Guardian Angels

S1:E3: Protecting A Kaiju...Wait. What?

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Knuckles screamed loudly in absolute panic as his eyes went wide and as his mouth was hanging open. Kathy just leaned backwards for a moment in worry and in confusion as she watched Knuckles scream in nervousness.

"Kn-Knuckles? Are you don-?" Kathy asked quietly in worry with concerned, light-blue eyes and with a little frown.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Knuckles screamed loudly again in fear with a freaked-out expression on his face as he felt his whole body shaking in panic. His mind was screaming too in panic as his thoughts were this.

THERE'S NO WAY THAT'S POSSIBLE! HOW?! WHY?! HOW COULD I LET MYSELF GET SUCKERED INTO THESE WEAK FEELINGS OF MINE?! I...I...I'VE ONLY JUST MET KATHY LAST NIGHT, AND YET, WHY DO I FEEL SO...SO...ATTACHED TO HER ALREADY?! THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE AT ALL! WHAT...JUST WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! HOW COULD I EVER POSSIBLY DEVELOP SUCH...ADORING, STRONG FEELINGS FOR A GIRL THAT I KNEW FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF HOURS?! WAKING HOURS TO BE MORE PRECISE! I...I...AM I INSANE OR SOMETHING?! YES, KNUCKLES! YES, YOU FREAKING ARE! BECAUSE HOW COULD KATHY EVER FEEL THE SAME WAY FOR ME?! SHE JUST MET ME! SHE KNOWS VERY LITTLE ABOUT ME! SHE...SHE...SHE'S PROBABLY NOT EVEN INTERESTED IN ME! WHY?! JUST WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, KNUCKLES?! JUST WHY DO YOU HAVE A...A...UMMMMM...A "THING" FOR HER?! A VERY, VERY, VERY HUGE THING FOR HER! EVEN MY OLD CRUSH ON ROUGE WASN'T THIS BIG! JUST WHAT IS IT ABOUT KATHY THAT IS MAKING ME FEEL SO...SO...Q-Q-QUEASY?! WHY DO I FEEL LIKE MUSH WHEN I'M AROUND HER?! WHY DOES TALKING TO KATHY FEEL INCREDIABLY NERVE-WHACKING?! WHY DOES IT FEEL LIKE I'M ABOUT TO THROW UP?! WHY AM I SO-?!

SMACK!

"..." Knuckles soon fell silent after Kathy had smacked him across the face. Naturally, Kathy didn't smack Knuckles that hard. Only hard enough to bring Knuckles back to his senses. Knuckles blinked a few times at Kathy before putting his left hand over his left cheek.

Kathy simply frowned in worry as she gently yet apologetically replied in concern, "I'm...I'm really sorry, Knuckles, but I had to smack you. I couldn't get through to you either way anyhow. Are you...going to be okay, Knuckles? Do you...need another hug to feel better?".

"...!" Knuckles gasped out loud as his eyes went wide again. He finally got his senses back. He immediately shook his head "no" before replying quickly yet awkwardly with some nervousness in his tone, "Uh! Uh! Nope! I'm fine! I'm fine! Really! I'm...all good now. Th-Thanks, Kathy. I...Uh...I needed that".

"Are you sure?" Kathy asked softly in concern with sympathetic eyes and with a little frown. Her light-blue eyes were shimmering with care and gentleness within them. Knuckles immediately felt embarrassed as his face flushed so brightly that it's matching his skin color now. He felt like his weak heart was about to give out as he kept staring at Kathy's caring, gentle eyes. His head was sweating, and he had such huge eyes staring at Kathy. He...just can't look away from her.

Her sweet, caring nature...her adorable-looking face...and those beautiful, twinkling, light-blue eyes...She's just too irresistible to Knuckles right now. It's actually quite ridiculous. Knuckles had never felt so helpless talking to a girl before...and Kathy just took the cake in terms of making him feel incredibly shy of girls in general.

"M-Meep..." Knuckles squeaked in nervousness as his face softened a lot and looked rather embarrassed.

Just how could one girl turn the strongest, toughest warrior of his own dead clan into such a scared, nervous puppy? Knuckles took it as one of Kathy's secret powers that even she's not aware of.

…...OH NO! NOT AGAIN! I'M...I'M...I'M NOT SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL TO HER! K-K-KATHY! SAVE ME! Knuckles pondered nervously in panic again with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes while blushing a lot in shyness as he gulped.

"Knuckles...It's okay. Calm down...Hey...Easy there. You're going to be fine. R-Relax, okay?" Kathy muttered gently in reassurance with a little frown and with concerned eyes as she grabbed Knuckles' shoulders and rubbed them very delicately in a soothing way.

Knuckles then let out a breath that he didn't know that he was holding and finally did what Kathy had told him to do by relaxing. He took a lot of deep breaths while he closed his eyes. He then mediated by counting to ten to further ease himself from his nervousness. Kathy smiled a little as she saw that Knuckles was calming down now.

She's...She's right. Just calm down, Knuckles. You're getting overly excited over nothing. S-Sure...you may have discovered that...that...you have a...a...little, teensy-weensy c-cruhhhh-thing for Kathy, but...that's...all it is. Just a...a...a thing, not a..Uhh...a c-crush. Yeah...that's it. N-No big deal, right? I'll probably just...Ummm...move on from it from a week till now! Yeah! That's the most likely scenario that will happen! I'll...I'll move on from it, and everything will be back to normal. And...And...I'll probably be sane again! Yeah! Hahahahaha...haha...haha...haaaah...I'm such a wreck, aren't I? Sigh...

Knuckles then took a huge sigh before opening his eyes again after he had finished brooding for a bit. Kathy smiled a lot now that Knuckles is staring at her again.

"See?! There you go! You're okay, Knuckles! Don't worry about it! Just smile and laugh! Hehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge grin before giggling a little. Knuckles soon grinned a little too after Kathy had said that.

"Y-Yeah...You're right, Kathy. Thank you. Thank you for calming me down. I appreciate it," Knuckles replied calmly in agreement and in gratitude with a little, sheepish grin on his face as he stared at Kathy again.

Kathy just nodded happily before beaming to him as she exclaimed jovially in amusement with a light giggle, "Teehee! Anytime, Knuckles!".

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted a bit in amusement as he grinned wider at Kathy. Soon, Kathy then released Knuckles' shoulders and placed her hands on her lap. They both stared at each other in calmness now.

…...

"So..." Kathy muttered awkwardly in amusement as she smiled sheepishly at Knuckles since the silence had went on for about a minute.

"'So' what?" Knuckles asked calmly yet coyly in amusement with a playful grin.

"Teehee! Umm...Uhh...Hmmm..." Kathy giggled before muttering quietly with a little smile as she looked down at her lap in shyness. Knuckles didn't say anything but was being patient for Kathy to say something back to him. After a few more seconds of silence, she then asked shyly in curiosity with a little smile and with a small blush, "Are...Are we friends now, Knuckles?".

"Ack! Uhhhhh...Ummmmm...Errrrr..." Knuckles exclaimed before mumbling like a nervous idiot again. His face blushed red again and looked shy too as he also looked down at his lap. As he rubbed his arms awkwardly, he then pondered in confusion and in sadness with a shy look on his face. What...What should I say to her? I...I'm not sure if I can call Kathy my friend yet. Not that I don't care about her or anything! It's...It's rather just the OPPOSITE! I...I...I just have never called anyone my friend before. Not even to Sonic or Tails even though I've known them the longest. M-Maybe one time with Hawk back on Earth, but...not as a close friend...but more like a...a...a colleague of mine. So...saying to Kathy that we're friends now...it's...it's...

Knuckles then grimaced in sadness as he finished his thoughts by brooding. It's something that I WISH I could freely say to her. But alas...I can't. My only relationship with anything in general is with the Master Emerald. That emerald must come first. Not...Not Kathy sadly. Kathy...I'm so sorry.

"I'm...I'm not so sure. I'm just...not used to having anyone as my friend. I'm...sorry, Kathy, but I...I'm just not comfortable with the idea yet," Knuckles replied calmly in sadness with a grimace as he closed his eyes in shame. He figured that confessing the truth of what he feels now is more important than fulfilling Kathy's expectations. At least...for this instance.

"O-Oh..." Kathy muttered lowly in disappointment as she frowned sadly. Knuckles just can't open his eyes to look at Kathy's disappointed face right now. He can feel his heart squeeze after hearing Kathy's quiet reply of disappointment. He just wished that he could make Kathy very happy by agreeing that they're friends now. But what could he do? …...Make it up to her by saying that they're a "team" of some kind? Like a "super heroic duo" or something?

Nah...That's...That's just dumb. …...WAIT! OF COURSE! Knuckles thought as he shook his head before his eyes had opened very widely in shock as he came up with a brilliant idea. Even if he can't be friends with Kathy normally, he could at least team up with her as a way to show mutual respect and trust to her just like any friendship bond would do by admitting that they're friends.

Knuckles then smiled proudly as he thought.

Knuckles...You are a genius.

"Kathy?" Knuckles asked gently in fondness as he lifted Kathy's chin up so that she is looking at him now.

Kathy blushed pink as she meekly replied in curiosity with a little frown and with wide eyes, "Y-Yes?".

Knuckles then looked gentle to Kathy by smiling warmly at her. With relaxed, twinkling, violet eyes, he asked calmly yet softly in curiosity and in fondness, "Do you want us to form a dynamic duo of some kind? We can work together to protect each other and our own jewels as respective guardians. I have to protect the Master Emerald...You have to protect that Sol Pendant of yours. If we just stick together...then I think that we can have some sort of bond, Kathy. We'll just have to look at the other as a teammate. So...What do you say? Heh heh...Do you want us to become the 'Guardian Duo', Kathy? I could use a good cheerleader by my side as I guard my own emerald since it's a part of my duty...and...I'm sure that you need a cheerleader too since protecting that pendant must be a heavy burden on your shoulders. Literally and figuratively speaking. I'll be happy to cheer you up whenever you feel stressed out from doing your job as a guardian, Kathy. Trust me. I know how stressful it is to keep protecting something that you're supposed to protect with your life. It's not easy, but...someone has to do it. Since you're serious about protecting that pendant, I'll do my best to give you my upmost support and encouragement. As one good teammate to another. So...are you in, Kathy? Do you want us to form a team or not?".

Kathy was quiet as her eyes had sparkled with amazement and wonder. She felt touched that Knuckles had cared so much for her that he's willing to cheer her on by being the Guardian of the Sol Pendant. The very same position that her mother had once held before when she was alive. Kathy is willing to do everything in her power to carry on her promise to her mother by protecting her Sol Pendant. She had originally promised her mother to do that because she had wanted to fight at her side just to confront Battra together as mother and daughter. But now that her mother is long gone from this world...Kathy could only protect the pendant in honor of her beloved mother, Klara the Moth. Kathy had decided that she will follow her mother's creed and had continued to fight Battra just to clear her mother's name from ruin. Her name is also ruined too by Battra, but her focus was more on her mother as she protects the pendant with her life.

So...in a way...Knuckles was right by how much of a burden she has even after guarding the Sol Pendant for just over a year now after her mother's death. It's like...she's carrying on her mother's spirit through wearing the pendant. Her pendant...and her hot-pink outfit are like the very last things that Kathy's mom had left behind. …...And Kathy had treasured them dearly. Which is why she is very hesitant in regards to taking either of them off because...she fears that she is going to be all alone in the world without her mother's spirit aiding her as a way to comfort her and encourage her to keep moving forward in life. Her mother's spirit is the secret behind her strength...her happiness...her peace. Without them...she just doesn't know how to live her life on her own.

M-Mother...Kathy thought sadly with a little frown as she stared deeply into Knuckles' gentle, violet eyes for strength and refuge. She had now realized how alone she truly was in this dimension. She knew that if she hadn't crash-landed onto Knuckles' island, then she would more likely be down and crying in sadness and in distress since she has no idea of where she is in this world. It's just as Knuckles had said earlier. She's just going to keep on flying away without having anyone to look after her and to guide her. She was utterly hopeless. She even had thought of wanting to go back home to her own dimension again since she couldn't find a place to stay in this dimension. It was...really pathetic.

All I had thought at the time was just abandoning my own clan as a way to take my revenge at them for their selfishness and ungratefulness. I am the current Queen of the Monsters here, and yet, my people had only shown disgrace and disrespect towards me. They've treated my mom and me like dirt, and they were never grateful for all the times that we had protected Monster Island from Battra's monsters or from Battra himself. They've hated my mom and me all because they believe in Battra's lies and had never shown any remorse towards us. It only serves them right to have their only Queen leave them and their dimension behind just so that one day they will suffer the consequences of their own selfish actions. They've basically drove me away from the Sol Dimension...them...and the rest of the islanders in that dimension. It's no wonder then that I...I would want to escape from that awful place. I didn't care about where I want to go when I got here. All I wanted to do was just...just...run away...and never...never...befriend anyone here.

Kathy frowned a lot in sadness as she had brooded. She then looked down in shame as she continued to brood. It's so ironic that I would meet Knuckles here when I had originally wanted to just be alone in this dimension and never have anyone figure out that I'm a Kaiju monster to begin with. I was so done being hated and rejected that I don't want to receive any more pain from anyone ever again. So, that's why I wanted to hide from everyone. At first, I didn't even care if I was going to be alone for the rest of my life! It beats being rejected and scorned by others again! I just...I just don't believe that anyone would be accepting of me being a monster here. It's just better for me to stay quiet and be in the shadows where no one will find me. …...Yet here I am...Being in the presence of someone who wants to be by my side...and always be supportive of me. Knuckles...Oh, Knuckles. If only that you knew who I really am then...you would probably be disappointed to see that I'm not a regular, normal moth...but as a Kaiju monster. I'm sure that...you would decide to abandon me after knowing about my true self. I...I'm not so sure if I should accept this offer now since you might...abandon me after knowing the truth. I...I can't do it. I can't accept this kind offer. I'm...so very sorry, Knuckles...but I can't.

"...I'm...I'm not so sure, Knuckles. Your offer is truly kind to me, but I...I don't know if I should accept it or not," Kathy muttered calmly yet quietly in sadness with a little frown as she closed her eyes in shame.

Knuckles gasped as he was shocked that Kathy had declined his offer down. He was certain that Kathy would be all for his idea since he saw how hopeful she was earlier when the subject of friendship came up. He frowned deeply as he looked sad now since it was his turn to feel disappointed.

"O-Oh..." Knuckles muttered calmly in disappointment with a sad frown and with upward eyebrows as he looked down at his lap and as he put his hand away from Kathy's chin. What just happened there? I thought that Kathy would've liked the idea of us being a team. Did...Did she change her mind on it since I had declined her offer first? If so, then...what have I done? Now, I'll never have the chance to form any kind of bond with her. What...What am I going to do now? Knuckles brooded calmly in confusion and in shame with a sad frown on his face.

"(Sigh)..." Knuckles and Kathy sighed simultaneously with sad, disappointed looks on their faces. It was rather weird for them to be sad with one another. They both wondered why this is happening now.

Just what went wrong here? We get along so well together and yet...neither one of us wants to get closer. This is just...terrible. What are we going to do now? Knuckles and Kathy pondered simultaneously in confusion with sad frowns on their faces.

They sighed again before they both absent-mindedly reached for the grapes at the same time. When Kathy had placed her hand on top of the grapes, she was very surprised to feel Knuckles' hand on top of hers. Knuckles was also surprised when he felt Kathy's hand instead of the grapes. They both gasped in surprise as they looked up and blushed in embarrassment. With embarrassed, stunned expressions on their faces, they slowly turned their heads towards the plate of grapes that had been sitting on the brown table the whole time after Kathy had placed it there. They both can see that their hands are being together as Knuckles' hand was placed over Kathy's hand currently. After looking at the grapes for a moment, they both looked back at each other while still looking embarrassed.

"U-Uhh..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly in embarrassment with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as he stared at Kathy while his face is flushed.

"Ummm..." Kathy muttered awkwardly too in embarrassment with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as her cheeks are completely pink. They both stared at each other for a while. They even looked back at the grapes a few times while looking back at each other in awkwardness. After finally looking back and forth, they've stared at each other again.

At first, they still looked embarrassed as they were blushing a lot. But soon enough...they stared to smile sheepishly at each other. Even they can't deny the amusement in that little accident they just had.

"...Soo...Uhh...Heheheheheheheh...Uhh...Hungry?" Knuckles asked awkwardly in amusement with a sheepish smile and with upward eyebrows while chuckling nervously as he blushed brightly in embarrassment.

"Uhhhh...Hehehe! Uh, yeah...I'm still hungry, Knuckles. Umm...May I eat the rest of the grapes now? They're...Hehehe! They're still mine," Kathy replied awkwardly in amusement with a sheepish smile and with a pink blush while giggling a little.

Knuckles then smirked as he felt a little playful now. He realized now that this a great chance for him to turn the awkward, sad situation that they had earlier into a more light-hearted, playful one instead.

"'Yours', huh?" Knuckles asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a devious smirk on his face as he stared at Kathy. Of course, just as he had expected, Kathy started to giggle silly again.

"Hehehehehehehe! Of course, Knuckles! I was eating them earlier! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile while giggling cutely.

"Oh, yeah? Well, what was that you had done earlier? ...Offering me your grapes just because you wanted to cheer me up? Just what happened to that? Aren't they mine now since you gave them 'back' to me?" Knuckles asked calmly yet playfully in amusement as he smirked even further just to make Kathy giggle even more.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! But Knuckles! You just declined them when I gave them to you! You just decided to giggle instead! Hehehehehehehe! I figured that they're mine now because of that!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully in amusement with a sweet smile as she giggled much harder than before.

"But you ate MY grapes first! That was the entire point of you giving it back to me in the first place! How dare you say that I don't want them now all because I was giggling earlier!" Knuckles playfully argued back in amusement with a mischievous grin as he leant a little closer to Kathy.

"Hehehehehehehehe! But you just told me that you weren't hungry through your giggle fit! I think that serves as a good reason for me to have the grapes!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement while giggling and smiling happily now.

"I was having an emotional episode there! What I had said to you through that shouldn't give you any basis for your claims!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement while grinning widely now.

"But you still had denied the grapes! So, that means it's mine now! Hehehehehehehe! All mine!" Kathy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a sweet smile and with a cute giggle.

Knuckles then just smirked deviously at Kathy as he held onto her hand even tighter to prevent her from grabbing the grapes away from the plate. Kathy just giggled a lot at this as she tried to pull her hand out from Knuckles' grasp now.

"Knuckles! Hehehehehehehehe! Let go! Hahahahahahaha! The grapes are mine!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile while giggling a lot.

"Not anymore they're not!" Knuckles exclaimed back playfully in amusement as he smirked deviously at Kathy.

"Hehehehehehe! But why?! I was eating them earlier!" Kathy exclaimed back in confusion and in amusement with a cheerful smile while giggling a little.

"It's because you ate my grapes! And like I had said before, I'm not letting anyone dissing my grapes and get away from it! Not on my watch!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement as he kept smirking deviously at Kathy.

"Hahahahahahahahaha! But I'm hungry! Hehehehehehehe! I want to eat the grapes!" Kathy exclaimed back playfully in amusement with an innocent smile as she giggled helplessly like a little child.

Knuckles closed his eyes as he still smirked at Kathy while exclaiming playfully in amusement, "Your 'grape privileges' had been revoked, you little thief!".

Kathy just lost it as she laughed happily at that while exclaiming back in amusement, "But Knuckles! Hahahahahahahahahaha! I thought that you don't see me as a thief! Hehehehehehehehehehehe!".

Knuckles opened his eyes and smiled deviously at her as he muttered playfully in amusement, "Not anymore, silly girl".

Kathy had actually stopped laughing just to stare at Knuckles in amusement. She had a huge, playful grin on her face, and Knuckles had shared the same expression too. They simply stared at each other in amusement for a few moments.

…

…

…

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Hehehehehehehehehehehehe! A-A-Ahahahahahahahahahahahah!" Kathy and...yes even Knuckles just cracked up into full-blown laughter. To Kathy, it was a sight to behold seeing Knuckles laugh this freely and loudly before. Even when they tried calming down, then ended up bursting into laughter again all because they were just...looking at each other's happy faces and at their own hands.

"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! THIS IS SO STUPID! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! JU-JUST LOOK AT US! WE'RE ARGUING OVER GRAPES HERE! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! I'M...I'M...Hahahahahahahahaha! I'M SURE THAT WE COULD JUST SHARE THEM TOGETHER! Hahahahahahahahahaha! JUST...Ahahahahahahaha! JUST WHAT DO YOU SAY, KATHY?! DO YOU WANT TO EAT THEM WITH ME?! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! BECAUSE I SURE DO! Heheheheheheheheh!" Knuckles shouted in amusement with a huge smile while howling with laughter as he gripped onto Kathy's hand much tighter. He had tears in his eyes now, but he knows that they're happy tears because he chose to laugh this time.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehe! YES! YES, I WANT YOU TO EAT THEM WITH ME! Hehehehehehehehehehehe! I WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH YOU, KNUCKLES! Hahahahahahahahaha! S-S-SEE?! YOU REALLY ARE SUCH A FUN PERSON ON THE INSIDE, KNUCKLES!" Kathy shouted back in joy with a huge smile as she laughed happily.

"THAT IS A LIE! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! I AM NOT A FUN PERSON AT ALL! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! I'M REALLY BORING! HONEST! Hahahahahahahahah!" Knuckles loudly argued back in amusement with a huge smile while laughing as hard as he could.

"Hahahahahahaha! ARE YOU SURE?! BECAUSE YOU'RE VERY FUN TO ME, KNUCKLES! Hehehehehehehehehehehe! WHY ELSE WOULD YOU WANT TO PLAY WITH ME LIKE THIS?!" Kathy shouted back in amusement with a huge smile while laughing a lot.

"THAT'S BECAUSE I LIKE...UHH...HAVING YOU BEING HAPPY! Hahahahahahaha! YEAH! THAT'S WHAT!" Knuckles shouted back in joy with a huge smile and with a hard laugh while also saving himself from accidently admitting his true feelings to Kathy. Whew! That was a close one! I thought that I was screwed there since I had almost confessed to Kathy that I...Ummm...really like her. That would've been really embarrassing to me. Knuckles pondered calmly yet brightly in relief with a huge smile as he still laughed happily.

"Hehehehehehehe! AWWWW, KNUCKLES! THAT'S SO SWEET! YOU REALLY ARE A SWEET BOY, AREN'T YOU?!" Kathy shouted back in mirth with a laugh as she beamed cutely at Knuckles.

"Hahahahahahahaha! STOP! I'M NOT! Hahahahahahaha! I'M REALLY, REALLY NOT!" Knuckles shouted back in embarrassment now with a huge, sheepish smile and with upward eyebrows while laughing helplessly. His face had turned bright red ever since Kathy had said that. He even felt his heart melting into mush again since those kind words had touched him.

"Hehehehehehehe! OH, YES, YOU ARE! HOW ELSE WOULD YOU EXPLAIN YOUR KIND BEHAVIOR THAT YOU'VE SHOWN TO ME THUS FAR?! Hahahahahahahahaha! ONLY THE...SWEETEST, KINDEST BOY WOULD DO THAT!" Kathy shouted back playfully in amusement with a huge smile as she now began to tease Knuckles while calming down her laughter to do this.

"Ahahahahahahahahaha! STOOOOOP! I SAID STOP! STOP IT! Hahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles shouted back in protest and in amusement with a huge, sheepish smile as his face had gotten redder and as he laughed silly. While laughing childishly, Knuckles looked away from Kathy in shyness. He then realized that he had made a terrible mistake into teasing Kathy earlier by making her giggle a lot because now...he's the one stuck in...not a giggle fit this time...but rather a laughing fit. He kept laughing as Kathy teased him some more.

"BUT IT'S TRUE! WHY WOULD YOU WANT ME TO SMILE?! HMMM?! WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO GIGGLE?! Hehehehehehehe! AND WHY WOULD YOU WANT ME TO LAUGH?! Hahahahahahahaha! ONLY SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT ME! THAT'S WHAT!" Kathy shouted back joyfully in amusement with a huge, cheerful smile while laughing a little.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah! Heheheheheheheheheheh! KATHY! DON'T!" Knuckles protested loudly in amusement with a huge smile and with a deep blush as he laughed so hard that he's gripping his own stomach with his other hand. He had never felt this embarrassed or amused before as he laughed so much that he thought that he was going to throw up.

"Teehee! 'DON'T' WHAT?!" Kathy shouted back in amusement with a light giggle as she grinned playfully at Knuckles. She is very happy that she got back at Knuckles for teasing her earlier because now...he's the one saying the same things that she had said before in her giggle fit.

"JUST DON'T! Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles shouted happily in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed so much that he actually released Kathy's hand. Kathy grinned in victory as she finally grabbed the plate of grapes and held it close to her body. She beamed as she giggled in victory.

"Hehehehehehehehe! YES! YES! I GOT THEM! I GOT Hahahahahahahahahaha! I GOT THEM! GOTCHA, KNUCKLES! Ahahahahahaha!" Kathy shouted in victory with a huge smile as she giggled silly while holding the grapes in her hands.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! HEY! NO FAIR! Hahahahahahaha! THEY'RE MINE! THEY'RE MIHIHIHIHIHIHIHNE!" Knuckles shouted back in protest with a huge smile as he laughed a lot while shaking his head in amusement and while leaning backwards with his hands behind himself.

"NOT ANYMORE!" Kathy shouted back in victory with a huge grin as she held the grapes in front of Knuckles just to taunt him. Knuckles kept laughing silly as he now clutched his eyes with his hand. Both Kathy and Knuckles laughed in such mirth for a few more minutes until they finally decided to calm down. They breathed slowly while their giggles came out. They both felt light-headed and teary-eyed after that whole laughing moment that they just shared together.

"Ahahahaha...ahah...haaaaah..." Knuckles and Kathy giggled slowly as they finally relaxed again. They both had wiped their tears away from their eyes and had taken deep breaths to soothe their aching stomachs. They soon looked at each other again with huge smiles on their faces.

