Just a little oneshot inspired by chapter 2 of "Until I Found You" and personal experience. Enjoy.

Lost and Found

A low, tired groan escaped Blaze's throat as she wearily opened her eyes. The sunlight didn't immediately burn her revealed pupils, however, as the sky was heavily overcast and looked as if it would pour down rain any moment. Groaning again, Blaze rolled over, the cold, hard ground cutting through her thin clothes and poking her slender body.

Long gone were her days of satin pillows and soft blankets that she used to wake up to in the palace, when she was still a pampered princess. But now that everything in the world was destroyed thanks to Iblis, Blaze would take wherever she could to find a place to sleep. Last night it had been in the middle of what had been a park, an oasis in the middle of the city... now the only thing standing in the middle of the yellowing grass and rocky ground were a half dozen gnarled trees.

Yawning and stretching, Blaze lifted herself to sit upright, her hands supporting her behind her back, and quickly surveyed her surroundings. For the moment it looked like the coast was clear - no Iblis, no "soldiers", no anything. It was almost serene, nearly too quiet. And in the sinking feeling of Blaze's heart, she almost felt like something was missing or wrong here. It was sad that she almost expected trouble by this point - not that she was used to waking up to bombs going off or the like, though sometimes it happened, but today she just had the strangest feeling that something was not right. And Blaze was normally pretty intuitive about these types of situations. She bit her lip in thought.

"Silver?" she asked her friend, almost by reflex. She was used to having him by her side. "Does something seem odd to you?"

Silence. Nothing but the whistling of wind in her ears and the meager, dead leaves on the trees being rustled. Curious as to why he hadn't answered yet, Blaze turned her head to see if he was still asleep... but didn't see him anywhere. She blinked in surprise - and then it really hit her.

Silver wasn't here.

Her heart squeezed in worry and Blaze furrowed her brow in confusion; normally the hedgehog was attached to her hip and slept quite close to her. But apparently not this morning... the cat turned her head around, golden eyes surveying the landscape again, but she spotted no silver hedgehog laying anywhere near her. She thought back to last night, and distinctly remembered Silver settling down right next to her...

"Silver?" she asked again, this time a little louder, and strained to hear his voice.

Still nothing. Now fully awake, Blaze quickly brought herself to her feet and peeked her head around the nearby tree. Nothing but more of the decimated landscape.

What? Where in the world could he be? Blaze bit her lip, trying to think. Had he gone off to get both of them breakfast? No - he had been the one insistent that they always travel together in this dangerous world, unless they absolutely had to separate. And so he wouldn't have gone off by himself... had someone come and taken him in the middle of the night? Impossible, Blaze was a light sleeper and would have heard them. She searched the ground for tracks, but with how dry the earth was, it was impossible to see any signs of where Silver had gone.

So then... where was Silver? It wasn't like him to simply wander off. The hedgehog was far from being a coward, but he also wasn't one to be subject to random whims. And he was always so insecure when he wasn't around her - if anything he was clingy. It was a trait that could be quite annoying, but Blaze had learned to love it about him, and had come to depend on him to always be by her side... but now...

It was unfathomable that he would ever leave her, this was a guy who believed wholeheartedly that they were "meant to be" and had said many times that he only wanted to be by her side, almost bordering on a romantic interest. He had sworn he'd never abandon her, and yet... he was gone. It just wasn't possible...

Blaze's heart clenched again, and she brought a hand up to her chest as if to soothe the pain. It wasn't often that she allowed her feelings to take the better of her. Heck, it wasn't often that Blaze felt much at all. But now, she was clearly feeling an almost nauseated feeling of dread twisting her heart and stomach.

I have to find him, Blaze resolved and set her face like flint, trying to calm her whirlwind of emotions before they took over. It's probably not as big of a deal as I think it is. He really couldn't have gone far...

With that resolution in mind, Blaze set her flames on her heels and took off, searching the whole park for any sign of her best friend. But no - she looked behind every tree and under every bench, and still couldn't find the hedgehog. Blaze then consulted the map in her head, trying to figure out a nearby place that Silver could have gone... there was one operating restaurant close by...

