Woo! Okay. So this is like the LONGEST chapter I've written so far, mainly because I decided to add a bit more character-to-character interaction, and also I tried to describe everything a bit more. I'm so sorry that this hasn't been updated in three weeks! I know you guys must be so mad. But to make up for it, I published a new story, "The Lost Legend of Hyrule." While y'all are waiting for me to update this story, you could start on that one too :3 Again, I'm really sorry I took so long, but I hit writer's block about the middle of this chapter. I was somewhat worried about it being a longer chapter, but I guess it'll all be fine. So probably the chapters from here on out will be more around this length. Do you like it better this way? Tell me in the reviews what you think I should do differently!

~*Soul Pieces signin' out!*~

Chapter 11—Avast! Pirates!

The next day was no better than the day before, much to Sonic's disappointment. Well, weather-wise, anyways. He smiled as the small golden hedgehog next to him shifted in her sleep, moving closer to him. Gently he stroked her quills, which were uncharacteristically not in a ponytail. Some had fallen over her face as she slept next to him, but mostly it was all laying close to her back, as though she were completely relaxed. He loved the new look.

Both were sitting up inside the cave they used for shelter the day before, Aly's head resting on Sonic's shoulder. The rain outside echoed throughout the small cavern, and Sonic shivered. He hated anything having to do with water, and this downpour was definitely not what he wanted to wake up to.

The Water Blue Ring was causing all the storms, now controlled by the pirates that docked to the south. Sinbad was stupid to have let it fall into their hands, Sonic though irritably. It would have been so much nicer if the echidna had the ring with him when Sonic freed him from his cage on the Rukh. But I would have had to come here anyways, for Aly's next soul piece. But maybe it wouldn't have been so stormy.

As if to emphasize the last word, thunder cracked loudly outside, causing Aly to stir again beside him. She sat upright and blinked her eyes a few times, then looked over at Sonic. She began to trace letters into the palm of his hand with her finger.

"G-O-O-D-M-O-R-N-I-N-G" she spelled out. Sonic smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Good morning to you too," he replied. "We need to hurry up and find your last soul piece. Or we could just teach you sign language."

Her response was just a grin.

Sonic tried to shake some of the moisture from his fur, now that Aly was awake. Sadly, it didn't do much good, as he felt he was soaked to the bone. Aly stood up and walked outside and lifted her face up into the rain, smiling. He shook his head. Still don't understand her. He thought as she twirled around in the pouring rain. They were practically polar opposites.

And yet I love her anyways.

He grinned as he thought of her as his, and he felt his heart skip a beat or two as she walked back into the cave. She gave him a mischievous grin and then outstretched her arms for a hug.

"No way, you're dripping wet!" Sonic laughed as he backed away from her. She only smiled wider and began to chase him around the small cave, finally tackling him as he slipped in a puddle of water.

"Augh! Water! It burns!" He said jokingly as Aly pinned him down, shaking droplets from her fur all over him. "Okay, seriously, stop! Come on, I'm already wet enough! You know I hate water!"

She stopped obediently, but her eyes still sparkled with devilry as she proudly kept him pinned down. She might as well have spoken out loud. "Haha I have power over you!"

That's what you think… Sonic thought to himself cunningly. He wriggled one arm free and gently caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, and he felt her grip on him loosen, just as he planned.

Gotcha.

He leapt up, careful not to throw her off too hard. She landed on the ground before him, and kept her head down as though she were hurt that he'd trick her like that.

"Hey, only joking," he said gently as he knelt down and lifted her chin to face him. "It's payback for the water," he kissed her gently and knew she'd forgive him. "Come on, we need to go find that ring so we can get away from all this moisture," he complained. She nodded in response, taking his hand in hers.

Sonic was caught a bit off guard and looked down at her. She smiled up at him and squeezed his hand. He smiled in reply and kissed her forehead. Without another word they ran out into the rain together.

It was the first time they'd ever run together, rather than against each other, as Aly observed. She definitely preferred this. There was no competition, no pushing herself past her limit just to put a cocky blue hedgehog in his place. No thinking, just running and being led by the one she'd fallen in love with in this crazy world.

