as he muttered calmly in amusement with a huge smile, "Ridiculous".

Kathy giggled a little at that before she finally stopped and looked at Knuckles gently. He smiled back at her with a gentle look of his own.

"So, where were we again? Teehee! I forgot!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a light giggle as she beamed cutely at Knuckles.

Knuckles had a smug grin as he joked in a flat tone, "We were talking about how 'hilarious' it was that I was beaten up by a girl".

"Knuckles! I said that was just done! Hehehehehehehehehehehe! You got me to giggle again! Hahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed in amusement with a huge smile as she just burst out giggling.

"Hey! I can't help it if you're the type of person who giggles so easily! If you can't keep a straight face while talking about that, then think of a different topic then!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement as he smiled hugely again.

"Okay! Like...Umm...Hehehehehe! Like maybe the other times that you were beaten up by other girls?" Kathy suggested jokingly with a giggle and with a silly smile on her face.

Knuckles then halted in place as he blushed again in embarrassment. He stared at Kathy with a shocked expression on his face. Kathy stopped giggling for a second once she saw Knuckles' face. When she saw how embarrassed he looked, she beamed widely in amusement as she exclaimed brightly in surprise, "Oh my goodness, I was just joking! Did that really happen to you, Knuckles?!".

"NO!" Knuckles shouted in defense as he looked away from Kathy again in embarrassment. Kathy just lost it and had laughed for a long time while having her head onto Knuckles' right shoulder.

"Don't make me drop you, Kathy," Knuckles warned flatly in annoyance with a solemn frown and with a deep blush while having his arms crossed and while having his eyes closed.

"Okay! Okay! I'll stop! I'll stop! Hahahahahahahahahaha! Let's...Hehehehehe! Let's move on from this..." Kathy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a huge smile while trying to stop herself from laughing.

"Please..." Knuckles muttered weakly in a pleading tone with a sheepish look on his face as he kept blushing in embarrassment.

As Kathy had finally calmed down again, she then replied softly yet apologetically in concern with a sympathetic smile, "I'm sorry, Knuckles. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings by laughing at you. Are you...upset?".

Knuckles sighed tiredly before he calmly replied in understanding with a solemn frown as he looked at Kathy again, "...(Sigh)...No...I'm not upset. It's not...that big of a deal. Yes, I was embarrassed, but it's not like I'm going to take it out on you for laughing at me. I'm sure that...you couldn't help yourself to do that".

Kathy raised her eyebrows in surprise. She had thought that she might've been a little too mean for laughing at Knuckles like that. She didn't think that he would let her off this easily. Knuckles himself was surprised as well that he's going easy on her and not raging at her for over an insignificant, little thing. If it was Sonic who did that, then he would gladly let himself get angry at him for doing that. He was about to pass it off as him being nice to girls, but then, he remembered Rouge and realized that he could get angry at her too for that. He now wondered why he couldn't get mad at Kathy for that reasoning as well.

Maybe it's because...she's just too innocent to get mad at. I mean...She probably genuinely thought that it was funny and was just laughing at that amusing thought...not because she likes hearing about my suffering...unlike a certain bat in the past. Besides...she sounds very worried that I might've had my feelings hurt by her and was asking how I'm feeling now. Of course, it makes sense that I'm not mad at her. She...cares about me. Knuckles pondered calmly in somberness as he gently stared at Kathy with a little frown on his face. He then smiled a little again after coming to the conclusion that Kathy might care for him.

Kathy smiled too when she saw Knuckles smiling again. He really is cute whenever he smiles. I hope that I can manage to get him to smile at every moment that I can. Kathy thought gently in fondness with a calm look on her face.

"Hey...Let's keep on going then..." Knuckles suggested calmly in fondness with a little smile on his face. Kathy nodded before placing her head on top of Knuckles' head again while he started to walk towards his shack again.

...

Two minutes of silence passed by before Kathy spoke up this time. "Umm...You mentioned that you had tried to convince Blaze to go to Sonic for help, right?" Kathy asked calmly in curiosity as she looked down at Knuckles.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, that's right. What about it?" Knuckles replied simply in curiosity as he kept walking through the forest.

"Well...do you happen to know about Sonic?" Kathy asked calmly in curiosity with a little smile.

Knuckles slightly cringed a little when Kathy had asked that. Why am I not surprised? Of course, Kathy would want to know more about Sonic because that's what every girl desires. Including Amy! Maybe I was wrong about Kathy then. She's probably just using me to get information about Sonic so that she could go meet with him and ask him for help instead of me. They're all the same. Sigh. Knuckles brooded calmly in annoyance with a deep frown as he sighed and closed his eyes.

"(Sigh)...Yes...I know about Sonic. I'm his...Uhhh...'acquaintance'. I've known him for a long time now..." Knuckles answered reluctantly in slight annoyance with a tired sigh and with a deep frown as he kept his eyes closed.

"Oh! I understand. Ummm...See, here's the thing, Blaze had suggested to me to come here because of him and his friends. I...Umm...I just came here because I wanted to live here instead of my old dimension. I did that because...well..." Kathy replied calmly with a little smile before frowning a bit as she looked sad. She then muttered quietly in sadness, "...I just think that it's for the best for me to leave my old home behind and move on from it. I...I hadn't had a lot of good memories of my old home dimension that I grew up in. So, I came here instead".

Knuckles raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard Kathy's reasoning for coming into this dimension. Did she really...not have a good childhood then? That's...rather surprising considering how happy and joyful Kathy is so far. I wonder how she could still manage to smile even after what she had been through in the past. That is something that I want to know. Knuckles pondered calmly in curiosity and in worry for Kathy with a concerned yet intrigued expression on his face as he stared at her again. He then felt awkward now as he realized that was the real reason for Kathy for wanting to come into this dimension.

"Oh, uh...So, it wasn't necessarily because of Sonic then?" Knuckles asked calmly yet awkwardly in sheepishness with a small frown as he felt a little ridiculous now after suspecting that Kathy had come here because of Sonic.

"No. I just wanted to have a new home in this dimension. I was lost when I first arrived here. I did think about trying to find Sonic or his friends so that they can tell me where I am and where I could find a place to stay. But...I...I forgot to ask Blaze where Sonic lives or where his friends live at. So...I merely stumbled around in this dimension for about an hour before I had crash-landed here," Kathy answered humbly as she looked a little sheepish while explaining what she was doing before coming to Angel Island.

"Ah...That...That makes sense then," Knuckles replied calmly yet awkwardly in understanding with a sheepish frown as he felt rather foolish now for suspecting such selfish reasons from Kathy that weren't even true. He supposed that it was his own jealousy for Sonic that had made him think that way. I...I feel like an idiot. I should know that it's not always about Sonic here, but sometimes...it feels like it. Knuckles brooded calmly in embarassment with a sheepish frown on his face.

"Well, at least, you have a place to stay for the night. I'll bring you to Tails' house later in the day after we both get some sleep. Tails is one of Sonic's closest friends. He's a smart and very kind kid. I'm sure that he'll be considerate enough to let you reside in his house for the time being. Besides, he could use some company," Knuckles continued calmly in understanding with a little frown as he slightly looked up at Kathy.

"Oh, really? That's great! Thank you so much, Knuckles! I'll be happy to meet with Tails! After all, I love kids! So, it'll be wonderful living with him! Especially since you've mentioned that he's smart! Just...how smart is he? And how old is he really?" Kathy replied excitedly yet happily in amusement as she smiled down at Knuckles.

Knuckles smiled back as he calmly answered in amusement, "Tails is a genius, and he's only eight-years-old. He can build anything that he gets his hands on and could pilot planes too. He's a bit of a nerd though, but that's because he's passionate about science and machines and stuff of that nature. He's a good kid though. You can have my word on that".

Kathy just gawked at Tails' description. She was utterly shocked by how smart Tails is. Geez! I didn't think that he could be THAT smart! When I was his age, the only thing I did anything scientific was digging in the sand just to see if there were remains of the humans who had used to live on Infant Island! …...That...and making mud-pies because there was nothing else to do on that boring, remote island. Kathy pondered in shock with wide eyes and with a wide-open mouth.

Knuckles smirked once he saw Kathy's baffled expression. Even this face looked adorable to him. He then added calmly in amusement with a coy smirk, "Yeah, that's the kind of expression most people have whenever Tails' description gets brought up. I'll admit that even I was surprised when I heard about how smart Tails really is. So, when you do meet him, well...you're in for a treat. That's all I can say about that".

Kathy then beamed at Knuckles as she replied brightly in amusement with a giggle, "Oh, I'm certainly going to enjoy staying at his house then! I bet that he's adorable too! I can't wait to meet him! Hehehehehe!".

Knuckles smiled gently at Kathy as he replied calmly in amusement, "Heh. You really like kids that much, huh?".

"Yep! Hehehehehehehehe! They're just adorable! I like being around them! They always like to have fun, and I can get down with that because I want to have fun too! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed jovially in amusement with a few giggles seeping out of her mouth as she smiled hugely.

Knuckles felt his heart melt after just hearing that innocent yet sweet response to his question. It's just too pure of a reason to ever like something such as that...and maybe even heartwarming. Knuckles can tell that Kathy is really a simple-hearted person based on her answer for liking children in the first place. He wonders a little if she is quite childish herself, but he puts it off for now since it's too early to tell. As he kept staring at her joyful looking face, he then pondered calmly to himself in amusement with a little smile on his face. Sheesh, can she ever stop looking this cute? It's getting rather ridiculous.

"That's...That's just great, Kathy. I'm sure that you'll have fun while being with Tails. I'm happy to be the one to introduce you to him," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement and in fondness with a little smile on his face.

"Yeah!" Kathy exclaimed giddily yet childishly in amusement with a huge smile and with a nod as she looked at Knuckles.

Oh, good grief. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement with a grin on his face after he heard that simple response from Kathy. He decided to change the subject a little by asking Kathy more personal questions. Although he can't help but feel rather shy while doing so.

"Say...Uh...Kathy? Umm...How old are you? You seem to look...Ummm...rather young...to me. Uhh...It could be more so because your personality, but you do seem...rather...youthful...and...optimistic...I guess," Knuckles asked calmly yet shyly in awkwardness with a coy smile and with a little blush as he looked away from Kathy's eyes while he asked his question. He kept blushing in embarassment since it was his first time asking a teenaged girl this question. Either I'm going to get a smack for asking this question or get an earful for being rather insensitive by prying into a woman's background. This can never go well. Knuckles brooded calmly in sheepishness as he cringed a little while he waited for Kathy's response to his question.

But to his surprise, Kathy didn't do either of those things.

"Oh! I'm 14 years old! And thank you for saying those compliments to me, Knuckles! Say, since I've told you my age, why don't you tell me yours?!" Kathy exclaimed brightly yet politely in amusement with a cheerful smile on her face.

Huh?! Knuckles thought in shock as he looked back and stared at Kathy in surprise. He was actually more surprised that Kathy didn't hurt him or yell at him than knowing what her age was. I can't believe it! A girl who is actually reasonable and NOT crazy?! I...I got to be dreaming or something. The girls that I had met always have something crazy or maddening about them. Not normal! Wait a minute...Maybe the fact that Kathy is normal IS abnormal! So, that's her thing, isn't it?! …...Hmm...On second thought...maybe I'm the one who's crazy here. Then again, the only reason why I've expected something crazy from Kathy were through my experiences with Amy, Rouge, Wave...and in a sense, Blaze. So...it's probably not a good idea to just rely on those girls as examples on what girls are like in general. Knuckles pondered in shock and in somberness as he stared at Kathy with a gaped mouth and with curious eyes.

"Umm...Hello? Knuckles? Did you hear my question? Should I repeat my question to you?" Kathy asked calmly yet curiously in confusion as she looked bewildered as to why Knuckles isn't speaking for a few seconds.

Knuckles blinked after Kathy got his attention again. He shook his head before he calmly answered with a little frown, "Oh, uh, sorry about that, Kathy. I was just thinking to myself for a second there. But to answer your question, I'm 16 years old".

"Wow! You're slightly older than me! So...you really lived here on this island by yourself for at least 16 years? That's...That's rather impressive..." Kathy replied brightly in surprise with a shocked look on her face before calmly yet softly in somberness as she looked a little solemn.

Knuckles frowned even deeper as he calmly replied in somberness, "Yeah, in a way, it is. However...I wouldn't wish this kind of fate to even my most hated enemies. I never had any family or friends for most of my life, so, I was always alone...doing my duty as a guardian to this place".

Wait! Did he say "guardian"? He's a guardian too?! Kathy thought brightly in surprise as her eyebrows were raised in curiosity. "A 'guardian'? Umm...What are you a guardian of? Is there something on this island that you had to protect?" Kathy asked calmly with intrigue in her voice as she tilted her head in a cute way.

Knuckles nodded as he answered calmly in somberness with a solemn frown, "I'm the only and current Guardian of the Master Emerald. It's a large, powerful gem that controls the Chaos Emeralds whenever they go havoc by someone else's control. I'm the only one who can control the Master Emerald whenever the need arises from a crisis. I have to protect it with my life because there are many thieves and wicked people who would want to keep the treasure to themselves and use it for evil. It's mostly a family heirloom passed down from my clan, and I'm the last person from my old clan to protect it. It's a job that only I can do".

Kathy gasped in shock when she heard that Knuckles was really a guardian like she is. She's even surprised that there's something stronger than the Chaos Emeralds. And here I thought that Blaze was the only emerald guardian that I know! I never thought that Knuckles could be one too! Huh. Talk about a coincidence. I've left one emerald guardian friend behind just to find another one! And in a different dimension too to boot! Hmmm...Well, would you look at that! I guess that I won't be alone in this dimension now since Knuckles is a guardian too! Teehee! And he's a cute one at that! I'm such a lucky girl! I wonder how he'll react if I told him that I'm a guardian too? Heh! Might as well see! Kathy pondered calmly yet brightly in surprise and in amusement as she smiled cheerfully at Knuckles.

Knuckles looked confused as to why Kathy is smiling at him now. He then asked curiously in confusion, "What? Is there something funny in what I had said?".

Kathy shook her head as she exclaimed happily in amusement with a bright smile, "No! It's not that! It's just that I think that it's cool that you're a guardian, Knuckles! I thought that Blaze was the only one!".

Knuckles smirked as he replied coolly in amusement, "Hmph. I'll take it that you're impressed then if you thought that Blaze was the only one who can do the job, right?".

Kathy beamed as she replied brightly in amusement, "Well, yeah! But there's something else that I think is much cooler than that!".

"Oh? And what's that?" Knuckles asked calmly in curiosity with a little smile as he looked back at the path before him while walking forward.

Kathy was smiling jovially as she revealed something that will shock Knuckles right off of his feet.

Literally.

"It's because I'm a guardian too!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cute smile and with eager eyes.

WHAT?! Knuckles thought in alarm and in utter disbelief as he felt his heart and eyes almost coming out of his body. This sudden reveal was so shocking that he had accidently tripped.

"ACK!" Knuckles yelped in shock before he accidently tripped and fell onto the wet ground of the forest.

THUMP!

"Eep!" Kathy yelped in surprise as she was startled when Knuckles fell.

Knuckles was laying on his stomach on the grass below as his arms were stretched-out before him. He grunted at the slight pain that he had after the fall. Kathy gasped in shock and in worry before she sat right up and shook Knuckles' shoulders to get his attention.

"Knuckles?! Knuckles! Knuckles! Hey! Are you okay?! Are you going to be alright?! Do you want me to heal you?!" Kathy exclaimed in worry as her expression had softened and looked caringly towards him.

"..." Knuckles said nothing as he heard Kathy's worried questions to him. As he was being shaken by her, he now can't hold back a genuine smile as he pondered calmly in fondness. Of all the things that I would encounter in life, I would have never thought that it would be another guardian. Sure, Blaze may be one thing, but she's from a different dimension altogether and can't travel back and forth from her dimension to mine while doing her duty. But this girl on the other hand...she just traveled from Blaze's dimension to here with the intention of staying here...maybe perhaps...for the rest of her life. I...No...That will never happen, but...one can dream though...Hmmmmm...

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted quietly in amusement as he closed his eyes for a second.

"Huh? Did you say something, Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly in confusion with a little frown as she stopped shaking Knuckles for a moment.

"Oh...it's nothing, Kathy. I was just...Never mind...Forget about it..." Knuckles muttered calmly in amusement as he opened his eyes and turned his head around to smile at her.

Kathy sighed in relief and smiled calmly as she saw that Knuckles was okay before she gently replied in curiosity, "So...you are okay then, Knuckles?".

Knuckles' smile turned a little lopsided as he looked sheepish at Kathy. He answered her with a little awkwardness in his tone, "Umm...Heh. Yes. I...Uhh...I just tripped...and fell. That's all".

"Oh...So...Umm...Do you...Err...want me to get off so that you can get back up?" Kathy asked calmly in awkwardness with a sheepish grin on her face as she scratched the back of her head.

"Uhh...No. Not really. It's okay, Kathy. I can get up just fine even with you on my back. You're...actually not that heavy," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a little smile as he shook his head. He was calm before he panicked again as he realized what he had just said. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! NOW, I AM going to get whacked on by Kathy here after that casual "weight" comment! Why did I let that slip out?! I know that she's not heavy to begin with and that I'm strong enough to just carry her, but still, that is something that I should never say to any girl EVER! Amy and Rouge had taught me that the hard way! Knuckles brooded irritably in frustration with a grimace as he cringed again in worry of what Kathy will do next.

But once again, to Knuckles' surprise and possibly disbelief, Kathy didn't react to his comment at all. Instead, she beamed at him as she complimented him.

"Wow! You must be so strong then if you can stand back up with me on your back! Hehehehe! Come on! Show me! Show me! I want to see how strong you are!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a little giggle while having an excited look on her face.

Knuckles looked stunned again by Kathy's positive response. He blinked a few times before he smiled to her again. He looked a little sheepish as he calmly replied in shyness, "It's...It's not THAT big of a deal. Really. I mean...I'm sure that...Uhh...others could do this too".

"Hehehe! Yeah! Maybe! But you get to be the first person that I see anyone do! So, you got something that no other person gets! My first reaction to YOUR attempt, Knuckles!" Kathy replied calmly yet cheerfully in amusement with another giggle as she smiled broadly at him.

Knuckles immediately blushed after Kathy had said that. He realized that she was right...HE gets to be the first...HER FIRST! Ack! Don't you ever finish that thought, Knuckles! She's a beautiful girl, yes! But that doesn't mean that you have to think of her...in that way...OH, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, KNUCKLES! LOOK AT HER! SHE'S TOO PURE TO THINK OF THAT! Knuckles brooded in shock and in embarrassment with a flustered look on his face as he berated himself for being too crude.

