Another day, another night, another one passes by.  The sun rises, the sun sets, and that’s where our story begins.  It was just a normal day, a normal day indeed, when the young red echidna named Knuckles was watching the clouds in the sky drifting by laying beside and guarding the master emerald.  He is the chosen guardian of the master emerald and will stop at nothing to protect it, protect it from who may even think of stealing it.  Everyone except one person, a young white bat named Rouge.  She is sly, sly indeed with a quick little scheme, any scheme she can make up to get her hands on jewels, that’s what she treasures most, but that’s soon about to change…

*Knuckles laying beside the master emerald, one sunny day, noticing Rouge come along her way*

Rouge: Hello there, Knucklehead.

Knuckles: Hey Rouge, whatz up?

Rouge: You just gonna sit around that master emerald all day?  Nothing exciting in the world for you?

Knuckles: No… not really…

Rouge: Well, the thing is, I need help with something…

Knuckles: What’s that, bat?

Rouge: I’m looking for a special gem, you see, I’m afraid somebody’s gone and stolen it.

Knuckles: Did you perhaps misplace it?

Rouge: No, it was right where I left it then a second after checking up on some scenery near the gem and it was gone!

Knuckles: What kind of gem was it?

Rouge: I’m afraid it was one of the chaos emeralds… ^^;

Knuckles getting angry: WHAT!?  IT WAS ONE OF THE CHAOS EMERALDS!!!!????

Rouge: Calm down Knuckles!  Yes, it WAS in fact, one of the chaos emeralds.  I found it while flying along enjoying the blue sky.  I brought it here and I sat it down for a minute. I was gonna return it to you for safe hands but it was too late.

Knuckles: Don’t worry Rouge, I’ll help you look for that gem.  After all, it IS a chaos emerald…

Rouge: Thank you, Knuckles! XD

Knuckles and Rouge retrace her steps as to finding that chaos emerald.  Every so often they would have their moments, blush, and focus on their goal again.  They traced and traced and traced and traced *phew* and traced.  They even asked the rest of the gang of the disappearance, and they knew nothing.  Sometimes they would say, “Maybe Eggman’s involved with this?” or even “Do you think his base is hidden?” or some other stupid question.  They went ahead and stopped for a rest in a field.  

Knuckles: This is stupid!  We’ve retraced your steps everywhere and we haven’t found one little speck of where that emerald may be!

Rouge: We’ll find it eventually, Knuckles…


*A moment of silence then they started feeling this rumble.*

Rouge: Do you hear that Knuckles?

Knuckles: It sounds like…a…


*The ground starts shaking*

Rouge and Knuckles: AN EARTHQUAKE!!! :O


*The ground starts cracking and… they both fall!  AAAAAHHHHH!!! Knuckles grabbed an edge of the cliff but Rouge couldn’t spread her wings in time!  Silence following that…*

Knuckles: Rouge!!!! Rouge!!!! Rouge!!!!!!! *echoes but no response…*

Knuckles in his mind: Damn it, Rouge!  Why didn’t you spread your wings!?


Knuckles slowly goes down to the bottom.  He reaches the bottom finally after about 10 minutes of going down there.Very little, but there’s light enough for him to see.  

Knuckles: Rouge!  Rouge!  Where are you? Rouge!

Rouge *in a quiet voice*: Knu…Knuckles?  Is that you?


*walks over to her*

Knuckles: Rouge! Are you all right?
Rouge: I’ll be fine. *Gets up.  Tries to spread her wings but instead gets pain from them* “Ouch!…”

Knuckles: You shouldn’t be using your wings. I think you sprained them during the fall.  Besides, you twisted your ankle too.  

Rouge: Clutz, aren’t I? ^^;

Knuckles: Never mind that!  Here, I’ll carry you.  I can get us both out of here with ease.

Rouge blushing: Oh… okay.


Knuckles does carry Rouge.  Then he reaches the edge of the bottom of the cliff.

Rouge: I don’t know… it looks really high…

Knuckles: Just trust me.  Hang on tight and you’ll be just fine!

