Injured (Remake) A Knuckles x Rouge Story

Chapter 1: A Batty Encounter

Knuckles sat atop of a concrete slab atop Angel Island, his home. It didn't have much life, but to Knuckles it was the norm. He enjoyed the silence, it was his life, and there was no changing it.

Until a certain bat came along.

He didn't know why Rouge loved to see him everyday, but it sure did not brighten the mood. Almost everytime Rouge stopped by, she always got the upper hand on him, although this time, Knuckles was sure to one up her!

He just needed to wait until the night.

"That damn bat girl...." He muttered to himself, as he sat criss cross on the floor, his arms crossed as he waited for Rouge's inevitable encounter.

It was going to be a long night.

---

Rouge loved teasing Knuckles, it was her favorite pastime, apart from stealing jewels and looking pretty.

She looked at the recent find she had "bought" from a jewelry store. It was a multifaceted gem. Its luster was red and was heavy in Rouge's hand. She smirked, examining the jewel in her hand.

"Hmmm... what a nice shade of red. Even kind of reminds me of...." Rouge shook her head before she finish her sentence.

To say she liked Knuckles was an understatement, for she loved him, even more than Amy loving Sonic. Though, unlike Amy, Rouge would never admit it. Rouge tucked the gem away in a safe place.

She walked towards the apartment she, Shadow, and Omega had rented together. It wasn't much, but as long as they were Team Dark together, that's all that mattered.

"Oh boys, I'm home~" Rouge said out loud.

"Hm. You're home early." Shadow replied, being in corner.

"Yes yes, isn't that great?" Rouge said, striking a pose as she teased him.

"...." Shadow merely blinked in response, which was no surprise to Rouge.

"....Yes thank you Shadow..." Rouge sighed a bit as she walked towards her room.

"Hmm... She interrupted my brooding." Shadow muttered, going back to the corner he was previously brooding in.

"ROUGE. WELCOME BACK." Omega greeted, an apron on him.

"Oh Omega, nice to see you again," Rouge said as she shot him a small smile.

"I BAKED THESE COOKIES AT APPROXIMATELY 350 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. INGREDIENTS INCLUDE FLOUR, SUGAR, AND L-O-V-E." Omega said, showing the cookies he had made.

"...As in human love, and not 'levels of execution points' love... right?" Rouge sheepishly asked.

"HUMAN EMOTION DOES NOT COMPUTE." Omega stated.

"....Thank you anyways Omega," Rouge said with a smile as she took a single cookie and closed the door behind her.

She placed the gem next to the multiple things she had on her nightstand. There was a picture of Team Dark, the time she had her first steal, and a picture of Knuckles from Sonic's birthday. She smiled and blushed as she reminisced on happy moments with Knuckles: The day they first met, the moment he saved her, how often they would bicker over the most trivial things, the multiple times she flirted with him. It warmed her heart a little, to say the least. Rouge and Knuckles do not get along that well, especially since her time as a treasure hunter had gained her the reputation of being a thief, something Knuckles did not appreciate because of the Master Emerald's importance. However, it wasn’t her fault that she had a huge crush on him.

It wasn't her fault that Knuckles was capable of carrying multiple others at once, captivating his braun, strength that Rouge would secretly swoon over as she would ogle at Knuckle's strong physique. It wasn't her fault that Knuckles was blessed with purple eyes that reminded her of the violet hue of amethyst gems that she loved staring at whenever he was peeved. It wasn't her fault that Knuckles was, to say the least, a dork. A big huge dork with a big heart and no social skills and his stupid naivety, which caused him a lot of trouble. It wasn't her fault that Knuckles was committed; committed to his job at protecting the Master Emerald, being so serious and level-headed that Rouge had admired this so much. It was all Knuckles' fault that Rouge had him in her mind. She hated him for that.