Chapter 9: Irony:

A shadow fell over Tails and the absence of the sun's warming rays made the fox shiver. He slowly opened his eyes, wincing from the ambient light, and beheld Sonic's silhouette standing over him. The fox frowned and asked, "Sonic? What do you want?"

"I want you to come down and join us for breakfast," he replied.

"No thank you. I'll pass," Tails grumbled as he closed his eyes and pretended to take no further notice of the hedgehog. Sonic continued to stand over the fox, until he felt uncomfortable and somewhat cross. "Can't you take a hint?! Leave me alone!"

"I know you're angry, Tails, and you have every right to," said Sonic. The hedgehog sat down on the mossy roof and let his legs dangle over the sides. Tails' grumpiness faded as he sat up and watched his former mentor's actions. Sonic looked ashamed, with his face bearing a somber expression, his ears drooped, and he avoided eye contact. It was almost as if he felt guilty. "I'm no good at this sort of thing so I'm come right out and say it," he began.

"Say what?"

Sonic looked over at Tails and locked eyes. "I'm sorry."

Tails's amazement was temporary. "Sorry for what?"

"For being such a jerk lately. I realize that I hurt you, Sal, and everyone that cares about me with my actions. So I'm sorry. Do ya forgive me?"

Tails looked away for a minute and felt all his hurt and anger just melt away. "I guess… I can't stay mad at you; you were just doing what you thought was right."

Sonic smiled and clapped his friend on the back heartily. "I'm glad to hear ya say that, little buddy. Let's go inside and eat, then we can go find Sally." Sonic stood up and started to lead the way down. Tails sat there for awhile longer and stared after the hedgehog for a moment then stood and followed him.
* * *

Sally awoke to a dim room. Forgetting where she was at for a moment, she sat up and looked around. Oh yeah, she was at Knuckles' cabin. The quaint furniture was cast in gray light that filtered through his closed shades. She looked towards the fireplace, the fire had died down quite some time ago and Julie lay in a bundle of blankets nearby. Wait. Julie? Where was Knuckles?

Sally looked around the entire cabin, but didn't see him anywhere. A pit opened again in her stomach when she remembered what she had revealed to him last night and what he had done in response. What an idiot… He was probably avoiding her. Not that she could blame him. She had just gone and made their close friendship weird.

Maybe it was best if she just left and hoped he forgot about it all. But, where would she go? She couldn't just skip out on two separate groups of friends without a word and she wouldn't go back to Sonic even if she could. Besides, the plane had no fuel left. She was trapped here until Knux took her back or Sonic came to get her. She should've thought about that earlier.

Turning back to Julie's resting form, Sally felt as if she were suffocating under a sea of guilt. The least she could do was tell Julie about last night; she deserved to know, even if she tried to kill Sally. With a heavy heart, she crawled over to the pink echidna and gently shook her shoulder. Julie stirred and mumbled, "Knuckles… Stop it…Jus' five more min…"

"It's Sally." The chipmunk told her.

Julie cracked her eyes open and saw the princess leaning over her. "You aren't going to kiss me again, are you?" she asked sleepily.

Sally flushed slightly. "Er, no. Not right now."

"Oh, that's a shame."

Sally was confused by Julie statement, but didn't have much time to ponder it. She needed to tell Julie before Knuckles came back and tried to stop her. "Julie, there's something you should know…"

"What's that?" Julie asked, now wide awake. She sat up, forcing Sally to retreat a bit.

"I messed up big time…"

"What?"

"I… I kissed Knuckles last night." Sally felt the knot in her gut loosen a bit, but it didn't disappear.

Julie's intial reaction was unforthcoming. She just stared at Sally for a moment, blinking, before she sat up and looked at the chipmunk with a curious expression. "And..." she began, drawing out the first word, "how did it go?"

For the second time in a surprisngly short period of time, Sally was at a loss for words. She just gapped slightly at the echidna for a moment. When she could control her mouth, the only thing Sally could manage to squeek out was, "You're taking this remarkably well."

Julie laughed, much to Sally's utter bafflement. "You must think I'm dense as Knuckles is sometimes! I caught onto your ploy last night after that kiss. But the strange thing is," she paused, "I don't mind."

