Possibly Love?
By AliceStar
(Sonic and Company belong to Sega! Not me!)
It was nearly dawn by the time Rouge began to awaken. She slowly rose into a deep, almost relaxing morning back stretch. The sun slowly spilled over her slender figure, as it's bright rays warmed her.
She sighed softly as her torso gently fell onto her fluffy bed quilts, and her legs dangled freely in the air behind her. It was another day, and that meant another chance to captivate the Master Emerald.
Before she could contemplate upon the situation anymore, she smelled a slight arising aroma, it smelled like breakfast. Like a curious kitten, Rouge slowly stepped out of her orchid tent.
She spotted the red echidna crouched on the ground tending to the fire pit. With the notion in mind of trying to not be detected, Rouge tried to slowly creep back into her orchid tent. A small smile grew upon Knuckles' lips, "Good morning Rouge."
In shock Rouge squealed and turned around to face the echidna that had an even larger grin on his face, "Umm, good morning Knuckles! Whatcha makin' there?"
"Like most normal people, I cook breakfast," Knuckles replied.
Rouge burst out in laughter, " Wait a minute! Wait a minute! YOU cook?"
Rouge zipped over so quickly to Knuckles, that the echidna almost could have mistaken her for Sonic, "Umm, yeah, why?"
"Now this is funny! You really cook? Aww, how cute! Does little Knuxy-wuxy want a pretty pink apron?" Rouge asked while exploding with laughter.
She grabbed his cheek playfully and wiggled it in her grip. Knuckles shrugged her off of him and rubbed his face as she sat next to him still laughing.
"So, whatcha cookin' homemaker Knuckles?" Rouge asked.
Knuckles lowered his eyelids at her, " Herbal tea and hickory nuts."
"Ooh sounds good, serve me up some of that, Betty Crocker," Rouge said licking her lips.
Knuckles arched an eyebrow, " Oh really? Sorry, but I only have reservations set for one, and that's for Betty."
"Oh please? I'm so hungry!" Rouge exclaimed.
Knuckles looked into her unwavering, lovely resolved blue eyes. He felt himself buckling to her will and he sighed, 'Dammit, why do I fall for that?'
"Fine, help yourself batgirl."
"Yeah!" Rouge exclaimed and she left towards her orchid tent and returned with two cups. She handed one cup to Knuckles and helped herself to a handful of hickory nuts from the basket they idled in. After eating a handful of the steaming, roasted hickory nuts she stuck her tongue out in disgust.
"Yuck! How can you stand the taste of these things? They're so bitter!" Rouge exclaimed.
"Indeed they are bitter, but they are extremely good for you. Here, wash the taste down with the Herbal tea," Knuckles said offering her his cup as he filled hers up with tea.
Rouge's eyes darted over at Knuckles then she slowly took a sip from his cup. Although the tea had little flavor it burned the bittersweet taste of the Hickory nuts out of her throat and for that she was thankful.
Knuckles returned the cup to his own lips and took a sip as well, closing his eyes. Rouge placed both of her slender hands around her cup and drank up her entire helping of Herbal tea until it was all gone and she released a humongous belch that echoed through out Angel Island.
She daintily placed her fingers to her lips, blushing and she turned to Knuckles who was staring at her quite disgustedly.
"That was disgusting," Knuckles said slightly perturbed.
Rouge giggled uneasily then rose to her feet and began to pack away her belongings.
"And where are you going to in such a rush?" Knuckles asked her.
"Hmph, foolish echidna, if I've told you once, then I've told you millions of times! I'm going to find my beauty, the Master Emerald, care to venture along?" Rouge asked.
"An eleven day journey? I think I'll pass," Knuckles replied finishing the pot of tea.
"Oh come on, why not get some healthy exercise in?" Rouge purred.
"I get plenty."
"How about sunshine?"
"Plenty as well."
"How about manners?"
"Plenty."
"What, are you some kind of machine? 'Plenty, plenty, plenty!"
"Don't you have some kind of innocent kindergartener to swindle now?"
"Yeah and I'm lookin' right at him!"
"You're so strange, and frankly, pathetic at the same time, congratulations, batgirl."
"…Big head…"
"Winged-rat."
" Cheap creep!"
" Jewel freak!"
"Dreadlocks from hell!"
"…."
Knuckles sighed, "Well you can keep playing your immature games, I'm going to train s'more."
Rouge huffed, that worked out nicely! And just who does he think he is anyway?
"Well fine echidna! I'm leaving!" Rouge started packing her belongings but Knuckles turned to face her with a smirk.
"You're not going to get within one hundred meters from here," Knuckles said.
"And what makes you think so?" Rouge interrogated eying him suspiciously.
"It's going to pour rain pretty soon, and you're not going to travel in that kind of weather," Knuckles said shaking his head.
Before Rouge could reply a droplet of rain splattered on her face and then a cascade of rain was unleashed and in a matter of seconds the two hunters were drenched.
