The Greatest of Hunts
By DreamShadow
Chapter Four: Rain in the Night
Several hours passed in the crystal-decorated cavern, the light now starting to dim from the hour of the day. Rouge was still laying on the ground, propped up against a large crystal to sit almost upright. Knuckles had been sitting nearby on a stone step, watching over her since the Master Emerald's repair was finished. Despite a complaint from Rouge about every ten minutes, Knuckles wouldn't let them continue until he was sure her bleeding had stopped. This overprotection surprised Rouge as well as Knuckles, but in the echidna's case it was equally confusing. It had taken a while to realize that he had taken care of Rouge before the Master Emerald. For the first time in his life something seemed more important to him than his duty, but what made Rouge so important? Maybe if he hadn't lived so secluded for so long he might have a better idea, but that was part of what caused this in the first place...
Knuckles decided not to dwell on it any longer, he had too much to figure out as it was. The Master Emerald was repaired and it seemed like Rouge's injury had stopped bleeding long enough for her to continue without worrying about it reopening. The echidna stood from his spot on the stone step, pulling the backpack carrying the emerald with him as he stood. He swung it over his shoulders quickly, then stepped over to Rouge, catching her attention.
"Ready to go?" He asked simply, extending his still-bare hand to help her up. His voice wasn't as gruff as usual, there was still some concern that made Rouge feel like if she said no he would still let her rest until she said yes. Despite that, she reached up and took his hand, pulling in sequence with him until she was back on her feet. Rouge quickly let go of Knuckles' palm, remembering the last time she let that slip and not wanting to repeat it.
"Yeah, sooner the better..." She said, taking a second to brush the dirt off of her pants. Rouge stood upright from this, though too quickly as a sharp pain ran through her, her injury irritated by the sharp movement, and instinct telling her to bend forward again to relieve the pain. Knuckles caught the action and moved closer to help somehow, just to be waived off by Rouge, who stood upright again, slower this time.
"No way, I'm sick of you jumping every time I flinch." She spat. "Besides, I thought we were in a hurry." In all that happened Knuckles almost forgot they were on a schedule. He looked up at the ceiling and the light coming from all the cracks and holes in the cave ceiling that the forest above made, the light from them was obviously dimmer. It didn't feel late enough in the day, though, still it meant they had to hurry before they had to wander blind.
"Alright, if you're sure you're okay..." He said. With a nod from Rouge to confirm that, Knuckles started off again, walking in the last direction Rouge had indicated, with the white bat following close behind, holding one arm across her midsection, her hand holding the wound.
The trek was getting easier as they went, with the paths smoothening out and connecting tunnels getting easier to find without the aid of Rouge's sonar hearing. Still the light was getting dimmer by the minute and it wouldn't be long before the caves were too dark to navigate. The two were now stepping out of another connecting tunnel when a wave of relief came over Knuckles, they had stepped into the last chamber of the cave, a smaller room with less light but one large boulder lodged in the ceiling where the tunnel was covered like the entrance was. The echidna stepped forward, but quickly heard something odd under his feet, a slight splash accompanied with the feeling of something squishing under his sneaker. He looked down, finding his green and yellow shoe stepping in a thin layer of mud on the floor, part of a layer of mud extending from under the exit.
"Oh no, no..." Knuckles pleaded under his breath. He quickly stepped through the thin layer of mud and over to the large stone in the ceiling, quickly putting both hands on it's bottom. The red echidna let out a grunt as he shoved upward, the rock grinding against the stones around it as it moved, revealing the exit of the long tunnel, and also letting in a downpour of water drops that quickly found Knuckles' head. The echidna grunted again, out of effort and disgust, giving the boulder one last shove as it fell forward, a loud thud erupting from the now-revealed opening.
"I take it you weren't hoping for a storm..." Rouge said, stepping forward for a better look out the hole. Knuckles jumped forward to the rear wall, letting his knuckles dig into the wall, flinching at the effort. He forgot how much that stung without the padding from his gloves. Regardless, he kicked off the wall and upward out of the hole, landing on the edge. He turned and kneeled down over the side, reaching down for Rouge's hand to pull her up. The white bat thought about just repeating the effort Knuckles just made, but with her wound still fresh, she thought better of it. She made a quick leap to grab onto Knuckles' extended hand, letting the echidna pull her up until she could put feet to solid ground.
The two stood and looked around at the scenery. Behind them was the forest, thinner than the other side but still looking too difficult to pass through. In front, however, was completely different. It looked like a vast desert, expanding out in every direction, but unlike most, this one was littered with ruins of ancient buildings and technology long since abandoned. And it spanned different heights, unlike a typical flat desert there were cliffs, tall hills, even drop points that lead into underground ruins. It almost looked surreal.
