Kagome: Hi. Back with the next chapter. Got tons of new Shadow pics and I finished the first Megatokyo book. Seraphim is the coolest conscience ever. She kicks her clients' buts! Go Seraphim! Anyways, on with chapter seventeen.

Turquoise Moonlight: I did purposely torture you guys in the last chapter with my babbling. Thanks for noticing. But, you realize you can skip over it. You deserve it for not updating! (;D) :hides from the kumquat: Someone save me from a fellow insane author!

ShadowIsCool: All I get is a 'pretty good'? What's wrong with you:mumbles 'maybe the pendulum didn't work…: I've felt my writing slipping the last few chapters. :shrugs: I'm gonna try to make this chapter better.

Disclaimer:Kagome peaks out of hiding place: (See Turquoise's review and my reply) I don't own Sonic or anyone else, otherwise…AH, A KUMQUAT! Why me!

Ch. 17-The 'Trade'

Knuckles opened his eyes and looked around. Sonic seemed unconscious, while everyone else was…well, conscious. Shadow seemed to be looking out into space, most likely thinking about Maria while Rouge and Amy were playing hangman, Rouge looking bored.

"B?" Amy asked.

"No b." Rouge sighed, obviously trying to keep Amy entertained. Why do pink hedgehogs always have to be so annoying and loud? Rouge thought. Is there anyway to keep her quiet without the use of duck tape?

Knuckles walked up and looked at the paper (Kagome: There was a notebook. If people can pull things out of thin air in other animes, they can in this fic. Don't like it? Too bad.).

Letters used not in the word: K, J, T, S, the list went on.

Word so far: E, space, e, space, a, l, space.

"Emerald." Knuckles said, startling the girls. "Could you be anymore original?"

"Thanks…" Rouge whispered. "Now Amy's not gonna shut up again."

"Is Sonic up again?" Amy asked annoyingly, accidentally bringing Shadow into the real world.

"What do you think?" shadow looked pretty ticked off and Rouge could tell he had been thinking of this 'Maria' girl. Whoever she was. So, rouge pulled Shadow aside for a minute.

"So, isn't your promise to Maria along the lines to help people?" Rouge asked. "And give them a chance at happiness?"

"Where are you going with this, batgirl?" Shadow eyed her suspiciously. "What are you up to?"

"So," Rouge ignored him. "Help me. Play hangman with Amy. She won't annoy me, and you get to keep your promise."

"How did you know about Maria?" Shadow asked. Rouge didn't know where she pulled that info out of.

"Just do it, please?" she pleaded, getting an evil (depending on how much you like Knux) idea in her head. "I'll help you get revenge on Knucklehead…"

"…" Shadow looked over at Knuckles, then back at Rouge. "This is a bribe, isn't it?"

"Can't we just call it a trade?" Rouge responded. (Kagome: Don't you just hate it when people 'answer' your question with another question?)

"Deal…" Shadow walked over to Amy and started playing hangman, quickly wishing he could play hanghog.

Knuckles glanced over at Tails, who seemed to be looking over something on the X-Tornado, then the echidna walked over to Rouge. "What's Tails doing?"

"Trying to track Eggman down. He's been doing that for an hour now." She explained.

"How'd you get Shadow to play hangman with Amy?"

"Uh…" Rouge shifted her eyes. "I told him I'd pay him."

Knuckles didn't believe it, but he went along with it. "So, any luck with Dr. Eggman yet?"

"Actually, yes." Tails walked up. "He's heading for Prison Island."

"He just had to go to the only place we knew so far." Rouge sighed.

"'Only place we knew'…?" Knuckles asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I could have sworn you were conscious then…" Rouge tilted her head.

Knuckles thought hard. "I remember something, but it's pretty blurry…"

"Eggman is after the Master Emerald again." Rouge explained.

Tails looked over at Shadow and Amy.

The word so far;

Space, space, space, I, space

"Sonic!" Amy exclaimed.

"No." Shadow replied. "Now quit guessing him. I would think that after the fourth time that you guessed 'Sonic', you would realize it's not Sonic!"

"I'm not even gonna ask…" Tails said, directing his attention back at the hunters. "If we head there now, we could probably get to it in time to stop him." Tails looked over at the two, then asked "Are you even listening…?"

Here was what Tails saw; Knuckles strangling Rouge.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT FOR LOOSING THE PIECES!" He yelled.

"MY FAULT!" Rouge exclaimed. "You're the one who broke it!"

"Listen, batgirl," He yelled. "You are the one responsible. Admit it!"

"Remind me next time not to save you from a laser!" Rouge glared.

"The Master Emerald contains the special abilities, which allow it to neutralize the Chaos Emeralds." Knuckles lectured. "The Master Emerald can also detect the Chaos Emeralds. In the wrong hands-"

"Oh, save me the lecture…" Rouge interrupted. "I know what the Master Emerald can do. You've told me at least ten times now."

"Then why don't you get it!" He yelled.

"I do." Rouge said calmly. "It wasn't my fault that-"

"YES IT WAS!"

"Uh, you guys?" Tails asked, which was replied by the two glaring at him.

Kagome: I found out that the library is for once not busy (it's where all the teens hang out because out city is pretty dull.) and I can get some comp. time and even see my Japanese teacher, so I am updating today! Yay!