Chapter 3: A room for two.

Note: Sorry it been SO long I've updated. I've been... busy. Here you go. Sorry if the ARK scene isn't entirely accurate.

Note 2: Thank you to all those who reviewed! I'm glad I have some fans for this story. For you all, and extra juicy chapter! Enjoy!

7 PM at the summit of Holy Mountain

"So... those men in line... thought you were in line for that." Rouge was still confused and surprised at Knuckles' sudden entry.

Knuckles simply nodded, looking ahead. He tried to forget about it as much as possible.

"Sorry," she continued "if I embarrassed you."

Knuckles shook his head. "It's okay."

Rouge shook her head quickly. She really felt like forgetting it, too. "Anyway, what exactly did you bring me for?" A smirk spread across her face. "Or is this really a date?"

Knuckles glared at her. "Don't try that."

Rouge crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, then what are we doing, where are we, and where the heck are we going!"

Knuckles sighed. "...we're actually trying to save the world."

Rouge laughed to herself. "Again?"

"Again. Long story short, Eggman's trying to take over the world once more. This time, Sonic got captured. Tails is on vacation, Amy is said to be looking for her, but no one knows exactly where she is..."

Meanwhile,

"Sonic? Where are you? Sonic!" Amy shouted aloud. "...I'd better ask this person here." She walked to one of the local residents. "Excuse me, but have you seen this hedgehog?"

She held up a copy of "Sonic Adventure: Directors Cut," pointing to the picture of Sonic.

The penguin she was talking to squawked in confusion.

"Thank you for your time." She replied.

Back at the mountain,

"...Big the Cat is fishing, but no one really needs him..."

"Okay, I get it." Rouge didn't want to bother listening to the rest. "Now where are we?"

"This is Holy Mountain. Eggman's base is at the bottom of the mountain... on the other side. That's where we are headed."

Rouge was surprised. "On the other side?" She looked at the sky. The sun was only an hour away from setting. "We aren't going to make it over there before the night."

Knuckles stopped. "You're right... well; our other only option is to climb to the top. There's a nice hotel up there." He pointed to a large building, with hundreds of lit windows flashing back. Smoke emanated from the chimney. "It's not that far away, really."

"How do you know all this?" Rouge perked her ears, a sign of curiosity.

Knuckles pointed to a small hut downhill from their location. "That's my house."

Rouge didn't know what to feel about Knuckles' idea of a home. She figured she'd ask him later. She walked ahead of Knuckles. "Let's go to the hotel, then." She told him over her shoulder. "We can get Eggman tomorrow."

Knuckles caught up with her. "You really think he'll put it off 'til tomorrow?"

"Well... maybe. I mean, no matter what kind of wild stunt he pulls, he always seems to give us at least some time to stop him. Besides, I have reliable connections that tell me the status of his latest projects."

Knuckles felt encouraged to ask about her "connections," but thought it best not to ask. He tried to find another topic. "So... do you still steal jewels?"

Rouge laughed, as if he were joking. Knuckles wasn't amused. "Didn't I say I would stop?" She remembered that conversation aboard the ARK. "Since then, I haven't owned an item of jewelry that hasn't been bought."

Knuckles remembered it, too. It was not too long after Shadow's sorrowful death, when the two had discussed their future in the main observatory room, along with the others. Knuckles could remember the conversation almost perfectly, which felt somewhat strange to him.

ARK main observatory room, Day X

"So, what's next for you, Rouge?" Knuckles asked. "Off to steal those jewels you love so much?"

Rouge could tell he was finally warming up to her for once, so she decided to be friendly. "No, I'm thinking of quitting that whole thing." Knuckles felt a hint of softness in her voice. "Too much work for too little pay. Besides, I have something else on my mind right now."

Knuckles didn't understand what that was supposed to mean, if anything. Rouge smiled at him, reassuringly. "It'll all work out. You'll see."

Knuckles smiled back. "If you say so."

Back at the mountain

"Knuckles?"

Knuckles was startled to hear Rouge's voice and snapped out of his flashback. Rouge game him a look that just died to ask what he was thinking about. Knuckles read it. "Sorry. I was... remembering about that whole ARK incident." They both remained silent.

They both felt that awkward, unsettling silence until they reached the hotel. The hotel was very large, considering the fact that there are no other buildings for miles. There are tons of windows above, each with their own small balcony to overlook the mountain. Looking up, Knuckles smiled at the stars, in their large numbers. Rouge rolled her eyes.

Right as they entered, they were both taken back by the warmth of the lobby rushing out. The floors were made of ceramic tiles, carrying the reflection of the ceiling lights. To the left, a seating area full of plush chairs, a couple coffee tables, and a grand fireplace. To the right, a cheerful young lady standing behind a polished, marble counter.

"Welcome to the Snowy Heights Hotel," said the receptionist. "Will you be checking in?"

Knuckles urged to answer, but Rouge beat him to it. "Can you get us a room for two? It's just for one night."

The receptionist began typing on her nearby computer. "A lovely room for the lovely couple!"

Knuckles was fuming. "Couple!"

Rouge nudged him hard in the gut. "Would you have a suite available?" she asked.

The receptionist looked at her apologetically. "Terribly sorry, but we only have one-roomers." She said. "But there are two beds and a fold-out couch in each room."

Knuckles began to protest, but Rouge quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. "We'll take it."

The receptionist continued typing. Knuckles glared at Rouge. "Look, I'm sure there's another hotel around here somewhere," he urged.