"This is Sandopolis..." Knuckles explained. "I wanted to reach this place just as it got dark so it wouldn't be so hot, we could take our time and finish in the morning. But by morning the rain will evaporate and make this place too humid to tolerate." Rouge looked down at her feet and noticed they were on a rock surface just at the edge of the sand. Even in the dark she could see how soaked the sand was and realized how fast a desert heat would evaporate it.
"Well you know this place, can we cross in one night?" She asked, hoping for a positive answer. Knuckles looked around, recalling all the different paths and directions this area had, then turned his head to look at her.
"If you weren't hurt, I'd be sure we could, but..." He started. Knuckles was about to continue when Rouge's hand came up over his mouth, stopping him.
"Yeah, like I'm going to let you baby me more?" She said with a smirk. "I'll be fine, just lead the way, Knucklehead." Knuckles' eyes narrowed at the quick jab to his ego. Still, it was small price to pay if it was as harsh as she was going to get, he couldn't help but notice her claws had been pulled in, as it were. Maybe it was her form of gratitude for bandaging her injury and showing concern. He left it at that, turning and starting across the desert over the stone pathways in the sand. Rouge was quick to follow, though her pace was slow from the stinging wound on her side.
**********
Hours passed as the two walked, neither saying much for their own reasons. For Knuckles, he was discovering that while trying to find one answer to his many questions, he only came up with harder questions. It was starting to strain his mind going through it all, but he had little choice, at this rate if he didn't figure it all out he would be buried in it. For Rouge, she was coming to grips with her new realization. Was she really in love with Knuckles? She admitted to herself that after he saved her life, she did have an attraction, but passed it off as a crush or strong friendship. After watching the concern he had for her, though, Rouge couldn't deny this new feeling.
Their trip wasn't getting any easier, either. The downpour had gotten worse, drenching the sand around them as well as the stone pathways they were still taking. Rouge was walking behind Knuckles, her wings folded over her head like a makeshift umbrella, while Knuckles didn't seem to be bothered by the rain pelting him. The white bat glanced around as they walked, taking note of entrances to the lower areas and through the various pyramids and structures.
"You're sure there isn't a dryer path we could take?" She asked for at least the fourth time, not enjoying this drenching. The echidna in front of her just shook his head, lightly tossing water off his dreadlocks as he did so.
"Trust me, none of those paths are worth taking just to be dry." He stated. "Some of those structures are giant mazes, we'd be in there for days. When going around would take minutes, you think that's a good trade-off?" That was the fourth time Knuckles gave the response, though Rouge noted he was making it seem longer every time... She sighed as she realized there wasn't any way out of the rain, pushing onward.
Their silent walk stretched on for hours, from mid day into mid night, the stone paths and field of sand and ruins seeming to be endless, as did the storm clouds overhead which continued to soak the two travelers. Their path was now taking them along side a large stone pyramid with many of it's massive stones missing, either destroyed or worn away from time. Knuckles glanced ahead at the wall that the path was against, noticing one of those missing blocks left a large alcove at ground level.
"Good, we can get out of the rain for a while..." He said, making his way over. Rouge was quick to follow under the hole in the pyramid, glad to get out of the rain. The alcove was easily tall and wide enough for the both of them, even deep enough to lay down if they wanted. Rouge's wings came down, wrapping around her arms and front side to warm up faster. Knuckles shrugged his shoulders, tossing the backpack straps from them, moving it down to the ground. From how much heavier it got with the rain water soaked in, he was glad to be rid of it.
"Couldn't your ancestors pick an easier island to navigate to launch into the sky?" Rouge asked, turning to look at Knuckles. He was in the middle of ringing water out of his dreadlocks, taking them in both hands one at a time.
"I think that was the idea, it makes it hard to get to the emerald's hideaway." He said. "It's not much farther, though, soon as we dry off a bit we can finish the trip through here and find a place to sleep, we'll be there before midday." Rouge was relieved to hear that, this leg of the trip wasn't as hard as it was tedious, the desert seemed so massive that it was just a relief to know it had an end.
"How do you stand this, anyway?" She said, turning to look at him. "Days of walking through forests, in underground caves, passed a desert, just to drop off your pet rock?" Knuckles was hoping that question was answered when they started this trip on the Floating Island, he knew he'd only get on her bad side if he kept his secrets much longer. Until now he got away with just telling her it was from distractions, how was he supposed to say it was her distracting him?
"I told you, I just need a break from it, just until a few distractions pass by." He explained. Rouge's eyes narrowed, growing frustrated by the constant dodging he did in his explanations.
