I Want To Be Alone On Valentine's Day
Part 8 (Finale): Always Alone
Well, Valentine's Day had arrived, and it is 7 PM. It was a clear night. The stars can be seen, and people are walking around Central City. Knuckles was with Amy during their long walk around the city. Amy is clearly well again since she is acting very cheerful as usual which Knuckles was glad to see. She is wearing her usual red outfit of her red dress and red boots. They were walking side by side while talking calmly to each other.
"Oh! So, you and Sonic had bought that get-well card yesterday?! Aw, thank you so much, Knuckles! I knew that you and Sonic would settle your differences to help me feel better! You're the best!" Amy exclaimed happily in amusement with a bright smile and with twinkling eyes as she stared at Knuckles.
"Ah. It was nothing. I was going to buy you a card anyway. Sonic just happened to be there at the same time as me. It seems that he was planning to buy you a card too. I'm glad that the card had cheered you up yesterday," Knuckles replied calmly in amusement while smiling gently at Amy as he stared back at her.
"Hehe! It really did! I hope you that weren't too lonely since you couldn't come to see me most of the week," Amy responded calmly yet cheerfully in amusement and in sympathy with a light giggle and with a little smile while feeling a bit concerned for Knuckles as she stared back at him.
"Oh, no. It was fine. I was okay during the week. It was a bit reliving to have some time to myself again," Knuckles answered calmly in amusement and in reassurance with a gentle smile while shaking his head "no" as he stared back at Amy before he looked ahead of himself.
Amy smiled a little sadly as she then replied calmly yet gently in sympathy and in curiosity with another giggle, "You know. You sounded a bit disappointed when I had called you on Sunday. It was almost as if you were expecting us to hang out together on that day. Hehe, did you really enjoy our fake dates that much?".
"What?!" Knuckles exclaimed in shock with a flustered expression on his face as he turned to look back at Amy while blushing brightly in embarrassment.
Amy smiled cheerfully as she teased Knuckles a little in amusement while giggling a bit, "Aww, you're blushing, Knuckles! Is that a confession of a 'yes'? I think that it is! Hehehehehe!".
"Well...I...Uh…Um...Nnnnngh...Fine. Yes, I did enjoy them, and...I did want to hang out with you that day. Perhaps a few times during the week," Knuckles replied calmly in awkwardness with a flustered expression on his face and with a reluctant groan until he admitted it in sheepishness with a bashful expression instead while feeling ashamed as he stared back at Amy before shyly looking down at his shoes.
"Aww, I told you that it was going to be fun! I'm glad that you had enjoyed our time together. See? It wasn't so bad now, was it?" Amy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement while feeling happy as she smiled wider at Knuckles and stared eagerly at him.
"Umm...Well, no. I guess not. It did keep me preoccupied for a while. It was a nice change of pace for a while," Knuckles admitted calmly yet a bit awkwardly in agreement with a little frown and with flushed cheeks while looking up at the clear night sky as he stared at it for a bit.
"Well, I'm really glad that we got to spend some time together. Especially as a way to get back at Sonic. Although he hadn't shown up at all during the week that I was sick. Cream said that Sonic had given her the get-well card as she gave it to me. I don't know why he hadn't tried to talk to me personally. Also, it seems that he hadn't met up with me today either. (Sigh)...I guess that my plan was a failure then. I was sure that Sonic might have felt a little jealous when we told him that we're dating, but it seemed that he hadn't tried to win me back or anything. I guess that he is sticking to his guns this time and really wants me to get a life. Ugh. What a let-down," Amy replied calmly in gratitude with a huge smile before in sadness with a little frown while sighing tiredly in disappointment as she stared at Knuckles for a bit before looking down in shame.
Knuckles looked back at Amy and frowned sadly at her while he brooded calmly in somberness as he felt sympathetic towards her. You're wrong there, Amy. He was jealous. It's just...not that simple as you think. I wish that I could tell you, but...it's better if you find that out for yourself.
He knows the truth. He knows that Sonic really cares for Amy in his own special way. He trusts Sonic to make his own judgments on his own problems. If Sonic is going to apologize to her at some point, then he will do it in his own time. He shouldn't have to worry about that. So, he decided to cheer her up instead.
"I'm sorry that Sonic didn't come to ask you out or make it up to you on Valentine's Day as you had wanted. There was nothing that you could do. However, I think that you hadn't wasted your time by spending time with me. It was good for the both of us. I think that we had gotten a little closer because of that," Knuckles replied calmly in sadness with a sympathetic frown while he stared at Amy as he tried to console her.
Amy looked surprised as she looked back at Knuckles and stared back at him while she asked calmly in curiosity, "Huh? You really mean that?".
Knuckles then smiled warmly at Amy while he stared gently back at her as he consoled calmly yet softly in fondness, "Why yes. I do mean that. You're a very lovely lady, Amy, and you do deserve as much respect as any person should. Sure, you do have your weaknesses, but in the end, you're a girl who just wants to shower someone with love and affection, and that's a character trait that I admire greatly. So, I do hope that you will meet someone who will take their time out of their day to spend time with you and to love as you are. If Sonic does come around and will love you even more than he does now, then maybe he deserves to have a second chance. So, stay positive, Amy. That's really the one thing that you're good at".
Amy soon stopped in her tracks. Knuckles soon stopped with her and turned around fully to face her. He was smiling fondly at her. Amy's eyes were sparkling as little tears started to show up. This one compliment was something that she had never heard Knuckles say before. She could see that he was being very honest right now. For all the stubbornness and short-temperedness that he has, Knuckles can be very genuine when he is speaking about something that he cares about, and right now...he cares about Amy's feelings. How much did she wish that she could fall in love with him right now since he had said that. If only she could express appropriately on how much she had appreciated his words of comfort...well, there may be one way.
Amy then turned fully to face Knuckles. At first, she had a few tears coming down her face before she wiped them with her right hand. Then, with a little bit of hesitation, she finally walked up to him, wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and then...she kissed him on the lips. One gentle kiss to say, "thank you". Knuckles was very surprised when Amy boldly decided to kiss him, but he soon hugged her back and let her kiss him. He closed his eyes as Amy continued to kiss him. The feeling that he had in his heart felt a little bit of warmth this time. He can appreciate the kiss this time for not being as cold as his first kiss was. It was warm and lovely. Although as warm and tender the kiss was, he still didn't feel any spark from it. He supposed that this was the evidence proving that he and Amy were just friends and nothing more. He won't say that the kiss was bad. It was pretty good, but he just didn't feel that attracted to Amy. He figured that it was due to him not kissing his "special someone". Maybe if he had met this mysterious girl then maybe the kiss would've been unbelievable. Clearly, this type of kiss is certainly not "unbelievable". Knuckles felt sad again although he still kept kissing Amy to hide his pain.
Amy then broke the kiss and placed her head over Knuckles' left shoulder as she hugged him more tightly. Knuckles returned the hug by holding her more tightly as well. He stroked her back a little to comfort her some more. They were both smiling fondly as they hugged.
