Disclaimer: The locations, events, and characters are all owned by Sega. I did not make Sonic the Hedgehog, though I wish I did

Falling Through the Sky

It was a peaceful day on Angel Island. The sun was shining, there was a light breeze coming from the east, and the Master Emerald was right where it belonged. Well, that's what Knuckles thought at least. It was one of the only days where he could just lay down and let his mind wonder, without worrying about anything. No attacks from Dr. Eggman, no attempted thefts from Rouge, and no sight of Sonic the Hedgehog. Knuckles was stretched out near a pillar, leaning up against it and having his arms crossed behind his head.

"This is great… It's almost as if the gods are thanking me for my diligence…" thought Knuckles, letting out a soft yawn, closing his eyes to let his mind wander.

Knuckles had almost dozed off when suddenly, Knuckles shot straight up and assumed a defensive stance. Knuckles had trained his mind as well as his body to be prepared for anything that arrived, or anything still on it's way. He listened carefully as he heard a rustling sound coming from the brush nearby. Making his way closer to the tangled bushes, he lunged for the source of the disturbance.

"I've got you now, Batgirl!" shouted Knuckles, gripping the intruder tightly with his enormous hands.

The intruder thrashed about wildly in Knuckles hands, causing him to lose his grip. Landing on its feet, the intruder flew off at full speed into the distance. Knuckles felt really stupid when he realized it was just a Flicky.

"Knucklehead… You've got to relax. Your going to hurt someone." said a stranger from behind.

Knuckles about faced and lunged after the stranger, suddenly cancelling his fighting technique when he realized who he was attacking. Standing up and brushing himself off, Knuckles locked eyes with his new guest.

"Rouge! How many times must I tell you to stay off Angel Island!"

"You can tell me as many times as you want, but I am not leaving without the Master Emerald."

"Well, give up. You are never going to get it as long as I'm alive."

"We can fix that quickly."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, that's a promise!"

Rouge lunged at Knuckles with her hands outstretched; hoping to grip the Echidna by the neck, but Knuckles quickly glided out of the way. Knuckles retaliated by ramming into Rouge, knocking her out of the air. A sickening crack was heard as Rouge fell to the ground, but she recovered in seconds as she stood up tall.

"That's it, you die NOW!" shrieked Rouge, flying towards Knuckles at full speed.

"You will not leave with the Master Emerald!" shouted Knuckles, bracing for impact.

Rouge collided with Knuckles, and together they tumbled together down the side of a hill. Tumbling down the hill, they felt the absence of grass and rocks, as they both realized that they had fallen off the island.

"Holy God!" shouted Knuckles and Rouge in unison, as they plummeted through the sky.

Thinking quickly, Rouge spread her wings wide and attempted to use her wings as a parachute, as Knuckles continued to plummet towards the ocean. Knuckles could glide by trapping wind under his dreadlocks, but he couldn't fly like Rouge could.

"So… This is how it ends…" thought Knuckles upon horrible realization of his impending doom.

Knuckles closed his eyes and awaited his death, as he thought of all of the things he could have experienced if he never had to protect that overrated piece of jewelry, which he called the Master Emerald. His regretted never telling Sonic how proud he was of him, or telling Shadow how much of an inspiration he was to him, or how beautiful Rouge really was to him.

As Knuckles plummeted closer to the ocean, tears began to well up in his eyes, realizing how much Rouge really meant to him, and how he would never be able to tell her how much he loved her.

As his doom drew nigh, he felt someone grab his hand and pull him close, and then suddenly, he realized he had stopped falling. Opening his eyes, he looked down and saw the ocean, mere feet away from him. He soon realized why he still airborne, as he began to hug his rescuer.

"You… You saved me… I can't believe it… Batgirl…"

"Call me Rouge, Sugar!"

The End