Title: Tin Soldier
Genres: Horror/Angst
Rating: M
Couple: Sonic/Blaze

Tin Soldier
Chapter 1.

parallel: a person that is similar or analogous to another.

She can't hear, but she can see.

Ahead stands a man, hunched over a large device. The buttons attached to his creation flicker; they flash impatiently, eager to grab his attention but he isn't interested. His eyes raise, focus on the screen, and she has never witnessed him so tense before. The man isn't nervous, or angry. She knows he is –– naturally –– a little excited. However, the emotion which drags his eyes away from the screen, makes him swallow and hesitate, is terror. He is scared.

Disturbing him would be a mistake. Whatever the man has done to her, it has worked: her legs are stiff, and the blood dripping from her left ear hasn't dried. She hasn't been unconscious for long. Yet she isn't comfortable and has to move. Forcing herself into a sitting position, she hisses, feeling a sharp stab at her abdomen. Carefully, she lowers her hand to touch the injury, only to feel a soft fabric: bandage.

How awfully sweet of him to remove the bullet and seal the wound.

When he looks at her, she doesn't flinch. He stares at her for a while, then curls his lips and faces the device again. Although he isn't looking her way, she is aware he is thinking about her. Clearly by treating one of her injuries, he still wants her to remain alive. But what for? And why? It isn't like him to act so merciful.

Several minutes tick past. Watching the blank screen, she waits to see what is revealed, but nothing appears. Then she drops her gaze to the man's right hand. It is pressed against the device, and he drums his fingers, but he still isn't nervous. He's thinking, considering his options. Pondering over whether keeping her alive was a good idea after all. More seconds pass, and it surprises her they haven't harmed each other yet.

Despite the fact she cannot hear, she realises a noise has caught his attention. The man grabs something, a sort of microphone, and speaks. She tries to read his lips but to no avail. Then he places the microphone down, raises his shoulders (sighing perhaps?), and looks at her again. This time, he's smiling. It's crooked, small, but it's there.

He walks to her –– she remains unnerved, until she spots the needle in his hand. However, her limbs are weak and she is unable to flee. The man grabs her arm, and sticks the needle into her flesh. Soon, the ordeal is over, and he leaves her be for the moment. She glares after him, holding her throbbing wrist, and then she hears. She hears a noise: a sort of droning sound, and then she hears another noise, him. He's humming to himself, cheerfully, distracted.

It doesn't take the girl long to realise he has let her hear again.

Another fact concerns her, though. The ability to control fire is not in her capabilities, as if he has somehow extinguished the power. A wise, smart move. After all, the man has suffered enough burns thanks to her.

... but he is still terrified.

'Why haven't you killed me?' His tone is calm, is kind.

'I have tried many times.'

'And you still haven't.' A pause. 'Is that humiliating for you?'

'No, because while you may brag about your heart still beating, I am more than aware that you are in immense pain right now. Death is too gentle; I prefer to watch you suffer.'

Then he laughs, shortly, charmingly. 'You do know this torture you offer only feeds on your anger. I know you want to kill me, dear; anybody can figure that out. You're just so... furious. I can feel your rage from here, and, let me tell you, no one is impressed.'

'You are.'

He slams his hand onto the device. 'I'd love to stand and flirt with you, but I have something to deal with here.'

'What is it this time? Trying to destroy the world?'

'Har har. You're so funny. Anyway, you know. You dragged yourself here.'

She is aware, and when he faces the screen again she shudders in anger. The next time she speaks, it's a yell, an exclaim: 'You won't find them, Nega! I made sure they weren't traceable.'

'Try harder next time. I've already discovered two.'

'You're lying.'

Nega stops, exhales slowly. 'In all honesty, Princess, I wish I was too this time.' As much as she hates to admit it, she believes him. Not another word escapes her lips when he presses one of the flashing buttons, grabs the microphone, waits and then says quietly: 'How many?'

The microphone crackles. A robotic voice replies, 'Four.'

'Four,' Nega repeats, placing the technology down. 'Did you hear that?'

'I can imagine that Doctor is with you on this.'

'Sharp tongue. I'm insulted you'd suggest I work alongside him. That man is too friendly. I cannot stand his character. We both know that kindness to one's enemies never leads to a desired consequence. That's why I like you, Princess: you're not afraid of death, like that blue saint. I doubt he's ever seen blood, or watched a man die. You've observed such a horror many times before, haven't you? Usually at your own hands.'

"Many" sounds like an understatement. She has entered wars, fought evil, and even though she only reaches the age of eighteen, the girl is soaked in blood. Blood which doesn't belong to her. The fire she controls has killed men and women, mutilated children, and yet her people still honour her. They still worship. She only fights for the protection of her Realm.
Day after day, she can still hear their screams. Their screams continue to haunt her, their melting bodies scar her mind, and it isn't long until her ears, too, start to bleed.

