Sonic The Hedgehog: Trailblazers (BETA)

Chapter 3: Until Next Time

It was a frigid evening, Winter had just hit Station Square and Mother Nature was unforgiving when it came to the frosty temperatures mixed in with the painful winds.
Rouge spat with a roll of her eyes as the heels of her boots had once again gotten wedged between the cracks of fallen ruins.

"Do you know how much trouble I'm going through for you right now Knucklehead?"

It had been weeks since the agent had heard, much less seen anything concerning the guardian's whereabouts. It was odd enough as it was already, Knuckles rarely left Angel Island; only doing so when the world was in peril, or if Sonic had managed to rope him into one of his adventures, the latter happening very rarely.

Sure, Rouge had gotten word of another spontaneous trip proposed by Tails to locate the seven emeralds, but even with the emeralds involved Rouge doubted that Knuckles would have tagged along. She pouted at the thought. Why doesn't she get invitations to go hunting for shiny gems?

Her concern had became worrisome as the sun had began to settle, the final fingers of dusk barely peeking over the horizon. If Knuckles was exploring the island, he surely would have returned by now..
After all, certain batty thieves strike best under the blanket of darkness, he knows this. So why hasn't Rouge seen his frame climbing up the stairs of the altar?

Maybe he was just running late, surely he found some gross cave that he's never seen before filled with smelly mold and icky bugs and he decided to take his sweet time exploring it. Rouge crossed her arms with a sharp snort, leathery wings folding over the frame of her body at the idea.
He'd really settle for hanging around in a damp cave than with her?!

"Well fine, two can play that game! I'll just keep my beautiful treasure busy while you play with the creepy bugs.."
Rouge declared to herself as she planted herself against the gleaming Emerald, barely a thought of the massive jewel in her mind as she continued to wait, wallowing in her own sour mood.

Minutes turned into hours, and hours turned to days.

About a week into Knuckles's disappearance, Rouge had once more found herself making the hike up to the Master Emerald after her long, tiresome shift at H.Q. The agent felt a shiver run through her as another gust of wind ruffled her fur, bundling her scarf once more around her face and neck as the clearing of the ancient stairs finally came into view.

Glaring at the sun's reflection bouncing of the ridge of the emerald, Rouge squashed the spark of hope that the echidna would be just at the top of the stairs. She had to, otherwise she'd drive herself mad if she decided to give in to the false hope.

Climbing up the stairs, Rouge's heels made a loud click that echoed across the field that surrounded the ruins, the sound wave stopping once it hit the edge of the woods.
It was eerie. It was odd. It wasn't right.
It hadn't been right for a week.

The simple echo was all it took to have Rouge turning her head in all directions, shuffling around and walking laps around the emerald with teal eyes scanning the area for anything, any signs of movement, any noise, a smell - anything at all.
It was within those moments, that Rouge realized how lonely the island seemed, how empty.

How dead.

Rouge began to ponder, choosing to perch herself atop the green gem that seemed to be the only living entity besides herself here, lips pursing as the thoughts in her head began to be the only noise that occupied the island.

It was obvious Knuckles wasn't here, and she knows him well enough that he did not hop onto the wing of that fox's plane to go sight-seeing or whatever it was that crew was up to.
Rouge wouldn't even bother filing a missing person report to G.U.N when she clocked in next, knowing good and well that they wouldn't find anything. After all, if she couldn't, what would they accomplish?
She was half tempted to go search the island herself, but she knew it would be a fruitless effort. Her intuition told her so.