Not, i repeat, NOT mine. I belive the original author's pen-name is Emmyechidna but am not certain.

(This IS the internet)

All glory to the original author, this was posted without permission from him/her because it was too awesome not to post. Quetzatoul Out Y'all!

At First Sight

Julie-Su wasn't really paying attention. Kragok was ranting about how the last son of Edmund had been taken care of, how the Emerald was now theirs for the taking.

On her left, the statuesque Ellie-Za was feigning interest, whilst on her right, the petite Moni-Ca stifled a yawn. The trio had been the best of friends for as long as any of them could remember. But things were changing. Soon they would be reassigned to positions where they could each hone their specific abilities.

Ellie-Za was a whiz with anything electronic. She could build just about anything out of spare parts, a talent that had caught the interest of the scientists in the research and development labs. A prestigious department indeed. Moni-Ca was a gentle and caring soul, and seemed destined for the medical branch. Julie-Su, however was a fighter, and would most likely wind up in the military.

She thought absently about their adversary, the late son of Edmund. They had been told so much about him. How his people had foolishly given up technology. How they cowardly cut themselves off from the lesser species of Mobius, when they should be ruling them. The Guardian, they'd been told, was nothing more than a weak minded, frail bodied coward, who hid behind his title, and the powerful gem he protected.

She was brought out of her thoughts by a shocked murmur in the crowd. A single legionnaire had challenged the mighty Kragok.

"That guy's got to be a few components short of hard drive." Ellie-Za mumbled.

The foolish one threw back his hood to reveal his face, and the white band at his throat. The mark was undeniably the mark of a Guardian. But this was no frail simpleton. As he shucked the robe entirely it was obvious that he was far from weak.

His body was, in a word, perfect. Broad shoulders tapered to a slender waist. His long legs were sleekly muscled, as were his arms. There were twin spurs on each of his hands.

And his face.

The greatest art master could not have created such masculine beauty. The graceful taper of his snout. The large, expressive almond shaped eyes. The thick tumble of spines.

"Whoa," A nearby female whispered. "If that's the Guardian, where do I go to defect?" Ellie-Za and Moni-Ca threw her a worried, warning glance.

"Mai, you're incorrigible." Ellie-Za shook her head at the white furred female.

"You don't think he's cute?" She asked, smirking from under her hood. "And that body…"

"So what?" Ellie-Za shrugged. "He's obviously got no brains if he's taking on Kragok, alone, in the middle of an assembly."

"Cute, built and stupid…" A wicked smile curled her beak. "Just the way I like 'em."

Julie-Su didn't hear the banter. She couldn't take her eyes off him. And somehow she knew it was not due entirely to the perfection of his form. She'd never thought much about males, never looked at them with an appreciative eye. But there was something about this one.

She felt something awaken deep inside her. She'd never felt anything like it before. Images came unbidden to her mind. Images of her with him. Those marvellous deep violet eyes locked with hers. The gentle touch of his dangerous looking hands…

She gasped, shocked at the images, the feelings, that were both wonderful and frightening. Why in all the heavens was she seeing herself in the most intimate of situations with a male who was the embodiment of all she'd been raised to despise? She closed her eyes tightly, denying what she felt. 'It's got to be some kind of Guardian mind trick'. She reasoned. She looked at him again. As beautiful as he was, he was the enemy. He deserved no mercy.

The place was falling down around her ears. She'd lost both Ellie-Za and Moni-Ca in the resulting chaos caused by the attack of the Guardian and his bizarre collection of companions. At the moment, she'd even be happy with Mai's company.

Who'd have thought a single misguided echidna, an armadillo, a bee, a chameleon and a crocodile could have wrought so much havoc?

She was terrified. She didn't know how she was going to get out. And then she felt a strange, comforting warmth flood her body. And she saw him. His fur like fire, that cursed mark at his throat. She growled to herself. 'Whatever it is you've done to me, it ends now!' She drew her taser and followed him.

He moved swiftly, gracefully. She could feel that her unwanted need for him was taking her over again. 'Get a grip on yourself, girl.' She told herself, mentally slapping herself across the face. He turned a corner, and the floor beneath her feet buckled, throwing her off balance. She hit the wall painfully. Fallen debris had separated her from her quarry. "Damn it!" She cursed, slamming her fist against the wall. 'Well, at least he's out of my head.' She counselled herself.

For what seemed the millionth time, she woke up in a cold sweat.

She'd been dreaming about him again. Why couldn't she get him out of her mind? Because of him she'd been separated from her people, her friends, her family. She was all alone in a strange place, far from the comforting technology she'd grown up with. She was hungry, dirty and tired, and these dreams were getting to be a nuisance.

'What is wrong with me?' She thought. 'Why the blazes do I keep picturing myself with that accursed Guardian? What has he done to me?'

'He hasn't done anything to you,' another voice echoed in her head. 'You know what's happened. You just won't admit it.'

'No way!' She said to the voice. 'There is no way on this planet that he and I are meant to… it's impossible…it can NOT be…'

'You know it is…' the other voice countered.

'No way.'

'Oh c'mon, what's wrong with it?'

'He's my enemy!'

'But he's such a babe!'

'He's everything I was raised to hate!'