"You can't use that dodgy language forever..." She said. "You live on a small flying island, what do you possibly have to be distracted by? Unless Eggman moved in next door to you, I don't buy it. I would hope by now you trusted me enough to tell me what this big problem is." Knuckles shook his head to shoot down that idea, trying not to let this degenerate into another argument.
"It's not that I don't trust you, some things I just prefer to keep to myself." Knuckles said. "My life's not easy, Rouge, I've explained part of it already, remember?" He was hoping it could end there, he explained the Master Emerald was as much a curse as a duty, that should be enough. He would find no such luck as Rouge only grew more angry.
"Yeah, right, you've got the easiest life any guardian of anything could ask for." Rouge said. "Small island, one rock in the middle to watch, you can see anything coming in every direction, and besides that how could you be so stressed with scenery that good?" Knuckles was trying his hardest not to let his temper get the better of him, though he couldn't help but be somewhat agitated.
"Look who's taking about an easy life." He responded. "You work for a president, get paid in jewels, your life is the definition of easy." Something about those words struck a nerve with Rouge, making it worse by her already flared temper. She opened her wings violently, splashing the remaining water on them against Knuckles.
"Don't you dare assume you know what my life is like!" Rouge shouted. The outburst surprised them both, Rouge immediately regretting the outburst. She lowered her head slightly, turning her glance down from Knuckles. "You don't know what it's like..." She continued, her voice calm now, almost sad. "Look at your own life, you tell anyone what you do and you get the same reaction. You protect a powerful gem from falling into corrupt hands, sacrifice any kind of life you could have so a madman doesn't decimate a city while it sleeps. Not one person could judge you any differently for something so selfless, nobody would doubt you were a hero." Knuckles listened carefully as Rouge spoke, if not for the understanding of it than just to know Rouge better, he had never heard the white bat speak of her own life.
"My life... No, my life doesn't go like that." She continued. "I do what I do because it's how I survive, it's what I do best. I don't have a choice but to live like this. If someone knows that, it's always the same, I'm just a petty thief or spy or whatever job I'm on that day... I try to justify it, I tell myself I'm a treasure hunter, even I know that's a lie, though." She returned her eyes upward, looking at Knuckles. "Working for a president doesn't justify it, either. When I get put on a job it's not because of my qualifications, it's not my skill, he could have anyone trained to do what I do. It's because he knows I'm a thief, I willingly commit crime to survive, better me than let any of his yes-men get their hands dirty..." Rouge turned her head away, trying to find the words to continue, but it was so hard, she never told anyone about this, how she felt about how she had to live. As it was she was amazed she got this much out.
Before she could find the words her concentration was broken as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, Knuckles's hand. Rouge turned her head back to look at him, his eyes filled with an odd look, as if he actually understood.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." He said, his voice in a rare gentle tone. "You're right, I can't really understand what it's like... but if it makes you feel better, you're not a thief to me, not in my eyes." Knuckles wasn't sure how this even sounded, he wasn't good at comforting anyone. As for Rouge, she was finding it hard to believe Knuckles was even making the attempt, it was enough for her. It was odd, he couldn't understand, he admitted that... but she felt better just knowing he tries to. And if only for that brief moment, the same feeling she had when she first found an attraction to the red echidna had returned, it was those brief moments he dropped the tough exterior that made her remember it.
"...let's get some rest." Knuckles said, realizing the moment was getting awkward, taking his hand from her shoulder. "It's not much farther and the alcove will keep us dry for the night." Rouge nodded in response, still a little in disbelief at what just took place. In such a brief time the two shared a lot, in knowledge and emotion, with both of them feeling like they needed a night's rest to take it all in.
**********
A couple hours passed before Rouge was awakened by a vibration in her back pocket, an alarm built into her cell phone when it was time for a report. Rouge awoke from her sleep, slowly opening her eyes and glancing about, careful not to move more than her gaze. Across the alcove was Knuckles, sleeping on his side, facing inward. He looked like he was in a deep enough sleep, anyone that could sleep on solid stone without so much as a pillow should sleep through one phone call.
Rouge slowly stood up, lightly stepping out of their resting spot, a task aided with her boots being off. The rain had become a light drizzle, just occasional drops still falling, much to Rouge's relief. Even if the morning was going to be blazing hot, at least it would be dry. She stepped away carefully, careful not to make a sound, getting a good distance down the stone path where she could report in without Knuckles hearing the call. Once she was satisfied with the distance Rouge removed the phone from her back pocket, opening it as she brought it around, looking down at it.
