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"Tell Him"
A KnuxAmy Story

By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

Part Three: Let My Heart Speak

   As Shadow and Rouge made their way to Angel Island, Amy finally made it back to her apartment building.  She raced past Ms. Parker, tears streaming down her face, ignoring her neighbor when she tried to greet her in the hallway.  The pink hedgehog unlocked her front door, ran inside, and sat her groceries on the kitchen counter before she finally slowed down to a stop.

    Leaning against the refrigerator, Amy slowly sank down to the floor, finally sitting down as she hugged her knees, resting her head on them as she continued to weep.  And yet, as the tears slowed and she relaxed a little, she began to wonder why she was reacting like this.  She did care about Knuckles, a great deal; was what she was feeling the real love she thought she felt for Sonic?  Was this why it felt so wonderful and strange at the same time?

   Rising to her feet, she began to put her groceries away.  She murmured, “I obviously didn’t love Sonic like I thought I did.  I was nothing but an immature little girl when it came to ‘loving’ him.  But Knuckles…he’s just…he’s nothing like any of us thought he would be.  He’s so much better.  He just…he hides who he really is to keep from hurting again.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  You just…have to earn his trust before he’ll open his heart to you.  Now that he has…I can finally see just what a beautiful spirit he has.  I wonder if all echidnas were like that.  If Angel Island was really what we’d call a utopia then I’m sure they were.”

   Stepping up on to a stool to put the last of her groceries away, she paused.  Closing the cabinet door she continued, “So, if I care about him so much, why do I feel so strange?  Why do I feel like I can’t tell him how I feel, even after we’ve been honest to each other about everything, even our deepest, darkest fears?”

   She grabbed a can of soda from her refrigerator, opened it up, and took a few swigs of it before sitting down on the couch in her living room.  She let out a soft sigh, looking out of the sliding glass door to her balcony, where she could Angel Island floating in the distance as she had that morning after Sonic left two months ago.  She remembered how badly she wanted to see Knuckles just to thank him; she realized now how much her feelings had changed, how stronger they had grown.  She wondered if the same feelings that inspired Knuckles to clean her apartment and reach out to her had strengthened in his own heart like Shadow and Rouge had suggested.

   “Truth be told, it isn’t just me who looks forward to the times we see each other,” Amy said, “Knuckles is always happy to see me.  He even suggested we go shopping together that one time.  I have to drag everyone else along most of the time.  He actually enjoyed himself.  Either he has a secret love for shopping, or a secret love for…me.  Still, if he loves me, why hasn’t he said anything?”

   As she finished her drink, Amy remembered how much she had in common with Knuckles.  Perhaps he didn’t say anything for the same reason she didn’t feel like she could.  She had discovered how shy he could be, hiding it like most by being overly outgoing, either by joking too much, or being very stubborn and angry.  That was certainly how Knuckles acted, all to cover up old hurts and shyness.  Even if he loved her, he didn’t have genuine confidence to help him overcome his fear.  Amy felt like she did; she used to run around calling herself Sonic’s boyfriend constantly.  That means she should have the courage to say it first, which would comfort him enough to return the words, right?

   And yet, Amy no longer felt this confidence.  While she knew what she felt for Knuckles was love, something she felt all along and wasn’t newly inspired by Shadow’s annoyed antics, she found it made her feel…sensitive, more vulnerable.  It wasn’t something she felt like proclaiming to all the world like it was a trophy she had won in a contest.  It meant something to her.  It was like those secrets she and Knuckles had promised to keep between each other.  Now that Shadow and Rouge knew about it, she felt increasingly silly and insecure.  The last thing she wanted was to ruin this beautiful relationship she had with Knuckles before it could turn into something more.

   Now all she had to do was figure out how she could work up the nerve to tell him how she felt.  It seemed like an impossible task, even for somebody with her determination and confidence.  It was so irritating to think about, for she had no idea exactly why it was a problem for her.

   “Love is one of the hardest things to admit…maybe that explains it,” Amy said at last.  Finishing her drink, she crushed the can in her fist as she stood up and said, “I’m just going to have to go there and tell him!  If the nerves come back to haunt me, he’ll have to notice it…he’ll snap me out of it.  Everything will be great!”

   As Amy returned to the kitchen, she listened to herself.  Now she sounded overly confident, like she was trying to hide something.  She sounded…fake.  It sounded nothing like this love for Knuckles that she held in her heart.  She lost her confidence again as she threw the empty can in the recycle bin.  Slamming her fist on the counter, she whimpered, “Oh, this will never work!”  Sitting on a barstool, Amy folded her arms together on the counter and rested her head on them, feeling the tears return to her eyes.

   “Oh Knuckles…I…I do love you, but, how in the world am I supposed to say it?  How can I be sure you’ll know I really mean it?  How…can I be sure everything will be okay?” Amy whispered.

