Disclaimer: I don't own Knuckles, Shadow, Rouge, Sonic, etc. They are owned by Sega. So read and enjoy!
Only you can take away the pain
Only you can make my heart break
Only you can kill me
And only you can save me
Chapter One: Longing
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"Shadow? Shadow, are you okay?" Shadow opened his eyes hesitantly, wondering whether or not he really wanted to see who was trying to wake him. He recognized the voice, but in his sleepy state of mind, he couldn't remember who it belonged to. He opened his eyes fully to where his vision wasn't blurry anymore, and saw Rouge standing there.
Oh Rouge…
"Shadow? Will you please answer my question?"
"I'm fine, Rouge. Just a little worn out, that's all."
"You're covered in wounds. What happened?"
"A street thug jumped me. I fought him and got hurt. That's all." Shadow feverishly hoped she would believe the lie. The truth was, he'd gotten into a fight with Knuckles the night before.
Over her.
"Well, okay, if you say so…" Shadow let out an inward sigh of relief. She'd believed him.
"Do you want some breakfast? I know a nice little café downtown." Rouge sat on the side of Shadow's bed, waiting for him to give her an answer.
"Sure. But I'm buying."
"You're so funny. You act almost like Knuckles, you know." Shadow turned to where Rouge couldn't see him and ground his teeth together. He hated, hated. HATED being compared to that red echidna. He hadn't before, but now that they were after the same woman, things were ugly between the two.
But he could forgive Rouge for the remark.
After all, he did love her. It was a burning passion he couldn't quench until he had her in his arms forever.
And if Knuckles gets in the way…
He'd lost Maria before. He wasn't going to lose Rouge.
"Let's go," Shadow said, getting up from the bed and hooking Rouge's arm in his.
"Oh Shadow," Rouge giggled, "You're such a gentleman."
With that the two of them left Shadow's apartment and went to eat breakfast.
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Knuckles sat at the bottom of the Master Emerald shrine, thinking about the night before. The more that he dwelled on it, the more he came to hate Shadow and love Rouge. He'd always secretly adored her. Ever since he'd first met the sarcastic, witty, and charming thief, he'd like her. At first it had just been a childish crush and nothing more. But soon that crush had turned to love, and that love was now…
Infatuation. Knuckles couldn't go a single moment of a single day without thinking of her. Without seeing her beautiful white fur, or those aqua eyes, or hearing her sweet voice, as smooth as honey…
He had been so ready to finally tell her the truth, to see if she felt the same way about him…
And then Shadow had confessed that he too loved Rouge. They'd been at a bar together, having a few drinks. Knuckles had said that he needed to say something, and Shadow had done the same…
"I wanted you to be the first to hear this, since you're my best bud and all, so here it goes. I think… I love Rouge."
Shadow had slammed his glass on the table so hard that it broke. The coolness of his voice didn't match the anger on his face.
"Well isn't that a coincidence, because I was about to say the same thing…"
There had been a few names exchanged, some punches thrown, and then they'd both been kicked out of the bar. Knuckles and Shadow had picked themselves off the curb and stood staring each other down before each had gone his separate ways, cursing and fuming. Knuckles had silently sworn that if Shadow ever got in his way, that he would kill him, no questions, no mercy. He wasn't going to have his Rouge taken away by some black and red hedgehog that wasn't even a real hedgehog.
She was going to be his and no one else's…no matter what the cost.
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Shadow and Rouge sat at a table outside of a small, trendy café. The waiter had just brought out their breakfast, and they were both eating hungrily. But Shadow couldn't help but watch as Rouge daintily ate her food, putting the fork past her lips and the food into her mouth.
How he wanted to kiss those beautiful pink lips…
He forced himself to stop thinking about her and act normal. After they finished eating, Rouge stood up and stretched.
"You want to walk me back to my apartment? It's not too far from here."
"Uh… sure," Shadow replied. He didn't want to be rude and after all, he'd never seen her apartment before.
They walked for a while before Rouge stopped in front of some fancy looking apartments. They walked up the stairs and to the apartment furthest to the left. Shadow made a mental note to drop by sometime.
"Welcome to my humble abode." Shadow looked around Rouge's apartment. Everything was either pink or black. There was a black heart shaped couch on one side of the living room. There was a pink marble bar with pink and black barstools. Either pink tile or carpet covered the floors. He wasn't fond of pink himself, but he wasn't about to say anything to Rouge about it.
"Come with me. I want to show you something." He followed her to her bedroom, his heart pounding the entire way. She opened her large closet and motioned for him to come in. Rouge flipped on the lights and Shadow found himself staring at her private collection of jewels.
"These are all the odds and ends I've been stealing over the years. Pretty glamorous, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Shadow found himself unable to say anything for a long time. Then he suddenly got a great idea, the greatest he'd come up with yet.
"I've got to go Rouge. I'll see you later."
"See ya, Shad. Just don't tell anyone about my collection. If anyone found out I'd be in big trouble."
"Don't worry. I won't. Goodbye." Shadow sped out the door, down the stairs, and into the street, sure that with his plan, he already had
Rouge…
Chapter Two: Equals After All
Rouge was sitting on the couch, watching the news to see if there were any new valuables to steal, when the phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Rouge? This is Knuckles. I'm in town tonight and I was wondering if… well… maybe you wanted to come to dinner with me? My treat?"
"Sure! Where do you want to go?"
"How about Golden Light? I hear they have good Chinese food."
Rouge was very fond of Chinese food, and getting it free was an offer she couldn't refuse.
"Okay. I'll meet you there about seven. See you in an hour, Knux."
