It didn't take long for rest to become restlessness once the allotted hour had passed. Sonic should have arrived by now and there was no sign. Was it possible he didn't even care enough to show up? Knuckles held himself still against the anger, eyes shut, arms crossed, breath slow. He'd little enough energy to spare. He wouldn't waste it in pacing or fidgeting. He'd know when Sonic arrived.

And when he finally did his approach was so fast Knuckles couldn't even tell whether he'd heard or sensed his approach. The hedgehog skidded to a stop and Knuckles leapt to his feet.

"Hey there, Knuckles!"

The complete lack of concern in the hedgehog's voice sparked instant anger, driving everything Knuckles had been going to say, and ask, out of his head at once and replacing it with an angry snarl in answer.

"You're late!"

Sonic shrugged, apparently too unconcerned to even respond to the insult. "Yeah well, I stopped to enjoy the scenery. This planet is pretty cool."

Knuckles almost physically reeled backwards at Sonic's exaggeratedly casual words, his heel hitting the rock he'd been sitting on the only thing that stopped him. He hadn't believed Eggman, not entirely, not even while going along with his plan in the absence of any other options. He'd been sure right up until Sonic had spoken that the hedgehog would instantly dismiss his accusations, say something ridiculously obvious to explain it all, something that would in the same second reassure him and make him feel stupid for even doubting it.

But this…

Sonic thinks this world's a lot more fun than ours…

"It's nice here," Sonic drawled as Knuckles stared at him with Eggman's words ringing in his mind. Sonic hadn't even done him the courtesy of meeting his eyes, instead absorbed in the scent of some ragged flower he'd picked up chaos-knew-where on the way.

"Yeah," Sonic went on lazily and surely that was a distinct smirk in his tone? Surely he must know what effect his words were having? "You'd like this world too if you weren't such a party pooper."

He says if we don't agree, that's our tough luck.

Cold shock roiled against hot fury and Knuckles raised his fists.

"Enough talk!" It was true then, and he'd heard enough. Sonic must know it could only come to a fight. "Let's go!"

"Oh relax, will you?" Sonic still hadn't faced him properly and Knuckles couldn't quite bring himself to jump the hedgehog while he was standing there, eyes closed in the sunshine, completely unprepared.

Even though Sonic clearly did expect a brawl eventually, the idea didn't appear to concern him.

"We have all afternoon to duke it out, buddy boy."

"I'm not your buddy!" How could Sonic even still use the word? "Now put 'em up!" Knuckles was getting very close to swinging at the hedgehog whether he prepared himself or not. "I didn't come here to… to..." Fury made him almost incoherent and his eyes fixed on the daisy Sonic was still twirling between his fingers, still all but ignoring him.

"...To sniff the flowers!"

Sonic shrugged. "That's your loss. You don't know what you're missing…" Finally he looked in Knuckles' direction but it only made the amused unconcern more obvious.

"But if you'd rather get clobbered by me..."

Knuckles cut off the overdue challenge. "Shut up! Give me the Emerald you stole!"

Perhaps some of the desperation as well as the anger came over because this time Sonic did at least have the grace to look briefly startled, but too quickly it was replaced by laughing dismissal once again

"Your brain's even slower than your feet." Sonic let the flower fall but was still talking. "Seriously, Knux you don't really think-"

It was one insult too many with the mocking diminutive added on top and Knuckles launched himself at the hedgehog without waiting for him to finish. He didn't really expect his first blow to land and sure enough Sonic leapt aside even in the time it took him to cover the short space between them. The next handful of blows also failed to connect with anything other than the rocks Sonic seemed intent on using as variously cover and launchpads, leaping and hopping to higher ground.

Momentarily out of reach, Sonic looked down at him with an odd, almost disappointed, expression on his face that Knuckles didn't have time to interpret before Sonic leapt clear of his attack and returned it in kind, aiming a kick at his head. Knuckles flung himself out of range, throwing out one hand to turn the hasty dive into a cartwheel back onto his feet.

To his surprise, Sonic didn't seem intent on pressing the attack, continuing to dodge and then taking off through the treeline to the cliff. Sheer momentum carried him up the near vertical surface while Knuckles scrabbled after him with claws striking chunks out of the rock and then the tree which Sonic had scooted straight up. Knuckles tore it down, catapulting the hedgehog to the ground. Sonic landed on his feet and ran again at once. Laughing. Actually laughing. Laughing and out of reach again.