   At that moment, the doorbell rang.  Amy tried to pull herself together as she went to answer it, but when she did open the door, Ms. Parker, who was on the other side of it, could again see that Amy was quite upset.  This is why she had come to talk to Amy, concerned for her after she ran past her earlier looking so distraught without even a hello.  She smiled and asked, “Amy, are you alright dear?  You look distressed.”

   Amy tried her hardest to smile, but couldn’t, as she felt the need to weep.  As tears fell from her eyes, she fell to her knees and said, “Oh Ms. Parker, I—I realize now just how much I love Knuckles, but I just…I don’t think I can ever find the strength to tell him.  I see now just how fake my admiration for Sonic was by how incredibly real my feelings for Knuckles are.  I just have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

   Ms. Parker slowly knelt down before Amy, and hugged the pink hedgehog tightly.  Amy openly wept during this embrace, unable to control her tears.  Ms. Parker finally said, “Oh Amy, simply by the fact that you feel you’ll struggle to tell him how you feel shows just how genuine it is.  True love is quite hard to speak at first; it means so much to you, so you don’t want anything to go wrong with it.”

   “Obviously,” Amy spoke between sniffs, “Sonic meant nothing like that to me.  I paraded around like he belonged to me.  I…I feel nothing like that now.  Wanting Knuckles to return my love isn’t something I want like an athlete wants a gold trophy.  I want him to return it…and I want to give him my love…because it means more than the world to me.  I just…don’t know what to do.”

   Pulling out of their hug, Ms. Parker smiled and said, “You go tell it to him, just like you told me.  Tell him he means the world to you.  He’s your night and day.  Just tell him, you love him with all of your heart.  You simply cannot mess it up if you do that.  Whether he loves you or not, once he hears you speak it, it’ll touch his heart.”

   “But what if he doesn’t believe me!” Amy cried.  “He and the entire world watched me chase Sonic for years, and then act like my life was over when Sonic rejected me!  How can Knuckles trust that what I feel for him is real?”

   Ms. Parker smiled and replied, “He’ll know.  Infact, having seen how you acted around Sonic, he’ll have no trouble feeling the truth of your words.  Besides, if he does return your feelings, I guarantee you he wants to hear them from you.”

   Amy lowered her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears.  “I…I just don’t know…,” she whimpered.

   Hugging Amy once more, Ms. Parker replied, “Sometimes, you just have to be willing to take that step Amy.  Both of you have the strength to do so.  Now you just need to have the faith to trust everything will be alright.  Keep your faith in the love you feel in your heart.  Love will never deceive you.  And do not use your experience with Sonic to try and deny this…you said so yourself it was not the true love you feel now.  Do you understand that?”

   Amy let out a slight gasp.  She knew Ms. Parker was right.  What she felt for Sonic was not true love, and that was why it failed.  It didn’t fall apart because she handled it wrong; it fell apart because it never existed in the first place.  It was just an illusion, like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, it was just a fantasy of her childlike heart.  What she felt for Knuckles was real, just like the pain she felt when Sonic rejected her was.  The illusions were gone.

   Maybe, if she just trusted this love in her heart, one she knew without a doubt was real, everything would work out, and would at last be alright.

   If she couldn’t trust the love in her heart, what could she trust?

   She was finally able to smile.  She returned Ms. Parker’s embrace and said, “Oh thank you Ms. Parker.  I think now I can tell Knuckles how I feel.”  Laughing she replied, “I just feel silly now spilling my guts like that to Shadow and Rouge.”

   Pulling out of the hug abruptly, Ms. Parker asked, “You mean you told Shadow and Rouge all of this?  When?”

   “Earlier this afternoon…why does it matter?” Amy asked.

   Standing up, Ms. Parker replied, “I saw them walking by the building before I came to check on you.  They were talking about going to Angel Island.”

   Amy leapt to her feet, her eyes filled with horror.  “Oh no!  They must be going to tell Knuckles how I feel!  They must think I won’t be able to do it!  What have I done?”

   Ms. Parker handed Amy her apartment key and said, “You can still make it there before they tell him Amy.  You’re fast enough to keep up with Sonic.  I know you have it in you to make it to him before they do.  Run for him Amy, and don’t look back.  Don’t look behind you, and do not think about your insecurities anymore.  Let them go, and tell him what’s in your heart.”

   Amy took her keys, and a determined smile returned to her face.  She hugged Ms. Parker tightly and said, “Thank you, thank you so much for helping me.”  She locked her apartment door, pulled it shut and ran for the exit crying, “I’ll be sure to bring him back here later so you can get to know him better!  Bye Ms. Parker!”

   As she watched Amy run, she was reminded of Amy chasing after Sonic in the past.  She whispered, “That’s that same determination for certain, only now, she’s chasing something real.  Good luck Amy.  I hope now you’ve found your way in life.  I, and I’m sure all of your friends agree, it is something you duly deserve.”