Rouge: All right, Knucklehead.


He climbs very slowly.  With every grip he inches closer to his goal, to get Rouge up on sky lit land safely… every moment he inched, Rouge was realizing the “true self” of him. She realized what he does to be meaning as a friend, as a companion, an amigo.  She realized that he cared for, to get her to safety, to help her out.  She smiled in response.  He definitely did reach the top of the cliff and set her down gently.

Rouge: Knuckles?

Knuckles: Yeah?

Rouge blushes: Thanks, Knuckles.

Knuckles blushes: Your welcome.

*Moment of silence. Knuckles gets closer to Rouge and goes behind her wings.*

Rouge: Knuckles? Wha? What the?

Knuckles: Maybe if I massage them, your wings will feel better.

Rouge: If you’re gonna do that, take your gloves off first.



So he did.  He took them off and started gently massaging her wings.  The feel of his warm hands made her feel all better and more comfortable inside. He did this for about ten minutes or so…

Knuckles: Feel better?

Rouge: A little… :)

Knuckles: That’s good to hear. You stay here, Rouge and let me get some bandages for your wings and ankle.

Rouge: *nods* Okay.




He gets the bandages.  He comes back and wraps her right wing very carefully, followed by her left.  As he is bandaging her ankle, she gets closer to him.  He looks up at her and wonders.  Then she gives a soft sweet kiss on his forehead.  He looks up and he blushes and she blushes. He looks back down focusing with wide eyes.  After that, he glides her to his house *Yes, he has a house* and lays her down on one of the guest beds and pulls a sheet over her.

Knuckles: Now you get some rest.  I’ll fix you up some soup.

Rouge: You? Cook?  Don’t you normally burn or ruin things when you cook?

Knuckles: That’s all in the past.  I’ve learned from then.


*A Couple hours later* Rouge wakes up. She finds a delicious bowl of soup on the nightstand and notices Knuckles laying across from her asleep.  She takes the bowl and tastes it.  “Hmm… Cream of Broccoli and Cheese!  This guy really does know how to cook!” she thought.  It was still warm so it was wonderful to eat it.  As she was eating slowly, she was questioning, “Did he REALLY make this?”  “Has he been there the whole time!?”  “Does he care THAT MUCH from little old me?”  She finished the soup. She was thinking again, “That was a DELICIOUS soup!  Who knew that Knuckles could cook!?”  Then Knuckles wakes up.

Knuckles: You enjoy yourself?

Rouge: Yes, it was delicious.  Thank you.

Knuckles: ^^ Your welcome! ^^

Rouge: Man, I can’t believe we didn’t find that chaos emerald… :(

Knuckles: That’s where you’re wrong… look!

*pulls out a chaos emerald*

Rouge: How… how did you find it!? :O

Knuckles: While you were asleep after cooking your meal, I went to look in that cliff that we fell in.  I looked around and I noticed shiny embedded in the ground. I kept digging and digging and lo and behold!  The chaos emerald was there!

Rouge: Wow!  That’s amazing!  What luck, Knuckles!

Knuckles: Yeah, it sure is… ^^


A few months had passed and Rouge was feeling much better. Her wings were better than ever and she could walk and run again thanks to Knuckles’ generosity.  She decided to land near Knuckles on the master emerald island again and Knuckles noticed her again.  He got up and walked to her.  She turned around like she didn’t noticed him.  Then… then… a simple grab of her hand touched by Knuckles’ hand.  Rouge and Knuckles stand there silently until one spoke up.

Rouge: Knuckles?  

Knuckles: Yeah?

Rouge: There’s something I have to admit.  I never wanted to admit it before because I never thought that it would end up this way, but…

*corner of Knuckles’ eye*

Rouge: I… I like you Knuckles, not just as a friend but as a… as a…

Knuckles: Rouge?

Rouge: Yeah?

Knuckles: *blushes and a smile* Same with me.

Rouge: *blushes and a smile* ^^

~ Fin ~