Amy then whispered softly to Knuckles in gratitude with a fond smile and with half-lidded eyes, "Thank you, Knuckles. Thank you for saying that to me. You're such a good friend. I'll be okay now thanks to you. That...That cheered me up. I needed that. Thank you very much for being my fake boyfriend for a while. We did try our best, but...I guess that it's just us for tonight".
Knuckles softly whispered back in gratitude as he kept smiling fondly at Amy while he stared at her with half-lidded eyes, "Yeah...I guess that it is just us for tonight. Also, Amy...I want to thank you too. Thank you for kissing me. I honestly...did not expect that, but it was appreciated greatly...especially since it came from such a caring friend like you. Thank you for saying that I'm a good friend. I appreciated the compliment. And Amy?".
"Yeah?" Amy asked calmly in curiosity with a fond smile and with half-lidded eyes as she stared at Knuckles.
Knuckles then pulled away as he held onto Amy's shoulders. His eyes twinkled in the starry night as he stared calmly at her. He then replied gently in a soft, low tone of voice with a huge, fond smile and with twinkling eyes, "Don't mention it. I'm always willing to listen to you if you have a problem that you need help with. That is... what a true friend does".
Amy smiled widely as she stared back into his twinkling, violet eyes while she exclaimed brightly in pure joy, "Oh, Knuckles! Fake dating you was the best idea that I ever had!".
"NO WAY!" shouted an all too familiar voice.
Knuckles and Amy jolted simultaneously in surprise as they snapped their heads quickly to the streets behind them. They had huge, startled eyes and wide, open mouths as they were in shock. The person who was standing a few feet away from them was Sonic. Sonic had his jaw dropped to the ground and had wide, shocked eyes. He just couldn't believe what Amy had admitted to. The three of them were staring at each other in stunned silence. Knuckles' and Amy's plan was busted.
When Sonic finally got over his initial shock, he shouted again in confusion with a flabbergasted look on his face, "YOU GUYS WERE FAKE DATING THIS ENTIRE TIME?!".
Knuckles then quickly released Amy and put his right hand behind his head as he felt uncomfortable in this situation.
Amy then looked guilty as she confessed calmly in shame with a tired sigh and with a sad look on her face, "(Sigh)...Yes, Sonic. We had lied to you. We weren't really dating at all. We only just hanged out together".
Sonic blinked a lot and stared at them like a fish would as he still couldn't wrap his mind around this revelation while he thought calmly in shock. And here I thought that Knuckles would be perfect for her.
He then asked calmly yet softly in confusion with a baffled look on his face, "Why? Why did you two do that?".
Knuckles and Amy turned to each other and nodded solemnly in unison as they decided to apologize to Sonic. Amy decided to explain to Sonic why they did what they did.
"It was because of what you had said to us on Knuckles' birthday. We were really hurt by what you had said. I wanted to get back at you for trying to avoid spending time with me by following your advice. I thought that if you had saw what a great time Knuckles and I were having, then maybe you would apologize and say that you wanted to spend time with me again. Sonic, I'm very sorry that I had lied and deceived you. Knuckles is sorry too. Right? Knuckles?" Amy apologized calmly in guilt with an ashamed look on her face until she turned to Knuckles for confirmation.
"Hmm? Ah! Oh! Um...Um...Y-Yes...Q-Quite. I-I...Um...I'm s-sorry too, Sonic," Knuckles stammered calmly yet awkwardly in guilt with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows while rubbing the back of his head in shame as he coyly glanced at Amy and Sonic before he looked away from them.
Man, I really am like the third wheel in this relationship. Knuckles pondered calmly in awkwardness with a sheepish look on his face while staring at the buildings on the other side of the street.
Sonic looked a little sad at first, but suddenly, he started to smile widely and snickered a little. Amy was confused at first until Sonic started to laugh as loudly as he could. Knuckles soon turned to look at Sonic in confusion while he continued to laugh hysterically.
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OKAY! OKAY! I TOTALLY DESERVED THAT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! ALRIGHT, THAT WAS A WICKED BURN! HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH!" Sonic shouted brightly in amusement with a huge smile while he laughed loudly as he clutched his stomach with his arms and bent forwards.
Both Amy and Knuckles stared at Sonic with such confusion on their faces. They had deceived him, and yet, Sonic is just laughing away. He doesn't seem like he's mad at all.
Feeling a bit concerned, Amy frowned a little and asked calmly in confusion as she stared sadly at Sonic, "Um, Sonic? Are you okay? You're not mad at us, right?".
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHY WOULD I BE MAD AT YOU TWO?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT YOU DID WAS TOTALLY UNDERSTANDABLE! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IT'S OKAY! I TOTALLY FORGIVE YOU TWO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Sonic continued in amusement as he laughed some more in hysterics while looking and staring at them with the biggest smile on his face.
Knuckles and Amy both raised their eyebrows and shouted together in shock and in confusion with wide-open mouths, "HUH?! YOU FORGIVE US?! BUT WE HAD LIED TO YOU!".
Sonic soon calmed his laughter down as he then gently explained to them in amusement with a huge smile and with upward eyebrows, "Hahaha, listen, guys. I know that you had lied, but I'm serious. I forgive you. You guys were right. I had hurt you two pretty badly that day. I was a complete jerk. I got what was coming to me. I definitely deserved that as my punishment for being a jerk. To be honest, Amy, I felt very guilty for saying that to you after our fight that day. I felt guilty for an entire week and a half! In fact, I came here to find you and try to apologize to you in the first place! Look, Amy, I'm really sorry that I had hurt your feelings. You were right. I should try to spend more time with you more often. You're my friend, and I should treat you much better than that. Hey, you did follow my advice into spending time with your friends. Now, it's time for me to listen to your advice for a change. Oh! And Knuckles? I know that I had apologized to you yesterday, but I want to apologize again. I'm still sorry for what I said to you on that day. That was very low of me to say that. You were right. You deserve more respect than that. Can you two forgive me?".
Knuckles and Amy were surprised with Sonic's humility and maturity here. It was a surprise for sure since Sonic doesn't apologize often. Since they saw that Sonic was being genuine here, they soon sighed a little and replied calmly in unison with understanding looks on their faces, "(Sigh)...We forgive you".
Sonic then smiled broadly and gave his usual thumbs-up as he replied calmly yet brightly in amusement while he paused for a bit in slight awkwardness, "Thanks, guys! You two are the best! Say, now that we're here together, why don't we all hang out together as friends to celebrate Valentine's Day? …...Um, of course, if you two are okay with it, being that I had interrupted your 'date' and all. Are you guys cool with ending your 'date' early to spend time together as friends?".
Knuckles and Amy looked at each other in confusion for a moment. He is right. It was only a fake date in the end. Who cares if it had ended? They soon smiled gently in agreement and nodded to each other in unison. They soon looked back at Sonic with relieved smiles on their faces.