Knuckles glanced up at the tall trees that surrounded them. Well if it was about reach… He struck. Trunks fell like dominoes and there was surely no way Sonic could dodge them all, but he had and he was coming back at him and he had must have finally realised this wasn't a game because as he tore towards Knuckles he dipped his head and kicked up his heels and turned the headlong approach into a spindash, spines chewing through bark as he raced down the treetrunk Knuckles had launched at him.

Those spines would chew through flesh as easily and Knuckles knew a moment's alarm because Sonic was way too close and the only reason he'd ever survived such blows before was by shoving chaos energy between them. Letting his own conscious control of the power steal the momentum from Sonic's instinct use of it and so reducing the impact to merely bruising instead of lethal.

Did Sonic know that? Did he know how weak and shaky Knuckles' grasp on that energy was here and now? It was too late to wonder, too late to dodge, too late to do anything but try, so Knuckles flung up his hands to catch the incoming hedgehog.

The air friction alone was almost enough to burn through his gloves but he hadn't been sliced in half at least. He was being driven backwards though and somewhere behind them was the cliff edge. His back foot found it, kicked for a sickening moment in mid-air and a moment later they were falling, tumbling end over end. He lost his grip on the chaos energy but the shock of falling had startled Sonic out of his spin as well and they scrambled and scuffled for the upper hand as they fell.

Their drop carried them past the base of the cliff and into one of the shallow streams that fed the lake. Knuckles leapt up and out and would have launched straight back into the attack except that Sonic shrieked in genuine panic. Instinctively Knuckles started back towards him to pull him out of the water until he realised simultaneously that; one - they were still in the middle of a fight and; two - most of the water Sonic was spluttering on was being kicked up by his own frantic flailing in the stream that was actually only waist deep.

He stood back and waited for Sonic to reach the same conclusion.

After the moment, the hedgehog hesitated. He blinked and his face fell into sheepish embarrassment.

"Oh. It's lucky I fell in the kiddie pool…"

He jumped to his feet and the bank in one movement. "Get ready, you're going down!"

Knuckles was used to how easily embarrassment became anger and he recognised it as Sonic squared up across the stream. Clearly he was done with running and dodging and ready to fight in earnest.

Knuckles nodded grimly. "Let's end this now."

Knowing he couldn't afford to let the hedgehog get even the faintest lead on him, Knuckles rushed forward. Distantly he was aware of an explosion on the other side of the lake and saw Sonic's head turn, momentarily distracted. It was too late to hesitate even if he'd wanted to and he barrelled into Sonic, landing the first solid blow of the fight and sending him flying into the air.

He'd failed to make it count though because Sonic didn't even stumble as he touched back down. Instead he accelerated away again, leaving Knuckles trailing in his wake, furious and frustrated and ignored once again. Sonic barely glanced back over his shoulder as he vanished into the shallow dip in the valley floor and whatever dismissive words he threw back were lost in the slipstream.

Knuckles pounded after him, so focussed on not losing too much ground that he only looked up at the sound of laser-fire. Looked up in time to see Sonic leap aside from the barrage from a damaged but still firing robot. Knuckles couldn't make sense of it. He'd seen no sign of the robot earlier, how could it already be damaged, and why was it involved at all? He'd warned Eggman not to interfere. Eggman couldn't remotely think he needed help already, the fight was barely started. And this was no warning shot, no mere threat. Sonic dived for cover which was instantly blown away. If those shots landed he wouldn't be defeated, he'd be vaporised.

Knuckles shook his head and changed course. He leapt at the weapon ports, twisted in the air to land a heavy kick, crushing the nearest one. There were still more than enough remaining though and Knuckles bellowed up to Eggman.

"This is between Sonic and me! You said we'd handle this my way!"

"Your way? You thought this was going to be some sort of clean fight?" The mockery in Eggman's voice was unmistakeable and every doubt Knuckles had had about his words flooded back. He opened his mouth to answer but couldn't find anything to say before Eggman spoke again.

"Well, Plan A for getting that Chaos Emerald didn't work so now we'll have to go to Plan B!"

Knuckles could only stare as the robot launched itself into the air and flew across the lake. Somewhere behind him Sonic gasped, sounding so honestly alarmed that Knuckles was puzzled until Eggman's next words explained it.

"Bring me the Chaos Emerald, or you'll never see your friends again!"

He had prisoners in that robot. Tails perhaps. Or Amy. Or both.

"What is this?" Knuckles heard himself say it but he already knew. This was what Eggman had counted on all along. Had assumed would happen all along. Had been working towards all along. Had led him like an idiot towards… All along.

He'd been nothing but a distraction, a means of keeping Sonic out of the way. Eggman clearly didn't even think he could ever have won the fight he'd set him up for.

