Somewhere In Chaos:

Author's Note I: Alright Chapter 1 is up! A joyous reunion, new faces, and fresh start for our hero, Knuckles the Echidna. Enjoy.

Chapter 1:

A motley group of eight individuals gazed upwards as they watched the Death Egg still in orbit. The massive, moon-like structure shuddered as if hit with a massive force for a brief second. And then it was perfectly still. A young rabbit hid her face in her mother's skirt while a pink hedgehog stood beside them, anxiously nibbling her fingertips. Further down the line, a coyote, cybernetic rabbit, and purple walrus all stared up at the threatening presence in the sky, too fearful to even breath. The only one that didn't look worried was a female, brown chipmunk in simple jean jacket and blue rubber boots. The last one's face was set in an expression of grim determination. 'C'mon, Sonic. You have to win this one...' she thought solemnly, sparing a moment's glance at her allies before resuming her vigil. Another breathless moment went by before the entire left side of the object blew apart in a violent explosion. They couldn't feel the force of the explosion, but they heard the soft, distant sound of a thunderous boom. And then, at last, the metal orb slowly began to descend once more. At this distance, the fall seemed little more than a crawl, but the chipmunk easily knew that the actual velocity was actually quite rapid. He did it. They were successful, but... Sally bit back a sudden stab of icy fear in her chest for the hedgehog and fox she had inadvertedly sent on the essential suicide mission.

Keeping a straight face as best she could, despite her immediate relief and stronger apprehension in her gut, the chipmunk turned to her compatriots. "They did it, team. And it looks like they did enough damage to it. I doubt Eggman will be able to repair it any time soon."

The pink hedgehog spoke up. "But what about Sonic and Tails? Did they make it out? Are they alright?"

Sally took a steadying breath. "Relax, Amy. You're just as worried about them as I am, but we all know Sonic. I'm sure he's okay. Tails too. Even so, we should recognize that this mission was perhaps the most dangerous they've had thus far. So let us be thankful when they return safe and sound. Antoine," she continued, turning towards the coyote, who straightened uo when she faced him. "I want you to keep a look-out for our heroes. Let me know as soon as they arrive."

"Yes, ma'am!" he agreed, in a high-pitched French accent. "Right away!"

"What are ya going ta do?" asked the rabbit beside him.

"I'll be taking a look at our next target. After this defeat, Eggman will be weak, so now is a perfect opportunity to strike him where it'll hurt the most."

The other mobians shared questioning glances. They didn't doubt Sally's tactical abilities, but was she implying that she was going to send Sonic and Tails out on another mission as soon as they got back?

Sally departed and headed inside the large hill where the Freedom Fighters based their operations out of, leaving the fiery ball of glistening metal to fall back into the distant horizon.

* * * A few hours later * * *

Sally looked up from her battle plans when a furtive knock came from the door to her private quarters. "Yes?"

"I-it's me, Princess," said Antoine's muffled voice on the other side of the door. "Sonic and Tails are back."

"Great, send them in please."

There was a hesitant pause on the other side of the wooden barrier. "Er, they've also brought someone with them."

Sally frowned. "Eggman?"

"N-no. An islander, ma'am. He wants to meet with you. I told him to-"

Antoine broke off midsentence when the door to Sally's room opened, revealing the chipmunk princess herself. "What is his name?"

Antoine licked his lips nervously. "Er, I didn't ask, b-but he's, er, kind of tall and red. Sonic doesn't seem too happy with him being here either."

'That could only be...' thought Sally. "Take me to him," she commanded, falling in step behind the coyote.

The two mobians walked down the hall at brisk pace with Antoine trying to keep his nervous shaking in check, but failing. Rounding the corner, they quickly passed the last twenty feet of the hall and into the main commons area. Sally quickly glanced around at the assembled mobians and quickly identified faces. Sonic, Bunnie, Cream, Rotor, Tails, Vanilla... and finally settled on the red echidna in the center of the room with his hands held firmly against his sides while the otehrs stared at him.

The echidna didn't notice her right away and appeared to be looking around the room with narrowed, suspicious eyes. Sally grinned despite herself. It was the perfect opportunity to surprise him. "Well, well, Mr. Knuckles, Guardian of the Master Emerald. It's been too long since we last met," she greeted as Antoine ducked out of her way.

The echidna made a start and then stared at Sally across the room with wide eyes. "It's... it's really you then..." he murmured, barely loud enough for others in the room to hear.

"Is that all you have to say after all these years, Knux?"

The echidna smiled warmly for the first time in several years. "Sally... It's great to see you. You've grown up too," he noticed, giving her quick look over.

"You've grown yourself," replied Sally, bridging the distance between them in quick, fluid strides.

"Wait. Hold up," interrupted Sonic, holding up his hands as he glanced between Sally and Knuckles. "You two know each other?"

Knuckles nodded slowly. "Once upon a time."

Hesitantly, the echidna held a hand out towards his old childhood friend. Sally shook her head and threw her arms around him in a tight embrace. "It's been too long for a simple handshake, my friend."

