Guardian Angels

by KatherineTheMoth

After saving the Sol Dimension from being taking over by Battra, Kathy the Moth teleported him and herself to Sonic's dimension where she will stay there as her new home dimension and protect it from Battra and from other evil forces. By Battra's meddling, Kathy had crash-landed on Angel Island and was found by Knuckles. But little did he realize that he had found Mothra herself.

14. Angel and(pt 9: Epilogue)

Guardian Angels

S1:E6: Angel And...(Pt. 9: Epilogue)

Kathy and Knuckles eventually got back to Tails' house. They opened the front door and had greeted Sonic and Tails. Sonic and Tails happily greeted them back after seeing that they had returned safely from Central City. But of course, they immediately took notice of Kathy's terrible physical condition and had decided to help her ail her wounds. They fetched the first-aid kit, some relief pills, water, and an ice pack to help her recover from her migraine since Kathy told them that she has one. Knuckles led Kathy to the couch and told her that she should rest there. She nodded in understanding and sat down on the couch. She then placed her Sol Heart inside her dress pocket and put her Sol Gems back into her pendant. Knuckles sat down beside her on her right side. He then gently rubbed Kathy's back in comfort as he helped her to relax.

"It's going to be okay, Kathy. Sonic and Tails will patch up your wounds and make your migraine go away," Knuckles said calmly yet gently with a little smile as he gently rubbed her back.

Kathy looked at Knuckles and smiled a little too. "That's good. Uggh...I want this to be over with already," Kathy replied calmly with a little smile while cringing again in pain from the migraine.

"I understand, Kathy. Having a headache or a migraine isn't fun at all. Believe me..." Knuckles replied calmly with a sympathetic smile and a nod before he smirked playfully as he joked, "...I had plenty of those in the past. Most of them usually came from dealing with Sonic. If you want an immediate migraine from somebody, he's the guy you go to in order to get one".

"Oh. Ha ha ha. Very funny, Knucklehead. As if I'm the only one who gives you migraines. What about Ro-?" Sonic replied with a frown as he looked annoyed. He walked back to the living room while holding an ice pack and a glass of water and had stood before Kathy while looking at Knuckles.

"Argh! An instant migraine! Thanks a lot, Sonic! Thanks for bringing her up!" Knuckles exclaimed in annoyance while gritting his teeth as he held his head with his right hand and rubbed it. He had cringed the moment Sonic was about to mention Rouge.

Sonic smiled smugly at Knuckles as he asked teasingly, "Do you want an ice pack too?".

"Grrrrr! Bite me!" Knuckles exclaimed with a growl and with gritted teeth as he glared at Sonic in annoyance.

"Hehehehehehe! You two act like brothers when you're together! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with an innocent smile as she giggled a lot.

Sonic and Knuckles looked at Kathy with surprised expressions on their faces. They soon looked back at each other while looking surprised but soon smiled smugly at each other since they can see where Kathy is coming from here.

"You know what, Kathy? You're absolutely right about that. Because right now, I'm feeling the urge to beat Sonic up since he's being annoying," Knuckles replied calmly yet mischievously as he stared at Sonic with a smug smile and with lowered eyelids.

"Dude. I just recovered from my injuries. I can't afford to get more blows to the noggin or else I might go unconscious," Sonic replied in annoyance with a frown and a shrug.

"Aww, what a shame. Then I guess I'll have to punch that smart mouth of yours instead," Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a smug grin and with half-lidded eyes.

"Hehehehehehehe!" Kathy giggled some more at this as she looked at Sonic and Knuckles. Knuckles looked at her and grinned even more in amusement as he saw that he's making her giggle a lot. Heheheh...Honestly, I'm not actually in the mood to beat Sonic up. I'm just saying those things just to make Kathy laugh and giggle, and clearly, it's working. Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement while grinning a lot as he watched Kathy giggle a lot.

Sonic looked at Knuckles with a curious expression on his face, but when he saw that Knuckles was looking at Kathy while grinning a lot, he soon smiled in understanding of what Knuckles is actually doing. And yet you still deny that you have a crush. Oh, good grief. Just look at yourself, Knuckles. You're acting like a clown just to make Kathy giggle. Anyone who likes someone very much would do that. Sonic pondered calmly in amusement with a gentle smile.

"You know, Knuckles. It's times like these where I'm glad that you're not actually my brother because I don't want to deal with your hotheadedness all day," Sonic replied calmly yet teasingly with a cheeky smile as he carefully placed the ice pack on top of Kathy's head and gave her the glass of water. Kathy held the glass of water while giggling. She may have cringed a bit while giggling, but the migraine started to settle down after Sonic put the ice pack over her head.

"Hmph. And I'm glad that I don't have to deal with your recklessness and immaturity every day. Seriously! How does Tails put up with you anyway?" Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a mischievous smirk as he stared at Sonic.

"It's because he needs a babysitter. Hence why yours truly," Tails answered calmly yet in slight annoyance as he frowned and as he had lowered eyelids. He walked out of the kitchen door and went towards Kathy while holding the first-aid kit and a bottle of pills.

"Tails!" Sonic exclaimed in shock and in embarrassment as he blushed while looking at Tails.

"Hehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy giggled even more at this as she looked at Sonic and Tails.

"Hahahahahahahahah! Now, THAT explains a lot! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed playfully in amusement with a huge smile as he burst out laughing.

"Come on, Tails! You know that I can take care of myself!" Sonic exclaimed in annoyance as he frowned and crossed his arms while looking at Tails. Tails placed the first-aid kit down to the floor next to the couch and had opened it.

"Oh, really? Then answer me this. How many times did you rely on me to save your butt after doing something stupid?" Tails replied calmly yet in slight annoyance as he took out the burn cream and some swabs.

"Uhh...Maybe...50 times?" Sonic answered awkwardly with a sheepish smile and with a shrug.

"Exactly. And who's the one who has to stop you from killing yourself over dumb, extreme experiments that you do on your off time?" Tails asked calmly with a frown as he rolled his eyes a little.

"Oh, come on! I was bored whenever I did that! Seriously, if Dr. Eggman isn't causing trouble, then I have to come up with my own kind of fun! And those experiments were the best! I bet that even you couldn't come up with them!" Sonic exclaimed with a frown and with half-lidded eyes as he shrugged again while he looked at Tails.

Tails turned his head around and looked back at Sonic as he replied in annoyance, "Really, Sonic? Riding down a long ramp while wearing rocket boots and flying over your house to land on a tree branch is your idea of a fun experiment?".

Sonic grinned sheepishly at Tails as he put his hands on his hips while answering awkwardly, "But Tails...It's a scientific experiment".

"In what way does that suicidal experiment count as 'scientific'?" Tails asked in annoyance while staring at Sonic. Kathy was smiling a lot as she listened to Sonic and Tails' conversation. She found it very amusing to her. Knuckles can't help but smile a lot too as he was also listening to the conversation.

"I mean...You have to calculate the trajectory of your landing after falling from the sky. How much speed you need to fly over your house...How much wind is blowing within the vicinity...and the aero dynamics of flying with rocket boots...Those things count as being scientific. Right?" Sonic explained awkwardly with a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his head.

"..." Tails was silent while looking unamused by this. Sonic had a sweat drop going down his head as he saw how silent Tails was being right now. ...What? It was a fun activity! ...At least to me anyway...Sonic thought calmly while looking awkward.

"Sonic...When I do experiments, I keep myself as well as others as safe as possible during them. There's a reason why I don't create reckless stunts like that. I don't want to get myself or others killed!" Tails replied calmly yet in annoyance as he narrowed his eyes at Sonic.

"Uhh...Heheheheh...Yeah...I kind of see your point in that," Sonic replied awkwardly with a nervous chuckle and with a sheepish smile.

"See? This is why I feel like a babysitter at times despite being much younger than you, Sonic. You can't be responsible for one second," Tails replied calmly with a frown as he shook his head while he took out some bandages from the first-aid kit.

"Pfft! Ain't that the truth! Heheheheh!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a playful smirk as he snickered while he had his arms crossed.

Sonic frowned at Knuckles before looking at Tails again and replied calmly with a little smile, "Tails, I can be responsible whenever I want to. Remember that time where you, Knuckles, and I have to team up together to stop Dr. Eggman's Egg Fleet? Guess who was the leader in that scenario?".

Tails sighed and looked at Sonic again while answering calmly yet tiredly, "...(Sigh)...You...".

"Exactly. And-" Sonic replied calmly with a grin before Tails cut him off again.

"But because of that, we nearly died at every corner and at every place we went to. It was either by your reckless actions, your cockiness, or by your annoyances since you kept bugging Knuckles the entire time. And guess who had to listen to the arguments and bickering while also had to focus on flying safely over treacherous areas? That's right. Me. I even threw you guys at some enemies just to shut you two up. It was a train wreck of an adventure, and it had taught me that you are NOT leadership material. Knuckles or I could have done a better job at leading the team along than you, Sonic," Tails replied calmly yet in annoyance as he frowned a lot.

"I second that statement, Tails. You have no idea how tempting it was for me to throw you down into bottomless pits and skies since you were annoying the heck out of me. It was because of your smart mouth that had distracted me and made my fighting skills subpar than they normally are. That was a huge reason why that adventure was the most frustrating one yet. Your ego and your speed are a deadly combination at times that it's a miracle that we had managed to survive that adventure. 'Team Sonic'? Hmph! More like 'Team Know-it-all'!" Knuckles replied calmly in agreement and in annoyance as he frowned deeply and as his eyelids lowered halfway. Talk about another migraine. I didn't even want to remember that particular adventure. Especially since...it reminds me of how desperate I was for finding my purpose in life. That was the real reason I had gone on that horrible adventure. To find something that gives me meaning in what I do as a guardian. Knuckles brooded calmly with a solemn frown as he glared at Sonic.

Sonic smiled sheepishly at Tails and Knuckles while rubbing the back of his head. He then replied calmly yet brightly with a sheepish smile, "Aww...Come on, guys. That adventure was fun! We had a lot of good times together! We even have beaten Metal Sonic again as a team! That must count for something, right?".

"..." Knuckles and Tails were silent as they stared at Sonic with annoyed looks on their faces. Kathy was smiling widely at this as she looked at Knuckles, Tails, and Sonic. She has no idea on what they were talking about, but it sounded amusing to her.

"Guys...Don't be like this. We're Sonic Heroes for crying out loud! How can you be so pessimistic about that adventure? It was fun!" Sonic replied calmly yet enthusiastically with a bright grin and with a shrug.

"To you, Sonic, it was. But for us, it was horrible," Knuckles and Tails replied calmly in unison and in annoyance while frowning and having lowered eyelids.

"Heheheheh...Uhh...Maybe our ideas for fun are different after all," Sonic muttered calmly yet awkwardly with a sheepish smile and with a nervous chuckle.

"You think?!" Knuckles and Tails exclaimed in annoyance as they both glared at Sonic while having veins bulging from their heads. But of course, Kathy just giggled in amusement of this.

"Hehehehehehehehehe! Boy, you guys really are brothers! Hehehehehehe! It must have been hard for you guys to not kill each other over ridiculous things like being the leader and all that! Hahahahahaha! It's rather surprising how you guys had stuck together all this time with how much you bicker and fight! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed in amusement with a cheerful smile while giggling a lot.

The guys immediately looked at Kathy after hearing her say that. They all had shocked looks on their faces as they stared at Kathy while she giggled a lot. They looked back at each other while still looking shocked. Knuckles was the most shocked of all as he realized that Kathy was right. Even though his relationship with his acquaintances may have soured over time, he still stuck with them especially during the hard times in the past.

I suppose from an outsider's perspective that we are pretty ridiculous when we're together. In the end, we're just a bangle of idiots trying to save the world from a mad scientist. Of course, we're going to stick together in the end...even though I still want to kill Sonic for his stupid antics. But...Sigh...I suppose that if it wasn't for him, then I wouldn't have had many adventures and just remain on my island forever. Knuckles pondered calmly with a little smile as he looked at Sonic and Tails.

"You're right about that, Kathy. It certainly wasn't easy for me to get along with these two idiots, but I stuck by them because they needed me," Knuckles replied calmly with a little smile as he looked at Kathy while still having his arms crossed.

"I'll ignore that 'idiot' comment and say that I second that statement, Knuckles. For how much we disagree and fight one another, we still help each other out and be there for them when they needed it," Sonic agreed calmly with a gentle smile while he looked at Knuckles before looking at Kathy too.

Tails shook his head and smiled in amusement too as he looked at Kathy while he calmly replied, "Yeah, we can be pretty silly at times and sometimes make things worse for everyone whenever we fight one another. But that's how friendships are sometimes. At one moment, we get angry and get on the other person's nerves, but at another moment, we'll be laughing and having fun with each other. It's usually not easy to get along with your friends, but there are some exceptions to that...".

Tails then looked at Sonic as he calmly added with a bright smile, "...Such as those who have an unbreakable bond with one another. Like the one that Sonic and I have".

Sonic grinned at that and gave Tails a thumbs-up as he exclaimed brightly, "Yep! Those kinds of bonds are really hard to break! No matter how angry you can get with them, you can never get them out of your mind and heart because you deeply care about them! That's why Tails and I are best buds! Brothers or not, we'll stick together to the very end!".

Tails smiled sheepishly at Sonic as he replied calmly, "Aww...Thanks, Sonic. That's very sweet of you to say".

"Hey, I'm not usually the mushy type, but I still have to acknowledge it at some point. Heh. Only because it's true," Sonic replied calmly with a bright smile as he shrugged before crossing his arms and winking at Tails when he said that last part.

"Awww...Heheheheh..." Tails muttered awkwardly with a chuckle and with a light blush while smiling sheepishly.

"Wow..." Kathy muttered quietly in awe of that while looking stunned. She stared curiously at Sonic and Tails as she pondered to herself. "Unbreakable bond" huh? I wonder if...

She then looked at Knuckles with intrigue in her eyes as she finished her thoughts. ...Knuckles and I would ever get to have that special bond.

Knuckles then looked at Kathy after looking at Sonic and Tails for a bit and was surprised when he saw her staring at him with curious eyes. His eyebrows were raised, and his mouth was open a little as he stared back at Kathy.

"What?" Knuckles asked calmly yet curiously with a little frown and with raised eyebrows as he stared at Kathy.

"Ah! Uh! Nothing! Nothing!" Kathy exclaimed in embarrassment as she frowned a little and blushed a lot. She then turned her head away and decided to drink her glass of water to try to be casual about it.

"Wait. Huh?" Knuckles muttered calmly in confusion as he looked bewildered by that response. Why was she looking at me like that? I can never tell with this girl sometimes. Aw well...Knuckles pondered in curiosity with a little frown before he sighed and smiled at her.

"Hey, guys, I think that now would be a good time to patch Kathy up. She needs our help," Knuckles muttered calmly with a little smile as he looked at Sonic and Tails before at Kathy again.

"Right," Sonic and Tails replied in unison and in agreement. They both got to work by wiping up her cuts and bandaging them up. Tails soon gave Kathy some relief pills to help her migraine to settle down. Kathy took the pills and washed them down with her water. After that, she just watched Sonic and Tails taking care of her wounds. They even applied burn cream on her body and wings in which Kathy struggled to sit still for. Knuckles helped Sonic and Tails to apply the burn cream onto Kathy by holding her shoulders. He smiled a lot in amusement as he kept Kathy under control while his acquaintances treat her.