"...Hahaha. Geez, we really are our own worst enemy here. With my seriousness, I cause you to laugh and giggle, and with your silliness, you cause me to laugh and giggle. Heheheh. I guess that no matter what happens...we'll always find a way to get the other to laugh in amusement. And...I don't mind that at all. I...I really do need your silliness, Kathy. Hahaha. You really do bring life into my dull, boring world that I live in daily. I'm...I'm really grateful that you do make me laugh, Kathy. I couldn't thank you enough even if I tried," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement and in gratitude with a huge smile while chuckling a little as he had a fond look on his face. Kathy just smiled gently at Knuckles as she still held onto the grapes in her hands. She felt really touched that he had appreciated her for making him laugh.

Kathy then had a gentle look on her face as she humbly replied in fondness, "I'm really glad that I had caused you to be happy, Knuckles. In fact, I've...I've actually wanted to do that from the start. When I first saw you smile, I just enjoyed seeing that. You looked genuinely happy, and I...just wanted to see that again. You are...really wonderful whenever you smile, Knuckles. It honestly makes you look younger than you normally are. Almost like...how a child would look like".

Knuckles immediately beamed at that response in surprise. I...I knew it. She really was doing it on purpose just to...get me to laugh and smile. That's...That's so sweet. How thoughtful of her to do that for me. Knuckles pondered gently in fondness with a warm smile and with twinkling, violet eyes as he calmly stared at Kathy.

As Knuckles' face melted a little warmly, he then calmly yet shyly asked in curiosity, "Do I...really look like a child to you, Kathy?".

Kathy's response was simply a warm, gentle look on her face. Her light-blue eyes twinkled as she stared at Knuckles' flushed face. She then winked to Knuckles as she gently replied in amusement, "Well...You do know how much I love children, right? Heh. I'll warn you though, Knuckles. Once you see how I interact with children, you're next".

At that response, Knuckles' heart felt like it just jumped a bit. He felt his stomach getting all into knots again as he thought of what Kathy would do to him after he had seen her treat either Tails or Cream. His face felt like complete mush as he didn't know how reply to that. The only thought that he could connect in his ecstatic mind was this.

Heheheheheh. I'm...I'm in trouble. (Gulp) Knuckles thought nervously with a warm grin on his face as he stared gently at Kathy.

Kathy beamed at Knuckles as she then exclaimed brightly in amusement with a little giggle, "Hey! You know what?! Why don't we finish these grapes together?! It was your idea, Knuckles! Let's do that! Hehehe! It could be fun!".

Knuckles raised his eyebrows as he smiled widely at that while replying calmly in amusement with a chuckle, "Heheheh. You know what? That's not a bad idea, Kathy. Yeah...Let's do that".

He scooted closer towards Kathy again after saying that. Kathy and Knuckles smiled warmly at each other as they stared at the other's eyes for a brief moment before they looked down at the grapes again. There were only six grapes left. Kathy decided to pick the first grape and held it up towards Knuckles.

Knuckles smiled at her as he calmly asked in amusement, "What?".

"Hehehe! Open wide, Knuckles! I want to feed you a grape!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a giggle and with a grin on her face.

Knuckles chuckled at this, but he did decide to go along with Kathy's idea anyway as he opened his mouth wide to let her put the grape in. However, Kathy didn't put the grape into his mouth yet. She instead beamed as she exclaimed brightly with a giggle, "Hehehe! Stick out your tongue, Knuckles! I want to see you do it!".

Knuckles blushed a little as he replied nervously with a little frown and with wide eyes, "Wh-Why do I need to do that? Th-That's just silly! I can eat the grape just fine thank you very much!".

"Aww, but it would be so cute! Come on! Show me your tongue, Knuckles! Hehehe! I know that you're a child on the inside and is just begging to come out! Teehee! I'll stick my tongue out to you just so that you don't have to do it alone!" Kathy exclaimed brightly while giggling a little as she smiled sweetly at Knuckles.

"A-Ah!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock when Kathy had said that she believes that he's a child on the inside. He blushed even more as he looked sheepish now. He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment as he pondered with a sheepish smile on his flustered face. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course, Kathy would want me to do that because she is a child here! I...Heheheheh...I really can't believe that I'm letting Kathy here to encourage me to do this. Sigh...Aw well.

"Heh. Fine...Mmmmmmm!" Knuckles replied with a smug look on his face before he had stuck his tongue out at Kathy.

"Awwwwwww! It's so small!" Kathy gushed happily as she stared at Knuckles' tongue in amusement. Knuckles' face couldn't get any redder than this as he kept his tongue out. He closed his eyes as he felt trapped now with Kathy staring at him with sparkling eyes.

AAAAAAH! I'M STUCK! HELP! Hahahahaha! Knuckles thought in embarrassment and in amusement as he kept his little tongue out to Kathy. Soon, he felt the grape being placed onto his tongue. Knuckles opened his eyes and had quickly curled his tongue back into his mouth with his grape. He soon chewed onto the grape and swallowed it. Kathy just smiled warmly at Knuckles after he did that.

"Teehee! That was fun! Now, it's your turn, Knuckles! Feed me a grape! Feed me a grape!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a giggle as she beamed cutely at Knuckles.

Knuckles just smiled warmly back at Kathy since he saw how adorable she looks now. Sigh...It's too precious. I can't resist it. Knuckles thought calmly in fondness with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes.

"Alright," Knuckles replied simply as he then plucked a grape too and held it in front of Kathy.

Kathy giggled sweetly before she stuck her tongue out at Knuckles. Knuckles felt his heart melting as he stared at Kathy's adorable expression on her face as she had her tongue out. I...I really am going nuts for her, am I? Why...Why am I doing this? Knuckles pondered with a fond smile as his eyebrows went upwards in sheepishness.

He sighed a bit before gently placing the small grape onto Kathy's tongue. Kathy quickly put the grape into her mouth and ate it with a happy grin on her face. "Mmmmmm! It's so good, Knuckles!" Kathy exclaimed in joy after she swallowed the grape.

"..." Knuckles didn't say anything but just stared calmly at Kathy as he watched her beam happily at him. There are some pleasures of life that are very rare to experience, and Knuckles had realized that one of those pleasures was watching one's joy and innocence as they experience life as a whole. It may be for the littlest of things such as eating grapes in this playful way...or for the biggest of things such as meeting a new person like Kathy for instance. Just enjoying the simplest things in life can bring such joy in one's life and for another person's life as well. That is another thing that Knuckles had learned after he had met Kathy.

"Here! It's your turn, Knuckles! Say 'aaah'!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully with a bright smile as she held another grape.

"Heheheheheh...Aaaah," Knuckles chuckled gently before he opened his mouth wide and said "Ah" just to play along with Kathy.

Kathy giggled before she gently placed the grape inside Knuckles' mouth. Knuckles then closed his mouth and ate the grape in amusement. After he swallowed it, he then replied in a playful tone with a huge, mischievous smile, "Your turn, Kathy".

Kathy giggled again before opening her mouth wide to Knuckles. Once again, Knuckles can't help but adore this happy expression on Kathy's face. He just doesn't get why Kathy's joyful expression makes him feel all warm and queasy on the inside. But he knows one thing about this though.

He desires in his heart to keep Kathy having that kind of face every day.

"Here you go, Kathy. Here..." Knuckles muttered softly yet warmly with a gentle smile and with half-lidded eyes as he plucked off another grape and carefully put it into Kathy's mouth. Kathy then closed her mouth again and happily ate the grape.

"Mmmmmm!" Kathy mused brightly in enjoyment with a cute smile as she munched onto the grape.

…...AWWWWWWWWWW! THAT SOUND WAS JUST TOO PRECIOUS! KATHY! YOU'RE...YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE MY HEART EXPLODE WITH YOUR ADORABLENESS! Knuckles thought as his mind was gushing in joy as he watched Kathy kept eating the grape happily with a bright smile on her face. Knuckles' face just melted into mush after hearing that cute sound from Kathy. He then discovered too late that he might have a weakness within himself. Apparently...of all things...it was Kathy's eating sounds that had made him weak.

Kathy then swallowed the grape and exclaimed cheerfully with a grin, "Well! We got two more left! Let's eat the last two together at the same time! It'll be great!".

"Ahhhhh...Uhhhhhhh...Uhhhh..." Knuckles mumbled with a hanging jaw as he stared at Kathy again in warmness. If Knuckles was more aware of himself, he would've realized that he looked like a babbling idiot now as he was still gushing over Kathy's adorableness. Knuckles may deny himself that what he has was just a small "thing", but that small "thing" is making him feel like a literal knucklehead right now.

"Hehehe! Knuckles? Hello? Are you there?" Kathy asked brightly with a sweet smile and with a giggle as she stroked Knuckles' head gently yet soothingly since she saw that he was still distracted.

"Mmmmhmhmhmhm!" Knuckles mused in amusement with a huge smile as he snickered a bit as Kathy does this. Ahhhhhhh...That...That feels so good! Kathy! St-Stop it! Knuckles thought in amusement with a huge smile as he closed his eyes while he lets Kathy pet him gently on his head. He then realized that he really is weak when it comes to Kathy. He now sees Kathy as his kryptonite. His usual tough image gets shattered the moment Kathy does something cute or thoughtful towards him. …...And just having her stroking his head is just one of those moments.

"Awwww, do you like that, Knuckles?! Hehehe! It sounds like you do!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a sweet smile and with a giggle as she stroked Knuckles' head more in a caring way.

"Heheheheheheh! J-Just cut it out! Heheheheheh!" Knuckles protested weakly with a huge, sheepish smile while chuckling nervously as he moved his head away from Kathy. But of course, Kathy kept stroking his head even while he tried to move it from under her hand.

"Oh, you do like it, Knuckles! See?! You're smiling!" Kathy exclaimed teasingly in a sing-song tone with a cheerful smile.

"I said 'cut it out'! Stop! Stahahahahap!" Knuckles protested weakly with a huge smile as chuckled even more as he finally batted Kathy's hand away from his head. His cheeks were bright red as he stared at Kathy after that.

"Teehee! I see that I got your attention now, Knuckles! Now...pluck this grape here while I pluck out mine!" Kathy replied brightly in amusement with a giggle and with a grin as she held up the grapes in front of Knuckles for emphasis.

"..." Knuckles said nothing but stared at Kathy in amusement. You really do get my attention, Kathy. Easily. Like...almost all the time really. Knuckles thought calmly with a gentle smile on his face. He still said nothing as he picked up his grape while Kathy picked up hers.

"Ready?! Now, one...two...three! Ah!" Kathy exclaimed happily as she moved her grape towards Knuckles while she had her mouth open wide.

"Ah..." Knuckles muttered as he had his mouth open wide too while putting his grape towards Kathy's mouth. Once they both reached the other's mouths, they both closed their mouths and ate their last grapes together in peace. After they swallowed their grapes, they just smiled at each other in fondness.

"Yay! We finished the grapes together!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile.

"...We sure did, Kathy...We sure did," Knuckles muttered gently with a fond smile as he stared longingly at Kathy. They both soon had the exact same thoughts as they stared at each other in calmness. We really do get along so well together. Maybe I should give him/her a chance to come around to my idea. I am still learning about Knuckles/Kathy bit by bit as time goes by. It probably won't take too long for him/her to agree to my idea. I'll just have to wait until then.

They both silently agreed to this new plan that they've come up with since they were smiling even wider now. They truly believed that they could create a strong bond together. All it really takes is time and patience.

…...

"So, what are we going to do now?" Kathy asked happily with an innocent smile after that little bit of silence.

"Hmm? Oh...Uhhh...Ah! That's right. I'm supposed to take you to Tails today. Soo...Are you ready to meet him?" Knuckles replied calmly yet a bit awkwardly as he smiled back at Kathy.

"Uh huh! I can't wait to meet him! I bet that he'll be so cute!" Kathy exclaimed in joy with a huge smile and with a nod as her eyes were sparkling with glee. Knuckles smiled even wider in amusement after that response.

"Well...We'll see then. Oh, uh, but first...I think that we should delay our trip to him for a little bit," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile as he took the plate away from Kathy and held it instead.

"Awwww...But why?" Kathy whined in slight disappointment with a frown and with upward eyebrows as her antennas went down a tad. Knuckles grinned a lot when he saw that cute little motion of her antennas going down.

He then replied calmly with a huge grin, "Did you forget already? We were in the middle of introducing you to the modern world. Do you want to learn more stuff before we leave?".

Kathy gasped a little before she beamed at Knuckles as she exclaimed brightly with clasped hands, "...! Oh, yeah! Please teach me more things, Knuckles! I'm ready for you to show me more things!".

"...Hmph. Alright then. Let's continue where we last went off. Now...Where were we?" Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile as he scooted a bit away from Kathy.

"Hmm..." Kathy mused to herself as she looked around the room while having a hand under her chin. She soon beamed as she decided to knock onto the plate that Knuckles has in his hands.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

"What's this thing?" Kathy asked curiously with a grin on her face as she knocked lightly onto the plate.

Clink! Clink! Clink!

"That's 'a plate', Kathy," Knuckles answered calmly yet confidently with a gentle smile on his face while still holding onto the plate. Kathy beamed at Knuckles before she turned her head to look at the two glasses on the table. She grabbed them both and clanked them a little in amusement and in curiosity.

Clink! Clink! Clink! Clink!

"And what are these?" Kathy asked calmly with a grin as she stared at the empty glasses.

"Those things are called 'glasses'. If they were smaller, then they would be called 'cups'," Knuckles answered calmly again with a gentle smile.

"So...Did these glasses used to be called 'cups' when they were younger?" Kathy asked curiously with a confused look on her face.

Knuckles huffed in amusement before replying with a huge smile, "No, Kathy. No, they were not. They were made to be that way".

"Ohhhh...Okay!" Kathy replied in understanding with a nod before exclaiming in joy with a bright grin as she looked up from the glasses and into Knuckles' gaze. She then placed the two glasses onto the plate before turning her head towards the brown table itself and knocking it a little too with her fist.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"What's this thing?" Kathy asked curiously as she looked at Knuckles briefly with a little smile. She looked at the table again and knocked onto it.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"That brown thing is called 'a table'. It has four legs underneath it so that it can stand properly," Knuckles answered calmly again with a gentle smile as he briefly looked at the table.

"Ohh...I see," Kathy replied slowly in understanding with a little, gaped mouth as she nodded again. She then pointed at the black phone sitting on the table while asking calmly yet jovially "And what's that?".

"That is 'a telephone', Kathy. You can use that to make phone calls to others that are far away from home. You can talk to people through that without meeting them in person. It's a pretty handy device. I'll admit," Knuckles answered calmly with a gentle smile while looking at the phone as well.

"Wow...That's neat! If I find another phone like this, can I call you, Knuckles?" Kathy replied brightly yet innocently with a smile as she looked at Knuckles.

"Uh...Uhhh...Y-Yeah...S-Sure. You can do that, K-Kathy. I...uh...I don't m-mind. We could...Ummm...even t-talk all night if you wanted to," Knuckles replied awkwardly while blushing a lot in embarrassment as he smiled sheepishly at that. He felt his heart beating a little faster the moment Kathy had asked him that. He does admit that what he's saying is rather childish, but he can't help it. His little "thing" is driving him crazy, and he just can't stop it.

Kathy beamed happily at him as she exclaimed cheerfully with a giggle, "Oh, I will, Knuckles! I like talking to you! You're so nice to me! Teehee!".

…...Oh, you have no idea. Knuckles thought calmly with a sheepish smile and with upwards eyebrows while blushing a lot as he titled his head a little in shyness. Kathy then got off the couch and stood up while stretching a little.

Knuckles smiled gently as he replied calmly, "It seems that you're ready to leave. But of course, why don't we take a tour around my shack before we go? Okay?".

"Okay!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a sweet smile as she looked back at Knuckles.

Knuckles just smiled back in amusement as he got off the couch too while carrying the dishes in his hands. He then grabbed his own plate and placed it under the other plate in his hands. As he stood next to Kathy, he then muttered calmly, "Follow me".

Kathy nodded and followed Knuckles towards the adjacent kitchen. Kathy looked around the kitchen in awe and in wonder while Knuckles quickly dumped the dishes into the sink and rinsed them a little in water. Once he was done, he looked back at Kathy and calmly told her with a little smile, "This place is called 'the kitchen', Kathy. What we were just in before was 'the living room'".

"Hmm? Oh..." Kathy replied simply with a little, gaped mouth as she looked at Knuckles briefly before looking around the room again. Knuckles just smiled in amusement at that response. She's such a child sometimes. It's rather cute. Knuckles thought in fondness with a calm expression on his face as he watched Kathy walk around the kitchen in curiosity.

Kathy then approached a round table and stared at it. She looked back at Knuckles and curiously asked with a little frown, "Is this a table?".

"That's right, Kathy. That thing is 'a table'. It's a lot bigger and rounder than the one in the living room. That table could also be used to put meals on them too. We could've eaten our breakfast there too, Kathy. But it's okay," Knuckles answered calmly with a nod and with a gentle smile as he stared at Kathy.

Kathy smiled widely since she saw that she was right in guessing the new object for the first time. She then decided to grab the chair next to the table and asked Knuckles with hope in her voice, "Is this a couch?".

Knuckles just huffed in amusement before replying calmly with a gentle smile, "No, Kathy. That's 'a chair'. You can easily pull it out so that you can sit on it. You can even push it towards the table when someone is sitting on it".

"Oh...Hey! Why don't I push you in, Knuckles? I want to try it!" Kathy replied in disappointment with a little frown before in excitement as she beamed at Knuckles.

Knuckles shrugged as he replied calmly with a gentle smile, "I don't see why not. I'll help you, Kathy. Remember. After I sit down on that chair, you just have to push me in towards the table".

Kathy nodded in understanding before she pulled the chair out from the table and exclaimed excitedly with a grin, "Okay! I'm ready!".

Knuckles chuckled quietly as he shook his head before walking towards the wooden chair. He smiled at Kathy as he sat down on the chair. Kathy beamed at him as she looked down from the chair.

Knuckles then replied calmly with a warm smile, "Alright, Kathy. On the count of three, you push me in. Okay?".

"Got it!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile and with a nod.

"Okay then. …1...2...3!" Knuckles replied calmly yet brightly as he smiled gently at Kathy. Kathy immediately pushed Knuckles into the table...however...

"OOF!" Knuckles yelped in slight pain when his chest was being shoved hard into the table. He cringed in pain as he closed his eyes and held onto his chest with his right hand. Kathy gasped in shock and in worry as she pulled the chair slightly back from the table. She then grabbed Knuckles' shoulder and a part of his chest too in concern.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry, Knuckles! Did I push the chair too hard?! I'm very sorry! Are you hurt?!" Kathy exclaimed in worry with a gaped mouth and with sad eyes as she stared at Knuckles in concern. She gently rubbed a part of his chest while he was still holding onto it with his right hand. As the minor pain had subsided, Knuckles smiled in amusement as he opened his eyes and looked back up at Kathy. Kathy still looked concerned as she stared back at Knuckles.

Knuckles chuckled a little as he calmly replied in amusement with a gentle smile, "Heheheheh.. I'm quite alright, Kathy. It was just a little accident. I mean...Technically, you did what I had told you to do. It's just that...Uhh...you weren't supposed to literally push me 'into' the table. Only just enough so that I can put my hands onto it. That way I can reach my meal and eat it there".

"Ohhhh...That makes sense. Uhh...S-Sorry," Kathy replied slowly with a nod while looking understanding before looking sheepish as she blushed a bit and smiled a little at Knuckles.

"It's okay. Really. At least, you do know now what not to do. Ramming people into the table with chairs does hurt people a little. So, be careful next time, Kathy, and you'll do okay," Knuckles replied calmly with a sheepish smile and with a lowered eyebrow as he stared back at Kathy.

"Heheheh...Uhh...Right..." Kathy replied awkwardly with a little chuckle and with a sheepish grin as a sweat drop formed onto her head. She then looked at Knuckles a little bit before tentatively reaching for his chest again to rub it a little in a comforting way. Knuckles was slightly surprised at this action as he looked down at Kathy's hand in confusion.

"...Ummm...What are you doing?" Knuckles asked awkwardly with a little frown and with slightly wide eyes as he blushed a little.

"Uhh...Just making sure that you're alright, Knuckles. I just wanted to help you feel better," Kathy replied shyly yet quietly with a little frown and with concerned eyes as she gently rubbed and pushed onto Knuckles' chest just to make sure that he wasn't feeling any pain.

Knuckles blushed some more in embarrassment after he heard that. The injury wasn't that painful. It was rather a minor, dull pain more than anything, and yet, here is Kathy who thinks that it was a rather painful one. Knuckles can't help but smile at that thought. She really does worry about me, doesn't she? Sigh...Knuckles thought fondly with a warm smile on his face as he allowed Kathy to rub his chest some more. He had to admit that this rubbing feeling felt rather good and relaxing. He doesn't know why, but it does. His heart was beating much faster as he liked the soothing feeling of Kathy's hand on his chest. Kathy smiled a little as she stopped above Knuckles' heart just to feel his heartbeat. She can see that Knuckles was okay and at ease by looking at the expression on his face. So, she took her hand off of him.

"I see that you really are okay. That's a relief," Kathy replied calmly with a little smile on her relieved face.

"Yeah...Thank you, Kathy. That was really sweet of you to do that," Knuckles replied calmly yet gently as he looked at Kathy with a gentle smile on his face. Kathy just beamed at him in return. Knuckles kept smiling as he then got off the chair and pushed it back in properly.

Kathy then scratched the back of her head as she asked calmly yet curiously with a sheepish smile, "So...Where else should I look at?".

Knuckles shrugged a bit before he pointed at the counter as he calmly suggested with a little smile, "How about that counter over there?".

"Hmm? ...A...counter?" Kathy asked in confusion with a little frown and with wide eyes as she looked to where Knuckles was pointing at. She looked behind herself to see a long, grey counter at the back of the kitchen. She then walked towards the counter in curiosity, and Knuckles walked behind her. Kathy placed her hands on top of the counter and looked at it with curious eyes. Knuckles then stood beside her and put his own hands onto the counter too.

"Yes...This is 'a counter', Kathy. It's a thing that can hold many items on it whether it be food, drinks, bags, condiments, and much more for convenience's sake," Knuckles explained gently with a calm smile as he looked at his right to watch Kathy inspect the counter in great detail.

"Hmmm..." Kathy mused quietly with a little frown as she stared at the counter for a while. She then decided to knock on the counter too.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

"Hmmm...This is one huge table, Knuckles," Kathy replied calmly yet matter-of-factly with a little frown as she stood up straighter while staring at the counter.

"Pffft! Hahahahahahaha! Yes, Kathy. This is one huge table. Heheheheheh!" Knuckles chuckled and replied calmly in amusement with a huge smile as he decided to play along with Kathy for a bit.

"Aha! I knew it! Teehee!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a proud smile and with a giggle as she looked at Knuckles. Knuckles just chuckled some more while shaking his head as he thought in amusement. Oh, boy. This is going to be one wild ride. I can tell. Heheheheh!

After he finally calmed down, he then reached for one of the cabinets on top and replied calmly, "Here, Kathy. This thing is called 'a cabinet'. You can place anything in here for storage".

He opened one cabinet, and Kathy awed in surprise on what's inside. It was the first-aid kit. Knuckles took the first-aid kit out and showed it in front of Kathy.

"This white thing with a red cross on it is called 'a first-aid kit'. Do you remember the cream that I had applied onto you last night? That thing is inside this kit. Its use is for medical treatment in case of emergencies. This kit also includes band-aids, bandages, swabs, disinfectants, and other stuff that could be used to help those who are injured. It's very useful, Kathy, as you can clearly see how I had helped you last night," Knuckles calmly explained with a gentle smile as he allowed Kathy to hold the kit to inspect it further.

"Ohhhh...I see now," Kathy replied calmly in understanding with a little frown and with another nod as she held the kit up in the air to look at it. Knuckles just stared at Kathy in calmness as he watched her curious expression closely. He can see her light-blue eyes being intrigued as they had sparkled a bit. He can see her little mouth hanging open a bit as she stared into the kit. He can even see her eyebrows twitch in curiosity as she had concentrated onto the kit. He can never understand why he is so focused onto Kathy's face when she's curious, but he does know that her curious behavior is relaxing to him. He somehow felt at peace with himself when he watches Kathy learn and grow curious at her surroundings. He supposed that it had reminded him of himself when he was younger and was curious of his own island and what is entailed in it. Perhaps...it's that familiar emotion being expressed on Kathy's face that was so calming to him in the first place.

"Soooo...this is what you use when you get injured then. I guess that it makes sense since you don't have any healing items like the Sol Pendant that could soothe your wounds in a pinch," Kathy replied calmly with a little frown as she looked back at Knuckles.

Knuckles shrugged as he replied calmly with a little smile, "Yeah. Not everyone has one of those, Kathy. This is what we normally use to aid ourselves. It's just practical".

Kathy nodded in understanding before placing the kit back into the cabinet. She then asked politely with a curious look on her face, "Umm...May I go look into the other cabinets then?".

"Sure, Kathy. You go right ahead. You can ask me anything that you're curious about, and I'll tell you. So, go look inside each of them," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile and with a nod as he walked a bit back from Kathy to let her move around and check the cabinets in more detail. Kathy smiled brightly at Knuckles before she began opening the cabinets one by one in curiosity.

