Disclaimer: I unfortunately don't own any of the characters used in this story except E-100 Alpha.
I just finished thinking up the majority of this chapter, so I decided to write it out now before I forgot anything important. This chapter will introduce some new characters into the mix along with some more important parts, and hopefully some more action as well. I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter.
Chapter 8
Rouge was quite shocked at the fact that she had absolutely no idea where she was, or how her injuries had been bandaged up without her knowing. She would have been scared, if the bed she was lying in hadn't been so comfortable. She tried to remain as calm as possible, as she laid her head back onto her pillow until she heard the bedroom door open and saw the red figure she had seen in the forest. When she saw who it was, she was both confused and relieved to see that he was carrying a tray of what appeared to be some toast and tea.
"Oh, you're up are you? That's a relief. You were in pretty bad shape when I found you in the forest. I'm glad to see you're alright. You've been asleep here for about two days now." the red figure said.
"Two days? I must have been tired. Not that I'm ungrateful for your assistance or anything, but I'm just curious, who are you?" Rouge asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"Oh, you might not know me, but I know who you are. My name is Mighty the Armadillo. You might not know me directly, but my friends know you." he said as he placed the tray of toast and tea on a nearby nightstand to Rouge's bed.
"Your "friends"?" Rouge asked with an even more confused expression. "So, are they fans just looking for an autograph, or is there a secret admirer in the bunch?" Rouge asked slyly.
"I see you haven't changed much since our last encounter." said a voice nearby the door that caused Mighty and Rouge to turn their heads.
"Oh come on, she isn't as bad you made her out to be and you know it." Mighty said as he recognized the voice.
Rouge was still confused at who Mighty was referring to since she saw nothing where Mighty was staring at, until a small trace of purple appeared. The feint purple spot manifested until a shape of a familiar figure was formed. The purple figure was wearing his favorite dark black jacket which he used to practice his training in the martial arts.
"Oh, I know you. You're one of the guys that was trying to get your hands on my secret treasure that Eggman stashed away." Rouge said confidently. "What was your name again, Mario of Team Chaotic?"
"It's Espio of Team Chaotix! After all the trouble you and your friends caused us in our mission, you could at least remember our names correctly!" the young chameleon shouted.
"Calm down Espio." Mighty said in a reasonable tone. "Remember, she's still recovering from a near death experience, so there's no reason to bite the poor girl's head off."
"You're right Mighty. After all, a true ninja never lets his emotions cloud his judgment. Otherwise, he won't become one with the spirits that empower him to his full potential." Espio replied calmly.
"Uh......right." Rouge said with a baffled look on her face.
"Don't worry Miss, he always talks like that. It's sort of weird at first, but after awhile you get use to it." Mighty said as reached for a piece of toast. "I'm sorry for the less than adequate breakfast, but the detective agency hasn't been very successful lately in getting a lot of work."
"Oh, that's alright." Rouge said as she reached for some tea. "And by the way, my name's Rouge, not Miss, so you don't have to be so formal, okay."
"You can blame the lack of work on our "great" leader" Espio said sarcastically. "I swear, sometimes that guy's greed is just unbelievable. It even makes Eggman look generous at times. I should have expected as much from a guy whose policy is "We take any work that pays." I mean come on, have some self-respect."
"Oh come on, Espio. Vector's doing the best he can. And he's not THAT greedy." Mighty said as he heard footsteps by the door.
Just then, Vector had come up the stairs with Charmy flying beside him causing massive amounts of noise as they raced up the stairs. The combination of heavy walking and buzzing noises made Rouge glad she had awoke before they had come barging by and disturbing her much needed rest.
"Hey Charmy, I'll bet you ten dollars that I can get down the hall faster than you." Vector shouted out loud.
"You're on Vector!" Charmy replied confidently.
The two raced down the upstairs hall, until Charmy noticed that the other members of the Chaotix along with Rouge were talking in the upstairs room causing him to stop suddenly in midair.
"Hey Vector, the bat lady's awake!" Charmy shouted as Vector slipped and crashed into a nearby wall. "That's awesome!"
"Hey, don't think that gets you out of paying me my money kid!" Vector said triumphantly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry pal, but we didn't shake on it, so technically the bet doesn't count. Ha ha." Charmy said as he flashed an insolent smile causing Vector to grit his teeth in embarrassment.