As she looked at it, though, all the feelings Rouge was trying to figure out through the day rushed back at once. Fear of going against her orders, love for the echidna behind her, but most of all, the confusion that was without end. She couldn't turn back on this assignment, not after the threats against her if she didn't go through with it. What good would Knuckles's trust be if she was in jail? But at the same time she didn't want to hurt Knuckles, she was just figuring out it wasn't his trust she was scared of losing, it was Knuckles himself. Her free hand found the wound on her side and the bandages over it, made from Knuckles's gloves, remembering all the events of the day between the two. She just wanted this over with, move on to a point where she didn't have to lie to Knuckles anymore or go behind his back just to follow orders. Rouge closed the cell phone up again, too confused to know what to do or even be able to fake a report. This whole situation was nothing but slow mental torture, like some medieval rack stretching her in two directions and either one might finish her.
Her attention was broken as the phone began ringing, her employers apparently getting impatient for a report. Rouge quickly clasped the cell phone between her hands, silencing the noise in case it was loud enough to wake up Knuckles. She glanced over from where she stood, looking back at the alcove, sighing in relief when she didn't see Knuckles or hear him stir. She returned her glance to her hands, waiting for the phone to stop ringing. Rouge was too torn between her job and her desires right now to have to talk to them, she couldn't explain it to them and she wasn't in any shape to make up a story right now. The ringing lasted a good minute before the phone went silent again, letting Rouge loosen her grip. They'd hopefully think she was in a spot that prevented her from answering that didn't require a search and rescue operation. She would have to check in tomorrow to prevent that from happening.
Rouge put the cell phone away, hoping her superiors wouldn't give it a second attempt. She turned back, taking a few steps back to the large alcove Knuckles was resting in. The white bat softened her footsteps as she approached, looking around the corner into the open room to be careful not to wake the echidna up. She stopped when she noticed Knuckles tossing and mumbling, for a second thinking she was waking him up. Rouge waited a moment before recognizing this, Knuckles tossed the same way last night, just before she went to make her phone call, and just a moment before he screamed as he woke up. His back was to her, but just from the way his body twitched it was obvious how bad it bothered him. Just watching him made Rouge upset, all he did for her, the concern he was showing, and she didn't know how to even help him sleep through the night.
Rouge thought it over a moment before deciding all she could do was comfort him, he had been alone so much of his life maybe it was all he needed. She stepped over carefully, keeping her footsteps quiet, walking to where she had put her gloves and boots on the ground like a pillow. Rouge bent down on one knee, picking up the stack of leather clothes, standing up and stepping over to Knuckles. His back was still turned to her, though his twitches had gotten worse. As softly as she could Rouge kneeled down again and laid the pile of clothing near Knuckles' head, growing nervous. She didn't want Knuckles to wake up and get the wrong idea about this.
Rouge gently reached out and set her hand on Knuckles' waist, testing the waters at it were, to see if it would wake him. He seemed too deep in sleep or too occupied with this nightmare of his, he didn't even jump. The white bat laid down on her side, resting her head on the makeshift pillow, hand still on Knuckles' waist. There was a nervous chill in her spine, surprising her since she never got nervous. This was just so unlike her it was bizarre to know she was doing it by choice... But she had to do something. She laid only an inch or two from him, moving her arm across his midsection to drape over his waist in a light embrace. With one wing tucked in, she stretched out the other, moving it over Knuckles' like a small blanket over his side. It was as much as she could do without risking waking him up. She watched his movements for a while, wondering if it was working or not, but not able to tell. A few minutes passed before she dozed off herself, laying so close to Knuckles giving her a sense of comfort she never got in her life, it made it so easy to relax she couldn't help herself.
**********
Knuckles found himself back on the platform above the magma pool, again watching Rouge step toward him. He wanted so badly for it to just end here, before it happened all over again, just when he was getting some bearings on things. It didn't happen. Knuckles watched Rouge's heel slip, her leg buckling, and her tumble off the platform. He felt like screaming but he couldn't make the noise out, he couldn't control anything, just watch. He again made his best effort to move fast enough to reach her, save her from falling. All he could do was watch and listen, her own screams drowning out, his own heart racing, beating like it would burst.
Something was off this time, though... When the dream got to it's worst, something changed. Knuckles could hear a second heartbeat, fainter than his own, slower, more calm. Something about it pierced through Knuckles' heart, making him feel a warmth he never felt before. His own heartbeat stopped it's frantic pace, slowing down as he calmed, falling into rhythm with this second heart. Somehow it just gave him a feeling of comfort, like nothing was wrong.
Wrapped up in this new sensation, Knuckles barely realized his hand was now gripping Rouge's, both dangling over the side of the platform. Rouge's fall was stopped, the nightmare ended, and Knuckles' fears disappeared.