Kathy beamed in amusement as she saw bowls, plates, and glasses in one cabinet. She simply asked Knuckles what the bowls were, and he told her. She did the same thing with the paper towels, the napkins, the oven mitts, the pots, the pans, the jars, the condiments, and several foods that she had somewhat heard of before like bread and vegetables. She was confused as to why some vegetables are inside of tin cans though, but Knuckles explained that they are more used for cooking compared to fresh ones. Kathy nodded and understood what Knuckles had said as she smiled brightly at him. Knuckles smiled back at her as he had his arms crossed while Kathy explored his cabinets quickly. Knuckles is rather surprised with himself that he had that much trust into Kathy as he lets her rummage through his stuff with his permission. He had only known Kathy for a short while and already he's allowing her to touch his stuff and inspect it for her own curiosity. Honestly, if it was anyone else, he would've never agreed to let them look around and inspect his stuff even with his permission. It's simply a level a trust that they must earn to get Knuckles to do that sort of thing. However, with Kathy, it's like he had already trusted her in the beginning when he had met her for the first time. It's just something in her eyes that had encouraged Knuckles to be a little vulnerable towards her, and having her look through his stuff is one of those moments of vulnerability that he had decided to express.

"I think that's all of them, Kathy. There's no more cabinets to look through," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile as he watched Kathy look around for more cabinets in the kitchen. Kathy turned around and beamed at Knuckles in happiness.

"Oh, really?! Then what's that behind you?! Is that a giant cabinet? Oooh! Oooh! It's a double decker cabinet, isn't it?!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a huge grin as she pointed at the refrigerator behind Knuckles.

"Pffft! ('Double decker cabinet'. Good grief.)…Heheheh! No, Kathy. That's 'a refrigerator'. This is where all the food is stored into. Have a look," Knuckles replied calmly yet amusingly with a snicker and with a grin as he muttered to himself while briefly covering his mouth with his hand and looking away from Kathy before he looked at the refrigerator instead and put his hand down.

"Oooooh!" Kathy awed in surprise and in curiosity with a gaped mouth as she walked over to the fridge and opened the bottom door. Knuckles turned around and walked towards Kathy's side before bending down slightly to look at her face. He can see her smile brightly as she saw lots of food and drinks stored in there. She had noticed several fruits in there as well as milk, juice, cheese, meat, and yogurt. Her eyes sparkled in happiness and in awe as she saw more food and drinks that she had never seen before. She even noticed how cool the inside of the fridge is by its breeze.

"Ahhh...This feels nice!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a cheerful smile as she liked the cool temperature of the fridge.

Knuckles grinned a little in amusement as he calmly replied, "Want to check the freezer? It's on the top part of the fridge here. Heh. Go on ahead. Check it out".

"Hehehe! Okay!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a little giggle and with a sweet smile as she nodded in agreement and did what Knuckles had told her to do. As she opened the freezer, she felt an even colder temperature than the lower part of the fridge. She then felt goosebumps on her skin as the cold air blew into her. She did notice some popsicles, soda cans, and ice packs inside the freezer though.

Kathy then rubbed her arms as she exclaimed in shock with wide eyes and with a grimace, "Brrrr! It's so cold!".

"Heheheheheh! Of course, it is cold, Kathy. That's why it's called 'the freezer'. It's needed to freeze frozen foods and the like. Hahahaha! You totally didn't expect that, did you? Heheheheh!" Knuckles calmly replied with a smirk while chuckling in amusement as he looked at Kathy's shivering body.

"No! I didn't think that this fridge could make me feel so cold!" Kathy exclaimed in shock with a grimace as her eyes were still wide.

"Well...That's what you get for...ogling my food, little missy. Don't pretend that I don't know what you were thinking about. …Heheheheh! You were probably thinking about eating all of it, weren't you?" Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully with a smirk and a wink as he chuckled a little. Kathy blushed a bit before giggling silly like a little kid since she got caught red-handed by Knuckles.

"Hehehehehehe! I didn't mean to! It just looked so tasty to me! Besides, most of the food that you have are ones that I've never seen before! Of course, that I want to try them out!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a sweet smile as she giggled a little.

"Heh. You can try them out at Tails' place. I'm very certain that Tails has the same food in his fridge as mine. So, hold off your appetite, Kathy. You'll soon try them out later on," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a little smile as he closed both the freezer and the fridge doors so that Kathy could feel warm again.

"Teehee! Okay! I will, Knuckles! I'm glad to know where the food is at! Hehehe! I guess that 'the kitchen' really means The Food Room then, right?!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a grin as she stared at Knuckles while giggling a little.

"Hahhahahahaha! Yes, Kathy. The kitchen is actually called The Food Room. You had finally figured that out. Hahahahahaha! Who am I to say that you're wrong about that? Heheheheheh!" Knuckles replied and chuckled in amusement with a huge grin as he played along with Kathy again just for fun. Kathy was grinning back in happiness and in pure bliss since she is enjoying Knuckles' amused face.

I swear that this girl is truly making my life more fun with her silly ideas and her imaginative reasoning. It's hard to bring her down to earth when all she wants to do is just fly away in the sky of her mind. Besides...why would I want to bring her down when she's so happy with herself by making those creative deductions? She just wants to have fun...and I...Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement as he stared at Kathy with a relaxed smile. He then looked warm towards her by having his eyelids lowered halfway and by having his smile grow longer in a fond way. He then finished his thoughts by pondering this.

...I want to have fun too.

"Soo...Umm...What's this, Knuckles? I see that our glasses and plates are in this thing," Kathy replied calmly with a little, curious smile as she looked at sink next and pointed at it.

"...Huh? Oh, that's 'a sink', Kathy. I use that to clean the dishes," Knuckles calmly answered with a gentle smile and with slightly raised eyebrows after the little delay since Kathy had brought him out of his thoughts again.

"Huh? …'D-Dish-es'?" Kathy repeated the word slowly in confusion with a curious look on her face as she titled her head in a cute way again.

Knuckles grinned sheepishly when he saw Kathy tilt her head in confusion again. He felt rather embarrassed that such a simple tic could make him feel so weak. She's...She's just too adorable to me. Knuckles thought sheepishly while grinning like a goofy idiot.

"I meant...I meant the glasses and the plates, Kathy. When grouped together, they're called 'the dishes'," Knuckles calmly explained with a sheepish look on his face.

"Ohhhhhh! I get it! That makes sense! So, it's like a 'pack' thing then!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in understanding as she beamed at Knuckles while having her hands behind her back.

"A...Heh. Yes, Kathy. Whatever you say. Those glasses and plates are in a pack now, and nobody is going to stop them," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a smirk while having his arms crossed as decided to play along with Kathy again. Of course, Kathy beamed to him again after hearing him say that.

…...Sigh...So simple...and so naïve...But maybe it's better to be that way if you want to stay happy. Kathy seems to think so. Knuckles mused fondly with a warm smile as he stared at Kathy's happy face. Kathy then looked at the sink again and walked towards it. She saw the knobs on the sink and looked back at Knuckles to ask him something.

"May I...Uhh...play with this?" Kathy asked politely yet tentatively with a sheepish smile as her eyebrows went upwards in worry.

Knuckles casually shrugged as he calmly replied with a gentle smile, "Go on right ahead. I'm right here whenever there is a problem. So, you can relax, Kathy".

"Yay!" Kathy exclaimed in joy as she beamed widely at Knuckles before turning around to look at the sink again. She then grabbed both knobs and had turned them both a little. She was surprised to see that water had started to come out of the faucet. The water had sprayed onto the dishes once more.

"Woah! Cool!" Kathy exclaimed with a cheerful smile as she then grabbed onto the faucet and turned right and left with it. The water had splashed some more onto the sink and started to fill it up a bit. Kathy giggled with glee as she was having fun moving the faucet. Knuckles can't fight off a huge smile on his face as he watched Kathy on her left side playing with the faucet. He still had his arms crossed while looking amused as he stared Kathy some more. That's right, Kathy. Have fun. Just relax. Knuckles thought calmly with a fond look on his face.

"Hmmm...You know what? I hadn't even tried this thing before. Hey, Knuckles. What is this?" Kathy muttered calmly with a little smile on her curious face as she lets go of the faucet and pulled out the sprayer from the sink. She held it as she looked at Knuckles.

"Oh, that's a sprayer. It can shoot out water if you press—Hey!" Knuckles explained calmly with a huge smile and with closed eyes before he exclaimed when he was shot with a jet spray of water. He covered his face immediately after the water had hit him.

"Hehehehehehehehe! Got you!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a silly grin as she giggled a lot. She had a huge grin as she kept spraying Knuckles a lot. Knuckles started to laugh a lot as Kathy kept spraying him with water.

"Ahahahahahahahahah! Kathy! Stop that! Hahahahahahaha! Quit it! Heheheheheheheh! If you don't, then I'll make you regret it! Hahahahahaha!" Knuckles protested playfully with a huge smile while laughing a lot as he tried to defend himself from the sprayer by moving his arms around his body.

"Hehehehehehe! Make me! I dare you! I'm not afraid of you! Hahahahahaha!" Kathy challenged jovially with a huge grin as she giggled some more. They both laughed and giggled as they played a little with Kathy spraying him and with Knuckles blocking and dodging Kathy's watery assaults.

"Hahahahahahaha! No! H-Hey! Heheheheheheheheh!" Knuckles protested playfully with a huge smile while laughing a lot when Kathy sprayed him on top of his head. Kathy just giggled a lot as she got closer to Knuckles and sprayed his head some more.

Knuckles then smirked deviously with a closed eye as he playfully exclaimed, "Oh, that is it! Come here, you silly girl! Heh!".

Knuckles quickly snatched the sprayer from Kathy and had grabbed her by her shoulder to pull her into himself as a way to trap her. With a mischievous smirk on his face, he then sprayed Kathy back in a playful way.

"Eeeeeek! Hehehehehehehehehehehe! Ahahahahahahahahahaha! Hehehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy shrieked before she giggled helplessly like a little child as she was being held closely and sprayed by Knuckles.

Knuckles grinned widely at Kathy as he played with her. He had loved Kathy's infectious giggles as she was being dowsed in water. He can see her huge grin on her jovial face as water was sprayed onto it. Kathy's joy was rather infectious to Knuckles since he ended up laughing again even though he wasn't being assaulted by water now.

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! You're a really silly girl, you know that?! Heheheheheheheheheheh!" Knuckles exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed. Kathy's only response was just giggles as she was still being attacked with water. Of course, they both hadn't realized the overflowing water from the sink until a few seconds later when Knuckles opened his eyes again after his laughing fit.

"Ack!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock as he immediately stopped spraying Kathy to put the sprayer back into the sink and to turn both knobs the other way around to turn the faucet off. The water stopped filling up the sink, and Knuckles quickly pulled the drain in the sink to get the water down. As Knuckles saw that the water is draining slowly down into the sink, he sighed in relief as he wiped his wet head.

"O-Oops..." Kathy muttered quietly as she looked sheepish. She had a little frown on her face and had her hands behind her back as she looked down at the wet floor below. Oh, man. I think that I had messed this one up. Knuckles is going to be mad at me for this. Kathy thought with a worried frown on her face as she watched Knuckles carefully for any signs of frustration or irritation.

But to her surprise, she saw him smiling widely as he looked back at her with a calm expression on his face. She didn't say anything but just stared at him carefully. She can see that he's still amused despite of that little accident. Of course, Kathy still isn't convinced that he's okay with her. So, she said in an apologetic tone, "Sorry...".

But that just made Knuckles laugh in amusement again. Kathy was now completely confused and surprised. I've messed up his kitchen and all he does is...laugh? What did I do to deserve that? I thought that he would be mad at me. Not...laugh at me. Kathy pondered in confusion while still frowning at him.

"Wh-What did I do? Don't laugh at me," Kathy muttered weakly with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows as if she was whining.

"Hahahahahahaha! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! But I...I...Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile and with a hand up as he tried to apologize but he cracked up laughing again.

With flushed cheeks and with a pout, Kathy protested in irritation as her eyebrows furrowed, "You're mean, Knuckles!".

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! I...I know! Hahahahahahaha! And I'm sorry! Hehehehehehehehe! Just give me a moment! And...And! And I'll explain! Hahahahahahahahahah!" Knuckles exclaimed weakly with a huge smile as he laughed hard since he's waving a hand at Kathy while having his other hand covering his eyes.

Kathy's eyebrows went upwards again as she felt sad that Knuckles was laughing at her even when she was trying to apologize to him for this accident. She waited until Knuckles calmed down again before he can speak his thoughts to her.

"Hahahahahaha...Okay. That...That was funny. Heheheheh...Ahh...Alright. I'm good. I'm good now," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a huge smile as he chuckled while wiping the tears in his eyes. He soon looked at Kathy again while still smiling hugely at her.

Sadly, Kathy doesn't share Knuckles' sentiments as she looked sad to him. She still felt guilty for that little accident. So, she tried apologizing to him again. "Knuckles...I'm really sorr-" Kathy said softly with a sad frown and with twinkling eyes before Knuckles cut her off.

"Hey, hey, hey. There's no need for apologizing here. It's alright. Really, Kathy. It's alright," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile and with closed eyes as he waved his hand at Kathy in understanding.

Kathy still frowned with guilt on her face as she looked down to the floor in shame while replying sadly, "But I've...I've made the floor wet through my curiosity and my playful nature. It's all my fault, Knuckles. I should just...clean this up".

Knuckles softened his expression a bit while still smiling at Kathy. He then walked towards her and gently grabbed her shoulders. He rubbed them as soothingly as he can to comfort Kathy and to let her know that he cares for her. Kathy looked back up at Knuckles while still looking sad.

Knuckles then lowered his eyelids at Kathy as he replied softly with a fond smile, "Hey...It's okay, Kathy. I'm not mad at you. I...I actually had a lot of fun while doing that. You don't need to feel sad anymore, Kathy. I'm really happy. Really...I am. Besides...since it's technically our mess, why don't we clean up the floor ourselves? Understand that you're not cleaning it up because it's your fault, but rather because...it was just a silly, little accident that we've made together. Okay?".

Kathy stared longingly at Knuckles after hearing him say that. She was surprised that he's not upset at her for doing such a childish thing but rather...is happy about it. She can see him smiling hugely at her just to show that he means it when he said that he's happy. Because of this...Kathy smiled hugely too.

"Okay! Let's clean up!" Kathy exclaimed happily again with a huge smile on her face.

"Agreed," Knuckles replied calmly with a huge smile and with a nod.

[Few Minutes Later]

They soon finished cleaning up the floor and the sink by using the paper towels that Knuckles had showed Kathy earlier. Once they were done, Knuckles showed Kathy the trash can to help her know where the paper towels go to when it's done. Kathy understood and put all of her paper towels into the trash can.

"There...We did it," Knuckles said calmly with a little smile as he put his own paper towels into the trash can too.

"Hehehehe! We sure did!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a giggle and with a sweet smile.

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted in agreement as he smiled calmly at Kathy. They soon stared at each other again with calm expressions on their faces. After a few seconds of staring, Knuckles then said out loud with a curious look on his face, "You know...I wonder what time it is now. I...I don't think that I have a clock in my shack. Huh...I should probably get one of those when I have the time to shop again".

"Oh! I can show you the time!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a grin and with twinkling eyes as she had a fist up.

"Oh? You have a watch with you?" Knuckles asked calmly yet curiously with a little frown and with raised eyebrows as he stared at Kathy.

"What's 'a watch'?" Kathy asked curiously in confusion with a little frown and with intrigued eyes as she tilted her head again.

Okay, now THAT makes more sense. Knuckles thought calmly with an amused grin on his face as he stared at Kathy.

"A watch is something that you wear on your wrist so that you can know what time it is at all times. It has a clock that shows you the time," Knuckles explained calmly with a grin on his face.

"Ohhh...So, that's what a watch is. That sounds rather cool!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly with a cheerful smile and with a nod.

"Heh. Well...It used to be cool, but nowadays, people just use digital clocks on their phones to know what time it is," Knuckles replied with a smug smile and with casual shrug as he talked about the development of modern technology.

But of course, Kathy was not aware of that fact.

"What?! Wait a minute! 'Phones'...have clocks too? Umm...Does your phone have a clock inside of it?" Kathy replied in shock and in confusion with wide eyes and with a gaped mouth as she put her hand under her chin while tilting her head again.

Knuckles snickered at that innocent response. It could be how Kathy had phrased her questions, but it certainly made Knuckles snicker a lot in amusement. Ahh...So innocent and so pure. Never change, Kathy. Never change. Knuckles thought fondly as he smiled longingly at Kathy after he snickered a bit.

"No, Kathy. My phone doesn't have a clock inside of it even though it is somewhat advanced since it's a wireless phone. Modern phones today are called 'cell phones'. They're the ones that have digital clocks inside of them. My phone is more traditional than any modern phone out there...and...maybe somewhat special since Tails was the one who had built it," Knuckles answered calmly with a warm smile as he stared at Kathy.

"Ohhh...Wait! Tails had made that black phone for you?!" Kathy replied calmly with a little frown as she nodded in understanding before she exclaimed in surprise with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as she pointed at Knuckles.

Knuckles smirked as he replied simply, "Yep. The very same one that you're about to meet soon".

"Wow! He really is as smart as you say he is! Boy, you and Tails must be pretty close then if he was willing to make a phone for you! He must've cared a lot for you if he had done that!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a bright smile as she clasped her hands together.

Knuckles cringed a bit when Kathy had said that. He frowned a little as he looked down at his shoes in sadness. I'm...I'm not so sure about that. Y-Yeah, Tails did make that phone for me, but...I'm not sure if he truly cares for me or not. Although...the way that Kathy had said it...it sounds like it's true, but...I'm still not convinced. Sigh...Knuckles brooded a bit with a little frown on his depressed face.

"Knuckles? Are you alright? You've gotten quiet after that," Kathy replied calmly yet gently with concern in her voice as she looked slightly worried.

Knuckles blinked in surprise before he looked back up at Kathy and shook his head as he quickly yet awkwardly replied while sheepishly rubbing his head, "Uhh...Uhh...It's...It's nothing. S-Say...Umm...Weren't you going to show me how you can know what time it is?".

"Oh! Yeah! That's right! Allow me to demonstrate!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile while her hands were behind her back. Knuckles quietly sighed in relief as he had managed to avoid answering Kathy's questions. He instead simply nodded to her as he allowed her to do the demonstration.

Kathy took out her Sol Gems and held them tightly. She then put her hands in front of her and closed her eyes. Knuckles watched in curiosity as he had a hand on his hip. He quirked an eyebrow at Kathy as he wondered what she's doing with those gems. The gems glowed light-blue and suddenly...a light-blue hologram hovered above her hands.

"Whoa! What the-?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock as his eyes went wide and as his mouth went agape. He can see the time being displayed backwards since he was on the other side of the projected screen. Kathy then opened her eyes and read the time in the hologram.

"Hmm...It's only 1 PM. We still have a lot of time in our hands since we're going to go see Tails finally," Kathy replied calmly with a relaxed smile as she looked at the hologram.

"Wait! …...THAT'S how you tell the time?! By using holograms?!" Knuckles exclaimed dumbfoundedly with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as he pointed at the hologram.

Kathy soon turned the hologram off by commanding the Sol Gems again. She then curiously asked with a little, innocent smile, "Yeah...What about it?".

"Ah...Ahhh...Uhhhh...I...I give up. My mind just couldn't comprehend how you can do that with your gems. First healing...and now...telling time apparently. Man, I swear, Kathy, you have the strangest, magical gems that I've ever encountered with in my life," Knuckles muttered in confusion before he replied in exhaustion as he had his hands on his knees after he bended down. He sighed while having a sweat drop on his head.

Kathy just grinned in amusement as she replied calmly yet cheekily, "Oh, you have no idea. You haven't seen nothing yet".

"Heh. I'd believe it," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement as he grinned back at Kathy after he looked back up at her. Kathy just smiled proudly after that. She then put her Sol Gems back into her pendant and beamed at Knuckles.

"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go! Let's go meet Tails!" Kathy exclaimed brightly yet enthusiastically with a cheerful smile as she ran towards the living room. Knuckles watched her run towards the door and chuckled.

"Alright! Alright! I'm coming! I'm coming! Calm down, Kathy! Heheheheh!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile while chuckling a little as he walked towards the living room and towards Kathy. Kathy was excited since she's bobbing up and down next to the door while waiting for Knuckles. However, she smiled mischievously at him as she then looked at the little table with the drawer again.

She then asked coyly as she reached for the drawer, "And what's this here?".

Knuckles smirked in amusement as he quickly rushed over to Kathy and grabbed her hand again. As he stared at Kathy with a devious smirk on his face, he replied calmly yet playfully with a headshake, "Ah. Ah. Ah. Don't you dare touch that, you little thief. You're on thin ice now. Understand?".

Kathy just giggled silly as she calmly replied with an innocent smile, "Hehehehehehehehe! Awww, but I just want to open this thing. What's it called? I know that this brown thing is a table now, but what about the thing beneath it?".

"It's called 'a drawer', Kathy, and no, you're not opening it," Knuckles calmly replied with a mischievous grin as he stared at her.

Kathy giggled again as she exclaimed back with a sweet smile, "Hehehehehehehe! But I'll be good! I promise!".

"Hmph. Do you really expect me to believe that? You do realize that you're talking to a 'guardian', right?" Knuckles asked calmly yet playfully with a devious smirk as he got a little closer to Kathy.

Kathy giggled a little as she exclaimed back with a cheerful smile, "Hehehehehehe! I know! I know! But can I at least hold the Chaos Emerald again?! Hehehehehe! You can keep an eye on me while I do that, right?! Hehehehehe! So, problem solved!".

"..." Knuckles didn't say anything but looked smug towards Kathy. Kathy just giggled as she watched Knuckles stare at her with that smug face. She can tell that Knuckles was just teasing since his eyes were playful as well as his amused, smug smile. She knows that he actually trusts her especially when he said, "I really don't need to keep an eye on you, Kathy. But I will anyway because...I just want to see you look happy again".

He then lets go of Kathy's hand and opened the drawer once more. He took the red Chaos Emerald out and held it in front of Kathy. Kathy then slowly grabbed the emerald with her hands and held it up into the air to inspect it.

"Oooooh! It's so shiny!" Kathy exclaimed in amusement with a bright smile on her face. Knuckles was quiet as he watched Kathy smile and be in awe of the Chaos Emerald again. With a calm expression on his face, he stared at Kathy's twinkling, light-blue eyes as the Chaos Emerald's radiancy is reflected on her eyes. While Kathy was in awe of the shiny, red, Chaos Emerald, Knuckles was more in awe of Kathy's shiny, light-blue eyes. It's just as captivating as the Chaos Emerald itself.

He then muttered in a whisper as his own violet eyes are twinkling.

"Yeah...It is shiny".

...

After a moment of silence between the two, Kathy then gave the emerald back to Knuckles. He took it and put it back into the drawer. He then looked at Kathy and asked playfully with a teasing smile, "Do I need to show you what a 'door' is too?".

Kathy giggled as she replied brightly with a sweet smile, "Hehehehehehe! Nope! I know what it is!".

Knuckles teased with a playful grin, "I don't believe you".

Kathy giggled again but looked at the door in front of her and opened it widely as she exclaimed, "This is a door, Knuckles! And that...is the Great Outdoors!".

Knuckles chuckled at that when he saw Kathy point outside for emphasis on her last statement. He replied calmly with a gentle smile and with a chuckle as he stood next to Kathy and held the door with her, "It sure is, Kathy. It sure is. Heheheheh!".

"Teehee! And do you know what I also know?" Kathy asked happily with a giggle and with a sweet smile as she looked at Knuckles.

"No. What?" Knuckles asked calmly yet curiously with a gentle smile as he stared at Kathy.

"I know that this is a window!" Kathy exclaimed proudly as she pointed at the window beside the door. Knuckles looked at the window that Kathy is pointing at and chuckled quietly again.

"You really are on the ball today, Kathy. Just keep it up, and you'll be fine. Trust me," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile as he looked back at Kathy and stared closely at her.

Kathy just smiled back with a proud look on her face...and Knuckles adored that look very much. He knows that it's a face that says, "I got this!", and he couldn't even doubt that for a second. He knows that Kathy can do this. She can adapt and be happy. …...And that's all what Knuckles really wanted out of her. To just learn and be happy in life. He just feels so happy that he's teaching Kathy as much as he can about every-day living. He's starting to realize that he enjoys helping Kathy adapt to the new dimension. It somehow...gives him meaning in life. He doesn't know what that meaning is...but he's starting to appreciate it.

"Come on...Let's go, Kathy," Knuckles replied calmly yet softly with a warm smile and with twinkling, violet eyes as he stared into Kathy's light-blue eyes. Kathy felt her heart beat a little quickly when she had heard him say that. She felt her face blush a little as she watched him stare into her eyes and face. She smiled shyly back to him and nodded in agreement.

"O-Okay...Let's go," Kathy replied quietly with a shy smile as she walked out of the shack and into the hot weather outside. Kathy put her arm over her eyes as she was adjusting to the bright sunlight. Once she had finished adjusting to the sunlight, she then looked back to see if Knuckles was coming or not. She was confused as to why he was still standing at the door while looking back inside the shack. She titled her head in confusion as she watched Knuckles stare inside his shack. Hmmm...I wonder what Knuckles is thinking right now. Kathy thought curiously with a little frown as she carefully stared at Knuckles' back and head for a little while.

Knuckles simply sighed with a calm smile on his fond face as he pondered to himself. …...It was only two hours. Two hours. And yet...it just felt like a whole day. Not even including the thirty minutes that we had shared last night. It's...It's just unbelievable. Who knew that we could get even closer within that short amount of time? I've...I've hadn't gotten closer to anyone within that short amount of time, and yet...Kathy did somehow. I just don't know what it is about us that clicked, but...it was incredible. And the best part about this is...

He smiled even more in fondness as he looked back at Kathy. Kathy smiled back at him and giggled a little. Knuckles just stared back with a fond smile as he finished pondering with this thought. …...the actual day isn't over yet.

Knuckles then closed the door behind him and looked at Kathy fully. Kathy then asked brightly with a cheerful smile and with a giggle, "So? Hehehehehehe! Are you coming or not?".

"Heh. …I'm coming," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile as he started walking towards Kathy. Kathy beamed at him before she started walking beside him as they soon walked together side by side.

[Few Minutes Later]

Knuckles decided to tell Kathy that he wanted to check on the Master Emerald again before they really leave the island to go to Tails' place. Kathy had no objections since she knows that it is important for Knuckles to do this. Although she was a little confused when he said, "I'm also going to check on your Sol Pendant if you don't mind. It's very important".

