Chapter Three
Topaz, after a while of arguing. Had allowed Knuckles to go through with Rouge's assinment. Lieing her down in a sleeping bag, Knuckles made absolute sure she was comfertable before he left her.
"You'll need these.." Topaz told him, giving him a communicator that looked like a wrist watch, and a bag for the emeralds he would find.
Knuckles knelt beside Rouge as he was about to leave. With a kiss on her forehead, he was let out of the helocopter and landed on the island below him, Ironicly safely. As if someone was expecting him to come and made him safe. But that couldnt possably be. Could it? He just shook the thought away as he watched the helocopter land in a secret location to be hidden from enemies. Knuckles, once the helocopter was out of sight, went strait for Eggman's secret head corters that looked like a giant power plant in the middle of the rain forest. Yeah, like anyone could miss that!
Anyway. Knuckles made his way inside. Where he saw Eggman talking to Shadow.
"Did you get them?" Shadow asked him. Visicously.
"Yeah yeah yeah I got them. When do we plan to-?"
"Soon. Very soon. Just keep them safe untill I say so." Shadow snapped at Eggman. Knuckles watched quietly as this all happend. What were they planning?
"Okay. I'll guard the emeralds while you go make sure the cannon is ready." Eggman said standing infrount of the emeralds. Guarding them apparently.
"Okay. Dont let anyone take any!" Snapped shadow as he walked off. Knuckles had to wait a while, before Eggman either got bored or hungry. Which with his egg shape, didnt take too long. Eggman looked around and felt his stomach growl.
"Oh I'll only be gone for 10 seconds...a quick candy bar from the machine and I'll be back to guarding." He said to himself to ensure he was doing the right thing. Then leaving the emeralds unattended. Knuckles quickly leaped in and grabbed what he could. Which was like...4/6 emeralds. (4 out of 6) Being caught by Eggman in the attempt to get the 5th one. Knuckles quickly, had to think of a plan.He looked around despritly as he tried to think of a plan. Eggman held a machine gun to Knuckles.
"Duck!" Shouted a female voice tackling Knuckles as the gun was fired. No one was hit but an emerald got chipped. It took a while before Knuckles could figure out who the voice was.
"Rouge!" Knuckles exclaimed as Rouge got off of him. She nodded.
"Yep" She awncerd happily. Then she angerly glared at Eggman as she got off of Knuckles. "Eggman. You touch him with that and I'll kick you with my iron boots! I swear to god! You will rue the day you shoot Knuckles you got that?"
"Rouge..." Knuckles mumbled in disbelifeve. She was willing to get shot for him.
"C'mon!" Rouge shouted, grabbing Knuckles's hand and leaving quickly. Only to take him to the helocopter. Topaz was at the controles. Once both of them were onboard, The helocopter took off, having no time to pull up the ladder. Eggman grabbed the ladder as the helocopter took off. Knuckles let out a low growl as he walked to the ladder and cut it with his hard knuckles. Rouge smiled as he did this. Looking at the emeralds he had collected. After Knuckles finished doing that. He too, looked at the emeralds. Finding a pink one. A shiny pink dimond.He secretly took that one out of the bag without Rouge knowing.
"Wow! You bagged a bunch!"Rouge said happily as she looked at them. Knuckles nodded. "Knuckles...thanks..."
"No problem." Knuckles smiled as he and Rouge hid the bag.
"Sorry I've been a burden..." She sighed. She felt Knuckles hug her.
"You are never a burden..." He told her sweetly. Meaning it. "Just do me one favor, and please stay in bed when you are sick."
"Okay." Rouge told him. They were both lost in Romeo and Juliet land. It took Topaz to bring them back.
"Were going to be landing soon. So you two get out of romance land and get ready. We will have to make a hard landing because smarty over there broke the ladder. Rouge and Knuckles blushed as they let go of eachother. Topaz made the hard landing as Knuckles helped Rouge off the helocopter with the bag of emeralds. "Okay Im going to go put the helocopter back. See ya around."
Knuckles and Rouge began to walk back to the mansion. Knuckles lugging the bag over his shoulder. They were being watched...but by who...? Suddnely, an explosion took place. A huge one. But with...Pink smoke? Both Rouge and Knuckles were left to cough in the smoke as out of it, emerged little Bokkun!