"Oh yes, Mighty. He's definitely not THAT greedy." Espio said even more sarcastically than before. "He's even GREEDIER."
"Hey, I like this kid." Rouge said. "He knows how to use loopholes to get himself out of a sticky situation almost as well as me."
"Well, looks like the bat broad finally came to." Vector said arrogantly causing Rouge to shoot him a cold look.
"What? Oh.....sorry." Vector said. "What I meant to say is "It looks like the bat DAME finally came to." This statement resulted in Rouge shooting a colder look than before.
"Yeah, this is the great detective that leads us." Espio said superficially as he shook his head back and forth in shame. "He couldn't even figure out the mystery of why the unplugged television wouldn't work without calling the repairman."
"Hey, you think could do better Espio, I'd like to see you try!" Vector said.
"Um....so on another note, Mighty." Rouge said trying to change the subject. "Why didn't I see you with the other guys if you're part of Team Chaotix?"
"Well it's a very interesting story actually. It was my turn to take out the trash and when I came back in, everyone was gone. I waited and saw everyone of you guys on the television a few days later." Mighty replied. "No wait, I take it back, that isn't actually that interesting of a story now that I think of it. Sorry about that."
"So you were left behind?" Rouge said sympathetically.
"Yeah, but it's okay. Everything worked out didn't it?" Mighty said in a somewhat hurt tone. "Now, I'M curious. What were you doing in the forest when I found you. I didn't get to ask the big cat before he left for help." Rouge then explained her story to the Chaotix.
"Wow, that's terrible." Mighty said. "I didn't think Knuckles at his worst would EVER say something like that. Then you were attacked by that robot in the rain and came down with a fever that was almost life-threatening. I hope your okay now."
"Yeah, don't let it get you down bat-girl." Vector said. " Knuckles isn't the smartest guy in the world. I've known him a long time and he's always doing something stupid. It's not your fault, it's just the way he is."
"It isn't that he doesn't care for you." Espio continued. "It's just that he's not brave enough to actually admit that he cares for you. That's why he responded the way he did. It wasn't out of hatred, but out of fear."
"Yeah. He really likes you." Charmy finished. "When I met Knuckles for the first time, all he would do is frown, but after he met you, he would occasionally smile, so you must be the reason for his newfound happiness."
Just then, the Chaotix heard some footsteps downstairs and immediately all raced down to see who it was. When they arrived, the Chaotix, were a little surprised to see the person that was there.
"Hey Knuckles! What's up bro!" Charmy shouted.
"Hey Charmy." Knuckles said in a dull tone. "Listen guys, I have sort of an odd question to ask you."
"She's upstairs." Espio interrupted. "You were looking for Rouge, right?"
"That's right. How did you know? Oh, I'll think about it later. Thanks Espio." Knuckles said in a relieved manner.
"Oh, and Knuckles." Espio said as he grabbed Knuckles' shoulder. "This time, I'd be VERY careful what you say to her."
"I will. Thanks guys." Knuckles said as he raced up the stairs.
Knuckles ran as fast he could towards Rouge's room. He only had one objective on his mind, and that was to apologize to Rouge so that he could confess his undeniable love for her. As he walked closer to her room, he noticed a silence and took a peek inside, where he saw her facing towards the window and opposite the doorway. He decided to take very gradual steps inside as not to alarm her.
"Hello.....Rouge." he said sheepishly. "It's me.....Knuckles."
Rouge had closed her eyes in order to try to ignore Knuckles' words and to make him believe that she was sleeping, which she executed flawlessly.
"Hi there." Knuckles said even more timid than before as he sat down next to Rouge. "Listen Rouge, I know that we haven't always seen eye-to-eye about most things, heck we haven't really seen eye-to-eye on anything now that I come to think about it. But, I just want you to know that what I said back there in Station Square was nothing but a childish lie. I didn't mean a word of it."
Rouge listened to Knuckles' sincerity and started to slowly open her eyes as Knuckles' continued to pour his heart out.