Knuckles looked slightly uncomfortable for an instant and then slowly, unsurely returned the soft cuddle. He had to admit that it felt... right. If a little awkward.

After another moment, Sally gradually released Knuckles, but remained close to him. At that moment, the rabbit with metal limbs spoke up. "So, how do y'all know each other?" she asked, with her ears skewed in confusion.

"Knuckles?" asked Sally, looking up at the echidna, "do want to take this one?"

Knuckles shrugged. "Okay. Well, Sally and I used to be friends, back when my father was Guardian and Sally's father was the King of Acorn. Every couple of weeks, her father would visit our island to speak with mine. Sometimes, he would bring Sally here along and her older brother too. I even met the Queen at one point. But, we would spend most of the day playing and whatnot." He paused and looked at Sally. "As far as I was concerned Sally was my only friend in the whole world." He turned his gaze back to the crowd of mobians. "It's a long and boring story, but the point is, one day, she just stopped coming. I didn't see her for well over a decade. Up until now, in fact. Speaking of which," he turned his attention once more to Sally. "Why did you stop coming? It's one question I've never been able to answer..."

Sally bowed her head solemnly. "Believe me, Knuckles, it wasn't by choice. I take it you've met our 'friend' Eggman?"

Knuckles nodded with a grim face. "Yeah. Who is he and what does he want with my emerald?"

Sally sighed. "It's going to take a long time to explain everything in detail. But I'm sure you and Sonic have had one heck of a day, so we can talk in the morning. Amy," she called towards the pink hedgehog.

"Yeah, Sally?"

"Show our guest to a spare room."

"Of course, o' fearless leader!"

Knuckles eyed the hedgehog as she approached. She looked young, maybe fourteen, and very bubbly. He tore his eyes away from the one they called Amy and back to Sally. "Thank you, Sally."

"Don't worry about it. We have a lot to catch up on anyways."

"C'mon, Red! This way," piped up Amy, tugging Knuckles's arm until he reluctantly followed her into the hallway.

Once they left, Sonic stepped up beside Sally. "So... you guys have some kind of history."

"Yes, Sonic. I'm glad you've been paying attention after all."

Sonic folded his arms. "Uh-huh. So, what's with this whole 'Guardian' thing? What's he guarding?"

Sally gave Sonic an amused smile. "Did you not notice the giant emerald?"

Sonic flushed. "A big gem? Is that it?"

Sally shook her head. "The Master Emerald isn't any normal gem, Sonic. The power of the Chaos Emeralds you use so often is actually governed by that gem that Knuckles guards. The Master Emerald is the fountain of power from which all Chaos Emeralds receive theirs."

Sonic looked a little confused.

Sally clapped him on the back. "It's alright if you don't understand. Knuckles can explain it better than I can." She guided him down the hall. "In the meantime, I suggest you get some rest. We've got to prepare for another raid early tomorrow."

Sonic stopped short. "Wait. Another one? Already? Tails and I just got back!"

Sally halted midstride and looked at the hedgehog. "I'm aware of that Sonic, but we've still got to strike Eggman when he's weakest. Plus, I'm not quite finished with the plans yet. All we need to do tomorrow is get the equipment repaired and ready."

Sonic resumed his walk, although his face still didn't look happy.

Sally joined him. "It's also a good thing you brought Knuckles back with you. We can use him in the upcoming raid."

"That's another thing," began Sonic, "just how close are the two of you?"

Sally stared at Sonic. "We were friends once and I see no reason why that should change. Why?" She paused as her face lit up and a teasing smile crossed her lips. "Wait a minute. I think you're jealous."

Sonic's face morphed into one of embarrassment. "What?! No way!"

Sally flicked his nose playfully. "Denial only proves your guilt."

"Whatever, Princess. I'm gonna crash," Sonic said dismissively, although thoroughly flustered. Without giving her another opportunity to tease him further, Sonic sped down the hall to his own room. Sally stared after him for a moment in amusement before disappearing in her own quarters.

* * * Knuckles and Amy * * *

While Sonic and Sally were discussing the inclusion of Knuckles, the echidna and his escort was heading for the next spare room in the dorm hallway. "So, you're name is Knuckles, then?"

Knuckles gave her a sidelong glance. "Did you figure that out yourself?"

"Is it because you have those pointy things on your hands?"

Knuckles sighed heavily. "No. Well, maybe. I think it's because my clan is the Knuckles Clan."

"So your clan is named after you?"

Knuckles closed his eyes, trying desperately to not lose his temper. "That's not how it works."

"Oh. So you and Sally are friends then?"

Knuckles actually hesitated on this one. He wanted to say yes, but... it has been a long time. Maybe they still were, but he wasn't about to go around and claim something that might not be true. "I... think so. But a lot can change in a decade."

"You come from the island right? The one in the sky?"

Knuckles nodded.

"What is it called?"