"You mean you don't mind that I'm competing with you for Knuckles?" asked Sally, unwilling to believe what the other mobian had just said.

Julie shook her head. "First off, I never said 'compete', you did. Second, I've seen they way you've looked at each other in the past. I must say, you hid your furtive glances well, but I still noticed. And I'm fine with that. I know you guys used to be childhood sweethearts, and, sometimes, old feelings die hard. I can understand that. The other thing is, I believe that you and Knuckles share the same connection that he and I do."

"Love?"

"Soul Touch. But close."

"What is... a 'Soul Touch'?"

Julie took a breath as she tried to think of a way to explain the phenomenon to the chipmunk princess. "Er, well, it's kinda like a sixth sense that all echidnas share. It is a powerful sense that tells both echidnas when they have found their soulmate. Someone who completes them and is marked to be together forever. Usually, it is exclusive to echidnas, but there's also the likely possibility that all races share it, they just don't know it."

Sally settled herself down cross-legged beside the echidna as she asked her another question. "And how did you two discover it?"

Julie sighed. "Well, that's a bit of a story. I'll give you the short version. When Knuckles and his friends, Vector and Espio, destroyed the base I was stationed at, my first impluse was anger and righteous fury. Those three had taken the only thing I knew and I vowed revenge on them. But when I got my first good look at Knuckles, I felt something I couldn't describe and couldn't understand. All my anger and hurt faded away, all I needed was to know him better and I was willing to give up my life in the Legion to feel that way forever. Knuckles must have felt the same way, because against his better judgement and Vector's protests, he actually took me back to his island and explained a lot to me. One thing lead to another and, before we knew it, we were dating and officially a couple. Let me tell you, it shook a few worlds," she laughed, "The point is, the Soul Touch doesn't care about what society expects or how others will feel about it. It's only goal and mission is to bring those who belong together, well, together. That's the short version, anyhow."

Sally processed this information slowly. "So, you think I could be Knuckles's other Soul Touch? Or him mine?"

Julie shrugged. "I don't know. That's something you'll have to discover for yourself." She cast a sidelong glance at Sally. "But, while we're on the topic, I'm glad it's someone like you, and not some skank like someone else I know."

Sally gave Julie a small smile. "Thanks, Julie." With that, Sally's guilt and inhibitions faded away. Throwing her arms around the hot pink echidna, Sally hugged the other female tightly against her body.

Julie's eyes widened briefly in mild surprise before she let out a small chuckle. "Whoa, ease up there, Sal. I may be bionic, but I still need to breathe."

Sally loosened her grip slightly. "Sorry. Thank you, Julie."

Julie touched her forhead to Sally's. "Don't worry about it. Now," she paused to place a soft kiss on Sally's cheek, "go find Knuckles so we can have a nice discussion."
* * *

Sonic was stuffed and honestly couldn't take another bite even if Amy force fed it to him. He belched satisfactorily which earned him a disapproving glare from Amy. He pretended not to notice, but reminded himself to apologize later. Seated next to him, Tails trembled as he lifted his fork up his lips but couldn't bring himself to finish the last bite. He let the utensil clatter back onto his messy plate and wiped his sticky muzzle with the back of his glove. The pancakes had been wonderful, and Amy had added fresh blueberries that she and Cream had gathered earlier to the mix.

After letting his stomach adjust, Sonic stood up and took his plate as well as Tails' to the sink. "Thanks fer the pancakes," he said as he passed Amy. "They were delish, but Tails and I need to be setting out now."

Amy blushed slightly at the praise and nodded to excuse them. "Vanilla and I will clean the dishes, just go and get our leader back," she informed the blue hedgehog.

Tails's eyelids drooped drowsily. He was snapped awake by Sonic prodding him with an elbow. "C'mon, little buddy, gotta shake a leg."

