Just a lil' before-note. If you don't read the comics you maybe a tad confused by their conversation and the whole point behind this fic XD

BLUE

Princess Sally Acorn had been sitting in the clearing for nearly half the day before anyone had found her; even then it was only because one other person knew of this clearing. She came here often - more and more than usual, she started to notice - to clear her head. It was peaceful here and offered a kind of calm she couldn't find in New Mobotopolis mostly because the citizens of said city could hardly be inclined to leave the city itself unless they were active Freedom Fighters or another peacekeeping party. Even then, no one bothered to take a route in the forest because it was more of a scenic route than one of haste.

Well, almost no one, Sally thought wryly, despite the grin that appeared on her face upon hearing something – or rather, someone – break through the undergrowth leading to the clearing. She didn't bother turning around to see who it was, nor did she greet them when they sat next to her, not half a foot away.

She did however meet eyes with them when a blue rose suddenly appeared in her direct line of vision. Well, if anything, Sonic always knew how to get her to talk.

"What's this for?" She asked, sounding just as surprised as she looked, while taking the flower delicately as if it were about to shatter.

"What? I can't give you something without there being a reason?" Sonic asked, feigning a hurt look, then held up his hands in mock defense. "And that fact today just happens to be the three month anniversary of our public break up is a coincidence."

Sally eyed him doubtfully, receiving a purely innocent look in return, and inwardly shook her head. His claim was about as much a coincidence as the sun setting at dusk. She knew because it was part of the whole reason she was out here in the first place.

"Weird thing to celebrate," the princess mumbled, twisting the flower in between her thumb and index finger, examining it from every possible angle. "And an awful long way to go for this too," she held up the rose to eye-level for further examination.

While blue flowers weren't exactly rare on Mobius, roses of this colour were a completely different story. Only being available in certain parts of arctic zones –and deep in these zones, at that – most people living on the planet often thought them as something of a myth and fewer still bothered to look for them and those who were lucky enough to see them would quickly agree they were among the most beautiful of flowers. The petals were flawless, of an icy sapphire and silky to the touch and unlike most roses the thorns on these were practically nonexistent (which Sally considered a good thing due to many unintended childhood injuries regarding said thorns).

"I guess that explains where you were all day," by the way she said it, it was obvious Sally had had no intention of sitting alone in the forest for half the day and she gave the hedgehog a surreptitious look.

Sonic shrugged in a slapdash fashion. "Well I figured you could do with some alone time. After all, with all that's been going on lately the last thing you need is me on your case."

Sally was just about to retort that she liked having him around during times like this (while usually something she tried unsuccessfully to break him of, his carefree qualities did wonders to make her forget about the troubles the world was facing) but stopped herself and settled for a question. "Since when does your hyperactive personality stop to think about the deeper needs of others?" she asked lightheartedly.

"Since I started spending way too much with you," Sonic replied in equal tones, then shuttered dramatically. "Your sensitivity must be catching."

"Took long enough," Sally muttered, not entirely under her breath with a wily grin.

"Hey, something like that ruins my tough guy image."

"Ruins your ego, you mean?"

"Something like that," Sonic didn't deny it. "Besides, reckless has always been more of my style."

Sally rolled her eyes. "Oh, yes. What would the world do if its hero actually stopped to think things through before barging into every fight?"

"Probably get taken over in the time I took to think," Sonic said this so matter-of-factly, Sally didn't bother arguing with him. Mostly because she knew no one was capable of thinking on their feet in any given situation quite like him.

It was thinking ahead that he couldn't do.

There was a long silence, one of obvious heavy thinking on both sides and one where both parties involved knew exactly what was going through the other's mind.

Their break-up, as mentioned before, hadn't been the most peaceful or the most private and had earned one of them an unexpected slap across the face. It had been a matter of extremely bad timing and a clash of personalities that had been boiling up since the day they met. It was a clash in the peak of the raging war that started it, ultimately leading to Sonic disappearing for over a year. Everyone, including Sally, had just accepted the fact the hedgehog had died in the attack until he had suddenly reappeared, just as Robotnik was about to launch a complete takeover of Knothole and Mobius. The timing was impeccable, it was the thing that saved Mobius and promptly ended the relationship between the princess and hero.