Heh. That'll never get old. Knuckles thought calmly in amusement as he smiled widely while watching Kathy squirm a lot in her seat.

"...Okay...And...Done! Whew! Finally, it's all done," Tails muttered calmly yet brightly with a proud smile as he finished putting the cream onto Kathy. He then put the cream bottle, the swabs, and the bandages back into the first-aid kit, and after that, he stood up and walked back into the kitchen to put the first-aid kit and the pills away.

"Thank goodness...(Sigh)…" Kathy muttered calmly in relief with a tired look on her face and with a sigh.

Sonic smiled a lot in amusement of this as he replied calmly in curiosity, "Don't like having cold cream on you?".

"No!" Kathy exclaimed immediately with a pout as she looked up at Sonic while crossing her arms.

Sonic and Knuckles laughed in amusement of this. "Hahahahahahaha! Oh, my goodness, Kathy, you're such a child sometimes! Hahahahahahaha!" Sonic exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed.

"I know! Hohohohohoho! Isn't she cu-Ah!" Knuckles exclaimed with a huge smile as he laughed before he cut himself off and blushed very much at this. He quickly slapped his mouth with his hands as he blushed even more at this. I ALMOST SAID THAT KATHY'S "CUTE"! OUT LOUD EVEN! Knuckles thought in panic with an alarmed look on his face as he blushed a lot.

Of course, this caught Sonic's attention right away. "Heh. Knuckles? Were you about to say what I think that you're about to say?" Sonic asked calmly yet teasingly with a playful smirk as he looked at Knuckles while having his hands on his hips.

"NO! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT I WAS ABOUT TO SAY!" Knuckles shouted defensibly with a furious look on his face as he puts his hands down while still blushing brightly in embarrassment.

"Oh, I think that I do know, Knucklehead. You were about to say that Kathy's cute, weren't you?" Sonic replied calmly yet teasingly with a smirk as he lowered his eyelids at him.

"ACK! AH...AH..." Knuckles exclaimed in shock as he blushed even deeper at that. His eyes went wide, and his mouth was agape as he stared at Sonic in shock and in embarrassment.

"What?! Is that...true, Knuckles?" Kathy asked in surprise and in curiosity as she looked shocked while turning her head towards Knuckles. Her heart was beating fast after hearing Sonic say that. Does Knuckles think that I'm...cute? Kathy pondered in curiosity as she stared at Knuckles with intrigue in her eyes.

"AH! UHHH...UHHH..." Knuckles exclaimed in shock before he muttered shyly with a flustered face as he stared back at Kathy. His heart was pounding very fast as he felt cornered in this situation. Grrrr! Thanks a lot, Sonic! Now what do I say to Kathy?! Knuckles brooded in annoyance while looking shocked and embarrassed as he stared at Kathy's curious face.

"UHHH...UMMM..." Knuckles muttered shyly while he was blushing deeply.

"Well, Knuckles? Is it true? Do you think that I'm...I'm...cute?" Kathy asked quietly yet tentatively in shyness with a little, gaped mouth as she stared at Knuckles with sparkly, light-blue eyes. Unfortunately for Knuckles, those sparkly, light-blue eyes were his weak spot and had made him blurted this out in shyness.

"YES! YOU'RE CUTE! YOU'RE VERY, VERY CUTE, KATHY! IN FACT, YOU'RE ADORABLE TO ME! I...ACK!" Knuckles blurted out quickly in shyness before yelped in surprise as he realized what he just said. He slapped his mouth shut with both of his hands and looked even more embarrassed than before while quickly adverting his eyes from Kathy and staring down at his lap instead. KNUCKLES! YOU ABSOLUTE MORON! NOW KATHY AND SONIC KNOWS WHAT YOU TRULY THINK OF HER! THIS IS SO HUMILATING! Knuckles brooded in panic as he berated himself while blushing very deeply in red.

"...! Kn-Knuckles..." Kathy muttered in shock and in awe as she gasped while covering her mouth with her hands. Her heart went "BADUMP" the moment Knuckles admitted that she's cute. She was also blushing very deeply as she stared back at him.

Of course, Sonic had burst out laughing after hearing Knuckles say that.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Gold! That's pure gold right here! Hahahahahahahahahaha! It seems that old Knuckles does have a soft spot for someone! Hahahahahahahaha! That's so cute!" Sonic exclaimed happily in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot while clutching his stomach.

Knuckles then looked furious again as he put his hands down and glared at Sonic very harshly while growling angrily at him. "SHUT UP!" Knuckles shouted angrily with a scowl while blushing hard.

"Knuckles got a crush! Knuckles got a crush!" Sonic exclaimed teasingly in a sing-song tone of voice while smiling widely at him.

"I SAID 'SHUT UP'! DON'T MAKE ME GET UP AND BEAT YOU UP! BECAUSE I SWEAR, IF YOU MAKE FUN OF ME ONE MORE TIM-!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he barred his teeth at Sonic and raised his fists up while having a vein bulging in his head.

"Kathy and Knuckles sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Sonic sang teasingly with a smirk as he waved his fingers away in playfulness.

"THAT'S IT!" Knuckles shouted in fury as his vein had popped. He immediately got up and tried to punch Sonic. But of course, Sonic dodged by stepping to the side. Knuckles glared at Sonic as he looked at his left. Sonic just stuck his tongue out at Knuckles before he ran away from him.

"SONIC! GET BACK HERE!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he chased Sonic around the living room. Sonic was just laughing in amusement of this while Knuckles chased him as he had an enraged look on his face. Kathy was just watching Sonic and Knuckles run around in circles while looking surprised and embarrassed.

I can't believe that Knuckles thinks that I'm cute. I didn't think that...he'd see me in that way. Kathy pondered calmly in shock and in fondness with a little, shy smile on her flustered face.

"Alright! Alright! What's going on now?!" Tails exclaimed in annoyance as he opened the kitchen door and entered the living room.

"Oh, hello, Tails, I was just about to STRANGLE THIS IDIOTIC HEDGEHOG AFTER HUMILATING ME AGAIN!" Knuckles replied calmly before shouting in anger while he was holding onto Sonic's neck after tackling him down and pinning him down on the floor.

"Tails...(Gasp)...Knuckles thinks that Kathy is cu-ACK!" Sonic muttered weakly with a playful smile as he tried to speak while being choked.

"DON'T! YOU! SAY! ANOTHER! WORD!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he glared down at Sonic coldly while tightening his hold onto Sonic's neck.

"Gaack...O-Okay...I p-promise...I won't...s-say...a word..." Sonic muttered weakly with an anxious frown as he looked up at Knuckles.

"GOOD! HMPH!" Knuckles shouted in annoyance as he released Sonic's neck and as he crossed his arms while looking away instead.

"...(Gasp)…Air...Sweet air..." Sonic muttered weakly with a grimace as he placed a hand over neck and breathed deeply.

"...Uhhh...Okay..." Tails muttered calmly in awkwardness as he stared at Sonic and Knuckles on the floor in the middle of the living room. He then walked back towards Kathy while pondering. Boy, Kathy was right on the money by saying that we're like brothers. Because sheesh...Sonic and Knuckles do act like brothers sometimes.

"So...uhh...Kathy...How are you feeling? Is your migraine settling down now?" Tails asked awkwardly with a little smile as he took Kathy's glass and ice pack and held them.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yes, Tails. My head is feeling a lot better now. Thank you for helping me feel better, Tails. You and Sonic are sweet to me," Kathy replied calmly yet gently with a little smile. While Kathy was saying this, Knuckles soon stood back up and walked back to the couch. Sonic also got back up on his feet too while rubbing his back a bit since Knuckles had sit on him while choking him.

"Heheheh...You're welcome, Kathy. We'll always be happy to help you. We care about you," Tails replied calmly yet happily with a chuckle and with a little smile. Kathy beamed at Tails before she gave him another hug.

"Oh! Heheheheh...I would love to hug you back, Kathy. But...uhh...my hands are full..." Tails muttered awkwardly with a sheepish smile and with another chuckle.

"That's okay! You can hug me back in spirit!" Kathy exclaimed jovially with a sweet smile as she kept hugging Tails warmly.

"Hahahaha...Awww...And you say that Sonic and I are sweet. But you're the sweetest one here, Kathy. Honestly...You're the sweetest Queen that I have ever met!" Tails replied calmly with yet another chuckle and with a bright smile as he stared at Kathy.

Kathy soon released Tails and beamed jovially at him after hearing him say that. Knuckles smiled in amusement of that as he looked at Kathy and Tails while he sat onto the couch. ...I agree completely, Tails. Kathy is the sweetest person that I know. She's just so pure and happy that you can't help but get sucked into her sweetness. I know that from experience since...I've already been sucked into it the very moment that I've met her. Knuckles pondered calmly yet fondly with a longing smile.

"Ah. Oh, yeah, there is one thing that's been on my mind since yesterday, Kathy," Tails replied calmly with a litte frown as he looked intrigued.

"Oh? What is it, Tails?" Kathy asked curiously with an intrigued look on her face.

"Umm...Well...Sonic told me yesterday that you had 'healed' him from his wounds and that he had the strength to run back here. How was that possible? He looked ragged the moment I saw him. What did you use to heal him?" Tails asked calmly in curiosity and in confusion as he frowned a bit.

"Oh! That was the power of the Healing Technique! I used my Sol Gems onto Sonic to heal or 'soothe' wounds," Kathy answered calmly yet brightly with a cheerful smile.

"But that still doesn't explain how he was able to keep standing let alone keep running all the way here from Central City. That's the part where I'm stumped on," Tails replied calmly with a little frown as he shrugged.

"I agree with Tails, Kathy. I am a bit curious as to why that was the case. I get that the Healing Technique is active for a limited amount of time, but I don't know why I hadn't collapsed at all during my run back here. Why was that the case?" Sonic added with a little frown as he stood next to Tails while having a finger under his chin.

Kathy smiled gently at Sonic and Tails. She looked at Knuckles and saw him smiling at her. "Go on, Kathy. Tell us. We're curious," Knuckles encouraged gently with a warm smile as he stared at her.

Kathy nodded and smiled brightly at him before she looked at Sonic and Tails again. "Okay. Let me explain..." Kathy replied calmly with a bright smile before she answered by saying, "...The healing power of the Healing Technique is relative to both the amount of damage your body had taken and the amount of stress you put your body through for the day. If you had exerted a huge amount of stress on your body by traveling to places and fighting a lot of enemies, then the Healing Technique won't give you enough strength to keep you standing or going. This is especially true when you had gotten injured badly like being electrocuted for example".

"Oh! So...are you saying that because I hadn't exerted myself too much yesterday that I was able to have some strength to run back here?" Sonic asked calmly in curiosity as his eyebrows were raised.

"Yep! Exactly! The only thing that you did that was stressful was confronting Battra!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile and with a nod.

"Ah! Well, that explains a lot! I was mostly chilling out yesterday before I had fought Battra! No wonder I didn't collapse from exhaustion after you had healed me! I had more energy in body!" Sonic replied brightly with a grin as he had a hand on his hip.

"Uh huh! The more energy you save, the more active you'll be throughout the day! Hehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with another nod and with a light giggle while smiling sweetly.

"Huh...That really does make sense. It was simpler than I thought," Tails replied calmly in amusement with a bright smile and with a nod.

"That also explains why you had collapsed after you had healed yourself, Kathy. Something tells me that you had gone through a lot before coming here into our dimension. Something that had pushed you over your own limit," Knuckles added calmly with a gentle smile as he stared at Kathy.

Kathy looked at Knuckles and nodded as she answered with a little smile, "Yeah, I was finishing up my adventure with Blaze at that time, and let's just say that it was a long day for me back then. Naturally, I would be very exhausted even when I was done using my Rainbow Form. That lightning attack just made it more tiring for me, you see".

"Ah. That makes a lot of sense. You looked ready to fall asleep when I had stared at you for the first time," Knuckles replied calmly with a nod as he smiled even wider in understanding.

"You were staring at her?" Sonic asked teasingly with a knowing smile and with mischievous eyes.

"Oh brother..." Tails muttered tiredly with a sheepish smile and with a headshake.

"Grrrrr! Don't start!" Knuckles yelled back with a growl and a deep grimace as he glared at Sonic. Kathy also looked at Sonic in surprise while blushing a bit.

"Hey, I'm not judging. I completely understand why you would want to stare at her..." Sonic replied calmly yet teasingly with a cheeky smile as he put his hands up in mock surrender.

"Grrrrrr..." Knuckles growled even more in frustration while gritting his teeth at Sonic.

Sonic then looked smug as he coyly added, "...It's because she's cute. Isn't it?".

"SONIC! WHAT DID I TELL YOU?!" Knuckles shouted in anger as he sat up straighter while having his fists up again. Kathy blushed even more after hearing Sonic say that again.

"That Kathy is cute, of course," Sonic answered playfully with a smirk.

"THAT WASN'T WHAT I HAD SAID!" Knuckles shouted in fury with a frustrated look on his face as another vein had popped in his head.

"Oh, but it sure was. Even Kathy heard it," Sonic replied teasingly with a smirk and with half-lidded eyes.

"DO YOU WANT TO BE STRANGLED AGAIN?!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he felt ready to tackle Sonic to the ground again and strangle his neck.

"You can't deny the truth, Knuckles. How much longer that you're going to deny that you have a crush?" Sonic replied calmly with a smirk and a casual shrug as he walked back from the couch.

"I'M DENYING IT UNTIL I'M DEAD!" Knuckles shouted in fury as he crossed his arms and grimaced deeply while blushing a lot.

"Hahahahahaha! Oh, Knuckles. You're so stubborn that it's hilarious. Hahahahahaha!" Sonic teased while laughing again in amusement.

"Grrrrrr...Hmph!" Knuckles growled in irritation before he grunted and looked away from Sonic as he kept blushing a lot. He soon pouted as he brooded. He just can't stop himself when it comes to making fun of me, can he? Grrrr...How bothersome...

Tails sighed and shook his head before he said to Kathy, "Well, anyways...thanks for answering my question, Kathy. I'm guessing that I'm going to learn a lot about the Sol Pendant and what it does in the future. It's definitely intriguing to me. I'd love to know more about it".

Kathy smiled brightly at Tails as she replied calmly in amusement, "Why of course, Tails. I'll be happy to teach you more about it. In fact, I'll show you tomorrow what it can do now that I have the first Sol Heart. Its range of abilities had been increased because of that".

"What?! You got your first Sol Heart?! Already?!" Tails exclaimed in shock as his eyes were wide and as his mouth was agape in shock.

"Whoa! Seriously?!" Sonic exclaimed in shock as his eyes and mouth went wide too.

Kathy nodded happily with a sweet smile as she answered brightly, "Yeah! It was at Central City! Knuckles had found it for me!".

"Ah! Kathy!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock and in embarrassment as he looked back at Kathy. He looked shocked and embarrassed that Kathy had mentioned him being the one who had found the heart.

"Knuckles?! You were the one who had found it?!" Sonic and Tails exclaimed in shock and in unison as they stared at Knuckles in surprise.