She might not know what Knuckles' reasoning was for doing this, but she trusts him in this since she knows that he's aware of what he is doing. She can tell that Knuckles is a very mature person. So, she has her faith in him to do the right thing.

It was a bit quiet between the two guardians, but they were happy with the silence. Of course, Kathy can't help but look at Knuckles and smile happily at him every now and then. Knuckles just smiled back in amusement and has his eyebrows raised too when she had looked at him. But after Kathy had done this for the...seventh time, Knuckles decided to tease her by asking playfully, "What?".

"Hehehehe! Nothing!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a cute giggle and with an innocent smile as she had her hands behind her back.

"'Nothing'? You seem to be pretty...preoccupied by looking at me with that smile of yours even if it's all for nothing. Heh. Now, spill it. What is it that you want to tell me?" Knuckles replied mischievously with a grin and with a lowered eyebrow as he looked back at her.

"I said that it's nothing! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back again with a wider smile while giggling harder.

Knuckles smiled deviously at her as he playfully questioned, "If it's really nothing, then why are you giggling, silly girl?".

"It's because you keep smiling at me! Hehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a huge smile as she giggled a lot now. Knuckles joined her by chuckling in amusement as he pondered calmly while shaking his head in amusement. Heheheh. So ridiculous.

After Kathy had calmed down, she then replied calmly yet brightly with a cheerful smile, "Well, if you really want to know, I'm just happy that I had learned so much ever since I got here in this dimension! Thank you so much for teaching me, Knuckles!".

Knuckles smiled even wider as he was pleasantly surprised by this humble display of gratitude. He replied calmly with a wide, gentle smile and with raised eyebrows as he stared at Kathy's happy face, "Hey...It's no trouble, Kathy. I'm glad to have taught you those things. It's a start, but you'll get it eventually. I know that you will".

Kathy giggled as she beamed at him while exclaiming brightly, "Hehe! Thank you, Knuckles! I will! And that's because I have you as my teacher!".

At this sweet comment, Knuckles' heart felt like twisting again into mush. His face melted into a warm, sheepish look as his muzzle glowed red and as his grin grew across his face. He then rubbed his head in embarrassment as he replied shyly with a sheepish grin while chuckling awkwardly, "Heheheheh! Aww, stop. Heheheheh!".

Even Knuckles had realized then that masculinity is no match for sweetness just like Kathy had shown to him. Kathy just giggled a little at Knuckles' cute, bashful face as she pondered calmly with an amused grin on her face. Awwwww! He's so adorable! Hehehehe! He could use a little teasing to get himself out of that state!

"Hey, Knuckles? I've got another question for you!" Kathy replied happily with a playful grin and with mischievous eyes as she pressed her right cheek with her finger.

"Heheheheh! I'm all ears, Kathy. What is it?" Knuckles replied calmly with a chuckle and with a sheepish grin as he was still blushing a bit.

Kathy giggled a bit before she poked at his chest as she calmly yet curiously asked with a sweet smile, "Say...what's that white mark on your chest? Is it a happy smile?".

"Huh? What? Oh. Heheheheh! No, Kathy. No, it's not. It's just a crescent moon. It's a symbol that represents my old clan," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a gentle smile and with a chuckle as he briefly looked down on his chest before back up to Kathy.

Kathy grinned playfully as she calmly yet coyly asked with a giggle, "Are you sure about that? It looks like a smile to me! Hehehe! Does it look like a smile to you, Knuckles?".

Knuckles was quite confused as he had his eyebrows raised in curiosity. Huh? Does it really look like a smile to her? It can't be. Knuckles thought in confusion with a puzzled look on his face as he stared at Kathy.

"What? What are you talking about? I mean. It doesn't look like a smile when I look down on-" Knuckles replied calmly in confusion with a puzzled look on his face before he looked back down on his chest.

FLICK!

Immediately after Knuckles had looked down on his chest for a second time, Kathy quickly flicked his nose in a jest. Knuckles jolted in surprise as he grabbed his nose. Kathy just laughed in amusement as she exclaimed brightly with a huge smile, "Hehehehehehehehe! Gotcha! Hehehehehehehehe! You really fell for it! It was just a joke, Knuckles! Hahahahahahaha!".

Knuckles gaped at Kathy in shock as he looked back at her. After he had rubbed his nose a bit, he asked slowly in confusion, "Did...Did you just pranked me?".

"Hehehehehehehe! Yep! And you had fallen for that old trick! It's a good thing that I don't have a nose! You just got boned again, Knuckles! Hehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a cheerful smile while pointing at Knuckles before at herself for emphasis as she laughed a lot.

She...She tricked me! …...Oh. Ohohohohoho! No way that I'm letting her get away with that! Time for payback! Knuckles thought with a shocked face until it turned into a mischievous one as he smirked deviously at Kathy.

"Oh, so, you think that's funny, huh?" Knuckles asked playfully with a devious smirk as he stared at Kathy.

"Hehehehehehehehe! Absolutely! One hundred percent!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a happy giggle as she beamed at him.

Knuckles just smirked even more in a smug way as he got closer to her while asking calmly yet coyly, "Oh, yeah? Well...Do you think that...this is funny?".

He then immediately held Kathy in a headlock position and gave her a playful noogie. Kathy just giggled a lot in happiness as she received such playful affection from Knuckles.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! Ahahahahahahahaha! Knuckles! Quit it! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy protested playfully in amusement with a huge smile while she giggled helplessly again as she struggled in Knuckles' headlock.

"Heh. Not so funny now, is it?" Knuckles asked teasingly in amusement with a playful smirk as he stared at Kathy. He can't help but feel the warm feeling in his chest again as he played with Kathy a bit. This whole thing felt really familiar to Knuckles now as if he had done this with Kathy before. He doesn't know why, but it does. As he listened to Kathy's happy giggles, Knuckles can't stop smiling widely at her as he still has her head in his arms. He can feel how soft Kathy's head is just by holding her in his arms, and he really liked how soft it is. He can only imagine how soft the rest of her body is.

…...

WAIT! NO! DON'T EVEN TRY TO IMAGINE IT, KNUCKLES! YOU'RE SICK! JUST...Just focus on playing with Kathy here and NOT on her body. Knuckles brooded in embarrassment as he blushed a lot while berating himself for being crude again. He's better than that...at least he thought he was. Meanwhile, Kathy was still giggling happily as she kept receiving the playful attention that Knuckles was giving her.

He's so much fun to be with! I like having Knuckles play with me like this! It felt like...he had always played with me in this way. Hmmm...I don't know why it is, but it does feel like it. Kathy pondered in amusement with a cute smile as she giggled.

"Hmmm...Oh! Uh...We're here, Kathy," Knuckles replied calmly yet awkwardly with a little frown as he finally lets go of Kathy once he had noticed the Master Emerald altar in the distance.

"Awwww...But that was fun!" Kathy whined in disappointment with a sad frown as she looked down to the ground.

Knuckles smiled a little to her as he calmly replied, "Sorry, Kathy, but it's time for work".

Kathy frowned for a bit, but she nodded to Knuckles and kept walking with him towards the altar. As they got closer towards the shrine, Kathy looked around at the old shrine and asked Knuckles, "These are...'ruins', right?".

Knuckles turned his head towards Kathy and smiled a bit. He replied calmly with a little smile before looking solemn in the end as he stared at the shrine again, "Hmm? Oh, yes, Kathy. That's right. This altar used to be a beautiful place, but now...it's in this ruined state unfortunately".

Kathy frowned sympathetically as she replied calmly yet softly, "That's so sad. I guess not every beautiful thing is going to last forever, huh?".

"...(Sigh)...Tell me about it," Knuckles replied solemnly with a sigh and with a depressed frown as he stood in front of steps while looking downwards. Kathy frowned sadly as she stared at Knuckles' depressed face. She then brooded solemnly with a sympathetic frown. I'm starting to think that this place holds a more special meaning to Knuckles than he lets on. Maybe I can ask him about it some other time. But for now...I should distract him a little.

Kathy then smiled jovially as she started climbing onto the steps while looking back at Knuckles and exclaiming brightly, "Hey, Knuckles! I know what these things are! Do you wanna know what I think?!".

Knuckles soon perked up after Kathy had exclaimed that. He looked back up at Kathy and asked calmly with a little smile, "What are they, Kathy?".

Kathy then looked proud as she exclaimed confidently, "They're stairs! You just simply climb them in order to reach the top or reach the bottom! I'm right, aren't I?!".

Knuckles then smiled proudly at Kathy as he climbed the steps to reach her and stood on the same step as her while replying calmly, "You are so right, Kathy. Heh. You're getting quite good at this. In fact, let me quiz you on something".

Kathy then looked determined as she had her fists up while exclaiming confidently, "I'm ready!".

Knuckles smirked in amusement at this as he calmly asked, "Very well then. …Kathy? What is this place called?".

"'A shrine'!" Kathy exclaimed almost immediately without hesitation while looking cheerful.

Knuckles smiled proudly at her as he calmly replied, "Very true, Kathy. That was an easy one, but here is the hard question. What's an architecture?".

Kathy faltered at Knuckles' second question. It was indeed harder than the previous one. She then looked sheepish as she tried to answer Knuckles' question with a nervous smile while gesturing her arms a little, "Ummm...Uhhhh...Well...It's...It's a...It's a thing...with all the other things...which supports that thing...and surrounds...everything".

"Pffft! Heheheheheh!" Knuckles snickered in amusement of that...hilariously wrong answer. Nailed it, Kathy. Knuckles thought in amusement with a grin as he kept snickering while face-palming himself.

Kathy frowned in disappointment as she calmly yet quietly replied, "I didn't get that one right, did I?".

"Nope! That wasn't even close! Hahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a huge grin and with a chuckle.

"Awwww..." Kathy awed in disappointment with a sad frown and with lowered antennas as her head was down and as her shoulders slumped.

Once Knuckles was done chuckling, he then turned to Kathy fully and grabbed her shoulders. Kathy then looked back up at Knuckles' calm face again as he explained it to her.

"'An architecture' is really a construction of a building, built or torn-down. For example, a shack's architecture is small and usually wooden in design while a shrine's architecture is usually made out of rock or marble of some kind. That is what 'architecture' means, Kathy," Knuckles explained calmly with a little smile on his face.

Kathy nodded in understanding as she replied calmly yet innocently with a little, gaped mouth, "Ohhhh...'Archie-teacher'".

Knuckles just smirked in amusement at Kathy's attempt for saying the word 'architecture' for the first time. He then calmly repeated with a smirk, "'Architecture'".

"'Arch-tic-ure'," Kathy calmly yet slowly repeated with a little frown and with twinkling eyes as she tried to say that tough word again.

"You almost got it, Kathy. Come on. Say it with me. 'Architecture'," Knuckles replied calmly yet quietly with a gentle look on his face.

"'Archi-ticure'?" Kathy repeated in confusion while looking perplexed as she tilted her head again.

"No. 'Architecture'," Knuckles calmly replied with a gentle smile while shaking his head "no".

"Hmmm...Archi-uhhh…...Arch...'Arch-tiki-ture'!" Kathy replied slowly with a little frown before she exclaimed brightly with a grin.

Knuckles just smiled widely in amusement as he shook his head again before he replied calmly, "Alright, silly girl. Repeat after me as I say it...slowly. Ar...".

"Ar..." Kathy repeated slowly with him with curious eyes.

"Ch..." Knuckles continued slowly while staring into Kathy's eyes with his own gentle eyes.

"Ch..." Kathy repeated slowly as she stared back into Knuckles' eyes.

"I..." Knuckles continued slowly with a gentle smile and with fond eyes.

"I..." Kathy repeated slowly as she smiled a little at Knuckles.

"Tec..." Knuckles continued slowly with a confident smile while emphasizing the "e" in "tec".

"Tec..." Kathy repeated slowly with a little smile while looking slightly surprised as she also emphasized on the "e".

"Ture..." Knuckles finished slowly yet calmly with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes.

"T-Ture..." Kathy repeated slowly while stuttering a little with a shy smile and with a small blush.

"...'Architecture'..." Knuckles repeated calmly yet fully with a fond look on his face.

"Hmmm..." Kathy mused carefully with a little frown as she thought on how to pronounce that tough word. After being quiet for a little bit, she then tried again by saying calmly yet brightly, "Archi-tecture...Ah! 'Architecture'!".

"Ah! That's it! Way to go, Kathy! I knew that you could do it! That was certainly a tough word for you to learn and to say it right, but you did it, Kathy! I'm...I'm proud of you!" Knuckles exclaimed brightly in joy as he grinned widely at Kathy while rubbing her shoulders in celebration. His eyes sparkled in happiness once he had heard Kathy say that word correctly. He'll admit that he felt rather embarrassed on the inside that he's proud of someone for saying a word right. Especially from Kathy. He really had no idea why he felt proud of Kathy in the first place, but...somehow...it felt natural for him to do that.

Kathy gasped when she heard Knuckles say that he's proud of her. She felt her heart soar in happiness that she had made Knuckles proud even for just doing a simple thing such as saying a word right. She then beamed happily at Knuckles as she exclaimed brightly with a giggle, "Thank you, Knuckles! You had helped me out again! You're so sweet! Teehee!".

Knuckles blushed a bit as he replied humbly with a little grin and with closed eyes, "Aww...It was nothing, Kathy".

Kathy giggled before she teased him by saying cheerfully with a sweet smile, "'Nothing'? It can't be nothing if you say that you're proud of me, Knuckles!".

"It really was nothing! Honest! Heheheheheh!" Knuckles exclaimed back in embarrassment with a sheepish grin and with upward eyebrows while chuckling a little as he still had his eyes closed.

Kathy teased him some more as she asked coyly with a playful smile, "If it's really 'nothing', then...Heh...why are you chuckling?".

"It's because you keep smiling at me! Hahahahahah!" Knuckles exclaimed brightly with a huge smile and with a chuckle as he blushed a lot. Once again, he had said the same thing that Kathy had said a little while ago. He felt a little silly that he had done that twice this day. Geez! It's like we're on the same wavelength or something! Almost like how twins think! Heheheheh! Knuckles pondered in amusement with a huge smile as he lets go of Kathy to just stare at her. They were both smiling hugely now as they felt rather calm while staring at each other.

Kathy then repeated calmly with a huge smile, "'Architecture'".

"That's right. 'Architecture'," Knuckles replied calmly with a huge smile as he stroked Kathy's head a little with his right hand. Kathy smiled happily as Knuckles did this kind gesture. Once he was done, he soon turned towards the steps and climbed further to the top.

"Come on, Kathy. Let's get this over with before we leave," Knuckles added calmly as he climbed further to the top. Kathy nodded in agreement and followed after Knuckles to the top of the shrine. When Kathy had joined Knuckles at the top, she gasped at how huge the Master Emerald is.

"Woah! It's even bigger up close!" Kathy exclaimed in wonderment with wide eyes and with a gaped mouth as she stared at the huge, green emerald in front of her. Knuckles smiled at her before he walked closer to the emerald.

"I'm not shocked by hearing you say that. It's a natural reaction since not many people had seen a huge emerald like this one before. Regular emeralds are rather small. So, people naturally think that all emeralds are like that," Knuckles replied calmly with a gentle smile as he reached the emerald and held it while looking back at Kathy. Kathy was stunned as she looked at the huge emerald before looking at Knuckles.

Knuckles then coyly added with a smirk and a wink, "Of course...not this emerald. This one's very special. This emerald...is certainly not a 'Baby' emerald in the slightest".

As he had expected, Kathy had giggled cutely at that last sentence. Knuckles just smiled back in amusement as he saw that he had made her giggle. Kathy soon smiled brightly at Knuckles while having her hands behind her back.

After seeing Kathy do that, he then suggested gently with a shy smile, "You can...come closer if you want. I'm not bothered if you get close to the emerald. Besides...I'm just going to check on it anyway. Alright?".

Kathy nodded and walked closer to Knuckles after he had said that. She then stood at his left while being a little bit away from the emerald as a precaution. She still had her hands behind her back and had a calm expression on her face as she looked around the area in curiosity. She looked at the broken pillars, the mountains in the distance, the sunny, blue sky above, the birds flying by, and...a single, yellow butterfly flying towards and around the Master Emerald. Kathy had a silly smile on her face as she looked at her surroundings and at the butterfly in particular. While Kathy did this, Knuckles got to work as he finally started what he had been planning to do at the start when he had first found Kathy.

That plan was...communicating to Tikal about this strange girl.

As Knuckles closed his eyes, he prayed to the Master Emerald to communicate with Tikal in his mind.

Tikal? Tikal? Are you there? It's an emergency, and I don't know what to do. Knuckles mediated calmly yet solemnly as he focused onto the emerald. He soon heard Tikal reply within the emerald.

What is it, Knuckles? What's the emergency? Tikal replied through the emerald and to Knuckles' mind.

Well...You see...A strange moth girl had crash-landed onto the island late last night, and I don't know what to do with her. Knuckles thought back while opening one eye to look at Kathy. He can still see her looking blissful as she stared at the area in curiosity.

He focused onto Tikal again when she heard her snicker a bit. Huh? What's so funny, Tikal? Knuckles thought as he focused onto the emerald again.

Don't tell me that you just called me just because of some...Teehee..."Girl problems". Tikal replied while snickering in slight amusement.

Knuckles blushed in embarrassment as he replied in his thoughts. Sigh. No, Tikal. It's not like that. This is much more serious than that. I...I'm not sure if this girl is to be trusted or not. I mean...I do trust her a little, but...ummm...

He then slowly looked at Kathy with a worried look on his face. He can still see her smiling happily as she focused on the yellow butterfly flying around in the air. Knuckles then continued his mediating by thinking this thought. …...I'm not sure if she's a...friend or a foe.

…...Is that all? Tikal replied through the emerald in amusement.

Knuckles sighed in humiliation as he had his head down. He then thought while blushing. …...Yes.

Hehe. It's no trouble, Knuckles. Although if you ask me, you should pay more attention to your new friend there. I really don't see the necessity of testing her aura if she's acting like this. Look at her again, and you'll see why. Tikal replied calmly through the emerald.

What? Huh? Knuckles thought in surprise and in confusion as his eyes were opened fully and looked at Kathy again.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Butterfly. How are you?" Kathy said calmly to the yellow butterfly as it flew close to her. She watched the butterfly fly around at the emerald and back at her. Kathy was smiling happily as she stared at the butterfly in peace. The butterfly soon landed on top of Kathy's head. Kathy giggled happily as she was glad that the butterfly had landed on her.

"Hehehehehehe! Yay!" Kathy giggled as she exclaimed happily since the butterfly had now landed on her finger that she had placed before it. She then lifted the butterfly up while staring at it with twinkling, innocent, light-blue eyes. She had quite a serene look on her face that even Knuckles was impressed by seeing it. He had his mouth hanging open slightly as he stared at Kathy's happy, serene face.

He heard Tikal speaking to his mind again. See? It doesn't look like that she wants to do anything wrong. You're being paranoid, Knuckles. You need to learn to trust your friends some more. Including new ones.

Knuckles sighed again as he looked back at the emerald. He then mediated with slight annoyance. Tikal. The last time I've tried trusting in someone, it almost sent the entire world into peril due to my gullible actions. I'm sorry, Tikal, but I have to check to make sure that Kathy is innocent here. Besides...after seeing her getting hurt by that strange electrical attack from the emerald...I just wondered if the emerald had sensed her as a threat and was fighting back in self-defense. At least, that's what I've deduced so far.

Wait! Wait! Wait! You thought that the emerald had done it by itself?! I thought that you were the one who had done it! Tikal exclaimed in shock through the emerald.

Huh?! You mean that it wasn't the emerald itself that had done it?! Knuckles thought in confusion as his eyes went wide now.

No! This is the first time that I'm hearing about this! Knuckles! Tell me what happened last night! Tikal exclaimed with worry.

Uhh...Uhh...Okay! Here's what happened! Knuckles thought solemnly after gotten over his shock. He then began describing the strange event last night by how the Master Emerald suddenly went berserk, shot down Kathy from the sky, and then having the black, broken heart disappearing from the emerald when he had inspected it. When Knuckles got to that part of his story, Tikal became both intrigued and concerned.

Hang on one moment, Knuckles. Let me see what I can do here. Tikal replied solemnly after she heard Knuckles finish his story. A second later, Knuckles felt the emerald getting warmer as Tikal was communicating with it now. She was focusing on what happened last night with her spirit. By using the emerald's power, she was sensing the auras of the two people that had come to the island last night. One's is of course the good one...while the other is...

(Gasp!) Oh my gosh! Tikal exclaimed in shock through the emerald.

What?! What's wrong here?! Knuckles thought in alarm and in worry as his eyes went wide again.

Knuckles...We're in huge trouble. I've...I've sensed an aura so cruel and evil that it's even greater than what this world had even faced before. Tikal answered gravely though the emerald.

Knuckles gasped in surprise. This was...certainly a first for him. He can't possibly encounter someone who could be crueler than the Metarex or Black Doom before. He then frowned as he looked serious. He then thought solemnly. What is it, Tikal? What had the Master Emerald sensed?

…...It's a black monster, Knuckles. And worst of all...He's here...in this dimension...Waiting...Waiting to make its first attack onto our world. I even sense...a great power within him and on him, Knuckles. Something that none of you guys have ever seen before...and...it's going to get rather destructive. Tikal replied gravely through the emerald.

Hmmmm...I see. Knuckles thought back with a grimace. He can only conclude that possibly only the Chaos Emeralds could stop this new threat. …...However, he didn't expect what Tikal had said next.

Knuckles...It's important that you protect this moth girl beside you at all costs. She's our only hope in defeating this new, dangerous threat that we have now. Tikal replied calmly yet solemnly.

What?! Why?! What is it about her that can defeat this monster?! Knuckles thought in shock as his eyes went wide again. He looked at Kathy again with a stunned expression on his face. Tikal explained while Knuckles watched Kathy play with the little butterfly in pure bliss.

This girl...is no ordinary moth girl, Knuckles. She is possessed with such strong energy that it can rival this new threat. Besides...she has a good aura around her. The evil aura was near the emerald when she was attacked. Based on what you had told me, Knuckles, I concluded that it was the evil aura that had tried to stop her. It was the new threat that had taken control over the Master Emerald. Not this girl. She probably didn't even know that it was the threat that had hurt her. Knuckles, believe me on this one; that girl needs to be protected at all costs. Without her...the whole world will descend into destruction...and sadly...not even Sonic could save it...Not this time.

Knuckles gasped again in shock when he heard that last part about Sonic not being capable of saving the planet this time. Why now of all times that he won't do it? That is something that Knuckles is very curious about.

You mean that...Sonic can't beat this threat in his Super Form with the Chaos Emeralds at his side? Is that what you're saying? Knuckles thought solemnly as he looked back at the emerald.

If Tikal can be seen frowning in sadness, then she would do so here when she answered gravely.

...Not even the Master Emerald itself is strong enough to beat this nasty creature.

"..." Knuckles didn't say anything or think anything after that bombshell that Tikal had just dropped. He just can't believe it. After saving this world multiple times by using the Chaos Emeralds and sometimes the Master Emerald, this is the one time that they won't work. He can even guess that not even Shadow will be strong enough to beat this new threat. Knuckles grimaced as he brooded to himself. I've protected this emerald for as long as I've been alive and now...all of my labor...all of my time...all of my energy...are all going to be wasted by this new threat...And there's nothing that I can do about it.

"Hmmmm..." Knuckles mused quietly with a solemn frown as he closed his eyes. He felt the darkness, the cold, the despair, and the walls closing in towards him as he realized that maybe...his time was about to be up. Since the Master Emerald is useless against the new threat...there is no reason to protect it at all. He knows now that the emerald won't save his life, but rather...rather...

He then looked at Kathy again and watched her smile happily and brightly while giggling sweetly. She is completely unaware of this horrible, grave situation that he's in right now, and yet...she's his only hope for saving him from this new threat.

She's...the only one who can save his life.

"Knuckles! The butterfly is flying away! What are we going to do?" Kathy said innocently with a little frown and with sad eyes as she looked at Knuckles' grave expression on his face.

"..." Knuckles was silent as he stared intensely into Kathy's innocent eyes while he brooded solemnly.

…...This girl...is going to be the one who will save this world from destruction. This girl...is going to save my life from this new threat. This girl...This girl...

"Knuckles? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Kathy asked calmly in concern as she tilted her head in a cute way again.

"..." Knuckles was still oddly quiet as he stared solemnly at Kathy. He then thought with a determined expression on his face. The same kind of face that he always wore towards the Master Emerald...Except now...the Master Emerald is not the main concern in Knuckles' mind.

…...This girl...needs my protection.

"Knuckles? Really. What's wrong? Why are you looking me like that?" Kathy asked calmly yet softly in even more concern as she walked beside Knuckles and grabbed his left shoulder. She gently squeezed his shoulder in comfort as she looked caringly towards him. Knuckles was still quiet as he stared back at her with serious, violet eyes. It's like he can't look away from her without fearing that something bad is going to happen to her. He had already promised himself to her that he won't let anything bad happen to her and that he'll look after her. But who would've guessed that he would actually end up protecting her due to Tikal's warning to him? It's completely out there, but...much stranger stuff had happened to him. So, he isn't going to question any of this.

Besides...it's pointless to argue against it when the world is on the line here.

"Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly in worry again.

"Kathy? …...Can you show me your Sol Pendant? More importantly...those two gems on the pendant? I need to know about something. It won't take long," Knuckles replied calmly yet solemnly with a grave look on his face as he released the Master Emerald and turned fully to face Kathy.

Kathy flinched in surprise of Knuckles' response. After blinking her eyes at him in confusion, she did what he had asked her to do by taking out her Sol Gems and held them out towards him.

"Ummm...Like this?" Kathy asked calmly in confusion with a little frown as she stared curiously at him.

Knuckles nodded as he then replied calmly with a solemn frown, "Yes. Now...power them up for me. I want to check how powerful they are".