"Oh, right," Tails agreed. He thanked Amy then followed Sonic out of the kitchen. It felt great to be Sonic's sidekick again, and no matter what Sonic did in the past, Tails would always want to be by his hero's side. He wondered what could've made Sonic turn a new leaf like this overnight, but whatever it was, the fox was glad it did.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly and rising up across the azure sky. Tails was forced to squint or risk being blinded. Sonic glanced over at his companion, a brotherly love glowing in his wide green eyes. A small smile played at the edges of his face as he stretched for a brisk run. "Ya ready, li'l bro?"

"Yup. Where are we going?"

"The place where Sally ran off to."

"And where's that?"

Sonic hesitated, and then decided to tell him. "I'm pretty sure she's on Angel Island."

Tails looked up at the hedgehog. "I thought so too."

Sonic's face clouded up with confusion. "How did you guess that?"

Tails delayed as if he didn't want to answer, but reluctantly admitted, "The day after Sally went missing I snuck into her room and tried to look for clues."

"You mean to say you were snooping?!"

"I wouldn't call it that, but more-or-less yes. Anyways, I found a picture of Aunt Sally and Knuckles as kids resting on her dresser. It seemed out of place considering the rest were lodged in the mirror's frame. It didn't take much to put two and two together."

Sonic nodded. "Right. Good work, but we better keep this between us. I can't imagine what Sal might do if she found out you snooped around her room."

"Agreed."

"Anyways, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"But wait, how are we supposed to get to Angel Island? Sally took the plane and I can't fly that far let alone carry you too."

"I thought about that already. Remember that Knuckles gave Vector and them a warp ring in case of emergency?"

"Oh, yeah. I had almost forgotten about that."

"Well I'm sure Vec wouldn't mind us borrowing it for a few."

"So to the Chaotix's base?"

"Yep." With that, Sonic bolted, leading the way across the field. Tails was surprised, but quickly recovered and propelled himself forward after the blue blur.
*

"I'm sorry, pal; but I can't just give it to you. Knux gave it to us to take care of and use only in emergencies."

"Ah, c'mon, Vec! The princess is missing! This IS an emergency," Sonic countered. The croc before him was puffing on a cigar with the warp ring set on the desk between the two. Espio stood nearby looking bored, but silently keeping tabs on the conversation. Charmy was out doing errands for the team and Tails just stood nervously by Sonic's side.

"Well, I can understand that, but the fact is, Knux gave it to the Chaotix for us to use, not loan out to anyone who asks nicely."

"Dammit, Vec! Just open the portal!"

Vector nodded towards the fox. "Why don't you guys just use his snazzy plane? The Twister or whatnot?"

Sonic ran a gloved hand over his face, trying to keep his temper under control. "Sally took that when she left."

Vector looked back to Sonic. "Well, why didn't ya say so? That sucks no doubt, but my hands are tied."

Sonic resisted the urge to grab the croc's neck chains and strangle him with them. He took a deep breath and tried to come up with a different argument. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. "Say, Vec," he began.

"Yeah?"

"You consider yourself a ladies' man, right?"

Vector grinned toothily. "Of course. I'm a regular lady killer."

"Well you wouldn't stand in the way of true love would ya?"

Vector's smile fell in puzzlement. "Whaddaya mean?"

"I broke up with Sal, but now I know that was the biggest mistake I ever made. Ya gotta let me at least have a chance to make things right."

Vector sat back and puffed on his cigar as he contemplated. At length, he finally answered, "Well if it's for love, I suppose I can't stand in the way." He sighed and looked over at the chameleon by the door. Espio nodded almost imperceptibly. Looking back to Sonic, he stood up. "Ok, I'll open it, but don't make me regret it." He picked up the distinct ring and held it at arm's length pointing to spot near the desk. "Open," he commanded.

A round hole opened in the middle of the room. The edges were hazy, but the center beheld a thick swath of trees. It was like a window to a different dimension, but instead of a parallel universe, it just led to Angel Island. "Be warned," Vector intoned ominously, "The warp opens on the outskirts of the island. Knux set it there for obvious security reasons."

Sonic gave an acknowledging nod, but kept eyes on the portal as if it might collapse in an instant. "Thanks, Vec. I mean it, this means a lot."

The croc rubbed his head embarrassedly. "Aw, it's nothing. Just make sure ya didn't waste my time."