Knuckles blushed at this and looked back at Sonic and Tails. He can see them staring at him with stunned looks on their faces. He kept blushing, but he soon covered his embarrassment by looking irritated as he yelled defensively, "W-Well...Yeah?! So?! You got a problem with that?!".

Sonic and Tails still looked stunned before they looked at each other and smiled widely at this. "Knuckles..." Sonic muttered calmly with a huge smile as he looked back at Knuckles.

Oh, HERE it comes...Knuckles brooded with a grimace as he expected to be teased again for helping Kathy out.

However, what Sonic said next really threw him for a loop.

"Like congratulations, dude! We're one step closer into beating Battra once and for all! I knew that you would come through for us! Only someone as serious as you would care about helping Kathy stop Battra herself! You've really outdone yourself, Knuckles! I'm proud of you!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a huge smile and with a hand on his hip.

"I...! …Wait. Huh?" Knuckles yelled before he muttered in confusion as he stared at Sonic with a baffled look on his face.

"Yeah, Knuckles. You really pulled through for Kathy's sake. If you keep helping her out like this, then our world would be safe at last! We are really happy that you had done this! We owe you one, Knuckles!" Tails replied happily with a huge smile as he looked at Knuckles too.

"Huh? Huh?" Knuckles muttered even more in confusion as he looked dumbfounded by this. Are they...Are they...p-praising me? Knuckles pondered calmly in confusion as he stared at Sonic and Tails. He soon felt Kathy's hand on his back and looked at her next.

"K-Kathy?" Knuckles muttered calmly yet quietly in confusion as he stared at Kathy with wide eyes. He can see her smiling calmly yet gently at him as she rubbed his back affectionately.

"You've really worked hard on this one, buddy. I'm glad that I had chosen you as my partner. You've made the search a lot easier for me to handle. Again...thank you, Knuckles. Thanks for helping me out..." Kathy replied gently in fondness with a calm smile as she stared longingly at him.

"...! ...Huh? Huh? Huh?" Knuckles muttered calmly in surprise and in confusion with a gasp as he looked at Kathy, Tails, and Sonic. He can see all three of them smiling calmly yet proudly at him, and he...doesn't know how to feel about this.

...I...I never thought that my acquaintances would praise me at something that I did. How...How long was it that I had been praised by them? I...I just don't know...They barely ever give me praise or thanks for something that I do. But now that I had helped Kathy get the Sol Heart...they've...they've actually praised me...They've praised me at something! Knuckles pondered calmly with a stunned look on his face before it slowly turned into a happy one instead.

"W-Well...I...I...Uh...Heh...I was just doing what was right...Ummm...Y-Yeah..." Knuckles muttered calmly in awkwardness with a sheepish smile as he looked away from the group and rubbed the back of his head. Kathy just smiled in amusement as she stared at Knuckles. She can see him looking shy again as he was blushing in embarrassment.

Take in the moment, buddy. You deserved it...Kathy thought calmly with a gentle smile as she scooted closer towards Knuckles before wrapping her right arm over his shoulders.

"...Huh?" Knuckles muttered in surprise as he felt Kathy's arm around his shoulders and looked back at her. She said nothing to him but just squeezed him gently as she side-hugged him. He felt her hug and smiled warmly at her as he was happy with Kathy hugging him.

...Kathy...Knuckles thought fondly as he smiled warmly while he stared at her.

"Okay, Tails, I think that it's time for us to leave and go pick up some grub for all of us!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile as he looked at Tails. He saw that this was a good time to leave and give Knuckles and Kathy some alone time due to how they are acting now.

Knuckles was slightly startled when Sonic spoke up suddenly, but his attention was brought back to Kathy when she hugged him again...except this time...with both arms. He looked at her again and smiled even wider when he saw her hugging his chest and his back. She even leant her head onto his left shoulder again and was smiling calmly while having her eyes closed.

...Oh...Oh, Kathy...Knuckles thought fondly with a warm look on his face.

Tails saw what Knuckles and Kathy were doing and had nodded to Sonic in agreement. "Yeah, you're right, Sonic. Let's get something on the go this time. I'm sure that there is something that Kathy would like to try next," Tails replied calmly with a little smile as he looked at Sonic.

"Yeah! Like chili dogs! That's something that Kathy might like!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile and with a thumbs-up.

"(Sigh)...Why am I not surprised that you would say that? But whatever, let's go find a chili dog stand and buy some chili dogs for all of us," Tails replied calmly with a sigh and with a bright smile as he shook his head a bit.

"Totally! For Knuckles' hard work!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a grin as he looked at Knuckles.

However, Knuckles was busy hugging Kathy back to even care what Sonic is saying. He was smiling widely yet warmly as he had his eyes closed while hugging Kathy tightly in his arms. Kathy hugged Knuckles back as she had faced him fully. She was also smiling widely yet warmly while having her eyes closed too.

"Mmmm..." Knuckles mused quietly yet happily as he kept hugging Kathy in peace.

Sonic smiled gently at that as he was glad that Knuckles is feeling happy and peaceful. Yeah...It's definitely a good idea to leave. Best to leave these two lovebirds on their own. Who knows what they will do on their own? Well...I can think of several of things, but it's not rather...appropriate to say what...Sonic pondered calmly with an amused smile on his face.

"Okay, Sonic. I'm ready to leave. I had put the ice pack back into the freezer and the glass back into the sink. So, anyways...Uhh..." Tails muttered calmly with a gentle smile as he walked back into the living room before stopping and looking awkward when he saw Knuckles hugging Kathy fondly. But of course, Sonic quickly grabbed him by the wrist and pulled him over towards the front door.

"Great! Hey, Kathy?" Sonic replied quickly yet brightly with a cheerful smile before he looked back at Kathy.

"Yeah?" Kathy asked calmly while still hugging Knuckles.

Sonic smiled even wider as he replied calmly in reassurance, "Just know that we'll be coming back soon. We're just going out to get you something to eat. In the meantime, just relax and enjoy Knuckles' company. Of course...".

He then lowered his eyelids halfway as he added playfully in amusement, "...That part is way too easy for you to do, Kathy. He's a sucker for attention".

"Sonic?" Knuckles asked calmly with a warm smile and with closed eyes while still hugging Kathy.

"Huh? Yeah, Knuckles?" Sonic asked curiously with a little smile as he opened the front door.

"...Just shut up and leave already..." Knuckles replied calmly yet amusingly with a huge smile as if he was about to laugh.

Sonic smiled very much in amusement of that and shook his head. Heheheh...He can't even keep a straight face while being hugged by Kathy. That's adorable...Sonic pondered calmly in amusement.

"Yeah, you're right, Knuckles. It's time for us to leave. Ready, Tails?" Sonic replied calmly with a gentle smile before he turned around and looked at Tails.

"Yep! Ready to go!" Tails exclaimed brightly with a cheerful smile as he already walked out of the house.

"Alrighty then! See ya later, you two! Take care! And remember...no fighting!" Sonic exclaimed brightly with a grin as he gave Knuckles and Kathy a wave before walking out of the house and closing the front door.

CLICK!

The front door was closed gently, and Knuckles and Kathy were on their own in the living room. But naturally, they kept hugging each other in sweet, blissful silence.

---

…

…

…

"Mmmm...(Sigh)…" Knuckles mused quietly and sighed contently as he was happy that he was hugging Kathy for a long time.

...This...This is just perfect...I could just hold her for hours and...I'll still be happy...This is...paradise...Knuckles pondered calmly yet fondly with a longing smile on his face.

…

…

…

"...Hehe...Hey, Knuckles?" Kathy asked happily yet playfully with a light giggle and with a sweet smile after another long stretch of silence.

"Hmm? Yes, Kathy?" Knuckles asked calmly yet gently in curiosity with a warm smile.

"...Sonic said that we shouldn't be fighting. That means...Hehehe...I guess that we won't be having a pillow fight now... So, what should we do?" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully with a coy smile and with another giggle as she opened her eyes and pulled away from Knuckles a bit.

Knuckles smiled playfully at Kathy and saw that she was sharing the same look as him too. "Hmph. As if I'm ever going to follow that know-it-all's rules. We're going to have a pillow fight, and we're going to have fun doing it...together...if you will..." Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully with a mischievous smile as he stared at Kathy.

"Hehehehehehehehe! You just want to do it now to spite Sonic, don't you?" Kathy replied brightly with a silly smile as she giggled a lot.

Knuckles then looked smug as he replied playfully, "Whatever gave that away?".

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! Because you're a bad doggie! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a sweet smile as she giggled a lot while poking Knuckles' chest.

Knuckles smirked in amusement of that reply and looked devious towards Kathy out of playfulness. "Heheheh...Oh, you bet that I'm a bad doggie because all I want to do now is jump onto you and bite you..." Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully with a chuckle and with a devious smirk as he had gotten closer to Kathy and had rubbed the back of her head with his right hand.

Kathy blushed a lot at this as she replied innocently with a little smile and with gentle eyes, "But wouldn't biting hurt me? I've already gotten hurt a lot today...".

"..." Knuckles was silent as he lowered his eyelids at Kathy and stared fondly at her innocent, gentle, light-blue eyes. Just seeing the innocence in her eyes made his heart run like crazy. As if on autopilot, he then pulled Kathy closer towards himself and held her gently in his arms while staring caringly into her eyes as he smiled fondly at her.

"...I know...But it'll be okay...After all...I'm only going to do it gently...You don't have to worry about getting hurt. I swear...I'll be gentle..." Knuckles replied softly with a fond smile.

Kathy blushed even more as she stared into Knuckles' fond look on his face. She can see the care inside his violet eyes as he stared back at her. She smiled a lot in fondness since she knows now that she's going to be safe. Knuckles won't hurt me. Of course, he won't. He...cares about me...Kathy pondered fondly with a longing smile on her face.

"Okay, Knuckles. If it's going to be fine, then I won't worry about it," Kathy replied calmly yet gently with a longing smile.

Knuckles smiled longingly too as he replied gently, "That's it, Kathy. Just relax, and you'll be fine. But...Umm...".

He then looked sheepish as he asked shyly with a blush and with a nervous chuckle, "...Are...Are you sure that you want me to...Umm...Heheh...nibble you? You don't have to go through with it if you're not comfortable with it. I mean...Uhh...".

"No, it's okay. I mean...I never had someone play with me in that fashion before. So, you're the first person that I'm doing it with!" Kathy replied happily yet innocently with a bright smile and with a headshake.

Knuckles blushed very much at that. If he was being honest with himself...he would admit that he had never done this with anyone else either. He was honestly...winging it the entire time. Besides, I...I...I never played with a girl before. Cream usually plays with Amy whenever she needed to be babysat, so, I was never called by Ms. Vanilla to do that sort of thing. Amy is always busy with chasing Sonic, doing shopping, cooking, and boxercising to even want to hang out or play with me. And...we all know that I don't play with Rouge. Ever. So, I guess that...Kathy is the only person that I had played with a little...and I... Knuckles pondered calmly with a deep blush on his stunned face.

He soon smiled warmly as he last thought. ...I want...to keep playing with her.

"Heh...I've never played with anyone by doing that either. So...you're in for a treat..." Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a warm smile as he inched closer towards Kathy's face.

"Hehehe! Yay!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a jovial giggle and with a bright smile as she inched closer towards Knuckles' face too.

"Hmph..." Knuckles grunted quietly yet amusingly as he grinned at her after hearing that innocent reply. Oh, good grief...This girl is going to make me lose my mind, isn't she? Sigh...Knuckles thought fondly as he lowered his eyelids halfway while he grinned calmly. He then carefully pushed both ends of Kathy's pendant to each side with his thumbs and moved her dress collar just a little bit to each of her shoulders to let her neck be exposed.

"Are you sure that you want me to do this?" Knuckles asked softly with a tender look on his face as he held onto Kathy's shoulders.

Kathy beamed at him and had held him closer in response. "Yeah! Don't be shy, little doggie! Play with your Master!" Kathy exclaimed jovially yet sweetly with an innocent smile.

Knuckles felt his heart melt after hearing that sweet and innocent response. He can see in her eyes that she wanted him to play with her...Just him...and no one else. ...I'm...I'm so happy that Kathy wants me to play with her. How I wish...that we could have done that in the beginning...back when we were just...kids. Knuckles pondered fondly with a warm look on his happy face.

"Alright, Kathy. I'll play with you...gently..." Knuckles whispered softly with a longing smile as he stared caringly into her innocent eyes. Kathy beamed sweetly at him as she stared at the fond look on his face. Knuckles kept staring into her eyes while rubbing her shoulders as he gets ready to nibble onto her neck. He'll never understand why he wanted to do this specifically, but...he knows that he wants to do this due to his ever-growing "thing" controlling his heart. He figured that it was because of his "thing" that had made him more confident yet more curious into trying things that he hadn't done before.

And naturally...nibbling onto one's neck is one of those things that he hadn't tried before.

...O-Okay then...Uhh...Here I go...Knuckles thought calmly yet awkwardly with a little, nervous smile as he slowly moved his head towards the left side of Kathy's neck and had opened his mouth a bit before sinking his teeth onto it. Once he had gotten his teeth out onto the crook of her neck, he slowly yet carefully nibbled onto her fuzzy, soft neck. He closed his eyes and hoped that he isn't hurting Kathy at all with his sharp teeth.

His hopes were fulfilled since instead of hearing Kathy yelping in pain...he heard her giggling.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! Knuckles! Hehehehehehehehe! Stop! Hehehehehehehehe! It tickles!" Kathy protested happily with a cute smile while giggling a lot as she hugged Knuckles even tighter.

Knuckles stopped nibbling for a second to look at Kathy while smirking a lot in amusement. "So, it tickles you, huh?" Knuckles asked teasingly with a playful smirk.

"Yes! Hehehehehehehehe! I told you that I'm ticklish!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a sweet smile while giggling a lot.

"Heheheh...So, you are..." Knuckles replied calmly yet deviously with a chuckle as he looked smug towards Kathy. He then lowered his eyelids halfway as he added mischievously, "...You're in trouble...".

He then immediately went back to nibbling the left side of her neck while being slightly faster than before. Of course, this action had sent Kathy into a hard giggle fit as she felt Knuckles' teeth massaging her neck a lot.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehehe! Knuckles! Hahahahahahahahahaha! Please! Stop! Stop! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy protested playfully with a huge smile while giggling hard as she held onto Knuckles.

"Heheheh...Never...Grrrrr...Ruff! Ruff! Grrr..." Knuckles replied playfully with a devious chuckle and with a mischievous smirk while he lifted his head up to growl and bark playfully at Kathy as he pretended to be a dog again. Kathy kept giggling in amusement of this, and Knuckles had taken this moment of distraction to nibble onto the right side of her neck.

"Hehehehehehehe! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! Knuckles! No! Hehehehehehehehehe! Bad doggie! Bad! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy protested some more in amusement with a huge smile as she kept giggling hard.

"Grrrr...Grrrrrr...Ruff! Ruff! Ruff!" Knuckles growled and barked out of playfulness in response to Kathy's protests. He kept nibbling onto her neck while growling and barking. Of course, Kathy can't stop giggling at this.