"Knuckles? Are you o-?" Kathy asked calmly yet curiously in confusion before Knuckles exclaimed as he quickly stood up. She immediately wrapped her arms around his shoulders again as he pushed himself up from the ground with his hands.

"Never mind! Let's move on from this!" Knuckles exclaimed quickly in embarassment while having a flushed look on his face as he quickly walked forward. He then held onto Kathy's hands again while looking down in shame of himself.

Kathy just looked confused as to why Knuckles had gone silent after that. Huh. I wonder what had gotten into him? Kathy thought calmly yet innocently in confusion as she stared at Knuckles with a curious expression on her face.

...

"So...let me get this straight...You're a guardian too, Kathy?" Knuckles calmly asked a few minutes later after he had recovered from his embarrassment.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! That's true indeed!" Kathy replied calmly yet cheerfully in amusement with a nod and with a bright smile.

"Just what are you a guardian of?" Knuckles asked calmly with intrigue in his tone while looking curious. He still found it baffling that he is talking to another guardian here, but fate has an interesting way to keep him on his toes.

Kathy replied calmly in amusement with a gentle smile, "You know about the pendant that I wear, right?".

"Mmhm. That silver pendant with a gold heart in the middle of two, small, round gems? Yeah? What about it?" Knuckles replied calmly in curiosity with a nod and with a little frown as he slightly looked back at her.

"That pendant is called the Sol Pendant. It's a very unique piece of jewelry. It's quite a powerful thing too since it can control energy sources like the Sol Hearts for instance. Since I'm the only one who can control this pendant and its gems, I'm the current Guardian of the Sol Pendant. My mother was the first, and she was the best at it!" Kathy answered solemnly yet proudly with a calm smile on her gentle face.

"I...I see. So, your mother was the first guardian of that pendant then?" Knuckles replied calmly in curiosity with a little frown as he nodded his head in understanding.

"Yep! She's the one who had created the pendant! That's why she's the first guardian of it!" Kathy answered proudly in confidence with a bright smile.

"Uh huh. I see...Wait a minute! What?! Your mother...CREATED IT?!" Knuckles replied calmly with a little frown as he nodded his head again before he exclaimed in shock. He looked back at Kathy with a shocked expression on his face.

Kathy smiled brightly as she replied excitedly in amusement, "Uh huh! And she was the best guardian there is when she had protected that pendant! I've really looked up to her when I was little and had decided very early on that I wanted to be a guardian just for her sake! I just wanted to help my mom by protecting her from harm. I just loved her that much! She meant the world to me, and I just wanted to repay her back somehow! So, I've become the Guardian of the Sol Pendant just for her! She even helped me to learn how to fight with it and mostly what it can do! All the tricks, techniques, and fighting skills that I can do with the pendant are all from those 8 years of training!".

Knuckles just gaped in shock as he saw Kathy being excited when the topic of her mother had come up. He ended up smiling at that as he can see how much she liked talking about her mom. I guess that her mother had loved her very dearly then if Kathy is excited talking about her. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement with a fond smile on his face.

But then, a curious question came to his mind. Wait a minute. If Kathy is the current guardian now, then where is her mother? Didn't she also come into this dimension with her? Knuckles pondered calmly in confusion with a little frown instead.

"Hey, Kathy? Where is your mother right now? Shouldn't she still be the one to guard that pendant if she's alive?" Knuckles asked calmly yet quietly in curiosity with a little frown as he looked at Kathy.

Kathy then frowned in sadness as she said nothing to that question. She can still feel the pain of losing her mother and is doing her best not to cry about it. Instead, she held onto Knuckles much tighter for comfort and had placed her head on top of his right shoulder again as a way to snuggle against him. Knuckles was slightly surprised when Kathy did this. As his eyes looked down towards Kathy, he frowned in sadness too as he realized that she isn't answering his question.

"I...I see...I'm sorry, Kathy. Sorry for bringing that up..." Knuckles muttered calmly yet quietly in guilt as he looked sympathetic towards Kathy.

Kathy held tighter onto Knuckles again after hearing him say that as she softly whispered in sadness, "It's okay, Knuckles".

Knuckles looked sad for Kathy as he watched her now clinging onto him for comfort. What have I done? I've made her upset. I should...do my best to comfort her back. Knuckles pondered calmly in sympathy with a sad frown on his face. He decided to comfort her by putting his hands over Kathy's and squeezed them gently as his way to ease her. Kathy had loved the gentle attempt that Knuckles is doing and had snuggled into him as a way to thank him.

Knuckles smiled a little as he saw that it was working. So, he kept doing that the rest of the way to his shack.

...

It took about five more minutes to have finally reached his shack. Once Knuckles saw that his shack was just a few feet away, he then muttered calmly yet softly to Kathy with a little frown, "Hey, Kathy, we're here. The shack is right over there".

"Huh? Oh..." Kathy muttered sleepily as she slowly got her head up from Knuckles' shoulder. She did her best to stay awake. She figured that she had slightly rested on top of Knuckles' shoulder out of exhaustion. Boy...I'm just ready to fall asleep, aren't I? Kathy thought wearily in exhaustion as she yawned a bit.

Knuckles smiled in amusement as he saw that response. Heh. No wonder she didn't talk some more to me after that. She's tired, and I don't...Uh...blame her. Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement with a little smile before he shared a yawn too.

"...(Yawn)…Tired?" Knuckles asked calmly yet quietly in amusement with a yawn as he looked up at Kathy while smiling.

"Mmhmm..." Kathy mused sleepily as she nodded her head. After nodding her head, Kathy just plopped her head on top of Knuckles' head as if it was a pillow.

Knuckles had to stifle a snicker after seeing that cute response. "I'll take that as a 'yes' then. Don't worry, Kathy. You'll get to sleep in my bed soon enough. I'll sleep on the couch for the time being," Knuckles replied quietly with a gentle smile as he walked towards the door to his shack and opened it.

More thunder and lightning kept going as the storm went on in the night sky. Knuckles quickly turned the lights on in his shack and walked inside it while feeling grateful that he's sheltered from the rain. He soon closed the door behind him and looked towards the bed at the back of his rustic shack. It was behind his living room since the shack was a small, simple place. It's even smaller than the average apartment one could live in a city. Of course, the smaller spacing doesn't bother Knuckles in the slightest since he prefers simple living arrangements in his private life on the island.

Knuckles could feel how soaked he is and had assumed that Kathy feels the same. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any towels in his shack that could help dry themselves off. Aw well. I sure hope that Kathy doesn't mind it. At least, she'll be warm when she's under the covers of my bed. Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement with a little frown as he walked towards the bed and stood beside it.

"Kathy? Hey. Kathy? Umm...Wake up. You need to get off of me now. The ride is over," Knuckles muttered calmly yet gently with a little frown as he grabbed Kathy's hands and shook them a bit to get her attention again.

Kathy immediately got her head up off of Knuckles' head and shook her head to try to stay awake before she muttered tiredly in understanding, "Oh...Okay. I'll get off now".

She then placed her feet down to the ground after Knuckles took her hands off of him. After she got her balance right on the floor, she then carefully walked beside Knuckles and stood next to him. With sleepy eyes, she looked at the bed first and then at him curiously. She did this a few times, and Knuckles had his eyebrows raised since he looked confused as to why Kathy is doing this.

"Ummm...Kathy? Are you going to get into the bed or not?" Knuckles asked calmly in a confused tone with a bewildered look on his face.

Kathy was quiet for a bit as she stared curiously at the medium-sized bed that has a blue blanket on it. After a few more moments of silence, she then asked calmly in curiosity with an intrigued look on her face, "Is this...what a 'bed' looks like?".

"Eh? …...Huh?! You don't know what a bed looks like?!" Knuckles replied calmly in slight confusion towards Kathy's question before he exclaimed in shock as his eyes went wide and as his mouth went agape.

"Uhh...No? I've only slept in a hammock for all of my life. I've heard of the word 'bed' and 'bedroom', but I've never slept in one before...and...wow. This bed looks bigger than my old hammock!" Kathy replied calmly with a little frown and with a cute head tilt as she looked at Knuckles curiously before she smiled as she stared at the bed again in wonderment.

Knuckles only gasped in surprise when he heard that Kathy had never even seen a bed before. And here I thought that I was the only one who was "technologically behind" according to my so-called "friends". Clearly, someone had beaten me in that department. …...And who would've thought that it would be this...beautiful...adorable...innocent-looking moth girl? Knuckles pondered calmly in shock with a stunned expression on his face as he stared at Kathy's happy face while she inspects the bed.

Kathy kept smiling as she turned to look at Knuckles again and calmly asked him in curiosity, "So, where are you going to sleep?".

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, like I had said before, I'll be sleeping on the couch for the night," Knuckles answered quickly with a little frown as he shook his head a little to focus back onto Kathy again.

"What's a 'couch'?" Kathy asked calmly yet innocently in confusion as she tilted her head cutely again while having a curious expression on her face.

"What?! You don't know what a couch is either?!" Knuckles exclaimed in disbelief as his eyes and mouth went wide again in shock.

Kathy simply shook her head "no" to answer Knuckles' question. Knuckles only just gawked at her with an open jaw as he couldn't believe what he's hearing or seeing. Man...and to think that I was bad when I know nothing about the modern world. This girl...really is sheltered from the outside world. Knuckles pondered calmly in shock with a wide-open jaw as he stared into Kathy's eyes again.

Kathy then smiled brightly as she calmly asked in curiosity with a giggle, "Why are you staring at me like that, Knuckles? Hehehehehehe! Did something catch your eye?".

Knuckles blushed as he gasped in nervousness before he quickly replied in shyness while pointing at the brown couch, "...! No! No! It's nothing! Umm...Hey! Look! That right there is a couch".

Kathy turned her head to look at the couch as she exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful grin on her face, "Ohhh...So, that's what a couch looks like!".

Knuckles then smiled sheepishly as a sweat drop formed on his head. Oh, good grief. This is going to be a lot of work. I can tell. Knuckles thought calmly in sheepishness with an awkward look on his face.

"Teehee! It's a like a buff version of a hammock! It's so strong that it doesn't even need any poles to stay in place! Hehehehe! It can just support itself!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a jovial smile while giggling a little.

"That's...Uhh...one way of putting it..." Knuckles muttered calmly yet awkwardly in amusement as he had a little, sheepish smile on his face while looking at Kathy.

"And you're going to sleep on that? Hehehehehe! You just got boned, Knuckles!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile and with another giggle as she looked at Knuckles again.

"Huh?! What's that supposed to mean?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock with a baffled look on his face as he felt confused by Kathy's statement.

"Because the bed is obviously bigger than the couch, Knuckles! I got the better end of the deal here! Hehehehehe!" Kathy answered jovially in amusement with a cheerful smile as she giggled some more.

"Hey! I just gave you my bed! It was my decision to lend you the bed! It's not a downgrade or anything!" Knuckles exclaimed in defense with slightly furrowed eyebrows as he frowned a little. He then crossed his arms as he continued in annoyance, "Besides, I usually sleep on the altar of the Master Emerald! Nowadays, I even sleep on the bed whenever I feel like it! It's called 'luxury', Kathy. So, even if I do sleep on the couch, at least, it's better than the hard ground of the altar!".

Kathy just giggled again in response to that outburst. Knuckles yelled in slight embarrassment with a confused yet irked look on his face, "Hey! What's so funny about that?!".

"It's funny because you just got boned again, Knuckles! That's what! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile as she giggled silly.

"What?!" Knuckles yelled in shock as his eyes and mouth went wide in surprise.

"Yeah, you heard me, Knuckles! Tell me! Since when did you start sleeping on the bed or even on the couch?!" Kathy replied jovially in amusement with a playful grin on her face.

"...Umm...When I was 16..." Knuckles answered slowly in awkwardness with a sheepish frown and with wide eyes as his face flushed in realization of what Kathy is implying here.

"Aha! I knew it! While you had slept on nothing but hard, rough ground, I was sleeping on a comfy hammock for all of my life! And get this! My hammock was in a cave! So, technically, I got the 'luxury' that you so claimed earlier, Knuckles! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed proudly in amusement with a silly grin on her face while she pointed at Knuckles and herself for emphasis as she giggled a little.

"..." Knuckles was silent on that when he saw that Kathy had a point in that regard. In fact, if he hadn't found Kathy, then he would be sleeping in the rain...while on top of the Master Emerald altar. So...Yeah, he can admit that he had it rough that he grew up with nothing but the altar at his side. He had always braved the weather because he had to. Even though he had known of his shack's existence several years ago, he had never used it because his emerald was more important than his own personal comforts. So, in other words...Kathy was right in saying that he did indeed "got boned".

Knuckles kept staring at Kathy while not saying anything, and Kathy kept staring back at him while letting a few giggles come out. He then slowly grinned at her as he kept staring at her, and she just responded by giggling some more as she watched him grin at her.

"...Just get on the bed already," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement as he grinned at her.

"Hahahahahahahaha! You're just upset that I was right, aren't you?!" Kathy replied brightly in amusement with a huge smile while laughing happily.

"Bed, Kathy!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge grin as he closed his eyes while trying not to laugh.

"Hehehehehe! But I don't want to get the bed wet! Look at me! Hehehehe! I'm all soaked!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile while giggling.

With a huge, playful smile, Knuckles looked at Kathy again and asked calmly in amusement, "Do you want to go to sleep or not?".

"Well...Do you want me to get the bed wet? Teehee!" Kathy asked back in amusement with a mischievous smile on her face while she leant towards Knuckles a little as she giggled slightly.

"..." Knuckles said nothing again but had a smug grin on his face.

To Kathy's complete surprise, Knuckles then quickly lifted her up by her waist and put her on the bed. As he did this, Kathy shrieked a little before giggling helplessly like a little kid, and in Knuckles' mind...it can be said that she is one.

"Ack! Knuckles! Hahahahahahahahahaha! Hehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy shrieked happily in amusement with a huge smile before giggling silly as she was put down gently on the bed on her back.

"There. Now, sleep, silly girl," Knuckles replied calmly in slight playfulness as he had his right hand on the edge of the bed while looking at Kathy with an amused look on his face.

Kathy can't help herself but giggle some more after hearing Knuckles say that. Knuckles stared at Kathy for a few more seconds before closing his eyes and moving his head away from her while having a fixed smile on his face. As he had his other hand on the edge of the bed, he did his best to hold his laughter in as he listened to Kathy's pure giggles. I've never encountered a girl who giggles this much before. In fact, I've never made a girl giggle or laugh like this just by staring at her! Kathy is just so silly. I...Hmmm...S-Silly...Knuckles pondered calmly yet brightly in amusement with a fixed smile on his face.

He then opened in his eyes in realization before he frowned a little as he brooded calmly in confusion. That's odd. When I had said it to Kathy, for some reason, I...felt like I had already used that word on her. But the strangest thing is...That was my first time saying it to her. It's like...I've said that word to her multiple times before in past and yet...it's my first time meeting her. It just...feels so right...so fitting to describe her in that way...I...Just what is going on with me? I'm...Sigh. I must be more tired than I thought. My mind must be going haywire by how sleepy I am. Still, I better go patch up Kathy's injuries. She needs medical treatment more than anything now.

Knuckles shook his head before he stood up straighter as he pushed himself from the bed. He looked at Kathy as he muttered calmly yet gently in reassurance with a solemn look on his face, "I'm going to patch up your injuries, Kathy. I'm going to give you some cream that will treat your burn wounds. I'll be right back. It'll only take a minute".

"Oh, okay, Knuckles," Kathy replied calmly in understanding with a content smile on her face while she nodded a little as she looked at Knuckles.

Knuckles smiled back at her before he walked away from the bed and went into the kitchen to fetch the first-aid kit. Kathy was smiling as she watched Knuckles move towards the kitchen. As she laid on the bed, she got a little comfortable as she rested her head onto the pillow. She then stretched a bit to get some of the soreness out of her before she sleeps. After stretching, she placed her arms out on both sides and looked up at the ceiling above. She then pondered calmly yet brightly to herself in amusement with a gentle smile on her face. Wow, this bed feels soooo comfortable! I really like this. It's more comfortable than my hammock! Heh. I guess now I know why Blaze prefers sleeping in beds opposed to hammocks! They feel so relaxing! I'm really glad that Knuckles had given his bed to me. He's so kind to me. I should thank him for letting me sleep on it!

Meanwhile, Knuckles went to the cabinets to fetch the first-aid kit. As he opened the right cabinet that has the kit, he grabbed it and took it out of the cabinet. As he did this, he pondered about his interactions with Kathy so far. You know...now that I think about it...I feel like I've already done this with Kathy before. I mean...Just by taking care of her...getting her to laugh...being playful with her...I've felt like I had done this before, yet...it's really our first time meeting each other. This...This doesn't make any sense. I wish that I knew why I feel this way...Hmm...

He sighed as he shook his head again to focus on what he should be doing now. He then opened the kit and grabbed the cream bottle as well as some napkins just in case. He walked back towards the living room and headed towards the bed at the end of the shack. Kathy looked back towards Knuckles and smiled calmly at him. Knuckles smiled back at her as he announced calmly in amusement, "I'm back".

"I can see that! Hehehe! I like your bed, Knuckles! It's so comfy! Too bad that you can't sleep on it now since I've wet it! Hehehehe!" Kathy replied brightly in amusement with a jovial smile as she giggled a bit.

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny, Kathy. You're lucky that I'm used to sleeping outdoors. I can wait until its dry again to sleep on it," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement as he opened the cream bottle while looking at Kathy with a gentle smile.

"Just hope that it doesn't rain during the rest of the week then! Hehehehe!" Kathy replied jovially in amusement with a cheerful grin and with a little giggle.

…...Maybe with you here, it just won't. Knuckles thought calmly in fondness with a gentle look on his face as he stared longingly at Kathy. Kathy stared longingly back at Knuckles with a gentle look too. They stared at each other's eyes again as they fell silent. They can't say why they feel at peace with the other's presence, but they are starting to enjoy it immensely.

Kathy then looked at the cream bottle that Knuckles was holding and pointed at it while she asked calmly yet cheerfully in amusement with an innocent smile, "What is that, Knuckles?".