Amy then exclaimed brightly in amusement with an eager, relieved smile on her face as she stared at Sonic, "Why of course we're okay with it! We don't mind at all if we had ended our date now! It is about time for you to spend some quality time with me! Even now so as friends! So, yeah! Let's spend the rest of Valentine's Day together as a group! It will be fun! In fact, Knuckles had told me that we were going to the ice cream parlor next! Do you want to come with us and eat?!".
Sonic smiled widely as he exclaimed back happily in amusement while he stared back at Amy and Knuckles, "Sure! It's no chilidog, but it still sounds like a great place to go! Hey, after that, why don't we go to Emerald Town next?! The suburban area is hosting a Valentine's Day celebration party throughout the neighborhood! It could be a cool place to go to! We might go visit Tails as well once we have time left! He lives there too, you know!".
Amy and Knuckles nodded happily in agreement as she exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a huge grin, "That's perfect! Oh, Sonic! You can be so romantic if you wanted to sometimes! Going to a Valentine's Day party sounds amazing! Quick! Let's go get our ice cream and go there! Come on, everybody! Let's go!".
Sonic and Knuckles both nodded to Amy, and they all walked together to the ice cream parlor that was a few blocks away from where they were standing prior. Eventually, they soon went into the parlor shop where delicious ice cream is waiting to be devoured.
Knuckles soon went towards the counter while looking back at Sonic and Amy as he muttered calmly in confirmation with a little frown on his relaxed face, "So, Amy, you wanted the strawberry ice cream while you, Sonic, wanted the chocolate fudge, right?".
They both exclaimed brightly in amusement with cheerful looks on their faces as they stared and nodded at Knuckles, "Yep!".
"Fine. Okay, I'll go get them for you. I was planning to pay from the start after all. Are you sure that you guys don't want anything else?" Knuckles replied calmly in understanding and in curiosity with a little frown on his solemn face while getting his rings out as he glanced at Sonic and Amy.
"Nope!" they both exclaimed brightly in amusement while wearing big smiles on their faces and while shaking their heads "no" as they stared at Knuckles.
"Okay, I'm going then," Knuckles replied calmly in understanding with a little frown on his exhausted face and with a casual shrug as he stared at Sonic and Amy.
"Thanks, Dad!" they both yelled back in amusement and in gratitude while wearing teasing grins on their faces as they stared back at Knuckles. They always had fun teasing Knuckles like that. It was always hilarious to them.
Knuckles narrowed his eyelids at them and frowned even deeper in annoyance as he muttered calmly yet tiredly in exasperation, "You guys are the worst".
He soon turned around and walked towards the counter to order his and his "friends'" orders. Sonic and Amy were snickering at the back as they walked toward their chosen table.
Sonic calmly whispered to Amy while chuckling in amusement with a playful smile, "Hahahaha, that never gets old".
"Hehehehehe! Tell me about it! His reactions are priceless!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a playful, sweet smile on her face while giggling a bit as she got onto her seat while Sonic sat in the seat next to her.
They waited for a minute and half for their ice cream. Knuckles soon paid the cashier his money and grabbed the tray with three bowls of ice cream in it. He then walked to the table in the back where Sonic and Amy were at. He gave them their bowls of ice cream once he put the tray down onto the table. He sat down next to Amy on the other seat next to her. He grabbed his own bowl of ice cream and quietly ate it while Sonic and Amy were busy chatting with each other. Knuckles' ice cream was the cookie dough one. It's his secret favorite ice cream. Sonic and Amy were happily chatting amongst themselves while they ate every now and then.
It seems that things are finally going back to normal again. It's about time. Knuckles pondered calmly in relief with a little frown on his relaxed yet shy face as he ate his ice cream in peace. He was honestly glad that he was left alone for a while. He takes solace when people aren't talking to him. He's fine with that. He was about done talking to them for the time being. Sonic and Amy did some catching up to do since they hadn't spoken to each other for a long time. Knuckles listened to their conversation absent-mindedly while he ate his ice cream. He knew that deep down that he would be a third wheel once Sonic had joined the group. But he didn't care about that at all.
…...Or did he?
They soon left the ice cream parlor after they had finished eating their ice cream and headed towards Emerald Town. It was on the west side of Central City outside of town. They were walking on a path in the forest called Leaf Storm before they had made it to Emerald Town where Tails lives at. Tails does have a workshop in Mystic Ruins, but he only goes there a few times a week to work on his new inventions. He lives in his home in Emerald Town. His house was made after his face. He built that house all by himself.
Anyways, Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy were walking around the neighborhood while feeling impressed on how the town was decorated. It was like Halloween or Christmas where the neighborhood was completely decorated in the Valentine's Day theme. There were flowers being decorated on the houses. There were also some flower venues that sold flowers. Some red and pink strings of lightbulbs were hung over the houses. Some red and pink balloons were strung up and being sold by venders nearby. There were also large hearts being decorated on the lawns and on houses in the neighborhood. Everyone in the neighborhood was going out and playing with the games that the little neighborhood was hosting.
There were some dunking games, throwing of darts on a heart target, some bingo games, some eating games, some bobbing of the apples, and some playing of sort of freeze tag for children's games. Also, children were going door to door carrying bags of candy and cards for others and for themselves. It was somewhat like trick-or-treating except this time the children are supposed to give candy and cards for others instead. This way, children will give and receive candy either way. It was a really cool event that the neighborhood had made a few years ago.
Sonic whistled as he exclaimed happily in amusement with a playful grin, "(Whistle) Man, this event is way past cool! Everyone is out here having fun together! This is great!".
"Hehe! Yeah, this is amazing! I can't wait to play some of these games with you, Sonic!" Amy agreed happily yet brightly in amusement with a light giggle and with a playful grin as she looked at Sonic and stared at him.
Meanwhile, Knuckles was quietly walking behind them with a little frown on his face and with his hands behind his back. He was busy observing the event in silence. He had to admit that it looks really well-made for a silly, holiday event.
"This is so dang stupid that it hurts," muttered a low, bored male voice from a few feet away from the group.
Sonic, Amy, and Knuckles all gasped in surprise as to who had showed up for the event in Emerald Town.
It was none other than Shadow. He was standing on the sidewalk a few feet away from where the group was. He was eating a heart-shaped lollipop while having the most bored expression on his face.
"Sh-Shadow?!" Sonic yelled in shock and in confusion with a surprised look on his face as he saw his friendly rival being out here in the open.
Shadow turned his head around and took out his lollipop out of his mouth to address Sonic with an annoyed look on his face, "Hmph. So, you came to this stupid event too, huh?".
"Uh, um, yeah. My friends and I just came back from Central City. We were just hanging out together for Valentine's Day. So...why are you here, Shadow?" Sonic replied calmly yet awkwardly in amusement and in curiosity while wearing a sheepish grin and while having a hand behind his head as he stared back at Shadow.
"Hmph. Rouge brought me here," Shadow answered calmly yet dully in annoyance with a deep frown and with half-lidded eyes as he looked unamused while he tiredly stared back at Sonic and his friends.