End Chapter 4
Next: Chapter 5 - Greater Heights
By DreamShadow
Chapter Four: Rain in the Night
Several hours passed in the crystal-decorated cavern, the light now starting to dim from the hour of the day. Rouge was still laying on the ground, propped up against a large crystal to sit almost upright. Knuckles had been sitting nearby on a stone step, watching over her since the Master Emerald's repair was finished. Despite a complaint from Rouge about every ten minutes, Knuckles wouldn't let them continue until he was sure her bleeding had stopped. This overprotection surprised Rouge as well as Knuckles, but in the echidna's case it was equally confusing. It had taken a while to realize that he had taken care of Rouge before the Master Emerald. For the first time in his life something seemed more important to him than his duty, but what made Rouge so important? Maybe if he hadn't lived so secluded for so long he might have a better idea, but that was part of what caused this in the first place...
Knuckles decided not to dwell on it any longer, he had too much to figure out as it was. The Master Emerald was repaired and it seemed like Rouge's injury had stopped bleeding long enough for her to continue without worrying about it reopening. The echidna stood from his spot on the stone step, pulling the backpack carrying the emerald with him as he stood. He swung it over his shoulders quickly, then stepped over to Rouge, catching her attention.
"Ready to go?" He asked simply, extending his still-bare hand to help her up. His voice wasn't as gruff as usual, there was still some concern that made Rouge feel like if she said no he would still let her rest until she said yes. Despite that, she reached up and took his hand, pulling in sequence with him until she was back on her feet. Rouge quickly let go of Knuckles' palm, remembering the last time she let that slip and not wanting to repeat it.
"Yeah, sooner the better..." She said, taking a second to brush the dirt off of her pants. Rouge stood upright from this, though too quickly as a sharp pain ran through her, her injury irritated by the sharp movement, and instinct telling her to bend forward again to relieve the pain. Knuckles caught the action and moved closer to help somehow, just to be waived off by Rouge, who stood upright again, slower this time.
"No way, I'm sick of you jumping every time I flinch." She spat. "Besides, I thought we were in a hurry." In all that happened Knuckles almost forgot they were on a schedule. He looked up at the ceiling and the light coming from all the cracks and holes in the cave ceiling that the forest above made, the light from them was obviously dimmer. It didn't feel late enough in the day, though, still it meant they had to hurry before they had to wander blind.
"Alright, if you're sure you're okay..." He said. With a nod from Rouge to confirm that, Knuckles started off again, walking in the last direction Rouge had indicated, with the white bat following close behind, holding one arm across her midsection, her hand holding the wound.
The trek was getting easier as they went, with the paths smoothening out and connecting tunnels getting easier to find without the aid of Rouge's sonar hearing. Still the light was getting dimmer by the minute and it wouldn't be long before the caves were too dark to navigate. The two were now stepping out of another connecting tunnel when a wave of relief came over Knuckles, they had stepped into the last chamber of the cave, a smaller room with less light but one large boulder lodged in the ceiling where the tunnel was covered like the entrance was. The echidna stepped forward, but quickly heard something odd under his feet, a slight splash accompanied with the feeling of something squishing under his sneaker. He looked down, finding his green and yellow shoe stepping in a thin layer of mud on the floor, part of a layer of mud extending from under the exit.
"Oh no, no..." Knuckles pleaded under his breath. He quickly stepped through the thin layer of mud and over to the large stone in the ceiling, quickly putting both hands on it's bottom. The red echidna let out a grunt as he shoved upward, the rock grinding against the stones around it as it moved, revealing the exit of the long tunnel, and also letting in a downpour of water drops that quickly found Knuckles' head. The echidna grunted again, out of effort and disgust, giving the boulder one last shove as it fell forward, a loud thud erupting from the now-revealed opening.
"I take it you weren't hoping for a storm..." Rouge said, stepping forward for a better look out the hole. Knuckles jumped forward to the rear wall, letting his knuckles dig into the wall, flinching at the effort. He forgot how much that stung without the padding from his gloves. Regardless, he kicked off the wall and upward out of the hole, landing on the edge. He turned and kneeled down over the side, reaching down for Rouge's hand to pull her up. The white bat thought about just repeating the effort Knuckles just made, but with her wound still fresh, she thought better of it. She made a quick leap to grab onto Knuckles' extended hand, letting the echidna pull her up until she could put feet to solid ground.
The two stood and looked around at the scenery. Behind them was the forest, thinner than the other side but still looking too difficult to pass through. In front, however, was completely different. It looked like a vast desert, expanding out in every direction, but unlike most, this one was littered with ruins of ancient buildings and technology long since abandoned. And it spanned different heights, unlike a typical flat desert there were cliffs, tall hills, even drop points that lead into underground ruins. It almost looked surreal.