"Hmm? Oh, this is the cream that I was talking about earlier. I'm going to apply it on your burn wounds, Kathy. It will help you heal from your injuries. Just stay still until I say that you can roll over on your stomach. I saw that you have wounds on your wings and head earlier when I had found you. So, I'm going to put the cream on them," Knuckles explained calmly with a little smile as he squeezed the bottle into one of his hands before putting the bottle down to the edge of the bed. He then rubbed his hands together as he added in a gentle tone with a caring yet concerned look on his face, "Just tell me when you feel some pain when I do this. I don't want to hurt you, Kathy. Although I'll warn you that it might sting a bit. So, I can slow down if you want me to".

Kathy just stared at Knuckles with such curious eyes and with a stunned expression on her face. She doesn't know why she's feeling such warmth in her heart, but she's happy to have it. This feeling...it feels so familiar. Being cared for like this...It may not be when I got injured in the past, but...having someone looking out for me and doing their best to make me feel comfortable...It's like I've gone through with this a long time ago...Maybe even with him...It's so strange. I'm very sure that this our first time meeting each other. There's no way that we've met before in the past...right? Still...Kathy pondered calmly in fondness and in curiosity as she stared at Knuckles' caring, violet eyes as he looked down on her injured body to see where to start applying the cream on.

She then smiled gently as she thought calmly in fondness. …...Still, it feels good to be taken care of by someone again...Just like how my mom had taken care of me years ago.

Knuckles soon decided to start with Kathy's arms first. There were some burn wounds there, but it's nothing compared to the many wounds on her large, beautiful wings. But when he did put his hands on top of Kathy's arms, she yelped in surprise by how cold the cream was to her burn wounds.

"AH! You didn't warn me that it would be COLD, Knuckles!" Kathy yelled in shock with an alarmed look on her face as she flinched at the cold cream.

Knuckles smirked deviously at her as he replied calmly yet teasingly in amusement, "Aw, did I forget to mention that? Sorry, but it looks like you're going to have to deal with it. Now, stay still".

Kathy kept yelping and flinching as Knuckles rubbed her arms with the burn cream but ended up giggling a lot.

"Hey! Hold still, you! Heheheh!" Knuckles exclaimed playfully in amusement with a huge grin while snickering a little as he then decided to rub the cream over Kathy's face next since he was almost done with her arms.

Kathy was still giggling as she tried to stop Knuckles by grabbing his wrists and holding them, and Knuckles did his best to hold back a laugh when he saw Kathy do this.

"H-Hey! Do you want me to help you or not?" Knuckles asked calmly yet brightly in amusement as he had a huge grin on his face.

"No! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed playfully in amusement with a huge smile on her adorable yet clearly injured face as she giggled a lot.

"'No'? What do you mean 'no'? You don't want my help now?" Knuckles asked playfully in amusement with a mischievous grin on his face.

"No! Hahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed again in amusement with a huge smile while laughing cutely.

"Well, that's too bad then. …...Because I'm gonna help you anyway!" Knuckles replied calmly yet brightly in a playful tone with a devious grin as he quickly got his hands onto Kathy's face before she could react fast enough to stop him.

"Eeeek! Hehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy shrieked before she giggled helplessly again as Knuckles rubbed the burn cream onto her face. She managed to wrestle with him a few times by pushing his arms away from herself. She was giggling the entire time as she playfully wrestled with him. Knuckles had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing out loud at this ridiculous, playful, little situation that he had gotten himself into.

This is...This is just ridiculous! Hahahahahaha! Knuckles thought calmly yet brightly in amusement with a huge grin as he played with Kathy some more by switching between her arms and her face several times before he stopped a minute later.

"Heheh! There! I finally got the cream on you, Kathy. Just...P-Please hold still when I do your wings next...Honestly...Heheheh..." Knuckles commented calmly yet brightly in amusement with a huge grin while snickering a bit as he grabbed some napkins to clean his hands before reaching for the cream bottle again.

"Teehee! That was fun, Knuckles! Thank you for helping me! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a bright smile while still giggling a little although not as much as before.

"I'm glad that you had...finally let me to help you, Kathy," Knuckles replied calmly yet jokingly in a slightly dead-pan tone as he stared at Kathy with a smug look on his face.

As Knuckles had expected, Kathy had burst into another fit of the giggles. Heh. Ridiculous. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement with a smug smile as he squeezed some more burn cream onto his hands and rubbed them again. Still...I have to agree with Kathy here. That was...rather fun. I never have thought that it could be fun, but...it seems that Kathy had found a way to be fun. The warm feeling that I had while I did that...it was amazing. I never had that feeling before, but it seems that I have it now. And...it's not going away...and I don't want it to. Knuckles pondered calmly in endearment with a fond expression on his face as his eyes glanced back at Kathy for a moment before looking at her wings.

"Hehehe! I'm sorry, Knuckles! I didn't mean to! I just never have thought that the cream would be cold!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in a slightly apologetic tone with a little giggle as she smiled sweetly at him.

"It's okay, Kathy. I was only kidding around. But thanks anyway and...you're welcome," Knuckles replied calmly in understanding and in gratitude with a little smile as he scooted over to one of Kathy's wings. He looked back at Kathy and smiled teasingly at her as he playfully asked in amusement, "Now...are you going to stay still as I told you to or are we going to have another problem here?".

"Hehehehehehe! I'll be good! I promise!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with an innocent smile as she giggled a little.

"Hmph. We'll see about that," Knuckles teased a little in amusement as he smirked a bit.

Except this time, Kathy was more obedient as she allowed Knuckles rub the cold, burn cream onto her. Of course, she flinched at times since it was indeed cold, but she kept it to a minimum as she allowed Knuckles to do the work. It was rather calm and peaceful between the two as Knuckles kept applying the cream onto Kathy while she stared at him as he does this. They both have content smiles on their faces as this peaceful, quiet moment happens. They can hear the rain patter onto the roof of the shack, and the booming thunder roaring outside as the storm keeps on going. Yet, despite this, things were peaceful inside the shack as the two teens were at ease with each other.

…...

"Hey, Knuckles?" Kathy asked softly in curiosity with a little smile as she broke the calming silence.

"Yeah? What is it?" Knuckles asked calmly in curiosity with a little smile while still applying the cream onto Kathy's right wing.

"Thank you for letting me sleep on your bed. I've never slept in a bed before. It's really comfy," Kathy replied calmly in gratitude with a gentle smile on her relaxed face.

"Ah. …...Y-You're welcome, Kathy. It's the least that I can do. Really," Knuckles replied a little shyly with a small smile as he coyly looked back at Kathy with a flushed face.

"You're a really kind person, Knuckles. I'm glad to have met you. Even if it was by complete accident," Kathy replied calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm look on her face.

Knuckles had stopped rubbing his hands onto Kathy's wing when he heard that. He can feel his heart elevating again as he heard that compliment from Kathy. What she just said was so sweet to him that he can feel his own body weakening. He then balled his hands into fists and placed them on top of the edge of the bed to keep himself from slipping off of it. He looked back at Kathy with a fond look on his face and stared into her gentle, light-blue eyes again.

"...I'm glad to have met you too, Kathy. Even...Even if it was by complete accident," Knuckles replied softly in endearment with a fond smile as he stared longingly at Kathy.

Kathy smiled gently at Knuckles as she stared into his violet eyes again. With twinkling, longing eyes, they stared at each other in silence for about a minute. I never have thought that I would want this person in my life up until this moment. My life had been terribly messed up, and I just want to have some bit of happiness in it. And I...I want this person to be by my side so that I can feel complete on the inside. That...That is my wish. Knuckles and Kathy pondered calmly at the same time as they stared at each other with gentle smiles on their faces.

…...

"...I...I think that I should get back to aiding you, Kathy. I hope that you don't mind," Knuckles muttered calmly in fondness with a gentle smile after that small bit of silence.

"Oh, not at all. Go on ahead, Knuckles," Kathy replied gently in understanding with a calm smile on her face.

Knuckles nodded before he got back to rubbing Kathy's wing again. After a few more minutes, he soon stood up and walked around the bed to reach Kathy's left wing. He then started to rub onto that wing too. As Kathy stared at Knuckles tiredly, she decided to talk to him some more.

"Say...what does your island look like, Knuckles? I've only seen parts of it when I flew above it earlier. It looks rather pretty," Kathy said calmly as she smiled gently at him.

Knuckles looked up and smiled at Kathy as he calmly answered, "Thank you, Kathy. It is a beautiful island indeed. Some people say that this island can be considered paradise just on how beautiful its diverse places are. This island has jungles, forests, caves, caverns, ancient ruins, deserts, mountains, and even an old carnival of some kind".

Kathy's eyes had bugged out by how diverse Knuckles' island is by those locations. She gawked at Knuckles as she exclaimed in amazement, "Wow! No wonder people think that it's a paradise! It's like the island is its own continent! My island is nowhere near as impressive or as beautiful as yours is, Knuckles!".

Knuckles smiled a little gently as he calmly replied, "Hey, don't say that, Kathy. I'm sure that the island that you had lived on is just as beautiful in its own right. I'd be a fool to say that it's not".

Kathy gasped in surprise at Knuckles' gentlemanly response. She smiled warmly at him as her heart felt touched by his words. "Thanks, Knuckles. You're right. It is very beautiful...although it's not as diverse as your island is though," Kathy replied sheepishly as she blushed a little.

"It's okay. Not all islands have to be like mine though. I...I would like to hear what your island is like, Kathy. Please...tell me," Knuckles replied calmly as he nodded slightly.

Kathy then beamed at him as she replied brightly, "Well, when you put it that way, sure! I'll tell you!".

"I'm all ears," Knuckles replied calmly before he got back into rubbing Kathy's wing again.

He listened to Kathy as she calmly replied, "You see, Knuckles, Infant Island is mostly a tropical island. It has a long beach surrounding the entire island. It has a huge forest and a huge jungle with tall trees, an old, rickety bridge, a river, a waterfall, and well...some...umm...wastelands on several parts of the island where they have occasional landslides".

"Huh? 'Wastelands'? Why do you have those in your island, Kathy?" Knuckles asked curiously as he looked up to see Kathy's face again.

Kathy froze up when Knuckles had asked that. Oh, shoot! I thought that he would've let that one slide! I...I can't tell him that it was the humans that had done that because he would ask me more about how I know that and how long ago it was! Not to mention that it would involve telling him about how Kaijus were born from the humans' ignorance...and then...he might ask me if I am a Kaiju monster too! I'm...I'm not sure if I trust Knuckles that much to let him know about that part of myself. It's like...It's like revealing to him an ugly and shameful blemish on my beautiful body...just like Infant Island itself. I...I can't do it! I can't tell him the truth! If I do then...I just might lose the kindest person that I have right now! He'll...He'll hate me if he realized that I'm a monster! I don't want that! I just...wanted to be accepted by someone. I know that what I'm doing is cowardly and stupid, but I...I can't risk losing a friend all because of who I am on the inside. We were just starting to get along with each other, and if I tell him that I'm a monster now...then...then...he'll just kick me out! I...I just can't do it! I'm weak! And pathetic! Kathy brooded as she frowned in sadness while looking down on herself in shame and away from Knuckles' gaze on her.

Knuckles picked up on Kathy's sudden change of behavior as he watched her stare at herself with a grimace on her face. He then asked in a caring and worried tone of voice, "Kathy?...Is something wrong?".

Ah! Got to focus now! Kathy thought in shock with wide eyes as she looked back at Knuckles. Knuckles looked worried at her since his eyebrows are furrowed upward and had a sad frown on his face. Kathy cringed when she saw Knuckles' worried face. Argh! Way to make me feel even more guilty, Knuckles! I'm...I'm so sorry that I had to do this to you! Kathy thought with a guilty look on her face.

Knuckles was about to say something again before Kathy replied to him with a smile, "No! I'm fine, Knuckles! Really!".

"Umm...Are you sure, Kathy?" Knuckles asked skeptically as he looked confused at Kathy's sudden change of look.

"Yeah! I am! Besides...uh...to answer your question earlier, all I know is that those wastelands are...uhh...very, very old and had been there even before I was born! So, yeah, they're there, but hey, they're not the island's main attraction! Really! The main attraction is actually the Sacred Springs! So, let's just talk about that instead!" Kathy exclaimed quickly with a twitchy smile on her face and with a sweat drop on her head. She did her best to tell some parts that are the truth while also quickly diverting from that touchy subject by switching over to a much safer topic.

"Huh? Umm...Okay..." Knuckles muttered slowly in confusion after hearing Kathy's quick answer. That was weird. What was that all about? Knuckles thought in confusion as he decided to let that odd behavior slide.

Kathy silently breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Knuckles isn't pressing her on more details of the wastelands. Whew! That was close! My secret identity is still...well...secret. I just hope that my identity won't be known soon. If it did, then...I won't know what I'll do. Kathy thought in relief as she relaxed her body again after feeling stressed out from the pressure of that awkward situation. She then genuinely smiled again as she continued to talk about her island.

"Well, you see, Knuckles, my island also has an intricate cave system that leads to a main cave room where several passages lead to different caverns of the island. One of those passageways leads to the Sacred Springs. That place is like a heavenly garden filled with trees, grass, vines, shrubbery, flowers, rocks, and of course, the spring itself. A lot of fruit grows in that beautiful garden. That's where I go to eat. I bet that you have fruit growing in your island too I take it?" Kathy replied with a calm smile as she talks confidently about the Sacred Springs.

"Oh, uh, yes, my island does grow plenty of fruit in the jungles and forests. I had never gone hungry since all of my food grows from there. Also...uhh...my...my...uh...favorite type of fruit is g-grapes," Knuckles replied calmly with a nod and with a smile before he went sheepish in the end when he talked about something personal such as his favorite food.

Kathy beamed as she replied brightly, "Hey, I like grapes too! They're my second favorite kind of fruit! My most favorite kind of fruit is cherries!".

"'Cherries', huh? I won't deny that I like them too, but..." Knuckles replied calmly with raised eyebrows and with a little smile on his face. He then had a more playful look as he added teasingly, "...But grapes are better".

"Well, duh! Grapes come in two types of flavors! Of course, that it's superior than cherries! That's why I like grapes so much!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully as she smiled brightly at Knuckles.

"Heh...But not so much to make them as your number 1 favorite. Why is that, Kathy? Explain yourself, little missy," Knuckles replied teasingly with a playful grin on his face as he stared at Kathy.

"Hehehehehehehe! Because my mom had told me once that cherries can be used as a dessert! She told me that cherries can be found on top of...of...uhhh...What was it that she had called them again? A 'sun-done'? A 'sun-dy'? A-?" Kathy replied jovially with a giggle and with a sweet smile before she looked confused as she tried to recall the name of the dessert that her mother had told her once.

"A 'sundae'?" Knuckles asked calmly with an amused smile as he helped Kathy remember the name of the dessert.

"Ah! Yes! That's right! A sundae! I've never had a sundae before, but according to my mom, they're very delicious! And! And! You can find a cheery on top of one of them! So...In conclusion, cherries are...better than grapes in that regard because they've never been put on sundaes before and never will! My mom says so!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a huge grin on her face as she remembered the name of dessert and while speaking confidently about her reasonings for preferring cherries to grapes.

Knuckles had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing at that childish reasoning for liking cherries in the first place. Even though he does find that argument to be childish...he was very much amused by Kathy with her simplicity. He decided to go along with it as he shrugged his shoulders before replying calmly to her, "Heh. Well, if your mom had said that, then who am I to say that she's wrong? Besides...she does have a point in that. I'm sad to say that grapes hadn't had any luck in any desserts besides candy. So...I concede on that argument...Kathy".

"Teehee! So, you admit that I'm right?!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a giggle and with a happy smile.

Knuckles smirked teasingly at her as he calmly replied, "I didn't say that you were right, Kathy. Only that your mom is".

"Awwww..." Kathy whined in disappointment as she frowned and looked sad.

Immediately after that, Knuckles snickered a lot as he placed his arm down on the edge of the bed while having his other hand on top of Kathy's wing. Kathy pouted in disappointment as she watched Knuckles snicker a lot.

"You're mean, Knuckles!" Kathy whined with a pouty face as she stared at Knuckles snickering to himself.

"I'm just saying the truth, Kathy! Besides...Heh heh heh heh...It doesn't really matter who's in the right in this. Cherries and grapes are both delicious fruit in the end. We just like them for different reasons," Knuckles replied in amusement with a smirk while letting a few snickers out.

Kathy smiled as she replied in agreement, "Yeah, that's true. They're both really good. Sometimes, it's hard to choose the one that you prefer the most personally. It's just a matter of choice".

Knuckles looked back at Kathy with a smile as he calmly replied, "I'm glad that you understand, Kathy. I guess that you're more mature than I take you for".

Kathy beamed in amusement as she replied brightly with a giggle, "Hehehe! Never underestimate me!".

"I won't," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile and a nod.

They both smiled at each other in understanding after that. But of course, Knuckles can't help himself but to tease Kathy once more by saying with a smug grin on his face, "But I still think that grapes are better".

Kathy frowned after hearing that. Knuckles was grinning teasingly at her while raising his eyebrows a bit in a playful way. In response to this, Kathy just stuck her tongue out at him in a childish way. Knuckles just snickered a lot again after seeing that.

That...That was just adorable! So much for being mature about it! Heheheh! Knuckles thought in amusement as he snickered some more. Kathy tried to stay irked with Knuckles, but she soon caved in and giggled a lot too. They've kept at it until they've calmed down eventually. They then stared at each other once more in silence.

...

Knuckles soon broke the silence by saying with a calm smile, "So...that was what your old home was like, Kathy? I'm not sure why you had to say that it's inferior to my island. Because I think that it sounds just as mysterious and beautiful as mine is. I wish that I could visit there just to see it myself. I'm sure that it would be something else".

"R-Really? You think so?" Kathy asked in surprise with a longing smile on her face.

Knuckles nodded as he replied gently with a shy smile while blushing a little, "Sure...I mean...You had lived there after all".

Kathy gasped in shock as she blushed too. Does he mean that...I'm mysterious and...beautiful? That's...That's so sweet of him to think like that. Kathy thought calmly with twinkling eyes as he stared at Knuckles' handsome, violet eyes.

"Th-Thank you, Knuckles. You're...too kind to me..." Kathy muttered shyly as she looked down on her body instead of Knuckles.

"It's...It's nothing, Kathy. Anyways, I suppose that I should finish aiding your left wing. Umm...You might want to roll over so that I can get the back of your wings and head, Kathy. Can you do that for me?" Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile before he looked back at Kathy's left wing. He started to finish rubbing Kathy's left wing in cream after saying that.