Knuckles cringed a little when Shadow had mentioned Rouge while he brooded calmly in annoyance with a deep frown on his solemn face as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms. Of course, she did. How typical of her to do so. She's probably still sore that I had turned down her invitation to a date. Like I would care if she's disappointed.
"Oh, uh, I see," Sonic replied calmly yet awkwardly in understanding with a sheepish smile and with a lowered eyebrow while rubbing the back of his head as he stared back at Shadow. Meanwhile, Amy was standing next to Sonic while still feeling surprised and confused as she also stared at Shadow with a baffled look on her face.
Shadow then narrowed his eyelids at Sonic as he frowned deeper and replied calmly yet solemnly with annoyance in his voice, "The Neo G.U.N. Force closed its buildings earlier today so that everyone who works there could go home early and spend time with their family and loved ones just to celebrate this stupid holiday. That's why Rouge and I are here because we got no work to do for today. ...The government in your planet is a joke, Faker".
Sonic just frowned solemnly in sheepishness and casually shrugged his shoulders while staring back at Shadow with lowered eyelids as he replied calmly in annoyance, "Hey, blame the government, not me, Shadow".
"Tch. Whatever. I'm going somewhere else now. Don't follow me. I want some peace and quiet for crying out loud," Shadow replied calmly in somberness with a solemn frown as he shook his head and turned around while leaving the group behind. He put his lollipop back into his mouth as he walked to the west side of Emerald Town.
Sonic just cocked an eyebrow at him as he left. Amy and Knuckles both turned to Sonic and exclaimed simultaneously in shock and in confusion with baffled looks on their faces, "Why is he here?!".
"I don't know," Sonic answered calmly in confusion with a little frown on his bewildered face as he shook his head and as he casually shrugged again.
After that awkward moment, Amy then muttered calmly in confusion with a little frown on her intrigued face as she stared at Sonic, "Well, now, that we're here, what shall we do?".
"Well, I am thinking about going to Tails' place and invite him to come along with us too. I can't leave my little bro hanging now. But first, I need to go somewhere else. Now, don't worry, Amy. I'm not leaving you this time. I just need to get something first. Then we can go and meet up with Tails. Okay?" Sonic replied calmly in amusement while smiling brightly and giving Amy his usual thumbs-up to reassure her as he stared back at her.
Amy's eyebrows were raised as she heard that, but then she smiled gently and replied calmly yet brightly in amusement as she stared back at Sonic, "It's okay, Sonic. I trust that you will come back to us. So, see you later!".
"Right. See ya!" Sonic replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with an eager grin as he winked and soon dashed off towards another part of Emerald Town.
Amy waved at Sonic as he ran while Knuckles looked at to where he went.
Hmm. I wonder what Sonic is up to. Aw, well, it's probably nothing important. Knuckles pondered calmly in curiosity with a solemn frown as he stood there staring at where Sonic left to. Amy then turned around to look at Knuckles and smiled gently at him; Knuckles looked back and raised his eyebrows at her in surprise, but he eventually smiled back at her just as gently.
"Hey, Knuckles?" Amy asked calmly yet coyly in curiosity with a gentle smile and with half-lidded eyes as she stared at Knuckles.
"What is it, Amy?" Knuckles calmly asked back in curiosity while smiling gently at Amy as he stared back at her.
"You know...That was my first kiss ever. I never thought that my first kiss would be with you, Knuckles," Amy replied calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm smile and with half-lidded eyes as she stared back at Knuckles.
"...!" Knuckles gasped in shock with a flustered expression on his face as his muzzle turned beet red in embarrassment.
He then muttered calmly yet awkwardly in curiosity with a little frown on his flustered face while putting his hands onto his hips as he stared back at Amy, "Oh! Uh, was it now? Um...Ummmm...So...Uh...How was it? Erm...The kiss I mean?".
Amy smiled brightly while she stared back at Knuckles as she answered calmly yet quietly in amusement with a light giggle, "It was very lovely. Hehe, I didn't know that you were good at kissing. It was a nice surprise".
Knuckles blushed furiously at that as he frowned sheepishly in embarrassment. Why did every girl that he had kissed with had said that?! He hadn't kissed anyone prior to Rouge or Amy! He will never understand that.
It must be a girl thing to say. Knuckles speculated calmly in awkwardness with a sheepish frown and with upward eyebrows as he stared at Amy with flushed cheeks.
He then calmly yet meekly responded in politeness with a shy look on his face as he coyly glanced down to his shoes, "Um...Well...Y-You're welcome".
Amy giggled a lot at that as she covered her mouth with her right hand.
Knuckles then yelled in confusion with a bewildered yet flustered expression on his face as he looked back at Amy, "What?! What's so funny?!".
"Hehehehehe! Ah, nothing! Nothing! Hehehehehehehe! It's just that you're always so cute when you're being shy. You know, your 'special someone' will fall for you if you keep that up! Hehehehehe!" Amy replied calmly yet brightly in amusement with a huge smile while she stared back at Knuckles with mouth partially covered as she giggled innocently.
Knuckles blushed even further while he stared back at Amy with widened eyes as he yelled back in embarrassment with a flustered expression on his face, "Quit it! Just cut it out, Amy!".
"Alright. Fine. Fine. I'll go easy on you. Anyways...I guess that means we're done with the whole 'fake dating' scheme now, huh?" Amy replied calmly in amusement with a gentle smile before in sadness as she looked a little disappointed while looking down at the ground.
"...! Oh! Um...Yeah. Yeah, you're right about that," Knuckles replied calmly yet slowly in sadness with a gasp and with a sheepish frown as he looked down and away from Amy.
Amy sighed tiredly in disappointment with a disheartened look on her face as she stared sadly down at the ground. It is a little sad now that the fake dating is over. Knuckles and Amy both admit that they had a lot of fun during it even though it was brief. Knuckles rubbed his left arm with a sheepish frown on his saddened face as he thought about what to say or do next. How can he show how much he had appreciated spending time with Amy? To show how he truly feels?
...! Aha! I know! Knuckles contemplated brightly in surprise with a stunned look on his face as he had an idea. He then smiled gently and looked back at Amy before he grabbed her shoulders and held onto them. Amy was a bit startled when he did this.
She looked up into Knuckles' gentle gaze as he muttered calmly yet softly in fondness with a warm smile on his face, "Wait here. I'm coming back to get you something. You'll be alright on your own for a few minutes, right? It won't take long. I promise".
Amy's eyes were sparkling while Knuckles had said this, but she then smiled gently while she stared at him as she replied calmly in understanding with a nod, "Okay. I'll wait. Take your time, Knuckles".
"Heh. I will," Knuckles replied calmly in reassurance with a playful smirk as he winked at Amy.