Had anyone told her 7 months ago that she'd be running beside a hedgehog going faster than a cheetah through the world of a book in search of some crazy ring with her soul broken apart, she would have thought they were crazy. Had they told her she'd also be in love with this hedgehog, she would have wondered which insane asylum they'd broken out of.

But that was then, in a crazy, screwed up world where she was just barely surviving by the skin of her teeth with no human help. All she'd had was her guardian angel and God. Not that that was a bad thing, but it did make her long for a physical companion.

And this was now, and she was loving every bit of it. Her fingers were intertwined with the blue blur's, and she let him lead her south, off to the shores in order to get a special ring that controlled storms. She felt her quills flying out behind her, the wind pulling at every bit of her, the rain massaging her as it picked up ferocity. Or maybe they had just picked up speed. She wasn't sure, since everything was already a crazy blur around her.

Her long quills whipping behind her was a new experience for her. She was so used to having them up in an organized ponytail; not flung every which away behind her. But the way Sonic had looked at her when she'd first taken her ponytail down…she didn't want to forget it. He looked like he was seeing a completely different, exotic person. She'd seen the expression in his eyes and it made her blush inwardly. She wished he'd look at her like that every day. That was the feeling she wanted to feel all the time. So for him, she kept her quills down, the ponytail tie now around her wrist as though it was a bracelet.

She snuck a glance up at Sonic. He was definitely born to run. He seemed completely focused on the trail ahead, but yet joy and excitement shone through in his deep green eyes. Suddenly she felt herself being lifted up and realized he'd placed her on his back, and picked up more speed. She laughed a soundless laugh as the wind pulled on her harder and the rain penetrated her fur all the way down to her skin. It felt great.

Of course, Sonic probably had a different word for how the rain felt. But that was all a matter of opinion.

A loud boom resounded around them; Aly at first thought it was a large blast of thunder, but then she realized they'd broken the sound barrier. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his shoulders and she could feel his pulse quickening ridiculously. He was pushing himself in order to distract himself from the rain, she realized.

Stupid hydrophobic hedgehog! She thought. You'll faint if you keep this up!

Oh how she wished she could speak.

She tapped him on the head, and he slowed down considerably, looking up at her. "What?"

Aly held up a hand and mouthed "stop." Obediently, Sonic came to a skidding halt, his breathing heavy and uneven. She picked up a stick and began to write in the mud.

Don't push yourself so hard. Sonic laughed, despite his lack of breath.

"I just want to get out of here as fast as possible. You know I hate water," he finally caught his breath. His spikes were drooping considerably behind his head and now he was positively soaked. He looked miserable. Aly nodded in reply and tapped what she'd written, and then wrote two more words below them.

Promise me. She held out her pinkie.

Sonic grinned and wrapped his around hers. "Of course. Don't worry so much, okay? If you have time to worry, then run!" With the final words, he placed her back on his back, and took off again. But, keeping his promise, he ran a little slower.

The word "easy" would not have fit the course that lay ahead of the two hedgehogs. They had finally reached the shore…on the wrong side. All around them, ships were wrecked and the sea raged, the dark waves roaring against the shore. Farther off into the sea, pirate ships that were still intact were waiting ominously. Large, saw-like things spiraled across their path, obviously manipulated by the Erazor's dark magic. Upon closer inspection, they saw that the saws were made of cutlasses that were attached to each other in the middle of the circle. Not to mention the oh-so-wonderful spiked balls were back, either tumbling down hills across the path or remaining stationary between jumps. A new variation of them were in between the longer jumps—these balls were spiked on one side, and on the other side, a spring. Some turned over slowly, others Sonic would have to use Time Break in order to cross them.

Sonic came to a screeching halt and let Aly off his back. She landed solidly and looked around at the course before them. She took Sonic's hand nervously, the dark storm clouds above and the dark shore not helping the scene before them.

Of course, Sonic, as cocky as ever, spoke first with an air of confidence: "Man, this is so easy! I bet I could run this with my eyes closed!" He looked at his girl, a smug grin across his face.