"I know you must think that I hate you, but that's not true." Knuckles continued. "It's actually the opposite. I really admire you, no better yet, I really like you, a lot, even though I don't actually show it. I guess, I've never really known what it was like to be in love before. Amy knew it, Shadow knew it, everyone else knew it but me. I was nervous when they figured this out, so I lied, and in the process hurt you, and for that I'm truly sorry. What I mean to tell you, is that I...... well I....... I think..... I'm in love with you."
This statement caused both of them to blush harder than they ever had before. They had both come to the mutual realization that they both did love each other.
"Well, I'm glad I could get that off my chest." Knuckles finished. "I only hope you can find in your heart to forgive me. I hope you get better soon, and I'll protect you until you do." he said as he prepared to get up.
"Did you really mean it Knuckles?" Rouge said sitting up and causing Knuckles to blush. "Do you.....really...... LOVE me?
"Well, I...." Knuckles began as he stared into Rouge's beautiful blue eyes.
"Shhh...." Rouge said as she put her left index finger over his mouth.
The two young lovers slowly moved their heads closer until their lips met, and they embraced each other in a nice, sensual kiss. This caused Knuckles to drop his Master Emerald, and unknown to him, an image of Tikal appeared and smiled at the happy couple.
"Well, look what we have here. It's a Kodak moment." said a voice from the doorway that broke up the romance in the air. Knuckles and Rouge looked over and saw the one and only, Sonic the Hedgehog standing there giving them a congratulatory thumb in the air and holding a dark blue chaos emerald in his other hand.
"How's it going guys. Miss me?" Sonic said in his usual cool tone of voice.
"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted. "What the heck are you doing here! And how did you find us anyway!"
"I think you better ask THEM." Sonic said as he pointed his thumb behind himself to reveal that Tails, Amy, Cream, Shadow, Omega, Big, Mighty, Espio, Charmy, and Vector were all behind him standing in the hallway eavesdropping on Knuckles private conversation and confession of love to Rouge.
Knuckles and Rouge were in so much shock that they could only react by blushing again towards all of their peers who were smiling at them and supporting their love.
Well what do you think? Please reply soon. I'm sorry this chapter was so long, but I had so much fun writing it, I lost track of time. I'll try to update as quickly as I can.
I just finished thinking up the majority of this chapter, so I decided to write it out now before I forgot anything important. This chapter will introduce some new characters into the mix along with some more important parts, and hopefully some more action as well. I hope you all enjoy reading this chapter.
Chapter 8
Rouge was quite shocked at the fact that she had absolutely no idea where she was, or how her injuries had been bandaged up without her knowing. She would have been scared, if the bed she was lying in hadn't been so comfortable. She tried to remain as calm as possible, as she laid her head back onto her pillow until she heard the bedroom door open and saw the red figure she had seen in the forest. When she saw who it was, she was both confused and relieved to see that he was carrying a tray of what appeared to be some toast and tea.
"Oh, you're up are you? That's a relief. You were in pretty bad shape when I found you in the forest. I'm glad to see you're alright. You've been asleep here for about two days now." the red figure said.
"Two days? I must have been tired. Not that I'm ungrateful for your assistance or anything, but I'm just curious, who are you?" Rouge asked with a puzzled look on her face.
"Oh, you might not know me, but I know who you are. My name is Mighty the Armadillo. You might not know me directly, but my friends know you." he said as he placed the tray of toast and tea on a nearby nightstand to Rouge's bed.
"Your "friends"?" Rouge asked with an even more confused expression. "So, are they fans just looking for an autograph, or is there a secret admirer in the bunch?" Rouge asked slyly.
"I see you haven't changed much since our last encounter." said a voice nearby the door that caused Mighty and Rouge to turn their heads.
"Oh come on, she isn't as bad you made her out to be and you know it." Mighty said as he recognized the voice.
Rouge was still confused at who Mighty was referring to since she saw nothing where Mighty was staring at, until a small trace of purple appeared. The feint purple spot manifested until a shape of a familiar figure was formed. The purple figure was wearing his favorite dark black jacket which he used to practice his training in the martial arts.
"Oh, I know you. You're one of the guys that was trying to get your hands on my secret treasure that Eggman stashed away." Rouge said confidently. "What was your name again, Mario of Team Chaotic?"