He then released her and walked towards the west side of Emerald Town. He turned around briefly to wave "goodbye" to her. Amy giggled a little and waved back while smiling cheerfully at him. Knuckles smiled back just as cheerfully and continued to walk towards his destination. After a few more blocks of walking later, he did find what he was looking for. He found one of the flower venues in the neighborhood. He walked up to one of them and asked that he could buy a batch of roses from the vendor. The vendor smiled gently at him and quickly fetched one of the batch of roses wrapped together in violet, paper wrappings. Knuckles paid the vendor with some spare money that he had left and grabbed the flower batch. He thanked the vender and left as he went back to Amy.
Meanwhile, Amy was still standing on the sidewalk as she observed some people playing one of the games there. She had her hands behind her back as she watched. Suddenly, she felt a gust of wind blowing behind her as her eyes were being covered with a hand.
"Guess who?" Sonic asked calmly yet playfully in amusement with a teasing grin and with twinkling eyes while covering Amy's eyes with his right hand as he stared at her.
Amy giggled a little as she replied calmly in curiosity with a cheerful look on her face, "Hehehehe! Is it The Fastest Thing Alive?".
"Ding! Ding! Ding! You are totally correct! And your prize for guessing that correctly is... this!" Sonic exclaimed brightly in amusement with a huge grin and with twinkling eyes while continuing to be playful with Amy. He soon pulled her around and showed her his own batch of roses.
"...!" Amy gasped in surprise as she saw Sonic holding a batch of roses to her. Her mouth went agape as her heart was pounding fast as she stared at Sonic's genuine smile and fond look on his face.
He winked at her as he muttered calmly yet gently in fondness with a warm look on his face, "Happy Valentine's Day, Amy. I hope that this batch of roses will be enough to make up for me being a jerk to you. Here. Have them".
He soon gave the roses to her. Amy slowly took them while wearing a lovely, bright smile on her face.
She exclaimed brightly in adoration with a warm look on her face as she stared fondly back at Sonic, "Ohhh, Sonic! You shouldn't have! They're so pretty! I...I...I don't know what to say!".
Sonic smiled warmly back at Amy while he stared back at her with half-lidded eyes as he replied calmly yet gently in fondness, "Hey, say nothing. Seeing you smiling again is enough to thank me. Heh. Besides...I think that it's about time for us to do some actual catching up to do. Sure, we talked for a bit at the ice cream parlor, but we still hadn't spent much time together as you and me. Say, if you'd like, why don't we spend every day hanging out together as friends? I'm sorry that I can't date you, Amy. But could you at least settle for this? You know, you and me. Hanging out together? What do you say...Amy?".
Amy felt like her heart had just exploded into joy, just like an atomic bomb dropping from ten thousand feet in the air. She had the biggest smile on her face. This is the best Valentine's Day ever for her! She is going to hang out with her childhood hero every day! She felt like she could melt on the spot with this proposal. She then squealed in happiness as she quickly rammed into Sonic for a huge hug. She felt like she had fallen in love again with him. Sonic quickly hugged her back just as strongly as Amy is holding him while dealing with her holding him a bit too tightly.
"This is the greatest Valentine's Day present that you had ever given me! First the flowers! And now with this proposal! Yes! Yes! Of course, I'll hang out with you, Sonic! This is the best idea that you ever had!" Amy squealed brightly in excitement with a huge smile and with closed eyes as she continued to hug Sonic tightly while holding the roses in her hands.
Sonic stroked Amy's back a little before he pulled back a bit from her. He smiled gently at her as he soon made a move that she didn't even expect.
He kissed her on the cheek.
Amy blushed furiously as she felt her heart pounding very fast in her chest. She gasped again in shock as she stared at Sonic with huge, sparkling eyes and with a little, gaped mouth while he pulled back again and stared dearly at her.
"Remember, Amy. I'll always care for you. You're like my best friend besides Tails. I'll look after you, okay?" Sonic replied calmly yet gently in fondness and in reassurance with a warm smile and with tenderness in his eyes while he held Amy's arms as she stared dearly back at her.
Amy felt like she could have hope in her dreams again. Those dreams about Sonic falling in love with her someday and dating her. Sure, it's not happening now. But this little confession is enough to make her believe in him again. All of her doubts that she had on the previous days were gone by these loving actions of his.
While having the biggest smile on her face, Amy then squealed loudly again in amusement and in excitement so that the whole neighborhood could hear her, "OH, SONIC! I LOVE YOU SO, SO, SO, SOOOOO MUCH! HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU TOO! THIS IS THE HAPPIEST MOMENT IN MY LIFE! WOOOOHOOOOOO!".
Sonic chuckled a lot in amusement as he continued to hold Amy while she kept hugging him tightly in the middle of the sidewalk.
THUMP!
A batch of red roses fell down onto the ground on the street. Knuckles was standing a few feet away from where Sonic and Amy were at. He stood very still like a statue. His eyes were wide, and his mouth was agape. His arms were still in the air as he was "holding" where the flowers used to be before they fell to the ground. He could feel his heart breaking in two. He saw...He saw the whole thing in front of his eyes.
It was just one little thought. One thought that made Knuckles have some hope.
...
He thought that Amy would fall in love with him instead.
He had heard Amy say that she had been doubting Sonic's feelings for her. He held onto that thought so tightly that he had believed that maybe he will be the one that Amy chooses as her partner for life. If that had happened, then he would be satisfied that he had some kind of love. It will not fit into his heart completely, but he will be satisfied that he was loved. But now...that little hope became his greatest despair.
I...I couldn't blame Amy for doing this. Knuckles brooded calmly in disappointment with a little frown on his stunned, melancholy face as his arms finally dropped to his sides. He stood there watching Sonic and Amy laughing happily together while continued his inner monologue as he kept brooding with a stunned, melancholy look on his face.
This is...This is the absolute pinnacle of infatuation right here. Throwing out all doubts and suspicions that you had before the moment that your crush does something romantic. Forgiving them completely even though they had hurt you very badly in the past. Once your crush shows that he or she cares for you, you immediately suck it up to them due to your strong infatuation for them...and Amy...Amy is no different. I can't blame her for choosing Sonic over me. I mean. Sonic has more charisma and charm than I do. He attracts everyone around him. Even when he did nothing to deserve it. But for me...I have to work very hard to get people to like me. Heck, let alone love me! It's just...It's just not fair.
Knuckles then grimaced sadly and looked down at the ground in shame as he continued his inner monologue.
Why? How? How?! How could they ever be happy?! Amy isn't getting her dreams to come true by hanging out with Sonic! She is still single! Sonic is still living out Amy's fantasy as a prisoner than a prince! And they...they still have a hole in their hearts! Both of them have an empty void in their hearts! And yet...here they are laughing away as they felt extremely happy with each other! Why? Why?! Why could they get to be happy but not me?! It's...It's not fair! Not fair at all!
Knuckles then soon grimaced deeper as his eyebrows furrowed in anger while he kept brooding in fury and in sadness.
