waiting for the romance? well it could be in this chapter

again i don't own Knuckles or Rouge

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Chapter: 6…

2 full hours later

Knock knock…

Knuckles stirred in his sleep, his muscles still stiff and aching. Another knock on the cabin door woke the sleeping guardian. He sat up with a groan and stumbled off to the door.

He swung the door open, seeing one of the G.U.N guards at the entrance.

"What is it?" Knuckles mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

"We have arrived at our destination," replayed the guard. Knuckles nodded then shut the door.

Knuckles looked upon Rouge's sleeping form, she looked peaceful 'shame she doesn't look like that all the time' he thought, he paused 'god that sounded wrong' he shook his head the eased over to her bed.

He cleared his throat "uh…Rouge…" no reply. "Rouge" he shook her lightly, she stirred a little and groaned. Knuckles was getting impatient "Rouge! Wake up!" he shouted down her ear. This resulted in a slap.

She slowly got up and gave him daggers "you deserved it!" she hisses, entering the bathroom leaving the door open a little. Knuckles rubbed his cheek, the pain was unbearable plus he was pissed off. He growls under his breath and was about to storm into the bathroom, inches away from the door when he froze as the shower was turned on. 'That was too close…' he thought. Then his eyes wondered to the door, it was open enough to see something… half of the echidna was shouting 'DON'T DO IT YOU IDIOT!' and the other was shouting 'go on she'll never know, just a tiny peek, nothing bad will come from it, go on do it!' he bit his lower lip. Leaning a little to the side to see through. The temptation was too great; he leaned in more looking through into the bathroom.

Knuckles held onto the doorframe, leaning in more, inch by inch. His eager eyes fell upon the mirror in the bathroom; it reflected a little but not enough to satisfy his desire. The echidna leaned in more, looking directly to the steaming shower. The curtain was open slightly, showing off her white silky wet fur. He watched fervently as she washed from her shoulders to her arms then to her large breasts, from her feet to between her thighs. He held his breath back gripping the frame hard as she rinses the lather off her smooth fur. The bat stretches away her stiffness, showing off a great deal of her slender body. Rouge leans back on the wall placing her hands behind her head, closing her eyes, allowing the warm water to trickle down her torso.

The echidnas breathing quickened, his grip on the frame tightened immensely. Beads of sweat rolled down along his brow, his temperature rising.

The bat slowly opens her eyes and turns back to the shower console, reaching for the switch.

Once the shower switches off, Knuckles comes back to reality and pelts it out the cabin as fast as his feet could take him. He runs to the back of the ship and slumps back on the wall, sliding down it.

Shame swept over the guardian, he felt disgusted yet satisfied with what he had seen. He looked out on what to be the shores of France; the moon was slowly descending to the horizon letting of a radiant silver glow.

Location: Back in the cabin…

Rouge quickly covers her self then opens the bathroom door; sure that she just heard something. With a quick look around the cabin, she shrugs it off then shuts the door, pausing for a moment.

'Wait…' she reopened the door and looks to the frame, examining strange marks. 'He couldn't have been watching…what if he had' she steps back and slams the door shut hissing, "dirty Bastard!"

Twenty minuets later…

Rouge was heading down the boats ramp, looking out to France. She barely looks back as Knuckles comes down the ramp behind her.

"If you need a ride back, just call us again miss" spoke out one of the guards.

Rouge gave a restrained smile then replied "thank you"

The g.u.n boat soon moves off of port.

Si-harah's gem appears before the two. "Ah, I see you're here finally. Next step is taking the sub-train to Paris and finding a hotel, my ally is busy for two days so you'll have time to rest till then" the gem disappears.

"So now where" Knuckles asked, keeping his voice low.

Rouge replies by walking off towards the train. The echidna cringes a little then follows her.

'She probably knows what happened…I'm such an idiot' Knuckles growls, catching the attention of Rouge.

"Got a problem?" she scolds, still heading towards the train.

Knuckles grunts at her attitude "yeah, you're my problem" he hisses under his breath.

Rouge comes to a halt "what's that supposed to mean!" she shouts at him. Finally looking to him.

"Just what you think bat-girl" he growls raising his fists slightly

"You think I'm a problem! You have caused me hell through this stupid quest"

"I saved your life more than once through this, you ungrateful bitch!"

"WHAT! How dare you!" Rouge spat, charging towards him full speed. Swinging her fist at him. Knuckles quickly dodges it and jumps back.

"Yeah, result it to violence as always" Knuckles shot back. Rouge dashes after him again, only for him to block her mighty kick.

"It's the only way to settle things with you!" Rouge hisses. "To think I actually like you before this" Rouge blurted out, coming to a pause.