Sonic stepped forward and began to enter head first. "C'mon, Tails. There's no telling when it might close."

Tails started after the hedgehog when an afterthought came to Vector. "Oh! Wait, once ya step through, there's no coming back since ya don't have the ring. This is a one-way trip."

"Understood," Tails acknowledged. "Oh, and tell Charmy 'hi' for me."

"Will do," Vector confirmed as he waved them off. The portal collapsed in on itself as Tails's namesakes disappeared inside. Vector sat back down in his office chair and put the ring back on his desk. He puffed his cigar again and then opened a drawer and pulled out a Polaroid of a certain female bunny. He stared at it until he realized that Espio was still watching him.

"What'cha looking at, ya slimy lizard?" he snapped. Espio merely shrugged and left the hostile room. Vector instantly felt bad about yelling at the chameleon like that, but his pride prevented him from apologizing. Oh well, Espio was used to it anyways. He put the picture back in his drawer and exchanged it for a bottle of whiskey.
* * *

Sally stumbled out Knuckles' cabin and into the bright, mid-morning sun. Shielding her eyes as they adjusted, Sally made her way for the only place she reasoned Knuckles could be, the shrine. She was clad once again in her blue rubber boots and jean jacket as she picked her way through the underbrush onto the main path to heart of the island at its shrine. When she stepped out of the treeline, she glanced up at the shrine and could faintly see Knuckles's outline tending to the Master Emerald. By the time she reached the top, Knuckles had his back to her and was kneeling before the giant jewel, mouthing soundless words. Keeping her silence, Sally stepped forward and sat beside the echidna as he finished his prayer.

After about a minute, Knuckles appeared to give up and opened his eyes, glancing sideways over at Sally. He wasn't surprised to find her beside him since he had heard her coming up the stairs, yet he could tell something had changed with her since last night. "Sleep well?" he asked.

Sally nodded slowly. "Just fine," she replied. She opened her mouth again to speak, but hesitated, unsure of how to bring it up to Knuckles.

"Have something you want to say?"

Pushing herself forward, Sally spoke. "Er, yes, Knuckles. I, uh, spoke with Julie, and... well, let's just say it was pretty interesting."

Knuckles's face contorted into slight confusion and morbid curiousity. "Oh, yeah? And what did you guys talk about?"

Sally glanced down for a moment before bringing her eyes back up to Knuckles. "I told her about our kiss last night."

Knuckles frowned, looking almost ready to snap in frustration. "You did what?" he asked, dangerously calm. "I was supposed to-"

Sally cut him off quickly. "It's alright, Knuckles. She knew what I was up to and she's okay with it."

Knuckles shook his head in disbelief. "You mean, no slapping, no coming after me with her gun? Nothing?"

Sally stood up. "Nope. She told me about the Soul Touch and what it does. She says she believes you and I share the same bond."

Knuckles raised himself to her level. "Truly?" Knuckles seemed to ponder the ramifications of this new information. Crossing the distance between them, Sally placed one hand on his shoulder and the other on his muscular chest.

"Julie wants us to come back to the cabin so we can talk about it more."

Knuckles gazed back down at the chipmunk. "I suppose we should get going then. Wouldn't want to keep her waiting, would we?"

Sliding her hand down into Knuckles's, Sally accompanied Knuckles down the stairs back towards the cabin. "So, can I ask what you doing with the Emerald?"

Knuckles didn't even blink. "Of course. I was trying to speak with my ancestors."

"About us?"

Knuckles nodded. "Last night, I had a dream of some sort, well, a flashback really. You remember the last time you visited Angel Island as a kid?"

Sally felt a small prickle of sadness as she recalled the reasons why her visits had stopped all those years ago. "Of course."

"And do you remember when I sorta proposed to you?"

Sally let a broad smile cross her face despite her depressing memories. "Yep. It was so sweet, Knuckles. It was also right after our first kiss."

Knuckles looked over at Sally as he returned her smile. "That's right. It seems foolish now, but at the time, it was the start of a long crush on you. Before I met Julie, of course."

"And now?"

"I don't think the feeling has faded at all; just gotten stronger."