…...I...I was used. Again. AGAIN! I know that it was I who had agreed to the fake dating plan from the start! But! BUT! In the end, I was pushed aside for that blue idiot! The moment that we had dropped the whole fake dating idea, Amy had completely forgotten about me! It was like I wasn't there at all when this whole thing had happened! It was like I didn't even exist! I...I knew that I felt something once Sonic had hanged out with us tonight! And now, I know why! That feeling that I had was...was...loneliness. I felt lonely even when I was with my "friends". They had practically ignored me! At first, I was okay with being alone for a while, but...couldn't they at least acknowledge my presence and have me be involved in what they were doing?! I felt like I was invisible with them the whole way through! And this just proves that they don't care about me! They only care about themselves and the small world that they live in WITHOUT ME! IT'S...IT'S JUST NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR! NOT FAIIIIIIIIR!
Now, even though Knuckles thoroughly believes that Sonic and his friends actually don't care about him, it's really just the opposite. In actually, they're just oblivious to Knuckles' internal plight and his secret desires for company. Granted, they may pick up on his hurt feelings whenever he looks sad or angry, but they have no idea what usually triggers them. They just took it as him being easily short-tempered and stubborn about anything and never see the core reasoning behind his pain and anger. The biggest offender behind all of this, not to mention the sole reason why feels such great hatred and anger towards them all, was simply...abandonment.
Yes, that's right. He completely believes in his heart that his "friends" had abandoned him. To him, abandonment and betrayal were the two greatest sins that he abhorrently hates besides lying and deception. He could forgive someone for lying and tricking him since he believes that someone could turn around and learn to become more truthful and honest, but abandoning somebody and betraying them? He knows for certain that there's no coming back from that. Your trust in someone becomes completely obliterated whenever they do either of those things and at worst both, and Knuckles had significant experience with that in the past since he still feels such great bitterness in his heart because of those things. Sadly, for him, Sonic and his friends are completely oblivious that they had abandoned him and had betrayed his trust a long time ago.
All they did for months was just leaving Knuckles be and giving him much needed space since they believe that he's content living by himself on his island and that he finds protecting the Master Emerald more important than spending time with his friends. Even they know how important protecting the Master Emerald is for him, so, they just didn't bother him or check up on him often just like they had done so in the past. They thought that they had finally understood Knuckles and what he truly wanted from them. The only times that they would visit him or see him is when the world is in danger. Those were the times that they had adventures with him, but most of the time and even lately, they just unintentionally ignored him and left him alone.
But thanks to these unintentional, indirect actions, this had driven a deep wedge into Knuckles' heart and into his trust with his so-called "friends". A huge wall was now built between them. This had put great strain and emotional damage onto his friendships with Sonic, Tails, Amy, and even Cream and Cheese. Even his relationships to his "friends'" extended connections like Ms. Vanilla and the Chaotix for example are also heavily damaged. They also didn't make any effort to check up on him or make any contact with him for months outside world-saving adventures. He felt incredibly distant from them all and felt completely bitter and enraged. Because of this, he feels like he's ignored and forgotten by his so-called "friends", and situations like these reignite those long-standing thoughts and beliefs.
How could one not feel any pity for him?
While having the most rage-inducing face imaginable, he looked down at the batch of roses on the ground. He clenched his fists very hard; he gritted his teeth; and he then growled very loudly in fury as he stomped on the flowers very hard and fast. After he had crushed the flowers with his right foot, he looked back up to glare coldly at the oh-so-called "cute couple" again before he turned around and left Emerald Town by going up north to Mystic Ruins where the path to Angel Island is. He had walked for a few more minutes before he had disappeared into the dark forest where the road to Mystic Ruins is.
Meanwhile, Amy soon stopped hugging Sonic as a thought came to her.
Hmmm...Knuckles had been gone for a while now. Didn't he say that he was going to give me something? He said that he will come back quickly. But why isn't he here yet? Hmmmmm... Amy pondered calmly in confusion with a little frown on her intrigued face as she turned around to look for Knuckles.
She soon felt concerned.
Sonic soon picked up on this and asked calmly in concern with a curious look on his face as he stared at Amy, "Amy? Are you okay? What's wrong?".
"Oh, Sonic. I'm just worried for Knuckles. He said that he would bring me something soon, and he hadn't come back yet. I wonder what's taking him so long? He said that it will be quick. But why isn't he here yet?" Amy answered calmly in concern while looking sad at Sonic as she turned her head back and stared back at him.
Sonic raised his eyebrows as he looked sad as well. He had no idea that Knuckles had left to get Amy something too.
If Knuckles hadn't come back yet, then...Hmmm...Maybe he had changed his mind and wanted to go home early? Although it is strange that Knuckles had left unannounced like that. Then again this is Knuckles that we're talking here. He always leaves without giving much of a reason why. I suppose that he wants some space. Sonic pondered calmly in curiosity and in somberness with a little frown on his inquisitive face as he stroked his chin with his finger.
Sonic then smiled warmly and gently held Amy's shoulders as he comforted her calmly in reassurance, "Oh, don't worry about Knuckles, Amy. He probably just wanted to go home early. He has to guard the Master Emerald, you know".
"Huh? But why? Why couldn't he just tell me that he wanted to go home? Why did he say that he wanted to give me something then?" Amy calmly asked Sonic in confusion as she frowned sadly while she stared at him with downcast eyes.
Sonic smiled gently and shrugged his shoulders casually as he replied calmly in reassurance while he stared back at Amy with upward eyebrows, "Beats me. But you know Knuckles as much as I do that he's not very forward with his emotions sometimes. He usually keeps things to himself. I'm sure that he didn't mean to leave you without giving you a present or something as he had promised. Maybe something just came up, and he didn't have time to tell you why he had to leave so suddenly. You know how stubborn he is in protecting the Master Emerald in all situations. Just forgive him this once, okay, Amy?".
Amy looked a little disappointed at first. She wished that she could say "goodbye" to him before he had left.
After a few seconds of silence, she soon smiled gently while she stared back at Sonic with upward eyebrows as she replied calmly yet brightly in amusement and in slight gratitude, "Alright. I'll forgive that Knucklehead. Thanks for comforting me, Sonic. Still, it's too bad that he had decided to leave. We hadn't even started to have fun in this amazing Valentine's Day event yet!".
"Yeah, it's a bit of a bummer, but that's how Knuckles is sometimes. He's a bit of a stick-in-the-mud anyway. He's also a bit of a loner. So, I'm not surprised that he had decided to leave early before the party gets to start. But don't worry about him. I'm sure that he'll be okay," Sonic agreed calmly yet gently in amusement while nodding a little with a sad smile on his sympathetic face as he stared back at Amy.
Amy smiled warmly back at Sonic and hugged him again but being gentler this time. After she was done hugging him, she released him and exclaimed brightly in amusement with a cheerful smile on her face, "Okay then! Let's go get Tails and have fun in this little party!".
Sonic broadly smiled in his usual cocky smile that he normally has and exclaimed back brightly in amusement while chuckling a little, "Now, we're talking! Heh! Come on, Amy! Let's go get Tails! Heheheh, if he gets a little nervous into going, then we'll drag him out of there by using your Piko-Piko Hammer! Hahahaha, that will give him the motivation to get out of his little lab basement!".
