Chapter 25: Rogue Rouge
She was alone.
She had started alone. She had been used to being alone. She liked being alone.
So why did she feel so lonely?
No, lonely was not the right word, or at least that's what she kept telling herself. Maybe the real feeling was worry. Cream was gone, off on her own. Rouge had no idea where the little bunny had gone. Besides that, what about Amy and Tails? They were all so… helpless. And being without Sonic seemed to exacerbate the problem.
She stood at the entrance of her cave. She felt the urge to look for Cream. Surely she would be able to find the little girl, or at least find the chaos emerald she took. But something stopped her. Was it defeat? Was Tails right?
Chaos would come for them all soon enough, wouldn't it? Was it even worth looking for them? Was it better to die together than separated like this? Perhaps she had a better chance if she was the one who gathered the chaos emeralds together. She had done it before.
She remembered Catnap and her battle against that rival. She remembered Knuckles and what he had told her about greed for the emeralds. What made her different? She was protecting friends. She should have still been protecting friends.
And what about Knuckles? Didn't he want to protect his friends? Hadn't he told her that his greatest fear was something happening to his friends? And now what? Not only had he abandoned them immediately, but he had turned from them with horrid words and an awful attitude. He had pushed them away.
She looked up toward Angel Island. She had to see him. She had to tell him she knew the truth. He hadn't meant what he said. He cared. And now, he had alienated himself from those he cared about. It was probably tearing him up.
Yes, he was angry, and he took it out on Sonic because he was always the target of his rage. And Sonic was being foolish. It was his own fault he was left to that fate, and Knuckles was enraged that he could do nothing to protect him. He was furious at the situation in which they found themselves in a matter of moments.
There was no longer a hesitation in her heart. She set off upward toward Angel Island that very moment.
But she was too late. Angel Island was deserted. Knuckles wasn't here, nor was the emerald. He clearly doesn't want to be found. She was certain of that. She determined that's how Knuckles was. He would rather be alone than with those he claimed to care so much about. She was almost disgusted.
She turned back and headed for her cave. One thing she was sure of, Cream would not want to be alone for long. She had to be back at her cave so that Cream would have someone to return to.
Who knows? Maybe they'll all come back.
.
Sonic was leading the way. Amy was right behind him, with Cream behind her. Tails was at the end of the line. Ever since he had seen Sonic, his heart and mind had been in a tangle of emotions. Right now, he was all nerves. He jumped at the smallest sounds, and he was timid to speak—so much so that he didn't say a word as they traveled along.
"You alright back there, buddy?" Sonic asked for the third time.
He just nodded.
Sonic frowned. He didn't like that Tails had drifted to the back like that. He had seemed so relieved to see Sonic again, he was sure he'd cling tight to him like Cream had at first. He forgot sometimes that Tails was just a kid, but right now he didn't.
He shook his head, chiding himself for seeing Tails as so young and helpless, and turned back around, continuing his walk forward.
Tails felt tears return. His nerves had finally piled up into fear. He stopped walking.
Cream was the one to notice. "Mr. Sonic!" she called.
Sonic turned back again and saw Tails, who was staring at the ground.
"Tails…" Sonic approached him. "You okay?"
Tails looked up at him and suddenly cut the distance, running toward him and hugging him.
"Why don't you walk with me for awhile?" Sonic suggested.
Tails was ashamed of himself. He felt like a stupid, worthless child. Like a kid even younger than Cream. He shook his head and pulled away.
"Tails…?"
Tails didn't start moving until he was in the back again.
Eventually, they made it to the mountainside where Rouge's cave was. Tails had brought up the courage to ask Sonic if he needed a hand getting up the cliffside. Sonic shook his head and waved his hands, "It's alright, bud. No need to spend your energy when I've got my own!" And he got a good running start to run up the side of the mountain most of the way and climb the rest.
Tails watched as Cream helped Amy up the cliff. Maybe they don't need me after all… Maybe they were right… I can't fail them… because they don't need me… I'm worthless after all. After a gloomy flight, he landed at the cave entrance where the others were.
"Tails… Are you okay?" Sonic asked. "Tell me, buddy. I want to help!"
"I'm fine," he answered monotonously.