This is so much fun! Now, it's my turn to play with Knuckles! Hehehe! I think that I know what I want to do now, and honestly...I hope that he'll be okay with it in the end. Kathy pondering happily yet fondly as she giggled a lot to the nibbling. She then looked mischievous as she giggled and moved her hands from Knuckles' back towards his stomach.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was having the time of his life as he nibbled onto Kathy's neck. Heheh...This is honestly kind of fun! Kathy's neck is so soft...and fuzzy...that it's almost like cotton candy. Hmm...I wonder if Kathy would like cotton candy too. Oh, I bet that she will like it! I can see her biting into a pink cotton candy stick and being very h-AAAAAAAAPPY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOT THAT! ANYTHING BUT THAT! KATHY! STOP! STOP IT! YOU'RE-! YOU'RE-! Knuckles pondered calmly yet brightly in amusement as he nibbled Kathy's neck but immediately stopped and laughed hysterically instead as he felt Kathy's fingers scribbling fast on his stomach.

"YOU'RE TICKLING ME! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! NO! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles squealed like a little girl with a huge smile and with wide eyes as he laughed hysterically to the tickling. He quickly released Kathy and playfully pushed her back while scooting away from her. He then quickly protected his stomach with his arms while laughing a lot.

Meanwhile, Kathy looked very amused at that strong reaction. She smiled a lot while watching Knuckles recover from that brief tickle attack. Awwwwwwww...That was so adorable! The look on his face when he was being tickled was so precious, and...awwwwwww...look at him...He's staring at me with those pleading, puppy-dog eyes and that lopsided smile. He must be feeling more vulnerable now since I've discovered one of his weaknesses. Heheheh...I feel a bit sorry for the guy. I bet that he didn't expect me to tickle him like that. I must've caught him by surprise. Kathy pondered fondly in adoration as she smiled warmly at Knuckles with caring eyes.

"Knuckles?" Kathy asked gently with a coy smile while sitting away from Knuckles.

"Heheheheheh...What?" Knuckles asked calmly in amusement with a lopsided smile as he chuckled a lot.

"...Are you ticklish?" Kathy asked teasingly with a playful smile.

"Heheheheh...Ahh...Mmm..." Knuckles muttered quietly with a chuckle as he stared back at Kathy with a sheepish yet longing look on his face. He had heard that question before this morning, and obviously, he avoided answering it since he didn't want to look weak or vulnerable towards Kathy. But since Kathy saw him laughing uncontrollably when she tickled him, he really can't avoid the question or deny it any longer. However, at the same time, it's very embarrassing for him to admit that he's ticklish.

...Sigh...I can't hide my secret from her, can I? I...I guess that I have no choice but to tell her. Knuckles pondered calmly with an amused look on his face.

"...Kathy?" Knuckles asked calmly yet amusingly with a sheepish smile.

"Yes, Knuckles?" Kathy asked back with a curious yet calm look on her face.

"...Please keep this a secret. It's...very embarrassing for me to talk about it," Knuckles replied calmly yet amusingly with a sheepish smile while blushing a bit in embarrassment.

Kathy nodded and replied gently with a calm smile, "I promise, Knuckles. I won't tell anyone about it".

"That's good to hear, Kathy. Let's just...keep this between you and me, alright?" Knuckles replied calmly with a warm smile on his sheepish face.

"Alright, Knuckles. I understand," Kathy replied calmly with a gentle smile and with another nod.

"Uhh...Okay...Umm...You see, Kathy...I'm...Uhh..." Knuckles muttered calmly yet awkwardly with a sheepish smile and with a blush as he rubbed the back of his head while looking away from Kathy in shyness. He smiled even more widely and sheepishly in embarrassment as his blush deepened further. I can't believe that I'm going to say it. I feel so embarrassed and shy right now. Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement as he kept looking embarrassed.

"...I'm...I'm actually very ticklish..." Knuckles confessed shyly in amusement with a sheepish smile and with a deep blush.

"...You...You are?" Kathy asked softly yet curiously in awe as she beamed in amusement of this. Her light-blue eyes twinkled too in fondness after hearing about this adorable, little secret from Knuckles. She can see that Knuckles is looking more like a little kid by the way he's holding himself and looking down at the floor in shyness. Like the kind of child who was caught doing something embarrassing in front their parents.

Knuckles nodded slowly before he continued shyly yet quietly in amusement with a sheepish smile and with upward eyebrows, "Yes, I am, Kathy. My ticklishness is my secret weakness. I'm very sensitive to it. You could just either poke me or nuzzle into my body, and it'll make me laugh or chuckle a lot. I'm not kidding. I mean...You've clearly nuzzled me and poked me a lot today. That was why I was laughing so much when you kept prodding at my stomach or my armpit because I'm that sensitive".

"..." Kathy was silent as she was smiling a lot in amusement to this. She did wonder for a while why Knuckles kept chuckling every time that she nuzzled his neck or kept laughing a lot whenever she poked his stomach. But now, she knows why, and she finds it very adorable and precious.

"...So...Yeah. Heh. That's my secret, Kathy. Just don't ever tell anyone about this. Please. I beg of you. If Sonic finds out about this, then he'll never let me live it down. Ever. Okay?" Knuckles finished calmly yet amusingly with a sheepish smile as he looked back at Kathy.

"...Okay, I won't tell..." Kathy replied softly with a gentle smile and with gentle eyes. Knuckles smiled gently back at her in fondness as he felt relieved that Kathy is willing to keep this secret. In a way, he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders since he had confided into somebody about this secret. In hindsight, it was a small, silly secret, but just confessing the secret to someone that he trusts completely had made him feel better about himself.

...Hey...You know...It wasn't all that bad. Yeah, it was embarrassing, but...Kathy was still willing to listen to me talk about my secrets and weaknesses. Kind of like yesterday when I had told her...about myself and about my clan's past. She had listened very carefully to me back then too. I don't think that I had ever confided into someone this much before. But Kathy...just somehow managed to get me to confide into her. I just don't know why that is. Maybe it's because...she's so innocent and naïve that...I don't feel threatened by her. She isn't very calculating nor have much street smarts as my acquaintances or my enemies do have. That doesn't mean that she has no common sense. But she does give off a bit of a ditzy vibe due to how little she knows about the modern world. She's just a pure, childish girl who wants to live a happy life and have lots of fun along the way...Knuckles mused calmly with a fond smile as he stared gently at Kathy.

He then lowered his eyelids halfway at her as he finished his musings.

...How could I possibly feel intimidated by someone like that? I feel very safe whenever I'm with Kathy. I trust her with all my heart. She's...the only person whom I trust completely, and I'm so happy that it's her because...it makes our relationship very special.

"Hehe! I guess that's one mystery down! If figuring out the Sol Pendant's mystery was this easy, then this war would've been over ages ago!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a light giggle and with a sweet smile as she nodded a little.

Knuckles smiled a lot at that as he replied calmly in amusement, "Yeah, it would've made your life a lot easier if that was the case. But don't worry, Kathy. Just take your time and figure out the mystery yourself. I'll keep cheering you on as you do that. The others will cheer you on too. You have my word on that".

Kathy beamed sweetly at Knuckles and nodded to him as she replied brightly in amusement, "Thank you, Knuckles! I won't let you down! Honest!".

"Hmph...I know that you won't..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a warm smile as he stared gently at Kathy. Kathy just kept beaming sweetly at him, and Knuckles just kept smiling back at her in fondness. They were silent for a while as they stared into each other's eyes with fond smiles on their faces.

---

…

…

…

"...So, you're very ticklish then, are you?" Kathy asked calmly yet teasingly in amusement with a grin after that long moment of silence.

Knuckles smiled even more widely at Kathy in sheepishness as he replied calmly in amusement, "...Just...Just shut up...".

"One of the strongest, toughest fighters in Mobius...is ticklish...Very ticklish to be precise..." Kathy continued to tease with a playful grin as she crawled slowly towards Knuckles.

"Just shut up! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a bit.

"But Knuckles, you had said that you're the muscle in Sonic's group. How come is the muscle so...ticklish?" Kathy teased coyly with a playful smile as she kept crawling closer towards Knuckles.

Knuckles saw that Kathy is getting closer towards him and had...instinctively scooted backwards from her while having the goofiest smile on his face.

"I can't help it! Hahahaha! Stop rubbing it in!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge, sheepish smile as he laughed a little.

"I'm sorry, Knuckles. But it's hard to not rub it in since the toughest warrior in Mobius can be defeated by mere tickling," Kathy teased playfully with a mischievous look on her face.

"That's a lie! Hahahahahahaha! Just because I'm very ticklish, that does not mean that I can be beaten through tickling! Hahahahahaha! That's just silly! You're silly, Kathy! Hahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge grin as he laughed some more.

"Hehehehe! It may be silly, and I myself may be silly. But! ...Why are you scooting away from me if you know that tickling won't beat you? Hmm?" Kathy replied calmly yet teasingly with a little giggle and with a playful smirk as she watched Knuckles scooting further away from her.

"W-What? Heheheheh...No, I'm not...I'm not scooting away," Knuckles replied awkwardly yet nervously with a sheepish smile as he chuckled a bit.

"Yes, you are," Kathy argued calmly with a playful smirk as she got closer to Knuckles.

"No, I'm not!" Knuckles argued back with a huge smile while scooting more backwards before he had reached the right armrest of the couch.

"Oh, yes, you are!" Kathy argued back with a playful smirk as she got a bit closer to Knuckles.

"Not anymore I'm not!" Knuckles argued back with a playful smirk of his own.

"That may be true, but...you're going to bolt out of that couch the moment that I'm going to tickle you again, aren't you?" Kathy replied calmly yet teasingly with a playful smirk as she lowered her eyelids at Knuckles.

"...!" Knuckles gasped in surprise after hearing that Kathy is going to tickle him again. He soon smiled even more sheepishly while looking nervous as a sweat drop fell from his head.

"...T-T-Tickle m-me? A-Again? You're...You're bluffing, right? You're not going to...tickle me again...Right?" Knuckles asked nervously with a sheepish smile and with a sweat drop on his head as he felt his heart pounding a bit faster in slight panic.

"What's the matter, Knuckles? ...Are you scared?" Kathy asked calmly yet teasingly with a knowing smirk as she noticed Knuckles' nervousness.

"What?! Me?! Scared?! Heh! Hahahahaha! Get real, Kathy! I'm not scared of anything! Especially not tickling!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement as he smiled a lot and chuckled a bit.

Kathy smiled even more in playfulness as she saw this as a challenge. She looked even more mischievous as she got a bit closer to Knuckles while saying playfully, "Heh...'Not scared of anything'? Not even tickling?".

"Nope! Not at all! I'm much more bolder and tougher than that! Hmph!" Knuckles exclaimed back confidently with a proud smirk and with closed eyes as he crossed his arms.

Kathy giggled a little at this reaction, but she soon smiled mischievously again as she replied calmly yet playfully in amusement, "Hehehehehe! So, you're bold and tough, huh? Very well then. I guess that you won't be fazed at all as you confront...the tickle monster".

Knuckles' eyelids immediately flung open in shock after hearing that last part. His eyes had widened even more when he saw Kathy wiggling her fingers towards him as she inched closer to him. He saw that Kathy had a playful, mischievous smile on her adorable face as she pretended to be the tickle monster.

"Rawr...Rawr..." Kathy roared playfully with a silly smile as she pretended to look intimidating to Knuckles by moving her hands and fingers around.

Knuckles smiled even more in amusement of this as he saw what Kathy is doing...and secretly loved her for doing that.

But of course, Knuckles replied calmly while trying to look nonchalant about it, "Nice try, Kathy. But that's not going to scare me. I'm 16 years old. Not 6. I'm not scared of some tickle monster. Especially not you, Kathy. You're too...Umm...friendly-looking to be even threatening...".

"Rawr!" Kathy roared playfully as she smiled a lot in amusement while getting very close to Knuckles now.

Knuckles tried to look calm while he stared at Kathy as she moved closer to him. Yet, he was smiling widely yet nervously as he saw Kathy moving her fingers downwards as if she was about to tickle his stomach. He then quickly protected his stomach again by moving his arms downwards and covered it. He even moved his legs towards himself to protect himself from Kathy's tickle assaults.

"...Heheheheh...Stay away from me, Kathy..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a nervous chuckle as he smiled sheepishly at her.

"...Rawr..." Kathy roared quietly with a playful smile as she noticed that Knuckles is protecting himself. Hehehehe! Awwwwww...He's so cute when he's like this. He's clearly scared that he's going to be tickled again. Well...he's in BIG trouble now...Kathy pondered calmly in amusement as she smiled playfully at Knuckles.

She then looked at his shoes and grabbed one of them to try to take it off. Knuckles immediately lost his calm demeaner and looked panicked instead when he saw Kathy trying to take his shoe off.

"Ack! No! Not the feet! Not there! Not there!" Knuckles yelled in panic with a frightened look on his face as he quickly grabbed Kathy's hands off his shoe and lightly pushed her down onto the couch before getting off of it. Kathy just giggled a lot at this as she sat back up and saw Knuckles standing a bit away from the couch while pushing his shoe back into his foot.

"Hehehehehehehe! Are the feet your tickle spot?" Kathy asked playfully with an innocent smile while giggling a lot.

"...Uh...Actually...my tummy is my tickle spo-Ack!" Knuckles answered awkwardly with a nervous expression on his face before he exclaimed in shock as he realized what he had just admitted to. He quickly slapped both of his hands over his mouth while thinking in annoyance. …Me and my big mouth...

"So, it's your tummy, huh? Hehehehe!" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully with a coy smile and with a little giggle as she got off the couch too and walked slowly towards Knuckles with her hands behind her back.

Knuckles immediately walked backwards after seeing Kathy getting up and walking towards him. He dropped his hands and smiled even more widely yet nervously as he realized that he's in trouble now.

"...Kathy...Stay away from me...P-Please...Heh...Come on! This...This is silly! Hehehehehe!" Knuckles replied slowly yet nervously with a huge, sheepish smile and with a nervous giggle as he walked backwards towards the stairs.

"Just because it's silly...it doesn't mean that it's going to go away. You have to confront the situation before you in order for you to beat it. Isn't that why...you never run away from a fight? Because you want to beat it?" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully with a gentle smile and with lowered eyelids as she slowly walked towards Knuckles as he backed away from her.

Knuckles grinned a lot in amusement of this as he thought calmly in sheepishness. Oh no...Don't do this. Don't use my words against me like this. Anything but this.

"Of...Of course that I don't run away from a fight! I'm a bold fighter! I'm not a coward!" Knuckles exclaimed back in confidence with a huge grin as he stood still behind the stairs while staring at Kathy. He then placed a hand on his hip to look even more confident. He narrowed his eyelids at Kathy and smiled smugly as he pondered calmly yet confidently in amusement. She may have cornered me with my own words, but I'm going to stick by them to the very end! I'm not afraid! I'm not a quitter! And I'm definitely NOT a coward! Alright, Kathy...Give me your best shot...

Kathy saw Knuckles looking confident again and giggled very much at this. Hehehehehe! Knuckles is so funny! Look at him! He's trying to look tough towards me! Hehehehehehe! Awwwww...He's so adorable whenever he's like this. Kathy pondered calmly in amusement as she giggled a lot.