She looked back at him with terrified eyes, and he chuckled. "Of course I don't mean that literally! I'm going to be careful. After all, I have precious cargo with me," he winked. Aly couldn't help but smile slightly in response, although fear still shone in her eyes. Subconsciously, she gripped his hand tighter.

"Ahh! Hey, watch the iron grip, please!" Sonic laughed good-naturedly. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay? I promise." He kissed the top of her head, and she nodded.

Somehow, Sonic knew that even if she could have spoken, she would have remained silently worried afterwards. "Here, we won't travel too fast. Does that make things a bit better?" He offered the small golden hedgehog. She nodded, looking a bit more brave now. "Certainly you didn't expect me to move that fast here!" Sonic laughed. "I may seem reckless, but I know what's too dangerous, even for me! And like I said, I have to be extra-careful anyways. I've got you with me." With his trademark smirk, the blue hedgehog took off again, moving at a slightly slower speed.

This isn't exactly what I had in mind…Aly began to think as they continued to pick up speed.

Sonic came to a sudden halt and yanked her to the side just in time for the place where she had been standing to ignite into flames. She let out a wordless yelp and started shaking, but she tried not to panic too much.

The far-off pirate ships had begun to move closer to the shore and had spotted them now, and were firing cannonballs at the two hedgehogs. Another one began to rocket towards them, and Sonic pulled Aly with him in a quick dash forward, just enough to be free of the flames.

I freaking hate pirates. I'm with Sonic now, I just wanna get the ring and get out of here.

After a few more close encounters with a few cannonballs, the duo managed to round the corner and move away from the pirates. Aly let out a sigh of relief, but it was short, as Sonic began to pick up speed again, nearing a few jumps across the ocean that were interrupted by the spinning cutlasses. She knew that even Sonic would probably hesitate before this obstacle, just because it was over the angry waters.

Sure enough, Sonic did stop. But he didn't hesitate, he simply charged up a jump and leapt into the air, gaining massive height. Aly had, last-minute, jumped with him, propelling them even higher. Together they did an air dash, successfully crossing the jumps from platform to platform without ever having to deal with the blades. They soared easily above them, and Sonic began laughing as he experienced what Aly was always used to. Moving through the air, Sonic was not as fast as he was on ground, of course, so therefore this was some-thing he never did. And, despite the storm raging above them and the dark waters and evil blades below, Sonic felt something like magic fill the air around them. He laughed at the feeling, relishing in the fact that he got to share it with Aly. He looked at her and gave her his trademark grin, to which she responded with a big smile and squeezed his hand.

The magic quickly came to an end, however, when they touched down on the other side. For just ahead of them were some very…strange creatures.

"Shahra? Are those more of Erazor's henchmen?" Sonic asked the genie.

"Yes, they're more accustomed to a water-based environment." Before the trio stood four strange creatures. They reminded Aly of brooms. Their bodies were shaped like an elongated broom, with a horn spouting out of their heads that looked like a handle, only contributing to their broom-like appearance. They were mostly blue with black faces that appeared to be sunken in from the rest of their bodies. They jumped around to move and apparently liked to vomit on their opponents, as Sonic soon found out.

"Ew, gross!" He complained. Thankfully, though, the slime was quickly washed away by the downpour.

"Watch out when they tremble like that!" Shahra warned the two as the creature nearest to them began to shake. "Move away!" She shouted, grabbing onto each hedgehog's wrists and yanking them away. The spirit let out a long burst of electrical energy, and had they not moved, they would have been within range. The djinn screeched in anger that its prey had escaped it, but Aly quickly cut him short with a swift roundhouse kick. Good thing I picked up those martial arts lessons. She thought briefly. The djinn flattened out completely, its horn dislodging itself from its head. As it dissipated, the horn bounced near Aly. She reached for it.

"Don't!" Shahra's call stopped her not a moment too soon. She cast a questioning look towards the genie. "You can't touch the horns, they contain the Erazor's dark magic, and can overtake your mind with so much as a touch," Shahra explained as Aly stood back up, nodding in understanding. A shiver traveled through her bones. I'm already in enough deep crap. I don't need to be mind-controlled too. She thought irritably.

