Here's chapter 3! :) Time for some Knuckles and Rouge ;)
Knuckles, the red echidna, lived on Angel Island as a guardian for the Master Emerald – a powerful gem created by Gods thousands of years ago, to negate the Chaos Emeralds being used for evil. Since accepting his duty as a guard, this limited Knuckles' time to see his friends back on Mobius, as the mystical stone was too precious to leave behind. Therefore, he serves the group as a sort of watcher, staying alert for any signs to Robotnik's whereabouts and his cursed machines, using the Master Emerald's power.
Another friend of the group, and also a big help to Knuckles, was Rouge – the jewel thieving bat. She had always wanted to wrap her sticky fingers around the precious Emerald, but once battling Knuckles for it, she soon realised how valuable it was to him, gratefully accepting that he would risk his life for its protection. In the end, she couldn't help but join forces and keep the people of Mobius from their villain's wicked plans.
A pair of wide, purple wings cut through the air, swooping down towards the historic Angel Island, or the Floating Island as the powers of the Master Emerald kept it afloat. Rouge had been out to find any evidence of Robotnik's next attack, but no one had any answers. In fact, most places she had stopped at had been deserted. The islands of Mobius had been dramatically altered, and Rouge, along with most folk, had doubts that things would never be the same again.
The bat's white, knee-length boots pressed into the crispy snow and she walked blissfully, admiring the view around her. Despite being coated in powdered ice, Angel Island maintained its beautiful, historic landmarks. The echidna tribe's ruins continued to stand proudly, reminding any visitor, or trespasser for that matter, that they once ruled this wondrous, magical island. Surrounding Rouge were various towering palm trees, with huge shielding leaves, and fuzzy shrubs, sprouting their way from the soil. The female bat felt a sudden sadness seep through her. It really was a sorrow that Knuckles was the last of his kind, and Rouge wished she could do to more to help.
A few minutes passed and the young bat moved her curvaceous body towards the magnificent, vital Emerald which sat at the top of a stone temple. There was no sign of Knuckles. The thief desperately wanted to stand in admiration to the jewel, maybe touching it just once? It was very tempting. Maybe she could take one step up towards it … just one …
"Rouge!"
The bat hunched her shoulders, turning around to the alerted bark from afar. Standing at another opening in the trees, was the tough fighting guardian himself. A pleasant smile grew on Rouge's attractive face as she flew over to embrace her companion in a brief, but warming, hug.
In Knuckles' violet eyes, his relationship with Rouge was never more than just friends, and the odd time rivals. Rouge, on the other hand, had quite an obvious crush on the echidna, which Knuckles seemed to look past as if it were invisible. She enjoyed flirting with him, and annoying him, but she always spoke with a kind tone of voice, assuring her gullible friend that she was only having a bit of fun. The bat had wanted a stronger relationship with Knuckles for a long time, even before aiding him in protecting the Master Emerald, but there had always been something stopping her. Something inside telling her that there is someone else to care for just as much. And his name is Shadow.
"Hey, Knuckles, how are you?"
"Great," the echidna said, hinting an obvious tone of sarcasm.
"What's wrong this time?"
"I'm sick of that damn river freezing over! Every time I break into it to get a drink it freezes over in just a few minutes!" Knuckles growled moodily. "I hate winter."
"You also hate summer," Rouge laughed, remembering Knuckles' constant moaning about the sun's brightness.
"Yeah, well, anyway," Knuckles focused back on what he really should have been talking about. "Did you find out anything?"
"Not really. We have far more places to go though, Knuckles. Everyone on South Island has deserted their zones. At least that's what I saw. They could be in hiding."
"Unless Robotnik has taken them," Knuckles snarled, folding his arms across his chest.
"Let's not think about that. It's the last thing we want to happen."
"I know, it's just …" Knuckles sighed, "never mind. I suppose your plan is to head to another island?"
"Yeah, but I'm sure the group will want to know about our plan. I was going to go to West Side Island, and that's a lot bigger than their current home land."
"Well, be careful. While you were gone I caught a glimpse of some sort of machine scanning the skies. I haven't seen it since, but I imagine it's one of Robotnik's badniks looking for Sonic and the others." Knuckles gazed out in front. "I'm not sure if they received it though. The weather hasn't looked very pleasant down there."
"Looks like that's a mission for us then," Rouge grinned, stretching her wings out proudly.
"I can't leave here. It's too big a risk after the sighting. Feel free to though. I'll keep an eye on the Emerald," Knuckles said miserably.
"Knuckles …" Rouge wondered off, unsure on what to say.
"I'll be fine. I'll warn you if there's anything out there."
"Thanks." Rouge took off in a dash and swept through the cold air. "Be careful …" she whispered.
The echidna rested his back against the frozen, stone temple and watched Rouge escape into the clouds while cradling his self-healing arm – a reminder of the past. He closed his eyes … and sighed.
Sound good? As you can probably tell I'm not sure who to make Rouge be with. But that's for later XD Might need your help you see :-P Please review!