Chapter 3: And the true Treasure Hunter is…?

"Don't worry so much…this is just like any other hunt. Well, except for the fact that your dignity and pride is riding on you…and you have a 50% chance of saying Knuckles is a better hunter…oh, who are you kidding, Rouge?" Rouge thought to herself as she landed on a ledge near some powerful wind.

"I have to find this emerald, if it's the last thing I do!" she said before jumping off the platform. She was then forced upward from the powerful wind.

"Whoa!" her eyes widened as she looked down at the wind. "Talk about powerful!" she sweat dropped, before gliding away from it, and pulling herself up onto another ledge.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was on the other side of the cave.

"I have to win this. There's no way I'm going to say she's the better hunter!" Knuckles thought to himself before flexing his muscles. "I have to get that piece before bat girl finds it!" he announced before taking off.

Rouge searched frantically for the emerald piece, gliding into some rocks and crushing them in mid-air. "Where could that emerald piece be?" she said determinedly, scanning the area quickly. She then noticed a small green thing sparkling in the far distance. A wicked smile formed on her lips as she glided toward it. "Bingo."

Knuckles also looked around for it, frantically before noticing the same glimmering object in the distance. "Aha!" he said as he glided toward it.

Rouge reached the emerald, and her eyes shone wickedly as she toothily smiled. A red-shoed foot suddenly blocked her view of the emerald.

"What the-?" Rouge looked up to see who the foot belonged to.

"Knuckles," she said angrily through clenched teeth. "Talk about Déjà vu," she rolled her eyes.

Knuckles smiled down at her, and then she stood up.

"I was here first!" she said angrily, shoving her face into his face.

"So?" Knuckles shoved his face into her face.

"Grrr…it's mine!" they both yelled at each other in unison.

Suddenly…

"Hi, I'm Omochao! I'm here to help," the little wind-up robot smiled as it whizzed past their heads.

Rouge tore her head away from Knuckles, but Knuckles kept a steady glare on her. "Well make yourself useful, and tell me how I can get this emerald piece without this knucklehead interfering!" Rouge spat at the Omochao.

Knuckles grinned before picking up the emerald shard from behind him, and smiling as he gave her a thumb up. "Ha ha! Looks like you're just not quick enough," he said, tucking away the emerald piece.

"Ah!" Rouge gaped at him in disbelief before picking up the Omochao and tossing it toward the overpowering wind. "Thanks for nothing!" she called at it angrily as it slowly disappeared.

Rouge glared at Knuckles. "That stupid thing distracted me…this isn't fair!" she whined.

Knuckles raised his hand. "Ah, ah, ah!" he waved his index finger at her.

Rouge scoffed, and simply looked at him angrily with her eyes slightly narrowed.

"True treasure hunters don't get distracted," Knuckles said. "So…who's the better hunter?"

Rouge glared at him. "I can't believe this," she muttered before sighing, "You," she said quietly.

"What was that?" Knuckles teased. "I don't think everyone could hear you, there."

"You," Rouge said through clenched teeth.

"Hmm?"

"YOU!" Rouge bellowed. "You're the better hunter! HAPPY?!" she exclaimed, before panting.

"Ah. That's more like it," Knuckles said, dusting his hands off in pride.

"You know, it takes an experienced hunter to pull off something like that back there," Knuckles gloated proudly.

"Yeah, yeah," Rouge snapped.

"These years of experience really do pay off," Knuckles added.

"Uh-huh," Rouge said irritably.

"It's only masters like me who can be as swift and quick –"

"I get it!" Rouge shouted in irritability. She threw her hands over her ears. "Enough of this torture!"

Knuckles smirked. "Is that jealousy I hear?"

Rouge took her hands off her ears. "Ooo!" she said angrily, "After I'm through with you, you won't be able to hear anymore!" Rouge raised her fist at him.

Knuckles frowned. "Fighting with you would just be a waste of my time."

Rouge flashed her fangs. "Are you sure you don't want to think twice about that?"

"I'm positive I don't have to think twice about that," Knuckles said, eyes narrowing.

Rouge couldn't stand it anymore, as she dove toward Knuckles and pushed him over the side of the cliff. They both somersaulted down at an incredible speed.

Once they landed, Rouge rolled on top of him, and slammed him into the ground. "Gotcha," she yelled in triumph.

Knuckles smirked before pushing her and him down another cliff.

Rouge landed on top of Knuckles and slammed him into the ground again. "Gotcha again," she smirked.

"…So your not as easy as I thought. So what? I just beat you back there, if you forgot already!" Knuckles frowned, getting up from under her and dusting himself off.

"And I beat you earlier!" Rouge retorted, standing up.

They glared at each other for a few minutes.

"Fine. You've proved yourself to be a good hunter. Not as good as me…but you're not too bad," Knuckles said.

Rouge crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't need you to tell me that," she scowled.

Knuckles rolled his eyes at her comment, before looking incredulously at the strong wind in the middle of the strange boulder world.

The wind started picking up small pieces of everything in its path, and it turned a dark grey colour.

"Hey…that wind wasn't always like that, was it?" Knuckles asked Rouge, keeping his eyes on the wind and not bothering to look at her.

Rouge squinted a little at it. "No…" she said slowly, as it started to turn black. "Definitely not."

Knuckles eyes widened as it slowly started to make its way toward them both. "Is it just me…or is it coming toward us?"

Rouge's eyes also widened. "It's coming toward us!" she yelled.

"All we can do is-" Knuckles started to say, his eyes narrowed in determination.

"-Run!" Rouge finished, sprinting away quickly from the tornado-like wind and grabbing Knuckles' wrist.

Knuckles reluctantly followed *not that he really had a choice, lol*.

"Let's take shelter under that cave over there!" Rouge yelled over the loud whirring of the threatening tornado as it gained on them.

Knuckles just nodded.

They both reached the cave safely, both panting unsteadily.

Rouge put her hand on her chest, and closed her eyes as she panted.

Knuckles leaned back on the wall with his eyes closed as he panted.

"That was –pant- some chase –pant- huh?" Rouge said unsteadily.

Knuckles just gave her a weak smile, before sliding down the wall and landing on the floor of the cave, next to her. His panting continued.

- Satokasu Suki