"Oh, uh, sure, Knuckles. I can do that. Besides...I...(Yawn)…...I'm feeling very tired now. I...uh...(Yawn)…...I want to go to sleep already...M-May I sleep, Knuckles?" Kathy replied calmly as she yawned and stretched her arms again.

"Yes, you can, Kathy. I won't force you to stay awake just to talk to me. You can go asleep while I continue aiding your body. In fact...There. I've finished the front side of your wings, Kathy. Now, you may roll over and go to sleep since I'm going to work on the back side of your wings and head now. Okay?" Knuckles replied calmly as he then stopped rubbing Kathy's left wing and stood up from the bed.

"Alright then. Umm...Goodnight, Knuckles. Pleasant dreams..." Kathy replied softly with a nod and a smile before she rolled over onto her stomach and placed her head sideways onto the pillow. She then placed her arms onto the pillow and closed her eyes to go to sleep.

"...Goodnight, Kathy. Sleep well..." Knuckles muttered softly as he looked down at Kathy once he had reached the bed's right side again.

He then grabbed some more napkins and wiped the cream off before grabbing the cream bottle again. He squeezed some more cream onto his hands and rubbed them as he looked at Kathy's wings again. He can see that there are a lot of burns on the other side of Kathy's wings. He even noticed the bruises too. He frowned as he looked at Kathy's sleeping figure as he brooded. Just who could've done this to such a...beautiful creature? Probably a monster if I had to guess. She doesn't deserve this much pain or injuries as she did. The poor thing. I just would never think that anyone could take such a beating like this just like Sonic and I had at times in the past. I wonder...Why does Kathy have these injuries besides the lightning attacks? Hmmm...Maybe I'll find out later.

He then proceeded to rub Kathy's wings once more with the cream. The more that he stares at the wings the more he feels entranced by them. Red, yellow, orange, black, and white. Who knew that these colors would be so hypnotizing to look at? Knuckles really didn't think that it would. These wings...They're so beautiful. To think that a moth could be so beautiful...and stunning like this...It's...incredible. Just what kind of a moth is Kathy anyway? Knuckles pondered with a frown on his face as he worked on Kathy's wings for a while before moving on to her head.

It took a couple of more minutes, but Knuckles had finally patched Kathy up in cream in order to ail all of her burn wounds. After Knuckles wiped the cream off of his hands again, he then grabbed the cream bottle and walked back into the kitchen again. Whew. That took a while, but I'm finally done. I guess that all that's left now is going back to sleep. Maybe I won't get any more nightmares for the rest of the night now that...Kathy is here. Sigh...Kathy...Knuckles thought calmly as put the cream bottle back into the first-aid kit and back into the cabinet. He then had a fond smile on his face after his thoughts went back to Kathy again. As he stood next the kitchen counter, he looked down as his mind raced throughout the events that he had been through after he had found Kathy in the forest.

The way she smiles at him...The way she laughs and giggles at him...The way she looks at him...The way she interacts with him...The way that she even...holds him...Everything felt warm to Knuckles when Kathy had done those things.

She is so silly, but...she is also warm in doing so. It's not even funny. Somehow...I feel so calm when I'm around her. I even feel very amused by her. I can't even predict what she will say next or do next. It's...oddly wonderful. I...I just hope that this isn't some sort of weird dream where I meet the most childish, innocent-looking girl ever because otherwise...Knuckles pondered with a fond look on his face before he grimaced as he finished his musings. …...I don't think that I could move on in life if I knew that Kathy doesn't exist in my life anymore.

Knuckles then shook his head as he tried to get rid of those pessimistic thoughts. Even though he knows that Kathy is still there in his bed, he quickly ran back to the living room just to check that it wasn't a dream. As Knuckles stood in front of the brown couch, he stared at Kathy who was fast asleep. He can see her sleeping peacefully with no signs of having a bad dream. Once he saw that Kathy is really there...and okay, he breathed a huge sigh in relief.

Good. She's still there. That's a relief. Hopefully, she'll still be there when I wake up later in the morning. Knuckles thought calmly as he kept staring at Kathy for a few more seconds before walking towards the switch next to the door to turn off the lights. After Knuckles had turned off the lights in his shack, he walked back to his brown couch and sat down on it. He then laid down on the couch's left side. He put his arms behind his head as he rested his head on the armrest of the couch. As he slowly closed his eyes halfway, he stared out of the window that shows the Master Emerald altar from afar. He can see that the Master Emerald was still there and had not moved a bit from its place. He sighed and briefly turned his head to see Kathy's sleeping body in the dark.

Well...It looks like I'm going to have to keep an eye on two, precious, important jewels in my life instead of one tonight. I'm...I'm ready for anything now. I'm prepared to protect either one of them, and I swore on my life that I will succeed into protecting them both. I...I mustn't fail. Knuckles pondered solemnly with a frown before he looked back to the window with determined eyes. After that thought, he soon fell asleep for the rest of the night, and luckily for him, he didn't have any more nightmares like he did before.

[Later In The Morning; 11 AM]

The rainstorm had already ended a while ago, and now, the whole island is completely drenched in water. But of course, that isn't a concern for the two sleeping guardians inside of the shack. They were both sleeping peacefully and hadn't moved from their spots. Eventually, one of them had started to wake up...and naturally it would be Knuckles because Kathy likes to sleep in.

Knuckles yawned and stretched as he sat up from the couch. He rubbed his eyes as he brooded. I can't believe it. I went through the rest of the night without having a single nightmare. I'll admit that...it's been a while that had ever happened to me. I rarely sleep through the night without encountering some sort of nightmare. I've always had nightmares nearly every night for the past six years. This...This is the first time that I had woken up after having a peaceful dream. It's...It's rather odd if you ask me. Why did that happen? Was it because...

Knuckles then looked at Kathy's sleeping body again with a curious look on his face as he finished brooding. …...I had met Kathy last night?

"Hmm..." Knuckles mused a bit before he got off of the couch and stood up. As he did some more stretches, he said to himself, "Ah. Who knows? Maybe I'm just looking a little too much into it. I don't know how my mind works anyway. Besides...I should go do my rounds and check throughout the island for any intruders or thieves lurking about. I'm sure that Kathy will be up when I get back".

Knuckles then walked towards the door and opened it. He had to block the sunrays a bit with his arm before he readjusts himself to it. Once he can see clearly, he looked back at Kathy once more before saying to her softly...even if she can't hear him, "Don't worry, Kathy. I'll be back. I promise".

He soon went outside and closed the door behind him. He then left to go do his usual rounds throughout the island.

…...

Meanwhile, Kathy was just sleeping peacefully with a content smile on her face. About ten more minutes later, she had started to stir from her sleep as she slowly opened her eyes. She was feeling rather comfortable while laying on the soft bed and pillow.

Mmmmm...Wow. That was a good dream. I'm kind of sad that it was over. I was just in the middle of playing hide-and-go-seek with that strange boy in my dream. I was about to uncover him from the bushes in the forest. Alas...I woke up before even finding that strange boy again. Aww...Such a shame. But...at least I've woken up in such comfy place. Man...this bed feels so nice and soft. I feel like I want to rest for a little while before getting up. …...Yeah...I'm going to do that. Kathy mused sleepily as her mind is slowly waking up from her slumber.

As Kathy snuggled into the pillow, she rested for another ten minutes. In a weary tone, she muttered, "I...I miss you...T-Troublemaker...Please come back to me...Please?".

Immediately after Kathy had said that, Knuckles had opened the door to his shack and had entered in again. Kathy heard the door opening and quickly turned her head around to see who had entered in. She was slightly surprised to see Knuckles walking in while looking a little sweaty since he had ran throughout the island to do his rounds. She can see him heaving a bit since he's catching his breath. Knuckles wiped his head with his hand as he said to himself, "Geez, thanks to the rain, the humidity on the island is barely tolerable. The summer heat is already bad as it is, but with this...it's almost like a sauna now. Argh".

Poor Knuckles. He must not be very good with the heat. I mean. I'm used to the humidity on my island as it is. Maybe a floating island wouldn't necessary be a tropical island then since it's not found on the ocean. So...the tropical weather wouldn't be a regular thing then if it's in the air most of the time. Makes sense that he would feel a little crabby today if that's the case. Kathy pondered with a curious look on her face as she watched Knuckles stretch some more with sweat coming down from his head and face. She smiled a little as she then thought. Still...he looks quite hot. Literally and figuratively speaking. Hehehe! I really am going to have a hard time staying cool myself considering how handsome he is looking like that. Sigh...

Kathy then decided to roll over and sit up from the bed. Knuckles heard the squeaky sounds from his bed and turned his head to see Kathy up and smiling cutely at him. He still had his arms up since he was in a middle of a stretch when he had done this. When Knuckles saw Kathy's cute smile, he then blushed immediately and felt his heart pounding again even after he had recovered from his run earlier. He felt his stomach turning into knots as he kept staring at Kathy's sweet look on her happy face.

"Teehee! Good morning, Knuckles! Slept well?" Kathy said happily yet sweetly with a giggle and with a cute smile as she sat on the bed with hands on her lap.

"..." Knuckles was still silent even after Kathy had said that. He felt nervous again since she was staring at his reddened face and his wide, violet eyes. S-S-SAY SOMETHING, YOU IDIOT! Knuckles thought in nervousness as he berated himself for not responding to Kathy's question immediately. It was like last night when he had first found Kathy in Mushroom Hill that he felt utterly nervous and shy of her...all simply because she was just innocently staring at him. Even he knows that girls don't make him THIS nervous. So...why is Kathy giving him such a hard time then even by just doing nothing at all?

"Knuckles? …...Are you awake? Why aren't you saying any-?" Kathy asked curiously as she titled her head in such a cute way that it had just made Knuckles' heart squeeze even more in fondness and in nervousness.

"I'M AWAKE! I'M VERY MUCH AWAKE NOW!" Knuckles blurted out in a nervous panic as he put his arms down and stared at Kathy with wide eyes. His face had gone completely red, and more sweat had formed on his head...And it's not because he's feeling hot anymore.

"..." This time, it was Kathy's turn to be silent as she gasped in surprise at Knuckles' sudden shouting. After a few awkward seconds of silence, Kathy then just burst out into laughter.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Knuckles! Hahahahahahahaha! Are you sure that you're awake? Hehehehehehehe! It sounds like you need more hours of sleep if you can't answer any of my questions normally without blurting them out! Hahahahahahaha! Listen man, I get where you're coming from! Because I like sleeping in too, but even I know that I can't lay in bed all day even if I wanted to! Hehehehehehehe! But you can sleep in, Knuckles! You can do whatever you want! Hehehe! It's your island, right?! Hehehehehe! So, that means you're...the 'King' around here! Hahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed jovially while laughing a lot. She had her hands behind herself as she laughed happily.

Knuckles blushed even more in humiliation as he realized what he just did was rather stupid. He placed his left hand on his left cheek as he turned his head away from Kathy in embarrassment. All I had to do was answer her questions...Why did I act like a bumbling idiot in front of her? Ugh...Maybe my mind hasn't fully woken up yet. That could be it. Knuckles pondered in embarrassment as he was blushing furiously while Kathy was laughing in the background.

"L-Look! Even if it is my island, I still have to be up to guard the Master Emerald! I can't afford to take any breaks or to sleep in! Besides...I'm not a 'King' on this island. I'm just a lowly guardian of the place. Nothing more, nothing less," Knuckles replied solemnly with a frown as he looked back at Kathy after he put his hand down from his face. How can I possibly be a "King" of anything if I'm just a prisoner of this island? Kathy must be delusional to think that I am one since I'm the only person who lives here. Knuckles brooded with a frown on his face as he stared solemnly at Kathy.

Kathy stopped laughing after hearing that. She then looked sympathetic of him as she frowned in sadness. "Oh, Knuckles. Don't say that. I'm sure that you must've taken plenty of breaks from your guardian duties. There's no shame in admitting that, Knuckles. If you did take a break, then I'm sure that no one would notice," Kathy replied gently as she looked sympathetic to Knuckles.

And that's precisely the problem here. Why should I keep on guarding the emerald then if no one will come here? I've taken plenty of breaks and had slept in for many, many months, and no one had noticed! I would care more about how I am guarding the emerald properly if people did notice my efforts! But if no cares then...why should I care? Knuckles brooded as he closed his eyes and grimaced as he had his head down and away from Kathy.

Kathy quietly gasped in shock when she noticed Knuckles' pained expression on his face. She felt very concerned for Knuckles as she asked him gently, "Knuckles? Was it...something that I had said? Did I upset you or anything?".

"N-No, Kathy. It's nothing. Don't worry about it. I'll...I'll be fine...Really...(Sigh)..." Knuckles muttered in a depressed tone as he sighed a little. He opened his eyes again. He didn't look at Kathy but at the floor below him. He had a frown on his face while having his right hand on his hip. He didn't say anything after that.

Kathy bit her lip as she watched Knuckles being miserable. It had hurt her soul to see him this depressed even over something she had said. Kathy looked pitiful for Knuckles as she brooded. Ooooh, it's all my fault that I had made him think such depressing thoughts! I thought that I was consoling him! I think that I had just made his day worse for him by making him feel this way! I...I should go comfort him! If...If my words don't have any effect on him...then...maybe my actions will! But...But still...I...I'm not sure if he's comfortable with physical affection yet. I mean. My mom had always said that you should respect a man's space when you're still getting to know him personally. That is something that a gentlewoman should do normally...but what should I do if a man is feeling sad or...depressed even? Should...Should those etiquettes still be applied here? Hmmmm...Argh! I don't know what I can or can't do in these situations! This is my first time dealing with something like this! With Blaze and Marine, I can be close and affectionate towards them whenever I want to, but men are a completely different subject here! Soo...I don't know if I should try being affectionate towards Knuckles to help him feel better or not. Hmmm...

Kathy then looked solemn as she made her decision. Well...I think that I should try at least. Maybe it is a mistake that I'm making here, but I'm going to take responsibility for that mistake anyway because it's for a good cause. Besides...I could just apologize to him afterwards so that he can feel comfortable with me again. So, it's a fair compromise. Kathy pondered with a determined smile on her face.

After Kathy had thought that, she immediately got off the bed and walked over towards Knuckles. When Knuckles heard Kathy's footsteps coming towards him, he lifted his head and turned to look at Kathy while asking, "Kathy? What is...it?".

He gasped lightly when he felt two, soft, white arms wrapping around his shoulders and chest as Kathy had hugged him from his left side. Kathy placed her head on top of Knuckles' left shoulder as she hugged him gently as a way to comfort him. She was silent as she does this. She closed her eyes a bit while holding onto Knuckles. Knuckles only gaped at her in shock as she does this. He can feel his own heart beating faster as he felt the warm feeling of Kathy's hug around his body. His face flushed red again as he watched her hug him in silence. He doesn't know how to react or say to Kathy. So, he just lets her hug him for as long as she did.

After hugging him for a few more seconds, Kathy then lets go of him and looks a little shameful as she looks down on the ground. She crossed her arms as she looked at the floor in embarrassment. Knuckles was slightly confused as to why Kathy is looking this way. So, he asked her, "Hey...are you alright, Kathy? Why...Why did you hug me? Are you...upset or something?".

"...I'm sorry..." Kathy muttered apologetically as her eyelids went down halfway since she looked shameful.

"Huh? S-Sorry? About what? You didn't do anything wrong," Knuckles replied in even more confusion as his eyes went wider than before.

Kathy shook her head before she looked back up at him. With a solemn expression on her face, Kathy explained, "I'm apologizing to you because I had hugged you".

"Wait...Huh? …...For...hugging me?" Knuckles replied slowly as he looked completely confused now. Just what is this girl going on about now? It's...It's just a hug. Nothing odd about that. Knuckles thought with a curious expression on his face as he stared at Kathy for answers.

Kathy explained further while looking both guilty and sympathetic towards Knuckles, "Look...When I saw you looking depressed, I just...didn't know what to do there. I've tried to console you, but...I think that I had just made the situation worse by saying something that...umm....triggered you somehow. So...the only thing in my mind that I thought would work was...hugging you. I just wanted to comfort you somehow, but...I...I just had no idea on how to do it besides...giving you physical affection. So...I'm sorry that I did that. You probably just wanted some space, and I...just invaded your privacy by doing that".

She then looked down to the floor again while looking solemn. Yeah...I'm being rather awkward now...I don't blame Knuckles for feeling this way too. Kathy thought in shame as she avoided eye contact with Knuckles. She then finished her apology by saying, "I just had to do it, Knuckles. I...I just don't want you to feel sad. I wanted to help you feel better...So...if there's anything that you wanted me to do that will help you cheer yourself up...then...please tell me. I'm...rather clueless here...and grasping at straws here too. Just...give me a hand here. I don't know what to do...or what I'm doing right now".

…...

There was quite a long pause after Kathy had said that. Kathy cringed a little as she berated herself in her thoughts. Good job, Kathy. You've made it completely awkward now. Why...Why do I have to act on my feelings sometimes? I feel like a foolish child for doing so. I bet that Knuckles is judging my childish behavior now after that embarrassing display I just showed earlier.

But instead of hearing a rebuking tone as she had expected, Kathy heard...an amusing one. "Heh...Was that all?" Knuckles asked in amusement with a little snicker escaping from his lips.

Huh?! Kathy thought in shock as her eyes went wide and as her mouth went agape. She looked back up at Knuckles in surprise as she saw him having a calm expression on his face. She even saw him...smiling again...and rather huge at that...to her own surprise.

"Wait...You're not mad...or resentful towards me? I mean...I thought that...you might've felt uncomfortable after that hug," Kathy replied in a surprised tone as her face was utterly stunned and confused.

"Well...it was rather surprising, but...I'm not mad that you did that. It's okay. You were just doing what you had believed what was right at the time. There's no reason for me to feel angry after that," Knuckles replied calmly with a warm smile on his face as he stared at Kathy's adorably shocked face.

"So...You're not mad?" Kathy asked sheepishly with an awkward smile on her face.

"No, I'm not," Knuckles replied simply as he shook his head "no".

"Umm...Soooo..." Kathy muttered awkwardly as she then placed her hand behind her head and rubbed it. While looking sheepish, she asked, "...Did I...do the right thing? Did that work?".

"Honestly...I...I don't know..." Knuckles muttered in slight embarrassment as he looked sheepish too.

Kathy then frowned in embarrassment as she had her arms down in front of her and slumped a little forward in response to that answer. "Soo...I've screwed it up then I take it?" Kathy replied in disappointment with an embarrassed frown.