"Huh?! Uhhh...Ummm...L-Like...this...for example?" Kathy muttered calmly yet awkwardly in even more confusion as she looked down at her hands before she commanded the Sol Gems to be powered up to the point that they are glowing light-blue in her hands.

Knuckles nodded again as he replied calmly yet solemnly with a grave look on his face, "That's just fine. Now...let me hold onto your hands, Kathy. I want to feel those gems myself".

Kathy gasped in surprise as she looked up at Knuckles with a shocked look on her face. She can see how serious he is by the expression on his face. She doesn't know why Knuckles wanted to do this, but...she figured that it's for a good cause. Although...she can't stop the blush from forming into her face when he had asked her to let him hold her hands.

"Uhh...O-Okay..." Kathy muttered quietly as she slowly opened her fists so that Knuckles could see the two, glowing gems in her hands. Knuckles stared at the glowing gems for a bit before attempting to hold them in his hands. When he had tried holding onto them, he immediately withdrew from them due to how hot they were. It was just like last night when had accidently touched them.

"Uhh...K-Kathy? Could you please lower the temperature of those gems for me? They're too hot for me to hold onto," Knuckles asked calmly with an awkward look on his face while he looked at the gems for a bit before looking at Kathy as he rubbed his hands again.

"Huh? Really? They're too hot for you? I wonder why Blaze didn't have this problem when she held them," Kathy replied calmly in confusion as she looked curious towards Knuckles.

"Probably because she is a pyrokinetic cat who controls fire. I'm pretty sure that's the reason she wasn't bothered by it, Kathy," Knuckles replied calmly yet flatly as he looked and felt slightly annoyed that Blaze had an easier time than him.

"Ah. That makes sense then. Don't worry, Knuckles. I'll make it easier for you to handle them!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly with a cheerful smile as she commanded the gems to glow less hot than before.

Knuckles resisted the urge to growl in annoyance when she had said that. Somehow...he found it humiliating that he can't handle the heat of Kathy's Sol Gems. It's like saying that he isn't worthy of protecting her in the first place. Grrrr! Oh, I'll protect her alright! I'll make sure that she's safe with me guarding her! Knuckles thought in determination with a grave look on his face before he held onto Kathy's hands again.

But once he had held onto the gems again, Knuckles' eyeballs had almost popped out of his skull when he had felt its strong energy. As he held onto Kathy's hands, he instinctively gasped in shock by how powerful the Sol Gems were. Knuckles pondered in shock. N-N-No way...They're...They're actually stronger than the Master Emerald! How?! Why?! I... I thought...I thought that it was only my imagination the first time I had held them! But now...It's...It's...

"It's real..." Knuckles whispered in amazement as he stared at his and Kathy's glowing hands as the Sol Gems kept glowing brightly yet warmly. He just can't believe it. He had never thought that something in the universe could even beat the Master Emerald in terms of power and strength. But since it's been surpassed by these two...small...gems...that hang upon this girl's pendant...It's feels...rather pointless to protect something that is inferior to it.

…...If this girl can protect the Master Emerald with this pendant, then...what's even my purpose in life now? Since she's here...then what am I doing here in this world?! I...I...Wait...No... I'm supposed to protect Kathy now. That is...my new task that I'm given now. One that is given by the Master Emerald itself. Sure, Tikal may have said it, but it's still true regardless. I can't give up on life just yet! Kathy...is going to need some protection, and I'm here for it. Knuckles brooded with a solemn look on his face as he closed his eyes for a moment. Soon, he released Kathy's hands and crossed his arms instead.

"I...I see," Knuckles muttered calmly in understanding with a solemn look on his face while still having his eyes closed.

"What is it, Knuckles? What did you find out?" Kathy asked curiously yet innocently as she put her Sol Gems back into her pendant.

"I just found out that your Sol Pendant is stronger than the Master Emerald. That's what," Knuckles answered calmly yet solemnly with a grave look on his face as he opened his eyes again.

Kathy's eyebrows were raised in surprise at this. She did know that her Sol Pendant can take control of any type energy source, but she didn't think that it would be powerful than the Master Emerald itself. She had guessed that it is stronger than the Chaos Emeralds just like with Blaze's Sol Emeralds but not the Master Emerald. That just made Kathy even more worried for what Battra would do to it with his Sol Pendant. It's even worse than I thought. If Battra can control the Master Emerald, then this world could be under a lot of trouble! I've got to do my best to protect it as much as I can! Kathy brooded seriously in alarm and in determination as she frowned a bit.

"Don't worry, Knuckles. I'll...I'll do my best to protect you and your emerald. You'll see. I won't let...anyone harm you or it," Kathy replied calmly yet solemnly in determination with a grave frown and with a nod as she stared into Knuckles' eyes.

"..." Knuckles was rather silent on that as he stared back into Kathy's eyes. She then looked rather worried again when he didn't say anything back to her. Before she spoke up again, Knuckles suddenly yet gently grabbed her shoulders and moved slightly closer to her in a protective manner. Kathy quietly gasped in shock as she looked straight into Knuckles' solemn stare. It's like she can read his mind through his eyes. It's a look that's telling her, "I won't let anyone harm you too".

In fact, he just said it out loud.

"I won't let anyone harm you too, Kathy. I'll protect you," Knuckles replied softly yet solemnly with a grave look on his face as his violet eyes shimmered intensely.

Kathy blushed very much after that bold statement. Her cheeks glowed bright pink, and her heart is pounding fast in surprise. She can't look away from Knuckles' solemn stare. It's like he trapped her with his sight. She blushed even deeper as Knuckles rubbed her shoulders again in a protective manner.

"It's okay, Kathy. Don't worry. I'll look after you," Knuckles whispered softly with a little, solemn frown as his eyelids went down halfway while he stared at her.

"..." Kathy was silent as she didn't know what to say to that. She felt rather touched and flustered that Knuckles would say that in that way. She knows that he had already promised her that before, but somehow...this feels...heavier...more serious...more...heartfelt even. Like he had made a commitment to her by saying that he'll stay by her side...forever.

Kathy blushed furiously at that thought. S-Stop that, Kathy! You know that he won't do that! Not even when he finds out that you're a...a...Kaiju... Kathy brooded in embarrassment with a little frown and with upward eyebrows as she blushed deeply. She gulped in nervousness as she hoped that she could keep that secret for as long as she can from Knuckles. Still, she wished that...something would happen that will break this sudden, intense atmosphere between them.

Like something that's slightly...ridiculous.

"H-Huh?!" Knuckles exclaimed in surprise as he blinked a bit when he felt something on his stomach. It had somehow broken his concentration at Kathy as he looked down to look. Kathy was also curious as she looked down at his stomach as well.

It was the yellow butterfly from before.

It had landed in the middle of Knuckles' stomach. Knuckles and Kathy were quite confused and surprised by this. Knuckles then felt awkward as he stared at the butterfly.

"Uhhh..." Knuckles muttered calmly yet awkwardly in sheepishness with a little frown on his face as he looked at the butterfly in confusion. The butterfly just flapped its wings as it was happy to stay at this new spot.

Kathy just beamed in joy as she exclaimed cheerfully in amusement, "Aww, look! The butterfly is back! Thanks, Knuckles! You brought it back!".

"Ummm...Y-You're welcome," Knuckles replied calmly yet awkwardly in embarrassment with a little, sheepish frown as a sweat drop had formed on his head. He already had butterflies in his tummy when dealing with Kathy. Now, he has to deal with the one outside of his tummy. Unfortunately, he can't get the butterfly off of him since Kathy is enjoying the butterfly's company, and...he just doesn't want to make her sad by scaring it off. So...he has no choice but to let the butterfly linger on his body for who knows how long.

Well...This is awkward. So much for being serious here. Knuckles thought calmly in sheepishness with a little frown and with a sweat drop on his head as he looked at Kathy again. He can see her smiling again as she watched the butterfly on his stomach. He can't help but smile a bit too since...it is quite an amusing situation that he's in now. Kathy looked back up at him and smiled even wider at him. He smiled back at her just as widely in amusement.

"Awww! You got a butterfly on your tummy!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge, sweet smile as she stared at Knuckles.

"Yeah, yeah. And what's so amusing about that?" Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a smug smile and with lowered eyelids as he stared back at Kathy.

"Does that mean...Hehehe! That you're nervous now?!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a playful smile and with a giggle.

"The phrase is 'butterflies in your tummy'. Not on them, silly girl," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with half-lidded eyes as he grinned smugly at her.

Kathy just giggled happily at that response, and Knuckles just grinned even wider at her in amusement. Yep, the mood had turned lighter now, but...that's not bad at all. Not bad...in the slightest. Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement with a huge grin as he watched Kathy giggle and smile happily at him. He still found it hard to believe that this moth girl is going to be the one who's going to save this world from destruction. But the more that he looks at Kathy on how happy and silly that she is, he's starting to see it. Darkness will not win against light, and this girl right here is the epitome of light itself. Warm, bright, and...peaceful. I'm sure that this world will be safe under her protection, and...I'm glad to be a part of her protection. Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a relaxed expression on his face.

"Hehehehe! Hey! Look! The butterfly is flying again!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a giggle and with a sweet smile as she watched the yellow butterfly flew from Knuckles' stomach and up into the air again. Knuckles looked up in the sky with her as he also watched the butterfly fly away.

"Yep...There it goes. Back into the sky," Knuckles added calmly with a gentle smile as he looked up into the high, clear sky above and watched the butterfly fly far away. After looking at the butterfly flying away for a few seconds, they looked back at each other and smiled brightly in amusement.

…...

After a brief silence, Knuckles then asked calmly in amusement with a bright smile, "So...You ready to meet Tails now?".

"Uh huh! I am! Please lead the way!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile and with a nod.

Knuckles released Kathy's shoulders and stood a bit back from her as he replied calmly with a gentle smile, "Okay, we're going now. Tails lives in Emerald Town. I'll show you the way there. But...Uhh...".

He then looked sheepish as he rubbed the back of his head and glanced away from Kathy while he continued calmly yet shyly, "Uhhh...How are your wings feeling, Kathy? I'm sure that they're still sore from last night. Since...Uhh...Tails' house is on the ground level, it...might require a bit of flying or gliding of some kind to get there. I'll be happy to help you get there by gliding if you want".

"Oh! Well...Uhh...They're fine now. I feel well rested after sleeping in for the night. Although...I'm not sure of where you will be going, so, I...Uhh...want to follow you instead. Maybe it is for the best if you fly me there instead. So...Umm..." Kathy replied calmly in sheepishness with a little smile as she looked at her wings for a bit before looking at Knuckles again. She then smiled sheepishly as she scratched her head while asking calmly in curiosity, "...Is there a plane somewhere that you can fly me in? Or...Uh...'glide' there as you put it?".

Knuckles then smirked as he replied calmly in amusement, "We...don't need any planes to do that. I'm surprised that you even knew what planes are, Kathy. I guess that there are some things that you do know about the modern world after all".

Kathy smiled a little at that as she blushed a bit before she asked calmly in shyness, "So...Uhh...if we're not taking a plane, then how are we going to get down from this island?".

Knuckles smirked even wider in playfulness as he answered simply in amusement, "Oh, you'll find out".

[Few Minutes Later; On the Edge of Angel Island]

"WHAT?! ARE YOU NUTS?!" Kathy shouted in shock as her eyes went wide while she stared at Knuckles and at the horizon before them. She can see the mainland that is not too far from where they're at, but considering what Knuckles is planning to do...she figured that they are going to fall into the ocean instead.

"Do I look like I'm kidding here? I'm serious. Just get on my back, and I'll glide you there myself," Knuckles replied calmly with crossed arms as he stood along the edge of the island.

"I'D RATHER FLY AND CARRY YOU THERE MYSELF THAN TO LET YOU TRY TO KILL YOURSELF BY DOING THIS DANGEROUS STUNT! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE ANY WINGS! AND YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT YOU CAN GLIDE WITHOUT THEM?!" Kathy shouted some more in shock and in annoyance as she bent forward while looking at Knuckles with a sheepish frown on her face. She had a sweat drop on her head as she stared at Knuckles in annoyance. Even Blaze was more reasonable than this, and she was terrified of heights to begin with! Kathy thought irritably in annoyance with a deep frown as she wondered what in the world is on Knuckles' mind right now.

Knuckles just smirked in amusement as he watched Kathy's reaction here. He had to admit that this was a rather funny reaction that Kathy is displaying now. He then replied calmly in amusement with a playful smirk, "Oh, trust me, Kathy. I know what I'm doing here, and I can say with absolute confidence that I can make it there by gliding. I've done it before".

"HOW?!" Kathy shouted dumbfoundedly in exasperation with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows since she felt so confused.

"My dreadlocks," Knuckles stated matter-of-factly with a smug smile.

"...Huh?" Kathy asked calmly yet flatly in confusion as she stared at Knuckles with a bewildered look on her face.

Knuckles smirked even wider in slight cockiness as he...(although he wouldn't normally do this)...flipped his hair a bit with his hand just to tease Kathy a little. "My dreadlocks give me the special ability to glide through the air. It's in the blood of the Echidna Clan. My clan had done it in the past, and I could do it too. I've done it plenty of times before. So, don't worry, Kathy. I won't fall into the ocean," Knuckles explained calmly in confidence with a playful smirk as he moved his hair a bit for emphasis.

Kathy blinked a lot in confusion while having a stunned expression on her face. She had never heard of anyone gliding with one's hair before. It...doesn't make any sense to her. And they say that Varan was weird for flying without having any wings! At least, he's flying with his own BODY than by gliding with his HAIR like this FREAK! Kathy thought in annoyance with a sheepish look on her face as her head still sweated.

"Knuckles...I think that you had finally lost it this time. You're saying that...you had done it before...with your hair...What?" Kathy replied calmly in annoyance as she frowned deeply at him.

"You still doubt me, huh? Heh. Very well. If you don't believe me, then I'll just show it to you. Watch!" Knuckles replied confidently with a smug smile as he turned his back towards Kathy as he prepares to glide into the air.

"WAIT! NO! DON'T! STOP!" Kathy shouted in shock and in worry as she ran towards Knuckles. However, Knuckles had jumped off the edge and...(as baffling as she saw it)...had glided through air right before Kathy's eyes. Kathy just gasped in shock as she watched Knuckles glide down gracefully without having any problems. She stared at him for a few moments before shaking her head a bit and face-palming herself.

"I can't believe that he just did that. HE ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK! UGH! …(Sigh)...I should go follow him and make sure that he DOESN'T fall along the way," Kathy muttered calmly to herself in annoyance while shouting a bit as she sighed a little. She then thought to herself with a littlw frown on her sheepish face. Welp. Looks like I'm dealing with a crazy person here. A real knucklehead that's for sure.

Kathy then decided to flap her beautiful wings so that she can fly through the sky to catch up to Knuckles. She soon flew downwards from the island to catch up to him. Of course, since she's a fast moth, she had easily caught up with him within seconds by flying over him. Once Knuckles had noticed Kathy's shadow, he looked up and smirked cheekily at her.

"Heh! Told you that I can do it!" Knuckles exclaimed cockily in amusement with a cheeky smirk as he stared at her.

Kathy frowned at him at first, but she then smirked cheekily too as she replied teasingly, "Well, if you can do that, then can you do this?!".

"Do wha—OOF!" Knuckles asked calmly in curiosity with a confused look on his face before he exclaimed in surprise when Kathy came down on him and sat on his back. He glided a bit down at this before he quickly readjusted himself by gliding more steadily through the air.

As Kathy grabbed onto his shoulders, she then smiled widely at him as she exclaimed brightly in amusement, "Do this! Carry me, Knuckles! Onward my steed!".

Knuckles looked back up at Kathy and chuckled a lot as a response. "Hahahahaha! You should've said so earlier, silly girl! I would've gladly carried you on my back!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge smile and with raised eyebrows while chuckling a bit as he stared at Kathy.

Kathy beamed at him as she exclaimed brightly in amusement while giggling a little, "But you just looked so crazy to me back there! Even now still! Hehehehe! I'm sorry, Knuckles, but I just find it so hard to believe that you can do this sort of thing! Hehehe! It's really incredible! I've never seen anyone do this before! You're quite an amazing person, Knuckles! You surprise me more and more! Hehehe!".

Knuckles blushed a little in embarrassment as he smiled sheepishly at her while he muttered calmly in shyness with a nervous chuckle. "Uhhh...Heheheheh...It's...Uhhh...Umm...Not that impressive".

"Are you kidding me?! How is this not impressive?! Not anyone could just glide without wings, Knuckles! Seeing you do it is just so amazing to me! Don't you dare say that it's not impressive! Because it is! Well...to me at least..." Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a cheerful look on her face before she was sheepish at the end as she blushed too.

Knuckles blushed even deeper when Kathy had said that. He didn't know what to say to that as he mumbled shyly to her like a bumbling idiot, "Uhhhhh...Ummmmm...Uuuhhhh...".

Without even realizing it, Knuckles had...accidently stopped focusing on gliding and started to fall straight down to the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Knuckles screamed in panic while he waved his arms around as he fell from the sky.

But of course...that had only lasted for like three seconds.

"Ahahahahahahahahahaha! I KNEW IT! HA! TOLD YA SO! AND YOU SAID THAT YOU GOT TH-!" Kathy shouted victoriously in amusement with a huge smile while laughing a lot as she had easily flown back up into the air with her wings and held onto Knuckles' shoulders much more tightly now.

"OH, SHUT UP, YOU! Hahahahahahahahahah!" Knuckles shouted back in amusement with a huge smile while laughing as hard as he could. He is definitely embarrassed now, but even he found it funny that now of all times, he had failed to glide all because of...Kathy here. Of course, that I would fail in front of her! She makes me nervous anyways! Hahahahaha! It's...It's all because of that "thing" that I have of her that's messing me up. I would never fail if it was for someone else. Only...Only for Kathy here. Sigh...Knuckles pondered calmly yet brightly in amusement with a huge smile as he kept laughing a lot.

He and Kathy laughed together for a long time as they made their way to Emerald Town where Tails lives at.

[Few Minutes Later; Near Tails' House]

Knuckles and Kathy had soon landed safely (thanks to Kathy's graceful flying) onto the sidewalk in Emerald Town and had started to walk towards Tails' house. Kathy was in awe as she looked around in the friendly neighborhood that is Emerald Town. She can see houses, sidewalks, roads, trees, and the beach a few miles away from the town. Knuckles was walking right beside her on her left and had stared at her as she was looking around with a happy smile on her face.

"Hmph. Like it here?" Knuckles asked calmly as he still stared at her.

"Teehee! Of course! It's a lot bigger than any village that I had seen back in my dimension! I've never seen such...uhhh...large architecture like this before!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a huge smile as she looked at Knuckles.

Knuckles smiled proudly at her for even saying the word "architecture" right again. He found it simply amazing on how quick Kathy picks up on things being taught to her. Like a sponge just waiting to be used and be soaked in water, so too is Kathy's bright mind when she's learning something new.

"Quite impressive, isn't it?" Knuckles replied calmly.

"Yeah! It's so cool!" Kathy exclaimed in amazement.

"It is, isn't it? Hey...why don't I teach you some more things here? We're still a few blocks away from Tails' place, so, I think that we have time to kill to just learn and observe this place, Kathy. …...Do you want to?" Knuckles replied calmly again before he had gotten softer at the end as he stared longingly at Kathy.

"Hehehe! Yeah! Teach me! Teach me, Knuckles!" Kathy exclaimed excitedly as she then held his hand happily.

Knuckles blushed in surprise of this. His eyes went wide, and his eyebrows were raised as he stared at Kathy's excited face. He figured that Kathy was not aware of this little embarrassing interaction that she's doing by holding his hand. He can see that Kathy is more focused on the neighborhood than on his hand at the moment. So, he did his best to keep his nerves in check while replying to her with a flushed face, "Uhhhh...Heheheh...A-Alright. Umm...where to begin? Uhhh...".

"Hmm?" Kathy mused in curiosity as she stared at Knuckles with a bright smile and with twinkling, light-blue eyes.

Knuckles can't help but blush even more at that. The more Kathy keeps on staring at him with that face the more nervous he's becoming with her. It doesn't help that she's...holding his hand tightly. He can feel his heart beating fast the more he stares at her.

...She's...so beautiful. Knuckles thought with his mouth hanging open and with his eyes staring at her.

"Knuckles? Teehee! You're staring at me again! Are you okay?" Kathy replied happily as she gently swung Knuckles' hand a bit to get his attention.

"...Huh?! Oh! Uhh...R-Right. Let's see...uhhh...Look at...umm...r-right here! This is a...a...a sidewalk. That's...what we're walking on now," Knuckles replied awkwardly as he blushed some more before looking at the sidewalk before him and pointed at it.

"Ohhhhh! Cool! So, that's what this long, grey thing is! I was wondering what it was since I've never seen it before back in my dimension!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a smile as she looked at the sidewalk too.

Knuckles took a deep sigh to calm his nerves. He had a sweat drop on his head as he thought. Pull yourself together, Knuckles! She's...She's just holding your hand! There's no need to get all flustered because of that! You're...You're better than that, Knuckles! So, just...just cool it! Okay?!

After taking another deep breath, he then resumed by talking to Kathy. "So, yeah, that's the sidewalk. And...right here next to the sidewalk is called a road or a street," Knuckles replied calmly as he then pointed towards the street on his left.

"Ooooh!" Kathy exclaimed in wonderment as she looked at the roads on her left. Knuckles can't help but smile at the response. He can see how happy Kathy looks right now. He then felt encouraged to show Kathy as much as possible by pointing out the houses, the streetlights, the fences, the birdbaths, and of course...Tails' house itself.

"...And here is Tails' house, Kathy. It's very easy to spot it since Tails had built it himself," Knuckles said calmly as he and Kathy stood across from the house itself.

"Really?! He had built this house too?!" Kathy exclaimed in surprise as she looked at Knuckles.

Knuckles smirked at her as he replied, "Yep. He even furnished his house to make it look like his own head. Honestly, if you ask me...it's a little ridiculous. But it does make it easy to find him whenever we need him. He even has his own separate lab and a workshop too. Like I had said before, he likes inventing stuff and do scientific experiments. So, having a workshop and a lab is not much of a surprise once you get to know him better".

"Woooooaaah! That's incredible! I didn't think that he would have his own workshop and a lab too! I can tell that this Tails kid is going to be great!" Kathy exclaimed in surprise and in wonder as she smiled wider at Knuckles.

"Hmph. Oh, you'll enjoy him alright. Now, come along, Kathy. Let's go meet him," Knuckles replied calmly with a smirk as he walked forward towards the front door. Kathy followed him as she ran on the little sidewalk towards the door. Once Kathy had stood next to Knuckles again, she put her hands behind her back while Knuckles knocked on the door fast yet gently since he doesn't want to break the door by accident.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

There was a bit of silence after that. The two guardians waited for Tails to open the door. When ten seconds had passed, Knuckles tried again by knocking on the door again.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

There was another stretch of silence. Knuckles frowned a bit in slight impatience as he thought. Ugh. Tails, please don't tell me that you've gone on another adventure with Sonic again! I swear! Of all the times to do it when I need you for help, you have to be away, do ya?! Grrr! This is why I do things alone! I...Ugh. Let's try this again.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

This time, Knuckles and Kathy heard some shuffling going on the inside of the house and some shouts saying, "I'M COMING! I"M COMING! HOLD ON FOR A SECOND THERE!".

Knuckles breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Tails shouting inside the house. He crossed his arms as he thought. Thank goodness. At least this isn't going to be a waste of time.

Kathy was just looking curious as she waited patiently for Tails to answer the door. Hmmm...I wonder who this Tails fellow is going to look like? I guess that I'm going to find out soon enough. Kathy thought while looking curious.

Eventually, Tails opened the front door as he said, "Hello? Who is it? Oh! Knuckles! And...uhh...who are you, miss?".

Kathy just gasped in shock when she saw what Tails had looked like. OH. MY. GOSH! HE'S...HE'S A KITSUNE! AWWWWWW! HE'S SOOOOO CUTE! Kathy thought with a shocked expression until it changed into an adoring one.

She smiled so hugely, and her eyes twinkled brightly as she looked at Tails adoringly. She then had her hands on her knees as she bent lower down towards Tails' level. Tails just looked confused as Kathy was staring at him without saying anything to him.

"Ummmm...Hello?" Tails asked awkwardly with a confused expression on his face.

"Awwww! You're so cute! Teehee! Are you Tails?!" Kathy exclaimed happily as she beamed at him.

Tails blushed a bit in awkwardness as he replied, "W-Well...uhh...Yes. Yes, I am. My name is Tails. And your name is...?".

"My name is Kathy! Kathy the Moth! It's so great to meet you, Tails! I like you already!" Kathy exclaimed jovially as she put her hand out for a handshake.

Tails looked at Kathy's hand and then at her in slight confusion and in awkwardness, but he soon slowly grabbed her hand and shook it. With a sheepish look on his face, Tails replied with an awkward smile, "Uhhh...Ahahaha. Yeah, nice to meet you too, Kathy. I'm...uhh...glad that you like me".

Kathy beamed happily at Tails even though she's unaware of how uncomfortable Tails looks right now. Tails made a pleading look to Knuckles that says, "Help me out here, dude".

Knuckles smiled a little awkwardly too as he shrugged at him while mouthing the words "Sorry" to Tails. Tails then had a sweat drop on his head as he thought. Knuckles...please tell me that you have an explanation as to why this excited girl is here because...I feel really awkward now.

Kathy then stopped shaking Tails' hand and stood back up. She still smiled brightly and friendly at him. Knuckles saw that he needed to speak up to break the odd situation here for Tails' sake. "Ummm...Yeah, Tails. This girl here is Kathy the Moth. She's...uhh...a new acquaintance of mine. I've met her last night. Also...umm..." Knuckles said awkwardly as he put his hand on Kathy's shoulder while looking at her for a moment before back to Tails. He then added with a sheepish smile, "Kathy here...really likes children, Tails. Sorry if her introduction was a bit awkward for you. She means well, right, Kathy?".