   Amy ran as fast as she could, but could not see Shadow and Rouge anywhere.  Infact, Rouge was now flying both herself and Shadow to Angel Island, and it would take Amy some time to catch up.  When Shadow and Rouge arrived, they found Knuckles was with Tails and Cream, helping them do maintenance on the ancient security system.

   Cream spotted them first and asked, “What are Shadow and Rouge doing here?”

   Knuckles looked up to see them.  He had learned not to fear their presence, as Rouge was more than happy with the two chaos emeralds she shared with Shadow and thus was not inclined to steal the Master Emerald, and so he smiled.  He looked to Tails and Cream and said, “I’ll be right back.  You just keep working.”

   The echidna ran to Shadow and Rouge and asked, “Hey you two, what brings you here?”

   Shadow managed a grin, relieved Knuckles hadn’t continued this exchange of playful insults between them.  He thought perhaps Knuckles’ time with Amy might have done it, and so he remembered why it was he and Rouge were there.  He replied, “Actually Knuckles, we wanted to tell you what a great job you did with Amy.  We ran into her in town; I haven’t seen her this happy.  Not just in a long time, but, ever.”

   Knuckles’ cheeks flushed red only slightly as he replied, “Really?  You think?  Heh, I just…I just spent time with her.  I can’t say I did anything special to help her.”

   Rouge and Shadow glanced at each other.  Rouge recognized that blushing in Knuckles’ cheeks, as he often did so when she used to flirt with him.  However, she also recognized that it wasn’t for the same reason.  She could tell that Knuckles blushed because he felt real feelings for Amy but either didn’t know how to express them, or didn’t want to.

   “Well gee Knuckie, I’ve hardly ever seen you so soft spoken.  It sounds like the two of you have grown awfully close,” Rouge said.

   Knuckles blushed even more than ever, but for some reason he was able to dispel the redness in his cheeks with a warm smile, thinking of just how much Amy did mean to him.  He replied, “Yeah, we are close Rouge.  Amy just needs someone to be there for her.  She’s…a sweet girl.  I enjoy her company.”

   “Hey Knuckles!  Could you help me for a second?” Tails called.

   Knuckles looked back and shouted, “Sure Tails!  One second!”  Looking to Shadow and Rouge he said, “I’ll be right back.”

   As the echidna ran to help Tails, Shadow and Rouge looked at each other, their mouths hanging open slightly.  Shadow said, “Knuckles has been affected by her just as much as she’s been affected by him Rouge.”

   “For sure Shadow,” Rouge replied, “Did you see how quickly that blushing faded?  He must really love her.  He only blushed for a few moments.  The minute he started talking about how much she means to him, he just…”

   “He was able to smile confidently,” Shadow answered.  Looking to Knuckles he replied, “There’s no doubt in my mind.  He loves her just as much as she loves him.  If we can tell him how she really feels, then perhaps he’ll be persuaded to tell her.  She never has to know we helped get the ball rolling.”

   Knuckles returned to them and laughed.  “Gosh, what are y’all talking about?  You look so serious,” he asked with a grin.

   Shadow tried to laugh.  He shook his head and replied, “Actually Knuckles, we’re here to tell you something.  It’s about Amy.”

   The smile disappeared from Knuckles’ face.  He glared at them and asked, “What about Amy?  What have you done to her?”

   “Calm down bonehead,” Rouge said, “We haven’t done anything.  Nothing’s wrong with her at all.  Stop jumping to conclusions.”

   Knuckles relaxed, rubbing his arms as he replied, “I’m sorry, I just…if I find something happened to Amy I’ll just…I don’t know what I’d do.”

   Shadow let out a sigh and said, “Like Rouge said, it’s nothing bad.  She and I talked to Amy in town, and she told us something I think you should know.”

   At that moment, Amy made it up to the island.  Running for the altar she thought, “They must already be here!  I have to run faster!”  She bent her head down and ran with all the speed she could muster.

   “She told us she enjoyed the time she spends with you as much as you do,” Shadow continued, “Infact I think you spending time with her has done more for her than you know.”

   Knuckles raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you talking about Shadow?”

   Amy could finally see the Master Emerald in the distance.  If she could just go a little bit faster.

   She couldn’t remember running this fast for anything in her life.  She couldn’t remember ever pushing herself this hard for anyone.

  But she could do it for him.

   “Knuckles, she told Rouge and I that you have done so much for her,” Shadow added, “She told us Knuckles, that she…”

   “Stop!” Amy cried.  She finally reached the edge of the clearing that surrounded the Master Emerald’s altar.  Everyone looked to where she stood.  Knuckles, who was already concerned about her because of Shadow’s words, watched as she fell to her knees, panting to try and get her breath back.