Glad that she had somewhat of a lead, Blaze turned on her heel and headed north a few blocks, spying the familiar brick building in her sights. It took her only a few minutes to travel what would have been a near fifteen minute walk. She burst into the double doors, surprised at how winded she was and how her heart was still pumping rapidly. But she didn't have time to consider that - she had to find Silver. She quickly scanned the seats, seeing all colors and kinds of beings... but no sterling fur, spiky quills, honey eyes, or cyan glow...

She let out a desperate sigh and turned on her heel again. So, if he wasn't at the restaurant... Blaze tried to think of some of the other places that they used to hang out. Yes, yes, he has to be there... she thought and took off again, letting her flames and quick feet bring her all over the city... only to be left all alone once again.

The cat ended up spending most of the next hour searching high and low for her best friend. And with every subsequent place that she searched and came up empty, the more her anxiety grew. He wasn't at the waterfall haven, or the abandoned warehouse, or the lake, or anywhere... he had simply disappeared off the face of the earth...

Oh, she shouldn't have to do this... what kind of a game was Silver playing with her? This was so unlike him. Blaze had become accustomed to his faithfulness that any aberration was very disconcerting. But not only was she worried and confused... she missed him. Suddenly all she wanted to do was just pull him into her arms, just to know that he was still there... but he was gone. He'd left her, for some reason. It was hard to believe, and yet here she was... The ache in her heart was now becoming almost unbearable for a girl unaccustomed to being emotional.

Blaze came to a stop, her high heels cutting into the parched dirt, not knowing where else to go or look, and now there was no Silver to ask what to do next... she suddenly felt her loneliness grab her. She could hardly believe this had happened, to her. Yes, she had been alone before and was used to it... but Silver had given her a taste of a better life, a life of hope, a life with company. And now his absence was letting her know she was foolish for ever believing such a life could be hers.

A sudden, unfamiliar heaviness tugged at the corners of her eyes, and her pink shoes became blurry in her vision as the realization swept through her mind.

Well... I guess that I'm back to square one... I know shouldn't have let myself become captive to a boy and let myself depend on others. I have to do this myself, I was just foolish to think that I could have any sort of friend... I was made to be alone, my Guardianship demands it... it's just... my fate... I can't do anything about it, Silver is gone, but... it doesn't matter now...this is what's really "meant to be" for me, Silver... an empty life of loneliness and darkness...

Blaze sniffed and wiped at her eyes, suddenly hating herself for crying. No, I can't cry, I can't show emotions, they're a sign of weakness... so Silver is gone... but how can he be? We shared so much... It doesn't matter, I have to move on back to how I was before... the stoic, uncaring Guardian...

The cat opened her eyes and looked at the world; everything around her was cold and gray - the torn-down buildings, the cloudy sky, the steel river... the color almost reminded her of Silver, but it lacked the shiny hue and life that her good friend possessed.

She was alone again. Before the thought of being alone and having to take on the world by herself was a daily reality and simply what fate had dealt her... now, why was it bothering her so much? Had Silver changed her heart and life so much that she couldn't live without him anymore? Did he really mean so much to her?

It didn't matter... he was gone now.

Blaze reached into her pocket and pulled out the six Sol Emeralds she always kept on her. These were her life now; this was her past, present, and future.

Wait... six?

Hope suddenly flooded her system as she realized that Silver had the seventh Emerald... she'd let him hold onto it, to show trust and to keep them separated in case her six Emeralds fell into the wrong hands. And if he had the last Emerald... then she'd be able to find him. Oh, why had she been so stupid and not thought of that earlier? Hope wasn't lost just yet...

A faint, relieved smile tugged at her lips, and Blaze closed her eyes. She concentrated all of her heart and feelings onto the Sol Emeralds, trying to let their power, fueled by her thoughts, lead her to the last one, and hopefully Silver himself. A burst of energy washed over Blaze, starting at her heart and traveling her arteries to cover every part of her body. When the energy reached her brain, Blaze could feel the last Sol Emerald beckoning her, almost as if a mental arrow was pointing in its direction. And in fact, the last Sol Emerald was not all that far away...

