Blizzard

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story.

Character(s): Knuckles and Rouge

At least it's not Sonic, Knuckles silently repeated to himself, almost incessantly, such that – every so often – this conviction sharply disrupted all his trains of thought, and constantly returned his primary attention back to his present situation. Even with the endless repetition, he didn't know if he could really convince himself of this 'fact.'

Sure, most things would certainly, undoubtedly, be better to deal with than being stranded within the eye of a snowstorm, the only company provided being the most impatient, restless and reckless hedgehog on the planet. This statement is fact.

Knuckles wasn't sure, however, if it was worse than being stranded within the eye of a snowstorm, this time your only company being a constantly-thieving, irritatingly-flirty bat that got off on making his life more difficult than need be. Unlike the first claim, Knuckles actually needed time to think about this one.

At least it's not Sonic.

And to make matters worse, he can't really do anything regarding this predicament. Unless he suddenly develops a spot-on control over the weather (one where he specializes in snow specifically) or this harsh blizzard dies down before too long, this goal is unattainable, and Rouge will relish every second of it. He would just – to put it simply – kick her off his island, and probably should, considering his role as the Master Emerald Guardian (because, if it wasn't obvious, knowingly keeping a thief around isn't that safe for what he's meant to be protecting).

But apparently – according to the rules of social grace, or whatever Rouge interprets them to mean – he can't do that either. So, for the time being, he'd have to grit his teeth and bear this continuous torment. And prepare himself for Rouge's distraction tactics; he learned his lesson after her last visit, and this time he won't let himself leave his post as long as she was there. No matter what.

He could handle this; besides, if he looked on the bright side of the situation (regardless of the absence of the sun), he knew that there was one silver lining he could count on.

At least it's not Sonic.

If anyone ever asked Rouge's opinion of Knuckles, they'd get one answer: "He needs to lighten up a bit; maybe then he wouldn't be such a bore to hang around." This sentiment still rings true, especially since it was nearing the Christmas season. You'd think this echidna could at least show a little cheer; it's always business with him, a mannerism also honed by none other than her G.U.N. partner, Shadow.

Nevertheless, they could both afford to loosen up; even now, after spending a few hours here on the island, the echidna still tensed his shoulders whenever she made the slightest movement, his violet eyes narrowing suspiciously every single time. Usually, he was high-strung; heck, this trait just comes packaged in with his job. But he was never this jumpy, this paranoid.

She can't even have a pleasant conversation with him that lasted over two-minutes. At that point, he would derail their chat with a baseless accusation, and they would start at square one, again and again and again.

Rouge sighed, her eyes mindlessly staring off a distance as she pondered over Knuckles' strange behavior. It's probably the snow . . . yeah, that sounds reasonable.

Smokestep: Sorry that this one came a little later; the next two might be a little, as well. But don't worry, there will be chapters published. Also, concerning the review responses, if I don't respond to yours, it's because I really have nothing to say. Even if I don't respond, all reviews are very much appreciated, especially ones that are more detailed. Anyhow, hope you enjoyed! See you at the next installment.

Responses To Reviews:

Katiemonz: Thank you; hopefully, I nailed the characterization in this chapter as well.

Twin-books: Thanks! It's been quite a while since I've wrote stories like this, so I'm hoping to get my momentum back; or maybe I already do? Eh, who knows?

Christian Ape99: Are you referring to Dingo from Sonic Underground?