She then looked playful as she replied calmly yet quietly in amusement, "...Okay, Knuckles. You asked for it...If you're going to stand there and take it, then I guess that I won't hold back".

"Hmph...Bring it..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a smug look on his face.

Kathy looked smug back as she stared at him with mischievous eyes. Knuckles stared back at her while having a calm, smug expression on his face. Just what am I worried about? It's...It's just tickling. I've handled FAR worse things in the past than that. Besides, it's really childish to be scared of tickling even though it makes me laugh very hard and a lot as well. It's not going to be so bad. I'm just going to a have a good laugh and...and...and...Why...Why is Kathy removing her gloves? Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement with a smug smile before frowning a little in worry as he looked nervous again.

Kathy soon took her gloves off and placed them into her pocket dress. She smiled deviously at Knuckles while showing him her white, fuzzy, soft hands by wiggling her fingers a bit. Knuckles stared back at her with a shocked, worried look on his face as another sweat drop fell from his head.

…...I...I take it back...I'm...I'm in BIG trouble now...Knuckles thought calmly in amusement as he smiled widely in nervousness.

"What's wrong, Knuckles? Where's the confident look that you had showed earlier? Did it get up and walk away the moment that it saw my hands? Hehehehe! Cause I think that it did!" Kathy teased calmly yet playfully with a coy smirk as she giggled a bit while walking closer to Knuckles.

"..." Knuckles was silent while smiling very much at this. As he stared at Kathy walking towards him with a playful look on her face, he can't help himself but FEEL like a six-year-old kid as he felt scared of the monster before him, and yet...he adored this silly, cute monster with all his heart.

"K-Kathy..." Knuckles muttered quietly yet nervously in amusement with a goofy smile as he watched Kathy approaching him with her hands towards him. He stared at her for three more seconds before he yelled playfully, "Get away from me! Aaaah!".

He then quickly turned around and bolted upstairs towards Kathy's room. Kathy giggled at this as she ran after Knuckles.

"Get back here!" Kathy exclaimed playfully with a grin as she climbed the stairs.

"No!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge grin as tried to get away from Kathy. Alright! Alright! I admit it! I admit it! I'm a coward! A scared, weak, cowardly boy who doesn't want to get tickled! I'm...Heh...I'm being so silly right now and yet...I'm having a lot of fun with this...Knuckles pondered quickly in amusement with a huge grin as he made it upstairs and ran towards Kathy's room. Kathy got upstairs with Knuckles and grinned a lot in amusement as she saw him open her door and got inside the room. He was about to close the door, but he shrieked like a girl as he saw Kathy at the door and felt her grabbing his sides with her soft, fuzzy hands.

"Eeeeeek! No! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles shrieked with a huge smile as he felt Kathy's hands on his sensitive sides before laughing a lot as he quickly pushed her away and ran away from her. Kathy soon got inside her room and closed the door while smiling playfully at Knuckles.

"Looks like you're trapped, Knuckles. Can't get out..." Kathy commented calmly yet teasingly with a playful look on her face as she stared at Knuckles as he was standing next to the right side of the bed.

"Heheheheheh...Yep...I can't get out...But...Do you know what I can do?" Knuckles asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a chuckle and with a huge smile as he stared back at Kathy.

"No. What is it? Shrieking like a girl again?" Kathy replied calmly yet teasingly in amusement with a grin as she had her hands behind her back.

Knuckles smiled even more in amusement of that, but he soon smirked as he grabbed one of the pillows on the bed and held it in self-defense.

"Nope. But I'm going to hit you with this pillow if you get near me!" Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully with a mischievous smirk as he held the pillow in his hands.

"You think that little pillow is going to stop me?" Kathy asked calmly yet playfully with a silly smile and with amused eyes.

Knuckles smirked mischievously at Kathy as he replied calmly yet tauntingly in amusement, "Why don't you come over here and find out?".

Kathy giggled a lot from this and looked mischievous too. Knuckles stared at Kathy while smiling a lot in playfulness. Heh. I never thought that we're going to have a pillow fight in this situation. But life is full of surprises. Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement as he stared at Kathy with a playful smile.

"Hehehehehehehe! ...I guess that I will! Come here, you little doggie!" Kathy exclaimed happily with a silly smile as she giggled a lot. She then ran towards Knuckles while having her hands out. But as Kathy was about to approach him, Knuckles quickly whacked her with the pillow. He whacked her hands and her body to get her to back off from him.

"Hey! Hehehehehehehe! Stop that, Knuckles! Not fair!" Kathy protested playfully in amusement with a silly smile while giggling a lot as she kept getting hit by the pillow.

"No! I won't stop! I need to defend myself from you, you silly girl! I'm not getting tickled!" Knuckles exclaimed back in playfulness as he smiled widely at Kathy while he kept whacking her with the pillow.

"But! …...You're...You're hurting me..." Kathy muttered weakly with a little frown as she stepped away from Knuckles and grabbed her stomach.

Knuckles immediately looked worried when he saw her frowning and cringing a bit in pain. He frowned a little and lowered his pillow before he walked towards Kathy. He grabbed her shoulder and replied calmly yet gently in concern with a worried frown, "Kathy...Are you okay? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you that hard. Do you want me to stop or-?".

"Sike! Gotcha, Knuckles!" Kathy exclaimed with a playful grin as she quickly tickled Knuckles' stomach and sides.

"AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU CHEATER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU TRICKED ME! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed loudly like a girl before he laughed hysterically again while having a huge smile on his face as he recoiled from Kathy. He whacked Kathy a lot with the pillow while saying that.

"Hehehehehehehe! You sound like a little girl whenever you get tickled!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a sweet smile as she giggled a lot while watching Knuckles backing away from her as he laughed.

"It's not funny! Hahahahahahahaha! It's embarrassing!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot.

"There's nothing really wrong with that, Knuckles. It's just a part of who you are," Kathy replied calmly yet innocently in amusement with a gentle smile as she saw Knuckles looking sheepish again.

Knuckles was clutching his stomach with his left hand while holding the pillow in his right hand. He smiled sheepishly at Kathy as he replied shyly in embarrassment, "I...I know that. ...But still...it feels humiliating that I sound like a girl during that even though I'm supposed to be...you know...manly...and such...".

Kathy smiled sweetly at Knuckles as she replied happily yet innocently in amusement, "It's okay, Knuckles. You'll still be manly to me even when you do sound like girl at times. I mean...".

She then put her hands behind her back and blushed a lot as she added shyly, "...I...I like you for you, Knuckles. You can be like the girlish boy ever, and I'll still like you. Besides, you're very funny to begin with, so, it's impossible for me to not laugh at what you do. You make me laugh and smile, and personally, I think that's more important than trying to look manly or stay as manly as possible".

"Ah!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock after hearing that. He blushed very much since he heard Kathy say that she likes him. Even though it's possibly out of friendliness, Knuckles can't help but feel elated into knowing that Kathy genuinely likes him. He smiled shyly at her while blushing bright red after taking in what she had said.

...She's right...I am funny to her...There's nothing wrong with that. So why should I worry about how I appear to her? She...She likes me...Knuckles pondered fondly with a shy smile on his bashful face while looking away from her and putting his hands behind his back in coyness.

"Kathy...You're making me blush..." Knuckles muttered shyly in weak protest with a sheepish smile on his flushed face.

"And another thing...Knuckles?" Kathy replied calmly yet gently with a little smile as she walked over to Knuckles.

"Hmm? Yes, Kath-EEEEEE! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles replied calmly with a little smile before squealing and laughing hysterically again with a huge smile as Kathy tickled his defenseless tummy.

"You need to learn to laugh at yourself sometimes, Knuckles. You had said it yourself. You have flaws and weaknesses just as much as I do. We're not going to be perfect, and we're going to fail at times. But whenever that happens, it's important for us to take a step back and laugh at our yourselves for who we are. See?! Like right now!" Kathy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement and in wisdom with a gentle smile she kept tickling Knuckles at his stomach and at his sides. He kept laughing hysterically as he listened to this while trying to knock Kathy's hands away from him but failing to do so.

"BUT THIS DOESN'T COUNT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE TICKLING ME! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed some more in amusement with a huge smile as he kept laughing hysterically from this while squirming from side to side.

"Ah. Ah. Ah. You admitted that this is your secret weakness, and yet, here you are laughing from it...Like a lot," Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a coy grin and with a headshake while she kept tickling Knuckles.

"THAT'S BECAUSE IT TICKLES SO MUCH! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles squealed again in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed some more in hysterics. He then shoved Kathy away from himself and jumped onto the bed to get over to the other side. Kathy smiled a lot in amusement of this as she watched Knuckles getting away from her while he giggled a lot.

"Hehehehehehehehehe! ...I get at what you're saying, Kathy. But...Hehehehehehe...(Sigh)...I'm not sure if I'm capable of doing that. I laugh way more with you tickling me than I do normally," Knuckles replied calmly in understanding with a sad smile and with a sigh as he giggled a bit while standing on the other side of the bed after getting off from it.

"But...I'm sure that you can do it...I believe in you..." Kathy replied softly in hope with a gentle look on her face as she stared at Knuckles while having her hands behind her back.

Knuckles raised his eyebrows at that in shock. He soon smiled fondly at her as he looked warm. He felt touched that Kathy does believe that he can laugh at himself. He can see that Kathy believes that he can change and make himself happy. Just by the way she's looking at him with those gentle eyes and that fond smile, it tells him that she had meant it. I hope that I will change for the better and be...very happy with myself. The only way to go when you're at the bottom is up. ...And hopefully...I'll get out from the darkness that I've been imprisoned in for many, many years...Knuckles pondered calmly in hope with a fond smile as he stared longingly at Kathy.

"...Maybe...Maybe someday, Kathy. Maybe someday," Knuckles replied calmly yet gently in hope with a fond smile as he stared caringly at Kathy across from the bed.

Kathy smiled warmly at him, and Knuckles smiled warmly back at her. They had already noticed that the room was lit up in an orange, yellowish hue due to the sunset, and this had made the other smile a lot as they look at the other's appearance with the sun rays hitting at their skin. Kathy was grinning a lot as she saw Knuckles' natural red color glow more radiantly and that his muzzle was reflected much brightly in orange. Knuckles was grinning a lot too since...just everything about Kathy's natural colors are being reflected from her head, face, and wings. Reds, oranges, and yellows are being reflected from her wings. Once again...Kathy looked absolutely stunning to Knuckles.

…...She's so beautiful...So gorgeous...So radiant...Just like the sunset itself...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a warm smile on his face as his violet eyes twinkled in adoration.

...

"Hehe! Are you staring at me, Knuckles?" Kathy teased calmly yet playfully in amusement with a light giggle and with a sweet smile as she broke the brief silence.

"Huh?! What?! I...I..." Knuckles exclaimed in shock and in embarrassment with a gaped mouth and with wide eyes as his face blushed brightly.

"Hehehehehe! I'm only teasing, Knuckles! Sheesh, you need to learn to relax and have fun! No need to be all serious all the time, right?! Hehehehe!" Kathy replied brightly in amusement with a silly smile as she giggled a bit.

"Ahh...Uhhh...Y-Yeah...You're r-right...I was just...Uhh...t-testing ya..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly in shyness with a sheepish smile as he blushed deeply.

"Someone's looking like a tomato right now," Kathy calmly teased again with a playful grin and with amused eyes.

"H-Huh? Who?" Knuckles asked calmly in confusion as he looked surprised.

"You, silly! Hehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a jovial smile as she giggled a lot while pointing at Knuckles' face.

"Ack!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock and in embarrassment as he quickly covered his face with the pillow that he had on him. He blushed even deeper in humiliation.

"Hehehehehehehehehe! Awwwww...Are you being shy?" Kathy teased calmly yet playfully in amusement with a silly smile as she giggled a lot.

"(NO!)" Knuckles shouted in embarrassment while having the pillow muffling his shout. Kathy just lost it as she giggled very hard at this.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehe! Hahahahahahahahaha! Awwww! You're so cute, Knuckles! Hehehehehehehe! You're absolutely adorable!" Kathy exclaimed jovially in amusement with a sweet smile as she giggled hard while clutching her stomach with her hands.

"(STOP!) (STOP IT!) (I'M NOT CUTE NOR ADORABLE!) (I'M NEITHER OF THOSE THINGS!)" Knuckles shouted in embarrassment through the pillow as it muffles his shouts a bit. He was blushing dark red right now, but of course, Kathy can't see that since he was hiding his face with the pillow. Even though he had shouted those things in protest, he was smiling very much in fondness since his heart is being elated right now after hearing those sweet compliments. He had the goofiest smile on his face again while he listened to Kathy giggling at him.

"Hehehehehehehehe! I think that somebody needs a good tickle to feel better! Come on, Knuckles. You know that you want one," Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a mischievous smile as she giggled a lot while putting her hands on top of the bed and while staring at Knuckles.

"(NO!) (DON'T TICKLE ME!)" Knuckles shouted back in amusement as he smiled widely at this while still having his face covered with the pillow.

"Hehehehehe...Oh, I know that you want one. The inflection in your shout said it all..." Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with another giggle and with a mischievous smile as she got onto the bed and crawled over to Knuckles. Knuckles was standing on the other side of the bed, so, it was easy for Kathy to get close to him and...

"(YOU KNOW NOTHING!) (YOU'RE BEING A SILLY GIRL!) (I ALREADY TOLD YOU!) (I DON'T WANT TO BE-AAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Knuckles shouted in amusement with a huge smile before he squealed like a girl and laughed hysterically again as he felt his tummy being tickled again. He immediately dropped the pillow after he felt Kathy's fingers scribbling all over his defenseless tummy. He quickly cowered back from her before he clutched his stomach with his arms.

Kathy smiled a lot in amusement as she sat on the bed while looking at Knuckles' laughing, flustered face. Awwwwwwww! I've never seen him blush like that! He gets embarrassed so easily that it's adorable. Kathy pondered fondly with a warm, amused look on her face as she stared at Knuckles.

"Awwww! See? You are adorable, Knuckles! Look at how deep your blush is! You were right when you said that you blush like a tomato because it's true!" Kathy replied happily in adoration as she smiled warmly at Knuckles while pointing at his flushed face.

Knuckles soon stopped laughing to look at Kathy while smiling widely in shyness. I can't win against her, can I? Knuckles thought calmly in amusement with a wide, sheepish smile and with upward eyebrows as he blushed some more in shyness.

"Just...Just cut it out...Quit it..." Knuckles protested weakly in embarrassment with a sheepish smile as he stood up straighter while looking away from Kathy in shyness.

"Teehee! Okay. I'll give you a break from that," Kathy replied happily in amusement with a light giggle as she beamed at him.

"Th-Thank you..." Knuckles muttered shyly with a sheepish smile as he glanced back at Kathy.

Kathy beamed jovially at him, and Knuckles smiled even further with a deep blush. His heart was pounding fast in adoration as he was happy that Kathy had made him blush again. He did find it strange that he is happy that Kathy made him feel embarrassed. But he figured that...it was the good kind of embarrassment. The one that made him feel all warm...and fuzzy on the inside. The one that...makes him smile a lot. The very one that...he had felt when he had first met Kathy.