Kathy looked at Knuckles and nodded to him. She then looked back at Tails with an apologetic expression on her face. "I'm sorry, Tails. I didn't realize that I was making you uncomfortable there. I really do like children such as you. I just think that you're cute is all!" Kathy said genuinely with a sad smile on her face.

After Tails had heard what Knuckles and Kathy had said, he then decided to relax a bit. He smiled in understanding as he replied, "Aww, that's okay, Kathy. I get it. A lot of people do think that I'm a cute kid, so, your response isn't too far off the mark on how other people had behaved towards me in the past. You're alright, Kathy. If Knuckles thinks that you mean well, then there's no reason for me to complain about your behavior. Heh. Even though I did feel a little uncomfortable with it".

Kathy frowned as she bowed her head a little in an apologetic way. "I'm so sorry, Tails. I...I didn't mean to," Kathy apologized in a sad tone.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. Honest. It's just a little mistake. No need to beat yourself up over it. Besides, I've...I've kind of made some awkward first impressions too, so...there's no need to feel that sorry over it," Tails replied with a forgiving look as he shrugged at her.

Kathy looked back up to Tails after that reply and had smiled at him. She then replied, "Thank you so much, Tails. It means a lot to me! Also...uhhh...".

She then smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head when she added, "I...I'll have to warn you that I'm...quite an affectionate person. I mean. You don't have to do it when I ask you to, but...ummmm...Would you like a hug, Tails? You know, just to show that you're fine with me and such. But if you don't want one, I'll...I'll understand. I mean. We've just met and all, and I don't to make you feel even more uncomfortable than you already are. Soo...what do you say? Hug or no?".

Tails had raised his eyebrows when Kathy had said that. Even Knuckles was surprised when he had heard that. Tails scratched his chin a bit in thought, but he soon smiled as he replied, "You know what? Why not? It's not that big of a deal. It's just a hug. No harm done. But hey, thanks for asking me, Kathy. I can tell that you're at least respectful of others' personal space and are conscientious of it. So, I allow you to hug me. I trust you, Kathy".

Kathy smiled brightly at Tails as she then bent down to one knee at him. She opened her arms wide at him, and Tails opened his arms wide too. They soon leaned onto each other for a nice, gentle hug. They smiled brightly as they bonded a bit through the introductory hug. Knuckles was surprised at this as he looked down at Kathy and Tails. He smiled a bit as he saw that Kathy really was friendly and had meant no harm. So, Kathy is quite an affectionate person then, huh? That's...a little sweet. I guess that she really meant it when she says that she loves kids so much. Well, I can tell that Tails is going to have a hard time since Kathy loves to give him hugs every now and then. But of course, she does it because it's her way of showing how much she cares for him. That's just who she is. Knuckles pondered with a calm smile as he still had his arms crossed.

After hugging for a few more seconds, Kathy and Tails broke off their hug and backed off from each other. Kathy then replied while smiling sheepishly, "Sooo...uhhh...May I come in, Tails? I...I want to explore inside your house for a bit. It looks rather interesting to me".

"Oh! Uhh...Okay. Here. Go check out the place if you want. I'll be talking to Knuckles in the meantime, Kathy. Go right ahead," Tails replied calmly as he stood to the side of the door to let Kathy through.

Kathy nodded happily to Tails before walking in with a curious look on her face. "Ooooh!" Kathy exclaimed in joy and in curiosity as she looked around in the living room. As Tails and Knuckles saw that Kathy was busy looking around, they both looked back at each other again.

Tails then scratched his head as he asked in confusion, "Soo...you said that you had met Kathy last night, right, Knuckles? Umm...how did that happen?".

Knuckles frowned as he looked serious again. "Yes. I found Kathy after she was attacked by my Master Emerald," Knuckles answered calmly yet solemnly.

"What?! The Master Emerald had attacked her?! How?! Why?!" Tails exclaimed in shock as his eyes went wide.

Knuckles grimaced as he answered, "Apparently...according to Tikal...it was a black monster that did that. That monster had somehow taken control of the Master Emerald and used it to shoot Kathy down from the sky. That is how I had found her. She had landed onto my island in Mushroom Hill after being attacked".

Tails frowned in worry and in sadness as he looked back towards Kathy. He can see her staring into the kitchen in curiosity. He can see her still smiling happily as she looked around in wonderment. Tails then said in a sad tone, "That's so awful. Who in the world would want to do that? A monster, you say? Well...I'd believe it. Kathy doesn't look like someone who deserves to be hurt or punished like Dr. Eggman is. What reason would that monster want by attacking her?".

Knuckles closed his eyes as he replied in a grave tone, "Perhaps they wanted to get rid of her by trying to kill her. Tikal had warned me that this black monster is so powerful and evil that it will bring destruction across this world, and worst part about this is...none of the Chaos Emeralds nor the Master Emerald itself is powerful enough to stop him".

Tails gasped loudly in shock as he turned back to look at Knuckles with a panicked look on his face. "What?! Are you serious, Knuckles?! Is that monster really that powerful?! So powerful enough that not even Sonic could beat him in his Super Form?!" Tails exclaimed in shock.

Knuckles sighed a bit as he replied a little too calmly, "Yes, Tails. It seems that Sonic can't beat him this time".

Tails gulped in worry of this new threat that this world has now. He had never thought that Sonic would be powerless to defeat this new threat. He began to sweat as he replied in nervousness, "Kn-Kn-Knuckles! What are we going to do?! If we can't defeat this monster, then who will?! Our world is doomed if Sonic can't beat him! Knuckles! Please! Who is going to-".

"Kathy," Knuckles answered calmly as he interrupted Tails.

"Huh?! K-Kathy?" Tails asked in confusion as his eyebrows were raised. He looked back at Kathy again. He can see that Kathy was looking through his little closet in the living room. She had a calm expression on her face as she looked through into the closet with such curiosity.

Knuckles then continued while Tails was watching Kathy look around in his living room some more. "Yes, Kathy. Tikal had said that Kathy is our only hope into defeating this black creature and to save our world from destruction. She had said that Kathy possesses a strong, immense power that could withstand this new foe. Not only that but..." Knuckles continued calmly yet solemnly before he opened his eyes as he finished with, "...It is important that she should be protected at all costs. I'm very much willing to protect her myself. I hope that you would want to do that too, Tails. So...will you help Kathy here by letting her stay in your house, Tails? I just want her to be safe and taken care of for the time being. Besides...she's actually not around here you see. She's actually from the Sol Dimension apparently".

"Huh?! The Sol Dimension?! You mean from Blaze's world?!" Tails exclaimed in shock again as he looked back at Knuckles.

Knuckles nodded solemnly as he answered, "The very same one. Kathy had said to me that she wanted to live in our dimension instead of her old one. She just wanted to have a new home here in this dimension, and well...I just thought that...maybe she could stay at your place, Tails. I trust that you can take care of her in the meantime as she stays here in this dimension. You can do that, right? P-Please, Tails. Please do it for Kathy's sake. She...She needs someone to look after her. Without us, then...she's just lost".

Tails blinked his eyes in shock and in confusion. He had never heard Knuckles beg him for something this serious before. He did wonder how Knuckles knows that Kathy does need some guidance and assistance even when he had claimed that they're just acquaintances. He could only figure that him and Kathy had interacted quite a lot after they had both met. Tails then can't help but smile a little at that thought. Heheheh. It looks like Knuckles had just made a new friend on his own even though he won't admit it. I'm...I'm glad that he actually cares about Kathy here. Even though he might've did it because of Tikal's warning. Still, it's nice to know that he does have a heart at least. I was starting to think that he might have gotten cold towards others, but it seems that I was wrong there. Tails pondered with a calm smile on his face.

"What? Is there something so amusing about that?" Knuckles asked sternly with a frown.

Tails waved his hands a bit in front of Knuckles as he replied, "Ah. Uh...No. It's nothing, Knuckles. Thank you for telling me this. I'll be willing to take her in as my new roommate. Since that Kathy's safety is important, I'll do my best to take care of her just as you will, Knuckles. I'll call Sonic over to introduce Kathy to him. He also needs to know about this too".

Knuckles frowned a bit when Tails mentioned Sonic. But he reluctantly nodded to him as he replied, "Fine. You go tell him then. He...does need to be informed about this too. Although knowing him...he might just take this as nothing serious and be his usual cocky self again".

Tails smiled weakly at Knuckles as he replied, "Oh, come on, Knuckles. You know that Sonic doesn't always treat all grave situations as jokes. Maybe he'll sober up and take this seriously this time".

Knuckles narrowed his eyes at Tails as he replied solemnly, "Tails...A girl's life is on the line here. If she dies, then our whole world is doomed. If Sonic doesn't take this seriously, then he'll be the one responsible for our world's destruction. …...And we can't let that happen. Understand?".

Tails faltered a bit as his ears went down after that argument. Even he agrees with Knuckles' judgement here. Sonic really can't afford to mess up here. None of them can afford to mess up either. They should all work together to look after Kathy and make sure that she's safe. Because otherwise...who knows what will happen to their world if Kathy is not here to defend it?

"O-Okay, Knuckles. I'll try to convince Sonic to take this case seriously when I call him. Even if he doesn't get serious at first, maybe he will once he meets with Kathy in person. Hopefully, this will all go well in the end," Tails replied calmly with a nod as he understood the situation now.

"...(Sigh)…Thank you, Tails. I'm glad that you're onboard with this now," Knuckles replied with a sigh as he nodded his head too. Tails smiled at him after that.

But of course, Kathy decided to break the serious tension here by saying this.

"Wow! This T.V. is HUGE! I didn't want to say it at first when I had walked in, but man, this is impressive! Hey, Knuckles! Did this T.V. used to be a small one as yours is?! Because if it is, then wow! This T.V. had went through such a growth spurt!" Kathy exclaimed brightly as she stood in front of the flat screen T.V. in Tails' living room.

Knuckles bit his lip as he grinned widely after that silly comment. He then replied in amusement with a smile, "No, Kathy. T.V.s don't grow as people do. That flat screen T.V. was just made that way from the very start".

"Oh, really? Well, I don't see your proof, Knuckles! You better get some evidence to counter that argument if you really want to change my mind here! Because I still say that this T.V. grew up to its adult size!" Kathy replied back brightly with a grin.

Knuckles snickered a bit at that as exclaimed back with a hand near his mouth, "Oh, I will find your proof, Kathy! You'll see that I'm right! T.V.s are just built, Kathy! Built!".

"Hehehehe! No way! They've grown, Knuckles! Grown!" Kathy exclaimed back with a smile.

"Built!" Knuckles exclaimed back with a smile.

"Grown!" Kathy exclaimed back.

"Built!" Knuckles exclaimed louder.

"Hehehe! No! Grown!" Kathy exclaimed back with a giggle.

"Built! Silly girl! Built!" Knuckles exclaimed with a huge grin now since he found this argument to be so silly.

"You don't have any proof!" Kathy exclaimed back in a sing-song tone.

"Oh, I'll find my proof! You'll see!" Knuckles exclaimed boldly with a grin.

"Hehehehehehe! Good luck finding your proof, Knuckles! Although...you won't find any!" Kathy exclaimed jovially while being playful in the end.

"Hmph. Don't underestimate my searching capabilities, Kathy. If I can find emeralds, then I can find proof by myself. So there!" Knuckles replied calmly with a smirk.

Kathy just giggled a lot at that. She then added playfully, "Unless that you don't find any-".

"I WILL!" Knuckles shouted proudly with a cocky smirk on his face.

Kathy just exploded into laughter after that bold declaration. Knuckles' face twitched a bit as if he's about to chuckle too at that, but he forced his mouth closed while also face-palming himself in amusement. While doing his best to contain his laughter, Knuckles then replied in amusement, "Just keep on looking around, Kathy. I'm sure that you're still curious about this new place".

"Teehee! I am! I'm going to keep on looking around because it looks so cool! It's a lot bigger than your place, Knuckles!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Now...shut up," Knuckles replied playfully in an amused tone.

Kathy giggled at that before she turned around and walked towards another place inside of Tails' house. Knuckles just snickered a bit again as he shook his head in amusement.

"Heheheheh. Oh, Kathy. Heheheh," Knuckles said calmly as he snickered quietly. After he had calmed down his snickers, he then put his hand off his face and opened his eyes again. He had his eyebrows raised a bit as he looked at Tails' confused face. With a little grin, Knuckles asked calmly, "What?".

"Are...Are you okay, Knuckles?" Tails asked slowly and confusingly as he stared at Knuckles incredulously.

Knuckles then frowned a little in confusion as he quirked an eyebrow at Tails. "Uhhh...Yeah, Tails. I am fine. What's your problem?" Knuckles replied awkwardly since it was his turn to be confused.

"Umm...It's nothing. Really. I'm...I'm just surprised that you had acted so...ummm...playful? And maybe even...carefree?" Tails replied awkwardly as he scratched his head in confusion.

"Huh? 'P-Playful'?" Knuckles repeated in confusion as his eyes went wide in surprise.

"Well, yeah, at least, that's how I saw it. Honestly, Knuckles, I have never seen you...act that way before with anyone. I mean...Did you act this way with anyone in the past or with people that I don't know about? Well...Did you?" Tails replied in curiosity as he shrugged his shoulders.

Knuckles then blushed in embarrassment as his eyes went wide while he stared at Tails. He muttered awkwardly, "Uhhhhh...Errrr...N-No...I...uhhh...I have not".

Tails was slightly taken aback from this answer. It's not that Knuckles hadn't been playful in the past that had surprised him, but rather, it means that this is Knuckles' first time being openly playful towards someone...right in front of his own acquaintances no less. Tails then looked even more curious and confused as he got closer to Knuckles. Tails' face looked slightly worried as he asked, "Knuckles? …Just what has gotten into you lately? You've never acted like this before. Is there...something that you're not telling me?".

Knuckles blushed even more in embarrassment as he took a step back from Tails. If Knuckles was honest to himself, then he would say that he has no idea why he's acting like this. For some strange reason, he...he likes joking around with Kathy as she gets to be her silly self. There was just something about Kathy that had brought out his playful side underneath his tough-as-nails mask that he usually shows towards his acquaintances regularly. He really can't help it. He and Kathy just bounce off each other so well that he can't help but to play along with her silliness. He had always enjoyed her silliness since it makes him smile and laugh. He just can't fight off that positive energy. So...it's rather natural for him to join in the light-hearted attitude that Kathy displays regularly. Not to mention...it doesn't help that he has a little "thing" for her anyway.

Knuckles then frowned as he shook his head. He then replied, "Look, Tails. I'm fine. Who cares about how I'm acting here? It's not a big deal if I'm in a good mood or anything. So, don't treat this as if it's a bad thing because it's not!".

"Hey! I'm not saying that it's bad! I'm just wondering what had caused you to be positive for once!" Tails exclaimed in slight worry as he put out his hands in front of Knuckles as a way to distance himself from him.

"Hmph. That's none of your business, Tails. If I'm in a good mood, then I'm just in a good mood. Plain and simple. I don't need to tell you why I'm happy all the time, do I?" Knuckles replied with a frown as he looked slightly annoyed.

Tails faltered a bit as he frowned too. "Ummm...No?" Tails replied simply with his ears down and with his shoulders slumped.

"Then I'm not telling you, Tails. Must I remind you that I like to keep my private life...you know...private?" Knuckles replied calmly as he closed his eyes and as he puts his hands on his hips.

Tails sighed deeply as he looked exasperated at Knuckles. Tails then replied in defeat, "...No".

"Good. Now, if you excuse me, I'm coming in," Knuckles replied calmly as he took his hands off and walked past Tails towards the front door entrance. Tails frowned as he turned his head to look at Knuckles walking towards the living room.

…...But suddenly!

"BOO!" Kathy exclaimed loudly and quickly as her head popped out in front of the door's entrance.

"Ack!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock as he jumped back and had opened his eyes widely.

"Hehehehehehehehehe! Got you, Knuckles! Didn't expect that now, did you?! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed jovially as she giggled a lot. She walked in front of the door just to stare happily at Knuckles' shocked face.

Knuckles just stared at Kathy with a shocked expression until it turned to one of amusement as he smiled at her. "Kathy! I...Heheheheh. Don't do that! You actually had surprised me!" Knuckles exclaimed with a grin on his face.

"Hehehehehe! Aww, do you get startled easily, Knuckles? If you are, then I might do that some more!" Kathy exclaimed while teasing Knuckles a little.

"Heh! You better not! I'll get you if you do that again!" Knuckles exclaimed with a smirk as he had his fists up in a playful jest.

"Hehehehehe! …Aww...Are you sure that you don't wanna do it now? I mean...I'm right here if you want to get me," Kathy replied playfully with a grin as she swung her arms around and walked back a bit inside the house as if she's taunting Knuckles to chase her.

Knuckles scoffed as he replied, "Nice try, Kathy. I have way more self-control than that. I'm not that eager to get you yet".

Kathy smiled even more as she leant forward playfully to further taunt Knuckles. "Are you suuuuuure?" Kathy asked teasingly with a jovial look on his face.

Knuckles raised his eyebrows at that before he smirked mischievously as he had his arms down to his sides. He closed his eyes as he warned her in a playful jest, "...You got two seconds, little missy".

Kathy giggled a lot as she turned around and ran away from Knuckles before he also ran inside to chase after Kathy. Knuckles exclaimed in amusement, "Get back here, you!".

"No way! Hahahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed while giggling a lot.

They both ran around the living room and around the kitchen while pushing through the two doors that lead to the kitchen. Kathy was giggling a lot while Knuckles did his best to keep his mouth shut as he knows that Tails could hear his chuckles if he let them out of his mouth. So, he had a fixed smile on his face as he chased Kathy throughout the house.

Meanwhile, Tails was just utterly confused at what just happened. He had a shocked yet confused face as he watched Knuckles chase Kathy inside his house. He would understand this situation better if Kathy had ticked Knuckles off, but by how they had interacted earlier, Knuckles wasn't mad at Kathy at all. He sounded rather...amused.

Tails scratched his head again as he thought. Just what is with those two anyway? Is there something that I'm missing here? Hmmm...Maybe Sonic could understand this sudden change of behavior better than I can.

Tails sighed again before he walked back inside his home and had closed the front door. As he walked across the living room, he did his best to avoid Kathy and Knuckles as they ran past him a bit. Soon, Kathy ran around towards the couch and quickly sat in it while exclaiming, "Base! I call base!".

Knuckles just had a huge grin on his face as he exclaimed playfully, "Hey! You can't call base and just be done with this! Now, get up!".

Knuckles was standing near the right side of the lavender couch. Kathy was sitting in the middle of the couch while grinning happily at Knuckles. "Awww, but I'm tired! Hehehehe! I'm not good at running!" Kathy whined jokingly.

"Oh, well, tough luck then! You're going to get up so that I'll catch you properly!" Knuckles exclaimed with a smirk.

"Not unless I sit here then! Hehehehehe! Base, Knuckles! Base!" Kathy exclaimed back tauntingly with a silly smile.

Knuckles snickered a little evilly as he stared at Kathy as if she's his prey. Kathy just giggled happily as she stared back at Knuckles. He then exclaimed playfully, "Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, huh?!".

"Hehehehe! Yep!" Kathy exclaimed while giggling.

"Heheheh. Well then...I guess that I'm taking base too! Now, come here! Hah!" Knuckles exclaimed playfully with an evil smile as he first jumped onto the couch next to Kathy before he pounced onto her.

"Eeeeek! Hehehehehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy shrieked in a playful way as she flinched when Knuckles jumped onto the couch quickly before dissolving into nothing but giggles after Knuckles had pounced onto her. Kathy landed on her back after Knuckles got on top of her. She was just giggling while Knuckles just stared calmly at her as he held onto her shoulders. He had a huge smile on his calm face as he looked down on Kathy's jovial face. Sure, he may have trapped Kathy by being on top of her, but Kathy had just trapped him back with her adorable, happy face.

…And there's no escape from that face, is there? I can't look away from it even if I want to. Knuckles thought with a calm, fond look on his face. Kathy stopped giggling and looked again at Knuckles. She smiled a lot when she saw him smiling at her.

"Hehehehe! Awww, you caught me!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a grin.

"I sure did, Kathy. I...I sure did," Knuckles replied calmly yet softly as he gently smiled at her. And I'm not letting you escape from me. I won't...let you go. No matter what happens. Knuckles thought solemnly as he stared into Kathy's light-blue eyes again.

"Ummmm...Am I interrupting something here?" Tails asked awkwardly as he held a plate of two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in his hands. He stared at the two guardians with a confused and an embarrassed look on his face.

Knuckles blushed in embarrassment as he immediately pushed himself off of Kathy and scooted towards the right end of the couch. He quickly crossed his arms and looked away from both Tails and Kathy in embarrassment. He even tried to be nonchalant about it by placing his right leg over his left. His heart was pounding as he couldn't believe that he was caught red-handed in an embarrassing position that probably sent Tails wrong messages about him and Kathy. Why?! Why?! WHY?! Why did you let yourself get caught like this?! That was completely embarrassing! I can't believe that I had allowed my feelings to get the better of me! I...I...I would have never done that with Rouge! Just how did...Just how did Kathy do it?! How did she got me to come out of my shell to just go...go...and be ridiculous in front of her?! Heck! IN FRONT OF TAILS EVEN?! I...I...Ugh. My little "thing" is going to be the death of me, isn't it? Knuckles brooded in shame as he felt that his pride had taken a blow.

Meanwhile, Kathy was slightly confused as she sat back up and stared at Knuckles. She cocked her head in confusion as she watched Knuckles blushing bright red in humiliation. She didn't understand why Knuckles had reacted that way. She thought that he would just say that they were playing and be done with it...at least...that's what she would've said if she was in Knuckles' shoes.

"Hmm..." Kathy mused quietly as she stared at Knuckles. Maybe I should give him some space. He looks really embarrassed for some reason. Hmm...I guess that I can watch some T. V. to pass the time while Knuckles recovers. Kathy thought with a little frown before she looked at the remote control on the left armrest of the couch. She quickly scooted towards the remote before getting back to the middle of the couch. She then looked at Tails as she asked politely, "Uh...Tails? Do you mind if I watch T. V. for a little bit? Please? May I?".

"...Huh? Oh, uh, not at all, Kathy. You can watch some T.V. if you want to. I don't mind," Tails replied calmly with a smile as he stopped eating his sandwich to talk to Kathy.

Kathy then looked curious as she stared at Tails' food for a moment. Tails noticed this and asked, "What?".

"What's that?" Kathy asked brightly as she pointed at the sandwich.

"Huh? …...Uhh...It's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich," Tails replied slowly as he raised one uneaten sandwich for emphasis.

"Peanut butter...and jelly...sandwich?" Kathy repeated in confusion as she titled her head in a cute way again.

"Ummm...Y-Yeah. Have you...uuhh...tried one of these before?" Tails replied in slight confusion as he had one eyebrow raised at Kathy.

"Nope," Kathy answered calmly while shaking her head "no".

"Huh?! You never had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before?!" Tails exclaimed as his eyes and mouth went wide in shock.

"Mmm...mmm," Kathy mused while still shaking her head "no".

Tails was stunned at this. Kathy just looked confused at Tails as she watched him gape at her. She then asked curiously, "What's wrong? Are they good?".

Tails got over his shock as he replied, "Well, yeah! I can't believe that I've met someone who hadn't had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before! You know what, Kathy? I'm going to give you my other sandwich just for you to try it out for the first time. I'll get a plate...and some milk to go along with it. Be right back!".

Tails then turned around and pushed the door to the kitchen to get Kathy a plate and some milk. Kathy was surprised by Tails' kindness as she thought. Aww, well, isn't he such a sweet fox? I haven't even tasted milk either. So, this is rather great! These people are so kind to me. Coming into this dimension was the best decision that I had ever made!

She smiled a bit before she turned to look at the huge flat screen T.V. in front of her and held the remote control in her hands. She pressed the "Power" button on the remote, and the T.V. turned on. The channel displayed the regular news as it was in the middle of the usual weather report. Kathy then placed the remote to the side to watch T.V. Knuckles had finally recovered from his embarrassment and had turned his head to look at the T.V. too. Kathy turned her head towards Knuckles and smiled as she saw that Knuckles had recovered. She then smiled mischievously as she grabbed the remote control again and teased, "Ooooh, Knuckles?".

Knuckles turned his head to look at Kathy. He can see her holding the remote control in a playful way. She taunted him by saying, "Look who's in control of the T.V. again? I am! Eh? Eh?".

"..." Knuckles didn't say anything or even smile at Kathy at that. He just frowned a little and looked at the T. V. again. He's determined that he's not going to embarrass himself twice today by playing with Kathy again. He may have fallen for it once before but not this time. He even started to put on his serious face again to show Kathy that he's not in the mood. Kathy saw this and frowned in disappointment. She lowered the remote control and her head in sadness as she saw that Knuckles doesn't want to play with her right now.

What did I do? He was rather playful with me earlier. Why is he acting this way now? I'm sure that he does enjoy playing with me...does he? Kathy thought with a frown as she stared at Knuckles in confusion.

"Knuckles?" Kathy asked in a sad tone.

This had caught Knuckles' attention as he quickly looked back at Kathy with a worried face. "What's wrong?" Knuckles asked in concern with worried eyes as he stared sympathetically at Kathy. He may have decided to not make a fool out of himself again, but he isn't going to do that by making Kathy sad in the process. Not even defending one's pride is worth destroying one's happiness. That is something that Knuckles had also learned while being with Kathy.

"Are you upset with me? Why aren't you playing with me anymore?" Kathy asked in sadness while her eyebrows were upwards and while her eyes were sparkling as if she was about to cry.

…...Don't...Just don't...Knuckles thought in sadness as he felt extremely guilty while having a sad look on his face.

"Have I done something that had...made you angry with me? That had made you...feel embarrassed while being with me? Is that what it is? You don't like...being playful with me...in public?" Kathy questioned further with a sad look on her face.