"This is Sandopolis..." Knuckles explained. "I wanted to reach this place just as it got dark so it wouldn't be so hot, we could take our time and finish in the morning. But by morning the rain will evaporate and make this place too humid to tolerate." Rouge looked down at her feet and noticed they were on a rock surface just at the edge of the sand. Even in the dark she could see how soaked the sand was and realized how fast a desert heat would evaporate it.
"Well you know this place, can we cross in one night?" She asked, hoping for a positive answer. Knuckles looked around, recalling all the different paths and directions this area had, then turned his head to look at her.
"If you weren't hurt, I'd be sure we could, but..." He started. Knuckles was about to continue when Rouge's hand came up over his mouth, stopping him.
"Yeah, like I'm going to let you baby me more?" She said with a smirk. "I'll be fine, just lead the way, Knucklehead." Knuckles' eyes narrowed at the quick jab to his ego. Still, it was small price to pay if it was as harsh as she was going to get, he couldn't help but notice her claws had been pulled in, as it were. Maybe it was her form of gratitude for bandaging her injury and showing concern. He left it at that, turning and starting across the desert over the stone pathways in the sand. Rouge was quick to follow, though her pace was slow from the stinging wound on her side.
**********
Hours passed as the two walked, neither saying much for their own reasons. For Knuckles, he was discovering that while trying to find one answer to his many questions, he only came up with harder questions. It was starting to strain his mind going through it all, but he had little choice, at this rate if he didn't figure it all out he would be buried in it. For Rouge, she was coming to grips with her new realization. Was she really in love with Knuckles? She admitted to herself that after he saved her life, she did have an attraction, but passed it off as a crush or strong friendship. After watching the concern he had for her, though, Rouge couldn't deny this new feeling.
Their trip wasn't getting any easier, either. The downpour had gotten worse, drenching the sand around them as well as the stone pathways they were still taking. Rouge was walking behind Knuckles, her wings folded over her head like a makeshift umbrella, while Knuckles didn't seem to be bothered by the rain pelting him. The white bat glanced around as they walked, taking note of entrances to the lower areas and through the various pyramids and structures.
"You're sure there isn't a dryer path we could take?" She asked for at least the fourth time, not enjoying this drenching. The echidna in front of her just shook his head, lightly tossing water off his dreadlocks as he did so.
"Trust me, none of those paths are worth taking just to be dry." He stated. "Some of those structures are giant mazes, we'd be in there for days. When going around would take minutes, you think that's a good trade-off?" That was the fourth time Knuckles gave the response, though Rouge noted he was making it seem longer every time... She sighed as she realized there wasn't any way out of the rain, pushing onward.
Their silent walk stretched on for hours, from mid day into mid night, the stone paths and field of sand and ruins seeming to be endless, as did the storm clouds overhead which continued to soak the two travelers. Their path was now taking them along side a large stone pyramid with many of it's massive stones missing, either destroyed or worn away from time. Knuckles glanced ahead at the wall that the path was against, noticing one of those missing blocks left a large alcove at ground level.
"Good, we can get out of the rain for a while..." He said, making his way over. Rouge was quick to follow under the hole in the pyramid, glad to get out of the rain. The alcove was easily tall and wide enough for the both of them, even deep enough to lay down if they wanted. Rouge's wings came down, wrapping around her arms and front side to warm up faster. Knuckles shrugged his shoulders, tossing the backpack straps from them, moving it down to the ground. From how much heavier it got with the rain water soaked in, he was glad to be rid of it.
"Couldn't your ancestors pick an easier island to navigate to launch into the sky?" Rouge asked, turning to look at Knuckles. He was in the middle of ringing water out of his dreadlocks, taking them in both hands one at a time.
"I think that was the idea, it makes it hard to get to the emerald's hideaway." He said. "It's not much farther, though, soon as we dry off a bit we can finish the trip through here and find a place to sleep, we'll be there before midday." Rouge was relieved to hear that, this leg of the trip wasn't as hard as it was tedious, the desert seemed so massive that it was just a relief to know it had an end.
"How do you stand this, anyway?" She said, turning to look at him. "Days of walking through forests, in underground caves, passed a desert, just to drop off your pet rock?" Knuckles was hoping that question was answered when they started this trip on the Floating Island, he knew he'd only get on her bad side if he kept his secrets much longer. Until now he got away with just telling her it was from distractions, how was he supposed to say it was her distracting him?
"I told you, I just need a break from it, just until a few distractions pass by." He explained. Rouge's eyes narrowed, growing frustrated by the constant dodging he did in his explanations.
