A Friend In Need

"I'll catch up with you later Tails I'm going to go for a run be back in a bit." Sonic said breezily, dashing off.

"I'll be here waiting." Tails called after him.

Knuckles nodded to tails "I'm going to take this back to the shrine." Knuckles said grabbing the master emerald and setting off on the long trek.

After a while of walking he caught sight of a shadow in the distance. He immediately recognized the figure as sonic, he started walking towards him. The hedgehog was gazing at the sunset before them, knuckles chuckled.

"You really are a dreamer aren't you?" Knuckles called.

Sonic leapt to his feet and spun around, startled.

Knuckles wasn't expecting that reaction, sonic almost looked defensive, he was on guard. Knuckles frowned. "What's up?"

"Nothing." Sonic replied steadily, sitting back down and turning to the sunset again.

"Heh so I finally managed to scare you." Knuckles smirked.

"Yeah." Sonic said sounding uninterested.

Knuckles frowned, he sat beside sonic. "So why aren't you on a run?"

Sonic took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and clenched his fists. "Reasons."

Knuckles narrowed his eyes. "What reasons?" He growled.

"Please just leave me alone knuckles." Sonic said quietly...Too quietly.

"Something's obviously bothering you what's wrong?" Knuckles asked his brow furrowing.

"You're bothering me by being here!" Sonic growled, sending him a glare. "I told you to leave me alone!" He snarled, green fire in his eyes.

Knuckles was surprised how quickly he'd gotten angry. "Not until you tell me what's wrong." He said calmly.

"Knuckles just...leave." Sonic mumbled.

"Sonic..."

"LEAVE!"

"No! I'm not leaving you you're my friend!" Knuckles growled.

"I...don't...NEED YOU!" Sonic growled, launching himself at the echidna.

Knuckles gasped in surprise, he kicked sonic off him.

Sonic quickly got his balance, and glared at knuckles. A storm of emotions in those emerald eyes, their was a silent battle going on in his head.

"What's going on with you?" Knuckles asked.

"I don't want...to hurt you..." sonic said struggling to calm himself.

"Why would you?" Knuckles asked brushing the dust off his leg.

Sonic stayed silent, he looked away.

Knuckles thought he saw a glimpse of fear in his eyes. What is going on with him?

Sonic sighed. "You're not gonna leave are you?" He asked sounding more like himself.

"Nope." Knuckles smirked.

Sonic growled, then sighed. "I kinda bottle up my emotions and after a while I get overwhelmed and everything just comes out you know." He said, ears drooping.

"But why now?" Knuckles asked gently.

"Y-you know how we were talking about perfect chaos earlier?" Sonic started.

"Yeah but why is that triggering you? You saved us all..."

"Not all." Sonic cut him off his voice faltering. "Hundreds maybe thousands died because I wasn't fast enough!" Sonic growled angrily. Sonics eyes were tearing up. "They died because of me." He said his breath hitching in his throat.

"Sonic..."

"I should have died not them." Sonic said, a tear running down his cheek.

"No! Without you no one would have lived!" Knuckles exclaimed.

"They deserved a better hero. I'm no hero." Sonic growled, more tears sliding down his cheeks.

Knuckles grabbed sonics shoulders and shook him roughly. "Do you hear yourself!?"

Sonic gazed into the echidnas violet eyes, shame, sadness, anger, fear. Was all displayed in the hedgehogs expressive eyes. Sonic dropped on to his knees and sobbed on the grass, his pride was gone.

Knuckles was shocked by the hedgehogs display. Why has he been hiding by this from us? How long? How does he get his spirit back? I never knew he was so alone. Thoughts swirled in the echidnas mind. He'd never seen sonic cry once, and to see him fall apart right in front of him was hard to take.

He crouched down beside the hedgehog and sonic looked up at him, big emerald pools of misery and uncertainty gazed into his soul. He would never forget the helpless look in his eyes. He hugged sonic tightly. "You're my hero sonic. Never second guess that." He said softly.

Sonic stiffened had knuckles really said that? I really am going crazy. Sonic hugged knuckles back, letting out the last of his tears. After a long moment sonic pulled away. "T-thanks...please don't tell anyone about this...You weren't supposed to know about this." Sonic mumbled.

"You can't possibly hold all that on your own?! Sonic you can't keep doing this! I thought you never doubt yourself." Knuckles exclaimed.

"I close off my negative feelings...even I forget they're there. I want to be strong for everyone, so I close off my feelings so I don't crack in front of them." Sonic explained nervously.

"You are both stupid and incredible for doing that." Knuckles said quietly.

Sonic gazed off in the distance a small smile on his face. "I just don't want you guys to worry about me, I know you don't but I don't want tails to know about this." Sonic said quietly.

Knuckles smiled and nudged him. "Your secrets safe with me. Hey wanna take out some aggression with me?" Knuckles asked.

Sonics smirk returned on his face and his emerald eyes glowed. "Oh yes! Let's just get away from the edge of the cliff." Sonic said gazing at the cliff.

"Ready hedgehog?" Knuckles asked eagerly.

"You bet!" Sonic replied.

They both sprung at each other and their battle began.

Later...

Sonic and knuckles gasped frantically laying on the ground. Knuckles sat up and gazed at sonic worriedly. "Are you okay?you look really worn out."

"Heh, well I've had a long day. Y'know with my emotional issues, they take a lot out of me." Sonic said quietly.

"As much as I think you're stupid I can't help but admire you. You're and amazing fighter, your pretty smart, your super fast, your agile, and an amazing friend."Knuckles said complimenting him.

"Stop it." Sonic said getting flustered.

"Its all true, but theirs a longer list of the stupid things you've done." Knuckles said smirking.

"Heh, right." Sonic laughed, he gazed up at knuckles. "And thank you."