Knuckles cringed a lot once she had finally said it. He hated himself for letting his pride take over and be cold towards Kathy. In truth, he didn't want to stop being playful towards her. It was really fun for him to do that. He had never expressed himself in that way before. He just...wanted to feel free like a regular person would do. But...since he's around company now, he can't allow himself to be silly since he has a reputation to uphold. Doing ridiculous antics such as before is going to turn him into a laughingstock in front of his acquaintances. He can't risk that. His acquaintances had already teased and mocked him enough. He can't add "acting like a clown" on top of it. …...But despite that, he really, really wants to make it up to Kathy for his sudden, cold behavior towards her.

He took a deep sigh before looked at Kathy again. Kathy was waiting for his answer with pitiful eyes. Knuckles then said, "Kathy...Don't feel sad. I'm not...angry at you at all".

"Huh? You're...not?" Kathy asked in confusion as she frowned.

Knuckles shook his head slowly before he continued in a calm tone, "I didn't mean to make you upset by not playing with you. Honestly...I would like to keep on doing that, but I'm just...just...uncomfortable doing it in front of others".

Kathy frowned even more when she replied, "I knew it. You really don't like playing with me in public, do you?".

"K-Kathy...It's not about you. Honest. I would love to keep on joking around with you and be playful towards you. But I...I just can't help it. I'm sorry, Kathy. But I don't like looking like a fool in front of others. I've always been this way. It's not just you that I feel this way. It's with anyone that I associate with daily. I don't...like being the center of attention, okay?" Knuckles replied sadly with a shameful look on his face.

"O-Oh...I see. I...I understand then," Kathy replied slowly with a sympathetic look on her face. She figured that this is just part of Knuckles' personality if he's not going to be outgoing and playful towards her despite having others looking at them. I guess that I can rest easy for now that it's not me that he's ashamed of. That's a relief. Still...poor Knuckles. I'm sure that his heart is just begging to have fun with me, but his mind is not allowing himself to be free. I suppose that I should drop this for now and let Knuckles know that I'm okay with this. Kathy pondered with a caring look on her face.

Knuckles looked away from Kathy in shame. He then heard Kathy speak again, "Hey, Knuckles?".

"Hmm?" Knuckles hummed as he looked back again. He was surprised to see Kathy smiling again.

Kathy then said calmly, "It's okay, Knuckles. I can't change your mind or you yourself. If you want to stop, then I'll listen to you. I understand. Really".

Knuckles gasped in shock by Kathy here since she was being understanding of him. Slowly, Knuckles smiled a little at her since he was happy that Kathy is being reasonable here and letting him be himself. He then replied calmly, "Hey...Thanks".

Kathy smiled gently at Knuckles, and Knuckles smiled gently at Kathy too. They looked at each other and nodded in agreement as they looked back at the television. It was a little while before Knuckles heard Kathy again.

"Hey, Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly yet brightly.

"What?" Knuckles asked back as he looked at Kathy briefly. Kathy had her arms crossed while smiling at him in a playful way. She then simply stuck her tongue out at him in a playful jest. Knuckles raised his eyebrows at this and smiled back at her.

"Heh. Real mature, Kathy," Knuckles replied calmly with a smile as he looked back at the T. V. Kathy smiled even more at him before looking back at the T.V. too. Again, after a moment of silence, Knuckles simply said, "Hey...".

Kathy looked back at Knuckles and saw him smiling widely at her. And then to her surprise...he stuck his tongue out at her too. Kathy beamed at this as she was glad that Knuckles actually does like to play with her even though he can be a bit shy it seems. It gave her such comfort that he's still going to tease her and joke around with her...just not in front of others. I think that I'll be okay with that. Kathy thought with a happy smile as she looked at Knuckles before looking back at the T.V. Knuckles also looked back at the T.V. with a calm smile on his face.

Well...I'm sure that had cheered Kathy up at least. Still...I can't believe that I'm allowing myself to get all soft towards her. It's...rather embarrassing if I'm being honest here. But...at the very least...Kathy is smiling again and...that's what's important here. Knuckles thought as his eyes shifted towards Kathy briefly to look at her before looking back at the T.V.

Soon, Tails walked out of the kitchen with a spare plate, a glass of milk, and his other peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Kathy turned her head towards Tails and smiled widely at him. Tails smiled back as he brought Kathy her little snack.

"Here you go, Kathy. I hope that you'll enjoy it," Tails replied calmly as he gave her the plate and the glass of milk.

Kathy smiled back at him as she grabbed the plate and glass of milk. She then replied brightly, "Oh, thank you, Tails! You're too kind to me! I'll enjoy it very much!".

Tails smiled a little sheepishly as he felt slightly embarrassed by Kathy's compliment. But he then replied calmly, "Hahaha. You're welcome, Kathy. Just make yourself comfortable now, alright?".

Kathy nodded happily as she replied sweetly, "Okay!".

"Hmph," Knuckles grunted quietly in amusement as his eyes shifted at Kathy for a moment after she had said that. He had an amused smile on his face as he looked at her. Heh. It doesn't look like that you have to tell her twice. She's already comfortable. She's so simple like that. Knuckles thought with a smile as he looked back at the T.V.

Tails smiled in amusement before he walked back towards the kitchen again to make a phone call to Sonic. He then thought as he walked back. Well, she's a sweet girl at least. Maybe having her stay in my house won't be so bad. Despite how...curious...and maybe a bit awkward at times, she really is well-mannered and kind. I think that I'll get used to her quirks in no time.

Meanwhile, Kathy had picked up her sandwich and bit into it for the very first time. Kathy was soon amazed at how tasty it is. It tasted so sweet to her that her whole mouth was watering even while she was eating it. She took another bite and mused in delight. "Mmmmmm!" Kathy mused happily with a smile on her face.

Awwww...Someone's happy. Knuckles thought with a huge smile as he looked back Kathy in amusement. "Like it?" Knuckles asked calmly with a gentle look on his face as he stared at Kathy.

Kathy finished swallowing her food before exclaiming brightly, "I love it!".

"Heheheh. That's good. Hey, remember to drink your milk there, Kathy. It'll help you wash the sticky peanut butter down," Knuckles replied gently with a quiet chuckle as he pointed to the glass on top of the plate.

"Oh? Hmmm...Okay!" Kathy replied curiously as she looked down at her milk before exclaiming happily. She then picked up the glass and drank the milk. It was also tasty to her. "Mmm...Ahh. This is wonderful. I've never even thought that milk could taste this good! I'm so glad that I could finally get to drink it to see what it's like!" Kathy said happily as she took the drink out of her mouth.

"I'm glad that you like it, Kathy. Who knows? You might have a new favorite drink along the way or maybe a new favorite type of food," Knuckles replied calmly with a wink.

Kathy giggled a little as she replied, "Yeah! I can't wait to try out all the food here! It'll be fantastic!".

"It will. I promise," Knuckles replied gently as he nodded to her. Kathy beamed to him at that, and Knuckles just smiled gently at her with a fond look on his face. Kathy then started to eat her sandwich again, and Knuckles looked back at the T.V.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Tails had picked his orange phone and called Sonic. After a few seconds of the phone ringing, Tails soon got a response from Sonic.

"Hello? What's up?" Sonic asked coolly.

"Hey, Sonic. I'm glad that you had picked up," Tails replied calmly with a smile.

"Yo, Tails! Glad that you had called me! I was getting a little bored lately. I could use someone to talk to...In fact, just a few seconds ago, I was thinking about running around the world again. I was that bored!" Sonic replied in a relaxed tone of voice.

"Let me guess...For the 15th time?" Tails asked with a knowing grin on his face.

"Yep. For the 15th time. Heh. You know me so well, Tails," Sonic replied with amusement in his tone.

"Yeah, I do, Sonic. But as much as I like to chat with you, I have some important news to tell you. It's rather problematic it seems," Tails replied calmly as he frowned a little.

"Eh? Problematic? Had Eggman finally showed himself again after being absent for about two weeks?" Sonic asked in slight confusion and intrigue.

Tails shook his head as he answered, "Not this time. It's actually much more serious than you think. Even I was surprised when I had heard about it".

"Oh? Really then? What's it about?" Sonic asked calmly yet curiously.

"Well..." Tails muttered awkwardly as he briefly opened the door that leads to the living room to look at Kathy for a moment. He can see Kathy eating quietly yet happily while Knuckles was just watching T.V. with a calm look on his face. Tails then continued while looking at Kathy, "You see...Knuckles had brought in a new girl in which he had claimed that she was from the Sol Dimension-".

"Woah! Woah! Woah! Back it up here! The Sol Dimension?! You mean where Blaze lives in?! Don't tell me that something bad had happened in her dimension again!" Sonic exclaimed in shock.

"Relax, Sonic. It's not about that. According to Knuckles, this new girl just wanted to live here in our dimension now, and I think that it's a good idea for you to meet her," Tails replied calmly as he shook his head again.

Tails could hear Sonic sighing in relief at that. "Whew! So, it's just nothing then. That's a relief. I thought that it was something terrible just by the way you had said it, Tails," Sonic replied in relief.

Tails bit his lip as he closed the door again. He turned around as he replied awkwardly, "Ummm...about that...".

"What? Is something wrong then?" Sonic asked in concern now.

"Yeah...You see...someone had tried to kill this girl last night by using the Master Emerald," Tails replied slowly yet awkwardly with a frown.

"...I'm listening," Sonic replied solemnly with intrigue in his voice.

Tails nodded as he explained, "Knuckles had told me this himself. He found this new girl on his island after the Master Emerald had attacked her. He found out through Tikal that it was from a new threat that had entered into our dimension. Apparently, it was a black monster that had attacked the girl. Of course, that is what Knuckles had heard from Tikal. He had told me that this monster is so powerful that it can bring our entire world into destruction-".

"So, what's the big deal here? We'll just stop this monster by using the Chaos Emeralds like we normally do. Or even the Master Emerald if needed to," Sonic replied calmly as he interrupted Tails.

Tails frowned even further as he replied, "Sonic...Knuckles had told me that the Chaos Emeralds and the Master Emerald can't stop this monster. Not this time".

"O-Oh...I...I see...Carry on then," Sonic replied slowly yet awkwardly.

"Thank you. But you see, Sonic, it's not all bad news here. There is one last thing that we have that can stop this new threat...and that's...the new girl whom Knuckles had found last night," Tails replied calmly yet solemnly.

"Go on," Sonic replied with intrigue.

"Well...According to Tikal, this new girl is our only hope into defeating this black monster. She has such a strong power that none of us had ever seen before. So, it is very important that we should protect her if we're going to save our world, Sonic. That is what Knuckles had relayed to me from Tikal. Do you understand, Sonic? We need to do our best to look after this girl and protect her. Knuckles and I had already decided to do it. But will you? Please, Sonic. We need you in this too," Tails replied solemnly as he looked back at the closed door of the kitchen.

"Hmmm..." Sonic hummed in response as he was in thought.

"Please, Sonic. We need your help too," Tails begged a bit with a frown.

"Hey...Who had ever told you that I was gonna say 'no'? Because I'm not. Of course, I'll help! So...where's the new girl, Tails? You said that you had wanted me to meet her, right?" Sonic replied calmly yet brightly as he wanted to cheer Tails up a bit.

Tails sighed in relief as he thought. Thank goodness. He's actually going to be serious for once.

Tails smiled a little as he answered, "Oh, she's at my house. She's sitting in the living room with Knuckles by her side. She's just watching television right now. So, you can come by to my house and meet her in person".

"I see. I'll be at your house in a minute. Literally," Sonic replied casually with some slight cockiness thrown in there.

Tails rolled his eyes in slight amusement. "Of course, you will, Sonic," Tails replied with a smile.

"Oh, by the way, there is something that's been on my mind, Tails," Sonic added quickly.

"Huh? What is it, Sonic?" Tails asked in curiosity with raised eyebrows.

"Heh...Is the new girl cute?" Sonic asked jokingly. If Tails could see Sonic now, then he would know that he was smirking when he had asked that.

Tails face-palmed himself as he thought. I take it back. He's not going to be serious about this.

"Sonic..." Tails said in annoyance as he had a sweat drop on his head.

"Hahahaha! Relax, Tails! I'm kidding! I'm kidding! I know how important this situation is, so, I'll do my best to look after this girl too. Anyways, I'm about to head off towards your place, Tails. So, bye for now. See you in about a minute!" Sonic replied casually with a chuckle.

"Yeah, bye, Sonic. I'll see you soon," Tails replied calmly with a smile before he hung up. He then placed the phone back into the receiver and walked back inside the living room again through the other door. Tails looked at his left to see Kathy and Knuckles being comfortable on the couch. He soon reached over to the other side of the living room and up close at the window. On the windowsill, there was a little pot that has a fully grown rose in it. The rose is soaking up the afternoon sunlight in blissful peace. Tails smiled a little at his potted plant and had rubbed the pot a bit in fondness.

I'm sure that you would've been happy to meet Kathy in person, Cosmo. She'll make great company to the both of us as she stays here. Tails thought solemnly with a sad smile on his face.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Oh! Already then!" Tails exclaimed in surprise before he walked towards the door. Kathy was also surprised by this sudden visitor. She had already finished her sandwich and had drunk all of her milk. She was now looking curiously at the door. Knuckles had also taken a glance at the door with a frown on his face. He knows that he has to deal with Sonic now. He can only wish that Sonic could behave himself to the best that he can because otherwise...he's really going to get a headache from this.

"I wonder who's at the door? Do you know, Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly yet curiously as she looked at Knuckles.

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted with a frown as he stared at the door.

"Hmm..." Kathy hummed as she looked at the door again.

Tails soon opened the door and greeted Sonic with a smile, "Hey, Sonic. Glad that you had made it!".

"Getting to your house is no problem for me. You know that by now, right?" Sonic replied with a grin as he closed his eyes while rubbing his nose in a cocky way.

"Yeah, I do know, Sonic. So, please come right in," Tails replied with a grin as he rolled his eyes playfully before stepping aside from Sonic to let him in.

Sonic then walked in while having his eyes closed. "Okay, so, who is the new girl, Ta-ails?" Sonic asked calmly before he opened his eyes and had stood frozen still once he saw Kathy on the couch. His face was one of shock as he stared at Kathy. Tails looked confused as he looked at Sonic.

"Umm...That's the new girl, Sonic. Her name is Kathy the Moth," Tails replied calmly as he looked at Kathy next.

"Kathy?" Sonic repeated in surprise and in confusion. He can feel his own heart flutter as he stared at the beautiful moth. He can see her beautiful red, yellow, orange, black, and white colors on her wings, her hot-pink dress and shoes, her silver pendant, her light-blue eyes, and her adorable, colorful face that is white, orange, and black. She just looks unbelievably gorgeous to Sonic, and he just can't look away from her. He even started to drool since he's soaking up this beautiful imagery that he's seeing right now.

"Ummm...Sonic?" Tails asked in confusion as he waved his hand in front of Sonic.

"She's beautiful..." Sonic muttered in a whisper as he stared at Kathy with sparkling, green eyes. Tails frowned a bit as he thought. Oh no. I've lost him.

While Sonic and Tails were standing near the door, Kathy and Knuckles were just staring at them. Kathy looked confused as she stared at Sonic curiously. "Huh? Who's that, Knuckles?" Kathy asked curiously as she stared at Sonic.

"Hmph. That's just Sonic. He had saved this world and this dimension lots of times in the past. In a way, he's a hero here, but..." Knuckles replied dully with a frown as he stared at Sonic. He then closed one of his eyes as he looked suspicious of Sonic's behavior now. He even subconsciously scooted a little closer to Kathy while keeping an eye on Sonic. Knuckles frowned a little deeper as he added, "...I think that he's just a braggart. Only real heroes would be humble and stay quiet, not boast around to people about how great he is when in actuality he's not. So, if I were you, Kathy, just...stay true to yourself there. People will like you more if you're genuine and not haughty like this glory-hog here. Got it?".

"Hmmm...I guess so," Kathy replied in confusion as she looked at Knuckles now. She wondered why Knuckles is rather close to her now in a protective manner. She can see him stare into Sonic as if he's looking at an intruder or a...thief. Knuckles looked solemn as he stared at Sonic's stunned face. I don't like that look that Sonic has now. I better keep an eye out for him if he's going to try to make a move onto Kathy here. Knuckles thought with a frown as he kept his arms crossed.

"Sonic! Really! Snap out of it!" Tails exclaimed loudly as he shook Sonic a bit.

"Ah! Uh!...Oh...Uh...S-Sorry, Tails. Didn't mean to scare ya there. But...ummm...I need to take this," Sonic replied quickly as he shook his head and smiled weakly at Tails before he raised a finger up at him.

"Take wh-" Tails asked in confusion before Sonic ignored him by quickly zooming in front of Kathy and stood in front of her with a huge smile on his face and with a hand on his hip.

"Uhh...Hello?" Kathy greeted in confusion as she titled her head to the side in a cute way while staring at Sonic now.

Awwwwww! Well, isn't she just adorable! Heheheh! Might as well charm her a little just to show how laid-back and cool I am! She might ease up into talking to me some more! Sonic thought with a smile as his eyelids drooped a bit in fondness.

"Hi, my name is Sonic! Sonic the Hedgehog! And oh my! You are just the sweetest-looking girl that I had ever met! What's your name, lovely-lady?" Sonic greeted brightly yet casually as he winked and "finger-gunned" at her in a cool way.

"Oh! You think that I'm sweet? Teehee! Thank you, Sonic! My name is Kathy! Kathy the Moth! It's very nice to meet you!" Kathy replied innocently with a bright smile and with her hands on her lap.

Knuckles grimaced a bit as he glared at Sonic. He is on his guard now as he kept his eyes onto Sonic. He really didn't like how Sonic had introduced himself like that. Sonic had given him bad signals that might suggest that he's going to...flirt with Kathy. Grrrr! Over my dead body will he ever get away with that! Knuckles thought with barred teeth as he felt irritated already.

"Well, Kathy, I might say that I had never seen a girl...or a moth such as you before. You're very beautiful. Those gorgeous wings of yours really do suit you. Especially coming from the most adorable-looking moth ever!" Sonic replied coolly as he leant a little towards Kathy in an adoring way.

"Hehehehehehehe! Awww, Sonic! You're quite sweet, yourself! I've never been complimented this much before ever since I came here! I am really enjoying this new dimension of yours, Sonic! I'm glad that Blaze had recommended it to me!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a giggle.

Sonic's eyebrows were raised once he heard Blaze being mentioned. So, Tails was right after all. Kathy really is from the Sol Dimension then. But on a side note, Kathy really does have a cute giggle. Heheheh! If she likes being complimented like this, then I'll surely do it just to get her to giggle and laugh! Sonic thought with a grin.

Knuckles narrowed his eyes onto Sonic after hearing him say that. He definitely doesn't like where this is going now. He even started to growl lowly as he's starting to feel annoyed now. Knuckles brooded with a full-on frown as he kept on glaring at Sonic. Oh, he is DEFINITELY flirting with her! Grrrrrr! Watch yourself, Sonic. If you don't back off now, then I'm gonna-

Sonic then quickly grabbed one of Kathy's hands and held in his own. With twinkling, flirtatious eyes, Sonic then replied coolly as he's...a little closer to Kathy now, "Ah. A friend of Blaze's, huh? That makes sense. Don't worry, Kathy. Since you're a friend of Blaze, then I'll be your friend too! You're just going to love this place! There are lots of cool places, awesome food, and...amazing people such as me for example that are in this dimension. You'll never get bored here! And...I'll make sure that your experience is an exciting one, Kathy. Just you wait".

Kathy blushed a bit in surprise at this gesture. She had curious eyes at Sonic when he had said that. Meanwhile, Knuckles is now fuming in anger just by how Sonic is behaving now. He can feel his body shaking as he's ready to ram Sonic into a wall after that vulgar response. And to think that HE is Tails' role model here! HOW COULD HE BEHAVE THIS CRUDE TO A GIRL THAT HE JUST MET?! Knuckles brooded in anger as he growled even more.

Of course, Kathy doesn't notice this as she happily replied with, "Oh, I can't wait! I'm going to have so much fun here!".

Sonic then lowered his eyelids as he gently rubbed onto Kathy's arm while he held her hand. "Well...I know what we could do that could be fun for the both of us...sweetheart. Maybe even exciting!" Sonic replied smoothly and gently as he winked at Kathy.

OH, THAT TEARS IT! Knuckles thought in rage as he can't take the blatant flirting anymore.

Kathy just giggled sweetly and innocently at that since she doesn't know what Sonic had meant behind those words. "Hehehehehehe! Awww, Sonic! You're so nice to me! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily while giggling.

Sonic then smirked as he replied coolly, "Oh, you have no idea".

…And that just broke the camel's back for Knuckles.

SLAM!

Surprisingly faster than the Blue Blur himself, Knuckles had gotten up and had rammed Sonic towards the wall that was next to the kitchen door on the left. Kathy gasped in shock as she saw Knuckles ram Sonic towards the wall. She had wide eyes and a wide mouth as she stared at Knuckles and Sonic. Even Tails was surprised by this since he looked rather startled. Knuckles just held Sonic up on the wall as he glared at him coldly while wearing an enraged face. Sonic was both shocked and confused by Knuckles' sudden, rash behavior. His face had gone pale as he stared back at Knuckles in shock.

"Dude! What the heck, man?! Why did you do that?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock.

"'Why did I do that' you ask? ARE YOU FREAKING BLIND?! ANYONE COULD SEE WHAT YOU WERE DOING, YOU PERVERT!" Knuckles shouted in anger as he glared harder at Sonic as he held Sonic's arms more tightly.

"What?! 'P-Pervert'?! Hey! What are you talking about, Knuckles?! I didn't do anything of the sort!" Sonic exclaimed in shock and in annoyance as he frowned at Knuckles.

"Oh, don't you dare say that you didn't do any of that! I clearly saw it with my own two eyes! You were flirting with her!" Knuckles yelled back in an exasperated tone of voice.

"Knuckles! I was just being friendly there! I was trying to ease her into talking to me! I didn't flirt with her!" Sonic yelled back in annoyance.

"OH?! AND WHAT WAS ALL THOSE COMPLIMENTS FOR?! OR YOU SAYING THAT YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S GOING TO BE EXCITING AS SHE STAYS HERE?! OR BETTER YET! WHAT ABOUT YOU SAYING THAT YOU AND KATHY ARE GOING TO HAVE AN 'EXCITING AND FUN TIME' TOGETHER?! YOU BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF, YOU DIRTY, FILTHY HEDGEHOG!" Knuckles shouted in fury as his face was red in anger as he got closer to Sonic in a suspecting manner.

"Okay! First of all, are you blind, Knuckles?! She's absolutely stunning to look at! And I'm just being objective here! Of course, that I'm going to give her a few compliments! That's what a friendly person does in general! Secondly, I know a lot of places where she can go that is exciting! You know...Casino Park, Central City, Night Carnival, Toy Kingdom, Westopolis, Sunset Hill, Apotos, or any other place in the world that Kathy might be curious to go to! All of those places are exciting, Knuckles! I was just going to suggest them to her so that she can go there some day herself! And lastly, I was going to ask her if she wants to follow me when I go on a run! That is what I consider fun and exciting to me! I mean! She has wings! She could probably fly fast enough to keep up with me just like with Tails here! In fact..." Sonic exclaimed in defense as he frowned at Knuckles before stopping and looking at Kathy for a bit. Sonic then asked her, "Hey, Kathy? Are you a fast flier? Yes or no?".

Kathy was caught by surprise when Sonic had called out to her in the middle of his argument with Knuckles. She flinched a bit before answering to Sonic, "Umm...Actually, yes, I am. I can fly really fast".

Sonic grinned as he replied calmly, "Well, isn't that a pleasant, little surprise. I'd like to see you fly some time!".

Kathy beamed as she replied, "Oh, you'd be surprised on how fast I can really fly! Of course, my speed can't compare with someone named 'Sonic', right?".

"Heheheh! You're catching on, Kathy! They don't call me the Fastest Thing Alive for nothing!" Sonic exclaimed back with a cocky smile. Knuckles was just looking back and forth with Kathy and Sonic talking to each other and was getting irritated again by how he's being ignored right now.

"Woah! It's that fast, huh?! Hehehehehe! I should've figured! Your spikes look like they went through a wind tunnel then if you can run that fast!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a giggle.

Sonic smirked as he replied jokingly, "More like a thousand wind tunnels, Kathy! My spikes didn't form this way on its own! They were made this way!".

Kathy giggled in amusement as she smiled happily at Sonic. Wow! Sonic's quite an interesting character! It sounds like he had gone through a thousand of adventures too if he can run so fast! I can't wait to hear them as I get to know him! Same thing with Tails and...Knuckles too! They're all so amazing to me! No wonder that Blaze is friends with them! Hehehe! They're great! Kathy thought while smiling widely at Sonic and Knuckles.

"You must've get along great with Blaze then since you two can run so fast!" Kathy exclaimed happily.

"Oh, we sure do! You know what, Kathy? I think that-" Sonic replied coolly with a grin.

"WILL YOU STOP IGNORING ME ALREADY?! I WAS TALKING TO YOU EARLIER! STOP AVOIDING OUR ARGUMENT JUST SO YOU CAN TALK TO KATHY SOME MORE! YOU'RE DOING IT ON PURPOSE!" Knuckles shouted again as he quickly interrupted Sonic. Knuckles was glaring even more at Sonic now. He now has a vein bulging in his head since he was so ticked off.

Sonic quirked an eyebrow at Knuckles as he stared back at him. He then grinned as he teased, "Aww, we were just getting to know each other better! Of course, you had to ruin it, Knucklehead!".

"I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF CONFRONTING YOUR CRUDE BEHAVIOR, SONIC! THIS IS NO LAUGHING MATTER! I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH WHAT YOU HAD DONE TO HER!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he slammed Sonic's body into the wall again for emphasis and to get Sonic's attention again.

Sonic cringed in pain before he replied teasingly again, "For what? Just by talking to her?".

Knuckles' vein just popped at that casual remark. He then slammed Sonic's body at the wall again repeatedly after pronouncing each word loudly, "YOU. WERE. FLIRTING. WITH. HER!".

