The infection in my leg got much worse after I fell in the dirty stream. I had to remove the plant mush on my belly, as it soaked up the brown water. It saved my wound from getting wet, but now it's bare and exposed to the outside until I can find more herbs.

My leg can't support my weight now, at least not for long. I'm limited to leaning on trees that I go by, just trying to stay upright. When there's nothing to lean on, I'm on my knees, crawling ever onward. It's dark and cold when nighttime comes about, leaving me shivering on the ground without shelter. I couldn't find any quickly enough with my leg being the way it is.

I know that before long something's going to find me. Something or someone. After a year at large it's getting tiring. Running from everyone and everything. It's hard to keep living when there's nothing to live for, ya know? My leg throbs, and I cast a glance down at it. The wound is a painful sight to behold, all angry and puffed up, yellow-green ooze building in the depths of my leg. Before long it'll go septic and kill me.

Sonic the Hedgehog, once grand Hero of Mobius, done in by some stupid cut.

As Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of Angel Island, there's better places for me to be, but right now, I don't want to be anywhere else.

I don't know how long he's been laying here, but I know that he's dangerously close to dying. Sonic's form lays on it's side at my feet, his breathing is slow and shallow. My legs can faintly feel the heat coming from his sick body.

I feel like I owe him, since our last meeting ended in me standing idle while he was dragged away on questionable chrges. I lift him in my arms, feeling him tense up in response. He's not strong enough to resist me, but he does give a fearful whimper.

My heart cringes at the sound. I've never heard him to make such a noise. I've been looking for him for quite awhile, even temporarily abandoning the Master Emerald in my search. Some part of me is afraid it's been taken by someone already.

The hedgehog's damp, feverish head thumps to a rest on my red chest, breathing still shallow. Weakly, his eyes peek open, and I get a glimpse of his dull, leaf-green eyes. Recognition flickers in his eyes, and I'm pleased to find him relax somewhat.

With a soft sigh, I carry my friend back to the temple of the Master Emerald.

A spoon full of warm, salty soup touches my lips and I gingerly open my mouth. I feel so sick, so weak…

I'm vaguely aware of something warm laid across my body. It's probably a blanket judging by the weight and shape, it feels like one. Light dances on the other side of my eyelids, prompting me to open them.

Above me, the blurry form of Knuckles holds a steaming bowl in one large hand. He pushes the spoon into my waiting mouth, and I taste potatoes and beef. Part of me wonders where he got it, considering he lives off of a diet of fruit.

The soup is a wonderful change, considering I've been living off of charred squirrels, plants, and nuts for nearly a year. Potato soup is definitely preferred.

I try to shift my position to something more comfortable, only to find that I'm tied down. I open my mouth to ask why I'm tied to the bed, but I quickly regret it, as the only thing coming from my mouth is a kittenish mewl.

"Be quiet, Blue. Save your strength." the guardian hushes me, one of his large mitts rubbing between my ears in a comforting fashion. I finish the bowl in painful silence, one offered spoonful at a time. Knuckles hushed me each time I tried to speak, and it's making me uneasy despite my trust for him. During my thirty-minute lunch, I find that the bed I'm laying in, isn't exactly a bed. It's a large drawer stuffed with blankets and pillows, and he's making use of my flexibility and size to keep me hidden away inside.

As knuckles leaves to put the bowl somewhere else (where exactly I'm not sure, as he leaves the room and I'm not sure if he has a kitchen somewhere beneath the shrine) and I get a clear view of the room. It's Knuckles's dusty, rarely-used bedroom. There's an old bed in the corner, stripped of it's covers. Next to it, there's a side table with an oil lamp and a book on top of it. The walls, floor, and ceiling are made of packed dirt and stone. The whole room has a very earthy feel to it.

When the echidna returns, he's got a damp rag in one hand, the cool water soaking into his mitten. I mumble and shift once more, wanting to talk to him but lacking the strength to properly do so.

"Stubborn as ever, Blue." the guardian snickers, using a single hand to push me back into the drawer's padded depths. He crouches next to me and lays the damp cloth on my forehead.

It feels nice. With the cloth cooling me down and the warm broth in my stomach, I'm drowsy again. I fall asleep without even realizing it.

-x-x-x-

"So, a year at large, and a simple cut is enough to down you?"

"Shut it Knucklehead." I huff, standing shakily. It's been a few days since my friend found me and my health has improved tenfold, "Not my fault G.U.N. won't leave me alone. I was doing fine up until a week or so ago when the whole damn army was in one place." I raid his closet for some fresh socks since my bed takes up his drawer.

"You curse now?" Knuckles teased softly, knowing that before all this began I would scold Tails for vulgarity.

"Yeah," I grumble, sitting next to him to put on the soft clothing, "don't know when it started. Just kinda happened."

Knuckles grunts as he watches me pull the socks over my feet, smiling as he noted that they were a mile too big, "You going somewhere?"

"Well yeah Knux, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I can't stay. It's not safe for either of us." My eyes meet his as I l turn to face him. He's lost his grin and now seems unsettled. "If anyone finds me here, I get sent to the Pit and you get sent to prison for hiding me."

"I don't like it," the guardian began, lips pressing into a tight line, "There's no solid proof. They say those videos are proof enough, but those metal contraptions can be tampered with. And you're not even healthy enough to go outside yet. You've been here for just a few days, you were at death's door when I found you."

