Chapter 8: Broken Promises:

In his dark room, Sonic tossed and turned on his mattress, but no matter what position he laid in, he couldn't seem to get comfortable. He glanced at his clock on the bedside table. The red lights glared 12:30 a.m.

Giving up, he cast the sheets onto the floor and went to the kitchen for a snack. He browsed the fridge, yet had no appetite for anything. He shook his head and started to head back to his quarters. He halted outside Sally's door and, on impulse, entered.

He took a few steps in and looked around. It seemed untouched , as he did not know about Tails' earlier intrusion. A sudden pang hit him in the chest, like his heart being violently ripped out. For the first time in his life, he felt sorry for himself. He finished crossing the room and sat on the edge of Sally's bed, neatly made even though she had left in the middle of the night. He thought he could still smell her scent, but that was impossible, he must've been imagining it.

Noticing the framed portrait on Sally's table resting on its face, he picked it up and studied it. A fresh wave of sadness washed over him as he was reminded of a time before the team drifted apart. He felt something wet and hot run down his face. Slowly, he reached up and put his hand on his cheek. When he observed his hand, he found a damp spot on his white gloves.

With a start, he realized he was actually crying. The mighty hero was brought low. He no longer bothered to repress his emotions any longer. He just let his tears fall upon the protective glass covering the picture as he tenderly stroked Sally's image. His sobs occasionally rose in volume before falling once more.
***

Amy twitched in her sleep as an indistinct sound reached her sensitive ears. When it didn't stop, she reluctantly sat up. Rubbing her bleary eyes, she glanced at Cream and Vanilla. Both rabbits were slumbering blissfully unaware. If it wasn't them, then where was it coming from?

Slipping out of bed, Amy padded out into the hallway. Listening intently, she discerned it came from two doors down on the left. Sally's room? Frowning, she shuffled down the hall groggily, putting her hands on the wall supportively as to avoid bumping into them.

She reached Sally's open door and peered inside. She saw Sonic hunched over a picture frame and his shoulders rose up and down erratically. Wordlessly, she slipped inside and walked over to the hedgehog and put a comforting hand gently on his shoulder. Sonic flinched and looked up with a startled expression. "Oh, Ames; it's only you," he said, his voice barely more than a hoarse whisper.

"Sonic? Are you all-right?" she asked, instantly awake.

"Yes… No… I don't know," he answered.

"Want to talk about it?"

Sonic nodded weakly.

"Is it about Sally?"

"Yes."

"I bet you miss her."

Sonic nodded again and showed Amy the picture he was holding before he spoke. "But more than that, I miss the way things were before. Ya know? Before we fell apart."

Amy felt a twinge of empathy for her idol. "We all do," she told him.

Sonic shook his head. "But I'm the one who messed it all up. If I hadn't of faked my death, then maybe, just maybe, Bunnie and Ant and all of them might still be with us. I scared them away."

"Look, Sonic. You can't blame yourself. Bunnie and Antoine had been talking about leaving the force to settle down long before you supposedly died. It wasn't your fault."

Sonic wasn't convinced. "I tried my best, Ames. I really did. I thought it was for the best, but I was wrong and I let my foolish pride get between me and Sal. I thought I was freer than ever since Sal was the only real thing tying me down, but now…" his voice failed him.

"It's not too late, you know? You can still get her back."

"Ya think so?"

"I do. If Sally really loves you, and I'm sure she does, she'll forgive you. But you have to do it before you lose her to someone else."

"Then what am I waiting for? I've got to get her." Sonic wiped the tear stains off of his face and stood up.

"Wait," Amy cried. She pulled him back down. "You can't go tonight. Everyone's asleep. Wait until morning," she suggested.

Sonic stared at the pink hedgehog for a few moments then nodded tersely. "First thing in the morning I'm off," he agreed.

"Oh, not so fast you aren't. I'm making pancakes for breakfast tomorrow and you are going to eat if I have to tie you down!" Amy retorted with a broad smile.

Despite his lingering depression, Sonic smiled back and lay down in Sally's bed. Within minutes, sleep finally came to him. Amy lingered for a bit, then ever so gently placed a kiss on his forehead and left him to sleep in peace.
* * *

Knuckles, now seven years old, lay panting in grass of a flower field with Sally. The two were utterly exhausted from a day full of raucous play. This particular trip was one of pleasure. The war with Robotnik seemed to be going well, as a temporary cease-fire had been called. However, the two were ignorant of the kingdom's troubles and were enjoying watching clouds roll by high in the sky. Gradually, Knuckles reached out and touched Sally's hand. She opened it and received his. They held hands and simply enjoyed each other's presence.

