Sorry I haven't done a disclaimer so here's one to make it up! Oh and thanks for waiting for an update. I had a little writers block. Heh.

Disclaimer: I don't own…Sonic and Co… but if I owned Knuckles I would umm…I don't know, but if I owned Shadow I would rip off his chest fur and stuff it in a pillow!

Shadow: AHHHHHH!

Knuckles: You don't like me, anymore…?

Me sarcastic: No, I hate you.

Knuckles: WAH!

Oh well, enjoy!

Chapter 7: A New Romance

I felt something soft touch my lips gently, and next thing I knew I had felt something so unimaginable. It felt like honey that seeped throughout my body and into my lungs, coursing through me like something I had always desired. I felt full and alive. I breathed in deeply, exhaling softly.

Wanting to know what was causing this addictive sensation, I slowly opened my eyes only to see lovely, caring rouge eyes (no not Rouge, rouge the color!), that gazed deeply and warmly above me. I smiled weakly and closed my eyes again. Shadow… he came for me… Then I felt something churn in my stomach painfully.

I doubled over, kneeling, my forehead on the ground. I spit out a cup full of water at different quantities, and I felt sick, but a little better.

I lifted my head groggily. I looked around warily around me. It was still humid in the mid afternoon sun. I gazed out towards the lake looking for a blue hedgehog, or to hope I had at least gotten a hint of attention from him.

Still, Tikal was teaching Sonic how to swim and giggled when Sonic started a competitive splashing war. It was as if nothing happened, like that splash was a pebble thrown out towards the lake.

I crawled backwards shaking my head again like it was another bad dream. I collapsed into Shadow's arm, who was sitting on the grass, watching me from behind.

I buried my head into his chest sobbing uncontrollably, wrapping my arms around him and squeezing gently, as though looking for comfort. I cried softly into his white patch of fur and tried my best to keep myself from wetting his fur, which didn't work. I wanted comfort now; I had never felt so uncomfortable and hurt. Shadow, he did give me comfort.

He ran his gloved hand through the strands of my quills smoothly, which felt so relaxing at the touch. Shadow stopped when he reached my back. He patted my back reassuringly, even though he knew that was all the comfort he could ever give, but being Shadow, I knew that would be his best.

I raised my head and smiled warmly and gazed deep into his eyes, so lovingly. He looked down and smirked, the best smile he could offer. Shadow used a free hand to wipe away stray tears, he whispered oh so gently.

"I saw you fall, and I caught you." Shadow whispered shyly, stating the obvious, "Who did it?" He frowned.

"Nobody," I looked away, "But he broke my heart. I couldn't take it…" Tears started to well up in my eyes. I didn't want to mention his name anymore.

Shadow was silent, but he took the free hand that wasn't holding me and earlier was dry from wiping my tears, and used it to turn my chin to face him. He smiled. It wasn't one of those trademark evil smiles, it was new. And I've got to say, it kind of freaked me out.

I raised an eyebrow confusedly from his lap and blushed fiercely. It took her a while to summon a few words to ask a question she had been meaning to ask ever since he did that mouth-to-mouth emergency. And to me it seemed to be more than an experience. It was heaven.

"Why…did you save me?" I managed to say in one breath, so it sounded like a soft sigh.

Shadow resumed his normal frown, but it wasn't anything.

He replied reassuringly, "I promised, didn't I?"

I brightened up my face and had a grin could make even Shadow feel giggly inside, even though that's impossible.

"Yes Shadow, you did… You promised. Something that he would never keep. And I… thank you for that…Shadow." I said Shadow's name to treasure it in memory, I still wanted to grasp his name in my heart.

Shadow just merely nodded. He took his arm that was supporting my, which startled my causing to almost fall for a second, but I caught myself, and took my arms that was wrapped around him in his hand. I sat up, sitting in front of him.

He stood up and turned around and took out his red chaos emerald, probably to warp away.

"Shadow, wait! It's almost dusk…would you…like to stay with me? At least until the sunset is gone." I had never felt so lonely in my life, even though he was only inches away from me.

He sighed, but not irritated, you could say even contentedly, and turned around and sat next to my again. He looked across the lake and through the hills that surround it. I cuddled next to his warm, dark fur. I took his arm and wrapped it around me. I blushed and looked up to see him have the same shade of red as I. I also looked out towards the lake looking into the setting horizon.

