A/N: Chapter four :D! I'm going to try and make this one longer than the last three -.-. I'm so sorry it's been taking me such a long time to update, but this one was better, no? I'm watching Tarzan while writing this :)! So adorable. It's all like… animated cuteness! Sorry… I've been eating too many chocolate covered peanuts :).
Yawwnnn. Too lazy to make this one witty… which the others "are for sure". I don't own any of the characters in my story except for Hina and… Miss Kyro and Felix:)… Did you know that you burn as many calories playing piano as you do walking at 2 mph?!? I bet you didn't. I need a hobby.
The early morning sun shone brightly through the tall, green windows of the conservatory. Beads of dew on the colourful blooms of the tropical flora glittered like diamonds. The leaves, which ranged from thick, waxy succulents to spindly needles, shone like emeralds. The humid room reminded Knuckles of a breathtaking jewelry box. He knew that Rouge would have loved the sight. He walked through the empty greenhouse, eyeing the beautiful flowers lining the path. He reached a yellow sparrow standing behind a window in the wall on the other side of the vast room.
"Good morning, sir." She said with a friendly smile. "Can I help you?"
"Yeah, thanks." Knuckles answered, trying to match her sociable greeting. He simply was not a morning person. The only reason he had set his alarm to such an early hour was so that there would not be a queue to buy tropical bouquets. "Could I get some flowers?"
"Of course you can." She said with a laugh. "What can I get you?"
"Err… Something nice." He answered bleakly, looking over her shoulder at the wall of colourful flower clippings lining the wall. She gave him an understanding smile.
"What's the occasion?"
Knuckles felt his face going red.
"Nothing."
The bird sighed dreamily and smiled.
"I wish my boyfriend would buy me flowers without an occasion." She said, then added as an afterthought "Or ever."
She stared bitterly into space for a few moments, only snapping back into reality when Knuckles cleared his throat loudly.
"Sorry." She said with a laugh. "So if you're not sure about what you want, I can show you some clippings."
"Um, yeah. That sounds good." He replied awkwardly.
"Alright," She said, grabbing a handful of assorted flower clippings. Her movements were so fluid, and seemed so graceful that she made Knuckles feel uncomfortable, as if his skin was suddenly made of lead.
"Do you like the look of any of these?" She asked, spreading the dozen flowers out on the makeshift table at the base of the window, which was clearly for money transition. Knuckles scanned the rainbow blooms. A heart shaped, soft pink flower with pale veins and a long, white-yellow pistil caught his eye.
"What's that one?" He asked, pointing to it and feeling horribly ignorant.
"That's an anthurium." She said with a dreamy smile. "One of my favourites."
"Alright… How much are they?"
"One-Twenty for a dozen." She said automatically. Knuckles just stopped himself from snorting in indigence.
"How many can I get for a twenty?" He asked, the twenty-dollar bill in his pocket feeling like pennies.
"Well, it's twelve dollars for one, but I'll give you two for twenty. And they come in bouquets with baby's breath."
"Perfect!" Knuckles said, with his first sincere smile all morning.
"Great. It's going to take about five minutes. You can look around the conservatory if you want."
Knuckles thanked her and walked slowly over to the bridge overlooking a shallow wishing pond. Pennies and nickels glinted from the bottom, each representing a most certainly ungranted wish.
"Alright, Felix. Make your wish." cooed a woman's voice from a second bridge a few meters away. Knuckles turned to see the owner of the voice; a salmon pink squirrel in dangerously high heels. At her feet stood a young boy, who couldn't have been more than two years old. He had olive green skin, and long, almost black locks of hair that reminded Knuckles of well mannered vines. He seemed so plant-like, as if he could crouch in with the tropical flora and go unnoticed. It was the little boy's eyes, however, that made Knuckles stare. They were the exact same shade of electric blue as Hina's.
"Go on, honey." The squirrel said, gazing at the child with motherly affection. "Wish for anything you want."
"Anything?" He asked, eyeing the clear water with a lustful glint in his familiar eyes. Knuckles had to turn away though, as he realized that at least five minutes had passed. He walked much more briskly to the bird. He turned a corner and saw her talking pleasantly on a telephone with a floral pattern. She smiled at him, and pointed to two pretty flowers wrapped in pale yellow paper. Knuckles mouthed a thanks, and tossed his payment onto the counter. Taking the bouquet, he walked quietly until he reached the squirrel and her strange child. Knuckles knelt down and pretended to read the complicated scientific names of various plants inscribed on little golden plaques.
"I wish…" said the little boy's greedy voice. "I wish…"
"Come on, muffin." The squirrel said, eyeing her fancy-looking wristwatch. A large koi fish swam from beneath the bridge and snatched a little fly from the surface of the water. Knuckles was simply too curious about this little plant boy who so resembled Hina. He hopped to his feet and walked cautiously toward them.
"I want a fish!" the toddler exclaimed, with sudden force in his voice. He chucked a quarter into the pond, only just missing the orange fish. The squirrel sighed.
"Nice wish, Felix. Now let's go. Mommy has to stop by the pet-" she froze, then gave Felix a sugary smile. "The pedicure store."
They left briskly before Knuckles could open his mouth. However, as they reached the revolving front doors, the squirrel peeked over her shoulder and surveyed Knuckles with interest. The echidna's face went beet red, and he turned on his heel abruptly, pretending to be fascinated with a stubby fern.
He shook his head sadly as he heard them leave. Who were these curious, snobby people anyways? After a moment of thought, he decided to deliver his flowers. He said a quick goodbye to the bird, and made his way to Rouge's towering apartment building. She lived on the third floor, in a clean, one bedroom apartment with dramatic red and brown walls. As the elevator took him to her floor, he imagined how her face would look upon receiving her gift. With a sigh and an image of beaming Rouge in his mind, he walked down the hall with a spring in his step. He raised his fist and tapped gently on the door. After waiting a moment, he knocked harder and pressed his ear against the door. With a shrug, he knelt down and pulled a little golden key from under a welcome rug. Unlocking the door, he remembered He and Rouge having a loud argument involving putting the key here.
"That's the first place someone would look!" Knuckles had exclaimed.
"Don't be silly." Rouge answered, rolling her teal eyes. She had won the debate in the end, as she always seemed to.
With a sigh, Knuckles placed the key back into its assigned spot. He opened the wooden door and peeked in. No smiling bat met his searching eyes. He stepped uncertainly into the room, scanning it for any clue towards Rouge's absence. After a moment, he noticed a little square of white stationary propped up against an empty flower vase on the kitchen table. Upon closer inspection, Knuckles saw that it had a short, messy message scribbled down in black ink. The echidna read through it a few times, a look of growing surprise appearing on his face.
"Oh, Rouge." He muttered, shaking his head sadly. The blunt letter explained in a few short sentences how the bat had left to India to steal some obscure gem. The echidna tore the note in half angrily, crumpling it into a ball. He walked into the kitchen, and got a tall, crystal vase which he filled with cold water. With another sigh, he placed the flowers into their new home, wondering if they would even live long enough for the bat to see them. He dropped the container on the kitchen table, rotating it repetitively until he found an angle that he liked. He caressed one of the petals with a finger.
"Be careful." He whispered with another small sigh.
A/N:Heehee.. oh no! Poor Knuckles… a whole chapter of flower shopping- which goodness knows he can't like much- and Rouge goes and gets herself caught up with work in India. Poor muffin :(!!! Let's all hug him :3.
--LA