I own no one mentioned in the story, they all belong to SEGA/Sonic Team (c)

The beating of wings grew closer to the shrine of the Master Emerald. Knuckles glanced up, not surprised at the fact that Rouge was on her way to, most likely, steal his Emerald. Her company did lighten his lonely days, though, whether she was there to cause him trouble or just to talk. Recently, she had been, or at least he thought, purposely leaving without an attempt at the Master Emerald, so he figured this day would be the day she stole it. He never did understand her reasons, although he did enjoy her visits that didn't consist of threats and fighting and, sometimes, he looked forward to them. As she neared, he sighed, not wanting to start any arguments that afternoon.

"Hey, Knuckles," she greeted casually, gliding down to the shrine. Her heels clunked as she hit the stone steps.

"What do you want today?" he asked in less rough tone with a hint of annoyance. She gave a sarcastic surprised face.

"What? No 'Hey Rouge,' or anything?" she teased while taking a seat on the step above him.

"Well, normally, you come here to try to steal the Master Emerald."

"Would you believe me if I said I wasn't?" He gave her a look of disbelief.

"Hah, probably not."

"Well, I'm not," she said. They paused for a brief moment to admire the flawless day that besieged them. The crisp, cool air comforted them while the sun's rays gave them a feeling of warmth.

"Okay, so what are you here for?" he asked, taking a glance at her.

"I'm here to tell you what day it is," she explained.

"Isn't it the 14th? February 14th?"

"Yes, but every February 14th is Valentine's Day." He turned to face her, confused.

"Valentine's Day?"

"Yep, every February 14th" she declared, shutting her eyes and facing the sun to absorb its magnificent warmth.

"What's Valentine's Day?" Her gaze returned to him with surprise inked on her face.

"You mean you've never heard of Valentine's Day?" she questioned, chuckling. "I would've thought someone would've told you by now. Amy is always up and about during Valentine's Day."

"Well nobody's told me," he admitted. He looked at her with a slight hint of annoyance that no one bothered to tell him, but the way his violet eyes stared at her told her how curious he was. She smiled at the fact that she could be the one to explain Valentine's Day to him.

"Okay, so Valentine's Day is basically the holiday of love," she began. His look of disgust made her laugh to herself. "Seriously! It's a holiday when you can go to that special someone and give them something like jewelry, flowers, or chocolates."

"Special someone?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. He doesn't know what a special someone is? He has to have feelings for somebody…..

"Yeah, you know, someone who is more than a friend to you. If you're brave enough, you would go and get them that romantic stuff. Normally some great relationships start out that way." He thought to himself for a moment. Someone as confident and protective as himself is definitely brave enough, but his special someone was sitting right in front of him and there was no way he could think of a way to do something like that for her. I am the toughest. I am the strongest. I am the bravest – but not brave enough…

"A love holiday….that almost seems pointless," he mentioned, leaving his thoughts behind him.

"Aw so you won't celebrate? What, you don't have a special someone?" At the remark, he blushed madly and grew nervous, his eyes widening.

"Even if I did I wouldn't tell you!" he answered protectively, still blushing.

"Hey, hey, no need to get all protective," she replied sarcastically, her hands gesturing to cool down.

"So I suppose that's what that present of yours is for? That special someone?" he asked, settling down and retaking his seat.

"Oh this?" She took a peak at the small navy blue box on her lap. "It might be…you'll find out eventually."

"Can't you just tell me?"

"Nah, it would be easier if you find out yourself." An ounce of hurt seemed to pierce his heart as her special someone obviously wasn't him. She seemed to like him, and that could've been the reason why she's been paying him all these friendly visits. The gift is probably for Shadow. Those two have been friends since the beginning. It would only make sense if it were for him.

"Whatever," he muttered under his breath, leaning back and resting his head in his hands, trying to cover up his hurt. The talking ceased and they each took the moment to collect their thoughts. She decided she should leave since he obviously had nothing else to say.

"Well I'm off. Got to visit some other people, you know?" she lied, unable to bare the silence any longer.

"I guess," he replied stiffly.

"Well, I'll see ya later." She flapped her wings and started to ascend.

"Oh, um, Rouge?" She hovered in the air and turned to face him.

"Yeah?" He took a deep breath to gather up some courage and started to blush again.

"Happy Valentine's Day," he managed to get out. Her eyes slightly widened as she glanced back at him, her heart skipping a beat. A kind smile crept onto her face. He does care.

"You too," she replied with a wink. She turned and, with a single flap, started to gracefully make her way through the sky. He only watched for a moment before turning to face the scenery that kissed the shrine. She looked back and saw that his gaze was focused on something other than her. No one is too sure as to what she did next. She wasn't even too sure what she did, but she soon turned and flew off.

His mind wondered from subject to subject, trying not to touch up on her mere name. She didn't like him in the way he liked her. As his special someone, she would've probably been disgusted or insulted if she knew. She was brought up time after time for no real reason and he decided he needed to take a walk to get her off his mind. Before he left, he climbed to the top of the shrine to observe the Master Emerald. He turned to leave, but before he took the first step down the stone stairs, a small item on the ground caught his eye. He picked it up and read the note attached. His insides seemed to turn to butterflies and his eyes widened with joy. Relief flooded his heart. The engraving on the box read:

To my Special Someone