Knuckles smirked a little as he replied gently, "Like I've said, I don't know, but...I will say this. That hug...did help me feel a little better...especially now since I know why you had done it in the first place".

Kathy gasped in shock after hearing Knuckles say that. She can see that Knuckles really did feel better since he's genuinely smiling now. Maybe...as way to say he appreciates her attempt at comforting him. Kathy then smiled softly at him as she replied gently, "Well, I'm glad that I'd cheered you up at least".

"Yeah...Thank you, Kathy. That was rather thoughtful of you to do that. I'm grateful that you did comfort me a little by hugging me. You're...really sweet, Kathy. Thanks," Knuckles replied softly as he looked caringly at Kathy.

Kathy then beamed jovially at him, and Knuckles smiled even wider when she did that. Silly girl. All you really had to do was be yourself towards me. That's the real reason why I had felt better. It's because I have you on my side now. Knuckles thought calmly as he stared at Kathy's bright expression on her cute face. He pondered some more in optimism. Yeah...That's right. I'm...not really alone anymore, am I? Since Kathy is in this dimension now...there's no need to feel like I'm living on my own...do I? As long as I'm with Kathy here...I feel like I can keep on going with my life. I can...have the strength to keep on surviving in the cruel reality of my cursed heritage. My only source of light...my hope...in my darkened state of my mind...is this girl right beside me. As long as she keeps on smiling like that...I think that I can carry this heavy burden on my heart just a little while longer.

Suddenly, Kathy gasped in shock as a realization had struck her. "Ah! I got it! Now, I know why you had felt so depressed and moody earlier!" Kathy exclaimed in surprise with wide eyes as she covered her mouth with her right hand.

Knuckles' eyes went wide in shock as he gasped too. What?! She...couldn't possibly know about my dark secret...can she? (Gulp) Knuckles thought in slight panic as his heart was beating fast in nervousness.

"U-Uhh...Y-You do?" Knuckles asked nervously as a sweat drop had formed on his head since he's afraid that his dark secret would be known to Kathy.

But of course...Kathy had said something that had thrown of him off yet again.

"You just didn't eat your breakfast this morning, did you?! That's the real reason why you feel so sad! Right?! Ha! Solved it! Case closed!" Kathy exclaimed confidently as she pointed at his chest while having a huge smile on her happy face.

…...

...Swing and a miss, Kathy. Swing...and a miss. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement as a huge grin had formed on his face after a moment of silence. He bent over a little and put his hands on his knees while still having a fixed grin on his face. Kathy then carefully put her hand away and looked a little confused and slightly worried of what Knuckles is doing right now. She can see that Knuckles is shaking as his did his best to contain...most of his laughter inside of him.

"Umm...Knuckles? Are you...okay?" Kathy asked in confusion as she tilted her head down to see Knuckles' face.

Then...even though he would never do this in front of Sonic...Knuckles, for the first time in a LONG while, honest to goodness chuckled very hard in front of Kathy since it was all he could do to restrict his actual booming laughter inside of his heart.

"Pffft! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles chucked happily yet heartily as he gave up trying to contain all of his laughter from escaping him. Alright! It's official! I've...I've lost it now! And...And there's no going back from this! Hahahahahahaha! Hahaha...haha...Sigh. I guess that I've no choice but to accept it...Kathy is really the only thing that's giving me joy in life over the most ridiculous things! But...I need this. It's...the only thing that I got to battle...my depression. As long as she keeps me happy like this by being silly and ridiculous...then maybe...maybe it's worth letting my guard down...and...be myself too...Just like I had wanted her to do in the first place. Knuckles pondered in amusement and in optimism as he chuckled as much as he could right now.

Kathy had raised her eyebrows in surprise of this. She didn't think that Knuckles could laugh this freely before. As she heard Knuckles' joyful chuckles, she started to smile warmly and widely at him as her eyes sparkled with joy. Awwwwww, he's so adorable when he laughs like that! It's such a masculine laugh. I...I can't help myself but to love it. It's like music to my ears. I should try to get him to laugh more often since he has such a cute, handsome laugh. I'm...I'm really relieved that he's happy and smiling again. I was worried for a second that he will stay depressed for a much longer time than that. Kathy pondered with a warm, longing look on her face.

Kathy then gently grabbed his shoulder and rubbed lightly as she replied calmly with a giggle and with a sweet smile on her face, "Hehehe! Are you really going to be okay, Knuckles? It sounds like you are".

"Hahahahahaha! I'm okay! I'm okay! Really! Hahahahahahaha! Just...Hahahahaha...Just keep doing that! That...hahahaha...had actually made me feel a lot better. Hahahaha," Knuckles replied happily as his last chuckles went through his mouth. As he stood up straight again, he took a few deep breaths to settle his laughter down.

Meanwhile, Kathy was a little confused as she asked while rubbing Knuckles' shoulder some more, "Huh? Umm...You mean keep on doing this? Rubbing your shoulder? Did that...make you happy?".

Knuckles chuckled a little again as he shook his head "no". He then turned his head towards Kathy and replied calmly with an amused smile on his face, "No, silly girl. I wasn't talking about that. I meant you yourself".

"Huh? What do you mean by 'me'? What did I do?" Kathy asked in even more confusion as she titled her head to the side again.

Heheheheh. So clueless and yet...so adorable. Knuckles thought in amusement with a huge smile on his face. He then turned his body a little to face Kathy fully before gently grabbing onto her shoulders. Kathy gasped a little in surprise as she stared into Knuckles' calm, handsome, violet eyes again.

"Kathy...All you really need to do here is be yourself. That is how you can help me stay happy. Just seeing and hearing you being silly and happy is what will cheer me up whenever I'm down. I'm sure that whatever you do to me...it will make me smile. You...You just have that unique power over me that even I can't understand...but...I don't need to...I'm just glad that you do," Knuckles explained calmly with a huge smile as he stared into Kathy's innocent, light-blue eyes.

Kathy stared into Knuckles' eyes while still in shock by what he had said to her. That...That sounds like something my mom would've said. Do I...really have to do nothing at all to please him? Just be...me? Hmm...Well...I should still try to please him anyway since he's been so kind towards me. It's the least that I can do...especially since...I'm a monster. I'm actually lower than him because of who I am on the inside. He deserves more better treatment than me. I'm...I'm rather useless considering...I don't know anything in this dimension. I should do as Knuckles requests of me and just be myself for now. Maybe I'll soon know what he truly wants from me later on in the future. Kathy pondered calmly as she was staring at Knuckles curiously yet innocently.

Kathy then smiled a little as she replied humbly, "O-Okay, if that makes you happy...then I'll be myself for now".

"That's good. Anyways...since you've brought it up, I think that it's a good idea to have breakfast now. I'm sure that you're hungry too, right?" Knuckles replied calmly with a smile and a nod as he then lets go of Kathy's shoulders and stood back from her a bit.

Kathy nodded her head as she answered, "Yeah, I want something to eat too! Do you have any fruit with you? I want to eat that for breakfast!".

"I see that your diet is no different than mine. Very well then. I'll get you something to eat in the fridge. There's plenty of fruit in there. So, please...make yourself comfortable here as I prepare our breakfast," Knuckles replied calmly with another nod before he walked towards the kitchen to fetch some plates and some fruit.

"Ooooh...Okay!" Kathy replied cheerfully as she watched Knuckles go into the kitchen before beaming jovially once he had left.

Kathy then just looked around the room in more detail as Knuckles prepares their breakfast. Kathy looked at the brown couch, the brown, rectangular table in front of the couch, the black phone on the table, the small T.V., the abandoned gaming console and controllers inside the cupboards below the T.V., the round table in the kitchen, the chairs in the kitchen, the counter, and...Knuckles...who just caught Kathy staring at him.

He was holding several green grapes, bananas, oranges, and apples in his arms as he stared at Kathy in confusion. "What?" Knuckles asked curiously.

"Ah! Uhh...Nothing! Nothing! I was just looking around! C-Carry on then!" Kathy exclaimed in panic as she blushed pink in embarrassment while looking away from Knuckles.

"...Umm...Okay..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly and in slight confusion as he turned around and went towards the counter to place the fruit on the plates. He then thought. Hmm...Maybe I should give Kathy some water too. She could be thirsty as well.

Kathy breathed a sigh in a relief after that awkward moment. I...I really don't know what happened there. Aw well. Let's just look around some more...in this direction now. Kathy thought while still having an awkward expression on her face as she then turned around to face the entrance of the shack.

Kathy then saw the window that has a full view of the Master Emerald in the distance. While feeling curious, she walked towards the window and looked through it. She can see how sunny and bright outside is now after that rainstorm last night. She can see the water dripping down from the trees and vines surrounding the shack. But naturally, her main focus was on the huge, green emerald sitting on top of the altar.

Woah! That's a huge emerald! Is that...what a Chaos Emerald looks like?! That's just so huge! If that's what they usually look like, then I bet that the so-called "Master Emerald" is even bigger than that! Kathy thought in amazement and in wonderment as her wide eyes were sparkling.

"Hmm...Huh?" Kathy mused to herself before looking to her left to see a small, brown table that is next to the door of the shack. It even has a little drawer in it. Out of curiosity, Kathy walked over to the little table and stood in front of it. Hmmm...I wonder what's inside of this? Kathy thought with a curious expression on her face. She looked behind herself to see if Knuckles was done preparing their meals. She can see Knuckles pouring some water in a glass at the counter and had decided to get another glass for himself because he felt thirsty too. Since Kathy saw that Knuckles was still busy, she looked back at the drawer that got her attention. Then carefully, she grabbed onto the drawer and pulled it out a little to see what's inside.

Suddenly, the inside of the drawer lit up in bright red. Kathy blocked the sudden bright light with her arm for a moment. As she slowly puts her arm down, she gasped quietly in shock as she stared at another type of emerald.

It was a red Chaos Emerald.

Ooooh...what's this? Another emerald? Kathy thought in wonder and in curiosity as she grabbed the red emerald and took it out of the drawer. She held it and examined it more closely in curiosity. But...it looks so small. Definitely smaller than that giant one outside. What kind of an emerald is this? Hmmm...Teehee! Is this a "Baby Chaos Emerald" since it's so small to begin with? Does Baby Chaos Emeralds grow up to become Master Emeralds?! Hehehehehe! Awww, I wish that would be the case! Just look at this! It looks like a little, baby toy due to how small it is! Kathy pondered in amusement as she smiled happily while looking at the emerald at all sides.

Kathy then walked over at the window again while holding the red emerald in her right hand. As she stood by the window, she looked out at the window again by turning her head towards her left. She saw the huge, green emerald again before looking back to the small, red one. As she stared at the red emerald again, she then frowned as she brooded solemnly. Still...I bet that Battra would want to take control over either of these emeralds if he had ever found just one of them. Just like he did with the Sol Emeralds back in my old dimension. I'm sure that he's going to find a way to get them and control them for his own destructive purposes. Either that or...he's going to search for the Sol Hearts now that I've lost them after that lightning attack. Both of those scenarios are terrible for me and for the people in this dimension. I must do my best to protect this dimension from Battra's conquest for world domination.

Kathy looked more solemn as she looked back at the kitchen to see Knuckles carefully peeling the oranges and cutting the bananas into slices since he now felt like he wanted to impress Kathy a little. Kathy was still frowning as she stared at him solemnly as she continued to brood. I must protect Knuckles from Battra and from the other monsters that he will create out of his Dark Sol Pendant. I won't let Battra hurt him or even kill him. Knuckles cares about his island and the Master Emerald that he had sworn to protect with his life. Since he cares about his home and his emerald so much, then I'll protect the both of them too since it is part of my duty as the Guardian of the Sol Pendant. Anything that Knuckles cares about...will be what I care about. Thus, this is why I'll protect this island along with the Master Emerald whenever the need arises. Knuckles...I promise that I'll protect you. I will fulfill my duty till the very end as long as you're safe in the long run.

Kathy then smiled calmly in determination as she had formally made her promise to Knuckles inside her heart. She then looked back at the window with a calm, proud look on her face as she pondered. I've made my first friend here. I can't let them down by losing in my battles with Battra! I just couldn't! I will see to it that Battra will be defeated once and for all! Knuckles' life is dependent on it! Don't worry, Knuckles. …...I'll protect you.

While Kathy was thinking on this, Knuckles had finally finished preparing their meals. Finally. Done. I'm sure that Kathy will be happy at what I had made with this. I...I don't know why I had wanted to make this little meal special. I guess that...I wanted to see her be happy that I had made it specifically for her. She had never asked me how she had wanted her food to be prepared. I guess that...I had cared a little too much on this. Sigh...Knuckles pondered calmly as he looked at the sliced apples, bananas, and oranges that are all separated into three sections thus leaving the grapes into their own section on the plates. He smiled in amusement of himself before shaking his head. Oh, good grief. Look at what that girl had made you do, Knuckles. Caring about every little detail even though she had never asked you to. I'm turning into such a caring mess for her. It's ridiculous. I'm sure that Kathy will be fine with this even if I just placed everything on the plate at once in a disorganized state as well. I...Sigh. I should just move on from this already. I don't want to lose my mind over this anyway. Knuckles pondered calmly with a smile as he first grabbed the two glasses of water and picked them up before turning around to walk towards the living room.

"Kathy? Do you want sit on the couch or...uhhhh...W-Wha?" Knuckles asked calmly as he entered into the living room with both glasses in his hands before he froze in place once he saw Kathy holding the red Chaos Emerald in her hand.

"Huh?! Oh! Hey, Knuckles! Look what I just found! It's a Baby Chaos Emerald!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully as she turned her head around and beamed jovially at Knuckles while lifting up the Chaos Emerald in her hand.

Knuckles nearly dropped the glasses in shock before he immediately put them on the brown table next to the couch. After he did that, he then exclaimed in a serious tone of voice, "First off, that's a Chaos Emerald! Not a 'Baby' one! And secondly, just what do you think that you are doing, Kathy?! Are you trying to steal that emerald from me?! It's for safe keeping and for emergencies only! Now, give it here!".

He then put his hand out to show Kathy that he's serious. Kathy gulped in nervousness and in slight fear as she realized that she had made a terrible mistake. Oh no! He's mad at me! I knew that I shouldn't pry into other people's belongings! But I was just curious! I just don't know anything in this modern-looking place! It's just so different than any of the huts in the Sol Islands back in my old home dimension! I can't help myself but be curious of what these strange, foreign things are! I just want to learn! Oooh, I better do as he says, or he'll hate me even more than this! Kathy pondered in worry with a panicked look on her face as a sweat drop came down from her head.

"AH! I'M SO SORRY! HERE! TAKE IT! IT'S ALL YOURS!" Kathy shouted in a panic as she immediately did what Knuckles had told her to do by quickly walking towards him and giving him back the Chaos Emerald.

"Thank you! Now, don't do that again!" Knuckles exclaimed with a solemn frown on his face as he walked past Kathy and went back towards the small drawer to put the Chaos Emerald back in it for safe keeping. Argh. I should've known that putting the Chaos Emerald in here was a bad idea. Of course, thieves are going to look in there FIRST! Sigh...Note to Self: Hide the Chaos Emerald in a different place when I get back to the island. Knuckles brooded in annoyance as he put the emerald back into the drawer and sighed. He soon calmed himself down by taking deep breaths as he realized now that he had gotten rather shaken up by that.

He soon heard footsteps behind him. When Knuckles turned around, his eyes went wide in surprise when he saw Kathy's sad expression on her face. She looked so guilty that it almost looked like that she's about to cry, and...Knuckles hoped that she wouldn't do that. His heart couldn't bear to watch her if she cried right now.

Kathy then bowed before Knuckles in sadness and in shame. "I'm so sorry, Knuckles. I didn't mean to make you think I was going to take the emerald. I was just looking around in your shack because I was so curious of the place. I didn't even know that the Chaos Emerald was inside that little, rectangular thing when I had found it! I didn't even know that was what the Chaos Emeralds look like! I thought...I thought that it was something else...Like a smaller version of a Chaos Emerald for example. Maybe a model of some kind. I...I didn't know that it was real. I'm...I'm really sorry, Knuckles. I won't do that again. I swear! Honest!" Kathy apologized humbly as she did her best to not cry while doing this. She swallowed the hard lump in her throat as she waited for Knuckles to further correct her on her behavior.

Meanwhile, Knuckles felt as if a thousand of icy needles had pierced through his heart as he watched Kathy apologize to him for...in retrospect...an innocent misunderstanding. Knuckles can see that Kathy is taking his overreaction a little too hard since she's trying her best to make it up to him with this sincere apology. Knuckles' face changed to a grimace as now he felt bad for yelling at her for over such a tiny misunderstanding. He cringed as brooded. Okay...Maybe I should've been more tactful when telling her that I needed the Chaos Emerald back. I...I shouldn't have overreacted there. I should've known that Kathy was just being curious when she had the emerald in her hands. For crying out loud, Knuckles, Kathy HAD NEVER SEEN A CHAOS EMERALD BEFORE! WHY WOULD SHE WANT TO STEAL THE EMERALD IF SHE BARELY KNOWS A THING ABOUT IT?! THAT'S...THAT'S SO STUPID! WHY DID I-?! ...Sigh. I know why. I'm just so used to others...scratch that...I'm just so used to Rouge attempting to steal the Master Emerald from me that I had used the exact same judgement I had of her to Kathy here. Kathy hadn't done anything wrong so far and here I am judging her for a thing that Rouge would've done. Chaos Emeralds are another thing that bat would like to get her hands on! Not...Not Kathy. She's...She's just...too pure for that. I...I should be the one apologizing here...Not Kathy. Not...Kathy.

"Kathy..." Knuckles started in a calm tone as he closed his eyes.

"(Gulp)…...Y-Yes?" Kathy replied nervously as she looked back up to Knuckles.

Knuckles then walked a little closer to Kathy and gently grabbed her shoulders again. He sighed again before he opened his eyes and stared gently into Kathy's worried, light-blue eyes. Then in a calm, gentle tone, Knuckles apologized, "Kathy...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gotten upset at you. I've gotten mad over nothing here and have made you feel guilty over...nothing as well. I shouldn't have done that. I'm very sorry, Kathy. I...I didn't mean to upset you. Really".

"O-Oh? Th-Then...you forgive me?" Kathy asked in confusion and in worry.

"I don't need to forgive someone when they hadn't done wrong to me to begin with. Like I had said, Kathy, it's...it's my fault here. I was the one who had hurt you. Not you, Kathy. What I need is your forgiveness here. Please...Please forgive me for getting angry with you. Please..." Knuckles replied calmly with a frown as he had his head down in shame.