"Haha!" He laughed histaricly. Knuckles looked up at him.
"What the hell was that for?" He snapped.
"Wanted to have fun!" Bokkun giggled. Knuckles gave him the finger and looked at Rouge.
"are you okay?" He asked. Rouge looked up at him and nodded. Both blushed more than they had ever before. "Y...Y...Your...Pretty..."
"T..Thanks. Y-Your...C-Cute.." Rouge told him. Both were blushing at eachother.
"Oopsie! I used my love bomb! Oh god im so sorry!" Bokkun said all at once, No one was able to understand him, no matter how close they lisoned. Knuckles helped Rouge up and had his hands laced with her's. Both were blushing and awkward. Knuckles quickly let her hands go and glared at Bokkun.
"You could have hurt someone you know." Knuckles snapped. Rouge nodded. Standing close to Knuckles.
"Okay...im sorry." Bokkun sighed sadly.
"Just dont do it again without notice first okay?" Knuckles said smiling. Not at Bokkun, but at Rouge.
"Okay!" Bokkun said smiling. After that he left them be. Completly forgetting the love bomb.
Now alone, Knuckles slowly but shyly put his hand on Rouge's waist. Expecting a slap, but nothing came. Rouge just smiled at him and leaned on him. Knuckles smiled. He walked with his hand on Rouge's waist back to the mansion. But before they got there. Knuckles began getting shy around Rouge.
"Is something the matter?" Rouge asked, Noticing his change. Knuckles shook his head.
"No..but there is something im thinking about doing, but I dont know if its alright." Knuckles said to her. Blushing.
"well. Go ahead and do it, If its wrong, I'll let you know okay?" She said smiling. Knuckles nodded and looked at her strait in the eye. Then, Taking her chin on his index finger, brought it up closer to him and kissed her lips. Both blushed during this process, but Rouge kissed him right back.
When the kiss ended. They both were blushing.
"Was it right or wrong?" Knuckles asked, a bit afraid of the awncer.
"Right." Rouge told him. Smiling. Knuckles smiled wide as he took her in his arms and with the bag slung over his shoulder, they walked untill they reached the mansion.
Everyone ran out to greet them. Cheese ran to them so far that Rouge caught her. Everyone greeted them happily. They had been gone so long that they had suspected that something happend. All Knuckles and Rouge did was smile.
"were okay." Knuckles and Rouge said in unison. Pretty much everyone noticed that Knuckles had his hand around Rouge's waist and didnt have a black eye. Everyone smiled at this. They didnt say anything though. All they did was walk back into the mansion. With Rouge following.
"c'mon Knuckles." Rouge said sweetly. Knuckles just smiled.
"I'll catch up. You go on in and feel better." He told her, walking to her and kissing her. The same way he had before. She kissed him back and nodded.
"Okay." She told him. Cheese had gone in with Cream and Knuckles just sat there in the new dark, stairing at his reflection in the pool. He saw Sonic come up behind him.
"Hey." Sonic said sitting beside him.
"Yo," Knuckles said, dangling his hand in the crystal clear pool water. Sonic glaced tword the mansion at the balcony window.
"I see you and Rouge have gotten together." Sonic pointed out to him. He nodded.
"Yep. I couldnt be happier." Knuckles admitted to Sonic. Lookinig at the same thing as sonic was but through the reflection of the pool.
"How'd it happen?" Sonic asked Knuckles. Knuckles only smiled.
"We were coming back here and Bokkun had thrown a bomb at us, But pink smoke came out and next thing I knew. I was in love with Rouge." Knuckles admitted. Happilie remembering.
"Thats coo-wait, Pink smoke?"
"Yeah. Why...?" Knuckles asked. Sonic looked at him sadly. Knuckles saw that it would be bad news. "No I dont want to know. Dont tell me." Knuckles said, walking away from Sonic and into the mansion.
"Poor guy..." Sonic said to himself. Sadly, he relised a sigh "He isnt really in love..."
Knuckles walked into the room Rouge was in but she was wide awake. He smiled as he sat beside her on the bed.
"Hey." She said to him smiling. Knuckles only smiled. After a while of Silence. He kissed her. An assuring kiss. Not knowing what the smoke had done to him, but he was happy it happend. He wasnt going to find out what did this to him, or what the smoke did, he was happy being in love. Not just being in love, but being in love with Rouge.