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Chapter 6 – 'Do You Really Mean That?'

"Aw, c'mon Knuckles lighten up! It's not everyday that you get to see one of the biggest cities and some of the largest buildings in the world!" Knuckles had been grumpy since they left Angel Island yesterday, when they had to ask Tikal and Chaos if they would guard the M.E. while they were gone. Rouge was trying to cheer him up again.

"I know, I know. I just can't help but worry about the Master Emerald, are Tikal and Chaos really up to guarding it?" Knuckles asked, while Rouge frowned.

"You care more about that rock than anything else? Even…me?" she seemed to be almost on the verge of tears

"No, no, thats not what I meant!! I know I worry too much about it, and I shouldn't. There are more important things to life than guarding something for an entire lifetime. Such as love," he said before he could stop himself, and then clapped a hand over his mouth. Knuckles looked up at Rouge, expecting her to be laughing at him. Instead, she looked confused rather than mocking.

"What do you mean by that, Knuckles," she asked hopefully, "about love being more important?"

He gulped. Was this the time to admit his feelings to her? Well, better sooner than later… he thought to himself. "Rouge, I care about you more than anything else in my life. If you and I hadn't met, I probably would have stuck to guarding the M.E. for my whole life. But you showed me life can be more than that. You showed me to relax and have fun, something I could have never gotten out of being a Guardian. What I guess I'm trying to say Rouge is…" he gulped again and whispered, "I Love You."

That last part was said so quietly that any normal person probably couldn't have heard it. But Rouge's extra-sensitive bat ears picked it up. She smiled brightly, a tear coming to her eye. "Knuckles…do you really mean that? You...really love me?" She had waited a long time for him to say that to her.

He smiled right back and said, "Yes, Rouge, ever since we first met, I knew you were different than other women I've met. You're kind, and caring, and someone I want to spend my entire life with. I love you."

Rouge broke down and wrapped her arms around him tightly. People in other seats in the subway car were beginning to stare, but Knuckles didn't care. He embraced Rouge back and stroked her hair with his gloved hand. She leaned forward and whispered, "I love you too, Knuckles…"

They looked into each others eyes deeply, until Knuckles pulled Rouge into a kiss. Everyone in the train 'Aww'ed. Rouge was a bit shocked at first, but deepened it. They pulled away a minute later, panting for breath. Rouge still had tears on her cheeks to Knuckles wiped them away.

"Here's our stop, Rouge. Let's go get that Chaos Emerald!" He offered his hand to her to help her get up. She took it and the two walked out of the subway station, hand in hand.

Rouge led the way through the city, pointing out various stores, malls, and restaurants until she finally made it to the Empire State Building. They looked up and tried to see the very top of it. It was barely visible.

"That's a really long way to fly…" Knuckles stated. He looked over at Rouge and said, "Do you want to take the elevator as far up as we can, then fly the rest?"

Rouge gave him a teasing look. "You are SO lazy, you know that? Alright, but only because my wings are tired from earlier." They had flown from Angel Island all the way to a train station since the train at Station Square did not go to New York City.

After the long elevator ride, the two emerged onto an outside section of the building surrounded by high fence. You could see the entire city from up there.

Rouge nuzzled against the crimson Echidna. "It sure is beautiful, isn't it Knuckles?"

He blushed. "Ehh, I guess it's okay. I can think of something more beautiful, though."

"Oh, really? What is it?"

Their eyes met. "You." He moved closer and their lips met for the second time in a few hours. Rouge half-opened her eyes and spotted something shiny above Knuckle's head on the building's spire. She didn't want to pull away from Knuckles, but she just had to point at what she saw.

"Look, there's the Chaos Emerald!" He turned his head and saw the jewel.

He smiled at her. "Nice eye, Rouge! I probably wouldn't have spotted that as fast as you did."

They both flew to the peak of the spire, where the sparkling red jewel rested. Knuckles picked it up. He held it in front of his face, and then looked back and forth between it and Rouge.

She looked confused. "What are you doing?"

Knuckles chuckled. "Comparing its shining beauty and radiance to you."

"And?"

He flew next to her. "You win," he said with a huge smile.

They landed back on the ground, where Rouge immediately embraced Knuckles in a strong hug. "Thank you Knuckles. You have made this day one of the best I have had in a long time."

He handed over the Emerald and said, "Rouge, can you take this and meet me back at Tails house? There's something I need to get at Angel Island first." He tried to hide a slight smirk on his face.

Rouge frowned. She had wanted to talk to him on the way back to Tails house. But…maybe he was doing something important! She could let it slide this time. "Oh, okay. See you later, Knuckie!" Rouge waved while she flew away.

Hmm…Knuckie?...I like it! He thought as he walked to a jewelry store. He was gonna give her something she would never forget.

The second he walked in, he was swarmed by at least 10 different salespeople. "WHOA WHOA WHOA! Get off of me! I'm just looking for now!" Knuckles pushed them all away as he walked up to the display counter. "I need just a plain ring. I'm going to get a jewel for it myself."

The man at the counter spoke to him as if he didn't quite exist. "Ah, yes, of course. It will be $300. Cash, Check, Card?"

Knuckles pulled the crisp bills out of his wallet. "Cash." The cashier handed him a shiny gold ring. The echidna pocketed the ring, knowing Rouge would love it. There was just one more thing to get.

"Any old jewel won't be good enough. I need something special. Some kind of jewel that no one else has." An idea came into his head at that precise minute. He took his receipt and made his way back to Angel Island.

Meanwhile, with batgirl…

She paced the floor in Tails' house nervously. Where was Knuckles? If he went home for one thing, he should have been here by now.

At that moment, he came in the front door of Tails house. Rouge was all over him in a second.

"Where were you? What happened? Why are you late? What are you hiding behind your back?" Knuckles was trying to be inconspicuous about the box in his hands. Apparently, it hadn't worked.

Knuckles came right up next to her, saying, "Rouge, these weeks that we've been together have probably been the best I've had in my life. I want the rest of my life to be like that, with you always there right by me. That is why I am doing this now." He knelt in front of her and opened the box. Inside was the ring he had bought, topped with a large piece of the Master Emerald. Rouge just stood there, not knowing what to say. "Rouge the Bat, will you marry me?"