I admit to myself that I still don't feel all that good, my chest feels tight and my legs are weak, but I can't risk my one last friend's safety.

"Knux, I can't stay. I wish I could, really. I'm tired of running and hiding, but I won't risk you." As I stand to leave, so does he, blocking the door.

"Sonic, don't."

Suddenly, I'm nervous. Why won't he let me leave? "Knuckles…?"

His deep baritone voice drops to a low whisper, "Get back in the drawer." above us, there's the sound of footsteps. "Back in the drawer so I can hide you." he takes a step forward with an ushering motion, making me stumble back to the furniture which has served as a bed for me. I watch him closely as I curl up in the many blankets, and he returns my stare with calm amethyst eyes.

He knows that I'm afraid he's sold me out. He reaches down to close the drawer, hiding me from sight. I hear two sets of footsteps as he leaves and the unknown person on the level above wanders around. Briefly, there's silence, and I can feel my heart hammering in my chest. My tail itches, but I don't want to risk moving.

I hear Knuckles begin talking upstairs, probably to the newcomer, and a smooth, quiet voice answers back. Suddenly, I hear the stepping kick up again, heading back down to the room I'm hiding in.

"-ckles, and I know there's something you're hiding down here~" Rouge's voice is light and teasing, but my heart stops all the same.

Rouge's nightclub was one of the many public places that were targeted by my murderous copycat. I haven't seen her since before then, so I have no idea how she'd react to seeing me. I swallow thickly as she continues to speak. "But really now, Knuckie, I know you. You never leave the Master Emerald alone, and I've been scoping out the temple for 3 days. You've not left these tunnels at all. What's down here?"

I hear Knuckles shift his stance, "Nothing you should concern yourself with."

"Knuckles." Rouge's voice lost all it's usual teasing tones, becoming flat and serious. I can imagine her crossing her arms and staring him down. He'll crack if she does, he's never been able to resist her.

My chest aches as I continue to measure my breathing. I can feel the heavy, uncomfortable sensation in my throat and lungs that warns of an oncoming cough. I slowly move my hand up to cover my mouth, swallowing thickly to try and banish the oncoming fit.

Rouge's voice grows louder and I hear the top drawer of the dresser open, "Knuckles honey, you can trust me you know."

"Actually I can't. Not with this."

There it is. He caved under the master spy like he usually does: without even realizing he's done it.

"So there is something down here."

Knuckles's swallow is audible as he realizes what he let slip. My cough is also getting worse, it's becoming hard to suppress it. A harsh huff escapes my nose, followed by another, and another. The coughing fit is finally forcing its way out of me, and the silence in the room tells me that I've been heard.

There's a shift of movement and all I hear beyond my muffled hacking is: "Rouge, don't."

My chest hurts and my eyes begin to water. Holding it all in to the best of my ability is failing, but I'm still afraid to let it out. She already knows I'm here, but some small part of me clings to the childish hope that maybe, just maybe, she won't find me.

"Knuckles…. Who is hiding in your dresser?" her voice us quiet and hesitant, making me even more fearful.

Does she know? I mean, probably, considering I'm the only one who would need to hide from her. Rouge seems afraid of me -despite possibly not knowing it's me, but to heck with the details- which means she probably believes that I'm the murderer who attacked her club.

It hurts to think another of my friends is caught up in the web of death and lies my copycat is creating.

"Rouge-"

"Who?" she's not cutting him any slack as my coughing fit finally dies down. A few minutes of silence pass before Rouge kicks up again. "It's Sonic, isn't it? You're hiding him. Do you have any idea-"

"Rouge, he's innocent. He didn't do it, I know he didn't. He never attacked your club, he never-"

"So you're saying that thirty-two people aren't actually dead and rotting in graves right now? You're saying that half my building isn't in pieces?"

"No Rouge. I'm saying Sonic didn't do it. Someone else did, there's someone out there who is pretending to be him so that he is locked away or killed! Think about it," tears prick my eyes as Knuckles valiantly defends me, "his personality isn't that of a murderer. It never has been. he's spent his life doing nothing but good, saving people and stopping bad guys. He's never been violent so why would he suddenly just start killing people? It doesn't make sense to me."

"But what if you're wrong? What if he is the one going around killing everyone?"

"What if I'm right? What if Sonic's never done anything wrong, and we give him up and send him off to the Pit? What kind of people would we be, if we didn't give him a chance?" A tense pause follows closely on Knuckels's words, and I swallow thickly. Depending on how Rouge responded next was the deciding factor of my future no doubt.

Rouge finally finds her voice, "H-how long has he been here with you?"

"Four days," Knuckles responds, and I hear him shift his stance again, "He was close to dying when I found him. He was real sick, had an infected cut on his leg. I doubt he could stand. He still has it actually." Rouge gives a sharp intake.

"Can you prove this? Can you prove that he was here for the past few days? There was an attack yesterday and if he really was here-"

"I have personally been tending him. Not sure how else I can prove it since there's no cameras in my temple."

I cough again, tensing in some slight panic. I hear Rouge say my name softly as she shifts, and the drawer is pulled open. I flinch at the bright light and the form standing over me, pushing deeper into the blankets with a shiver. Will she still try to turn me in?

"Hey Big Blue."

"H-hi..."