Disclaimer: I do not own Knuckles, Rouge or any of the other official SEGA characters. Aki and Sammy are property of me.
Here it is, the last chapter. I know, I'm sad too. Before I begin, I'd just like to thank everyone for your kind support. This was a huge success for my first fic, and it was your support that made it possible. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Now, please enjoy the final chapter of Protector.
Protector-Chapter 6
A while later, the police came to investigate what had happened. While Aki was explaining to the authorities what happened, Knuckles was back in Rouge's room, making sure she was okay.
"It's amazing that she slept through that…" he mused, an amused look on his face. His face softened as he placed his hand on top of hers. "Well…here goes nothing…"
"Rouge…" Knuckles' voice was soft, so he wouldn't wake her. "I don't know if you can hear me right now…but, I just wanted to let you know that Fang won't bother you anymore. The cops took him away for a long time."
He was quiet for a while, trying to calm his nerves for what he really wanted to say. "Even if she can't hear me…I still have to let her know…"
"The truth is…" Knuckles paused and he breathed in deeply. "The truth is…when he attacked you…I completely lost it. I…I thought…I didn't know what I would do…if I ever lost you…"
Knuckles looked over at the sleeping bat. He took her hand in both of his, trying to find the right words to say. "Rouge…I…I love you…I love you a lot…You have no idea…so…so that's why I stayed here…so I could tell you…just how I feel…"
He stared at Rouge for a moment. When she was fast asleep like this, without all the make-up, she looked completely different, almost innocent. He smiled and gently stroked her face, leaning in a bit closer. "Rouge…" he whispered, slowly closing the gap between them, his lips just inches away from hers…
"Kn…Knuckles?"
"…!" Knuckles instantly backed away. "R…R…Rouge!"
The white bat slowly sat up, smirking at the blushing echidna. "…What was that you were saying earlier?"
"Huh?" Knuckles exclaimed. Rouge had heard everything! "I…ah…I didn't say anything!" he shouted as he quickly ran out of the room, leaving the bat behind.
Rouge simply chuckled to herself as she laid back down, thinking, "I love you too, Knuckles…"
A bit later, Knuckles was outside the hospital, mentally beating himself up for what he did. "Dammit! Why'd she have to wake up? I was doing fine when I thought she couldn't hear what I was saying!" He sighed and slouched down on the steps of the hospital, completely unaware that Rouge wasn't the only one who heard his little confession…
"He was so close…" Aki pouted, resting her chin on her hands.
"And even after all the crap he went through for her, he lost his nerve at the last minute." remarked the purple hedgehog next to her, flicking back the curly quill that fell in front of her face. "Didn't I tell you that would happen?"
"But I thought for sure…"
"Well, the important thing is that Rouge'll be all right. Besides, there is some good that came out of this situation…" the purple hedgehog turned to Aki and rubbed her head. "At least you got Knucklehead to admit his feelings! That's an accomplishment in itself!"
"So, you think they have a chance, Sammy?" Aki looked up at her friend.
"Well…they're both pretty hardheaded…" Sammy muttered. "But I think they'll come around. And we can always give them a little push…" she added, a devious smirk coming to her face.
Aki grinned back, knowing all too well what that smirk meant. "Sammy, what are you planning?"
"Well…Valentine's Day is right around the corner…"
The End
A/N: Whew! It's done! collapses in the chair Protector's finished, but the story's not over yet! I've got a sequel in the works that should be up pretty soon, hopefully a few weeks from now or so…
By the way, the purple hedgehog is Sammy, my 2nd fan character. There's info about her on my author's page if you're curious.
Thanks again to all those who've read and reviewed the story. I'm very grateful for your support. Until next time, R&R, and thanks for reading!