Alright. So, I'm gonna guess none of you saw the prequel to this "A Knuxouge New Year" you don't have to read it, but it might help you put some side points together. If you didn't read that, this is set in sort-of-not-really game continuity, but everyone's a bit older, and Eggman…well, you'll see. That's all I've gotta say, enjoy the story!

Sonic was happy. This wasn't unusual for him, but the reason behind it was. At least his friends thought so. Sonic was happy because of Blaze, who he had been dating since just after New Year's, after they finally decided to just sit down and talk about their relationship. Finding out her feelings towards him mirrored her thoughts about her was the best news Sonic had heard in ages.

He had been somewhat concerned as to how the actual dating would go, considering it was something he wasn't used to doing, but then again, Blaze was also new to the practice, so they learned as they went, going for runs, out for a meal, or whatever else they could think of. It was casual, but they were okay with that. Sonic loved her with all his heart, and hoped their relationship would last as long as possible.

Today however, he had a problem. Valentine's Day was just around the corner, and Sonic wanted to get Blaze something special, because she deserved it, but he couldn't decide what would work. To be fair, he didn't have much experience with this sort of thing, and didn't know where to turn.

Who'd know how to shop for a girl? he wondered. Well, a girl, probably, but any of the ones I know? Amy was out of the question for obvious reasons, Vanilla could be an option, or…Rouge, yeah, she'd know! Sure, he might get teased over the fact he was actually dating someone, but he was pretty sure she was knowledgeable in this kind of thing. Besides, he hadn't seen her since New Year's. Actually, come to think of it, he hadn't seen any of Team Dark recently. I'm sure they won't mind if I drop by thought the speedster, and he was off.

Team Dark, or to be more specific, Omega, lived in a large apartment near the edge of Central City. Shadow technically lived there, but was rarely ever there, and Rouge had her own apartment, so they weren't always there, but Sonic didn't know where Rouge's place was, so he cruised over to Team Dark's H.Q.

He knocked on the door. After an incredibly boring fifteen seconds (seriously, could they have at least tried to get some interesting exterior decor?), the door opened to reveal a…sleep-deprived Shadow?

"…Um, you good, man?" said Sonic. It took a lot for Shadow to look like he'd actually pulled an all-nighter.

"Whaddaya want?" said Shadow in a bored tone.

"Uh, yeah, I was just wondering if I could talk to Rouge-"

"Unavailable" said Shadow, slamming the door in Sonic's face. An utterly nonplussed Sonic knocked again, but before he could even knock a second time, the door whipped open.

"Knock it off, blue hedgehog, or I'll sic Omega on you. He's been waiting for something to do" said the half-alien, his voice changing to a very ugly tone.

With that, the door slammed once again.

While being chased by a deadly robot sounded fun to Sonic, he had other business to attend to. Apparently, he'd have to find another source. Time to pay Ms. Vanilla a visit. Come to think of it, I probably should've started there.

%%%

"Well" said Vanilla "I'm glad you're taking this seriously. I always thought the two of you would make a good pair."

They were at the rabbit's house, a quaint little home, tastefully decorated, and felt like home for everyone. Sonic had already explained the situation to her, and now she was thinking of how best to provide an answer for such a tricky problem. Sonic sat and waited for an answer, which in itself was an indication about how much he cared about getting this right. He wasn't even tapping a toe, which she had learned long ago wasn't even him being rude, it was just something that happened. Vanilla was honestly surprised. Yes, she had thought the two would make a good pair, but she was surprised at the change it had brought about in Sonic. He was clearly much more mature, a change that had been happening for a while, but she hadn't considered that Blaze could have been a possible influence. Now, though, she had to give him something he wouldn't mistranslate. From what she had seen of the two, she didn't think Blaze would probably appreciate the thought more than the gift, but she understood that Sonic wanted this to be special.

"Well, it's rather tricky to explain, but if you really want to make this special, I would suggest you find something that you believe she would enjoy, but is also clearly something she would expect you to give, and something that would remind her of you whenever she had it. It doesn't need to be expensive, or terribly fancy. Remember, it's the thought that counts."

