Hahaha... So, first, it takes me a month to update... Then it takes me a day... Wow, I'm consistent, hm? XD Alright, but, anyway...

Many thanks to my reviewers and to my readers, as well. Here comes the next chapter...

Chapter Six: It's You

I tore my gaze from the sky. My mind was blank. How long had I been out there, just staring into air? I didn't know. What had I been doing before that? I wasn't sure.

I felt the need for sleep, but then something told me that I should fight it, that I shouldn't give in. Sleep was bad. I just couldn't remember why.

The sky's blackness was layered over everything, but I knew the way back to the old building by heart. I went straight inside and leaned against my wall, saying nothing, far too used to the look of shame Dark gave me every time he looked at me. I'd been getting that look for as long as I could remember... Which wasn't saying much, really... I wasn't sure anymore just how much I could depend on my memory. I wondered if I'd said or done something to make him look at me that way... But I just couldn't remember. As far as I knew, he'd looked at me that way for my whole life... As far as I knew, he'd looked at me that way for just a day.

He was staring at me again as I rested my head back against the empty wall, but I didn't catch the expression on his face. I didn't want to look. But it was hard not to notice his eyes following me. Always.

I tried to avoid it by relaxing...

...

Cold. Icy blue eyes. Watching. So many stars in the sky... Where? Where has everyone gone? Her eyes. Her eyes are there. But that's all. Watching. Watching me. Where do I go? Help... !But no answer. What is this? Where am I? Green... Everywhere... Everything... Green... Except... Icy blue eyes. Waiting. Waiting for my failure. Why? Who-? Blackness. Dark eyes... It's...you?

"Knuckles!"

I snapped my head up in alarm, but I couldn't see a thing... "Darkness..."

As soon as I spoke the word, I was no longer asleep. A warm, red gaze was looking into me. Dark's head was tilted to the side, an eyebrow raised in question from my single word... I hadn't even realized that he'd heard it. His face seemed to be a mixture of surprise and curiosity... The expression confused me. ...But then the corners of his mouth twitched, just slightly, and he stated almost reassuringly, "It's me."

I blinked. His words... I didn't understand what it was about them, but... I couldn't help but repeat, "...It's you..."

He just looked at me. In a way that I didn't understand. He didn't look unhappy... At all...

But it only lasted for a few seconds. Then his face turned thoughtful. And then he frowned. He took a step or two back, away from me, before turning around, facing the opposite direction. His voice returned completely to its constant emotionless tone, and he said, "We're leaving."

"...L-leaving...?" Hell. Here it is. I could feel the fear settling into my skin. Dark's words specified nothing. Who was "we"...? Was that it...? Giving up... Dark... The whole time, Dark was the only one there... If he left...

Whether it was the way my voice said the word - choked and helpless - or whether it was the silence that followed, I wasn't sure... But Dark spun around, covering the ground between us far faster than I even thought possible. There was a glimpse of remorse almost hidden in his frown, and I could tell that he could read my eyes easily when he responded to my silent question, "No. You and I. Both of us are leaving this place. We're going somewhere else... Together." He stopped for a moment, just seeming to contemplate my face. I knew that my fear was still there because I could feel it.

I'd lost too much, I knew. I didn't know how it happened or why it happened... But I'd lost so much... So much that... I wasn't even sure what I'd lost anymore... There was nothing before Dark. And nothing before this place. Even his words, trying to take back the fear... Saying he was taking me with him... For now... But everything in life was only temporary... This time he would take me with him... But what about the next time? What about when I didn't get any better?

"Knuckles. Look at me." There was more than a glimpse of emotion in his soothing, red eyes. There was sadness there... And loss... And pain... There was something there that calmed me... "I will never leave you alone."

With those words, the fear dissolved away into nothing. And something I hadn't felt in a long time sank into me... Familiarity. That's when the memory hit me.

A rustling of leaves from the forest below the altar captured my attention...

"Knuckles, are you okay?"

I tried to sit up. I couldn't see the trees from where I was lying.

I felt a hand on the back of my head, and, vaguely, I heard, "Knuckles... You're bleeding!"

"I am?" My eyes tried to focus on who was speaking, but all I could see was blood...

Before anything else could be said, there was the sound of something, someone gliding along near the shrine stairs. I jolted into an upright position, turning my head toward the stairs.

Just barely visible in the total darkness... Something...

Dark's hand stroked my dreadlocks in an attempt to quiet whatever fear he thought was still left. His other hand stayed still against my neck, in the same way it often stayed whenever he tried to calm me.

But inside my head I could see nothing. I could hear the rustling and the sound of something gliding along the ground... What was there? I wanted to know... But then... Then I could hear that voice... "Knuckles, are you okay?" ...And for a moment, I was astounded... Because, other than Dark...

Who had ever cared?

D: Knuckles? What's with the dreams and the memories and the... everything, really...? Ha.

I'd love to hear your reviews, as always! ^^

And actually, I'm planning on starting a series of oneshots, and I'm looking for ideas. So, I've got a new poll up on my page. If you'd check it out and vote or send me an idea or something, that'd be awesome. ;)