Chapter 6 YAY! I need reviews people! Please send 3 if you want me to post the next chapter! I don't own Sonic!
Chapter Six: Knuckles's Gift
Knuckles stood by the Emerald. Tikal had told him that this should work. He remembered their conversation very well. He wanted to give her a good present. Everyone else had, but him.
Tails had given her that watch. Cream had bought her clothes. Amy had sent her stuffed animals. Sonic had sent her flowers. He had given her nothing, and he felt bad, so he was going to give her a present he knew she would love, he just hoped what Tikal said would prove true.
" Knuckles? Can you hear me?" Tikal asked as she appeared next to him.
He was working on a place where she could stay. He had found a small cave, not far from the Master Emerald that she could stay in. It got sun light and was near water and a grapevine.
" I can Tikal. What do you need?"
" It's about Rouge, I wanted…"
" What about her? She isn't hurt is she?"
Knuckles turned to face her; her face was surprised by his sudden outburst.
" No, she's fine," she heard him breathe a sigh of relief, " I just wanted to tell you the perfect gift you could give her."
Knuckles stopped working and looked at her, " the perfect gift? What is it?"
" Her freedom back."
Knuckles tilted his head to the side, " Rouge does have her freedom, I'm not forcing her to come here. She chose to, and she's leaving the hospital tomorrow."
" That's not what I mean. All of those bandages and cast around her body make her feel trapped. Ask the Master Emerald to heal her. When it does, she'll have her freedom back."
" The Master Emerald can do that?"
" Knuckles, the Master Emerald makes Angel Island float, makes everything on this Island grow, I think it can heal her."
" Good point."
" I know it will work, there's just one thing."
" What's that?"
" It can only heal her physical pain, all of her emotional and mental pain she has to deal with by herself. To get through what has happened, she'll need you Knuckles."
Knuckles blushed, ' she'll need me?'
" Right Tikal. I'll make sure she stays safe."
" Good, because I have a feeling Eggman will be back for her, soon. He needs the Chaos Emerald." " I promised her I would never let that bastard get near her and I ment it, even if I have to kill him myself. She'll stay safe." Tikal nodded and disappeared. ' I hope you can keep her safe Knuckles, because I have a bad feeling about all of this.' Only one thought rang out in Knuckles's head, ' I'll keep my promise to you Rouge, even if it does cost me my life.'
" Knuckles, you know you didn't have to get me anything, I'm happy that you're letting me stay here while I heal. Plus you rarely left my side in the hospital, I couldn't ask anymore of you."
" Rouge, just relax ok? Besides, I'm not even sure will work."
She nodded and sat still as Knuckles placed his forehead on the Master Emerald. ' Please, I beg of you, heal her. Tikal told me that you could heal all physical wounds on her body. Please, you let me see her in that shape and showed me where she was. Please, heal her, she has suffered enough.' He stepped away as the Emerald glowed green.
" What's happening?" Rouge screamed as she began to glow green also.
" I think it's working!"
She felt her cuts heal, her bones go back into place and mend. Knuckles was staring at her, eyes full of joy. She stopped glowing green as Knuckles ran over to her.
" Do you feel any different?" he asked.
Rouge still couldn't believe what was happening, one minute, she was in pain, next minute she was green, and the next minute she was completely healed?
" I'm healed?"
It took a minute for that to sink in.
" I'm healed!"
She ran into his arms and hugged with everything she had.
" Thank you Knuckles! Thank you!"
He fell over from the force of her tackle/hug. She was still hugging him and hadn't noticed that she was onto of him, crying once again. He felt her tears on his chest and smiled, he gently patted her hair.
" Your welcome Rouge, now, what do you say I help get your cast off so you can move your hand and your leg?"
She lifted her head and smiled as she blushed noticing their position. He blushed when he noticed her blush. The same thought ran through both of their heads. ' SHIT! Why are you torturing me!'
" Yeah, I'd like that. To be able to move again."
He smiled as he lightly punched her leg cast. She smiled even more when it shattered. Rouge held out her arm and he punched it with the same force as the leg cast. Once again, it shattered.
Now for her wings, he walked behind her.
" Just hold still, I'm almost through."
He punched the right, then the left. The pieces fell to the ground. She stretched her wings out, smiling.
Slowly, she stood up, putting weight on her leg and she bent her elbow. He smiled as he watched her. She looked so happy, but you could still see the pain in her eyes from what Eggman had done. Rouge walked over to him; he was smiling at her. Gently, she kissed him on the cheek and grabbed his hand, " C'mon, you said you'd help me plant those flowers."
He blushed when she kissed him and blushed even more when she grabbed his hand, but followed her none the less. Even though he never said that he'd help her, he decided to anyway. Chaos and Tikal smiled as they watched the little event unfold. They knew that Knuckles and Rouge really did love each other. The hard part was making them admit it to each other.
Eggman screamed in frustration, " I was so close! If only Sonic and his friends hadn't shown up I would still have Rouge. I would still be torturing her, trying to get the location of the last Chaos Emerald!"
He was closer to the Chaos Emerald when he had Rouge. When he had her, he could have probed her brain, but instead, he chose to torture her until she talked. He would never make that mistake again. No, he would probe her mind once he got a hold of her again.
His robots had gone to her home to pick her up, but she wasn't there. He decided to burn the place down. Just to see if she would come out of hiding. When she hadn't, he decided to double the efforts. Robots were everywhere, yet there were no results.
She had just disappeared.
He sighed, " sooner or later, I will find you Rouge. Then, when I have what I want, I'll dispose of you properly."
Yes, he would have her soon enough. Then he would have the last Chaos Emerald. Finally, he would have total world domination!
" There, finally!" Rouge yelled, exhausted.
It was near nightfall, they had spent hours planting all the flowers, but they were finally done.
" The Island actually looks a lot better with the flowers then it did before. Plus it seems to be a lot happier," Knuckles said admiring their work.
He looked at her, he face was sweaty and dirty, but the lack of sunlight made her look beautiful, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. When she noticed him staring, he quickly looked away.
She smiled and stretched, falling backwards onto the grass.
" That was fun, yet exhausting, don't you think Knuxs?"
Knuckles sat down next to her, " Yeah, if you want, you can take a bath in a nearby lake. You're filthy."
" Really? Is the water cold?"
" No, not really, I'll show it to you if you want."
" Sure, just let me get something."
She walked over to the boxes and pulled out a red and purple bikini. Then she pulled out a pair of purple jammy pants, a black T-shirt, a bra and a pair of underwear. Course, Knuckles couldn't see her undergarments, she kept them hidden. She walked behind the Master Emerald shrine and changed, when she came out Knuckles's jaw dropped. The red top covered her chest completely, except for the little diamond hole just under her neck.
It hooked around her neck and tied into the back, the ties were all purple. The bottom part was just like a tiny pair of shorts, except they were made of the same material as the top. They were purple except for the little ties in the front, which were red.
" Okay, we can go now," she smiled as she waited for him.
He nodded shakily as he took the lead.
