First Kiss


A warm, beautiful day on Angel Island.

"Guntz!"

In the near-asleep bounty hunter's head, he could very clearly hear a voice calling him.
But he was sleepy.

He wanted to enjoy the sunshine more.


He pretended not to hear, and tried to go to sleep.




"Guntz, where are you?"

It was in a louder tone than before.


..... The hunter thought,


I'm sorry... I want to reply to you so badly...
But I'm just so sleepy....





"Where is he? He's gone to sleep somewhere again..." The voice murmured. It was far, so far away.
But that voice did not bear any ill towards the hunter.
The owner of it could have been smiling.



A pleasant, warm day.

Somewhere on Angel Island, there was a area surrounded by trees. One tree in particular was tall and huge, the ground beneath soft and grassy.
The scent of freshly cut grass, and the warm temperature.....


There was nowhere better to take a nap.



Guntz had been enticed by the place.



He had only intended to rest a while, but....
There was something about the place, a pleasant feeling that just sang sweetly in his ear for him to go to sleep.




Sleep came by just sitting and relaxing.
Guntz was nodding off, under the unique spell of the land. The person who had come to find him smiled softly.




His red dreadlocks swayed in the wind.




They had met a few months ago.

Guntz had been here, seeking the Master Emerald... but the desire to take the gem soon disappeared, and the two had become firm friends.


Guntz now lived here, slightly far away from the Guardian himself. They hadn't seen each other in a while, but today they had met, had chatted happily... and then Guntz went for a rest.

Here, in this place.


The red echidna gazed at the hunter's face below him.


He had changed since he came to the Island.



What was that sound?


That sound that was strangely choked and sad... inside his heart?



"Hello, Knux."


How long had it been since Guntz called him that?




Knuckles sat down next to Guntz. A warm breeze was blowing, making them both feel good.


Guntz's long, silky hair was blowing gently in the breeze. The young, fiery blue eyes were now closed and relaxed under his beautiful eyelashes. His peaceful, sleeping face was different from the one Knuckles remembered - Guntz was now more mature, more adult.


What was this feeling?


With every small, changed details of the hunter, something swelled inside the Guardian's heart, making him feel very happy and miserable at the same time.


Guntz was no longer a teenager.




The echidna's cheeks felt hot with just thinking about this.


Yet... it had been so long..... he couldn't lose himself now.


The changes. They were so delicate.
So frail yet so different.


Gently, he stroked the sleeping hunter's forehead.



"....Mmm...."
"!"

It was only a slight intrusion, but at the small touch, Guntz reacted. Knuckles, who was rather surprised, tried to quickly take his hand off, but at the exact same time Guntz's eyes opened.

Knuckles couldn't move.


He was captivated by the gaze.



Guntz looked up at the Guardian, who still had his hand on his forehead, and laughed softly.

"Wha...what?"
"....Nothing. This place felt so good, Knux... so seducing."

He replied in his deep, soft voice. With that, Knuckles withdrew his hand.



"Yeah, Knux. this place is so warm and all - I can't resist sleeping here."

Guntz sat up, and stretched.


"What are you doing here?"
"I came looking for you. It's nearly twilight, and you hadn't returned. It's easy to get lost in this island after dark you know."
"Ah, yes! We gotta hurry then!"

For a moment or two, Guntz moved lightning-quick to stand up.

But then...


"......Can we just stay here for a while?"


Guntz sat back down again, and went into relax mode once more.


"Hmm?"
"Let's stay for about a minute or so, Knux. It's still light."


Knuckles couldn't help but sit down next to him, smiling.




His thoughts started wandering again as he looked at his friend.

Guntz was now a beautiful young man.


He was so different now from the hunter that Knuckles remembered.

Had his mind changed too?

Did he know something that Knuckles didn't?


"...Knux."
"Yeah?"
"Is there something in my face?"
"No, there isn't."
"Then why are you staring at me like that?"
"...... I'm just looking at you."
"Eh?"
"You've changed."


Knuckles whispered, slightly sad. He lowered his head.


"....Knux?"

"You're.... more handsome now."
"...?"
"....You're becoming an adult."


Guntz stared.

Knuckles had seemed so sad when he said that. Why was he saying stuff like this now? And why was he so sad?
Was there something he did wrong?



He looked at Knuckles's face, noticing his eyelashes. They were long, like his own, and behind them Guntz knew there lay a pair of brilliant, amethyst eyes.


