Thorns of Chaos: Chapter 17 ~ Repairs and Respect

'Ok, dude,' Knuckles thought to himself, 'Calm down. This is-is no big deal. Just move your legs…'

Nothing happened.

'Fine. Arms, then. Come on. Come on…!'

They remained still.

'Damn it! Can I at least speak?!'

He tried calling out for help, but that ended in failure as well, as barely of his mumbling could even register as coherent.

'Great. That's just great. Here I am, unable to move even a pinky when that bat bitch is alone with the Master Emerald. For all I know, she's already taken it and flown off! I was an idiot to trust that…! Wait a sec… I can still feel it. The Master Emerald is still on the island! But, why? There's no way Rouge would pass up an opportunity to nab it! Eggman sure as hell wouldn't, so why isn't she…'

The echidna's train of thought was derailed as he saw something in the distance, approaching his position rather quickly.

'Who the hell? Oh, it's HER. She's probably come to finish me off before she takes her 'prize'. Figures. She's just the type to stoop that low.' As Rouge got closer, Knuckles let out what he thought was a sigh. 'This sucks. Someone as strong and hot as her being nothing but a low-life thief. With her skills, she could be the second greatest treasure hunter in the world, not to mention a champion kickboxer, with her strength. And beauty contests? Forget it about it; she'd win 'em all, hands down! But, no…she has to be underhanded enough to take what others have rightfully earned, and under the government's nose at that. And the worst part, oh, the absolute worst part, is that…that…I was stupid enough to fall for her. Out of all the women I could have crushed on, it HAD to be Rouge the Bat…and I don't even think that's her real name! DAMN IT ALL!'

The bat in question eventually arrived, landing right in front of him. She noticed how miserable he looked. And unlike him, she saw exactly why he wasn't able to get up and attack her: each and every one of his limbs was broken. "Wow, Knuckles," Rouge said, "saying you look like crap would be a compliment at this point." He tried to growl at her, but ended up hoarsely moaning. "You're probably wondering why I'm here and not making off with the Emerald. I'll be honest: you really, REALLY hurt me today, so much, that I truly did think about taking it and leaving you to die." Knuckles glared at her, his suspicions about her being confirmed. "But," she continued with a serious tone, "as you can see, I didn't." She stepped closer, kneeling directly in front of him and, as always, enjoying his struggle to remain eye contact with her. "I had…a change of heart, let's say." Knuckles would've rolled his eyes at that, but he noticed something once he finally managed to fully focus on her face. She looked horrible. Her mascara had run, her lips had been busted and the look in her eyes was morose. Even someone like Knuckles could tell that Rouge had been put through the ringer while he was out.

Rouge noticed the change in his expression and said, "It's a long story, one I will not share until I make something very clear with you, Knuckles the Echidna. I am your rival in most respects, and you are mine. I proudly admit this. But, I am not your enemy. I say this honestly and with as much conviction as I have, which is more than you think. I meant it when I said we had to do this TOGETHER. You and I are the only ones who can protect the Master Emerald from the Doctor. We're two of the strongest Mobians on Earth, for Pete's sake!" Knuckles grunted in reluctant agreement.

Once she was sure that they were on the same page, she revealed the Heal Unit she had (still getting a kick out of the echidna's reaction from where she got it) and presented it. "Now listen to me very carefully," Rouge began, speaking slowly so he would fully understand her, both because she wasn't sure how much he did understand in his condition and because, well, she was dealing with a thick-headed male. "This, as you may recall, is a Heal Unit. Don't ask how I have it, I'm not…ready to discuss that." Knuckles could tell this was related to whatever happened to her earlier, so he gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Since there is no hospital around for miles and miles, this item is the only thing that can fix your mangled up body." His eyes widened and she quickly said, "Yes, your body is a mess, which is why you can't move or speak. As I said, this Heal Unit can fix all that. But I'm not giving it to you until I make something else clear." She grabbed his chin and looked directly into his eyes. "I am a woman, and I am your equal, therefore, no matter how I choose to present myself, I deserve to be treated as such. I have done nothing but follow your orders since this mission started and you have walked all over me the entire time, unwilling to compromise in the slightest. That is unfair, and you know it."

Knuckles' eyes widened at that. Was he really that hard on her? Sure, he was tough in protecting his station and turf, but he wasn't trying to be an asshole about it. Rouge continued, "You may not like me being here, Knuckles, but you will respect me. And if you ever, EVER speak to me again the way you did today, I will put you right back here, and I WILL leave you here to die, Emerald or no. Do you understand me?" He blinked and tried to answer. "DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?!"

Knuckles groaned out what could almost pass for a "yes".

"Good." With that out of the way, Rouge began the first-aid process, which she learned as part of her military training. She broke the Heal Unit apart and covered Knuckles' body with its serum. The effects were tingly, but almost immediate, as he found that he could talk again. "So far, so good. Thanks, bat gi-"

Rouge quickly shut him up by sticking a thick, metal rod in his mouth. "We're not done yet, Knucklehead. There's still the matter of resetting your limbs." He flinched, and as she gently grabbed his right leg, she couldn't help but grin, fangs and all. "The serum should numb some of the pain, but I can't recall if that's true. Let's find out, shall we?"

*CRACK*

Knuckles' muffled screams, while not as loud, could still be heard for miles around. The rod kept him from biting his tongue off and his fists clenched in pain as she reset the leg and wrapped it up. He was grateful the Heal Unit serum did indeed numb the worst of it, but the pressure from the procedure still hurt. "Feel better?" Rouge asked kindly. He nodded. "Good, because we're not done." He whimpered at the sickeningly sweet smile she put on as she took his left leg. "Now, now, Knuckie, don't be frightened, this won't take too much longer. Just remember, though…you brought this upon yourself." ♥

*CRACK*