Chaos Bond

Guilt, Grief and Guidance

In a grey, cloudy city, Knuckles was an appreciated blob of red for Rouge to focus on as she made her way past the commuters. He had his back to her as he sat on the bench, watching the fountain spray like the child he so often was at times, oblivious to the stares of awe that others were giving him and his daughter.

But upon recognising the approach of familiar footsteps, the echidna turned his head.

"Well?" he asked, checking his wife up and down.

"Doctor said there's no lasting damage," Rouge told him. She had been to get checked over by the G.U.N. medic. "It's all superficial and I'll heal in no time. Part of the gig, sweetie."

"Yeah," Knuckles muttered as he stood up, "but I know what Metal Sonic's like. Cuts through organics as easily as Sonic cuts through robots."

Rouge waved a hand at him non-chalently.

"I came off fine. Besides, I've had worse from you, you big brute."

"...You want me to say I'm sorry again?"

"Let's just get going," Rouge sighed. "I want to stop by the apartment before we head back."

They had planned to stop by to visit Rouge's old apartment that she had once shared with Shadow and Omega before she'd married Knuckles. She still considered it as her apartment and she still had the key to the front door.

"Has Shadow not spoken to you?" Knuckles asked, looking around to see in which direction Ruby had gone in.

"No," Rouge replied and looked sad. "He's been quieter than usual. No communication with him at all."

"Okay," nodded Knuckles. "I'd better save that lady over there from Ruby."

Ruby had gone wandering around the fountain, trying to catch the stray droplets that escaped over the sides. Her little white dress was damp by the time she'd caught sight of a pretty lady sat reading a magazine by herself.

She'd always been fascinated by hedgehogs. They were so like echidnas but their paws were smaller and daintier and their spines grew differently. She only knew four hedgehogs and thought that maybe this lady might like to know that there was going to be a boost to her kind very soon.

The lady had smiled through Ruby's excited ramblings about her Uncle and Aunty's babies that were due and how she was sure there were going to be lots of pink ones.

"Hey Ruby?" Knuckles called gently as he approached. "Come on, sweet, we have to get going." He looked at the lady. "Sorry if she's been bothering you." Even Knuckles was surprised to see a hedgehog. They were becoming much more uncommon, for some reason.

"Oh no, not at all," the lady replied, beaming at the puggle. "She's an absolute angel! And quite the celebrity. I'm honoured."

"Celebrity? Oh right," Knuckles nodded his head, remembering that the entire planet had got quite caught up in the birth of Ruby-Lei. There was a whole 'endangred species' charity funded for her. The nod, however, turned to a shake once he realised that his daughter was fingering the woman's necklace. "Ruby, that's not yours."

"Oh you like my necklace?" the lady chuckled, showing Ruby her shiny necklace in the shape of a keyboard. "She's so sweet!"

"So like her mother too," Knuckles hummed and took his daughter by her paw. "Ruby, you're not setting a good example for mama if you go around trying to take other people's jewellery. It's time to say good-bye."

Ruby waved her chubby hand. "Bye-bye."

The raspberry furred lady waved back. "Good-bye!"

Rouge was smiling as she watched Knuckles walk Ruby back towards her, one little paw lost in her father's large mitt.