"You can't use that dodgy language forever..." She said. "You live on a small flying island, what do you possibly have to be distracted by? Unless Eggman moved in next door to you, I don't buy it. I would hope by now you trusted me enough to tell me what this big problem is." Knuckles shook his head to shoot down that idea, trying not to let this degenerate into another argument.
"It's not that I don't trust you, some things I just prefer to keep to myself." Knuckles said. "My life's not easy, Rouge, I've explained part of it already, remember?" He was hoping it could end there, he explained the Master Emerald was as much a curse as a duty, that should be enough. He would find no such luck as Rouge only grew more angry.
"Yeah, right, you've got the easiest life any guardian of anything could ask for." Rouge said. "Small island, one rock in the middle to watch, you can see anything coming in every direction, and besides that how could you be so stressed with scenery that good?" Knuckles was trying his hardest not to let his temper get the better of him, though he couldn't help but be somewhat agitated.
"Look who's taking about an easy life." He responded. "You work for a president, get paid in jewels, your life is the definition of easy." Something about those words struck a nerve with Rouge, making it worse by her already flared temper. She opened her wings violently, splashing the remaining water on them against Knuckles.
"Don't you dare assume you know what my life is like!" Rouge shouted. The outburst surprised them both, Rouge immediately regretting the outburst. She lowered her head slightly, turning her glance down from Knuckles. "You don't know what it's like..." She continued, her voice calm now, almost sad. "Look at your own life, you tell anyone what you do and you get the same reaction. You protect a powerful gem from falling into corrupt hands, sacrifice any kind of life you could have so a madman doesn't decimate a city while it sleeps. Not one person could judge you any differently for something so selfless, nobody would doubt you were a hero." Knuckles listened carefully as Rouge spoke, if not for the understanding of it than just to know Rouge better, he had never heard the white bat speak of her own life.
"My life... No, my life doesn't go like that." She continued. "I do what I do because it's how I survive, it's what I do best. I don't have a choice but to live like this. If someone knows that, it's always the same, I'm just a petty thief or spy or whatever job I'm on that day... I try to justify it, I tell myself I'm a treasure hunter, even I know that's a lie, though." She returned her eyes upward, looking at Knuckles. "Working for a president doesn't justify it, either. When I get put on a job it's not because of my qualifications, it's not my skill, he could have anyone trained to do what I do. It's because he knows I'm a thief, I willingly commit crime to survive, better me than let any of his yes-men get their hands dirty..." Rouge turned her head away, trying to find the words to continue, but it was so hard, she never told anyone about this, how she felt about how she had to live. As it was she was amazed she got this much out.
Before she could find the words her concentration was broken as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder, Knuckles's hand. Rouge turned her head back to look at him, his eyes filled with an odd look, as if he actually understood.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know..." He said, his voice in a rare gentle tone. "You're right, I can't really understand what it's like... but if it makes you feel better, you're not a thief to me, not in my eyes." Knuckles wasn't sure how this even sounded, he wasn't good at comforting anyone. As for Rouge, she was finding it hard to believe Knuckles was even making the attempt, it was enough for her. It was odd, he couldn't understand, he admitted that... but she felt better just knowing he tries to. And if only for that brief moment, the same feeling she had when she first found an attraction to the red echidna had returned, it was those brief moments he dropped the tough exterior that made her remember it.
"...let's get some rest." Knuckles said, realizing the moment was getting awkward, taking his hand from her shoulder. "It's not much farther and the alcove will keep us dry for the night." Rouge nodded in response, still a little in disbelief at what just took place. In such a brief time the two shared a lot, in knowledge and emotion, with both of them feeling like they needed a night's rest to take it all in.
**********
A couple hours passed before Rouge was awakened by a vibration in her back pocket, an alarm built into her cell phone when it was time for a report. Rouge awoke from her sleep, slowly opening her eyes and glancing about, careful not to move more than her gaze. Across the alcove was Knuckles, sleeping on his side, facing inward. He looked like he was in a deep enough sleep, anyone that could sleep on solid stone without so much as a pillow should sleep through one phone call.
Rouge slowly stood up, lightly stepping out of their resting spot, a task aided with her boots being off. The rain had become a light drizzle, just occasional drops still falling, much to Rouge's relief. Even if the morning was going to be blazing hot, at least it would be dry. She stepped away carefully, careful not to make a sound, getting a good distance down the stone path where she could report in without Knuckles hearing the call. Once she was satisfied with the distance Rouge removed the phone from her back pocket, opening it as she brought it around, looking down at it.