   “Amy!” he cried.  He ran to her side.  He knelt down beside her and pulled her into his arms, looking to her, his eyes flooded with worry.  He asked, “Amy, are you alright Amy?”

   The pink hedgehog opened her eyes.  She was exhausted after running so far, for so long, so hard, but it was worth it.  She knew she had made it to him before Shadow blew her secret.  However, it wasn’t going to be a secret anymore anyway.  She smiled, regulating her breathing before she replied, “I’m fine Knuckles.  There’s just, something I need to tell you.”

   Shadow, Rouge, and now Tails and Cream ran to see what was happening.  Amy looked up to Shadow and said, “Thanks for trying to help Shadow, but I can handle this.”

   Knuckles looked between them and asked, “What’s going on here anyway?”

   Amy giggled and said, “I’m going to tell you Knuckles, don’t worry.”  Looking to the others she asked, “Can Knuckles and I have a minute alone guys?”

   Tails and Cream replied with smiles and nods, and took each other’s hands and walked into the forest.  Shadow and Rouge looked to each other, before Rouge replied, “Don’t mind us.  We’ll be on our way.”

   She and Shadow followed Cream and Tails into the forest.  Knuckles helped Amy to her feet and asked, “What’s this all about Amy?  I’m more confused than ever.”

   Taking Knuckles’ hand, Amy smiled and said, “It’s okay Knuxie.  Shadow found out something that I needed to tell you and was going to try and be a good friend by telling you for me.”

   As they walked together, Knuckles asked, “What is it you need to tell me that he’d feel the need to come here and say?”

   Finally coming to a stop at the foot of the altar, Amy and Knuckles faced each other.  Amy shook her head for a moment and said, “It’s something that he shouldn’t be the one to say anyway, no matter how good his intentions are.”  She looked into Knuckles’ eyes and said, “I told him I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but…now I know that I can.  It just…it took me a little while to find the faith to.”

   The echidna tilted his head to one side as he listened to her.  She glanced at the ground briefly, before she looked back to him.  She gently kissed him on the cheek, sending chills through the echidna.  As she pulled back she continued, “Knuckles, I…I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me.  Thing is, you’ve done more than simply renew my will to live.  Knuckles, you…you’ve become such an important part of my life.  I—I never want there to be a day when you’re not part of it.  You, you mean everything to me.  I just…I want you to know that I…I…”

   “I love you,” Knuckles whispered.

   Amy let out a soft gasp.  Her eyes had lowered away from Knuckles’ face, but as she looked back to him, he leaned forward and kissed her.  As she returned the kiss, they could both feel chills race through them, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.  Quite the contrary.  It was the happiest they had felt in awhile.

   As they pulled out of the kiss, neither of them looked ready to speak.  Knuckles finally took a deep breath and said, “I…I wasn’t just finishing your sentence Amy.  I—I feel the same way about you.  I just figured you’d never want to go for someone like me.  I’m no hero loved the world over.”

   Amy smiled and shook her head.  She said, “No, you’re not.  You’re a hero that the world will never know.  Sure, you come to help us when we need you, but you guard the Master Emerald and make sure nobody will ever be able to use it to cause mayhem.  That’s so wonderful of you, but I don’t love you just because you’re a hero.  I know who you really are on the inside.  Everything you’ve done for me, everything you’ve said.  I know what true love is now, because of you.  I’m thankful for that.”

   Knuckles smiled, and the two embraced each other.  He whispered, “I’m thankful for it too Amy.  I’m glad we both found the strength to tell each other how we feel.  I know now, we’ll never be lonely again.  We both know what true love is, and I…I pray we’re never without it, or each other, ever again.”

   “Me too Knuckles, me too,” Amy whispered.

   Shadow, Rouge, Tails and Cream watched from a distance.  Cream giggled, “Oh I’m so happy for Amy and Knuckles.”

   “Me too Cream,” Tails replied with a smile.

   He and Cream stood there and continued to watch them.  Shadow and Rouge however, turned to go on their way.  Rouge took one look back at them and said, “That’s so wonderful Shadow.  I’m glad they both have each other.”

   Shadow paused for one more moment to look back at them.  He shook his head and said, “Indeed.  They gave each other the strength to speak it.  If they did not have such faith in their love, and each other, this would never have happened, even if you and I had tried to intercede.  They have proved to us all that their love is true.  Knuckles found the words to tell her how he felt, because she found the courage to tell him the same.”

   After this, Rouge and Shadow left Angel Island and went on their way.  Everyone knew now that when Sonic returned he would be more than happy to see how well both Amy and Knuckles were doing.  His faith in Knuckles was justified.  However, Knuckles had not simply helped Amy and himself, he had given them both something, and someone to hold on to; a soul mate to walk beside them, and a true love shared by both hearts that never would die.