Kathy gasped in shock after hearing this. I...I thought that I was the one who was wrong. I didn't think that Knuckles was the one who had hurt me. I'm...I'm surprised that he had apologized to me. I didn't think that...he would do that. Kathy thought in surprise with shock and amazement on her face.

"...So...You don't think that I'm a thief...right?" Kathy replied slowly with a little frown as she hoped that Knuckles doesn't truly think of her in that way.

"...(Sigh)...No...No, I don't think that you're a thief, Kathy. I don't think of you as that at all," Knuckles replied calmly with a sigh as he shook his head "no".

"Are...you sure?" Kathy asked tentatively with a worried look on her face.

"Kathy...I know that you are not a thief. I...I believe in your innocence," Knuckles replied solemnly with a frown as he stared deeply into Kathy's light-blue eyes. With a little gasp, Kathy stared into Knuckles' solemn, violet eyes as he had said that.

"You...believe in me? You...trust me that much?" Kathy asked slowly yet softly with a little, gaped mouth.

"...I can see it in your eyes, Kathy. Your eyes aren't the ones of a corrupt, mischievous thief. They...are the ones of an...innocent...sweet...gentle, young girl..." Knuckles replied softly yet sincerely as he got a little closer to Kathy while rubbing her shoulders gently in comfort.

Kathy's eyes started to sparkle when she heard Knuckles say those kind words to her. She then saw Knuckles' eyes looking a little playful as he was smiling widely now. He then added with amusement in his tone, "...who thinks that small Chaos Emeralds are actually called 'Baby Chaos Emeralds'".

After Kathy had heard Knuckles say that, she then smiled brightly and happily since she saw that Knuckles does see her as an innocent person and not as a thief. With a silly grin, Kathy then countered playfully as she pointed at the window, "Oh, yeah?! Then what's that huge, green emerald called anyway?!".

Knuckles grinned back at Kathy as he pointed at the green emerald from the window with her. "That is called the Master Emerald. It is the one that controls all seven of the Chaos Emeralds, and I'm the guardian of it," Knuckles answered calmly with an amused grin.

"But...it's so BIG!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a grin on her face.

"I know it's big. That is the reason why it's called the 'Master' Emerald to begin with," Knuckles replied calmly with a smile before he closed his eyes when he added, "There's none like it. It's a one-of-a-kind".

"But what about the Chaos Emeralds then? Will they grow up to become Master Emeralds someday too?" Kathy asked innocently with a big smile on her face.

"Wh-What?" Knuckles replied in a way that almost sounded like a laugh as he opened his eyes again.

"You saw how huge that green emerald is! Maybe at some point in its life, it was like a tiny emerald like that red one in that rectangular thing! But then...its power had grown soooo huge that its shape had grown in size too! That is why it's bigger than ALL of the Chaos Emeralds just to show who's the boss around here in this dimension! And someday, those seven Chaos Emeralds are going to surpass the Master Emerald by becoming Masters too! So, you better watch out, Knuckles! That Chaos Emerald that you had put in that wooden thing might get bigger and break through it!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a bright smile as she did several gestures with her arms to emphasize her points in her claims before putting them behind her back when she had reached the end of her little "theory".

Knuckles had genuinely chuckled at that. It was the second time today that he had managed to let himself to laugh like that. Oh, brother. It never ends, does it? You know what? I'm actually starting to think that Kathy's now doing this on purpose. She's really going to try to get me to laugh, isn't she? H-How dare her! Hahahahaha! Knuckles thought in amusement as he chuckled a little bit more.

"Kathy! Hahahaha! That's not how Chaos Emeralds work! Neither does the Master Emerald! Hahahaha! You're being silly!" Knuckles exclaimed back happily with a huge smile while chuckling a little.

"Well...I don't see any evidence that denies that theory either, Knuckles. If you have evidence that proves me wrong, then show it to me!" Kathy replied teasingly with a playful grin on her face.

"Oh, so, that's how you're going to play it, huh?! Hahahaha! Fine! Fine! I admit that I don't have any proof that could disprove your theory, but I still think that's ridiculous!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with an amused grin on his face as he chuckled a bit.

"Buuuuut...it's not wrong eiiiitheeer..." Kathy replied in a sing-song voice as she beamed at Knuckles in victory.

"Oh, shut up, you! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed as he chuckled in amusement while shaking his head since he gave up trying to argue with Kathy here. There's no point into getting mad at someone who just wants to be silly all the time. You know what they say, "If you can't beat them, join them". And...it seems that I'm learning it the hard way by arguing with her...heh heh heh heh...with the most ridiculous of arguments ever. I don't think that even Rouge had ever made these kinds of arguments either. Thus, it makes Kathy a rather unique person to...well..."argue" with. Knuckles pondered calmly yet with a happy smile on his face as he calmed down his laughter and stared at Kathy again.

They both stared at each other once more with huge, caring smiles on their faces and with calm, gentle eyes too. After a few seconds of silence, Knuckles then asked calmly, "Are you feeling okay, Kathy?".

Kathy nodded as she replied calmly yet brightly, "Yeah, I feel much better now. Thank you, Knuckles! You've cheered me up!".

"I'm glad too...and...again...I'm sorry..." Knuckles replied gently as his eyelids lowered a little in an apologetic way.

Kathy smiled gently at Knuckles as she replied calmly, "It's okay, Knuckles. I forgive you. Besides...I know how much you value the Chaos Emeralds now. You care about them just as much as the Master Emerald itself. They must've held quite a serious reputation then if you fear about getting any one of them stolen by thieves or even having them being used at all by corrupt individuals. Don't worry, Knuckles. If you care about protecting them, then I'll protect them too even when either one of them is in danger of being used or stolen by others".

"Thanks, Kathy. I'm glad that you're on the same page as me. I'm sure that you'll do fine into protecting them when the need arises. Thank you for the help, Kathy," Knuckles replied calmly with a nod in understanding.

Kathy beamed at Knuckles again after those words of appreciation. This is the first time that someone had showed me appreciation for my supportive efforts! This dimension keeps on getting better and better! With people like Knuckles here, I'm just going to stay ecstatic all the way through as I live here in this dimension! Kathy pondered in excitement while smiling happily at Knuckles.

Knuckles in turn smiled warmly at Kathy since he felt happy that she had forgiven him of that little mistake. He just can't get over on how adorable Kathy looks when she's happy and smiling like that. His heart keeps on fluttering in sweet bliss, and his stomach is twisting in nervousness as he keeps on staring at Kathy's cute face. Knuckles pondered with a calm smile on his face and with sparkling, violet eyes. I...I just can't look away from it. Her bright...cheerful face...those shimmering, light-blue eyes...they're hypnotizing to me...If only there was some escape to it...

Growl...

The two teens blushed simultaneously when they both heard their own stomachs growling at the same time. They were so concentrated on each other that they had forgotten that they were planning to eat breakfast earlier. Kathy then looked down at her own plump stomach before back up at Knuckles again.

"I'm hungry," Kathy said calmly yet jovially as she beamed at Knuckles.

"Heh. You sure are, Kathy. You sure are," Knuckles replied calmly as his eyelids lowered halfway while smiling gently at her.

[Few Minutes Later]

Kathy and Knuckles were busy eating some fruit while watching T.V. They were finally happy that they got their stomachs filled with some food after quite a...strange, ridiculous delay that they had earlier. While Kathy ate her apple slices, she then turned to Knuckles as she said, "Thank you so much for making this meal, Knuckles. It's really nice! I have not seen any apples, bananas, or oranges being cut into pieces before! It's really great!".

Knuckles turned his head towards Kathy and smiled at her. "You're welcome, Kathy. I'm thankful for your appreciation. I've...uh...may have wanted to make it...uh...special for you...since...ummm...uhh...Oh! Since you're a guest in my home," Knuckles replied calmly before being shy as he blushed a little. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly as he pondered. It would be so embarrassing if I had told her that I did because...I was just thinking about her for no special reason. Still...this is not a half-bad cover story either. I mean. ...It's not untrue since Kathy is a guest on my island currently. So...it makes sense that I could do this...in that line of reasoning.

Kathy smiled brightly as she replied cheerfully, "Awww, that's so sweet! You really are the best, Knuckles! I like that you treat me so well! You're quite the gentleman! Teehee!".

Knuckles then looked sheepish as he continued to rub the back of his head in shyness. As he blushed, he lowly whined, "S-Stoooop".

Kathy giggled sweetly as she was enjoying Knuckles' embarrassed face. Awwwwwww, he's just too cute! He gets flustered so easily! Hehehe! I'm guessing that he doesn't get complimented much. Awww, that's too bad. Hehe! Maybe I should give him more compliments and more appreciation more often just to counter it! That will get him to smile more often! …...Hehehe! And maybe make him blush some more while he's at it! Kathy pondered in amusement with a happy grin on her face.

Kathy then noticed that Knuckles was still distracted since he's blushing. She looked down on his plate and saw that he has few more grapes and some orange slices left. While feeling a little mischievous, Kathy then grinned playfully as she quickly picked off some of Knuckles' grapes and grabbed two orange slices with her other hand. When Knuckles had recovered from his embarrassment, he was then surprised by this as he exclaimed, "H-Hey! Kathy! Those were mine!".

After Kathy had quickly eaten them in a hurry, she then exclaimed playfully with a silly grin, "Not anymore!".

Knuckles then looked smug as he replied playfully, "Oh, really? Then I guess that you won't mind if I do the same thing too?".

Kathy giggled as she held her plate to the right side of her in order to protect it from Knuckles. "No! Get your own, Knuckles! Hehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed playfully with a smile as she giggled.

"I did have my own! Why did you eat mine?!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a grin on his face while staring at Kathy.

"It's because I didn't get my cherries! I told you last night that they're my favorite kind of fruit!" Kathy exclaimed back with a silly smile on her face.

"But you just said that grapes were your second favorite kind of fruit! I thought that you'd be happy with having it!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a huge smile while holding back a laugh after hearing Kathy's reasoning to snatch his own fruit.

"And that's why I took YOUR grapes! It's to make up from not having MY favorite kind of fruit! I mean sure. Grapes ARE good, but they're NOT my favorite kind of fruit! Not as much 'favorite' as cherries were! But they're still both good in the end," Kathy explained with a mischievous grin as she teased Knuckles a little.

Knuckles playfully rolled his eyes while saying in a sarcastic tone of voice, "Well, sorry...Your Majesty. But I just don't have any cherries in the fridge. I didn't think that someone like you might be so petty that I don't have their favorite kind of fruit. My bad".

Kathy giggled a lot after that, and Knuckles just smiled widely at her since he's amused too. Kathy then pondered calmly as she giggled. How serendipitous of Knuckles to say that since I am technically a Queen by default. Queen of the Monsters to be precise. I really do wonder how he would react if I told him that I'm a Kaiju monster and a Queen too at that. Would he still treat me well like this...or...just be disgusted that I'm a monster to begin with? …...Nah, let's not get into such depressing thoughts! Let's just keep on having fun here! Hehehe! Especially with...the kindest, handsomest boy here!

"Me? I'm not petty! Hehehehe! It's you who is petty here! It's just grapes! I can't help but to take some of them! They're delicious!" Kathy replied playfully with a grin and a giggle as she placed her right hand over her chest in a melodramatic way.

"...And eat some of my oranges too?" Knuckles asked calmly with a smug look on his face.

"Well, it's not like you're actually going to cry over them anyway. It's the grapes that you're concerned with here," Kathy replied casually as she shrugged her shoulders while having a grin on her face.

"That's because they're MY favorite kind of fruit! Of course, I'm going to care more about them getting eaten instead of the oranges! I DARE you to try to take more of them from me!" Knuckles exclaimed with a full-on smirk as he challenged her with his serious stare.

Kathy then smiled mischievously as she replied teasingly with a little giggle, "...No way. Hehe! They're not that good, Knuckles". Kathy then stuck out her tongue at Knuckles to tease him further.

…...OH. SHE. DID. NOT! Knuckles thought in amusement with a huge, mischievous grin and with wide eyes since he's starting to plan to get back at her for that comment. Suddenly, to Kathy's complete surprise, Knuckles then grabbed her glass of water and quickly drank all of it down before she could react what had happened.

"Hey! Hehehehehehe! That was mine!" Kathy protested playfully with a huge smile while giggling happily.

As Knuckles had wiped his mouth with his arm, he then looked smug again as he casually exclaimed, "Not anymore!".

Kathy giggled a lot since she realized that Knuckles had repeated what she had said to him earlier. She then replied with amusement in her tone, "Awwwww, I think that someone is being rather petty here! And you say that I'm being petty since you don't have any cherries in the house. Well...how do you explain that, Knuckles?! I just said that...grapes are not that good. I didn't say that they were bad though".

After Knuckles put the empty glass down, he then crossed his arms as he exclaimed with a smile, "But they're MY FAVORITE! No way that I'm going to let you say that they're not that good and get away with that! Not on my watch! Hmph!".

Kathy was a little quiet as she was smiling widely at Knuckles, and Knuckles was smiling back just as much as her. Kathy then winked at Knuckles as she casually replied with a grin, "You're just petty because YOUR favorite kind of fruit ISN'T used on sundaes. That's what upsetting you the most, isn't it?".

"..." Knuckles was silent on that while still having a full-on smile on his face. Kathy giggled a little more since she's watching Knuckles stare silently at her while smiling widely. It's like he's telepathically telling her: Gosh dang it! How dare you make such a valid argument against me!

…...

"...Just finish your stupid breakfast already," Knuckles muttered quietly in a resigned tone of voice.

Kathy just laughed loudly at that. Okay! That was fun! I never thought that Knuckles would give in like that! Hehehehehehe! He's so funny! Kathy thought brightly in amusement as she laughed happily.

…...Okay. ...That was fun. I never have thought that I would give in like that. Just...why is Kathy so funny to me? Sigh...I'll never understand it. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement too with a huge smile as he stared gently at Kathy while she laughed as much as she could. And...he's not even bothered with Kathy laughing at him.

Eventually, Kathy then did what Knuckles had told her and ate the rest of her meal. Knuckles did the same thing with his own meal. It was rather peaceful as they ate again. Soon, Kathy then decided to talk to Knuckles some more.

"Soo...This is what a 'T.V.' is like? Just...what does it do? I know that it's...showing me moving pictures, but...what's its purpose for exactly?" Kathy asked curiously as she looked at Knuckles for answers.

"Hmm? Oh...Umm...Well...How should I put this? Umm...The television's purpose is for entertainment mostly. The screen may show cartoons or live-action content like the news, comedy shows, dramas, or anything of the like. Movies are another source of entertainment that you can watch on television. Either by the T.V. channels itself or by putting something inside the disc reader over there under the T.V. I...usually don't watch television so...that's mostly what I gather from it," Knuckles explained in a calm manner as he looked at Kathy before looking at the T.V. and pointing at it and the DVD player below it for emphasis.

Kathy nodded her head slowly at Knuckles when he had answered her question to the best that he can. She still felt confused though since she doesn't know what "cartoons", "live-action", "the news", "comedy shows", "dramas", "movies", "T.V. channels", or "the disc reader" at all. So, she had a blank expression on her face as she stared at Knuckles once he was done explaining.

"Uhh...Okay..." Kathy replied awkwardly with a confused, blank expression on her face.

Knuckles can't resist but smile on how cute Kathy looks after that. While smiling, he pondered calmly in amusement. Heheheh. Poor girl. She really doesn't have a clue, does she? But this time, I don't blame her. It is technology that we're talking about here. Heh! I bet that I sounded like Tails after giving Kathy just the basics of what a television is. Still...it's hard to believe that at some point I didn't know what a television is. But here we are. Me giving someone else the definition of what a television is for the first time ever. It...oddly feels weird to be the knowledgeable one here. Usually...that's Tails' job. Not mine. Although I will say this though...it feels rather good helping someone understand what the environment is like to an outsider for once. In a way...I feel comforted that I'm not the only one who doesn't understand everything in the modern world that I live in daily. I struggle with that sometimes, and it's exhausting. …...But with Kathy here...I feel like I should do my best to understand it since I have someone to help here.

"...You really have no idea what I'm saying, do you?" Knuckles asked gently in amusement with a calm smile on his face.

With some hesitation, Kathy slowly shook her head "no" before replying softly in sadness with a little frown, "I'm sorry, Knuckles. I really did listen to you, but...there's just so much information that I don't know about that it feels too foreign to me".

Knuckles just smiled calmly at her as he gently replied in understanding, "That's okay, Kathy. You did your best, and that's what's important here. It'll take a while for you to understand the modern world in this dimension. It'll always be confusing, but I think that you'll learn to adapt to it in no time. I believe that you are smart enough to do that".

Kathy then smiled brightly as she exclaimed cheerfully in amusement with a little giggle, "Of course, I'll adapt to it quickly! I want to learn about everything about this place! I bet that it's amazing here! I'll never get tired of it! Every day will be like an adventure to me because I'm about to learn something new every time I go out or do something different! Hehehehe! It's going to be soooo much fun, Knuckles! I'll be happier if you're with me as I learn something brand new each day!".

Umm...uhhhh...aaaaahhh...AWWWWWW...GOSH DANG IT, KATHY! STOP BEING SO ADORABLE TO ME! Knuckles thought in adoration as his face melted into such a warm expression since his heart just exploded in warmth after hearing Kathy say that. It's just the purest thing that he had ever heard, and of course, that it would come from the sweetest, adorable girl in the world. In Knuckles' mind, Kathy would definitely beat Cream in terms of adorableness, but then again...he could be maybe...slightly biased on that one. Hey, it's not his fault that he thinks that way if you had actually saw Kathy the Moth in person. One look could give you the explanation as to why that is the case. (A/N I mean. Have you SEEN the Heisei version of Mothra? It's utterly ADORABLE!)

"That's...just great, Kathy. You go and learn as much as you want to. Hey, in fact...why don't we learn some more objects right now?" Knuckles replied calmly with a warm smile on his face as he stared at Kathy with twinkling eyes.

"Oh! Oh! Yes! Please tell me! Please! I'd like to know! Show me! Show me! Tell me! Tell me!" Kathy exclaimed excitedly with a huge smile on her face as she was almost bouncing on the couch while scooting a little closer to Knuckles.