"Angel Island. Although some people call it Floating Island. Personally, I prefer the first one."

"What's it like living in the sky?"

"I don't live in the sky. I just live on an island that happens to be in the sky."

"Oh."

A small period of silence fell between them, of which Knuckles was incredibly grateful. He was sure Amy meant well, but by his ancestors she was annoying.

"Oh, hey. Did you have a crush on Sally when you were kids?"

Knuckles twitched and tried to hide his discomfort. "That's none of your business."

Amy's face lit up and a grin appeared on her lips. "I see. You still like her, don't you?"

That's it! Knuckles had enough of her questions. He turned on her and lifted a balled fist threateningly. "Look, Pinkie, my feelings are my business and no one else's! Got it?!"

Amy let out a short eep and then immediate gave him an innocent look. "Understood, Mister Knuckles."

Knuckles's eye twitched briefly as he tried to comprehend her thought process. Giving up, he lowered his fist with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry... Amy, was it? I've just had a long day."

"It's okay. A lot of the Freedom Fighters think I'm kind of annoying. Hard to believe isn't it?"

Knuckles didn't answer and followed Amy until she stopped him in front of a door labelled #13.

"Here we go, Mister." She opened the door and revealed the dim, dusty interior. "It's a little rustic, but I think Vanilla will have it cleaned up for you starting tomorrow."

Knuckles pushed past the hedgehog gently and took a quick look around. There was an old wooden desk that appeared to made of elm in one corner and a lamp sitting on the back corner to the left, away from the wall. On the other side, there was a small cot with plain white sheets that looked untouched for what must of been years. Beside that, there was a small beside table with another lamp sitting on it. The thing he noticed most was the lack of windows in the small, cell-like quarters. He turned back to the female hedgehog. "It's fine. I don't intend to stay for long anyways."

Amy bowed slightly. "Well, mi casa es su casa. Or something like that."

"Thanks."

Amy turned as if to leave, and then paused to close the door and speak one last sentence. "Good night, Knuckles. Maybe you'll have dreams about Sally, eh?"

Knuckles's eyes widened in sudden fit of agitation, but didn't get a chance to reply before Amy closed the door behind her. 'Annoying doesn't begin to cover it,' he thought sourly. He shook his head in distaste as he sat down on the edge of the bed. What Amy didn't know was that he did have dreams about Sally every once in a while. It was a fact he wasn't proud of, but she was the only female he had known aside from his mother and the spirit of the emerald, but neither really counted anyhow. Naturally, the started rather innocently, but when he hit puberty a couple years ago, the context of his fantasies took a sudden turn.

He tried to force the memory out of his head, but despite his best efforts, they bubbled to the surface of his mind. One in particular rose above the rest. It was the first such one he had when he was around twelve.

It began rather innocently. He and Sally were at the spring that the two had enjoyed swimming in when they were around six or so. The difference was, Sally was much older, around his own age and she was leading the way to their secret swimming hole. For some reason, she was already scantily clad in what appeared to be a simple gossamer gown. She looked over her shoulder to look at him with a playful grin, not unlike hers when she was younger. "C'mon, Knuckles, the water's nice."

She removed her gown and stepped into the pool. Knuckles recalled feeling a kind of euphoria he was not used to, the sensation was so intense he didn't feel his limbs moving towards the pool edge and climbing in after her. What seemed to a simple children's game eventually turned sultry when the chipmunk swam closer to him and pressed her body against his own. Her hot breath washed over him and felt like he had no control. The only thing he could do was bring her into a kiss, an act he had first experienced with that very same girl years earlier. It was at that time that Knuckles became aware of the female body and could be aroused by it.

However, he never got to that stage. He always woke up just as things got steamy and discovered to his confusion an unusual lump under his covers. When he asked his father about it, the older echidna was rather unhelpful. He just told Knuckles that he needed to control his impluses better and left it at that. Knuckles sighed and shook his head once to clear his mind of his troubling thoughts. He could never let Sally or anyone else know about those kinds of fantasies. No doubt it would only make him seem weird and creepy. That was something he could not live with if Sally found out.

Fortunately, he did find better control of his dreams. They still happened, but not as frequently. Staring up at his ceiling, Knuckles lay in silence and darkness. Despite his exhaustion, sleep eluded him. His concentration should be focused on finding the shards of the Master Emerald, he knew perfectly well, but his musing about meeting Sally again after all these years preoccupied his tired mind.

'What's happened since I last saw her? Why is she living in bunker like this rather than the castle? And who is this Eggman? What does he want?'

Knuckles sighed and closed his eyes. Perhaps the answers would come in the morning, but there was only one way to find out.

Author's Note II: Alright, so yeah, we already see some hints at KnuxAlly and SonAlly, but neither of these are major parts to the story in-progress. I'm just kind of setting the stage for some drama later down the road. Anyways, what are your thoughts, dear readers? I'm always happy to read comments, even if they aren't exactly praising. The next update should be up by Sunday. Laters, TheEpicTales.