The Prophecy; Fulfilled (Part Two)

Chapter Thirteen - Everything Burns

Dawn had just broke not too long ago, but of course Knuckles had gotten up the second the sun was out. He stomped out the ashes that sat in the spot where the fire used to be and, without even attempting to wake her, picked Rouge up onto his back to walk with her. He continued traveling in that way well into the morning.

The whole trip was a stupid idea, he thought. He should have just left Rouge at home. He had no idea about her condition before last night, though. Suddenly, he was responsible for the safety of two people. Two people that he would love and strive to care for for the rest of his life. Two people that would be his whole life and world for the years to come. He couldn't handle that! What on Mobius was he thinking?

"What the.. Knuckles?" Rouge, who was now awake, asked vaguely as she raised up to peer over the top of his head. His pace slowed as he looked up at her, and he forced an awkward smile. "Morning, batgirl."

"Mornin'," She echoed back to him through a yawn. "Why are you carrying me?"

"Because you're with child," He answered in all seriousness. "It's not healthy for you to walk."

"One, it is healthy for me to walk," Rouge said under her breath. "And two, don't make it look like it's a condition."

"Still," He said seriously, readjusting her as she began to slip.

Rouge rolled her eyes and then smiled, glad he wasn't able to see her do so. He was charming in the strangest ways. "So how far away are we, my little pack mule?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "We look like we're still in the forest that we were two days ago."

"No, we're not," He said solemnly. "Over half of the world is forest, you know."

"You mean ocean?"

"We're not near the ocean."

Rouge held her breath for a moment, then sighed it out. She lifted her gaze to see some sort of silhouette standing near some shrubs, shadowed by the foliage. She gasped lightly and turned Knuckles' head to see it, and he stopped, taking a step back. Before they could make another move, the figure stepped out into the light, and their eyes widened as they saw that it was Sonic, all slumped over, his quills a mess.

"Huh? Sonic?" Knuckles' eyes widened as allowed Rouge to slip off his back. "Sonic, that's you, right?"

"Of course it's me, Knucklehead," Sonic chimed, lifting his face to see them, a sort of eerie grin plastered on his face.

"Where's everyone else? I didn't think we were that close, but I guess we were," Knuckles said, walking closer to him, rubbing the back of his neck. Rouge, sensing something was off about the blue hedgehog, stayed put where Knuckles had left her.

"Everyone else?" Sonic echoed. "They're okay, I guess," He averted his gaze for a mere second before looking back up at the echidna. "Do you have a Chaos Emerald?"

"Chaos Emerald?" Knuckles contemplated for a second, then began digging through the satchel that hung at his side. "I think so.. ahh- here it is. Want it?" He took out a yellow emerald and was just about to hand it out to him when Rouge fluttered forward and grabbed his elbow, yanking it back.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Knux," She said quietly, giving him a solemn expression.

"Why not?" Sonic snorted as if in amusement, stepping forward in a rather unnatural manner as though he were a puppet on a string, his limbs flimsy and limp. "If you don't hand it over, I'll just take it anyway." And with that, he sped forward, but Knuckles jumped back just in time. The echidna looked to Rouge, grabbed her hand, and took off running back in the direction they had just come from. Sonic grinned and simply started walking at a leisurely pace, his piercing gaze locked on the back of their heads. "There's no point in running, Knucklehead." He called out in an overly calm tone. "If you don't come back, I'll just smoke you out like bees."