Compared to Sonic, she is a demon.

'He was naïve to befriend you, wasn't he?'

She doesn't reply.

'The poor boy obviously never witnessed you at your worst.'

'Neither did Eggman with you.'

Nega chuckles. 'Eggman. Isn't it sweet they referred to me as Eggman-Nega over there? Even his name is a joke...' A pause. 'There is something very wrong with us, you and I... and I can't help but find that beautiful.'

'Why have you kept me alive?'

'Oh, simple reasons.' He smiles; a twisted smile, almost sad. 'I just want you to know how it feels when you're in agony, and your enemy refuses to relieve your misery. Unlike myself, though, you have a little tin soldier to save you.' When he grabs the microphone, she struggles to her feet, but it feels as if her ankle has snapped by the sudden weight. She watches him, listens to him: 'Open Portal Two.'

The earth shakes violently and she widens her eyes, heart pounding against her chest. Looking up at him, she sees his smile, watches it broaden.

'Try not to freeze to death. I know you're sensitive to the chill.'

Her vision blurs and it feels as if a hole has been created beneath her, but she doesn't fall. Instead, gradually, everything becomes brighter and brighter. He remains unharmed, but the more she looks the more it hurts. So she closes her eyes, waits, and then finally the earth is no longer vibrating. It is still.

A fierce, cold wind attacks her body and she inhales sharply, opening her eyes.

Snow blankets the ground, and the sky is free of cloud. The air is fresh and frozen, and she can already feel her fingers growing numb. Trees blow in the breeze, the leaves patterned with snow, and icicles dangle from the twigs.

It is quiet and she is very alone.

'Did you find it?! Sonic, have you found it? Oh, please tell me you found––'

'Tails! Calm. Down.'

'Sorry.'

'In answer to your question, yes. It's here. Good work, pal.'

Shivering, Tails hurried over to where Sonic knelt and grinned. 'Excellent. That was a close one. I didn't want to spend much more time out here; I really didn't.'

'I gathered,' Sonic said, noting the amount of layers Tails was wearing. Truth be told it was cold, but the fox was acting a little too dramatic about the drop in temperature. 'I can't believe you're still cold.'

Tails looked at him as if he had grown an extra arm. 'Are you serious? It's freezing. I can't feel my legs.'

Standing to his feet, Sonic examined the gem in his hand. The colour was a vibrant blue, and it seemed to glow more brightly than usual. Maybe this was due to the snowy weather, but he did feel a little suspicious about its unusual behaviour. 'I wonder why the Choas Emeralds have been divided in different areas.'

'Not that that doesn't happen often enough.'

'Tails.'

'Right! Good question. I'll look into it.'

Passing over the Emerald to the young mechanic, Sonic studied the scenery. He had to admit, the place was quite beautiful; rarely did he venture into the frozen lands, but, due to a tracking device Tails created, they discovered a Chaos Emerald planted here. Whatever had scattered them was a mystery.

Fortunately the two already had five in their possession.

'We should take this one back to our base, Sonic. Are you coming?'

'Sure.'

Turning on his heel, Sonic was about to follow his friend when he heard something. A sort of sizzling noise, which seemed to come closer and closer. Before he had time to look, the male was thrown back, a harsh, scolding burn eating away at his cheek. At once he screamed, the pain making his eyes water and head throb. He couldn't hear Tails's exclaims while he hurriedly pressed cold snow against his wounded cheek, groaning loudly.

'Ah, fuck!' Sonic hissed, punching the ground. 'Ah!'

Miraculously his cheek began to cool, but the sting lingered. He could barely keep his eyes open due to the pain.

'What–– Ow, ow...'

'Sonic, are you okay?' Tails was on his knees, desperate to nurse Sonic's wound, but the older male waved his hand in dismissal.

'I'll live.'

He turned his head, struggling to keep at least one eye open. There, a couple of metres ahead was someone he didn't expect to see. In fact, the last time Sonic met this person, he was pretty convinced they would never bump into one another again. This time, however, she didn't appear the same. Dried, frozen blood was painted across her face, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot, while the rest of her appeared exhausted.

Tails saw her too, and there was silence shared between the trio for a while.

'Not you again,' Blaze muttered.

'How long have you been out here?' Sonic asked.

'A couple of days.' She lowered her gaze to the Chaos Emerald in Tails's grasp, then scowled. 'Damn it.'

'Not the first time for you to do that,' Sonic said. Despite the pain, he smiled, but didn't receive one in return. He gathered, as usual, Blaze wasn't impressed. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what happened to her: the blood and fatigue made the poor girl look insane. 'Let–– Let us take you back to where we're staying.'

'What? No. Sonic, I don't need your help.'

