"Cream, don't look now," The young fox instructed, backing Cream up the rise. The little bunny whined and tried to advance, but Tails held her back further.
"But Tails! The prettiest flowers are there!" She complained, trying to sneak a look over the hill, but he blocked her sight with his namesakes. She pouted and looked pointedly away from him, skipping along a cobblestone path.
Tails sighed, and then made his way over the hill. Nope. He wasn't hallucinating. That was Angel Island.
It looked like it scraped against the ground for quite a while before landing due to the length of the skid marks. He could barely see the top; the mist was obscuring what would've been low enough to see.
'But if Angel Island crashed…' Tails didn't want to think about what it might mean. He tapped frantically on his intercom, whispering so Cream doesn't hear.
"Sonic. Sonic, come in. Sonic, you hear me?"
A burst of static startled him, and the device promptly smoked in his paws. He ripped it off his wrist and stomped on it, putting out the impending fire.
"Tails!" Cream laughed. "Come and play with me!"
He sighed and looked forlornly away from the island. Tomorrow, he'll climb it, but today, he has a little rabbit to entertain.
The next morning Rouge was woken up by a rough shake. She nearly forgot she was in a small and cramped apartment and swooped down low over the ground like she usually does. Instead, she fell off the ceiling and bashed her head on the hard floor. Knuckles, who was awake and exercising, looked coldly at her.
She groaned. This again.
He raised his chin. "How do you call yourself a spy? You'll sleep until noon if I let you."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"Disipline. Routine. Does it mean nothing to you? Chaos, I can't wait to go back to my island."
"If you would just relax –"
"I don't want to relax."
"Why? What are you so afraid will happen? Afraid you might start to like me?"
He said nothing.
She smirked. "That's it, isn't it? You don't want to like me. You're scared that if you give up your petty grudge, you might start thinking I'm likable. Would that be so terrible?"
"I do like you."
"What was that?"
"I do like you," he said angrily.
She beamed, feeling a well of pleasure erupt thought her. "Now, really, is that so bad?"
"Yes!" He roared.
"Why?"
"Because you're horrible. You're loud and foolish and brave and bold and – and –" His voice trailed off as he realized what he said.
"Oh, I see. I'm the wicked bat seductress. I have beguiled you with my feminine wiles!"
She poked him in the chest.
"Stop that."
"No. I'm beguiling you."
"Quit it."
She flitted around him, poking his stomach, his chest, his side. "Goodness! You're very strong! This is strenuous work!" He started to laugh. "It's working! The beguiling has begun. The mighty echidna clan has fallen. You are powerless to resist me. You –"
Rouge's voice broke off in a scream as the floor gave way beneath her feet. She threw her arms out blindly, reaching for something, anything that might stop her fall, wings trapped and scraping over the wall.
Knuckles grabbed her arm, and she cried out as the wound reopened, and her sleeve stained red.
She hung there, suspended over a deadly drop, the grip of his fingers the only thing between her and certain death. For a moment, looking into his eyes, she was certain he was going to let go.
The moment passed, and the uncertainty faded from his eyes. He dragged her up over the edge, and they glided over to a more stable building. They lay on their backs, panting.
"I was afraid… I was afraid you were going to let me go," she managed between gasping breaths, clutching her shoulder in agony.
There was a long pause and then he said, "I thought about it. Just for a second."
"Hey, at least that wasn't lava?" She offered, and for some reason, they found that funny, and started laughing again.
He got up and dusted himself off. "We should be –"
A flash interrupted them, and Shadow stood in front of the pair, a red chaos emerald in his hand.
"Now, what are you doing here?"
Rouge rolled her eyes and slipped back into the jewel thief persona. "Certainly not to see you," She retorted, her voice like honey and venom at once.
Shadow's gaze fell on the shard-shaped bulge in her pocket. His eyes narrowed, but he didn't say anything. He shot a glance at Knuckles, and something passed between the two that she didn't understand, and he was gone again, stepping off the terrace and disappearing in a flash of red light.
What is it with guys and dramatic exits? She wondered exasperatedly, and looked suspiciously at Knuckles. He was glaring at the spot Shadow was with vehemence.
"What is it with him and that hedgehog?" She murmured, hoping for Knuckles to hear. He did.
"Look. I'll tell you tomorrow if you won't infuriate me. Got it?"
"Everything angers you."
He sputtered indignantly and pretended to rummage around in his backpack. She caught a glimpse of something white and shiny. Could it be?
She shook off the notion. Impossible. He wouldn't care enough to bring it if he could go back to a whole island of them.
"We should go now," He said, still avoiding her gaze. She tilted her chin up vainly and smoothed back her wings. Finally, they left Lethal Highway, leaving behind the concrete jungle in favor of a real jungle. There needs to be an alternate reality jump, so they need to borrow a chaos emerald, and the closest one…
Cream.
Okay. 7th-last paragraph of the last chapter was based on an opening paragraph in Legend, by Marie Lu. This chapter was prominently based on Six of Crows, by Leigh Bardugo, with the conversation almost word for word from the book. (sorry, guys, I'm not THAT good of a writer.) More to be based on books!