Opening her eyes, Blaze immediately turned in that direction and raced forward, her feet pumping more quickly than perhaps she'd ever run before. Her breaths cycled rapidly as her golden eyes looked for any trace of Silver...

Odd, she thought as she noticed her surroundings, I've been by here once before, maybe he was looking for me, too, and I've been avoiding him...

After turning down one last alleyway, an ocean of relief washed over Blaze's body as she finally spotted Silver, with his distinct quills and sterling fur... he was running towards her as well, looking almost scared.

"Silver," she breathed and broke into a run, suddenly wanting to hug him like she wanted nothing more in her life.

"Blaze?" he asked and smiled, his voice ringing with hope. He broke into a run as well, also wanting that hug badly.

But instead of their meeting culminating in a loving, relieved hug, Blaze skidded to a halt a few feet from Silver and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Where were you?" she asked, fire burning in her eyes.

Silver deflated. "I didn't go very far... I just woke up early and..." a blush came over his cheeks. "I wanted to see something. When I came back, I saw that you were running away... I was trying to catch up with you, but you were too fast..."

Blaze let out a sigh and had to smile, as his innocence warmed her heart. She'd missed it so much. And to think I actually thought this guy would leave me for good, he needs me just as much as... I need him...

"Silver, don't you ever leave me like that again..." she scolded him gently.

"I'm sorry Blaze," he apologized, looking down at his boots shamefully. He hated it when Blaze seemed upset with him, and suddenly felt horrible for doing this. He also felt a little hurt that Blaze would think that he'd just up and leave her... "I didn't mean to leave you, you know I'd never abandon you permanently... I..."

He suddenly found it very hard to speak, and an entirely different set of emotions crashed through him as Blaze suddenly pulled him into her arms, clutching him closely to her chest. Silver felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart skipped so many beats he thought he was about to die. Blaze was actually holding him... she never showed him this much affection, ever. The soft fur on her face was brushing against his muzzle, feeling so pleasant but making him blush deeply. Silver felt his heart start pumping again against his chest, but this time more rapidly - or was that Blaze's heart? For a while, he couldn't tell, with both of their muscles almost beating in synch...

Blaze had no idea what she was feeling as she held Silver so closely to herself, but her heart was doing flip flops. She ran her fingers through his metallic yet soft fur, so happy she'd found him and that she didn't have to go on all alone again. This whole experience had told her, if nothing else, that she actually did need and depend on Silver. He really had become her best friend, and had a chunk of her heart in his name. He was the one thing that kept her from descending into bitterness and seclusion. She thought she'd known it before, but now that she'd finally gotten a glimpse of what life without Silver was like... and it was scary. Blaze had already realized mentally that she needed Silver, but now she'd felt it, and was letting those feelings resonate in her heart and make an impression. She never wanted to go another day without him by her side...

After a moment, Blaze finally released the hedgehog, but still found herself looking deeply into his eyes even as they stood a little ways apart.

Silver, meanwhile, was quite sure that Blaze was about to kiss him, the way her eyes kept drifting from his own eyes to his lips, and her own face was so close to his... he was too scared to move, unsure of what she was going to do...

"Silver... I..." Blaze didn't know what to say that could possibly convey how she was feeling at the moment. And the oddest thing was, although she usually suppressed all of her emotions, these felt too good for her to want to do that. No, Blaze could certainly get used these magical feelings dancing around in her heart... and if the way Silver was looking at her was any indication, than he felt them too.

"Blaze... I... I don't ever want to leave you alone," Silver confessed, barely able to get the words past his lips. "I wouldn't know what to do without you..." With shaking fingers, he reached over to take her hands, hoping that she wouldn't pull away.

The cat smiled tenderly and gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze. "I don't want to leave you, either, Silver..."

Feeling emotionally saturated, Blaze finally let go of Silver and looked away, unready to go on any further. The hedgehog frowned a little, disappointed, but it couldn't stop the way his heart was still singing. At least, now... he knew that Blaze actually did care for him. Maybe she didn't always show it... but now Silver had something to hold on to.

With another exchange of smiles, the best friends continued on their adventures saving the world... though now their hearts beat a little more closely together, for they'd found their true feelings.