"It's Espio of Team Chaotix! After all the trouble you and your friends caused us in our mission, you could at least remember our names correctly!" the young chameleon shouted.
"Calm down Espio." Mighty said in a reasonable tone. "Remember, she's still recovering from a near death experience, so there's no reason to bite the poor girl's head off."
"You're right Mighty. After all, a true ninja never lets his emotions cloud his judgment. Otherwise, he won't become one with the spirits that empower him to his full potential." Espio replied calmly.
"Uh......right." Rouge said with a baffled look on her face.
"Don't worry Miss, he always talks like that. It's sort of weird at first, but after awhile you get use to it." Mighty said as reached for a piece of toast. "I'm sorry for the less than adequate breakfast, but the detective agency hasn't been very successful lately in getting a lot of work."
"Oh, that's alright." Rouge said as she reached for some tea. "And by the way, my name's Rouge, not Miss, so you don't have to be so formal, okay."
"You can blame the lack of work on our "great" leader" Espio said sarcastically. "I swear, sometimes that guy's greed is just unbelievable. It even makes Eggman look generous at times. I should have expected as much from a guy whose policy is "We take any work that pays." I mean come on, have some self-respect."
"Oh come on, Espio. Vector's doing the best he can. And he's not THAT greedy." Mighty said as he heard footsteps by the door.
Just then, Vector had come up the stairs with Charmy flying beside him causing massive amounts of noise as they raced up the stairs. The combination of heavy walking and buzzing noises made Rouge glad she had awoke before they had come barging by and disturbing her much needed rest.
"Hey Charmy, I'll bet you ten dollars that I can get down the hall faster than you." Vector shouted out loud.
"You're on Vector!" Charmy replied confidently.
The two raced down the upstairs hall, until Charmy noticed that the other members of the Chaotix along with Rouge were talking in the upstairs room causing him to stop suddenly in midair.
"Hey Vector, the bat lady's awake!" Charmy shouted as Vector slipped and crashed into a nearby wall. "That's awesome!"
"Hey, don't think that gets you out of paying me my money kid!" Vector said triumphantly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry pal, but we didn't shake on it, so technically the bet doesn't count. Ha ha." Charmy said as he flashed an insolent smile causing Vector to grit his teeth in embarrassment.
"Oh yes, Mighty. He's definitely not THAT greedy." Espio said even more sarcastically than before. "He's even GREEDIER."
"Hey, I like this kid." Rouge said. "He knows how to use loopholes to get himself out of a sticky situation almost as well as me."
"Well, looks like the bat broad finally came to." Vector said arrogantly causing Rouge to shoot him a cold look.
"What? Oh.....sorry." Vector said. "What I meant to say is "It looks like the bat DAME finally came to." This statement resulted in Rouge shooting a colder look than before.
"Yeah, this is the great detective that leads us." Espio said superficially as he shook his head back and forth in shame. "He couldn't even figure out the mystery of why the unplugged television wouldn't work without calling the repairman."
"Hey, you think could do better Espio, I'd like to see you try!" Vector said.
"Um....so on another note, Mighty." Rouge said trying to change the subject. "Why didn't I see you with the other guys if you're part of Team Chaotix?"
"Well it's a very interesting story actually. It was my turn to take out the trash and when I came back in, everyone was gone. I waited and saw everyone of you guys on the television a few days later." Mighty replied. "No wait, I take it back, that isn't actually that interesting of a story now that I think of it. Sorry about that."
"So you were left behind?" Rouge said sympathetically.
"Yeah, but it's okay. Everything worked out didn't it?" Mighty said in a somewhat hurt tone. "Now, I'M curious. What were you doing in the forest when I found you. I didn't get to ask the big cat before he left for help." Rouge then explained her story to the Chaotix.
"Wow, that's terrible." Mighty said. "I didn't think Knuckles at his worst would EVER say something like that. Then you were attacked by that robot in the rain and came down with a fever that was almost life-threatening. I hope your okay now."
"Yeah, don't let it get you down bat-girl." Vector said. " Knuckles isn't the smartest guy in the world. I've known him a long time and he's always doing something stupid. It's not your fault, it's just the way he is."
"It isn't that he doesn't care for you." Espio continued. "It's just that he's not brave enough to actually admit that he cares for you. That's why he responded the way he did. It wasn't out of hatred, but out of fear."