Somehow, Guntz's lips and face felt very warm.



He was no longer sleepy.



Had he ever looked at Knuckles this close? No, he hadn't... This was his first time, taking in every detail of Knuckles's face and body.



"...Knuckles?" He called softly.


The echidna's head moved slightly. He slowly raised his face.


There was no trace of the lonely, sad expression he wore earlier. Something else, not sad or happy, but certainly nothing like he ever saw before.


".....You've changed as well, Knux."


"Huh?"
"Your face.... It's become clearer and more soft."
"..?"

The "Huh?" pattern was repeating again.


"When we haven't met for a while... even the smallest things seem different."


Guntz turned his head back in the position of his body, showing his face sideways to Knuckles.
His face, when seen like that, still seemed to remain as the teenager Guntz.


What would Knuckles do....?



"Guntz."

"Hmm?" He looked into the echidna's eyes.


"I...." Knuckles couldn't keep eye contact. He turned away, embarassed.


"I love you, Guntz."





In the sunshine, and in the breeze, the words seemed to melt in Guntz's ears. He turned to look at Knuckles, eyes wide and frozen.



"....Do you know... what it means to me.. and to you?" Knuckles asked quietly.



Guntz struggled to grasp the meaning of those words.
It was natural that Knuckles like him, and he like Knuckles as well. He was, after all, the Guardian's best friend and company.


But love.... it was a completely different thing...



Knuckles loved him not as a friend, but....


"Knux, I...."


Knuckles raised his head to look Guntz in the eyes. His face was exactly the same colour as the rest of his body. Looking at that, Guntz's face felt quite warm, too.


"...I do know."


Knuckles chuckled despite the tension in the air.

"You have grown up a lot, Guntz."


Guntz felt oddly trapped. He felt somewhat bitter inside.

But it was because of Knuckles that he was now fully mature. Knuckles had been there for him ever since he set foot on Angel Island, even when he had so mercilessly tried to steal the Master Emerald.

Knuckles had helped him to become the young man he was.

But oh, would he be able to return such a favor?


He knew the answer immediately after he asked himself that.







"I love you too, Knuckles."










Time was nothing in this moment.




"You're not my friend, or companion, Knux."

If Knuckles had heard just those words, it would have been terrible. But...




"You're my love."



Knuckles listened spellbound.


"My only love." Guntz whispered.







".............."


Knuckles did not speak, or move.


Wake up, he thought to himself. Wake up, this is a dream.





Guntz's hands gently stroked the echidna's cheek. He smiled at Knuckles, assuring him silently that this was real, all too real. Knuckles smiled back, suddenly ever so happy.



They moved closer, eyes locking. Instantly, the smile disappeared from both of their faces.



Their eyes were reflecting the other's.

They were looking for confimation in each other.


Their faces moved closer.



They both barely understood what to do.




Knuckles's eyes closed.




His eyes shut more tightly in the unusual atmosphere, his body tense.

He was frightened.

His hands were clasped together to his chest, like he was praying, protecting himself.



Guntz stopped for a second.

He sensed that Knuckles was too tense. The echidna was trembling slightly, scared by the feeling he had never felt before.



Slowly, Guntz's right hand rested on Knuckles's clasped ones.

Instantly, Knuckles relaxed.




And with that, Guntz closed his eyes as well.

























The wind rustled by them.



Their eyes were closed, so the only thing that they could feel, or hear, were their foreheads and faces.

Their hands, resting together.


And the soft, silent and shy, yet ever so sweet taste of their lips.



It wasn't such a long time as they thought, but it felt like eternity.




Guntz's arms embraced the Guardian, one hand gently cradling the other's head from behind. Their bodies came together, first slowly, then fully against each other.

Knuckles's lips caressed his, coaxing it open gently and feeling the warmth inside.







After a long while, they broke the kiss slowly.




Their eyes opened, sapphire eyes meeting amethyst ones.


A rosy blush spreading on their cheeks.



Guntz suddenly hugged Knuckles closer to him, resting the echidna's head on his chest.
Knuckles's fingers toyed with the hunter's gold-black fur, listening to his heartbeat.




They stayed like that for a long time.



No words were spoken between them, but that was all right; The warmth between them, the memories of their very first kiss, and the rapidly rising darkness only added to the slient passion between the two.


The end