Knuckles could feel Sonic's eyes on his back but he couldn't make himself turn around. Didn't want to find out which of 'traitor' or 'fool' the hedgehog thought him.

"He swore to me…" Knuckles started, but he couldn't finish. It sounded so unlikely with hindsight.

The adrenaline from the fight had ebbed away and he was tired and humiliated and further away from getting home than ever and had no one to blame for it but himself. If he'd just thought a bit more clearly, paced himself better, been quicker to reach Sonic before it all started, had the sense to stay on Angel Island, where he belonged, in the first place...

Sonic spoke up and Knuckles wished he could close his ears, certain he didn't want to hear whatever he had to say, however justified.

"Eggman sure is tricky, isn't he?"

"He lied!" Knuckles still stared across the lake instead of at Sonic, unable to muster any defence other than helpless anger at being taken in.

"Yeah. Now you're catching on."

Knuckles gritted his teeth. Sonic didn't sound nearly as angry as he ought to be, but he wasn't sure he could take being laughed at any more easily than being yelled at. Although… Sonic didn't sound quite as though he was laughing at him. Not exactly. Or not only that.

Before he could figure it out, or bring himself to turn around, Eggman was already broadcasting another challenge across the lake, Sonic had already thrown back a scornful reply and taken off in a blur and Knuckles was again left staring after him and heartily sick of the experience.

He shook it off, abruptly. There was a fight at hand whether or not it was the one he'd thought to have. So he ran, despite the fact Sonic had already circled the lake and taken out the robot at the ankles. Ran despite being convinced he was already too late to help.

He was wrong about that too he realised when the robot lurched back to its feet, remaining weapons already glowing ominously. Sonic dashed clear, dragging Amy with him. Tails and the human boy scattering to either side and they all dove for cover.

Knuckles was running headlong now. Heedless of the blasts whistling past him, heedless of cover. Even if he didn't reach the robot, even if he was nothing but another target he had to do something, because this was his fault and he'd seen it too late.

Movement that wasn't incoming fire caught his eye even through his focus and he looked round. Some new trick?

No.

Sonic. Ducking and diving and trying to find a gap in the firing to get clear of cover and rejoin the fight without leaving the others undefended.

Knuckles drew breath and called out to him.

"Let me take care of Eggman!" Knuckles skidded into a change of direction without waiting for an answer, breaking right and left to draw fire. This was his problem. He'd got them into this situation and although he was sure that given the choice Eggman would target Sonic over him, if Knuckles got close enough he knew he'd be too much of a threat to ignore. He could buy the hedgehog space to manoeuvre.

His earlier attack on the weapons port had left a gap in the firing pattern he could exploit and there would be a natural limit to how close to its own feet the robot would be able to fire given the position of the guns. Everything depended on getting close enough quickly enough, and without getting hit.

Almost as soon as he'd completed this thought he was already at the base of the robot. Eggman hovering overhead, directing it and anger drove fresh strength into Knuckles limbs. He smashed his way up the robot, brute force ripping claw-holds into the metal. Smoke and sparks poured from the machine from every gaping tear and the metal buzzed and sparked with a faint tingle of electricity under his hands.

Too late Eggman started to retreat but Knuckles was already leaping for him, already swinging with all the momentum left from his hasty, furious approach.

"You liar!" There was as much fury in the words as in the blow he struck at the pod, sending it spinning off out of control.

He landed atop the smoking, sparking, shaking robot. Electricity flickering dangerously around him and heat rose from somewhere deep inside, filling the air with a thick hot oily scent that made it uncomfortable to breathe. The whole thing was probably about to go up.

Probably wasn't good enough. Still furious as much with himself as with Eggman, Knuckles wanted the thing well and truly destroyed. Besides, it clearly had no sense of self preservation, no sense of conserving energy because the weapons were already glowing again, already taking aim again and he couldn't risk any of its dying shots hitting their target. Hitting Sonic, or Tails or Amy, or even the human boy who had nothing to do with any of this.

Knuckles drew up all the strength he had remaining, clung to that distant whisper of chaos energy, gathered it up, focussed it as best he still could, and struck.

The moment before the robot disintegrated seemed more drawn out than could be physically possible, seemed slow, lazy, silent. He'd held nothing back for escape and he was going to be in the middle of the explosion when it came.

The bang was deafening. Something struck him in the ribs and he tumbled in the air. A hot wind tore at his fur and spines and stole the breath from his throat. Instinctively he tried to right himself, but his numbed, battered limbs refused to respond and he was going to hit something. It didn't matter what. With this amount of momentum, hitting anything would be enough to finish him off.