"Hahahaha! Easy! Easy there, Kathy! I'll get to it soon enough! Just slow down!" Knuckles exclaimed happily with a chuckle and with a huge smile as he grabbed onto Kathy's arms for moment since she almost leaned into him accidently. Thus, for a third today, he chuckled again while trying to calm Kathy down since she was just so excited to learn about the world around her. As Knuckles held onto Kathy's arms, he looked at her joyful expression on her face. His heart just soared in happiness when he saw the bright sparkles in Kathy's light-blue eyes. The sight was just so beautiful to him. Her eyes were like precious jewels to Knuckles. Seeing that along with Kathy's sweet, huge smile was just unbelievably breathtaking to Knuckles. What he is holding onto now... isn't just some regular girl but rather...a precious jewel...that's probably more valuable than what the Master Emerald is worth. …...And he's going to make sure that no one is going to harm it.

"Soooo...are we going to learn something new, Knuckles? Hehehehe! You're staring at me!" Kathy replied brightly with a grin and a giggle.

AH! H-How long have I've been staring at her?! And how...how long have I been holding onto her for? Knuckles thought in embarrassment as he blushed and as he looked down to Kathy's arms to see that his hands were still there. He immediately lets go of Kathy and exclaimed awkwardly while looking sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head in shyness, "Oh! Uh! Y-Yeah! Let's...uhhh...begin!".

"Okay! So...what's this thing?" Kathy asked happily as she picked up the T.V. remote and showed it to Knuckles.

"That's a T.V. remote controller. You can control the T.V. settings with this. Go ahead. Try pushing some buttons on it. Go see what it does," Knuckles answered calmly yet confidently with a smile.

"Hmmmm...Okay!" Kathy replied brightly after looking at the remote for a few seconds. As Kathy pointed the remote at the T.V., she then decided to push the 1 button first. Immediately after Kathy had done that, the T.V. screen changed to a different channel. Kathy saw that and smiled widely as she exclaimed brightly with a giggle, "Oooooh! Hehehe! Let's push another one!".

She pushed the 1 button again and then the 2 button next. The channel changed to channel 12 on the T.V. Kathy cheered happily by saying, "Yay!". With such enthusiasm and curiosity, Kathy then started to push a lot of buttons randomly to see what does what. Knuckles just watched Kathy go at it with a calm expression on his face as he sits beside her. He can see Kathy's eyes lit up whenever she found something interesting on the T.V.; Kathy's smile growing wider or in a 'o' shape when something different happens on the T.V.; and Kathy's eyebrows being raised up a few times when she felt surprised at what happened on T.V. He watched her intensely yet quietly while having a content smile on his face.

Television may show a lot of emotion and a lot of life, but it's nothing compared to how real people go through when they're experiencing something new for the first time. That is something that Knuckles had learned as he was enjoying watching Kathy having fun with the T.V. remote. Suddenly, Kathy had decided to hold onto the volume setting for a long time and had unintentionally made the volume louder than before.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Loud gunshot noises were being heard from the television, and it had immediately startled the two teens after they had heard it. Knuckles then quickly took the remote from Kathy and had turned down the volume of the T.V. before turning it off. He then sighed in relief after the loud noises were gone. Whew! …...That...had actually caught me off guard. Knuckles thought calmly for a moment before turning his head to look at Kathy. Kathy was just smiling innocently as she stared at Knuckles curiously.

Knuckles just smiled in amusement as he replied casually, "I think that's enough power for one day. No more remote controlling for you".

Kathy giggled jovially as she exclaimed playfully, "Hehehehehe! But it was so much fun, Knuckles! You won't stop me once I find another remote controller to play with! I won't let you!".

Knuckles rolled his eyes playfully as he replied calmly, "Oh, I will. I'll find a way to stop you. Just try me".

Kathy just giggled as a response to that. She was deeply curious on how Knuckles will stop her. So, she thought to herself. Now, I want to see what he will do! Teehee! Maybe another time then!

"Okay! I'll take your word for it! Now...uhh...say...what's that thing on the floor near the T.V.?" Kathy replied brightly with a smile as she then pointed at the video game console and its controllers.

"Oh, that. The thing is called a gaming console. It's a machine that could play video games whenever you put a gaming disc into it. You play it through those controllers over there," Knuckles answered calmly with a little frown as he pointed at the video game console as well.

"Huh? 'Video games'? What kind of games are those? Are they fun to play?" Kathy asked curiously as she titled her head in a cute way again.

Knuckles felt his heart squeeze again after seeing Kathy tilt her head in that way. He just couldn't believe that one simple gesture could make him feel like nothing but mush. While mustering a calm expression on his face despite feeling so queasy on the inside, Knuckles answered Kathy's inquisitive question, "Well, uh, yeah. Video games are fun, but not everyone plays them such as myself for instance. But if you want to know, video games are like interacting with yourself in a simula-uhhh...interacting with your 'mirrored' self...".

Knuckles had realized that Kathy won't get the very technical side of the definition of video games. So, he decided to make it simple for Kathy to understand. He continued to explain by saying, "...It's like visiting an alternate universe where you can survive, uncover mysteries, reach multiple goals, relax and explore new places, and all sorts of stuff without actually going outside to do them".

"But why can't you just go outside and do all those things? The world is a lot more fun than the indoors!" Kathy replied in confusion as she looked curious.

"Heh. That's exactly what I had in mind too...Well...Maybe not in the way that you had put it, Kathy...but you have the right idea. Why play them if the world is right there in front of us?" Knuckles replied calmly with a grin on his face.

Kathy had actually stopped to think about that. She had her fingers under her chin as she had a contemplative expression on her face. Knuckles had noticed this and asked, "Is something on your mind, Kathy?".

"Hmmmm...Maybe video games are useful when it's raining outside just like it did last night. Hmm...Aha! Yes! That must be it then! I'm right, aren't I, Knuckles?!" Kathy replied calmly with a little frown before exclaiming brightly with a smile as she believed that she had found the answer to that little mystery.

Knuckles just grinned even wider as he shrugged his shoulders while replying casually, "Heh! Heck if I know! I don't play video games to begin with. So, your guess is as good as mine".

Kathy then frowned a little as she asked calmly, "Say...why don't you play video games, Knuckles? What you just said did intrigue me a lot. I would like to play them someday if I found a game to play with. Will you...play with me then if I want to play video games?".

"...!" Knuckles gasped in shock as he was taken by surprise by those questions. He felt his own heart beating faster, and his stomach twisting into knots. He then crossed his arms and looked rather shy of Kathy now since he's blushing a lot. He then pondered while staring at Kathy with a flushed face. (G-Gulp) She's...She's asking ME to play with her? To play...video games...with her? I've...I've barely played any video games with others except for those few times when Sonic had challenged me to play them with him and Tails in the past. And last time I've checked...I'm...I'm complete trash at them. How am I supposed to tell Kathy now that I can't play them when she's so...so...expectant of me to do that sort of thing? What...What should I say to her? Should I just lie? Dodge the question? Make excuses? Let her dow-

When Knuckles had arrived at that last thought, he knew that there is really one good answer to say to Kathy.

"...Sure. I'll play video games with you if you want to. Listen...I'm just not into video games. It's just not my thing, but...if you are curious about them and would want to be invested in them, then go right ahead and develop your new hobby, Kathy. If you're happy with them, then I'm happy too. Oh, and also...don't let others say that you can't get into something that they're not into in the first place. Just because video games aren't my thing, that doesn't mean that I don't want you to play them either. If you do enjoy them...then that's just great, Kathy. You've found something to enjoy that even I don't get," Knuckles answered calmly yet assuredly in encouragement with a gentle smile on his face as he had made his final decision.

Kathy just gasped at him with sparkling eyes and with a wide-open mouth. Knuckles just smiled kindly at her with a calm expression on his face. He just knew that he couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend some quality time with Kathy together. Every moment with Kathy has been very precious and special to him, and he just knows that it'll be even more true the longer he gets to know her more. So...why even try to waste that time away by doing something else? Sure, he knows next to nothing about video games but so does Kathy. He figured that it will be a perfect learning experience for the two of them, and...he honestly can't wait for that day to arrive.

He then added calmly with a gentle tone in his voice, "...And that's the reason why you should explore what interests you the most, Kathy. Your happiness is what matters here, not what some person says to you. So, just go and explore whatever it is that you like, Kathy. I'm sure that whatever you have found will be interesting to me".

Kathy felt like her heart could just burst out of her chest after hearing such sweet, encouraging words from Knuckles. Just hearing that Knuckles will play with her is amazing enough, but the fact that he just wants her to be happy with herself by exploring new hobbies and interests is just unbelievable. She...truly did felt cared for just by hearing Knuckles' encouraging words. Because of that, Kathy had the hugest smile ever as she put her hands over her chest.

"Oh, Knuckles! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you so much for wanting to play with me! You...You just have no idea how much I had wanted that in my life! I...I'm really happy that you wanted to spend your time with me! After being so lonely all the time, I-!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in gratitude and in relief with a huge smile and with sparkling eyes.

"What? You were...lonely?" Knuckles asked curiously in surprise with a shocked expression on his face as he stared intensely into Kathy now after hearing that.

Kathy then looked a little sad but still had a smile on her face as she answered gently in somberness, "Y-Yes...it's true. I've...been lonely...for many, many years. Even when my mother was still around...she always has to leave for some very important reasons...and I had understood those reasons fully. But...I can't avoid the feeling of loneliness. I've had it ever since childhood, and...I've always wanted to have someone to play with me. …...Yes...even when I was little...I've always wanted to have a friend to play with. If...If there was one desire that I've always wanted to be fulfilled..."

Knuckles just gaped at Kathy when she had told him this little secret about herself and about her past. He can see how sincere and solemn Kathy looks even with her calm, sad smile on her face. After Kathy had paused for a bit, she then finished by confessing, "...It's that I want to go through a second childhood with a dear friend at my side...someone who didn't have a childhood either".

"...!" Knuckles gasped loudly in shock as his eyes went wide and a bit shaky. He could feel his heart racing as his breathing was quickening as if he was hyperventilating. He brooded in frustration and in sadness as he stared at Kathy with huge, shocked eyes. A...A "second childhood"? With...a...dear friend by their side? I...I...No! S-Stop it, Knuckles! You...You can't have one because...because of your duty as the Guardian of the Master Emerald! You don't...deserve to have one because of who you are on the inside! You're just a prisoner who is meant to guard the Master Emerald for all his life! There is no way that you can be Kathy's "dear friend"! You just can't! You're not meant for her! Just...Just get over yourself already, Knuckles! She can never be your friend because of...your loyalty to the Master Emerald. No...No matter what I do...I'll always be at the emerald's side...because...it is my fate, and I can't...abandon my duties just so that I could spend time with Kathy. If I abandon them now...then what kind of a guardian am I? A...A terrible one. A worthless, pathetic, weak guardian who...actually has needs like everyone else...but...are just not worthy enough to have them get fulfilled. K-Kathy...I'm...I'm so sorry but...I...I...

Knuckles can see Kathy's sweetest, hopeful expression on her cute face. If Knuckles could allow himself to cry, then he would do it here because he felt absolutely guilty. The only person that is like a true friend to Knuckles is sitting right beside him...and yet...he is unable to have that. He instead shut his eyes tightly and bit his lip. He moved his head away from Kathy so that he can't face her. He swallowed hard as he did his best to hold back the tears in his eyes. When he felt the tears coming down onto his cheeks, he immediately covered his eyes with his right hand. His shoulders were shaking, and his breaths were shaky. He brooded his last thought with such despair and guilt that he just wished that he could break down and cry in front of Kathy just so that he could let himself feel vulnerable around her.

I...I just can't. I can't do it. I'm not the one for you, Kathy! I'm-!

"Grape?" Kathy asked softly yet tentatively in curiosity as she held her nearly empty plate that has a few grapes left on it.

Knuckles immediately opened his eyes and dropped his hand in surprise since Kathy had startled him a little. Even with all of Knuckles' efforts to stay tough and strong, his tears were revealed in his eyes. As he blinked a bit while staring at the plate in front of him, his tears had fallen a little from his cheeks. But to his complete surprise, Kathy had gently yet quietly wiped them away with her other hand. She even wiped his eyes gently to help him feel better. She then gently stroked his head in a soothing manner after she had dried his tears. Knuckles was completely silent as he finally turned his head to face Kathy.

Kathy was just smiling gently at Knuckles as she looked sympathetic towards him. He noticed that she was sitting right next to him now. He can feel her knees leaning next to his right leg. He doesn't know what to say to this. Kathy did have his attention now...but what is it that she's going to say next?

Honestly...he had expected some comforting words...but not this.

"Aww, had the loss of your grapes finally gotten the best out of you? Now, I see why it's your favorite type of fruit! You cry every time you lose some! So...here! Eat the rest of mine! You gave them to me! And now, I'm giving some back to you! Teehee!" Kathy exclaimed happily yet teasingly in amusement with a light giggle as she grinned jovially at Knuckles.

…...

…...I'm...I'm...I'm such a complete sucker for her! Knuckles thought brightly in amusement as he grinned so widely at Kathy that he thought he was going to chuckle again. But...to his complete and utter surprise, it was a type of laughter that he didn't know that he had.

It...was giggling. Oh, for goodness sakes, he was giggling! …...Quite helplessly and childishly too.

"Pffffffahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hehehehehehehehehe! I..I..Ahahahahahahahaha! YOU...YOU...Yohohohohohhohohohou! WH-WHY...Hehehehehe...WHY AM I...hahahahahahahahahahaha! GIGGLING?! Hahahahahahahahahaha! WHY AM I GIGGLING?! Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I WAS UPSET EARILER! KATHY! WHAT...Hahahahahahahahahaha! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! Hehehehehehehehehe! THAT WAS NOT THE TIME FOR TH-TH-Thahahahahahahahahat!" Knuckles shouted in amusement with a huge smile as he giggled helplessly and...tearfully too since his mood did a complete 180 there. He may not be crying from sadness anymore but from happiness instead.

"Soooo...you're not hungry then?" Kathy asked awkwardly in confusion with a sheepish smile as she saw that Knuckles didn't reach for the grapes. She had honestly thought that eating his favorite food would lift his spirits up. Well...in a way...Knuckles is feeling happy again...although not in the way that Kathy had expected.

"Nohohohohohohohohoho! I was nohohohohohohohot! Just why...hehehehehehehehehehehe! Why did you say thahahahahahahahahat?! It was so...so...Hahahahahahahahahaha! Ridiculous! Hehehehehehehehehe! THIS IS SO STUPID! Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed and shouted in amusement with a huge smile as he giggled happily while shaking his head a lot.

"W-Well...I thought that...your favorite food would cheer you up. I thought that...if you ate some of that...you would smile again...just like before," Kathy replied calmly in awkwardness with a nervous smile as she noticed that maybe what she had done...was a little too much. Her deductions were proven correct by what Knuckles had said next through his giggle fit.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Well! You got me to smile anyways! And it's all thanks to yohohohohohohohohou! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Why did you have to bring hehehehehehehehe...MY loss of grapes there?! Hehehehehehehehe! I thought that we were past thahahahahahahahat! Grahahahahahaha! Grape. Hehehehehehehehe! Grape...Hehehehehehehehe!" Knuckles replied brightly in amusement with a huge smile while giggling a lot as he looked at Kathy briefly before he grabbed his head and lowered it down to his lap as his giggles continued.

Kathy's smile went a little down as she put her plate towards herself now since she saw that Knuckles...might've lost it. O-Oh no. Did I...broke him? What did I do? All I did was offer him some food. He could've just taken the grapes and eat them. But...this seems rather...different. Had his laughter been...suppressed? Like...it's been held up for such a long time that it just had to explode at some point. So...Had Knuckles been...bottling up his laughter? His...inner joy? Why didn't he...express this before? I...I think that...I need to say something to him to bring him back to his senses. Kathy pondered calmly in concern as she frowned a little in worry as she watched Knuckles giggle childishly like a little kid.

"Gahahahahahahaha! Grape?! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Grape! Hehehehehehehehehehehe! Just...Just! Hahahahahahahaha! Why?! Why was that...Ahahahahahahaha! Funny?! Hahahahahahahaha! K-K-Kathy! Hahahahahahahahaha! H-Hahahahahahahahehehehehehehehe! Help me! Hehehehehehehehehehe! I'm losing it! Ahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge smile while giggling childishly as he had his hands on his eyes and had his head down towards his lap.

With a sympathetic expression on her face, Kathy quickly put the plate onto the table before moving closer to Knuckles. Next, she wrapped her left arm over him and pulled him closer to herself in an emergency cuddle. She then wrapped her beautiful, colorful, left wing around him as a way to further comfort him in this...unexpected giggle fit. Knuckles realized that he was up close against Kathy, so, he lifted his head back up again and leant it onto her left shoulder. He still giggled as much as he wanted while Kathy just held him and gently massaged his left arm in a comforting way.

"E-Easy, Knuckles. Calm down...Easy there..." Kathy consoled gently yet softly into Knuckles' ear with a little frown on her concerned face. Knuckles' only response for that was just giggles. Kathy frowned deeper and sighed as she saw that her words aren't getting through to him. She then shifted herself a little so that Knuckles could be in real hug as she wrapped her other arm onto him.

Knuckles saw this and decided to hug Kathy back. Well...it seems that this is all that I can do for now. Sigh. What else could I do to soothe him? Rub his back? Kathy pondered calmly in concern with a sympathetic look on her face. She then started to rub Knuckles' back gently to soothe him. Of course, Knuckles doesn't mind this since his mind is still stuck on that whole "grape" thing due to how much he's repeating the word while giggling silly.

"Grahahahahahahaha! GRAPE! Hahahahahahahahaha! IT'S NOT EVEN THAT FUNNY! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! SO! Sohohohohohhohoho! Hehehehehehehehehehe! WHY AM I GIGGLING?! Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hehehehehehe! H-H-HELP! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles shouted in amusement with a huge smile as he giggled helplessly and as hard as he could while he hugged Kathy tightly in his arms.

...Well...I'm already rubbing his back now, but he hadn't calmed down yet. Hmmm...What else can I do? Hmmmm...Wait! I know...I could...sing to him. The very same song that my mother sings to me whenever I feel sad or upset. Although...I usually wouldn't consider this kind of laughter to be sad in any capacity. I should at least...sing...and maybe Knuckles will truly calm down and be back to his senses. Kathy pondered solemnly in concern and in hope with a little frown as she rubbed his back comfortingly.

She then smiled gently as she sang a quiet song next to Knuckles' ear.

("Call Happiness" From Ghidorah, the Three Headed Monster [The Bellucci Productions Dub English Version] is being sung here. Although a little reference to the Classic Media Version of the English lyrics is also shown in the story. Sorry, I still can't post the lyrics in here, but in context, it makes sense in this scene and what happens after that. So, go search up the lyrics at WIKIZILLA to read them.)