'... You're covered in blood and freezing. When did you last eat? Wait –– why are you even here? And why did you hurt me?'

'Because you're so annoying! Stop asking me questions.'

Sonic shut up. It was Tails who spoke next: 'There's no shame in requiring our help a little, Blaze. You don't look very well.'

As was expected, she did hesitate, and then reluctantly accepted the invitation. Confused, hurt and actually a little insulted, Sonic scrambled to his feet, keeping cold snow pressed to his burnt cheek. The fact Blaze didn't apologise for what she had done only irritated him further so he said nothing from then on. What only made him angry was that she didn't seem to care about his silent treatment.

When they arrived at Sonic and Tails's base, which was a small shelter beneath a canopy of snowy trees, Tails directed Blaze to a private room where she could tidy herself up. Then he turned his attention to Sonic, who sat moodily in a chair. Thankfully, the burn wasn't that severe, and with some cream and a plaster, it would be healed in no time.

'I understand she doesn't look her best, but she could have said sorry.'

Tails sighed. 'Give her a moment, Sonic. We don't know what happened.'

During their discussion, Blaze was busy wiping away the blood stained across her fur. She hadn't seen herself since the day she attempted to invade Nega's base. Clearly the damage was worse than she thought: her wounded ear had been ripped, and the agony was unbearable whenever she touched it. Due to lack of sleep and food, her eyes were bloodshot, and she didn't look herself. At all.

In fact, Blaze barely recognised herself.

When she was finished, she exited the room and could hear Sonic's rather loud voice from nearby. When she entered the room where both Tails and Sonic were, the blue hedgehog instantly stopped talking. Blaze rolled her eyes: 'I know you're upset about me hurting you. Get over it.'

'Tsk,' Sonic sneered and left in a huff.

Tails sighed. 'Don't mind him. He never really acts this way.'

'I don't care to be honest, Tails.'

He smiled. 'Fair enough. So, can you tell me what happened to you?'

Blaze would rather keep her business to herself, but the young fox wasn't all that bad to mingle with. Sitting in the chair Sonic previous vacated, she informed Tails about Nega, about how he transported her over to this dimension. She also mentioned how he was searching for the Sol Emeralds she had hid herself, but Nega's main plan was kept a secret. Blaze was aware of what Nega truly desired, but she couldn't tell Tails. Not yet, anyway.

'I didn't know where I was, until I met you. Hopefully the Emeralds he discovers are hoaxes.'

'Hoaxes?' Tails raised his eyebrows. 'Wow. Why haven't we thought of that?'

'One wonders,' Blaze muttered sarcastically. 'I gathered you're looking for your Emeralds as well. Are you having the same issue as I am?' Then she remembered Nega's words, about how he hated working alongside Eggman. How weak and pathetic he was.

'I don't think so. For some odd reason, the Emeralds just scattered everywhere. Something must have caused this response, but I'm not sure what it could be.'

Sonic then entered the room, and he shot a glare straight at the purple feline: 'You do know I'm not talking to you, right?'

Blaze ignored him. 'If the Emeralds scattered due to something, then it possibly could have been when Nega transported me to this dimension. When did the Chaos Emeralds scatter?'

'About four days ago.'

'That's around the time I was sent here.'

'Huh.' Tails stroked his chin. 'Odd. I wonder why they did that.'

'Blaze's presence can make anything scatter.'

'Sonic, you're not helping,' Tails exhaled, pressing a hand against his temple. 'I'll tell you what, Blaze. How about you come back with Sonic and I to my workshop? While we're there, you can rest and maybe make sense of everything. In the meantime, I shall try and come to an understanding as to why the Emeralds scattered.'

'Aren't you still searching for them, though?' Blaze replied, standing to her feet. 'Like I said previously, Tails, I don't need your help. I need to get back to my own universe.'

'Can't we help each other? You really don't look well.'

'You've made that clear already,' Blaze said.

'Fine. At least let me prepare you a hot meal. I'd hate Sonic to scoff up all the chilli dogs we've stashed in the freezer.'

It would be silly of her to deny food. She hadn't treated herself to a proper meal in a while, and even though she wasn't fond of chilli dogs, the idea of eating anything made her mouth water. 'Okay. Thank you, Tails.'

'My pleasure.'

When Tails made his way into the tiny kitchen, Blaze met Sonic's gaze who continued to glare at her. Then she scoffed: 'This sort of behaviour doesn't suit you, Sonic, and I know you hate not talking.'

Sonic had to give her credit for that. Allowing Blaze to brush past him, he scowled to himself. Maybe he was happy to see her, but whenever they did, it always meant bad news. The shock which ran through him when he witnessed her frozen, and bloody, was something he had never endured before. He was scared, angry and worried about her.

Time is making fools of us again.