"I don't believe that, Miles," Sonic tried to sound serious by dropping the nickname.
It worked. Tails looked up, surprised.
Sonic looked at him eagerly.
"I'm… I'm just a kid… And… You guys don't need me… I've never done much good—"
"Are you kidding, Tails? You're a genius!"
Tails shrugged. "But it's not like I've done anything you guys couldn't do on your own."
"Tails, you've done more for us than you could ever know! No one else could match your prowess with robotics! …not even Eggman himself! Tails, you may be a kid, but you're a hero in your own right!"
Tails tried to hide his oncoming smile. "You don't need to say that just to make me feel better…"
"I'm not. I'm saying it because it's true."
"Sure is," Amy chimed in, patting him on the back.
"Besides," Cream smiled up at them, "I'm the kid here."
"Everyone's got their strengths to share," Sonic nodded to Cream. "Even you, little Cream."
Cream grinned.
"That's why we should never split up. We're better together. We're stronger together. We bring out the best in each other."
"You really are the glue that holds us together," Amy repeated Robotnik's words.
"But it shouldn't depend on me. We're a team. A family." He looked forward, towards the cave. "Hear that, Rouge?" he shouted. "You're a part of this, too!" His voice echoed into her home.
"Yeah!" Tails agreed. "We need everyone! All of us together can fight Chaos!"
"All of us?" Rouge stepped out of her cave with a smile. She nodded at Sonic. "It's good to see that you're alright, hedgehog. I should have known you'd live through that." She held up her purple and grey emeralds. "So… about fighting Chaos…"
Sonic gave a thumbs up, "Looks like all the emeralds are together… finally."
"Not quite," Rouge corrected him. "Not every emerald is on our side yet."
Sonic frowned. "Are you getting at what I think you're getting at?"
Rouge looked at him, a serious expression on her face.
"I heard what he said about me. We don't need him."
"We all heard him say that. And I, too, had my doubts. Until I remembered something very important."
"What's that?" Amy asked skeptically.
"I remembered how much he cares about all of you."
Amy and Sonic rolled their eyes.
"Can you deny it?"
"Yeah!" Sonic almost shouted. "He hates us."
"Hate is a strong word."
"You're talking like you know something we don't, Rouge," Tails noted. "What do you know?"
She took a breath. "I know his greatest fear."
"Losing the emerald?" Sonic guessed.
"Not the fear Robotnik thought he had… His true greatest fear." She looked at each of them in turn as she said, "Something happening to you all."
They looked at each other, still a bit skeptical.
"I didn't see the expression on his face when he left… I wish I had—"
"I did," Cream spoke up. "He looked angry. He… He always looked angry… He always was… annoyed."
"Yeah, I think you're just believing a bunch of lies, Rouge," Sonic insisted.
That's when Cream realized, "It was the same expression he had when…" she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
"What's wrong, Cream?" Amy asked.
"The look he had when we came back from Chao Island! When he saw Mr. Sonic and Tails were hurt. He had the same expression on his face!"
"Anger…" Sonic started.
"…because we were hurt," Tails finished.
They all stared at Rouge. She nodded. "I'll be frank. I've got a bad feeling. As you said, Knuckles was angry. And now, he's nowhere to be seen on Angel Island. What do you think he's doing right now? Where do you think he's gone?"
"He's looking for Chaos…" Sonic answered steadily.
"Alone. With only the Master Emerald."
Sonic shook his head, sighing, "Knucklehead…"
Amy crossed her arms stubbornly, "He still shouldn't have said what he said about Sonic!"
"Probably not," Rouge agreed. "But honestly," she turned back toward Sonic, "he was a fool. Knuckles was right. You should have gotten out of there before Chaos saw you."
Sonic hung his head and scratched at his quills. "Well, I know that now…"
"You act at the speed of sound. Knuckles is more cautious. That's why you two butt heads all the time."
Sonic nodded. "We do fight a lot." He frowned as he realized, "That's the last thing we did before I…" His words faded as he turned and looked up toward Angel Island. "Dang it, Knucklehead…"
Tails shifted nervously. Amy sighed and uncrossed her arms.
"So, we are looking for Mr. Knuckles?" Cream asked.
"Yeah…" Sonic replied. "Hopefully he isn't being a fool."