I didn't even recognize the now glaring Sonic, and thought of my new friend, Shadow, and the setting sun the shadowed our new romance, cascading merciless over Sonic and Tikal.

(Sonic's area, kidding...)

Sonic slowly swam to the shore after glaring at Shadow, who ignored him. Tikal, who had noticed Sonic's jealousy, called after him in worry.

"Where are you going?"

"Nowhere." Sonic replied grumpily continuing to swim, or try to.

Tikal swam next to him and tried to keep the same pace.

"Oh, so are you going back to Amy?"

Tikal never liked Sonic. Sonic just lost a bet playing slapjack this morning with Tikal, the deal: "You teach me to swim. Ugh! Or I'll let you slap my and…" Tikal did her best not to lose, of course!

"So what if I am?"

"Okay! Good luck!" Tikal replied happily, swimming back to where she was.

When Sonic had reached the shore, he planned to run to the nearest florist to buy Amy a bouquet of roses to win her back, not realizing that he was starting to like her, and having a new reason to loathe Shadow.

Beep, beep, beep!

"Damnit!" Rouge said aloud, smashing the alarm clock. It was 11 o'clock already; near noon wear Eggman would destroy her new lover… somehow. She didn't know his plan, but she knew that she would do anything to get Knuckles and his gem out of there.

She didn't have time to fix her hair and makeup, so she just put on a smoky black jumpsuit, a dark red tank top, white knee-high boots, and black gloves. Yes, she had the idea that she looked pretty messed up now, but she had no time for fashion.

Rouge strode across the room reaching for the door and out of the hotel. She took flight and flew towards the floating island as fast as she could.

Although it would take her at least 15 minutes to get there, she managed to take out an "emergency" black mascara and red eye shadow, somehow putting them on successfully without a mirror and in the air.

As soon as Rouge landed at the shrine of the emerald she yelled out panicked, her heart beating almost to where it hurt.

"Knuckles! Knux! Knuckie!" Tears were about to form when she didn't hear a quicker response.

"What, batgirl! I'm right here!" Knuckles replied angrily a second later, when Rouge expected a split second earlier.

Rouge walked around the emerald to see a red echidna sitting and leaning on the emerald, arms supporting his head, relaxed and seemed to be awake for awhile of course.

"Knuckie! You had me scared for a moment!" Rouge said out of breath, she was heaving from the exercise to get there and plopped down next to Knuckles.

"What are you talking about?" He asked bewildered.

Rouge managed to calm herself down and took Knuckle's hand, stood up, making him stand up also. Rouge only asked, ignoring his question,

"What time is it, Knuckie?"

"It's about twelve. Why?" Knuckles said looking down at his shadow, his nature watch.

"No time to explain. Get your emerald and let's go!" Rouge was tugging on Knuckle's arm. He felt like his arm was getting ripped off. He snatched his arm back angrily.

"Is this another trick?"

"No! Please, Knux! It's not! We have to go!" Rouge's sensitive ears were starting to hear Eggman's robots a mile away, and gaining on speed.

"What are you trying to get at, batgirl?"

"Oh, stop being so stubborn! You are about to be in trouble!"

Wasting another 5 minutes arguing…

Trees were being thrown aside and a great ruckus could be heard. Dust was billowing from the ground making a dirty mist around the two. Rouge and Knuckles snapped their heads towards the direction that they could hear Eggman's orders to the robots from.

"Liar! You're here for the emerald! You teamed up with Egghead again!"

"You got it all wrong, Knucklehead!" Rouge cried desperately.

"No! And I thought you were my friend." Rouge felt her at this, and she was about to explain, but...

It was too late.

Eggman noticing that Rouge hadn't followed her orders bellowed an order to one of his robots. The robot took out a menacing looking gun and pointed it at Rouge. Eggman gave the last command to shoot her.

After the shot, Rouge felt a horrible pain on her ribs and fell head first to the ground. She felt crippled, and then she felt like jelly. Weak and defenseless. She couldn't move or speak, let alone do anything else, but hear her thoughts and her surroundings.

"Rouge!"

Before she had blackened out she heard a desperate call, but it sounded so caring. 'Couldn't have been Knuckles.'

Hope you reviewers are happy! And remember, please no flames! If you do review I mean! Thanks a lot for reading! I appreciate reviews though!