"Owwww...Geez...Just give it a rest, will ya? What are you? Her 'guardian' or something?" Sonic asked while groaning a bit in pain as he closed one eye and as he was gritting his teeth.

Knuckles gritted his teeth as he growled at Sonic. He gripped Sonic's arms even tighter as he replied in a low tone, "Yes, Sonic. I am. Tikal had advised me that she should be protected...At. All. Costs. And I am not going to let you have your way with her. Not. On. My. Watch.".

...

Knuckles just stared harshly yet coldly at Sonic. Sonic just stared back while feeling confused yet speechless. Kathy just felt confused and rather surprised at Knuckles' passionate speech. Tails just looked awkward yet nervous because he knows how bad things could go for the worse whenever Knuckles is all fired up and takes it out on Sonic. He had a sweat drop on his head as he stared at his two, oldest friends at the other side of the living room. It was rather quiet between all four of them. It was quiet...before Sonic had spoken up again.

"Umm...Dude? Don't you think that you're being a little extreme with this? I'm pretty sure that this isn't what Tikal had meant when she-" Sonic replied with a playful grin.

"SONIC! I-!" Knuckles shouted in rage as he interrupted Sonic with fire in his eyes.

"Knuckles?" Kathy asked meekly yet delicately as she looked worried. After just hearing Kathy's soft words, the fiery, echidna guardian immediately cooled down and quickly looked back at Kathy with a concerned look on his face. Of course, he still held Sonic up as he does this.

"Yes, Kathy?" Knuckles asked quickly yet calmly. HUH?! WHAT THE-?! Sonic and Tails thought in shock and at the same time as they both stared at Knuckles.

Kathy frowned a bit in worry as she asked, "Knuckles? Are you mad at me too since I had talked to Sonic while you and him were in the middle of an argument? Are you mad that I had encouraged Sonic to keep on talking to me just because I had talked back to him? I'm...I'm sorry that I did that.".

Knuckles' heart felt like it was crushed under Kathy's innocent words. He then smiled sheepishly at her as he calmly replied, "N-No, Kathy. I'm not mad at you. You did nothing wrong here. It's Sonic who's at fault here. No need to apologize to me, Kathy. Just...Just keep on watching T.V., okay?".

Kathy smiled brightly at that as she exclaimed, "Okay!".

"Hmph," Knuckles grunted in amusement at that as he watched Kathy looked back at the T.V. again with an innocent smile on her face. Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails were just stunned by how Knuckles had acted there. At one moment, Knuckles was ready to kill Sonic, but in the next moment, he was as harmless as a little puppy looking up at his "master". The mood whiplash was quite unexpected for the two of them that they were left completely confused.

JUST WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?! Sonic and Tails shouted in their minds while having shocked faces.

Although Sonic was afraid to ask Knuckles now, he still persisted by saying, "Umm...Knuckles?".

"What?" Knuckles asked with a growl as he looked back at Sonic. Even Sonic had noticed that Knuckles had calmed down...considerably...after talking to Kathy.

Sonic then asked with a sheepish grin on his face, "Ummm...Just what was that?".

"What's 'what', Sonic?" Knuckles asked in annoyance with a frown on his face.

"Just...you know...you being rather...what's the word? …...Docile?" Sonic asked awkwardly with one eyebrow raised while the other is lowered in confusion.

"Yeah? So? You got a problem with that?" Knuckles asked back with a grimace as he narrowed his fierce eyes at Sonic again.

"What?! No! No! I don't have a problem with that! But...umm...Just what had made you to act this way? In fact..." Sonic exclaimed in a slight panic before being sheepish again as he grinned at Knuckles. He continued by adding, "...Why did you confront me like this anyway? I mean...Kathy's just another girl, Knuckles. I didn't see you act this way while I had spoken to Amy or to Rouge in the past. Soo...why's Kathy the one that had gotten you all fired up? Hmm? That's what I want to know".

Knuckles immediately blushed in embarrassment as he had no counterargument to that. Sonic was right about that. He didn't care how Sonic had treated girls earlier. Even if he was a gentleman in the past, he wouldn't care less on how Sonic had interacted with women himself. So why...did he confront Sonic's behavior now of all times? He...honestly didn't know what to say to that.

"..." Knuckles was silent as he still held Sonic up on the wall. Sonic smiled a little sheepishly as he saw that his question had actually made Knuckles speechless.

"Well, if you don't have an answer to that question, Knuckles, then could you please put me down already? I think that I got your message, buddy. I'll 'behave' if that will make you happy," Sonic replied calmly with a smile.

Knuckles didn't say anything or object to that. So, he slowly puts Sonic down to the floor and lets go of his arms. While still blushing in embarrassment, Knuckles looked away from Sonic and rubbed his own arms as he stepped to the side a bit. Sonic just rubbed his arms to relieve the stress and the minor aching that Knuckles had caused by holding him tightly.

"Geez...It's times like these that I had forgotten how rough you can be with me, Knuckles. At this point, I'd take Amy's glomps over your death grips any day!" Sonic replied casually with a grin as he stared at Knuckles' bashful face.

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted with a frown as he looked down to the ground in shame. "...Just another girl", huh? …...No, Sonic. Kathy's...Kathy's not just some girl to me. She's just...She's just...Knuckles brooded with a frown as he remembered all the wonderful memories that he had with Kathy ever since she had come into his life. It was only less than a few hours yet he can remember vividly all the moments where Kathy had smiled and laughed at him when they were being playful together; where Kathy was just being curious with her surroundings when he was showing her the objects in his shack; where Kathy had done her best to comfort him whenever he felt depressed or broken; and where Kathy just...looked into his eyes with such beautiful, sparkling, light-blue eyes. Clearly...Kathy isn't just another girl to Knuckles.

…...She's the one who had given me hope in my weakest hour. If she wasn't here then...I wouldn't be here now. Knuckles brooded with a depressed look on his face as he turned his back on Sonic.

Tails frowned as he saw Knuckles looking depressed and was about to say something before he heard something shocking in the news.

"Oh! Huh?! Wait just a minute, folks! …...Hmm...I see. This just in: Dr. Eggman's base had reportedly been attacked late last night at around midnight. Dr. Eggman himself had personally reported to the press about this strange incident and had given us his footage as proof that someone other than Sonic and his friends had something against him. Mr. Wally? Your report please," The news caster announced suddenly as the left screen had a picture of Dr. Eggman labeled as the victim in the report.

"What?! Dr. Eggman was attacked?! Who could have done it this time?!" Tails exclaimed in shock as he walked over behind the couch's right side and put his arms over it since he was intrigued by the news now. Kathy's eyebrows were raised as she felt a little nervous now but still remained calm since she doesn't want to let others notice her odd behavior.

"Huh? How did that happen?" Sonic and Knuckles both asked in confusion as they looked at each other briefly before focusing on the news report now.

"Thank you, Mr. Mike. We're right here at the damaged site. You can see all the crumbled rubble, the burn marks on the building, the huge holes being left on several parts on the base, and the wreckage of the dozens of robots guarding the evil Doctor's base. This is just the outside portion of the base. Here are some screenshots of the interior damage inside the base. …...As you can see, more robot wreckage, destroyed security cameras, broken doors, huge holes in the walls and the ceilings, and much more burn marks were left in the sudden attack of the base. Considering how strong the damage was, it's a miracle that the base is still standing amongst the destruction. Whoever the attacker was, they were very ruthless and powerful enough to have left such wreckage behind," Mr. Wally said calmly as the scenes change to show images of the outside of the base to the inside as the news reporter said this.

Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles all gaped in shock by these images. They were surprised on how badly damaged Dr. Eggman's base was. They all almost felt sorry for their enemy now after seeing the aftermath of that surprise attack. Kathy just bit her lip as she sunk a little into her seat. She just hoped that this was all that the news was going to show. Even though she had heard that they had Dr. Eggman's footage with them, she just hoped that it doesn't really show her actually destroying the base or even worse...when she had destroyed the jets.

Of course...it's just as she had feared.

"And now...uhhh...Dr. Eggman will speak up on this matter as he'll explain what's going on in the footage," Mr. Wally said awkwardly as he raised his microphone towards Dr. Eggman who was standing next to him now.

"Huh?! Dr. Eggman?!" Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles exclaimed in shock as they all had wide eyes and wide open mouths as they stared at the T.V. in disbelief.

Oh no...Kathy thought with a frown.

"Ah. Thank you, my good man. Now, listen up, you half-wits, before you dismiss me as being biased or being someone who is a liar here, I will come out and say this right now that I wouldn't have gone through all this trouble just to give you this footage if it was from someone that I know. Like a certain blue hedgehog that you all know and admire here. And if you are watching this hedgehog, let me just state for the record here that...I hate you, and I want you out of my life..." Dr. Eggman said calmly as he grabbed the microphone and stared into the camera. The news reporter just inched away towards the side as Dr. Eggman had started to speak.

Sonic frowned as he casually said, "Yeah, yeah. The feeling is mutual, Eggface".

Dr. Eggman then frowned as if he had heard that but was actually for the next topic that he was going to discuss. "...However, for this once, I might need you to help me because I fear that this...monster is going to make havoc onto this world just like it had done to my base," Dr. Eggman continued in a sad tone.

"H-Huh? A...monster?" Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles repeated at the same time in confusion as they all looked at each other. They had confused yet intrigued faces as they were now curious at what Dr. Eggman is saying here. Kathy just frowned further in worry.

"If you guys still don't believe me here, then have a good look at the footage taken by my security cameras. Here it is...Although I will say...even though you can barely make out the attacker here, you can still see the attacker's sparkles and bright, rainbow colors since it was flying so fast," Dr. Eggman said sadly yet calmly as the footage came up on screen. Dr. Eggman was saying this while the footage showed Kathy destroying the base and the robots with her hot-red energy beams and light-blue punches through her Sol Gems. Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles were all stunned as they stared at the shocking footage of Kathy destroying the base ruthlessly. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. They all wondered who this supposed "monster" was that Dr. Eggman had mentioned. Kathy gulped quietly as she realized that it's only a matter of seconds before the guys figure out that it was HER on the security footage.

"What's even worse was that this girl had managed to release my Wisps! I was going to use them for my next scheme! But now, all I have is nothing but ruins and wreckage to clean up for now! It's going to take days of cleaning and rebuilding before I get started on my new plan!" Dr. Eggman yelled in frustration as the footage changed to Kathy releasing the Wisps, destroying the huge guard robots, and destroying another wall that had set the Wisps free so that they can escape in which they did. The guys were still stunned by this but were surprised at that part. They wondered now if the "monster" had done this on purpose or was just doing its own thing that had somehow accidently did a good thing by chance.

"And here is just the icing on this terrible and insulting cake, this monster had even destroyed ALL of my newly created supersonic jets! I was ALSO going to use those to attack Sonic and his friends! I was planning an AIR STRIKE against them! How dare this monster who...who...Ugh...Just roll the next footage...This is how...I had lost them...in a flash..." Dr. Eggman yelled some more before he muttered in an exhausted tone as he frowned deeper. The footage now showed the view in Dr. Eggman's jet. The footage showed Dr. Eggman's jets flying towards Kathy in the distance. Within seconds...the first two jets had exploded thanks to Kathy's energy beams. A few seconds later...all of the jets had exploded almost in unison. Loud, fiery explosions can be seen and heard from the T.V.

The guys just gasped in shock as they watched their enemy's jet air fleet get taken down in a matter of seconds. They don't know what to think of this. On one hand, they were glad that this monster had saved them unintentionally from another Dr. Eggman attack, but on another hand...they're worried that they might be next. Who knows what kind of a monster is this? Is it a friend...or is it a foe? They just don't know...all except of one of them...which is the nervous moth girl sitting in the middle of the couch.

Gulp...I'm so screwed. Kathy thought in nervousness as she frowned in worry.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, what you just saw was no joke. That thing had destroyed my jets! I would never destroy my own base or jets just to trick people with this sob story! Do you even know how much work I put into building my bases OR my jets?! Lots! Lots! And lots of grueling HOURS just to make them right! I may be a genius inventor, but even I have limits into perfecting my creations! So, in other words, you guys should better believe me now because this is serious! There is a live, flying monster on the loose, and it might attack our fair world soon! Who knows?! It could happen again within a few hours or within a few minutes! In fact, I was almost killed by it last night and so was my lackey robots!" Dr. Eggman yelled angrily as he glared at the camera now.

The news reporter then asked as he briefly pulled the microphone from Dr. Eggman's grip for a moment, "Umm...sir? Are you really sure about that? Yes, that monster had attacked your base and your jets. But don't you think that you're exaggerating that part a little bit?".

Dr. Eggman growled in anger as he roughly took the microphone from the news reporter and glared at him. He then yelled, "Do you think that I'm exaggerating to you?! I saw my life flash before my eyes TWICE last night! The first was at my base, and the other is when I had tried to confront that monster!".

"B-B-But sir...s-surely that you have proof of that monster...almost killing you, right?" the news reporter replied nervously as he weakly pulled the microphone back to him for a bit.

"Oh, I have proof for ya! The very same proof that shows that this thing IS a monster! Roll the footage of the security tape on the top floor of my base! THIS is the moment of HOW those burn marks had come upon the exterior of my base in the first place!" Dr. Eggman exclaimed back as he grabbed the microphone again and pointed at his base for emphasis while looking at the camera. The footage started playing, and it showed Dr. Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot all huddled up together in the middle of the floor as they stared at Kathy outside of the hole in the wall. Kathy was still distant from the camera shot, but her sparkly body and beautiful, rainbow wings could still be seen. The room then started to rumble as Kathy was seen attacking the outside of the base with her red-hot energy beams. Loud explosions were also heard in the footage as the base was being attacked.

The guys had gasped again in shock when they heard the explosions followed by Dr. Eggman's, Orbot's, and Cubot's screams.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE! AAAAAAAAH!" Cubot screamed in fear.

Soon, the footage shows Kathy not attacking anymore once she had hit the second top floor of the base. In the footage, Dr. Eggman, Orbot, and Cubot all gasped in shock once they saw Kathy had stopped attacking them.

Kathy had started to sweat as she begged in her heart that the footage would just cut off there. Please end the footage. Please end the footage. Please end the footage. Please end the footage. Kathy thought as she felt really nervous.

But...the footage kept on going.

SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! KIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOO!

Tails and Sonic gasped again in shock after hearing those loud screeches for the first time. They hadn't heard anything like it before. At this point, they truly did believe in Dr. Eggman now by saying that it was a monster who had attacked his base. Meanwhile, Kathy just hoped that the guys would just ignore all of this and don't ask her about this. Kathy then pondered with a worried look on her face.

Uhhhh...Okay, Kathy. That was...a bit of bad luck...and...uhh...some cockiness on your part. But just stay calm. None of these guys had personally heard you screech before and hadn't found out that I was the one in that footage. Maybe...Maybe they'll just move on from this. I mean. Come on. What are the chances of one of them actually hearing those screeches? Possibly zero if I had to-

"K-Kathy? Was that...Was that you in that footage?" Knuckles asked quietly while in disbelief as he stared at Kathy with a shocked expression on his face.

"...!" Kathy gasped in shock as she turned her head to look at Knuckles with a nervous expression on her face. Her eyes and mouth went wide as she stared at Knuckles in shock. Knuckles stared back at her with a worried look on his face. He still couldn't believe it. The moment when he had heard those screeches again, his mind had clicked at who it was that had made them in the first place. Apparently...he had deduced that it was Kathy who had made those screeches last night. There was no other person who could have done that.

Tails and Sonic gasped in shock after they had heard Knuckles say that. They looked at Knuckles first before looking at Kathy with surprised yet confused looks on their faces.

"You heard right. That thing who had attacked me was a monster. Now, all of you better prepare yourselves whenever this thing attacks us because it could be you next! Sonic, if you're watching this, then be very wary of this monster. I don't want to lose such a valuable opponent due to this monster. Stay away from this monster as much as possible. You hear me? As far-" Dr. Eggman spoke calmly again before Kathy grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. off. Kathy sighed sadly as she placed the T.V. remote away.

Knuckles frowned when he saw this. He then asked again in a sad tone, "Kathy? P-Please tell me that I'm wrong here. If I'm wrong, then...you shouldn't have to worry about this. But...But if it's the truth, then...why? Just...who are you exactly?".

Kathy frowned in shame as she looked down on her lap. She was quiet since she doesn't know what to say or do here. All she could think of was this. Busted.

"Knuckles? Are you serious? Do you really know that...it was Kathy in that footage? How did you know that it was her?" Sonic asked solemnly and in curiosity as he grabbed Knuckles' shoulder and looked at him.

Knuckles turned his head to look at Sonic and frowned to him. "Yes. I am absolutely certain that it was her. I saw her being attacked by the Master Emerald last night, and while she was attacked, I...I heard those same screeches that was from the footage that we just saw. They're exactly one and the same," Knuckles answered calmly yet solemnly.

Sonic gasped in shock of that answer. "What? No way," Sonic replied in a whisper as he now stared at Kathy with wide eyes. Tails was also surprised by this as he looked at Kathy with worried eyes.

"Kathy? Is this true? Are you...a monster?" Tails asked in a worried tone while looking sad at her. Kathy just slumped in her seat in shame. She was still being quiet about it. Knuckles frowned in sadness as he stared back at Kathy.

"Kathy...Please tell us. We just want to know," Knuckles replied gently yet worriedly.

Kathy just sighed again. She realized that her plan had backfired now that all three of her new friends had found out about her secret. She really did thought that she didn't have to reveal her secret identity at all while she stays here in this dimension. She thought that she would stay hidden in the shadows forever, but...it looks like she was wrong about that. Now...Now is the time to tell them about...everything.

"...Guys...Have a seat," Kathy muttered quietly as she stood up from the couch and walked towards the T.V. before turning around from it. Tails, Sonic, and Knuckles frowned at her but nodded in understanding as they went towards the couch to sit on it together. Tails sat on the right end; Sonic sat in the middle; and Knuckles sat on the left end of the couch. They stared at Kathy curiously as they wondered what she will say. Kathy had her hands behind her back as she looked shameful since was looking down at the floor. She felt like her new friends were judging her now since she...hadn't been open about herself to them yet. She looked sad as she stared back at the guys. She...felt even scared to tell them the truth. She believed that if she had told them the truth now...then her new friendships with them would be over. They probably would want her out of this dimension and out of this house even! She's...scared that she'll be alone again. The fact that she'll be isolated from others again just saddens and scares her. It was one thing if she had willfully made herself to be alone, but to be isolated from others AFTER she had just made friends with them is just heart-breaking to her. She...honestly don't want to tell them truth. She just want to run away again and head out the door from this house.

She's that scared.

"..." Kathy was still silent as she doesn't know where to start. She looked nervous, and the guys had noticed this. They all looked at each other and frowned as they know that Kathy needs help.

"Kathy...It's okay. You don't have to be afraid. We're willing to listen to you. Honest, " Tails encouraged quietly yet worriedly as he stared at Kathy with saddened eyes. Kathy looked up at the guys again in slight surprise. She still didn't say anything but stared at them in worry.

"Tails is right, Kathy. We're willing to hear you out. I'm sure that if you tell us your side of the story then we'll believe you. Not from that old Egghead. He probably got some things wrong about you anyway. He doesn't know you, Kathy. So...you can tell us. Tell us anything about you. We'll listen to you carefully. What you're going to say next is important. I'm sure of it," Sonic encouraged too as he looked serious yet calm as he stared at Kathy too. Kathy gaped a little in surprise again as her eyebrows were still upwards in a sad way. Both Tails and Sonic's words were comforting to her, but...she still felt scared.

Even if they mean well in their hearts, they'll still reject me when I tell them the truth. They all can't...possibly care for me if they know that I'm a—Kathy thought with a sad look on her face as she stared at the group.

"Kathy?" Knuckles asked gently.

…! K-Knuckles? Kathy thought in shock as she stared at Knuckles next. Her eyes were pleading to him as a way to say "Help me".

Knuckles saw that look in her eyes and had softened his expression to a caring one. "Kathy...Don't even think that we'll abandon you after you had told us the truth. Because we won't. Not to someone like you," Knuckles started with a gentle tone of voice as he stared at her with caring, violet eyes. Kathy stared back into his eyes as Knuckles keeps on consoling her.

"The reason that we're asking you about this is because we care about you. We don't know anything about you, Kathy. We would like to help you if something had happened to you or is bothering you. Kathy...the fact that you looked worried means that something is bothering you. You can't just...hide it forever you know. You can't be happy if you keep on...hiding things from others...including from those...who care about you. So...please. Please tell us, Kathy. Please...tell it to even...me," Knuckles consoled with a concerned look on his face. Kathy just gasped in shock after Knuckles had said that. She can see that Knuckles looked very sincere and concerned for her just by how he looks. She can see his eyelids drooping a bit halfway, and his mouth was frowning in a sad way. It's almost like he felt hurt that Kathy hadn't told him about this before...and honestly...Kathy couldn't blame him. She had basically deceived him from the very start. She...had tricked him into thinking that she was just a regular moth when in actuality she's not. She felt like she had just let him down by not being honest about herself while they were still getting to know each other. And now...with him showing compassion towards her by saying that he cares for her and that he's encouraging her to tell the truth...it's just too much for her heart to take.

Kathy then covered her eyes with her arm as she silently cried in shame and in guilt. The guys gasped in surprise as they saw Kathy cry suddenly. They frowned even more in sadness as they watched Kathy cry while hearing her apologize to them.

"...(Sniff)…...I'm...I'm so sorry...(Sob)…...I...I really didn't mean to deceive any of you...(Sob Sob)…...I was just...I was just so scared of how you'll react if I...if I...(Sniff)…...if I had told you who I really am on the inside...(Sob Sob Sob)...If I had told you the truth...then I don't know what I'll do...(Sob)…...I had feared that you would have been...been...disgusted with me and be afraid of me...(Sniff)...I just didn't want to be hated again...just like before...back in my own dimension...(Sob Sob)…..." Kathy confessed as she cried quietly while she had her head down.

What? Kathy was...hated before? And in her own dimension that Blaze lives in? Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails thought at the same time as they stared at Kathy in sadness. Kathy was silent as she continued to cry some more. Knuckles really wanted to go up to Kathy and give her a hug, yet he restrained himself since Sonic and Tails are here to watch him. So, he just gave Kathy some space to let her cry by herself. After several more seconds of crying, Kathy soon decided to wipe her eyes and to calm herself down. She breathed deeply as she then thought. Knuckles is right. I should tell them the truth. I won't truly be happy with my new life here in this dimension if I keep on hiding my secret identity from others. They deserve to know the truth because of how caring they are to you. If you keep being selfish like this then...I will just always keep on betraying their kindness with my dishonesty. Our friendship won't be a pure one if we keep on having secrets from each other. I should...really take this secret off of my chest and let them...see who I really am on the inside.

After Kathy had finally calmed down, she then faced the guys once more. They still had frowns on their faces as they stared at Kathy in concern. After staring at them for a while, Kathy then smiled a little as she replied gently, "Thank you so much for encouraging me to tell you the truth. I really was afraid at first, but now...I think that I'm finally ready to tell you the truth. Again...I'm really sorry that I hadn't told you guys sooner, but once you hear my reasoning...then maybe you'll understand why I did it. Now...ummm...are you guys ready to hear it?".

The guys were slightly surprised by her question at the end. They all looked at each other for a moment before smiling a little as they saw that they had made a breakthrough. They looked back at Kathy and nodded to her.

"Go ahead, Kathy. Tell us. We're all ears," Knuckles replied calmly yet gently with a little smile on his face. Kathy smiled back at him and towards Sonic and Tails too. She then placed her right hand over her chest as she beamed at them cheerfully again.

"Alright. I'll tell you then," Kathy replied brightly. The guys smiled as they leant forward to hear what Kathy was going to reveal to them.

But...they had no idea that it was going to be a literal bombshell like this one.

"I'm...I'm actually a kaiju monster," Kathy confessed calmly with a smile on her face.

...! ...Wait. What? Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails thought at the same time with shocked looks on their faces. They had heard what Kathy had said...but they are utterly confused.

"A..." Tails muttered in shock while looking surprised and baffled.

"...Kaiju..." Sonic muttered in shock next while also looking surprised and baffled.

"...Monster?" Knuckles muttered in shock and in confusion as he was also looking surprised and baffled.

Kathy nodded happily with a grin on her face as she exclaimed brightly "Yep!".

"THE HECK'S A 'KAIJU'?!" Knuckles, Sonic, and Tails shouted in unison since they were completely shocked and confused.

...And thus, they soon realized now that they are not only going to protect some moth girl from the new threat...but they're also going to protect the girl who is also a Kaiju monster on top of that.

This adventure...is going to be one of the strangest adventures for Sonic and his friends. For Knuckles especially.

What's this? A cliffhanger? Oh no! Just when we're getting to the good part too! I was thinking about extending this chapter to be longer, but I thought that cutting it short might be a good idea. I have a good feeling that what I'm going to write next chapter might also be around 30,000 to 40, 000 words long anyway, so, I might have made the right choice here. But hey, you got a chapter being posted early! That's worth something, right? Anyways, please R&R if you're liking this story so far! Onwards to the next chapter!

P.S. As I had stated back in Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak, my OC is overpowered and can be seen as a bad character flaw(which still is), but my defense is that my character is based off of Mothra. Mothra is already overpowered anyway since she's from a different franchise and not from the Sonic franchise. So, bringing a Kaiju into the Sonic universe would be considered overpowered anyway whether they become a Sonic character or not. My character is essentially Mothra but just as a Sonic character. So, it is kind of expected of Kathy to have those powers. Especially considering she has to protect something that has an entire dimension at stake such as her Sol Pendant for example. Only the Queen of the Monsters is befitting to have and control a powerful jewel like that! So, in other words, go Mothra! But in all seriousness, the Sol Pendant and Sol Hearts will be explained further in the next two chapters. But of course, if you had read Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak first, then you already know what they are. Anyways, let's have fun with this story as we see Mothra being awesome again!