Sonic sat there a moment, and the rabbit woman could almost see the wheels turning in his brain. Then he stood up.

"If it's the thought that counts" he said "I guess I should start thinking. And I do that best when I'm running. Thanks for the advice!"

Off he went.

%%%

Sonic had run for quite a while, but still hadn't thought of anything. He'd thought so hard that he wasn't paying attention to where he was going, and had had to relocate to a salt flat so he could run around in circles without bumping into anything. But he still couldn't think of anything that sounded like what Vanilla had said.

Then, he tripped. Which wouldn't have been so bad, save for the fact that he had been running at a solid 2K m.p.h. and, with nothing on the flat to catch him, he flew for several yards before successfully stopping himself.

"Sorry about that" said a voice "but you didn't seem to hear me."

Sonic got up and turned around to see Knuckles, another person he hadn't seen in a while. Sure, he had come to the New Year's party, but they hadn't gotten the chance to talk, and aside from that, the echidna had been completely off the radar for the longest time, choosing to go back and stay on Angel Island for the rest of his days to guard the Master Emerald, as his ancestors had done before him.

"That's alright. Breaking the sound barrier does tend to put a bit of a damper on things. But never mind me, how are you? We didn't get to talk at New Year's."

"Oh" said Knuckles "not much. Just guarding the Emerald and stuff"

"So why'd you come down? We in danger?" said Sonic. Again, he wouldn't be disappointed if that were the case, except for the fact that he was busy.

"No. A-actually, I was wondering where I could find Rouge" said Knuckles awkwardly. If Sonic still wasn't thinking about Blaze's present in the back of his mind, he probably would've pressed further about such a specific ask, but instead, he said.

"Near Central City, but I wouldn't go there now. I was trying to visit them myself, but Shadow threatened to unleash Kill-O-Bot on me, so I left. You might want to wait until he simmers down."

"Oh" said Knuckles disappointedly "Okay."

"Oh, hey" said Sonic "Maybe you could help me with something."

"What?" said Knuckles in a suspicious tone.

"Don't worry, it doesn't involve you" laughed the azure hedgehog "I'm trying to think of a Valentine's gift for Blaze."

"A…what?" said Knuckles. Sonic suddenly realized the guardian had probably never heard of Valentine's Day, considering how isolated his life had been.

"Okay, so, down here, see" said Sonic "We've got a holiday called Valentine's Day, don't ask me why it's called that, I don't know, but anyways, it's a day of love and friendship, and if you happen to have a significant other, it's a good day to give them a gift, as a celebration of the love between you."

"Okay…" said Knuckles, who was piecing it together. Then he grinned "Wait, you've got a girlfriend? You and Blaze are actually a thing?"

"Yeah" said Sonic, determined not to give the echidna an opening to poke fun.

"Guess that New Year's fiasco worked out in your favor, then" said the echidna with a chuckle.

"Heh, yeah" said the hedgehog, remembering his attempt to give Blaze a New Year's kiss by "accident" gone wrong. That incident was what later inspired Sonic and Blaze's talk about a relationship, so Knuckles wasn't wrong. Now, the echidna seemed to be thinking.

"A gift, huh. I gotta say, I think I know even less about girls than you, man" said Knuckles.

Now it was Sonic's turn to chuckle.

"Didn't think of that, did I?" laughed the blue 'hog. Then, out of nowhere, he remembered something he had meant to talk to Knuckles about at New Year's.

"Change of subject" said Sonic "but did you hear what happened to Eggman?"

"Yeah, he quit or something?" said the guardian.

"Yeah" said Sonic, not wondering where Knuckles could have gotten that info from "He's got a cool shop now, y'wanna visit him? Make sure he really has renounced his evil ways?"

"Sure, why not?" said the guardian "Might as well."

"Sweet, let's go!"