Knuckles crossed his arms and smiled at Rouge, "See batgirl? Not only am I one with the Master Emerald, but I am also one with Angel Island. Now if you excuse me, I've got some training to do."
Knuckles gracefully leapt onto a tree limb and like an acrobat, swung himself on a wider branch. He rose to his feet, and with great balance begin to throw lighting-fast punches at the air. Rouge trotted towards the tree until she was below him.
"Knuckles! Quick being stupid and get down from there, you'll hurt yourself!" Rouge barked.
Knuckles ignored Rouge and continued throwing punches at thin air, "What are you, my mother?"
Rouge growled, "Knuckles, it's raining…no, it's pouring out here! You can slip and fall! All it takes is one distraction!"
"Distraction? I am the guardian of the Master Emerald, I never get distracted!" Knuckles said doing a handstand.
While maintaining his balance, Knuckles' eyes fell upon Rouge who was pouting and stuck her hands upon her hips and her gaze wondered downward. The guardian's vision that was once fixed upon Rouge's face innocently fell upon the front of her soaked white shirt where her voluptuous bosom rested.
And to both his surprise…and pleasure through her soaked white shirt he could see a pink, lacy bra. At that very moment, if possible, his face glowed a bright red, and he lost his footing on the branch. His chin crunched into the branch and he plummeted to the ground with a sickening crack afterwards. Rouge ran to the aid of the echidna who was holding his leg, grimacing.
"Goodness! Are you all right?" Rouge piped.
" Fine," Knuckles replied curtly.
"It looks swollen, let me carry you to the tent," Rouge offered.
"I may be hurt, but I have my pride," Knuckles said, scoffing at such a foolish comment.
True, even with pain the echidna was still a hardhead. He'd do anything to prove himself. Even if Angel Island was on fire, and sinking into the ocean, Knuckles would claim that everything was under his control!
Rouge frowned, there was absolutely no way to convince the echidna to take her offer…unless…
An idea popped in Rouge's head and she couldn't help but smile, "Knuckles, you're such a sissy."
"Sissy? Now wait just a min—"
As Knuckles opened his mouth to speak, Rouge's lips intertwined with his, locking him into a deep kiss. Once Rouge's lips left his, another deep blush took over the echidna's face and he was completely silent.
"There, now will you be a good boy and stay silent?" Rouge asked with a smile.
"…"
She picked up Knuckles and gave him a piggyback ride into her tent while the echidna was still in shock. Ha! Now there was no way he'd protest her help!
She took a match and lit an empty lantern she found in her tent. The darkness vanished as the lantern gave the tent a sheen glow. She searched through a couple more of her duffel bags and pulled out some wrapping tape and turned towards Knuckles who was staring at her; studying her.
"Okay, hold still," Rouge said.
She took a knee to sit next to Knuckles, who she noticed inched away from her. She blinked and moved next to him only to see him move away from her. She lowered her eyelids and reached a hand towards him to receive Knuckles evading her grasp.
"What is wrong with you echidna?" Rouge asked.
"What's wrong with me? You're the one tryin' to grab me!" Knuckles exclaimed.
"I'm tryin' to help you here! Now just stay still so I can wrap and ice your leg!" Rouge hissed.
Knuckles sighed as he allowed Rouge to wrap and ice his leg. As Rouge slowly wrapped his leg, she heard his heart beating loud against his chest. Her cool, blue eyes lit by the lantern flicked up towards Knuckles. A small smile came to her lips.
" Are you nervous echidna? Are you scared of little ole me?" Rouge asked with a twinge of fascination in her voice.
" Don't flatter yourself batgirl, I've just never been this close to a girl before, that's all," Knuckles said turning his gaze away from her.
"Girl? Pssh!I think you better recognize a woman when you see one kid!" Rouge replied seductively.
Knuckles lowered his eyelids, " As I've heard Sonic say, 'Girl please!'"
Rouge bust out laughing and Knuckles smiled as well, now inspecting his ankle wrapping. He slowly began to leave and this caught Rouge's attention.
"Knuckles, where are you going?" Rouge asked quietly.
" I'm going to sleep under a tree, see you in the morning," he replied.
Rouge had to refrain from busting out in laughter, 'sleeping under a tree' just how weird did that sound? She looked at the echidna with what he considered an almost friendly expression.
"But you don't have to leave…" Rouge said almost timidly, "You can stay here for the night, there's enough space for both of us…"
Knuckles' eyes widened a bit but he did, however, sit down and rest his back against one of Rouge's velvet coats. Rouge smiled and dimmed the lantern until it was completely dark in the tent.
"Good night Rouge."
"Good night Knuckles. Oh and don't try anything either you creep…"
"GOOD NIGHT ROUGE!"
To be continued!
Review and Alice shall renew!
LuV, Allygurl 8D