"Hahahahahaha! Oh, Sonic! You can be so cruel sometimes! Hahahahaha! But I am willing to do it if he does get scared!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a huge smile on her cheerful face as she laughed a little while looking a bit devious in the end.
"Hahahahaha! Heh! Who's the cruel one now, huh, Amy?! Hahahahahaha!" Sonic exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a huge grin on his playful face as he laughed happily while being in a good mood as he held his stomach with his right hand and as he stared back at Amy.
"Ahahahahaha! Aw, be quiet you! Hehehehehehe! Let's just go already!" Amy exclaimed back brightly in amusement with a cheerful look on her face and with a wave while giggling a little as she then turned halfway to cross the road to Tails' place several blocks down the road.
"Heheheheheh! Yeah, let's go! The party is just starting after all! Let's make this day the best day of the year!" Sonic exclaimed back brightly in amusement and in excitement with a huge grin while he chuckled a little as he stared at Amy and nodded to her in agreement.
Amy nodded too as she and Sonic walked to Tails' house together while holding hands.
[Meanwhile In The Mystic Ruins]
Knuckles was still walking home by taking the long way there. He didn't care about how long he took to get home. He just wanted to think by himself without having any disturbances.
"Aww, is Knuckie going home all by his lonesome self?" a teasing, sultry, female voice taunted in the distance.
As said before...WITHOUT HAVING ANY DISTURBANCES!
Knuckles soon stopped in his tracks as he saw Rouge flying down a few feet in front of him in the middle of the road. She landed on her feet and put her hands on her hips as she stared coyly at him while he didn't say anything.
"Well, well, well now. It seems as if you are all alone on Valentine's Day, Knuckie-boy! Where is Amy? Isn't she supposed to be with you?" Rouge teased calmly yet brightly in an "innocent" sounding tone as she smiled playfully at Knuckles while she stared mischievously at him.
"..." Knuckles just stood there while being silent as he quietly stared back at Rouge with a solemn, disgruntled look on his face.
"You know. I am still available for a quick Valentine's Day date, Knuckles. Why don't you come with me? We can have some fun if you like!" Rouge suggested calmly yet sweetly in amusement with a playful smile while fluttering her eyelashes flirtatiously at Knuckles as she coyly stared back at him.
"..." Knuckles still refused to say anything while he kept having that disgruntled look on his face as he stared solemnly back at Rouge.
"Come on, Knuckie! You know that you feel lonely. No one wants to be single on Valentine's Day. Why don't you date me today? It will be like old times when we used to be dating! It could be fun! So, what do you say? You in?" Rouge continued coyly yet brightly in amusement with a playful smirk and with half-lidded, mischievous eyes while she stared back at Knuckles as she moved her body suggestively towards him.
"..." Knuckles was still silent as he stared quietly at Rouge. He grimaced even farther as he looked like he was in pure rage. Because...he is.
Rouge frowned a little with an irked expression on her face while she slightly glared at Knuckles as she asked solemnly yet irritably in annoyance, "Um, hello? Are you even listening, Knucklehead? Why are you glaring at me like that? What did I ever do to you?! If you have something to say, then say it already!".
"..." Knuckles was completely silent as he then narrowed his eyelids at Rouge. He soon closed his eyes as he growled lowly but eventually stopped and took a deep sigh. He soon opened his eyes again and stared at her for a few more seconds. She still frowned solemnly at him in annoyance as she waited for his reaction to her. He then clenched his fists and walked forward towards her. She soon smiled a little in eagerness as she waited to see what he will do next.
Knuckles then walked aside of Rouge and shoved her away with his left hand as he calmly yet rage-inducingly muttered in callousness, "Move".
Rouge stumbled a little as she was pushed aside pretty roughly. She quickly turned around to see Knuckles still walking forward into the dark forest.
She then yelled in confusion and in frustration with an irritated look on her face as she glared hard at Knuckles, "Hey! What was that for, Knuckles?! Why did you-?! Hey! Are you even listening to me?! Get back here and talk to me or I'll-!".
"Rouge!" Knuckles yelled back lowly in rage as he snapped his head back at Rouge while having his back toward her. He had the most disgusted, darkened expression on his face right now. Rouge soon flinched at what she saw on his face. He then turned halfway back to her. What she saw was something that she had never seen on Knuckles before.
Knuckles had his fists clenched next to his sides as he stood straight in the middle of the road. His eyebrows were fully furrowed downwards as he glared his coldest glare at Rouge. Even at night, Knuckles' face can be seen, but now, his countenance looks very dark in the moonlight. His violet eyes were darkened even more than usual. His sharp teeth were being shown as he grimaced deeply. Rouge could tell that Knuckles looks completely different than usual. Normally, he would look either irritated, frustrated, or even angry, but not like this. This dark, cold, silent rage is what he is displaying right now. It's definitely not like him to show it. It's...unnatural to Rouge, and...for the first time ever, she felt genuinely scared of Knuckles.
Wh-What is with him all of a sudden?! Why is he like this?! Just...what is going on with him?! What happened that make him look like this?! Rouge pondered in shock and in fear with a huge, gaped mouth and with widened eyes as she stared anxiously at Knuckles.
"Rouge. Let me make one thing clear to you, and when you do, go away. Understand?" Knuckles muttered darkly in an eerily, calm voice while wearing an enraged look on his face as he glared icy cold at Rouge.
Rouge flinched in shock as she heard this. She gulped a little and slowly nodded her head in compliance while looking nervous as she anxiously stared back at Knuckles. When Knuckles saw that Rouge was listening to him, he spoke one sentence slowly in a low, dark, bitter tone of voice.
"I want to be alone on Valentine's Day," Knuckles muttered bitterly in a low, dark, cold tone of voice as he glared fiercely at Rouge while looking beyond enraged.
Rouge flinched again in surprise after she had heard that.
She immediately understood Knuckles' meaning as she stuttered nervously in awkwardness with an anxious look on her face and walked backwards from him with her hands up in defense, "O-Oh...Uh...Um...Um...Uh...I-I'll just b-be going then. Y-Yeah. I'll go f-find S-Shadow now. Um, e-excuse me".
Rouge then quickly turned around and ran as fast as she could away from Knuckles; Knuckles kept staring at her darkly as she left quickly. He soon sighed tiredly in exhaustion and turned back onto the path that he was walking towards. He continued walking forward toward his home. While he walked, he soon picked up the pace as he was speed-walking now. He was clenching his fists as he speed-walked. He was grimacing deeply as he continued to brood in fury.
I...I hate them. I hate my friends. I hate my enemies. I hate Rouge. I hate everyone. But most of all, I hate myself more than anyone else on this stupid planet. I deserve to be alone on Valentine's Day because no one loves me. I'm a loner, and I'll always be alone forever. Nothing will change that. I'm a prisoner to the Master Emerald. No one could free me. No one could save me from these heavy chains. None of my friends are capable of removing them. No one in this world is strong enough to do that. No one.
Why do I have to be ignored? Forgotten?