%%%

Station Square, now just a small village after the destruction caused by Chaos and Dark Gaia, was nevertheless still a colorful lively town. The people there knew Sonic pretty well, and he introduced Knuckles to a lot of people. Eventually, they went more into the middle of town where they found a shop painted a lively shade of yellow with the sign "Robotnik Records" in the window.

"A record store?" said Knuckles "Weren't those outdated before Chaos hit this place?"

"Eggman's actually bringing them back pretty well" said Sonic "let's go in."

The hedgehog and echidna walked through the door, a bell ringing as they did so. A catchy tune was emanating from somewhere in the low-lit shop. In fact, most of the light came in through the front window, the only electric light in the shop had been placed simply to equally balance out the light throughout the store. Shelves were arranged in a way that seemed random, but was actually precisely ordered. The shelves were painted in bright colors, and were filled with various records from various brands.

"Hey Eggman!" yelled Sonic "you've got a visitor."

Then out came Eggman. Retirement had treated him well, it seemed. The former mad scientist was wearing a blue sweater and khakis, as well as his usual dark glasses, and a pair of headphones around his neck. He'd even lost a bit of weight. Upon seeing the hedgehog, his face broke into a grin.

"Hello, Sonic. Who's the visi-" he stopped, noticing Knuckles. A very tangible silence filled the room. All three of them were well aware of how the doctor had caused Knuckles endless amounts of grief in the past for one reason or another. After a while, Knuckles broke the silence.

"Nice place you got here."

"Th-thank you" said Eggman hesitantly.

"Can I ask you something?" said the guardian.

"Sure" said Eggman, clearly not wanting to upset the echidna, who still hadn't given any indication if he was going to be hostile or not.

"Why'd you give up your dreams of Eggmanland? Wasn't that what you'd been living for?" said Knuckles. While it seemed like a question one would make out of curiosity, it sounded to Sonic as though Knuckles was asking for advice. Weird.

"Oh" said Eggman, who sounded relieved "Well, it's nothing ridiculous. Eventually, I got to a point where I wasn't being constantly bothered, and was able to actually think for once. I realized, in the end, if I succeeded, would I really be happy? Turns out the answer was no, though it took me a long time to admit that to myself."

"Huh" was the guardians only reply. The echidna walked over to a shelf and looked at some of the records.

"Well, that happened" said Sonic "How've you been Eggman?"

"Good, business has been going well, though I get more orders than carry-outs. I've been thinking of offering some sort of in-store Valentine's deal. There's plenty of romance records in stock, and, in my own humble opinion, nothing's better for setting a good mood than some good background music."

"Hey, that sounds like a good idea" said Sonic "You want some help organizing?"

"Oh, I wouldn't want to bother you, I'm sure you're busy with something" said the doctor.

"Oh yeah, I was actually-wait a minute, that's it!" said Sonic, his dilemma solved.

"What?" said Eggman.

"I've been trying to think of a good Valentine's gift for Blaze for ages. I can't believe I didn't think of getting her a record. Do you have any good ones you'd recommend?"

"Perhaps, let's go check" said Eggman.

"Hey Knux, can you help us look?" shouted Sonic to Knuckles, who was examining a record with the title "The More the Merrier".

"Yo, did you make this?" said Knuckles to Eggman.

"Why yes, I sometimes make music in my spare time" said the doctor, twirling the end of his mustache.

"He's a pretty good rapper too" said Sonic "Though I don't think any of those are…wait, when'd you make that? I don't recall seeing it before"

"Around the time the Black Arms attacked" replied the doctor "I've been making music for a long time, that's why I decided to open this store."

"Cool" said Knuckles, putting back the record and helping the human and the hedgehog look for a good Valentine's record.

After a while of searching, during which some other customers had come and left, Sonic finally struck gold.

"Woah, is this a legit Spring Yard Record? How'd you get it?" said the hedgehog in awe. Spring Yard Records were even older than Sonic, but they'd published songs that were still massive hits.

"Believe it or not" said Eggman, stroking his mustache "The guy selling them didn't know how valuable they were. I may be reformed, but I'll still take advantage of a good deal."