Knuckles was thrown back a little by her sudden out burst, then regained his posture and scoffed "like that means anything to me!"

"If that's so, then why didn't you let me fall to my death on meteor herd?" her tone was bitter but softer. "Yeah, I can remember it as clearly as if it were just yesterday,"

Knuckles eases his stance.

Rouge turns back to the train station "but, in you words, like that means anything to you…" she hisses. Knuckles watches her as she enters the station, then follows slowly after her.

"Le train part pour Paris dans dix menuets" called the train announcer.

"What did he-" Knuckles starts, but is interrupted by Rouge

"He said the train leaves for Paris in ten minuets" replied the bat. She heads up the steps and enters the train, followed by Knuckles.

"How do you-"

"Part of my training" Rouge sighs, getting irritated by his questions.

2 awkward hours later…

The train pulls to a stop, the carriage door slide open.

"La bienvenue vers Paris, apprecient votre sejour" the announcer calls.

Knuckles looks questionably at Rouge. She growls a little.

"He said welcome to Paris, enjoy your stay… there happy now?" she spat. Knuckles pulls a slight face then heads out of the station.

The sky was much lighter now; the red-hot sun was peeking up from the horizon.

"Need to find a hotel" Rouge mumbles, glancing around. She slings her backpack over her shoulder and headed off towards the town. Knuckles reluctantly followed her lead

(A/n the writinglike thisis the translation… oh and its not my problem if the French is wrong coz I'm using a translator on the Internet…okey )

"Bienvenue a l'hotel en Cristal" 'welcome to crystal hotel' cheered the receptionist behind the desk.

'Trust Rouge to choose a hotel called crystal hotel' Knuckles rolled his eyes.

Rouge cleared her throat "Bonjour, nous voudrions que deux salles satisfassent" 'hi, we would like two rooms please'

The receptionist typed on her computer, then looked back to Rouge. "Je suis desole, nous ai seulement une chambre disponible avec un double lit" 'I'm sorry, we only have one room available with a double bed'

"Oh no…" Rouge sighed. She looked at Knuckles who wasn't paying any attention. "Nous le prendrons" 'we'll take it'

The receptionist gave a smile then typed into her computer finally placing a key on the desk. "Votre piece est sur le deuxieme plancher, voici l'espoir de la clef I que vous apperciez votre sejour" 'your room is on the second floor, here's the key. I hope you enjoy your stay.'

Rouge turned to Knuckles who was looking at her in puzzlement.

"So…?"

"We have a room but there's two problems…"

"What?"

"One, I could only get one room, two… I could only get a double bed" she cringed a little while saying the last part.

Knuckles paused. "That means-"

"It means your sleeping on the floor" Rouge scoffed, heading towards the stairs. Knuckles hmphed, then followed her.

Room 69…

Time: 10:00 am

Rouge sighed as she placed the key into the lock 'someone has something against me…' she opened the door into the room. It was huge, nicely decorated room. There was a fairly sized balcony facing the river seine also a nice sized bathroom.

Knuckles wondered off out onto the balcony, leaning on the railing. Rouge glanced over to him and took a quick breath in.

Knuckles glanced over his shoulder to see Rouge close the sliding door. She came by him and leaned on the railing.

"Look, Knuckles there's no point in having this grudge while we have to work together."

"It wasn't me who started it" he kept his gaze out to the river.

Rouge scoffed "I recall you shouting in my ear on the boat."

"Wha- give me a break. I 'tried' waking you up nicely but that didn't work"

"Yeah well, it doesn't mean you can shout down someone's ear!" she spat. "But you wouldn't care would you!" she hissed.

Knuckles scoffed "oh, so I didn't care when I saved you from that wolf back in the pyramid or I didn't care when I caught you when you nearly fell off the ledge"

"You would have done that anyway, even if I was someone else." She muttered.

"You think so huh, if you were someone else I wouldn't of… I-I" he hesitated to finish his sentence.

"What, you wouldn't have watched me shower, you sick bastard. Sorry but I'm not that type of girl" she spat. She made her way to the sliding doors, slamming them shut behind her.

Knuckles growled, 'she just doesn't listen' he turned around and went after her. Sliding open the doors, he stepped through. She was nowhere in sight. "Argh, now where's she gone?" he growls, opening the front door almost throwing himself out of it. He dashed down the stairs to the lobby. He runs to the exit and glances around, catching a slight glimpse of her entering the park across the street.

He heads to the edge of the path and halts as the vehicles dash past. Knuckles watches the cars for a moment, trying to find a break in the rush. His impatient side gets the best of the echidna and he runs across the road, dodging oncoming traffic. Once at the gates of the park, he follows the path. Soon coming to a large lake in the centre of the park he glances around seeing Rouge sat down on the opposite side of the lake, facing away from him.