"Are we alone?" asked Sally.

Knuckles turned to look at his friend. "Yeah, I think so."

"Good, because I have something to give you," said Sally.

Knuckles sat up and wondered what gift Sally could be talking about. He initially thought grapes maybe and his belly growled at the notion. But that hope died when he noticed no fruit nearby. In fact, he didn't see anything.

Sally sat up too, leaned over to the echidna and put her lips to his. Knuckles was shocked by this. What in the world was she doing? He didn't resist though and felt a warm tingle creep through his little body. To Knuckles now, he knew it was a sloppy kiss, but at the time, he had never felt such pleasure.

After a few seconds, Sally pulled away a little, leaving Knuckles yearning for more. "What was that?" he asked dumbfounded.

Sally giggled at his naïveté. "It was a kiss, silly," she explained. "I saw it in a movie once."

"A movie?"

"Yeah. You know; moving pictures?"

Knuckles just stared blankly.

"Never mind. Mother told me that a kiss is sacred and that I should only kiss the man I want to marry."

Marry? Knuckles knew what that was, but it never occurred to him to marry the princess. But now, it seemed he had little choice. He knew enough that the man proposed to a woman on one and knee as he proclaimed his undying love for her. Playing along, Knuckles shifted to one knee and swiped a small handful of nearby wildflowers as he took Sally's dainty hand.

"Princess? Will you marry me?"

"Yes!" Sally said, a little louder than she had intended. She accepted the flowers and gave them a sniff, then promptly sneezed. "I must be allergic," she informed him. She set the flowers aside and kissed him a second time, a little better now that she was used to it. "We'll have a castle of our own someday, won't we, Knuckles?"

"Sure. And we'll be a Mommy and Daddy," added Knuckles.

"And have lots of kids, right?"

"Yeah, and our Dads and your Mom and brother can live with us. Oh, and the Master Emerald too, so it doesn't get lonely."

Knuckles and Sally fell silent and daydreamed about that distant future. The sun began to set, turning the sky a bright gold. Knuckles and Sally scooted together and Knuckles put his arm on her side, holding her close as the sun sunk into the far ocean.

"Don't you wish it could be like this forever?" asked Sally.

"Yeah," Knuckles replied.
* * *

Knuckles' eyes snapped open and he shot up. The memory came to him in his sleep and he remembered it vividly. How could've he forgotten about that? It was the last time Sally ever visited Angel Island for over a decade. The next trip, Sally fell ill and her mother stayed behind to tend to her. The King and Elias's helicopter was sabotaged. It blew up in midair and sank to the bottom of the ocean as he later found out.

To his side, Julie moaned and rolled onto her side. Knuckles held still until he was sure she was back asleep. He slipped out of the blanket and tiptoed to the door, not bothering to put on his shoes. Sally mumbled something in her sleep and then fell silent. He opened the door and stepped out into the chill predawn air.

He set off for the shrine, knowing he would need the guidance of his ancestors. He was conflicted about his current predicament. He knew he loved Julie, but he couldn't deny his feelings for Sally either. Lastly, this dream... flashback. Reminded him about a promise he had made to Sally nearly ten years ago. Sure they were just kids, but... what if it was destiny? He did not pretend to understand how the Soul Touch worked or whether it transcended the echidna race and rules of society. These were questions he would have to seek counseling for.

New Author's Note: So I didn't make many changes in this chapter, but the next one should have more alterations in it. The point of Knuckles's conflictions is his struggle with what he knows is right and what his heart feels. Is there anyone who feels the same way sometimes? Which do you follow, your heart or your mind?

Bonus! Original Author's Note:

Author's Note: Sorry that the update took a couple days to be posted and was pretty short by comparison, but I ran into a bit of a wall when I tried to fill another chapter with a flashback. Instead I decided to go and make Sonic relevant again and bring him back into the story while skipping ahead to point I wanted to reach with Knuckles' flashback. So now, Sonic is ready to come to terms with his failings as a hero, friend, and boyfriend. Knuckles has a flashback to when he and Sally actually kinda proposed to each other, but it was supposed to only be a harmless childhood fantasy. On a side note, I've already mapped out the rest of the story, all I have to do is write/type it out. I will reveal that Tails and Sonic reconcile somewhat in the next chapter. Until then, R&R.