Everyone can be nice to me just like Amy was the entire time that I've been with her this week and a half, but she is no different than Rouge. She only has her eyes on what she wants and will do anything to get it. Including hurting her closest friends unintentionally. That is why I don't trust them. I don't trust my friends one bit! They will always take advantage of me to get what they want, and when it's over, they just ignore me and go on with their merry lives without me.
I hate them! I hate them so much! Why do I always have to take care of them when I obviously hate them?! That is why I hate myself so much! I act all nice around them when clearly I have my own desires that I want fulfilled by helping them! I've become the one person that I hate! A liar! A user! A manipulator! I'm...I'm such a despicable monster! Everyone in this world rejects me because I'm a monster on the inside! They hate me! They'll never accept me into this world! They won't love me! I'll always be alone! Always!
Knuckles soon felt tears stinging in his eyes as felt so enraged. He allowed himself cry because no one is around to see him in this vulnerable state. With tears in his eyes, he solemnly brooded one last time in fury and in melancholy as he speed-walked towards Angel Island.
There is no such thing as a "special someone". I don't deserve to have one because of who I really am on the inside. I deserved to be alone as my punishment for being a monster in the first place! Screw having friends! Screw having family! Screw having loved ones! Screw having dates with people! And screw girls SO HARD! But most of all...SCREW THIS IDIOTIC HOLIDAY!
...The only person who could truly love me is a monster. That is all. Monsters can't be beautiful. If someone had told me that they are in love with me, then they are either delusional or...they are a monster themselves. A monster is...someone who I truly deserve because secretly...I'm one of them too.
After he finished brooding, Knuckles continued to walk home in complete darkness.
…...He didn't know it then, but about five months later, he will meet the "monster" that he had claimed that could love him. But once that day will finally arrive, it will be the craziest, unforgettable adventure that Knuckles had ever been a part of, and then...he will eventually fall in love with that monster. Only then will he realize that not all monsters in this crazy world are bad.
THE END!
At long last, I've finished this short story! I still can't believe that I finished it in time for Valentine's Day! This is certainly an accomplishment that I'm proud of. Well then, in the meantime, I'll be back finishing Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak. Anyways, please R&R if you had enjoyed this! Also, can you please just mark this story a Favorite? Because my goodness, Knuckles needs a lot of hearts right now since he's so broken up right now. Don't favorite it for me, but for him because he needs it.
(P.S) Also, if you guys were wondering why Amy doesn't get to be with either Sonic or Knuckles, I'll explain why. It's made to be realistic. The moral of the story is that love doesn't happen when you date your friend's other friend to get them to love you or to make them jealous. It takes time and maturity between two people to fall in love with each other. Also, sometimes there are some situations that doesn't make it the right time to be dating someone. Sonic didn't feel like it's the right time to date. It's very true in real life. Some people don't think that it is the right time to be dating, and it is a choice that should be respected.
Well, at least, Amy had chosen Sonic as her love, even though they won't date. So, Sonic wins in some way. Besides, it's through friendship that love blossoms from, and well, Sonic and Amy had their friendship being strengthened. So, who knows? They might get together someday or not. I just think that it is a nice change of pace that Sonic and Amy's relationship ended in a stronger friendship rather than becoming a couple. Anyways, this is why I had ended the story the way that it did. My stories are going to contain some realistic elements so that it's a bit easier to relate to. Life is not full of romance and happy endings like we wished we had, and I'm here to remind you of that fact through my stories. That is all I wanted to add in this little update.
Also, I got more several things to address since it's the end of the story so bear with me here.
Oh, hi, Shadow. So, tell me audience, how do like his brief cameo? He might not be a major part of the story such as getting jealous over Rouge for example, but I'm sure that he had made you guys laugh a little for his reasoning to be here in this story.
Also, thank you guys for making this story popular! Your support was great! Kudos to my two faithful reviewers again for your support. Lady Shadamy and Abril378, thank you so much for your reviews! Also, kudos to any future reviewer who happened to stumble upon this little story of mine! Thanks for reviewing as well!
Well, if you're wondering if this is end for Knuckles, then I will say that it's not. This is Knuckles' prologue story to my biggest story that I plan to make in the future. It will be my tenth story. The story is titled "Guardian Angels". It will be like a spiritual successor to Sonic X as the story structure will be the same like in the anime of that show. Except, well, Sonic's friends are staying in their home planet while our new protagonist comes into their dimension. So, it's basically the same story but in reverse. So yeah, Knuckles' story will be continued there as well as another person which I will tell you in the next point below.
To Abril378, the "special someone" I keep mentioning throughout the story won't be Sticks the Badger or Perci. Sorry to disappoint you, but that wasn't who I was referring to. I'll explain. Did you notice how many times that I had reference anything involving the Godzilla Franchise such as the movie Knuckles had watched and the Godzilla costume that he had held onto in Chapter 5? Did you notice how many times the word "monster" was emphasized? Those weren't there just because I want to reference a series that I liked. It was intentional foreshadowing to the new story "Guardian Angels".
The mysterious girl is none other than my OC named Kathy the Moth. Now, before you think it is stupid because it is a KnucklesXOC story, let me tell you that this isn't any ordinary OC shipping here. Because it is technically a KnucklesXMothra shipping. So, yeah, it will be a crossover, adaption story of the Godzilla franchise into the Sega franchise. It will be like if Sega had made its own cannon of the Godzilla universe into their own style of writing.
You see, in Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak, Kathy the Moth is revealed as a descendent of Mothra. Kathy is her real name while Mothra is her Kaiju name. So, her full name will be Kathy "Mothra" the Moth. The design of her is based off of the Mothra design in the 1992 movie "Godzilla VS. Mothra: Battle For The Earth". I think that the design of that Mothra is perfect if she was drawn into the anime style of the Sonic characters. Think of it. Seeing that design of Mothra in a Sonic Advance style of 2-D animation. Now, that is pretty adorable looking! If someone could draw that, then that is clear proof that the ship could work. I plan to make the ship and the romance story precious and adorable.
It will be perfect considering Knuckles is the Guardian on Angel Island. Whereas Mothra is referred to as "Our Guardian Angel" in her song called "Mothra's song". You can find the English translation of the song in a Youtube video titled "Mothra theme song" by Youtuber Don Coqui. After that, you can see the ingenious of the ship despite how odd it is. If you still have some doubts on this OC of mine, go ahead and read Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak if you have time or if you're bored. It's not a perfect story since it's still being worked on, but you can see how well the concept is by reading it. Hey, the same could be to you Lady Shadamy. If you're curious about the story, feel free to check it out anytime! So, yeah, that is the story I'm planning to write in the future.
So, what now since "Guardian Angels" won't be made next? Well, I'll keep working on Blaze the Cat: Monster Outbreak first. Make a Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney short story next when it's in spring break, and lastly, make Sonic X Season 3: Shuffle Edition as my ninth story. So, that's all I have planned in the future. I'm glad all of you had enjoyed this! See you guys later in the next story!