"Bye Rouge." Knuckles hung up the pay phone and jabbed the air in victory. He was getting to go on a date with Rouge! Well, it wasn't exactly a date, but he hoped that soon enough he would get to go on dates with her…
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"How much does this cost?" Shadow asked the blonde cashier at the Cloud Nine Jewelry Store.
"Twelve thousand."
"And this one?" Shadow pointed to another piece next to it."
"Twenty thousand. Now, are you going to buy something or just keep asking me for prices? The store closes in five minutes."
"I'm just looking right now, but thank you for your help." Shadow stuck his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and acted like he was leaving. When the cashier walked into the back room, he silently whispered "Chaos Control!" and warped a hundred thousand dollar diamond necklace out of its glass case and into his hand. He warped out the fifty thousand dollar matching ring for good measure, then walked out the door with a satisfied smirk. Humans were such fools, thinking they could keep their priceless gems safe from him with a simple security device. Sure, if they caught him, he'd be sent to jail for a long time, but what were the chances of that?
Shadow slid the necklace and the ring into a pink velvet box and Chaos Controlled over to Rouge's apartment. Seeing that she wasn't home, he set the box down on her bed and scribbled out a simple note.
Rouge-
I found two pieces that I thought you might like for your collection. They're both one of a kind and very expensive. I hope you like them.
Shadow
Shadow was leaving when he stepped on the remote that Rouge had left in the floor. The T.V. came on, and the two human announcers started speaking.
"The rare and one of a kind Moon Diamond is going to be on display at the Station Square Museum. Authorities say that security will be heightened because of all the recent thefts the museum has experienced in the past year. Also on display is the Sea Emerald and the rarest of the rare, a twenty carat fuchsia diamond found last month by a coal miner…"
Shadow turned off the T.V, and an evil smile grew wide across his face. There was no way Knuckles could beat him out now…
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Rouge sat down at a table and waited for Knuckles. About fifteen minutes later he walked in, winded and out of breath.
"What took you so long?" she asked.
"I picked up something on the way for you. But you'll have to wait to open because…" Knuckles whispered in Rouge's ear. When he was done, she laughed.
"I never knew you could be so bad Knuckles. Especially after hanging around that goody two shoes Sonic for who knows how long."
"Oh, you know Sonic's not as good as everyone thinks he is…"
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Shadow warped just outside the Station Square Museum, expecting to see a few security robots and guards. Instead, he found the place swarming with police, G.U.N soldiers, and government agents. He'd been beaten to the prize! But by whom? Shadow snuck into the scene of the crime, using a new technique he'd learned called Chaos Cloak that made him invisible. The cases were smashed to bits, and so were the robots guarding it…
Damn! Knuckles beat me to it! But how? It seemed that Knuckles was a more worthy opponent then Shadow had first expected. He'd have to use his most cunning tactics if he was going to beat Knuckles for the ultimate prize; the heart of the lovely Rouge…
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Knuckles and Rouge walked out into the chilly night air, leaving behind the warmth and comfort of the restaurant. It was unseasonably cold for the time of year, but neither of them seemed to mind as they walked back to Rouge's apartment, chatting away.
"…And then Sonic snuck up behind Amy, stuck his hands up her shirt, and felt her up! She called him a pervert and slapped him upside the head, in front of the president and everyone! It was funny as hell!"
"So I guess even Sonic has a little devil in him. I wish I could have been there to see it! Unfortunately I was in Downunda, looking into some priceless gems and missed the entire thing. The one time goody-goody Sonic acts up in front of the whole world, I have to miss it! But I guess that's just my luck." They walked up the final flight of stairs and stopped in front of her apartment.
"Well, I guess this is good night," Knuckles said.
"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks for everything." Rouge began to open her apartment
"Do you think… maybe… we can do it again sometime when I'm in town again?"
"You mean a date?" Rouge asked, smiling.
"Yes…I mean no! I mean… not if you don't want it to be…" He blushed, cursing himself for being so stupid.
"I'd go on a date with you anytime, Knucklehead. Just call me next time you're in town, okay?" Rouge walked into her apartment and closed the door behind her.
"Yeah…sure…" Knuckles replied to no one in particular.
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Rouge walked into her bedroom and set the box Knuckles had given her on the nightstand. She was going to wait until later to open it. She changed into her night gown, then flipped on the T.V. She was watching a romance (one of her favorites) when she spied another box lying on her bed. Rouge picked it up and saw that it was from Shadow. She opened the box and gasped when she saw the necklace and the ring sitting together. They were both pieces she'd been watching for about a month or so. How had Shadow gotten around the advanced security system? Rouge made a mental note to ask him about it the next time he came by. After that, she decided to open the box from Knuckles. Inside were the Moon Diamond, the Sea Emerald, and the fuchsia diamond from the museum. This surprised Rouge even more. She herself had never gotten around the security system at the Station Square Museum without setting off the alarms. Rouge looked each of the pieces over intently, wondering why Shadow and Knuckles had gone to such great lengths to get them for her. The thought that maybe they both wanted her came into her mind, but she dismissed it. Shadow was always so cold, although in recent months he'd started to become more social. Knuckles was always guarding the Master Emerald and therefore wasn't the social type either. Rouge put the jewels in the case in her closet, then switched off the lights and went to bed.
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Shadow sat on the edge of his bed, infuriated beyond all reasoning. He dwelled on his recent defeat for a long time, thinking of a way he could beat Knuckles. If his opponent had been as dumb as he'd first thought, then getting him out of the way would have been no problem. But it seemed like Knuckles could think on the same level as him, and therefore he'd be much harder to get rid of. Shadow smirked in spite of himself.
Well then, it'll just make the game so much more fun, he thought to himself as he laid back and fell asleep.
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Chapter Three: The Rose Enters