"So what did your ancestors say?" asked Sally as they drew closer to the cabin.

"Nothing," replied Knuckles, somewhat disappointed, "I couldn't sense them at all. It seems as if they either don't know the answer or want to share one with me."

"Then it's just something we'll have to figure out ourselves, isn't it?"

"I guess so," finished Knuckles as he opened the door to his cabin.
* * *

Back at the altar, Sonic and Tails had just arrived after finding a bit of trouble in one of Knuckles's traps. All it took was for Sonic to not pay attention to one step, and before he knew it, he was suspended upside down by one leg as Tails looked up at him. "Cut me down!" Sonic had yelled to the young fox as the kid found the peg and kicked it loose. After that mishap, Sonic had taken more care in stepping around Angel Island and at length reached the altar, but, strangely, it was empty. Of people, at least. The Emerald was still there, but no Knuckles, Julie, or Sally in sight. "Where are they?" asked Sonic, glancing around the abandoned altar.

"Well, we know Aunt Sally's here," said Tails, pointing to the Tornado sitting near the trees on the far side of the clearing. Sonic bolted over as Tails struggled to catch up. A quick look inside revealed little, except the keys were still in the ignition and the vehicle was out of fuel. "Lovely," drawled Tails as he tapped the dial, "does Sally know how hard it's going to be to refuel this thing out here?"

"We'll worry about that later," replied Sonic, turning his back on the machine. "First, we need to find out where Sal and ol' Knucklehead went."

Tails climbed back out and stood next to Sonic, pointing slightly upwards at a thin coulmn of grayish-white clouds rising straight up. "Where there's smoke," he began.

"There's fire!" finished Sonic, clapping the fox on the back, "Good going, buddy!"

Jogging more than running, the two headed directly for the source of the whispy smoke trail.
* * *

While Sonic and Tails had been investigating the altar and biplane, Knuckles and Sally had arrived back in the cabin and Knuckles had started up a new fire to heat up the chilly cabin. Once the the fire was properly set and Knuckles was satisfied with it, the echidna set his poker aside and turned to the two females seated at the table in his kitchen.

"Thanks, Knux," Julie said as he came over to join them. "What would I do without you?"

"Wither away and die, I suppose," he replied in jest, reclining in his chair. "Sooo..." he continued, drawing out the 'o' part awkwardly, "You wanted to talk?"

Julie nodded agreeably. "Yes, I think we should discuss us, you and Sal, and Sal and I. Lay down ground rules and stuff like that."

"Ground rules?" echoed Knuckles.

"Like, 'share and share alike'."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It's easier if we demonstrate," replied Julie. Gesturing towards Sally, Julie continued, "Kiss her." When Knuckles hesitated, Julie rolled her eyes. "Oh, so you're going to be shy now? Go ahead!" Knuckles still looked a little nervous as he leaned up and quickly pecked Sally on her cheek. "Oh what was that?" mocked Julie, "Is this your junior prom? This... is a kiss." Without notice, Julie shot up and placed her lips over Sally's much to the chipmunk's surprise and initial resistance. Huh, irony. Sally just got that. Once Julie withdrew her tongue, she wiped her mouth as she leaned back and made a pointed look at Knuckles. "Your turn."

Summoning up what courage he had, Knuckles stood once more and placed his lips back onto Sally's. There was less resistance this time, since she had a little more warning. Mentally timing it, Julie figured that the kiss lasted about fifteen seconds. Not bad. "See? Easy," she said as they broke lips. "Now, it's your turn to kiss me, Knux."

Knuckles nodded and returned the favor to his first girlfriend.

Once he let up, Julie moved on. "That's pretty much the basic. This is an equal partnership, no one has any more right to another than anybody else. Understood?"

Knuckles and Sally nodded.

"The next thing we should discuss is sex."

Knuckles groaned and Sally blushed lightly at the concept. Already? She and Knuckles hadn't even dated once yet. But... he was Julie's boyfriend, so Sally supposed she could sit through it.

"Obviously, sex is still based on desire and 'needs', but we have to make it clear where we stand on it. Knuckles?"