Description
"Tell Him"
A KnuxAmy Story

By: Jade Lightning, a.k.a. Inuyashas-hanyougirl

Part Three: Let My Heart Speak

   As Shadow and Rouge made their way to Angel Island, Amy finally made it back to her apartment building.  She raced past Ms. Parker, tears streaming down her face, ignoring her neighbor when she tried to greet her in the hallway.  The pink hedgehog unlocked her front door, ran inside, and sat her groceries on the kitchen counter before she finally slowed down to a stop.

    Leaning against the refrigerator, Amy slowly sank down to the floor, finally sitting down as she hugged her knees, resting her head on them as she continued to weep.  And yet, as the tears slowed and she relaxed a little, she began to wonder why she was reacting like this.  She did care about Knuckles, a great deal; was what she was feeling the real love she thought she felt for Sonic?  Was this why it felt so wonderful and strange at the same time?

   Rising to her feet, she began to put her groceries away.  She murmured, “I obviously didn’t love Sonic like I thought I did.  I was nothing but an immature little girl when it came to ‘loving’ him.  But Knuckles…he’s just…he’s nothing like any of us thought he would be.  He’s so much better.  He just…he hides who he really is to keep from hurting again.  There’s nothing wrong with that.  You just…have to earn his trust before he’ll open his heart to you.  Now that he has…I can finally see just what a beautiful spirit he has.  I wonder if all echidnas were like that.  If Angel Island was really what we’d call a utopia then I’m sure they were.”

   Stepping up on to a stool to put the last of her groceries away, she paused.  Closing the cabinet door she continued, “So, if I care about him so much, why do I feel so strange?  Why do I feel like I can’t tell him how I feel, even after we’ve been honest to each other about everything, even our deepest, darkest fears?”

   She grabbed a can of soda from her refrigerator, opened it up, and took a few swigs of it before sitting down on the couch in her living room.  She let out a soft sigh, looking out of the sliding glass door to her balcony, where she could Angel Island floating in the distance as she had that morning after Sonic left two months ago.  She remembered how badly she wanted to see Knuckles just to thank him; she realized now how much her feelings had changed, how stronger they had grown.  She wondered if the same feelings that inspired Knuckles to clean her apartment and reach out to her had strengthened in his own heart like Shadow and Rouge had suggested.

   “Truth be told, it isn’t just me who looks forward to the times we see each other,” Amy said, “Knuckles is always happy to see me.  He even suggested we go shopping together that one time.  I have to drag everyone else along most of the time.  He actually enjoyed himself.  Either he has a secret love for shopping, or a secret love for…me.  Still, if he loves me, why hasn’t he said anything?”

   As she finished her drink, Amy remembered how much she had in common with Knuckles.  Perhaps he didn’t say anything for the same reason she didn’t feel like she could.  She had discovered how shy he could be, hiding it like most by being overly outgoing, either by joking too much, or being very stubborn and angry.  That was certainly how Knuckles acted, all to cover up old hurts and shyness.  Even if he loved her, he didn’t have genuine confidence to help him overcome his fear.  Amy felt like she did; she used to run around calling herself Sonic’s boyfriend constantly.  That means she should have the courage to say it first, which would comfort him enough to return the words, right?

   And yet, Amy no longer felt this confidence.  While she knew what she felt for Knuckles was love, something she felt all along and wasn’t newly inspired by Shadow’s annoyed antics, she found it made her feel…sensitive, more vulnerable.  It wasn’t something she felt like proclaiming to all the world like it was a trophy she had won in a contest.  It meant something to her.  It was like those secrets she and Knuckles had promised to keep between each other.  Now that Shadow and Rouge knew about it, she felt increasingly silly and insecure.  The last thing she wanted was to ruin this beautiful relationship she had with Knuckles before it could turn into something more.

   Now all she had to do was figure out how she could work up the nerve to tell him how she felt.  It seemed like an impossible task, even for somebody with her determination and confidence.  It was so irritating to think about, for she had no idea exactly why it was a problem for her.

   “Love is one of the hardest things to admit…maybe that explains it,” Amy said at last.  Finishing her drink, she crushed the can in her fist as she stood up and said, “I’m just going to have to go there and tell him!  If the nerves come back to haunt me, he’ll have to notice it…he’ll snap me out of it.  Everything will be great!”

   As Amy returned to the kitchen, she listened to herself.  Now she sounded overly confident, like she was trying to hide something.  She sounded…fake.  It sounded nothing like this love for Knuckles that she held in her heart.  She lost her confidence again as she threw the empty can in the recycle bin.  Slamming her fist on the counter, she whimpered, “Oh, this will never work!”  Sitting on a barstool, Amy folded her arms together on the counter and rested her head on them, feeling the tears return to her eyes.

   “Oh Knuckles…I…I do love you, but, how in the world am I supposed to say it?  How can I be sure you’ll know I really mean it?  How…can I be sure everything will be okay?” Amy whispered.