'But you want to be with him so much you feel like you're going to burst.'

'I do not!'

'Deny it all you want. We both saw that dream'

'It was just a dream.'

'Dreams come from the subconcious. You want him, you need him…'

'I DO NOT!'

'Admit it, girl. You're hooked. Line and sinker.'

'I don't even know his name…'

'Does it matter?'

'No, It can't be.'

'It's the Soultou…'

'Don't even say it! That's nothing but a fairy tale!'

'It's real. The Dark Legion may prefer to match couples to strengthen the species. But love, true, honest, pure, meant to be, happily ever after, SOULTOUCHED love, exists. It's just so much harder to find.'

'But…'

'If you don't believe it, why don't you return to the Legion?'

'Well…'

'You can't. You've got to follow your heart. You need that wonderful, calming little buzz you get when you're near him.'

'Shut up.'

'You can't fight it. You and the Guardian are meant to be. You're going to go out there and find him. He's going to look at you, and he's going to feel it too.'

'Shut up!'

'You're going to fall into each other's hearts. And make those spicy little dreams of your reality.'

'Shut up!'

'You know you want to.'

'SHUT UP!'

'There's not a darn thing you can do about it.'

'Oh, yes there is!'

She pulled out her taser, testing it charge. She smiled at the powerful arc of electricity. 'Kind of hard for a happily ever after type love when there's only one half of the couple.'

In the end, she couldn't do it.

The moment those angry violet eyes locked with hers, the anger slowly melting to an all-consuming shock, she just knew she could never intentionally do him any harm. She had wondered if his shock was due to the fact that he was experiencing the same thing she had when she first laid eyes on him, or because he'd never seen a female of his age and species before.

She sighed.

It had been a long and rocky road for them after that. It hadn't taken them all that long to acknowledge the Soultouch, as soon as his father had told him about it, and they were pretty much resigned to their fate…the curse of living 'happily ever after'.

Of course it hadn't been all smooth sailing.

He had died, more or less in the line of duty. But even that hadn't kept them apart. Somehow he'd managed to find his way back to her. It was not to be the first time they were to be separated either, but each time only seemed to strengthen the bond between them even more. And that bond never faltered, despite all the obstacles that where placed in their path.

The citizens of Echidnaopolis had been appalled at the idea of a Guardian uniting with a Dark Legionnaire, so much so that they even held a referendum to stop the pair from taking their marriage vows. So they had simply not taken them. They had made a public declaration of their love, even exchanging rings. Such a thing was an outdated concept amongst echidnas, but when he suggested it as a constant reminder to everyone, supporters and dissenters alike, of the feelings they shared, she had liked the idea.

She held up her left hand, studying the simple golden band that said so much, with a smile. She glanced down at him, to where he was dozing peacefully with his head in her lap, a contented smile curling his mouth. She looked at his left hand, resting on his belly, to where her ring's mate lay. Usually, it was hidden by his mitten, but still…it was always there. She began to gently stroke his spines.

His eyes fluttered open…oh, how she loved those eyes…and he looked up at her with a slight frown. "Is something wrong?" He asked, a little confused at her wistful expression.

Before she could answer, a flash of deep pink landed heavily on his stomach with a high pitched and delighted squeal, the force of its impact bringing him to an upright position with a loud gasp as the wind was knocked out of him.

"You have got to find a gentler way of getting my attention." He said to the bright-eyed puggle as she snuggled in under his chin.

She smiled at the only true rival for his affections.

Lara-Su was not even a year old, but it was already obvious that she was very much a 'Daddy's girl'. Not that she didn't adore her mother, there was just such an instinctual bond between father and daughter. Perhaps it was a Guardian thing. Or maybe it was because his had been the first face she'd seen when she ripped out of the shell and she'd somehow imprinted on him. Whatever it was, Julie-Su just thought it was beautiful.

Like their daughter.

In fact, everyone on the Island, all their friends on the surface, just about everybody that ever met her, agreed that she was adorable. Julie-Su's only complaint, and a very small one it was, was that she hadn't inherited her father's eyes. She had lavender eyes, just like her mother's, which Knuckles was only too happy about. He was as taken by his love's eyes as she was by his.

Lara-Su squealed as Knuckles threw her playful up into the air. She spread her tiny little arms, her spines flaring, as she instinctively called on the Chaos power that was her heritage, and fell in a slow glide back to her father's waiting arms. She noticed her mother watching and held her chubby little hands out towards her.

Julie-Su held out her own arms and Lara-Su all but flew to her.

"You're gonna be gliding like your Daddy any day now." She smiled to her cooing infant.

"As long as she doesn't start climbing the walls." Knuckles commented, stroking her still hardening spines.

Lara-Su shoved a fist in her mouth and began chewing on her tiny spurs. If nothing else, they came in handy while she was teething. She glanced from one parent to the other and back again, yawning around the fist in her mouth.

Julie-Su snuggled up to Knuckles, careful not to disturb Lara-Su as she began to drift off to whatever it was she dreamed about. She thought of his earlier question as he wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her neck.

"Is something wrong?" He had asked.

She smiled as she reached up to stroke his cheek with her free hand.

"Everything's perfect."

You agree? To awesome not to post, pluss we need more KnuxXJulie stories out there