Knuckles parted his gloves slightly so he could see Julie through one eye. "Hm?"

"Any issues with satisfying two ladies?"

"No," he answered, somewhat guardedly, "Why should there be?"

Ignoring his tone, Julie switched her focus to Sally. "Sally, do you have a chastity vow? If not, are you willing to engage in intercourse with either Knuckles or I, depending on needs?"

"Um, well, actually I once did a little-"

"I don't want to know!" cried Knuckles, slamming his hands around his ears childishly.

Frowning at his behavior, Julie gave Knuckles a quick disapproving glance before bringing her attention back to Sally. "You lost your virginity?" she asked, mildly surprised.

"Not quite," denied Sally. "It was just some oral, so ya know, nothing serious."

"High schools would beg to differ," countered Julie, "but don't take that to mean I'm judging you. I could tell you stories about Knuckles that would make that batslut blush. But," she countinued, leaning back, "it would be more fun to show you."

Sally kept silent for a moment. "And you mentioned 'us' at some point?"

Julie nodded. "I believe in equal partnerships and that includes all aspects. C'mon, do you expect me to let Knuckles have you all to himself?"

Sally grinned. "It's pretty hard to argue when the other girl's as pretty as you are."

Julie blushed lightly as she let a self-concious smile spread across her face. "Oh, stop it, Sal, you're making me blush."

"So where do we go from here?"

Julie looked devious as she smiled suggestively. "My recommendation is the bedroom."

"Wait, you have a bedroom?"

"Out there," answered Julie, pointing to the living room. "Plenty of room for three I should think."

Standing up, the two females tapped Knuckles on the head and shoulder, alerting the echidna to the fact they were leaving the kitchen. "We're going to get comfortable in the living room. Come join us if you're ready to be a big boy," teased Julie.

Knuckles stood quickly, thrusting a thumb to his chest. "I'm no boy; I'm Knuckles the Echidna!"

"Then get in here, knucklehead!" called Sally.

Knuckles entered the living room and placed himself on the couch. Seating themselves on either side of Knuckles, with Jules on the right and Sally on the left, the two placed their hands on his shoulder and chest as they took turns placing kisses on his neck and lips. Knuckles was the most content had ever been in his life, the two most beautiful women in the world were in his arms and lavishing him affection. Best of all, they liked each other just as much. That was definitely a bonus. Yep, everything was going great. And then Sonic decided to let himself in.

"H-Hey, Knux! I don't mean to... What the hell is going on?!"

New Author's Note: So I pretty much rewrote every section with Sally, Knux, Julie, and the third part of Sonic's and Tails's appearance in this chapter. I'm pretty sure by this point, the rating "transcends" the T Rating I gave it, but whatever. There's only "hell" used twice near the end and some references to sex, but nothing explicit. As far as the "Original Author's Note:" goes, you might not understand it since I changed the story quite a bit. Even the title changed since the line used for it was deleted. Regardless, it's still here to show how awkward my earlier author's notes were. Aside from all that, have any thoughts or opinions about this chapter? I'd be glad to hear them.

~TheEpicTales

Bonus!

Original Author's Note: Sorry it took so long for the update to come about, but I wasn't happy with Julie and Sally's dialogue. And to be honest, I'm still not 100% satisfied with it, but I can't fiddle with it forever so here is the next chapter. Um, a similar discussion was shown in SoulEnder's Chaos, Order, and Balance and I think he did a better job, but whatever, I can always change it later if I want to. First thing I should mention about the story, I considered having Knux and Sal go all the way in this chapter, but decided that that would constitute a rating change from T to M and I didn't feel like doing that. So I stopped it once it got saucy and suggestive. Hope y'all liked it. Second, I have some good news and bad news. Good news is that this chapter is about twice as long as any of my others (about 10 pages compared to the usual five or two). Bad news is this is the second to last chapter in this story (not counting the Epilogue). More good news though, I'm considering making a prequel that spans the year Sonic disappeared and how the characters in this story each responded to this unexpected loss. Anyways, R&R and be sure to check up on my other fanfics if you liked this one and haven't seen the others yet. Right, well, until next time.