   At that moment, the doorbell rang.  Amy tried to pull herself together as she went to answer it, but when she did open the door, Ms. Parker, who was on the other side of it, could again see that Amy was quite upset.  This is why she had come to talk to Amy, concerned for her after she ran past her earlier looking so distraught without even a hello.  She smiled and asked, “Amy, are you alright dear?  You look distressed.”

   Amy tried her hardest to smile, but couldn’t, as she felt the need to weep.  As tears fell from her eyes, she fell to her knees and said, “Oh Ms. Parker, I—I realize now just how much I love Knuckles, but I just…I don’t think I can ever find the strength to tell him.  I see now just how fake my admiration for Sonic was by how incredibly real my feelings for Knuckles are.  I just have no idea what I’m supposed to do.”

   Ms. Parker slowly knelt down before Amy, and hugged the pink hedgehog tightly.  Amy openly wept during this embrace, unable to control her tears.  Ms. Parker finally said, “Oh Amy, simply by the fact that you feel you’ll struggle to tell him how you feel shows just how genuine it is.  True love is quite hard to speak at first; it means so much to you, so you don’t want anything to go wrong with it.”

   “Obviously,” Amy spoke between sniffs, “Sonic meant nothing like that to me.  I paraded around like he belonged to me.  I…I feel nothing like that now.  Wanting Knuckles to return my love isn’t something I want like an athlete wants a gold trophy.  I want him to return it…and I want to give him my love…because it means more than the world to me.  I just…don’t know what to do.”

   Pulling out of their hug, Ms. Parker smiled and said, “You go tell it to him, just like you told me.  Tell him he means the world to you.  He’s your night and day.  Just tell him, you love him with all of your heart.  You simply cannot mess it up if you do that.  Whether he loves you or not, once he hears you speak it, it’ll touch his heart.”

   “But what if he doesn’t believe me!” Amy cried.  “He and the entire world watched me chase Sonic for years, and then act like my life was over when Sonic rejected me!  How can Knuckles trust that what I feel for him is real?”

   Ms. Parker smiled and replied, “He’ll know.  Infact, having seen how you acted around Sonic, he’ll have no trouble feeling the truth of your words.  Besides, if he does return your feelings, I guarantee you he wants to hear them from you.”

   Amy lowered her eyes, trying to wipe away the tears.  “I…I just don’t know…,” she whimpered.

   Hugging Amy once more, Ms. Parker replied, “Sometimes, you just have to be willing to take that step Amy.  Both of you have the strength to do so.  Now you just need to have the faith to trust everything will be alright.  Keep your faith in the love you feel in your heart.  Love will never deceive you.  And do not use your experience with Sonic to try and deny this…you said so yourself it was not the true love you feel now.  Do you understand that?”

   Amy let out a slight gasp.  She knew Ms. Parker was right.  What she felt for Sonic was not true love, and that was why it failed.  It didn’t fall apart because she handled it wrong; it fell apart because it never existed in the first place.  It was just an illusion, like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, it was just a fantasy of her childlike heart.  What she felt for Knuckles was real, just like the pain she felt when Sonic rejected her was.  The illusions were gone.

   Maybe, if she just trusted this love in her heart, one she knew without a doubt was real, everything would work out, and would at last be alright.

   If she couldn’t trust the love in her heart, what could she trust?

   She was finally able to smile.  She returned Ms. Parker’s embrace and said, “Oh thank you Ms. Parker.  I think now I can tell Knuckles how I feel.”  Laughing she replied, “I just feel silly now spilling my guts like that to Shadow and Rouge.”

   Pulling out of the hug abruptly, Ms. Parker asked, “You mean you told Shadow and Rouge all of this?  When?”

   “Earlier this afternoon…why does it matter?” Amy asked.

   Standing up, Ms. Parker replied, “I saw them walking by the building before I came to check on you.  They were talking about going to Angel Island.”

   Amy leapt to her feet, her eyes filled with horror.  “Oh no!  They must be going to tell Knuckles how I feel!  They must think I won’t be able to do it!  What have I done?”

   Ms. Parker handed Amy her apartment key and said, “You can still make it there before they tell him Amy.  You’re fast enough to keep up with Sonic.  I know you have it in you to make it to him before they do.  Run for him Amy, and don’t look back.  Don’t look behind you, and do not think about your insecurities anymore.  Let them go, and tell him what’s in your heart.”

   Amy took her keys, and a determined smile returned to her face.  She hugged Ms. Parker tightly and said, “Thank you, thank you so much for helping me.”  She locked her apartment door, pulled it shut and ran for the exit crying, “I’ll be sure to bring him back here later so you can get to know him better!  Bye Ms. Parker!”

   As she watched Amy run, she was reminded of Amy chasing after Sonic in the past.  She whispered, “That’s that same determination for certain, only now, she’s chasing something real.  Good luck Amy.  I hope now you’ve found your way in life.  I, and I’m sure all of your friends agree, it is something you duly deserve.”