What's more important to you, anyway? Punching out Robotnik's lights or being with me?

It seemed like such a simple question at the time. Of course it would, Sally thought dully. You were upset at the time, stressed and not thinking clearly. She had overreacted, yes she would admit it (and had on more than one occasion), but it hadn't taken either of them long to realize this little gem and to get back on their old footing as friends. Things seemed back to normal, or at least as normal as things could be in the middle of a power tug-o-war. Despite the return of her typical life Sally was still bothered by one thing.

She never got an answer.

While it was the thing she feared, it was also the thing she felt she needed to hear. A part of her felt guilty about this, while the world was forced between opposing powers she was chasing heartthrobs, but another part of her said she deserved it. How long had she been at the front lines, calling the shots knowing a wrong call could very well land the planet in the wrong hands? Now that the big choice were out of her hands (she mainly lead the ground forces and Freedom Fighters), didn't she deserve a break to find what she wanted?

But she needed a place to start, a place that a single answer could find.

"You never answered my question," she said this with the dim hope that Sonic would know what she was talking about. Her voice carried in the silence, through the setting sun. Was it that late already? Had they been sitting here - or in Sonic's case, lying, something she hadn't even noticed he did - that long?

There was another silence, during which Sonic just stared into space, his expression unreadable. Well, he knew this could come back to haunt them eventually, he just figured it was a good thing it took so long, at least he'd had plenty of time to think about it. But all that time just showed him that his only real option was...

"Both."

For a moment, Sally had the sorest temptation to whack him upside the head. Truth be told she hadn't expected a serious answer from him, and if his tones were anything to go by she wasn't, but he could have at least acted like it was a hard choice. She glared down at him, a retort already forming on her lips, then stopped when she meet his gaze. Seeing something in those green eyes told her she would never hear anything as serious from him as what she just did.

"The way I see it," Sonic continued when it became obvious Sally wasn't going to yell at him, and hoped she wouldn't once he was finished. "I can't be with you while Robotnik, or anyone else, is out there trying to take over the world. Mostly because I'll be paranoid they'll manage to find a way to me through you, they have already a couple times, and I couldn't live with myself knowing that every day Robotnik's around is a day I might lose you because I could never managed to 'punch their lights out'." Sonic gave her a friendly wink before fixing her with a staid look. "I figure knock them out, and save the best option for last but you have to let me play hero until then, Sal'. Just until this thing's done with one and for all."

"And when that happens?" Sally asked evenly.

Sonic shrugged. "Heck, then I'm yours to do with as you please."

"Sounds tempting…" Sally pretended to consider then smirked down at him, feeling a sense of long-lost bliss wash over her. "I guess I'll have to hold you to that, hedgehog. After all, they say love is blind so I don't think mine will mind 'ignoring' your heroics for a while."

"Just like old times," Sonic mused, jumping to his feet then helping Sally to hers.

"Like nothing's changed," she agreed as the two began making their way out of the clearing, avoiding what trees and shrubs they could in the settling darkness without breaking their hold on each other at the same time. They'd been going for all of two minutes when Sonic suddenly stopped, an utterly perplexed look on his face.

"Wait a sec'," he tilted his head to one side in thought.

"What is it?" Sally now sounded as confused as he looked.

"You know how they say 'love is blind'?"

Sally nodded.

"Well, if that's the case, then why is lingerie so popular?"

It was then it dawned on Sally she had fallen in love with commendable idiot.

Blue = Unattatinable

Thornless = Yours for the taking

Tee hee. Sonic's rose is an oxymoron :D Well hope you enjoyed this fic that took me forever to find a point and write XD If'n ya read, do review. It'll make me happy :D