"Well, there isn't, Knuckles." Rouge shot back with just as much intensity. The receptionist was both confused and frightened by their odd relationship. "At least be glad we aren't sleeping out in the snow, because that's our only option, got it?"

Knuckles growled in response. The receptionist looked at Knuckles questioningly. "Sir?"

Knuckles spun around and barked at the lady. "What?"

Both the receptionist and Rouge were surprised by Knuckles' sudden lashing out. The receptionist was the first to speak. "Umm, the cost of the room for one night is 150 rings."

Knuckles took out what he had in his pocket and quickly counted them all. "Umm... I only have 32 rings." Rouge didn't seem surprised. She pulled out a shiny, plastic credit card and handed it to the lady. "You can take it off the checking account."

Knuckles stared at his rings momentarily, then handed them to Rouge. "Sorry... I'll pay you the rest later." Rouge pushed his offer back to him. "Don't." her voice sounded kind, but her face didn't show any signs of feeling. "I'll cover it."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" The two both looked at the lady behind the desk. The receptionist cleared her throat and handed them a pair of keys. On the key rings were giant plastic tags, both with a bold number 62. "Your room is number sixty-four." She smiled. "It's a floor up from this one. Have a nice night!"

Rouge followed Knuckles to a nearby elevator and pressed a button with an arrow pointing upward. "I hate this place already," she whispered to Knuckles. A ding chimed above them. A few seconds passed, and the mirror-like doors slowly opened. Knuckles followed Rouge into the elevator and pushed the button for the next floor. Cheesy elevator music was playing in a small speaker above them.

The doors closed and the elevator shook and rattled as it ascended. Not too long after moving, the elevator stopped rather suddenly. The lights dimmed and the music was cut off. Knuckles threw is hand up in the air, frustrated. "Great. This has been wonderful so far."

"Knuckles, calm down. We'll be fine." Rouge assured him.

The elevator made a sudden jolt downward, knocking Rouge onto Knuckles and both of them to the floor. Rouge opened her eyes and found her self on top of Knuckles, staring directly at his face, mere inches away. Knuckles was just a surprised to see her. With slight hesitation, he rolled over and got back up to his feet. The telephone rang in a box below the buttons.

Rouge scoffed at Knuckles. She tried to express her frustration, but was at a loss for words. She opened the box and picked up the phone. "Yeah?"

"Hi, this is the front desk. We're really sorry about the elevator. We're fixing it right away, and it should be done in a matter of seconds."

Rouge hung up the phone and turned to Knuckles. "That hurt, you know."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, really, it was just..."

Silence followed. After a few seconds went by, the elevator gave a small jolt, then began to move normally. Almost immediately, another ding was made, and the doors opened to the hallway.

Finally, the two had reached room number 62. Rouge used her key and opened the door to their room. Like most hotels, it cam with a small kitchen and bathroom, and a television in the main room. Two beds occupied most of the room, separated by a telephone stand.

Rouge looked at the digital clock on the stand. "It's not even nine yet," she turned to Knuckles. "Would you like to go look outside and see the view? I need to change anyway."

Knuckles looked at the wilding glass door on the opposing side of the room. "There's a balcony?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Yeah, most hotels come with one. Well... most. This one does, at least."

Knuckles started for the door. "Hey, Knuckles?" he immediately turned around. "I know we're here because we're trying to stop Eggman and all, but don't feel that that's your main focus." Knuckles found her coming closer to him as she talked. "We're in a hotel, so just relax, okay? You deserve a break." She smiled sweetly. Although it was odd to hear this from Rouge, it felt nice to hear that she cares a bit for him. "I'll meet you on the balcony, then." Knuckles smiled and walked to the glass.

Knuckles gazed through the sliding glass door. Rouge was right, outside was a balcony, about the size of a long couch, with side railing made of black iron. He opened the door and steeped outside. Immediately realizing how cold it is outside, he turned back to the sliding glass door, but found the Rouge had pulled the curtains on him. Knuckles remembered Rouge said she was changing, so decided it best to just stay outside.

He turned back and rested against the railing. With all the bizarre events happening, he had almost forgotten about his "mission." He searched the bottom of the mountain for Eggman's base, but all the buildings looked alike. He also remembered Sonic, and wondered how he was doing.

His thoughts were interrupted with a sudden green glow. He pulled out from behind him the Master Emerald. "Hello, Knuckles," Tikal's mystical voice echoed. "How're you and Rouge hitting it off?"

"Just fine, really. We-" Knuckles caught the meaning of the question. "Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

Tikal laughed. "Nothing. Never mind." Knuckles glared. "I'm sorry, I was just checking up on you, and wondered how you were doing."

"Fine, thank you." Knuckles felt annoyed by a lot. "Look, can I be alone right now?"

Tikal tried to sound polite. "Oh, of course! Sorry to bother you." Knuckles stashed the emerald behind him.

Knuckles sighed and leaned heavily on the iron railing. It felt like such a long journey already, but little did he know, the night was far from over, and so was their adventure.

Is the night really that far off? What will yet to come through the night? Will Sonic be saved and Eggman vanquished? And is that bonding I sense between them?

CLIFFHANGER NEXT CHAPTER!

So please read the next exciting chapter of when two opposing souls reluctantly come together and find that their journey is much more than an adventure.

I'm Sonic Hero. Good night, everybody!

(Reviews are greatly appreciated)