Kathy was singing the song just as beautifully as her mother did. While she sang, she kept rubbing Knuckles' back to calm him down. Knuckles had listened to the song while giggling, but he finally started to calm down his insane, uncontrollable giggles the more he hears the lyrics of the song. The lyrics cut so deep into his heart, and it is truly painful. He had thought that...while he was giggling... that he was genuinely happy at that moment, but now...he's starting to have second thoughts.

Just why...was he crying?

His mouth spluttered into giggles the moment Kathy had said those silly yet thoughtful words, but in his heart...he was crying. Happiness doesn't usually go into...insane laughter...right? …...No. It does not. True happiness comes from having inner peace and joy inside one's heart. Not from madness.

I...I really am weak. Do I really have no happiness inside my heart anymore? No peace? No...love? None at all in my personal life? How much longer do I have to suffer being on my own without having anyone on my side?! I...I can't keep going on like this! ...This is agony! The more...The more I keep on going...doing my job as the Guardian of The Master Emerald...I really am going to lose it! In fact...I felt like I just did by...by giggling like a complete manic there! Still...had I...really used to laugh like that...when I was a kid? Giggling silly like a child would do? In some ways...I felt like I was younger there...but why...can't I remember it? Why can't I remember any good memories of my past?! Are they...repressed from my memory? Without having any happy memories...I'll...I'll never survive in this world any longer! P-Please...K-Kathy...I...I know that I'm being crazy and...desperate here but please...h-help me...I beg of you. Help me...find happiness. True happiness that is. Knuckles brooded in sadness and in frustration as his giggles had slowed down and had soon stopped. He was quiet as he listened to Kathy singing sweetly yet beautifully into his ears. He can feel how warm she is by this close contact. This little physical attention of hugging and back rubbing...is really soothing to Knuckles.

It feels...so nice. Knuckles thought calmly in fondness with longing, twinkling eyes as he held onto Kathy more tightly than before. Eventually, Kathy had finished singing the song and was silent afterwards. They both held each other for a long...long time.

…...

"...Kathy? Do I...need to remind you that I'm a...serious person? I don't...Umm...giggle like that...ever...(Sigh)...I'm not like you, Kathy. You laugh...you giggle...for almost nearly at everything that happens around you. Meanwhile, I...I don't do that. I just don't. I really don't. Considering how much pressure I have within my expectations as the Guardian of The Master Emerald...I...I really don't have time for laughter," Knuckles muttered softly in somberness with a sigh as he frowned solemnly yet sadly. He felt depressed again, and this time...he had decided to allow his tears to fall. He figured that there's no reason to hide his true feelings from Kathy anymore. He had put on mask after mask tirelessly each day...and he's gotten tired of it. So, he lets himself to cry silently while Kathy held him in her soft, gentle arms.

When Kathy heard Knuckles' sniffles, she then used her beautiful, colorful wings to wrap him up too in comfort. She had heard Knuckles' confession of his true self. She felt genuinely sad and hurt that he seriously thinks that he shouldn't laugh since he has such high and demanding expectations to fulfill.

She frowned and closed her eyes in sadness as she brooded calmly in somberness. And...this is the pinnacle of why I had left the Sol Dimension in the first place...and why I...wanted to stay here in this dimension...forever. I'm...I'm not perfect. I can't fulfill everyone's wishes back in my home dimension. No matter how much effort I pull...or how close I've come to being helpful to someone...it seems to me that I would always fail. I've wondered why I was so unhappy with my own life as the Guardian of the Sol Pendant. But now...I know why...I had placed others' expectations above myself and had sacrificed my own happiness because of it. My feelings were always crushed by selfish, ungrateful people such as my own clan and the Southern Islanders. I...I can't do everything or make everyone happy. No matter how powerful I am...there will always be casualties and death. …...I can't prevent any of that from happening. So, that's why I've...I've...I've quit protecting that hostile dimension. If Blaze had the choice, then she would've joined me and live here in this dimension too. Besides her and Marine, there is nothing of worth in that wretched dimension. No one...and I mean no one should ever have to sacrifice their own happiness just to maintain their own reputation. And...And poor Knuckles here is just so clueless of that. Sadly...I don't think that anything from my experience will ever encourage him to stop thinking that way. Maybe...what he needs...is just a good, simple reminder of what's...really important in life.

"...Knuckles?" Kathy asked softly yet gently in concern with a little smile while she opened her eyes again as she tenderly rubbed Knuckles' back.

"...Yes?" Knuckles asked slowly in curiosity with a depressed look on his face while tears fell from his cheeks.

"...My mom...had always sung that song to me whenever I feel sad or upset. It...had always cheered me up...and I'm glad that...it had helped you calm down," Kathy replied gently in fondness with a tender smile on her face.

Knuckles sniffled a little more as more tears fell from his eyes while replying quietly in agreement with a little frown, "...(Sniff)…...It was such a beautiful song. I...I liked it".

Kathy nodded slowly as she soothingly stroked Knuckles' back while she gently replied in fondness with a little smile, "I'm glad that you do...but...there is something else that my mother had said to me that...is also beautiful".

"Hmm? What...(Sniff)…...Is it, Kathy?" Knuckles asked calmly in curiosity with a little frown and with slightly widened eyes as he sniffled again.

Kathy then pulled away from Knuckles just to look at him. She had a warm expression on her face as she smiled calmly yet gently to him. Knuckles had tears in his eyes as streaks of them went down from his face. To say that he was pitiful looking wouldn't do it justice considering how miserable he really is. He was staring deeply into Kathy's gentle, light-blue eyes again as he searched for hope to battle his ongoing despair and depression in his heart. Please, Kathy...Help me. Knuckles thought solemnly yet pleadingly in desperation with a grimace as he stared at her with his pained, teary-filled, violet eyes.

Then Kathy had finally answered his pleas and prayers by giving him such sage advice.

"'Every year should be a year of laughter'. That is something that my mother had always reminded me not only in every beginning of the new year and on my birthday, but also...for every time I felt depressed and hurt. She didn't say 'act' or 'must' in that sentence but the word 'be'. Meaning that you should always be in that state every day by your own choice. It's not a demand or an expectation, but rather...it's a matter of suggestion. Sure...you don't have to do it. You don't have to be happy if you don't want to, but...it would certainly be better if you choose to do it from the beginning. Heh! That's why I'm always silly! It's because I chose to be like that! I chose to be silly because I want to be happy! And I'm not going to let my reputation as a guardian to tell me to stay serious because I'm going to say 'no' and laugh anyway! Hehehehehehehe!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly in wisdom with a gentle smile before she gave Knuckles...a true, genuine giggle. Something that...he should naturally possess at the very start.

"...!" Knuckles gasped quietly in shock as his eyes went wide. "Every year...should be a year of laughter"? Knuckles pondered calmly in confusion with a stunned expression on his face. As he watched Kathy giggling happily just to prove her point...he then finally understood why Kathy is...truly like this. Why she's so silly, so ridiculous, so funny, and maybe...so happy. It's because...she just is...and no one is going to tell her to stop. She'll stop being happy when she feels like it. Clearly, she doesn't care about being serious or being normal or maybe...even being sane. Apparently...being blissful can be quite a relief it seems...at least in Knuckles' mind it is. He then brooded solemnly with this revelation in mind.

I...I really want to laugh. I really want to chuckle. And...And...Gosh darn it, I want to giggle! TRULY AND PURELY THIS TIME! But...my life as the Guardian of The Master Emerald had shaped me into the most serious person one could ever meet. It'll...take a while for me to repair the damage in my heart, but I should...really listen to Kathy's advice. Maybe...I'm not ready for others to see me...l-laugh yet...They'll think that I'm crazy if I allowed myself to laugh at everything that Kathy does as being silly. It'll be...too humiliating for me to have others see me do that. But...whenever I'm with Kathy...alone mind you...I should really do my best to allow myself to laugh. She's like...the best teacher to know what laughter truly is like. I really should...look into what her mother had said and...try my best to laugh at least once each day. Of course...as long as I'm with Kathy here...

Knuckles kept watching Kathy giggle silly as she was genuinely happy. Then slowly...he felt his lips twitch upwards into a warm smile again. He smiled as tears fell from his eyes. He sniffled once last time before he finally decided to wipe his tears away. …...it's going to be really easy to do. Knuckles finished brooding in somberness as he smiled warmly yet more determinedly than before. Kathy has yet again brought him strength in the time where he thought that he was helpless and weak, and it is the one time that he'll be thankful for throughout the rest of his life.

"Kathy..." Knuckles muttered softly in fondness with a warm smile as he grabbed Kathy's shoulders.

"Hehehehehehe! Y-Yes? What is it?" Kathy giggled sweetly with a silly smile until she stopped to respond to Knuckles.

Then to Kathy's surprise, it was Knuckles' turn to fully embrace her just as she had done to him. He hugged Kathy tightly yet gently since he was so happy to finally be free from that insanity that he himself had dug himself into. Kathy had gasped lightly before she returned the hug by hugging him gently too.

"Th-Thank you, Kathy. For everything...You're a life savior," Knuckles whispered softly to Kathy out of gratitude.

"K-Knuckles? Do you...really mean that?" Kathy asked softly in curiosity as she looked surprised when Knuckles had called her that.

"Kathy...You have absolutely no idea on how much of a wreck I am right now. I'm...I'm just going through such tough...difficult stuff lately that's way over my head. I...I really do need you to be there for me. P-Please? Will you...ever do that? F-For me?" Knuckles replied calmly in somberness with a sad frown and with a headshake as he held Kathy even tighter to not let her go from his arms since he's still afraid that this whole thing is just one long fever dream coming from his depressed mind. He doesn't want to let go of Kathy and lose her to nothingness. Her life is just too precious to him to even be worth letting go of just for one moment.

Kathy then smiled gently as she held Knuckles even tighter too before replying calmly in reassurance with closed eyes, "...It'll be okay, Knuckles. Just...always call on me whenever you need help, and when you do...I'll come to you to help you and...to protect you".

"Hmmm...Thank you, Kathy. I...I will," Knuckles replied softly in gratitude with a longing smile and with closed eyes as he looked relieved.

...

After hugging each other for a very long time...even though it was just five minutes, they finally broke apart and stared at each other again. They had calm smiles on their faces as they are on their knees and as their hands are on their laps. Kathy then smiled sweetly as she placed her hand on top of Knuckles' head and stroked it gently.

"...Looks like someone had a bad case of the 'giggles'! Did he? Yes, he did! Oh, yes, you did indeed, Knuckles! Hehehe! I didn't think that you were capable of making that kind of laugh, Knuckles! You really sure know how to surprise me! Teehee!" Kathy replied brightly in a playful tone with a sweet smile as she teased Knuckles a little while giggling a bit.

Knuckles then grinned at her as he replied playfully in amusement, "Oh, don't you dare start, Kathy. Besides....I can get you into a pretty bad case of the 'giggles' myself!".

"No, you can't! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed jovially in amusement with a cute smile and with a little giggle.

"Oh, yes, I can. Watch," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a smug grin as he stared into her innocent, light-blue eyes. He then just stared at her while smirking mischievously at her in which of course did make her giggle a lot.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Knuckles! Don't!" Kathy protested playfully in amusement with a sweet smile as she giggled cutely while staring at Knuckles' mischievous face.

"'Don't' what?" Knuckles asked deviously in amusement as he grinned at her.

"Just don't! Hehehehehehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile while giggling harder now. To further tease her, Knuckles just opened his mouth as if he was about to say something but closed it immediately and had a smug look on his face instead. That just made Kathy lost it already.

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Hehehehehehehehehehehe! Knuckles! Hehehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy giggled as hard as she could while protesting brightly in amusement with a huge smile as she just patted Knuckles' head now out of playful jest.

"I didn't even say anything that time! And now look at you! You're hardly keeping yourself together! Just what...oh what...are you going to do without me, Kathy?! Someone's got to look after you or else...you're just going to fly away...like the silly little moth that you are!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement as he just smiled playfully at Kathy while stroking her head now to ease her from her giggle fit.

"Hehehehehehe! So...are you going to look after me then?" Kathy replied calmly yet innocently in curiosity with a bright smile as she calmed down her giggles a little.

"Well, somebody's gotta do it. Your mom has done it, and, well...I guess that I'm the only person whom you already trust in this dimension...Soooo..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a little, sheepish smile as he shrugged a bit while briefly rubbing his head in awkwardness.

Kathy then stared into Knuckles' violet eyes with her sparkly, light-blue ones and with a sweet smile on her face. Knuckles smiled fondly at Kathy as he stared back at her with his determined, solemn eyes. A look that he always wears whenever he stares at the Master Emerald. His fond smile then turned into one of a confident smirk as he replied calmly in somberness, "...I'll look after you, Kathy. I promise that I'll protect you no matter what. Anything that you have in mind, you can say them out loud in front of me, and I'll listen to you. I'll even put my life on the line for you whenever the situation demands it. I'll...even try my best to laugh and be happy while I'm with you. I'll...I'll admit that...I'm...mostly going to be in a...moody state throughout each day since I'm...currently struggling with my own personal problems...but...I'll always try to find a way to smile for you, Kathy. If you can do it each day, then I could too".

Kathy gasped a little happily once she heard Knuckles' promise to her. And just when I thought that I'm going to be the only one protecting him, he tells me this! I...I should let him know that I'm going to do the same thing too! Kathy thought happily in excitement as she beamed brightly at Knuckles.

"I...I also want to make a promise to you, Knuckles. I've already made my own promise in my heart a little while ago, but I want to say it to you now," Kathy replied gently yet coyly in fondness with a little smile of her own.

"Oh? You too, huh? Well...okay then. Tell me. I'm all ears," Knuckles replied calmly in slight surprise as his eyebrows were raised while still smirking at her.

Kathy smiled a little more sincerely and solemnly as she replied calmly in somberness, "I promise that I'll protect you too. I won't let anything or anyone harm you, Knuckles. I'll always be ready to come to you to aid you and to take care of you. Since you value the Master Emerald and this island very much...I'll take care of them too since they are a part of you. Anything that you hold dear and value in your heart will be protected and taken care of by me. As long as I keep wearing this Sol Pendant around my neck, I'll do my duty by protecting you and by taking care of you. That is my promise".

Knuckles then smiled fondly at Kathy after hearing that sweet promise. He was feeling rather happy that he isn't going to be the only one taking care of somebody. He pondered calmly in endearment with a fond look on his face. It seems that...Kathy is going to take care of me too. I...I...I never had someone taking care of me before. I'm so used to looking after myself and others that I rarely ever get taken care of back. But...since Kathy is going to be the one to do it...since Kathy is...K-Kathy...

...Kathy...

"...it just feels good to be cared for by someone you like..."

"...!" Knuckles gasped loudly in shock when Amy's words had struck his mind as if her own hammer had whacked him. His eyes went wide as he stared at the adorable, smiling moth girl sitting across from him on the couch. He can feel his heart beating fast in nervousness, and his stomach turning into several knots as he mulled over those words several times. No...No!...NO! Nononononono! That...That's not happening! It's not happening! That's not possible! I...I don't...feel...that way... towards...K-Kathy. We...We...Uhhh...Knuckles pondered in shock and in nervousness as his heart was in full panic mode and as his face blushed completely in embarrassment.

"Knuckles? Are you alright?" Kathy asked innocently yet curiously in confusion with a little frown as she gently shook Knuckles' left shoulder.

"WE'VE ONLY JUST MET!" Knuckles blurted out as his face was one of complete nervousness and...panic...lots and lots of panic.

It was at that moment where Knuckles realized that looking after Kathy is going to be a lot harder than he thought.

Ah, another chapter done, and a little earlier than I thought. Originally, I was going to make this chapter longer, but I fear that it might reach around 60,000 words by the time I actually wanted to finish it. So, all the other parts that were meant to be seen in this chapter will just simply be added to the third chapter. Anyways, as I had stated last chapter, these chapters are going to be(used to be) REALLY LONG. But I'm sure that you'd be happy regardless how long it is. If you want these chapters to go at least...I don't know around 40,000 to 50,000 just to see all of my original ideas to be put out. Feel free to comment about it. If you guys are patient, then okay! I'll write longer chapters then! But thanks for at least checking out these first two chapters of this GRAND story I've planned to make in the long run. Of course, this time, I'll post one chapter at a time. So, please be patient and understanding of my time when I make these chapters. I'll say this though, I'm really having a fun time writing this story! Can't wait to write the future chapters just for you guys to see how this whole thing pans out! Once we've the end of this first season, this story is worth reading through a second time so that everything will make sense why things are as they are! So, see ya next chapter!

P.S. So, if everyone's wondering what this story is contained of, the two main genres are obviously Friendship and Romance, but the other subgenres include Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Humor, and Family. So, everyone who loves these other subgenres will get a kick out of this story.

Also, well, I hope that this chapter might encourage you to think that the KnucklesXMothra ship can work in this way as I make my own interpretation of Mothra while also trying to stay true to her original character based on her personality traits. Sure, I made my version of Mothra silly, but it kind of works since...well...Kaijus DON'T LIVE in modern society like people do! They're monsters! They destroy cites! NOT LIVE IN THEM! But of course, I did capture Mothra's kind and gentle nature as was said in the WIKIZILLA webpage. So, my interpretation of Mothra isn't that far off from my OC adaptation character.

Unfortunately with Knuckles...uhh...uummmm...OH, POOR KNUCKLES! I MADE HIM INTO A LUNATIC! WHY DID I DO THAT?! WHY?! Okay, but, seriously, I'm a little uncertain on how I had portrayed him thus far. Aside from the main internal conflict that IS intentional to the story such his overwhelming depression due to his role as the Guardian of the Master Emerald as well as his relational strain between Sonic and his friends, I'm a bit unsure if I had got him right while he was interacting with Kathy here. Here comes the tricky part of the story. You see, since Knuckles is interacting with someone with a different personality and behavior, it's a bit unclear where the lines are for in-character and out-of-character. I'm not going to strive for perfecting his character because there are a lot of directions that I want to go with the story and with his character. I'm hoping to get 90% of character accuracy while the last 10% is for fun stuff! Especially since well...it's obviously a romance story. So, I'm always going to feel unsure how I progress Knuckles' journey into love in this story. All I'm asking here is maybe some feedback either saying that you're okay with it or, fine, maybe some criticism but at least several good encouraging comments to say that I've got nothing to worry about and that I'm underestimating myself a little bit. So, all of your support is appreciated! Anyways, let's keep on moving this stupidly adorable, sweet, and precious friendship/romance train going on to the next chapter next time!