…...My heart is completely melted thanks to her. Of course, that a Kaiju monster like her would destroy my heart. Heh...I bet that she did that by firing her laser beams at it...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a warm smile as he stared back at Kathy with a flushed face.

Kathy then looked down and saw the pillow that Knuckles had dropped. She smiled playfully as she grabbed it and held it in her hands while staring back at Knuckles.

"Hehehe! Look what I got!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully in amusement with a bright grin as she giggled a little.

"Hey! That one was mine! Get your own pillow!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement as he grinned a lot at this.

"But it is my pillow! I sleep here now! So, you get your own pillow!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a bright grin as she held the pillow to herself for emphasis.

Knuckles smiled smugly at her as he replied calmly yet playfully in amusement, "Oh...So that's how it's gonna be, huh?".

"Yep! Hehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile and with a nod as she giggled a little.

"Hmph...Very well then..." Knuckles replied calmly yet deviously in amusement with a mischievous smirk as he looked at the other pillow on the bed's left side. He then dashed towards the other pillow and grabbed it before he turned around to stare at Kathy with a devious look on his face. Kathy stared back at Knuckles while looking playful as she saw what he's planning to do next.

"...Pillow fight?" Kathy asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a mischievous smile as she got off the bed and stood a bit from Knuckles.

"Pillow fight! Ha!" Knuckles exclaimed enthusiastically in amusement with a devious smile as he immediately dashed at Kathy and swung his pillow at her. Kathy giggled at this as she also swung her pillow at Knuckles. They both managed to whack each other by hitting their faces, arms, stomachs, and sides. They even whacked the other person's pillow a lot as they tried to defend themselves from the other's attacks. Kathy and Knuckles both had huge smiles on their faces as they attacked each other with pillows.

"Come on! Is that all you got?!" Knuckles exclaimed tauntingly in excitement with a wide grin as he ran around Kathy and whacked her some more with his pillow.

"I'm just starting! I've never had a pillow fight with someone before! This is my first time having one!" Kathy exclaimed back playfully in amusement with a grin as she got whacked by Knuckles' pillow multiple times before whacking him back with her own.

"Heheheh...Well, I'd be lying if I'd said this is my first rodeo too! However, I will say that this is the first time that I had willingly initiated the fight! The other times were by force because SOMEONE likes to tick me off for fun!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a chuckle and with a mischievous grin as he received some whacks in the arms again.

"Hehehe! ...Was it Sonic who had forced you into a pillow fight?" Kathy asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a little giggle and with a grin as she received some whacks to the sides.

"...You're catching on..." Knuckles replied playfully yet smugly in amusement with a mischievous grin and with lowered eyelids.

"Hehehehehehehehe! You're so funny, Knuckles! And soft!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a silly smile as she giggled a lot while she whacked Knuckles some more at his stomach.

"Hahahahahahaha! I'm not soft! You are!" Knuckles exclaimed back playfully in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a bit while whacking Kathy a bit faster at her arms and stomach.

"No! You are! See?!" Kathy exclaimed back playfully in amusement with a mischievous smile as she whacked Knuckles with her pillow with one hand while tickling his stomach with the other.

"AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S CHEATING! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! STOP!" Knuckles squealed like a girl again with a huge smile as he laughed hysterically to the tickling. He whacked Kathy more haphazardly while backing away from her to avoid her devious fingers. Of course, Kathy kept following Knuckles as she kept whacking him back while still trying to tickle him by getting his sides too.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles squealed some more in protest with a huge smile as he kept laughing hysterically to this in amusement. He squirmed a lot when Kathy tickled his sensitive sides, but he kept walking backwards from her.

"Are you going to admit that you're soft? Cause I think that you're gonna!" Kathy replied playfully in amusement with a mischievous grin as she kept whacking Knuckles with her pillow while tickling him at his stomach and sides.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NEVER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed even more in amusement with a huge smile while still laughing in hysterics. He then whacked Kathy's hand a lot before turning around and running away from her. Kathy giggled when she saw Knuckles run towards the wall on the left side of the room. He held his pillow more defensively as he stared at Kathy in playfulness.

Kathy then smirked deviously at him as she replied calmly yet teasingly in playfulness, "...Come here, you little doggie...".

She then ran towards him and quickly whacked him a lot with her pillow. But Knuckles quickly moved away from her before she tried tickling him again. He whacked her back with his own pillow as she followed him throughout the left side of the room. Knuckles was smiling a lot as he defended himself from Kathy, but he soon started laughing in amusement as the fighting went on with him running backwards from her while whacking her back with his pillow.

"Hahahahahahahaha! Heheheheheheheheh!" Knuckles laughed happily in amusement with a huge smile as he received some hits from Kathy's pillow while running back and forth from her.

"Having fun, Knuckles?" Kathy asked teasingly in amusement with a grin as she kept chasing Knuckles while whacking at him with her pillow.

"Yes! Yes! I am! I am! Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed happily in excitement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot in amusement. He kept laughing as he turned around and ran from Kathy again. Kathy chased after him towards the other side of the room while trying to whack him with her pillow. Knuckles still laughed a lot as he felt the whacks to his head and back. Kathy ended up laughing too since his infectious laughter had gotten to her too.

"Hehehehehehehehe! Hey! Hold still, you! Hahahahahahahaha!" Kathy exclaimed playfully with a grin as she laughed a lot. Knuckles made another turn and dashed towards the bed to get over to the other side of the room.

"You'll never catch me! Hahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge grin as he laughed a lot while taking a glance back at Kathy.

"Oh, yes, I will!" Kathy exclaimed back in determination with a devious grin as she leapt at Knuckles just as when he had jumped onto the bed.

"Oh no! Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed in amusement with a huge smile and with raised eyebrows as he laughed a lot while looking back at Kathy before feeling her body weight being on his back. Kathy landed on top of Knuckles and whacked him a lot on the head while she sat on his back.

"Take this! And that! And that! And this! And that!" Kathy exclaimed playfully in amusement with a victorious grin as she kept whacking Knuckles a lot on the head. Meanwhile, Knuckles was laughing very much at this as he felt his head being hit a lot by Kathy's pillow. Hahahahahahahahaha! I may be losing, but this is the most enjoyable fighting experience that I ever had in my life! Hahahahahahaha! Knuckles pondered brightly in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot.

"Say that you're soft! Say it!" Kathy exclaimed playfully in amusement with a huge grin as she kept whacking Knuckles on the head.

"Hahahahahahahahahaha! Never! I'm not soft! I'm not! Ahahahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back playfully in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed a lot.

Kathy smirked deviously at Knuckles as she stopped whacking him with her pillow. She then placed the pillow on top of the other pillow while saying mischievously in amusement with a devious smirk, "...So...You'll never admit it, huh? No matter how many times I hit you with a pillow?".

"Never! Hahahahahahahaha! Because it's not true!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement while laughing a lot as he looked back at Kathy with a huge smile.

Kathy then looked smug as she lowered her eyelids at Knuckles as she asked calmly yet playfully in amusement, "...'Not true', huh?".

"Yeah! It's not!" Knuckles exclaimed back in playfulness with a huge grin and with amused eyes as he stared back at Kathy.

"Very well then..." Kathy replied calmly in amusement with a smug smile as she lowered her head towards Knuckles before she added mischievously in playfulness, "...I guess that we're doing this the hard way then...".

"What hard way? ... …!" Knuckles asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a huge grin before he gasped in shock once he realized the vulnerable position that he's in now. His panic had heightened very much when he saw Kathy's fingers being raised and are slowly going towards his sides and most horribly...towards his defenseless tummy.

"...K-Kathy? ...You wouldn't dare, would you?" Knuckles whimpered with a huge, nervous smile on his frightened face as a sweat drop fell from his head.

"Hehehehe...Oh, so, now you're scared of the tickle monster," Kathy replied calmly yet deviously in amusement with a little giggle and with a playful smirk as she stared down at Knuckles.

"..." Knuckles didn't say anything to that while having the goofiest smile on his face as he stared at Kathy's devious face. Never before had he felt so frightened of the silliest, sweetest yet adorable monster before him than right now, and yet...he feels so happy especially since...he knows what's going to happen to him now.

"...M-Meep..." Knuckles squeaked again in nervousness while smiling widely at this as he mentally prepared himself for the onslaught of tickles that he's about to partake.

"...Rawr..." Kathy roared quietly with a devious smirk as she stared back at Knuckles' nervous yet amused face. Knuckles and Kathy stared playfully at each other for a little bit in silence.

---

…

…

…

Just as when Knuckles felt confused when he saw that Kathy didn't take any action yet, she then quickly tickled his sides by moving her hands up and down on them. "Coochie coochie coo! A coochie coochie coo!" Kathy teased playfully with a silly grin as she quickly tickled Knuckles' sides viciously.

This playful action had easily made Knuckles explode in laughter.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles squealed again like a girl with the biggest smile on his face as he laughed hysterically while he felt his sides being tickled a lot. He squirmed a lot by moving from side to side as Kathy tickled him. He started kicking his feet as the tickling continued.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KATHY! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! IT...IT TICKLES ME! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Knuckles squealed some more in amusement with a huge smile while he kept laughing in hysterics. He even started banging onto the bed and pillows with his fists since the tickling was already too much for him. She hadn't even started tickling his tummy yet; it was that bad.

...Speaking of which...

Kathy smiled deviously at Knuckles as she carefully lied down on his back while tickling his sides before she moved her hands towards his stomach.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KATHY! PLEASE! STOP! I CAN'T TAKE IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AH! NO! NOT THERE! NOT THERE! NO! NO! NOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT TICKLES! THAT TICKLES! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed and screamed even more like a girl with an amused yet panicked expression on his face as he kept laughing hysterically while feeling his sides being tickled before he felt his tummy being tickled instead. His banging and kicking became more violent as his tummy was being tickled a lot.

"A coochie coochie coo! A coochie coochie coo! Give it up, Knuckles! I got you!" Kathy teased playfully in a sing-song tone as she smiled cheerfully at Knuckles.

"NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! NEVER! NEV-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NEVER! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with a huge smile while laughing in hysterics.

"Wow, Sonic was right about you. You are stubborn," Kathy replied calmly yet teasingly in amusement with a playful grin as she kept tickling Knuckles.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! SHUHUHUHUHUHUHUT UHUHUHUHUHUHUHUP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with huge smile as he kept laughing hysterically.

"Hehehe! Well, we can't have that now, can we? How about we try...right here?! A coochie coochie coo!" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully with a little giggle and with a teasing grin before she quickly moved her hands under Knuckles' armpits now.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NO! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO! NOT THERE! NOT THERE EITHER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP!" Knuckles squealed like a girl again in amusement and in protest and laughed even more in hysterics as he felt his vulnerable armpits being tickled. He immediately stopped banging onto the bed the moment Kathy tickled his armpits.

"Hehehehe! Did I find another tickle spot?" Kathy teased playfully in amusement with another giggle and with a silly smile.

"YEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHES! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S MY SECOND WORST SPAHAHAHAHAHAHAT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed hysterically while cringing and squirming a lot as he felt his armpits being tickled a lot.

"'Second worst', huh? Are your feet or your sides your third worst spot?" Kathy asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a curious smile on her face.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MY SIDES ARE THE THIRD! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S A TIE BETWEEN MY TUMMY AND MY FEET! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! THEY'RE THE WORHERHERHERHERHERHERST! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with a huge smile while still laughing hysterically to the horrible tickling.

"Hey! But I thought that only your tummy is your tickle spot! You had said so yourself!" Kathy exclaimed back playfully in surprise and in amusement as she smiled widely and as she raised her eyebrows upwards.

"I LIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIED! I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO TICKLE MY FEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEET!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with a huge smile as he looked back at Kathy while laughing hysterically.

Kathy soon stopped tickling Knuckles briefly in which he was relieved with. She stared at him with a huge smile as she replied calmly yet playfully in amusement while sitting back up, "...You actually lied to me. You tricked me".

"Hehehehehehehehehe! S-S-Sorry! Hehehehehehehehe!" Knuckles apologized weakly with a huge, sheepish smile while giggling a lot as he took as much deep breaths as he can take.

Kathy looked devious again as she moved her head closer towards Knuckles' amused face and stared at him while replying calmly in playfulness, "...You're a bad doggie, Knuckles. You dare to lie to your Master like that? Hmm? Do you?".

"Hehehehehehehe...M-Maybe...Please have mercy on me, Kathy...I...Hehehehe...I can't take it anymore..." Knuckles pleaded weakly in amusement with a sheepish smile and with upward eyebrows as he giggled a bit.

"I'll show mercy on you, Knuckles. But only if...you admit that you're soft..." Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a devious smirk and with lowered eyelids.

"Heheheheh...Never...I won't give in so easily..." Knuckles replied calmly in playfulness with a chuckle and with a huge smile as he stared back at Kathy with amused eyes.

Kathy smiled a lot from this as she saw that Knuckles is still not ready to call it quits. She then looked devious again as she wiggled her fingers at him while calmly saying in amusement, "...Suit yourself, Knuckles. Keep on fighting then. But know this...I'm not showing you any mercy this time...".

"...Meep..." Knuckles squeaked again in nervousness as he smiled hugely at this. But he soon lost it again a second later when Kathy tickled his tummy and his armpits as she quickly switched between them or both at the same time.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AH! AH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STOP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! PLEASE! PLEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEASE!" Knuckles squealed like a girl again in amusement with a huge yet goofy look on his face as he laughed hysterically at the tickling. He squirmed very much as he felt his tummy and his armpits being tickled quickly yet relentlessly. Kathy didn't stop for one second to let Knuckles breathe as she kept tickling his tummy and armpits.

"HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! MAKE IT STOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I CAN'T TAKE IT! I CAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! KATHY! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles squealed even more in amusement with a huge smile while laughing hysterically. At this point, Knuckles started tearing up since he had been laughing so hard.

"Never!" Kathy exclaimed back in determination with a mischievous grin and with amused eyes.

"BUT I'M CRYIHIHIHIHIHIHIHING! STOP! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with a huge smile and with tears in his eyes as he laughed in hysterics.

"Do you surrender?" Kathy asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a mischievous grin and with amused eyes.

"YEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHES! I SURRENDER! I SURRENDER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I'M SOFT! I'M SAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAFT! PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!" Knuckles squealed back in amusement with a huge smile and with tears in his eyes as he laughed hysterically while kicking his feet a lot.

"Woohoo! I win!" Kathy exclaimed brightly with a cheerful grin as she immediately stopped tickling Knuckles and sat up on his back again while pumping her fists into the air in victory. Meanwhile, Knuckles was still laughing a lot but was very much relieved that the tickling was over. Ahahahahahahahahahaha...Oh mahahahahahan...I almost lost my mind there...Heheheheheheh...Geez, I hadn't laughed that hard in ages, and I've definitely hadn't been tickled in ages either...Sigh...Kathy really is a good tickler...Maybe she really is the tickle monster then...Hahahahaha...I'd believe it...based on how she "killed" me with her evil tickle attacks...Knuckles pondered calmly in amusement with a huge smile and with tears in his eyes as he laughed a lot while calming down at the same time. He soon wiped the tears from his eyes as he calmed down.