"This has some great songs on it" said Sonic, looking over the cover "I think this will do just fine. I'll be right back." Sonic blasted out of the shop, and quickly came back with some rings, which he put on the counter.

"The offer to help set up your promo day is also still out there" said the hedgehog.

"Thanks" said Eggman "How about tomorrow at…2-ish?"

"That should work" said Sonic "Pleasure doin' business with ya, as always."

"Goodbye Sonic. And Knuckles…" said Eggman with a touch of regret.

"Save it" said the echidna "I understand"

Sonic and Knuckles walked out of the shop, but Sonic was curious about something.

"So, about what you said to Eggman…?"

"Tell you later" said the guardian, whose mind seemed to be elsewhere "I'm gonna check on something" then he focused on Sonic and smiled "I wish you and Blaze luck. I think you'll make a fine couple."

"Thanks" said Sonic. Knuckles left.

%%%

The day had finally arrived. Sonic and Blaze hadn't really planned on what they would be doing that day, but at the moment, they were ice skating. This was a favorite pastime of Blaze's, which made it a favorite pastime of Sonic's. She was far more skilled, but she helped out Sonic, and if they fell, well, they could always get back up. They skated peacefully, enjoying each other's company, and both hoping the day would never end.

Sonic fell again into the snow on the side of the lake they were skating on, and practically vanished into it, his skates being the only thing visible. Blaze bent down to help him up, but he pulled her down into a hug and kissed her on the nose. They both laughed, and laid in the snow for a while, Blaze's aura keeping the two of them warm. After a while, the feline spoke.

"Why is this the day of love? It seems awful cold."

Sonic thought for a moment. Then he said,

"Maybe it was to see how warmly people could love each other. I'd say you're easily the best at that, though."

"Perhaps" she said with a smile and a slight blush "You aren't so bad yourself."

"Why, thank you, your highness" said Sonic with a grin.

"Oh, quit that!" she giggled. While she usually tried to avoid titles in this world, they always sounded so nice when Sonic said them.

"As you wish, my lady" said the hedgehog, kissing her on the cheek. She gave him a playful swat in return, still blushing, but smiling.

%%%

The two were back at Sonic's home. They had been watching a movie, but had gotten bored, and were now simply snoozing on the couch. Suddenly, Sonic remembered he had a gift for her. He sat up, trying not to disturb her position.

"What'cha doin'" she murmured.

"Be right back" said the hedgehog to his girlfriend. He darted to where he had put the record, then came back in and stood behind the couch so Blaze couldn't see the record. She looked up at him curiously, still waking up from the catnap.

"Okay, so" said Sonic, hoping this would go well "I wanted to get you something for today, just 'cause, that's, um, a tradition and stuff, and, I really wanted to find something good, so, I thought for a while, and then I was like, hey, I know, I can give her-" he raced over to his record player, placed the record in, and adjusted the needle to the right song. A lovely slow tune wafted out of the speaker right as he plunked himself down next to her "-the gift of music."

The music filled the air, working its way throughout the whole room, slowly but surely. Blaze got up from the couch and held out a hand to Sonic.

"Sounds like you want to dance" she said with a smile "Shall we?"

"Sounds good" said the hedgehog, popping up from his seat. He took one of her hands, and put his other hand around her waist. She placed her other hand on his shoulder, and the moved around the room, leaning into each other, getting lost in the music.

Eventually, the song ended, and they sat back down. Blaze snuggled into him.

"Thank you, that was lovely."

"A lovely song for a lovely girl" said Sonic, leaning back into her, and feeling her purr. Together they sat. Content.

The End.

Well, I hope you enjoyed that. I know Blaze didn't show up much until the end, but that was just how it happened. Also, I didn't originally intend to have the occasional P.O.V. switch in there, it just sort of happened. And if the bits with Shadow and Knuckles seemed odd, a read of "A Knuxouge New Year" might help you guess what's going on. Anyways, happy Valentines Day, I love you all, and I hope you'll stick around for some more fics!