   Amy ran as fast as she could, but could not see Shadow and Rouge anywhere.  Infact, Rouge was now flying both herself and Shadow to Angel Island, and it would take Amy some time to catch up.  When Shadow and Rouge arrived, they found Knuckles was with Tails and Cream, helping them do maintenance on the ancient security system.

   Cream spotted them first and asked, “What are Shadow and Rouge doing here?”

   Knuckles looked up to see them.  He had learned not to fear their presence, as Rouge was more than happy with the two chaos emeralds she shared with Shadow and thus was not inclined to steal the Master Emerald, and so he smiled.  He looked to Tails and Cream and said, “I’ll be right back.  You just keep working.”

   The echidna ran to Shadow and Rouge and asked, “Hey you two, what brings you here?”

   Shadow managed a grin, relieved Knuckles hadn’t continued this exchange of playful insults between them.  He thought perhaps Knuckles’ time with Amy might have done it, and so he remembered why it was he and Rouge were there.  He replied, “Actually Knuckles, we wanted to tell you what a great job you did with Amy.  We ran into her in town; I haven’t seen her this happy.  Not just in a long time, but, ever.”

   Knuckles’ cheeks flushed red only slightly as he replied, “Really?  You think?  Heh, I just…I just spent time with her.  I can’t say I did anything special to help her.”

   Rouge and Shadow glanced at each other.  Rouge recognized that blushing in Knuckles’ cheeks, as he often did so when she used to flirt with him.  However, she also recognized that it wasn’t for the same reason.  She could tell that Knuckles blushed because he felt real feelings for Amy but either didn’t know how to express them, or didn’t want to.

   “Well gee Knuckie, I’ve hardly ever seen you so soft spoken.  It sounds like the two of you have grown awfully close,” Rouge said.

   Knuckles blushed even more than ever, but for some reason he was able to dispel the redness in his cheeks with a warm smile, thinking of just how much Amy did mean to him.  He replied, “Yeah, we are close Rouge.  Amy just needs someone to be there for her.  She’s…a sweet girl.  I enjoy her company.”

   “Hey Knuckles!  Could you help me for a second?” Tails called.

   Knuckles looked back and shouted, “Sure Tails!  One second!”  Looking to Shadow and Rouge he said, “I’ll be right back.”

   As the echidna ran to help Tails, Shadow and Rouge looked at each other, their mouths hanging open slightly.  Shadow said, “Knuckles has been affected by her just as much as she’s been affected by him Rouge.”

   “For sure Shadow,” Rouge replied, “Did you see how quickly that blushing faded?  He must really love her.  He only blushed for a few moments.  The minute he started talking about how much she means to him, he just…”

   “He was able to smile confidently,” Shadow answered.  Looking to Knuckles he replied, “There’s no doubt in my mind.  He loves her just as much as she loves him.  If we can tell him how she really feels, then perhaps he’ll be persuaded to tell her.  She never has to know we helped get the ball rolling.”

   Knuckles returned to them and laughed.  “Gosh, what are y’all talking about?  You look so serious,” he asked with a grin.

   Shadow tried to laugh.  He shook his head and replied, “Actually Knuckles, we’re here to tell you something.  It’s about Amy.”

   The smile disappeared from Knuckles’ face.  He glared at them and asked, “What about Amy?  What have you done to her?”

   “Calm down bonehead,” Rouge said, “We haven’t done anything.  Nothing’s wrong with her at all.  Stop jumping to conclusions.”

   Knuckles relaxed, rubbing his arms as he replied, “I’m sorry, I just…if I find something happened to Amy I’ll just…I don’t know what I’d do.”

   Shadow let out a sigh and said, “Like Rouge said, it’s nothing bad.  She and I talked to Amy in town, and she told us something I think you should know.”

   At that moment, Amy made it up to the island.  Running for the altar she thought, “They must already be here!  I have to run faster!”  She bent her head down and ran with all the speed she could muster.

   “She told us she enjoyed the time she spends with you as much as you do,” Shadow continued, “Infact I think you spending time with her has done more for her than you know.”

   Knuckles raised an eyebrow and asked, “What are you talking about Shadow?”

   Amy could finally see the Master Emerald in the distance.  If she could just go a little bit faster.

   She couldn’t remember running this fast for anything in her life.  She couldn’t remember ever pushing herself this hard for anyone.

  But she could do it for him.

   “Knuckles, she told Rouge and I that you have done so much for her,” Shadow added, “She told us Knuckles, that she…”

   “Stop!” Amy cried.  She finally reached the edge of the clearing that surrounded the Master Emerald’s altar.  Everyone looked to where she stood.  Knuckles, who was already concerned about her because of Shadow’s words, watched as she fell to her knees, panting to try and get her breath back.