Kathy soon looked sympathetic towards Knuckles as she watched him recover from that long, tickle attack. She got off of him and sat next to him at his left side. She then gently rubbed his back with her soft, fuzzy hand while asking softly in concern with a caring smile, "...Are you going to be alright, Knuckles?".

"Heheheheheheh...(Sigh)…" Knuckles chuckled a bit before sighing deeply in relief. He liked how soft Kathy's hand was as she affectionately rubbed his back. It felt so nice and relaxing to him. Those hands are too soft for their own good. Seriously! They were like feathers the whole time when they tickled me! And yet...yet...they feel so good...Sigh...Knuckles pondered calmly yet brightly in amusement and in fondness with a warm smile and with closed eyes as he enjoyed the gentle back rub that Kathy is giving him right now.

"...Yes...Yes, I'm going to be alright, Kathy. Thank you for your concern..." Knuckles replied calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm smile and with closed eyes as he enjoyed the back rub.

Kathy smiled warmly at that and had started rubbing Knuckles' head too with her other hand. "...I'm glad that you're okay, Knuckles..." Kathy replied calmly yet softly in fondness with a warm smile as she gently rubbed Knuckles' back and head.

"Hmph...Mmmmm..." Knuckles grunted quietly in amusement with a warm smile too before he mused a bit. Oh...Ooh...Ooooh...Don't stop...Please...That...feels so good...Knuckles thought fondly with a warm yet relaxed look on his face. Kathy kept rubbing his back and head for a little while before she finally stopped. She then took out her white gloves from her dress pocket and put them back onto her hands. Knuckles frowned slightly when he saw that Kathy had stopped rubbing his back and head, but he soon sat up on his knees and smiled warmly at her. Kathy smiled warmly back at him. They silently stared at each other with calm, warm smiles on their faces.

---

…

…

…

But soon enough...they embraced each other with huge, fond smiles on their faces since they had enjoyed all the wonderful, affectionate moments that they had shared together. They held each other tightly yet warmly in fondness. They felt very happy and peaceful as they had hugged for a very long time again.

…

…

…

"...Say...Knuckles?" Kathy asked quietly in curiousity with a warm smile after breaking the long yet comfortable silence.

"...Yeah?" Knuckles asked calmly yet gently in curiosity with a warm smile too.

"...I...I know that I shouldn't apologize when I...want to be affectionate towards you, but...I'm still...worried...Umm...Were you...uncomfortable the entire time while I was...tickling you?" Kathy replied calmly yet quietly in concern with a worried smile on her face as she looked at Knuckles.

"...Kathy...I'm fine. Really...I'm fine...I wasn't uncomfortable at all..." Knuckles replied calmly yet gently with a warm smile as he held Kathy even tighter in his arms.

"Really? But...I tickled your tummy and everything...How could that not be uncomfortable?" Kathy replied calmly yet curiously in confusion with a little smile as she held Knuckles back just as tightly.

"Yes, I was indeed tickled, but I don't count that as me being uncomfortable. I honestly didn't mind it as much..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a playful grin as he looked at Kathy.

"Huh? Wait. You don't? But what about the times when you said that you don't want to be tickled or said that you wanted me to stop?" Kathy replied calmly yet curiously in confusion with a bewildered look on her face as she pulled back from Knuckles a bit to stare at him.

"Kathy, I was only playing around. You know...for fun," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement as he smiled a lot while staring back at Kathy.

"Ah! ...So...You enjoyed it? You liked it?" Kathy muttered calmly in surprise and in curiosity as she smiled sheepishly.

Knuckles smiled even more widely at Kathy as he looked amused. He then answered calmly in amusement with a warm, wide smile and with a deep blush, "...Yes, I had enjoyed it. But don't go telling anyone that I like tickling. It's incredibly embarrassing to me".

Kathy beamed in amusement of this as she replied brightly while giggling a little, "I won't tell! Hehehe! I want to be the only one who knows that secret! Hehehehe! That way...I can be the only one who gets to tickle you!".

"Ahahahah...Alright. Fine...You can tickle me anytime you want to but only when we're alone. And another thing...Heheheheh...just...just do it occasionally, okay? Heheheheh..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a huge smile as he chuckled a bit.

"Hehe! Okay!" Kathy replied brightly in amusement with a light giggle and with an innocent smile.

Knuckles chuckled some more at that while shaking his head as he pondered calmly in amusement. Well, I sure know now how I'm going to laugh every day. Kathy is going to tickle me. Heheheheh...Oh, what have I just unleashed? Heheheheh...

Kathy smiled warmly at Knuckles before she hugged him tightly again as she muttered calmly yet softly in relief with closed eyes, "...I'm glad that I hadn't made you uncomfortable, Knuckles. I thought that you would be...".

Knuckles smiled warmly as he hugged Kathy back just as tightly while he replied calmly yet gently in fondness, "...Kathy...It's impossible for me to get uncomfortable with you. I...I trust you completely. I feel safe whenever I'm with you, and that's...that's the reason why I had enjoyed you tickling me because it was from someone whom I trust. I probably wouldn't have liked it as much if it was from someone that I don't like or trust. Maybe by then I would've felt uncomfortable, but with you...it was safe".

"...I'm glad that you feel safe with me, Knuckles. After all...I want you to be happy and safe..." Kathy replied calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm smile and with closed eyes.

Knuckles lowered his eyelids halfway and smiled fondly at that as his heart melted after hearing that sweet sentiment. He then replied calmly yet gently in adoration with a fond look on his face, "...I want you to be happy and safe too, Kathy. I promise that I'll protect you and make you very happy. I...I really do want you to be happy, Kathy. But if you decide that you're not going to do that...".

He then looked playful as he smirked mischievously when he calmly added in amusement, "...then I'm going to tickle you".

For emphasis, Knuckles then quickly moved his thumbs under Kathy's armpits and tickled her briefly. Kathy had instantly burst into laughter after feeling those little tickles.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Knuckles! Don't! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! That tickles! Hehehehehehehehehe!" Kathy protested playfully in amusement with a huge smile as she laughed a lot.

Knuckles smiled playfully at Kathy as he tickled her a bit, but he soon stopped and hugged her tightly again. Kathy hugged Knuckles back just as tightly while giggling a lot in amusement. Knuckles then replied calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm smile, "See, Kathy? That is why I want you to stay happy. I like hearing your laughs and giggles. You just sound so happy when you do it, and I...".

He then lowered his eyelids halfway again as he added softly in fondness, "...I want to hear that happy sound every single day".

Kathy smiled fondly at Knuckles and held him tightly yet gently after hearing that. She replied calmly yet softly in fondness with a longing smile, "...You sound just like my mom, Knuckles. My mom had always wanted me to stay happy and keep on smiling no matter how rough things get. In fact...she tickles me a lot just to get me to feel better or just to play with me whenever I feel lonely. I...I always loved it whenever she plays with me...She was so warm and gentle with me...".

She then frowned sadly and looked down as she finished calmly yet quietly in somberness, "...I...I wish that she was still alive right now. If she was alive, then...you would've met her and...loved her too. My mom...would've adored you, Knuckles. She had a heart of gold. So much so that she would've gladly adopted you and take you in as a part of her family. ...Our family...The Mothra Family".

"..." Knuckles was speechless when he heard that. He looked stunned as his eyes were wide and as his mouth had gaped. The fact that he reminds Kathy of her mom was rather...surprising to him. But what's even more surprising to him was the fact that Kathy's mom would've adopted him if she was still alive. After hearing about that...he now understands Kathy's pain for losing her beloved mother because...he felt like he had lost a potential motherly figure. A potential...mother.

Knuckles then closed his eyes shut as he felt some tears coming into his eyes. He grimaced deeply as his tears fell from his eyes. He brooded solemnly in sadness and in frustration while he silently cried. ...I...I don't understand why...I can't have a family...Why? …Why does fate hate me so much? …It's not fair...It's so not fair...No wonder that I relate to Kathy so much because...life keeps on screwing us over that it's frustrating at this point! ...Just...what did we do to deserve this? Just what?

"...Knuckles? What's wrong? You've gotten silent after I had said that...Is something the matter?" Kathy replied calmly yet softly in concern as she frowned a lot while looking at Knuckles.

"...Kathy...(Sniff)…" Knuckles muttered weakly in sadness with a grimace as he sniffled a little.

"...! Knuckles, are you...crying?" Kathy asked calmly yet softly in shock and in concern with a gasp and with a gaped mouth as she stared at Knuckles with wide eyes.

"...Don't...Don't worry about that...(Sniff)…...Kathy...I...I would've done the same thing if I was in your mother's shoes..." Knuckles muttered softly yet slowly in sadness with a grimace and with a sniffle as more tears fell from his cheeks.

"You...would?" Kathy asked softly yet curiously in shock with a surprised look on her face.

Knuckles nodded his head as he replied calmly yet softly in somberness with a grimace and with another sniffle while more tears fell from his cheeks, "...Y-Yes...I would've done anything to get you to laugh or smile, Kathy. I would've gladly tickled you a lot just to get you to do that. I...I care about your happiness more than anything in the world, and I...(Sniff)…...I would do anything to achieve that...".

"...Kn-Knuckles...Don't...Now, you're gonna make me cry..." Kathy replied sadly yet softly in a broken tone of voice with a grimace as some tears came into her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kathy. I...I didn't mean to make you cry...(Sniff)…...I wish...I wish that I could meet your mom, Kathy...(Sniff)…...She sounds like a lovely lady indeed...If I had met her...I...I would've gladly asked her to adopt me...(Sniff)…...I just never had a family before, and if she was my mom too...then...I would've been incredibly happy. I would be happy with my life if she was there with me...I wouldn't feel so alone anymore if I had you...and your mom in my life...But since she's not here with you...I...I...(Sob Sob Sob)…" Knuckles muttered quietly in somberness with a deep grimace as he sniffled a lot before he broke down and cried softly in sadness.

"...! Kn-Knuckles...No..." Kathy muttered weakly in sympathy with a sad frown and with upward eyebrows as she gasped a bit. She held Knuckles much tighter and rubbed his back to comfort him after hearing him cry. She still had tears in her eyes, but she focused onto comforting Knuckles as he cried softly.

"...(Sob Sob Sob)…...It's so not fair...Why? …(Sob Sob Sob)…...Why do I have to be alone?! (Sob Sob Sob)…Why can't I have...have...(Sob Sob Sob Sob Sob)…" Knuckles muttered sadly in agony and in frustration with a deep grimace as he cried softly.

"...I know, Knuckles. I know...Life sucks..." Kathy muttered gently in understanding with a sad frown as she looked sympathetic towards him.

"Life sure does suck! Why can't either of us get what we want?! Why?! …(Sob Sob Sob Sob)…" Knuckles yelled in frustration with a deep grimace as he kept crying softly.

"(Sigh)...I don't know, Knuckles...I don't know..." Kathy replied softly yet sadly in sympathy with a sigh and with a headshake as she frowned in empathy for Knuckles. Knuckles kept crying softly after that while Kathy comforted him with tears in her eyes. Despite feeling both sad and hurt, they took solace in the fact that they're sharing their pain with one another. They felt...less alone in the world after knowing about the other person's struggles and hardships and after telling the other person theirs.

...It was...the only light in the sea of darkness that they had.

"...(Sniff)…...(Sniff)…..." Knuckles sniffled a little after crying softly for a few minutes. He was grateful that Kathy just held him and rubbed his back a lot while he cried. It was all he needed to feel loved and understood.

"...There, there, Knuckles...It's going to be alright...I'm here now...and maybe...that's all that matters right now...You're not alone...You're with me...We're...We're together...As the Guardian Duo...Remember?" Kathy consoled gently yet softly in understanding with a sad frown as she wiped her tears before she kept rubbing Knuckles' back. She then smiled a little when she said that last part.

"...(Sniff)…...Yes...That's right...We're...We're really not alone anymore, are we?" Knuckles replied softly in understanding with a sniffle and with a small frown before he wiped his tears and smiled a little as he realized that Kathy is right.

"Yeah! There you go, Knuckles! …...It's going to be alright. We're here together, and we're...we're going to battle life together as the Guardian Duo!" Kathy replied brightly yet encouragingly in hope with a jovial smile and with twinkling eyes as she stared at Knuckles.

"..." Knuckles was silent on that as he smiled warmly as he stared fondly at Kathy. He felt very happy that Kathy had cheered him up again. He felt like he can tackle the world again as he got his strength back. …...Kathy really is my strength...She helps me get back up on my feet whenever I had lost the will to move forward. I really can rely on her to cheer me up whenever I'm sad or upset. She just knows how to cheer me up...and...I am happy to have her in my life. She gives me joy in my depressing life...and I'll be forever grateful for that...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a warm smile as he stared longingly at Kathy.

As Knuckles held Kathy much tighter, he replied calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm smile, "...You're right...Angel...We're going to overcome the hardships of life together. If we can beat monsters together, then...life doesn't have much of a chance against us. We're going to persevere to the end and be very happy together. ...Just you and me...against the world...".

Kathy smiled warmly at that before she looked confused when a thought came to her. Hey, wait a minute. ..."Angel"? Where...Where have I heard that before? It was...earlier this afternoon...right? Yeah, Knuckles did say that...for a while now...But...Hmmmm...

"Hey, Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly yet curiously in confusion with a little frown.

"Hmm? Yes, Kathy?" Knuckles asked calmly in curiosity with a gentle smile.

Kathy pulled back from Knuckles to look at him while asking curiously in confusion with a bewildered expression on her face, "Why do you keep calling me 'Angel'? I'm pretty sure that you know that I'm a Kaiju monster. Not an angel".

"Pffft! Heheheheheheheheh...Are you sure about that, Angel? Because you had certainly saved me a lot from death lately. That's why I call you that...or should I say...nickname you that..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a playful grin as he chuckled a bit. He then winked at her when he had said that last part.

Kathy gasped in shock when she heard Knuckles say "nickname" and had beamed very brightly at him in amusement. "Ah! That's right! 'Nicknames'! We were supposed to say what our nicknames are at sunset the next day and...here we are! Wow! Time sure moves by so fast when you're busy having fun!" Kathy exclaimed brightly yet excitedly in amusement with a playful grin as she stared back at Knuckles.

"Heheheheheheheh...It sure does, Kathy. It sure does..." Knuckles replied calmly in fondness with a longing smile as he chuckled again.

Kathy smiled longingly back at Knuckles as she stared deeply into his amused, violet eyes. …"Angel", huh? So that's the nickname that Knuckles had come up with for me...Hmmm...I wonder... Kathy pondered calmly in curiosity with a warm smile and with twinkling eyes as she stared deeply into his eyes.

"Hey...Can you...call me 'Angel' again? I...I want to hear you say it again..." Kathy replied calmly yet softly in fondness with a warm smile and with twinkling, light-blue eyes.

Knuckles smiled fondly at Kathy as he adored the look in her eyes. He then brought Kathy slightly closer to himself and stared deeply into her eyes while smiling fondly at her.

"...'Angel'..." Knuckles repeated calmly yet softly in adoration with a fond smile and with twinkling, violet eyes. Kathy felt her heart skip a beat after hearing Knuckles say that to her again. She blushed in shyness as stared longingly at Knuckles' fond, handsome face.