Rouge hugs her knees and buries her head. She sniffs a little as a single tear rolls down her cheek. "I hate that stupid echidna" she mumbles to her-self, she wipes her cheek and takes in a deep breath "everything was going great till I accepted this stupid mission, till I saw 'him' again…" a sigh escapes her lips. Her senses sharpen as she feels someone sit down beside her; it was Knuckles, who seemed to be out of breath.

"Rouge, look, I was going to say… I wouldn't have saved you from drowning if you were someone else" he stopped as she looked at him questionably "after you fought that sea beast, you were thrown unconscious and plummeted into the water…" he paused "I dived in and swam to you, taking you back to the ship, you weren't breathing…" he looked away slightly.

Rouge realized what he was coming to.

"If I didn't care about… about you then I wouldn't have done what I did, I've never been so scared in my life… thinking that you would-" Knuckles character couldn't let him blurt out more feelings, opening up to someone is so hard for the guardian, this result left him frustrated.

"Rouge I-I…" he still hesitated his voice trembled. "I got to go" he shuck his head and stood up, feeling a little light headed. He was stopped by Rouge; she placed her hands on his shoulder turning him around slightly. Knuckles a voided looking at her, he lowered his gazed to the floor.

"Knuckles look at me…" she whispered, her hands sliding down his arms, meeting his gloved hands.

His gaze shifted to their connected hands, gripping hers a little more closely. Yet his posture wouldn't give into the overwhelming feelings blazing inside.

"Knuckles" she whispered again, this time her voice softer then before. Rouge pulls his hands forwards, pulling her-self slightly closer.

The echidnas gaze finally met with hers, her lips brushed along his, locking them into a sweet kiss. They both parted and looked longingly into each others eyes then shared another fulfilled kiss, Rouge's hands moved up and around his neck as his slid down and around her waist.

Once parted, Knuckles grits his teeth and steps away from her. "No…"

"Knuckles what's wrong?" Rouge spoke up, her tone hinted worry.

He stepped back again shaking his head "I- I can't be with you…I'm sorry" he struggles. The echidna turns around and dashes down the path, not looking back. Rouge was shaken and confused as she watched him disappear from view. Her heart cried out to go after him and she listened. Spreading her wings, she glided off in his direction.

Back at the hotel…

Knuckles reached the apartment, heading out onto the balcony; he placed his head in his hands. 'This is for the best' his mind race 'I have my duty and must keep to the rules' he sighed then growled slamming his fist into the iron railing. "I hate this!" he roared slamming his fist again. He removed his fist, staring at the huge dent left behind. 'Knuckles get a grip, you're a royal guardian, act like it'

Knuckles glanced back to the apartment as the door closed. Rouge came to the sliding doors, not daring to come out she leans back on the frame.

Knuckles posture softened as he gazed to her, feeling his heart flutter at the very sight of her made him look away.

"Knuckles…" she spoke softly "I don't get it…why can't-" she paused as he turned fully to her. His gazed was fixed on her eyes for a moment then shifted to the floor. "Because, I am the guardian of the Master Emerald, I am to have no interferences and no distractions. My mind must be purely fixed on the emerald, the Master Emerald must come first over any aspect of my life" he spoke clearly as if he were reading from a book. "I have already broken one rule and that's leaving the emerald un-guarded by is former guardian" his voice turned bitter, as if what he said was a curse. But partly what he said was true.

Rouge lowered her head looking to the floor. Then she spoke, her voice hushed. "Is that true, what you said"

Knuckles rubbed the back of his head, "partly…"

Rouge took a breath in "so you just don't want to be with me, is that it?"

"What?" Knuckles shot "that's not true, of course I want to be with you…" knuckles blurted out. "Its just…if you stay with me, I can't leave Angel Island… I just want you to be happier and free…unlike me" Knuckles turns back and stares out onto the river.

He senses her standing next to him, "Rouge I can't-"

"Knuckles…" her voice whimpered "I love you, and I would love to stay with you forever on Angel Island if you let me…" she sniffed slightly as a small tear rolls down her cheek.

Knuckles looks fully at her, his heart lifted "you really mean that?" he asked.

"Yes" she whispers, she soon embraces him and whispers into his ear. "What's your answer?"

"But your sacrificing-"

"I don't care, I only care about you"

Knuckles embraced her back, "then your welcome to Angel Island" they both shared another passionate kiss

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

this is where the story stops for a while, i had written it ages ago but i still have got the right ending yet plus i'm on a holiday for two weeks

Later