   “Amy!” he cried.  He ran to her side.  He knelt down beside her and pulled her into his arms, looking to her, his eyes flooded with worry.  He asked, “Amy, are you alright Amy?”

   The pink hedgehog opened her eyes.  She was exhausted after running so far, for so long, so hard, but it was worth it.  She knew she had made it to him before Shadow blew her secret.  However, it wasn’t going to be a secret anymore anyway.  She smiled, regulating her breathing before she replied, “I’m fine Knuckles.  There’s just, something I need to tell you.”

   Shadow, Rouge, and now Tails and Cream ran to see what was happening.  Amy looked up to Shadow and said, “Thanks for trying to help Shadow, but I can handle this.”

   Knuckles looked between them and asked, “What’s going on here anyway?”

   Amy giggled and said, “I’m going to tell you Knuckles, don’t worry.”  Looking to the others she asked, “Can Knuckles and I have a minute alone guys?”

   Tails and Cream replied with smiles and nods, and took each other’s hands and walked into the forest.  Shadow and Rouge looked to each other, before Rouge replied, “Don’t mind us.  We’ll be on our way.”

   She and Shadow followed Cream and Tails into the forest.  Knuckles helped Amy to her feet and asked, “What’s this all about Amy?  I’m more confused than ever.”

   Taking Knuckles’ hand, Amy smiled and said, “It’s okay Knuxie.  Shadow found out something that I needed to tell you and was going to try and be a good friend by telling you for me.”

   As they walked together, Knuckles asked, “What is it you need to tell me that he’d feel the need to come here and say?”

   Finally coming to a stop at the foot of the altar, Amy and Knuckles faced each other.  Amy shook her head for a moment and said, “It’s something that he shouldn’t be the one to say anyway, no matter how good his intentions are.”  She looked into Knuckles’ eyes and said, “I told him I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but…now I know that I can.  It just…it took me a little while to find the faith to.”

   The echidna tilted his head to one side as he listened to her.  She glanced at the ground briefly, before she looked back to him.  She gently kissed him on the cheek, sending chills through the echidna.  As she pulled back she continued, “Knuckles, I…I want to thank you for all you’ve done for me.  Thing is, you’ve done more than simply renew my will to live.  Knuckles, you…you’ve become such an important part of my life.  I—I never want there to be a day when you’re not part of it.  You, you mean everything to me.  I just…I want you to know that I…I…”

   “I love you,” Knuckles whispered.

   Amy let out a soft gasp.  Her eyes had lowered away from Knuckles’ face, but as she looked back to him, he leaned forward and kissed her.  As she returned the kiss, they could both feel chills race through them, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.  Quite the contrary.  It was the happiest they had felt in awhile.

   As they pulled out of the kiss, neither of them looked ready to speak.  Knuckles finally took a deep breath and said, “I…I wasn’t just finishing your sentence Amy.  I—I feel the same way about you.  I just figured you’d never want to go for someone like me.  I’m no hero loved the world over.”

   Amy smiled and shook her head.  She said, “No, you’re not.  You’re a hero that the world will never know.  Sure, you come to help us when we need you, but you guard the Master Emerald and make sure nobody will ever be able to use it to cause mayhem.  That’s so wonderful of you, but I don’t love you just because you’re a hero.  I know who you really are on the inside.  Everything you’ve done for me, everything you’ve said.  I know what true love is now, because of you.  I’m thankful for that.”

   Knuckles smiled, and the two embraced each other.  He whispered, “I’m thankful for it too Amy.  I’m glad we both found the strength to tell each other how we feel.  I know now, we’ll never be lonely again.  We both know what true love is, and I…I pray we’re never without it, or each other, ever again.”

   “Me too Knuckles, me too,” Amy whispered.

   Shadow, Rouge, Tails and Cream watched from a distance.  Cream giggled, “Oh I’m so happy for Amy and Knuckles.”

   “Me too Cream,” Tails replied with a smile.

   He and Cream stood there and continued to watch them.  Shadow and Rouge however, turned to go on their way.  Rouge took one look back at them and said, “That’s so wonderful Shadow.  I’m glad they both have each other.”

   Shadow paused for one more moment to look back at them.  He shook his head and said, “Indeed.  They gave each other the strength to speak it.  If they did not have such faith in their love, and each other, this would never have happened, even if you and I had tried to intercede.  They have proved to us all that their love is true.  Knuckles found the words to tell her how he felt, because she found the courage to tell him the same.”

   After this, Rouge and Shadow left Angel Island and went on their way.  Everyone knew now that when Sonic returned he would be more than happy to see how well both Amy and Knuckles were doing.  His faith in Knuckles was justified.  However, Knuckles had not simply helped Amy and himself, he had given them both something, and someone to hold on to; a soul mate to walk beside them, and a true love shared by both hearts that never would die.