"...Now...whisper the nickname to me..." Kathy replied calmly yet softly in fondness with a shy smile as she blushed a bit. Knuckles smiled even more fondly as he lowered his eyelids halfway and as he gently rubbed the back of Kathy's head.

He moved his head slightly forward towards Kathy's while repeating the nickname in a whisper, "...'Angel'...".

Kathy's heart had imploded in warmth after hearing that nickname again. Knuckles had said it with such dearness and passion that it had touched her heart. It felt so warm to her. So sincere. So caring. And so...familiar...

…...H-Huh? …...W-Whoa...Deja vu...I felt like...I had heard that nickname before...Like...way long ago...Like...in the distant...past...Hmmm...Weird...Kathy pondered calmly in surprise and in confusion as her eyes went wide and as her mouth gaped a little.

"Huh? Is something wrong, Kathy?" Knuckles asked calmly in concern while looking a bit worried as he noticed Kathy's change of expression.

"Oh! Uh...It's...It's nothing. Anyways, why don't I say my nickname for you now? What do you say? Are you curious as to what it is?" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a bright smile. Knuckles briefly raised his eyebrows in slight confusion when he saw that Kathy had changed the subject, but he soon smiled smugly at her in amusement.

"...Let me guess...Is my nickname 'The Big Red Dog'?" Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a smug smile and with lowered eyelids.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! No! Hehehehehehehehe! I wouldn't call you that!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with a jovial smile as she giggled a lot.

"Kathy, I know you. You would definitely call me that," Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement as he kept smiling smugly at Kathy.

"No, I won't! Hehehehehehehehe!" Kathy exclaimed back in amusement with a bright smile as she giggled some more.

Knuckles smiled even more smugly at her as he inched his face closer towards hers and started to growl playfully at her just to prove his point. "Grrrrrrrr..." Knuckles growled playfully with a teasing smirk as he stared deeply into Kathy's eyes.

"Hehehehehehehehehehe! Nice doggie!" Kathy exclaimed happily in amusement with an innocent smile as she giggled very much at this.

"Grrrrrrrrrr...Grrrrrrrr...Ruff! Ruff!" Knuckles growled and barked playfully at Kathy with a huge grin while looking amused.

"Hehehehehehehehehehehe! Awwwww! Who's good doggie? You are! Yeah! You are!" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a huge grin as she giggled a lot. As she said that, she tickled Knuckles' tummy again with one hand while holding him back with her other hand.

"Grrrrrr-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! STAP! STAP! STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles growled a little before he squealed like a girl and laughed hysterically again to the tickling while smiling hugely in amusement. He recoiled from Kathy and swatted her hand away from his tummy.

"Hey! Hehehehehehehehe! Is that anyway to treat your Master? I was just giving you some affectionate tickles to your tummy. After all, dogs like to be tickled there. It feels good to them," Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a silly grin as she giggled a little to that cute reaction.

"It just feels funny! Hahahahahahahaha! I can't help but laugh at it!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed more calmly this time while he clutched his tummy with his right hand.

"And that means you like it! Right?" Kathy replied coyly in playfulness with a teasing smirk and with amused eyes.

Knuckles smiled sheepishly at that as he knows that Kathy had cornered him with that logic. Dang it, Kathy! Stop making good arguments against me! Knuckles thought brightly in amusement as he smiled sheepishly at her.

"Just...Just shut up..." Knuckles replied calmly yet weakly in amusement as he smiled a lot while blushing in embarrassment.

"Hehehehehe! Well, since you're curious about what the nickname is, I'll tell you! Get ready, Knuckles! It's going to be brilliant!" Kathy exclaimed cheerfully in amusement with a little giggle and with a bright smile.

"Heh. Alright. Fire away, Kathy. Tell me what it is. I'm all ears..." Knuckles replied calmly in amusement with a gentle smile and with a nod as he stared curiously at Kathy. He had some ideas of what Kathy would nickname him. Such nicknames he thought of were Red Warrior, Tough Dog, Devious K, The Mischief Guard, and funnily enough...Little Godzilla because...why not?

However, he was not prepared for Kathy's actual nickname...in more ways than one.

"Troublemaker!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a playful grin as she poked at Knuckles' chest.

"Wait! Huh?! What did you just say?!" Knuckles exclaimed back in shock as his eyes went wide and as his mouth gaped.

"'Troublemaker'! That's your nickname, Knuckles! You're my little Troublemaker!" Kathy exclaimed brightly in amusement with a playful grin as she poked at Knuckles' chest again.

"...'T-T-Troublemaker'?" Knuckles repeated in shock and in confusion as his eyes went wider and as his mouth went wider as well. ...Where...Where had I heard that nickname before? The way that Kathy had said it...it's...it's ringing some distant bells for me...As if...As if I had been called that...ages ago...But...But why...why can't I remember specifically when it was when I had heard it? It...It doesn't make any sense...Knuckles pondered calmly in shock and in confusion while having a surprised yet baffled look on his face.

"Hey, are you alright, Knuckles?" Kathy asked calmly in concern as she frowned a little.

"...H-Huh? Oh...Uh..." Knuckles muttered awkwardly with a small frown before he smiled a little as he calmly continued in slight amusement, "...It's...It's nothing, Kathy. So...Uhh...'Troublemaker', huh? That's my nickname? Heh. I wonder why you would call me that...I'm...honestly curious...".

Kathy stared at Knuckles for a bit in concern and in confusion with a little frown before she smiled brightly as she answered happily in amusement, "Well, it's SO obvious why I would call you that! You make all kinds of trouble all the time!".

Knuckles genuinely laughed at this answer. "Ahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh! So that's so! Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! Well, excuse me, Angel, but trouble just so happens to find me! So, it's not my fault that bad things happen whenever I'm around! Hahahahahahahaha! It just does! So...Hahahahahahaha! ...How dare you say that I'm a troublemaker! I'm offended! Hahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed playfully in amusement with a huge grin as he laughed a lot.

Kathy then looked smug as she asked calmly yet playfully in amusement, "Oh, really now? Then answer me this, Knuckles. Who was the one that had nearly died to a Megalon monster?".

"Oh, come on! Hahahahahahahahahahaha! That was just bad luck! I swear! Hahahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed even more at that.

"Uh huh. Sure. Next question. Whose brilliant idea was it to go to our separate ways to fight the Megalon monsters alone when we could've tried to fight them all together?" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a smug smile and with half-lidded eyes.

"Hey! Hahahahahahahahahaha! We still defeated the Megalon monsters in the end! So, who cares if we were alone?! We still came out on top! Hahahahahahaha!" Knuckles exclaimed back in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed even more.

"Knuckles...I had difficulty fighting those Megalon monsters by myself. I had to tap out and let Sonic fight them for me. And let me remind you...that wouldn't have happened if you were there with me..." Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a smug look on her face.

"Oh, well, tough cookies, Kathy! Hahahahahahaha! Sometimes, you're going to have hard battles in your life, and you're going to need some help in order to beat them! Hahahahahahaha! But that's just you, Kathy! Me on the other hand had beaten those big, bug creatures all by myself because I'm the expect fighter here! Heheheheheheheh! Yep! All three of them!" Knuckles replied playfully yet cockily in amusement with a proud smirk as he laughed a lot while crossing his arms in smugness.

"..." Kathy was silent as she stared at Knuckles with a smug smile. Knuckles was staring back at Kathy with a cocky smirk. She kept staring at Knuckles in silence before she quickly tickled his tummy again with both hands.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OKAY! OKAY! I HAD ONLY BEATEN ONE MONSTER! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I ACTUALLY HAD TO RELY ON OTHERS TO HELHELHELHELHELHELHELHELHELP MEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles squealed loudly like a girl in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed hysterically to the tickling. He squirmed and cowered back from Kathy a little as he said that.

"Heh. What a coincidence. I had beaten only one Megalon monster too. Hmmm...If only I had some extra muscle to the team..." Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a smug smile and with half-lidded eyes as she stopped tickling Knuckles.

"Ahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, shut up! I still had beaten one on my own! Just...Heheheheheh...Just what are you getting at here?" Knuckles replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a huge smile as he laughed some more while covering his tummy with his arms.

"Just wait a moment. Anyways, last question. ...Who was the one that had fallen from the sky while carrying a Sol Heart in their hands...and had almost died because of it?" Kathy replied calmly yet playfully in amusement with a smug smile and with lowered eyelids.

At that last question, Knuckles stopped laughing and just smiled widely at Kathy instead in amusement. He can make all the excuses that he can with the previous questions, but...he knows in his heart that last one was clearly and 100% his own fault. Besides, in hindsight...he should've made Battra drop the heart and glide safely down to the ground after he had let go of him. Not...grab the heart in mid-air like some sort of superhero or something. Seriously! Who does that? ...Oh, wait. That's right. He is a hero. Duh!

...I'm...I'M SUCH AN IDIOT! Knuckles thought brightly in amusement as he smiled widely at Kathy. He then closed his eyes and bit his lip while his shoulders shook a little as he finally realized that Kathy was right about him. He is a troublemaker through and through, and it doesn't look like that's going to change anytime soon. He can feel the laughter booming inside of him and is ready to come out since the nickname that Kathy had given to him was so perfect and so funny to him that it...actually tickled him.

"PFFFFT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AH! AH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ALRIGHT! YOU WIN, KATHY! I'M...I'M A TROUBLEMAKER! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'S...THAT'S SO PERFECT! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Knuckles shouted happily with a huge smile as he laughed very loudly yet genuinely in amusement.

Kathy smiled warmly at this as she was happy that she could get Knuckles to laugh like this without actually tickling him. She felt both proud and happy that Knuckles had started to laugh at himself like this. Knuckles may not be aware of it, but...it's clear that he is slowly changing for the better...And Kathy...was happy to witness him change right in front of her.

…I knew that you could do it, buddy. You have the ability to change and look at you now. ...Changing here and now...Kathy pondered calmly in fondness with a warm, proud smile on her face while staring at Knuckles with twinkling eyes.

"Ahahahahahahaha...Hahahaha...Ahh...(Sigh)…...Man...That...That felt good..." Knuckles muttered calmly in amusement with a content smile and with a deep sigh as he finished laughing. He smiled hugely at Kathy as he saw her smiling warmly at him.

"...I'm glad that you are happy with the nickname that I gave you. I'll admit that...I had run into some stumbling blocks when I had tried to come up with a nickname for you. But when I heard Sonic say that you are a bit of a troublemaker, it was then that my mind had clicked and had decided that it would be the nickname for you because it's so true! You are a troublemaker! Not only do you cause trouble, but you also get in trouble too! And guess who has to get you out of trouble? Me! Your Guardian Angel!" Kathy replied calmly yet happily in amusement with a bright smile as she pointed at herself for emphasis.

"...!" Knuckles gasped in shock when he had heard those last sentences. For what Kathy had said...was so true...Every time he causes trouble for others or for himself, he eventually gets into a jam that's usually way over his head and...usually suffers from it...But since Kathy was there to save him before things went dire, he basically avoided those troublesome circumstances. She literally gets him out of trouble and...ends up being safe because of that. All because...she was looking out for him...as his...guardian angel...

...My...My Guardian Angel...Angel...and...Troublemaker...One angel...One troublemaker...One Guardian Duo...How...How perfect...It fits like a glove. Just like...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a warm smile on his face as he lowered his eyelids halfway. He stared directly at Kathy's Sol Pendant with a fond smile and saw the gold heart in the middle of the two, silver gems. He then pondered fondly one last time as he kept staring at the pendant.

...Just like two halves of a heart...

"...Kathy?" Knuckles asked softly in fondness with a warm look on his face.

"Yes?" Kathy asked quietly in curiosity with a warm look as well.

He then leant forward towards Kathy and hugged her again very tightly. He had a huge smile on his face as he was very happy with the nickname that Kathy had lovingly given him. Kathy smiled very widely at this and hugged Knuckles back just as tightly as well. They kept hugging each other for a while in peace.

…

…

…

…...Oh, Kathy...You just...You just know how to melt my heart, don't you? Sigh...If only...If only that I could...I could...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with a longing smile on his face as he looked at Kathy.

"..." Knuckles said nothing but had stared at Kathy with a huge, longing smile on his face. Then...slowly...he pulled a bit away from Kathy to stare closely at her face. Kathy smiled longingly at Knuckles as she stared deeply into his caring, intense, violet eyes. She can see his eyes twinkling and his smile growing larger as he stared back into her eyes. Knuckles can see the sparkles in Kathy's beautiful, innocent, light-blue eyes. The innocence...is so precious to Knuckles that it's...making him go even crazier than before. In fact...he had started to want her.

…I...I...I want to...kiss her...Knuckles pondered calmly in fondness with an affectionate look on his face. He soon slowly leant towards Kathy's face and closed his eyes as he was about to kiss her...yet again.

…However...

"...Uh...What are you doing, Knuckles?" Kathy asked curiously in confusion with innocent eyes and with a little frown as she moved her head a bit from Knuckles and stared at his face.

"...Huh?" Knuckles asked calmly in confusion as he opened his eyes and stared at Kathy with a little frown.

"Why were you puckering your lips and moving your head towards me? What was that about? Were you trying to act like a fish? Were you playing pretend?" Kathy asked curiously in confusion with an intrigued yet innocent look on her face as she tilted her head in a cute way.

"...!" Knuckles blushed violently at this as he gasped loudly in shock. His eyes were very wide; his mouth was gaped very widely too; and his blush was dark red and had completely covered his muzzle. It had finally hit him at what he was trying to do...and he felt completely embarrassed by it.

I WAS TRYING TO KISS HER?! WHY?! THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT THIS HAD HAPPENED TO ME TODAY! HOW?! HOW DO I KEEP LETTING MY FEELINGS GO WILD FOR HER?! WHY AM I LIKE THIS?! JUST WHAT HAD MADE ME TO START WANTING TO KISS HER?! …...ACK! Knuckles pondered in panic and in confusion as he blushed a lot and had a shocked look on his face. He looked even more shocked when he realized what had made him start thinking those thoughts.

And honestly...he should've known straight away of what had caused it.

"But Kathy had said that you and she always have fun whenever you're alone together. Heh. What kinds of things that you guys do together when you're alone? Holding hands? Cuddling? Kissing?".

"Kathy and Knuckles sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!".

"SONIC! I BLAME YOU FOR THIS!" Knuckles shouted in anger and in complete embarrassment while the supposed camera pans upwards towards the beautiful sunset behind the glass, sliding doors in the bedroom.

Welp! That's the end for episode 6! Sorry if the epilogue was a bit too long. It did at least reach the 20,000 word mark just a bit, but it's still shorter than part 1 of this episode alone. But regardless, I hope that you had enjoyed the chapter by seeing Kathy and Knuckles bond some more with both serious and light-hearted moments. You also got to see Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles interacting some more. So, that's a plus! But now, it's time for me to take a short break from this story and make some progress with my other story Sonic X: Season 3: Shuffle Edition because my word the poor story had been neglected for months since I've been trying to finish this episode! Hopefully, the next episode will have less parts than this one. At least, I hope. But anyways, thanks for your support for the story so far and keep on reading it when I eventually post more chapters! Onwards to episode 7!