Author�s Notes: YAY! More fluff from me. If you haven�t figured out by now, that�s my specialty. Aren�t you just ecstatic? Well? Aren�t you? Anybody? Don�t all raises your hands at once... Dang, you people are cruel. Well, it doesn�t matter if you�re ecstatic or not �cause I love writing these things and nobody�s gonna stop my rein of terror! ...Or fics. Either one will do.

Something�s different about this fluff. It�s not a comedy like the other two. (Gasp! Shock! How dare you Pisces?!) It�s serious. And it�s in first-person. The horror. The terror. Hey, that rhymed! Well, uh, I hope you like this one as much as you liked the silly ones. Fic-ward, HO!

Warning: Yes, yes, the usual warning for all my Sonic/Knux fics should be slapped here. Use your imagination, be creative and make up your own.

His fist connected solidly with my chin, sharp, deadly claws on his knuckles grazing over my cheek. I vaguely note that yet another trickle of blood was seeping through my lips as my head snapped back, my vision of the world twisting sickening as I fell. I regained my senses with my typically quickness though, and caught myself soon enough to flipped myself up-right without anymore damage done.

"Come on, Sonic. Can�t you do any better then that?" His voice came from a few feet away from me, mocking and cold, and my insides twisted just at hearing those words, coming from his mouth, directed at me. I knew he was faking it, but it still hurt nonetheless. We�ve been playing this little game for so long, we�ve gotten it down pat. The sneers in just the right place, taunts with just the right amount of cockiness to make it totally believable. The punches, the pain and blood were all real and always had been, especial in the beginning before we realized just how we felt. But I was the only one who could hear the underlining pain in his voice every time he ridiculed me, or see the hurt flash in his large, violet eyes ever time our flesh met with any other intent then love.

Behind me and safely out of the way of the war zone, Tails hovered in the clear air, cheering me on. As much as I loved the guy, it still pained me to hear him throw ribs at my lover or tell me to kick his ass.

"Just getting started," I answer back, smirking and wiping blood away from my lip with the back of my hand. I glance down quickly and, strangely enough, I notice that the liquid now staining my torn, white glove was the exact same shade of red as Knuckles. I knew that my Guardian was also bleeding, but it was so hard to tell on him, blood and fur mingling so well.

I used our break in fighting to let my eyes roam over my so-called opponent�s agile form, taking in all the areas where his silken fur seemed matted and made a note to try and keep away from them. Then without warning, I lunged and ran directly at him, slowly picking up speed.

Now, I knew that Knuckles was fast, could possibly even take the place as second fastest being on Mobius. How else would he be able to keep up with me during these tussles of ours? I knew he�d be able to easily keep up with me with the speed I was going with right now.

In response to my head-on attack, Knuckles just darted backwards, long dreads whipping about his face as he almost seemed to fly along the ground. I had my suspicions that he actually was airborne a bit, power from the Master Emerald helping him along. His face was turned towards me the whole time we tore deeper into the forest and I could easily see the half-sneer pasted on his face, one side lifted slightly higher to reveal one pointed canine. I practically melted on the spot with just how sexy he looked.

Instead, I dived, tackling him and our two entwined bodies skidded along for a few feet, a deep trench being dug in our wake.

In the end, I was on top, pinning Knuckle to the ground. I stared down at him, panting harshly, fur mused and adrenaline shinning in his eyes, and I had to resist the urge to take him right then and there.

Knuckles didn�t seem to have that problem. He reached up, gave me a quick peck on the nose and easily slid out of my suddenly loosened grip. Quickly climbing to the top of the nearest tree, he spread his arms wide and leapt, dreadlocks capturing the strong wind that day and floating off, catching the nearest updraft to gain height.

I watched him disappear, the twinge in my heart growing stronger the smaller his silhouette got, until he was totally gone from my sight and I felt as if I were going to cry. I hated this, I really did. Seeing each other for usually only a few hours a week and even then we were fighting or throwing insults. We couldn�t show our love. Sally would have been shattered, my respect lost, and how would Tails ever be able to look at me again? We�ve shared fantasies where everybody took it as if it was nothing and excepted our relationship with open arms. But we were too afraid to even try... Or was it just me? Knuckles really didn�t have any reason to fear rejection from the Freedom Fights. Was I the only reason Knuckles kept this quiet, was I the only weakness that kept us from going further? The thought horrified me.

Tails finally pulled up beside me, bubbling with excitement. "Man, Sonic! That was great!"

I shook myself out of my thoughts and buffed my fingernails on my chest, looking smug. "Oh yeah, that was way past cool. I so kicked his ass this time."

"Yeah!" The little two-tailed foxed stared up at my with so much hero worship shinning in his eyes that it alone convinced me I could never tell him about me and Knux. "Did you see that one spin dash?! Man, he never saw it coming!"

I answered him sporadically as he continued to gush about how much Knuckles was no match for me, but I kept on staring at the sky, hoping that he would come back so I could at least touch his hand.