"Yeah. He really likes you." Charmy finished. "When I met Knuckles for the first time, all he would do is frown, but after he met you, he would occasionally smile, so you must be the reason for his newfound happiness."
Just then, the Chaotix heard some footsteps downstairs and immediately all raced down to see who it was. When they arrived, the Chaotix, were a little surprised to see the person that was there.
"Hey Knuckles! What's up bro!" Charmy shouted.
"Hey Charmy." Knuckles said in a dull tone. "Listen guys, I have sort of an odd question to ask you."
"She's upstairs." Espio interrupted. "You were looking for Rouge, right?"
"That's right. How did you know? Oh, I'll think about it later. Thanks Espio." Knuckles said in a relieved manner.
"Oh, and Knuckles." Espio said as he grabbed Knuckles' shoulder. "This time, I'd be VERY careful what you say to her."
"I will. Thanks guys." Knuckles said as he raced up the stairs.
Knuckles ran as fast he could towards Rouge's room. He only had one objective on his mind, and that was to apologize to Rouge so that he could confess his undeniable love for her. As he walked closer to her room, he noticed a silence and took a peek inside, where he saw her facing towards the window and opposite the doorway. He decided to take very gradual steps inside as not to alarm her.
"Hello.....Rouge." he said sheepishly. "It's me.....Knuckles."
Rouge had closed her eyes in order to try to ignore Knuckles' words and to make him believe that she was sleeping, which she executed flawlessly.
"Hi there." Knuckles said even more timid than before as he sat down next to Rouge. "Listen Rouge, I know that we haven't always seen eye-to-eye about most things, heck we haven't really seen eye-to-eye on anything now that I come to think about it. But, I just want you to know that what I said back there in Station Square was nothing but a childish lie. I didn't mean a word of it."
Rouge listened to Knuckles' sincerity and started to slowly open her eyes as Knuckles' continued to pour his heart out.
"I know you must think that I hate you, but that's not true." Knuckles continued. "It's actually the opposite. I really admire you, no better yet, I really like you, a lot, even though I don't actually show it. I guess, I've never really known what it was like to be in love before. Amy knew it, Shadow knew it, everyone else knew it but me. I was nervous when they figured this out, so I lied, and in the process hurt you, and for that I'm truly sorry. What I mean to tell you, is that I...... well I....... I think..... I'm in love with you."
This statement caused both of them to blush harder than they ever had before. They had both come to the mutual realization that they both did love each other.
"Well, I'm glad I could get that off my chest." Knuckles finished. "I only hope you can find in your heart to forgive me. I hope you get better soon, and I'll protect you until you do." he said as he prepared to get up.
"Did you really mean it Knuckles?" Rouge said sitting up and causing Knuckles to blush. "Do you.....really...... LOVE me?
"Well, I...." Knuckles began as he stared into Rouge's beautiful blue eyes.
"Shhh...." Rouge said as she put her left index finger over his mouth.
The two young lovers slowly moved their heads closer until their lips met, and they embraced each other in a nice, sensual kiss. This caused Knuckles to drop his Master Emerald, and unknown to him, an image of Tikal appeared and smiled at the happy couple.
"Well, look what we have here. It's a Kodak moment." said a voice from the doorway that broke up the romance in the air. Knuckles and Rouge looked over and saw the one and only, Sonic the Hedgehog standing there giving them a congratulatory thumb in the air and holding a dark blue chaos emerald in his other hand.
"How's it going guys. Miss me?" Sonic said in his usual cool tone of voice.
"Sonic!" Knuckles shouted. "What the heck are you doing here! And how did you find us anyway!"
"I think you better ask THEM." Sonic said as he pointed his thumb behind himself to reveal that Tails, Amy, Cream, Shadow, Omega, Big, Mighty, Espio, Charmy, and Vector were all behind him standing in the hallway eavesdropping on Knuckles private conversation and confession of love to Rouge.
Knuckles and Rouge were in so much shock that they could only react by blushing again towards all of their peers who were smiling at them and supporting their love.
Well what do you think? Please reply soon. I'm sorry this chapter was so long, but I had so much fun writing it, I lost track of time. I'll try to update as quickly as I can.