As she looked at it, though, all the feelings Rouge was trying to figure out through the day rushed back at once. Fear of going against her orders, love for the echidna behind her, but most of all, the confusion that was without end. She couldn't turn back on this assignment, not after the threats against her if she didn't go through with it. What good would Knuckles's trust be if she was in jail? But at the same time she didn't want to hurt Knuckles, she was just figuring out it wasn't his trust she was scared of losing, it was Knuckles himself. Her free hand found the wound on her side and the bandages over it, made from Knuckles's gloves, remembering all the events of the day between the two. She just wanted this over with, move on to a point where she didn't have to lie to Knuckles anymore or go behind his back just to follow orders. Rouge closed the cell phone up again, too confused to know what to do or even be able to fake a report. This whole situation was nothing but slow mental torture, like some medieval rack stretching her in two directions and either one might finish her.
Her attention was broken as the phone began ringing, her employers apparently getting impatient for a report. Rouge quickly clasped the cell phone between her hands, silencing the noise in case it was loud enough to wake up Knuckles. She glanced over from where she stood, looking back at the alcove, sighing in relief when she didn't see Knuckles or hear him stir. She returned her glance to her hands, waiting for the phone to stop ringing. Rouge was too torn between her job and her desires right now to have to talk to them, she couldn't explain it to them and she wasn't in any shape to make up a story right now. The ringing lasted a good minute before the phone went silent again, letting Rouge loosen her grip. They'd hopefully think she was in a spot that prevented her from answering that didn't require a search and rescue operation. She would have to check in tomorrow to prevent that from happening.
Rouge put the cell phone away, hoping her superiors wouldn't give it a second attempt. She turned back, taking a few steps back to the large alcove Knuckles was resting in. The white bat softened her footsteps as she approached, looking around the corner into the open room to be careful not to wake the echidna up. She stopped when she noticed Knuckles tossing and mumbling, for a second thinking she was waking him up. Rouge waited a moment before recognizing this, Knuckles tossed the same way last night, just before she went to make her phone call, and just a moment before he screamed as he woke up. His back was to her, but just from the way his body twitched it was obvious how bad it bothered him. Just watching him made Rouge upset, all he did for her, the concern he was showing, and she didn't know how to even help him sleep through the night.
Rouge thought it over a moment before deciding all she could do was comfort him, he had been alone so much of his life maybe it was all he needed. She stepped over carefully, keeping her footsteps quiet, walking to where she had put her gloves and boots on the ground like a pillow. Rouge bent down on one knee, picking up the stack of leather clothes, standing up and stepping over to Knuckles. His back was still turned to her, though his twitches had gotten worse. As softly as she could Rouge kneeled down again and laid the pile of clothing near Knuckles' head, growing nervous. She didn't want Knuckles to wake up and get the wrong idea about this.
Rouge gently reached out and set her hand on Knuckles' waist, testing the waters at it were, to see if it would wake him. He seemed too deep in sleep or too occupied with this nightmare of his, he didn't even jump. The white bat laid down on her side, resting her head on the makeshift pillow, hand still on Knuckles' waist. There was a nervous chill in her spine, surprising her since she never got nervous. This was just so unlike her it was bizarre to know she was doing it by choice... But she had to do something. She laid only an inch or two from him, moving her arm across his midsection to drape over his waist in a light embrace. With one wing tucked in, she stretched out the other, moving it over Knuckles' like a small blanket over his side. It was as much as she could do without risking waking him up. She watched his movements for a while, wondering if it was working or not, but not able to tell. A few minutes passed before she dozed off herself, laying so close to Knuckles giving her a sense of comfort she never got in her life, it made it so easy to relax she couldn't help herself.
**********
Knuckles found himself back on the platform above the magma pool, again watching Rouge step toward him. He wanted so badly for it to just end here, before it happened all over again, just when he was getting some bearings on things. It didn't happen. Knuckles watched Rouge's heel slip, her leg buckling, and her tumble off the platform. He felt like screaming but he couldn't make the noise out, he couldn't control anything, just watch. He again made his best effort to move fast enough to reach her, save her from falling. All he could do was watch and listen, her own screams drowning out, his own heart racing, beating like it would burst.
Something was off this time, though... When the dream got to it's worst, something changed. Knuckles could hear a second heartbeat, fainter than his own, slower, more calm. Something about it pierced through Knuckles' heart, making him feel a warmth he never felt before. His own heartbeat stopped it's frantic pace, slowing down as he calmed, falling into rhythm with this second heart. Somehow it just gave him a feeling of comfort, like nothing was wrong.
Wrapped up in this new sensation, Knuckles barely realized his hand was now gripping Rouge's, both dangling over the side of the platform. Rouge's fall was stopped, the nightmare ended, and Knuckles' fears disappeared.
End Chapter 4
Next: Chapter 5 - Greater Heights