The sense of movement stopped abruptly although the blowback from the explosion still whipped his spines about his face and shook him like a rag. He forced his head back to look at what had snagged him and found himself staring at Sonic. At a stubborn, gritted-teeth grimace. The hedgehog had a grip on his wrist that was borderline painful and the other hand clinging to a tree-branch that looked like it would give any second. Shrapnel and debris pelted past them and Sonic flinched but didn't loosen his grip as it ricocheted off his spines. Knuckles tried not to move, tried not to make it any harder, but his spines, normally an asset for gliding now only meant he was being tossed about like a kite in a hurricane.

It felt as though it took a long time to stop and they swung down abruptly slamming against the trunk of the tree.

"Oof!" Sonic grunted loudly. "Grab onto something, Knux, I think my arms are about six inches longer than they were!"

Knuckles dug the claws of his free hand into the trunk and Sonic let go of his other wrist and dropped lightly to the ground. After a second Knuckles jumped down as well. He'd have to talk to him. He'd attacked him, thought the worst of him, lured him into danger and then Sonic had ran into the middle of an explosion to get him out anyway. Had probably saved him from getting smashed to death against the cliff or skewered onto a tree branch.

Knuckles had no idea what to say and, for once, the hedgehog didn't oblige by starting the conversation. Instead he stood there waiting, a tiny smile on his face, ears pricked forward and eyebrows slightly raised. Clearly waiting. For several second Knuckles could only stand there and frown. Not at Sonic. At himself, unable to summon up any words that could remotely cover the situation.

He ought to apologize, he ought to explain, he ought to say thank you but none of it would form itself into sentences he could use. He felt as though he'd left half his wits in their own world and anything he said would sound stupid and inadequate.

But Sonic was still waiting, still smiling that odd little smile and, at a loss, all Knuckles could think to do was return it. Slowly. Uncertainly. Half sure that doing so would send the hedgehog into one of his whiplash-quick changes of mood and prompt him to go on a tear explaining all the ways Knuckles had screwed this up.

But it didn't. Sonic's own smile only broadened until anything he might have been about to say was lost in the racket of the others arriving at speed.

"Sonic" Amy flung herself at the other hedgehog and Sonic's smile dissolved into a muddled mixture of embarrassment and reassurance.

"You both made it!" the human boy exclaimed as Tails beamed at them.

Sonic was grinning now, embarrassment fading as quickly as it had come. He shot a glance at Knuckles over Amy's head and winked.

"Yeah, Knuckles and I had it all under control"

Knuckles snorted and ignored the unspoken invitation to banter about it. Clearly Sonic felt in no need of explanations or apologies and that was an unexpected gift. He turned to leave, grateful for the opportunity to leave it at that.

The human boy called after him as he walked away which was easy to ignore. Less so was Amy dashing up alongside and keeping pace with him as he walked. He suspected he was not going to escape without hearing a list of his mistakes after all.

"I bet you want to apologize to Sonic for believing all the lies that Eggman told about him." Amy said confidently.

Knuckles kept walking. Too close to the truth to deny and too humiliating to confirm aloud.

"And you probably want to thank him too…"

Knuckles gritted his teeth. It should have been a relief to have been wrong, and doubly so to know Sonic was prepared to overlook it, but that easy, wordless forgiveness only shone a light on exactly how stupid he'd been to suspect him.

He'd snarled at both Eggman and Sonic that the hedgehog wasn't his 'buddy' when Sonic clearly did consider himself exactly that and acted accordingly, whether joking around or leaping into the line of fire. It was he himself who'd proved an unreliable ally, as he was already all too aware.

"What's the matter?" Amy continued. "Too proud to admit it?"

He whirled on her angrily - how she possibly think he had any trace of pride left to hang onto after the way he'd behaved? She flinched back from his glare and Knuckles froze in instant remorse - was he still going to carry on raging at the wrong people? Amy had said only said what he deserved to hear.

He struggled with himself for a moment and forced an apologetic grimace onto his face. Amy smiled back at once with an air of having proved some sort of point and Knuckles was startled into a genuine smile of relief this time. He glanced over his shoulder at the others and raised a hand in farewell.

No one tried to stop him leaving him when he started walking again. He walked for several minutes. Long enough to be sure that he was uninjured, that none of the new array of cuts, bruises and scorches were anything worse. That nothing was going to stiffen up on him or belatedly start hurting more instead of less. Then he broke into a jog.

He'd reached the slope up to the pass at the top of the valley when the sound of rapid disturbance of the plant-life made him turn, already knowing it could only be Sonic. He must have waited long enough to start the others safely on their way back then followed him after all.

"Wait up…"