"Wow, you know that's the first time I've actually seen you fight?" Sonic asked her as they both took off again. She nodded and shrugged in response.

"Just too lazy?" He teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him; combined with her facial expression she seemed to be saying "bite me."

He cuffed her over the ear, triggering an angry nip at his hand. She grinned evilly as he jumped back from her. "Seriously? Did you really just bite me?" He asked in shock. Aly simply turned her attention back to the road ahead of them and took off, seeming to wanting to challenge him to another race.

Sonic was more than happy to oblige.

Their race led them on around the shoreline, jumping over crashed boats and swerving cannon balls that were still being fired at them. Ahead of them now was just a row of pirate ships. One look at Sonic, and Aly knew that they were headed to the ships. She could see pirate djinns circling the deck. Oh great. She thought.

The pair leapt on to the boat and immediately tore into the djinns. Sonic bounced from one to another using homing attacks while Aly decided she'd just stick to using her fists and feet. She ran by them scratching, punching, and kicking them out of her way. They traveled across three more pirate ships until Sonic jumped back onto the shore. Aly was close behind, but immediately stopped when they entered the cave.

Hearing her gasp, Sonic skidded to a halt and turned around to see her looking around her with large, amazed eyes. The cave was a beautiful cyan with all kinds of different water-based plants growing around them. Towards the middle, there was an extremely shallow pool of water, which reflected its waves onto the rock walls around them. Outside the storm still raged, but inside the cave everything was…nearly peaceful.

"Wow! It's so pretty!" Shahra exclaimed, joining the two hedgehogs once again. Sonic nodded and walked back over to Aly. He leaned over and whispered into her ear, "But not as pretty as you."

In response, Aly blushed and laid her head on his shoulder. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Come on, we've gotta find that ring." Again, he took off, Aly easily keeping pace beside him. Their race forgotten, the pair of hedgehogs ran somewhat slowly (at least, for them), through the cave, Shahra floating close behind, marveling at the cave's natural beauty.

They soon were out of the cave and back into the storm. "I think I liked being in the cave better," Sonic joked as he tried to shake off the water. The rain had slowed down, though, so he wasn't as drenched as he'd been before.

I know I did, Aly glanced swiftly back behind her, and then looked ahead to see that they were coming upon an obstacle course of those spinning cutlasses. Despite the moisture, her fur began to prickle with frustration. I'm so sick of dodging all these stupid things! I'm so sick of this guy! She was glad it was raining, for her tears of frustration were easily hidden.

"Is this his idea of giving us a workout?" Sonic eyed the obstacle course ahead of them. "Well, whatever. Do you want to run through it yourself or do you want me to carry you again?" Sonic turned to her.

She held up two fingers, and Sonic picked her up and immediately took off. "Awesome choice. Time break!"

Everything around the two hedgehogs slowed thanks to Shahra's magic. Aly watched with wide eyes as they swept past the blades with ease, and she couldn't help but think, he really is amazing. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up at him. He looked down at her briefly, brandishing a big smile, then turned his attention back to the route in front of him. Time Break was coming to an end, and he still had one more set of blades to dash past. He picked up speed just in time to make it through before Time Break stopped, and the blades began to whizz and whirl, resuming their initial speed as though nothing had even happened. "Well, that was just too easy!" Sonic grinned with pride, setting down Aly. She shook her head at him, but a smile was playing on her lips. The two again took off together, heading across platforms toward an enormous wrecked pirate ship. One of the platforms crumbled behind Sonic and left Aly standing on the other side. She looked down at the water below her, hoping that maybe she could swim across it.

No such luck; the dark waters foamed and roared below her, too rough for her to attempt to swim across. She judged the distance between her and the next platform, and while she hesitated, two green djinns began to make their way towards her. She grinned at her luck—she could just use a homing attack!

Of course, she'd never actually done one before…but she figured she'd watched Sonic enough that she could do it. Charging up a jump, she focused on the first djinn, then launched herself into the air. Curling into a ball and closing her eyes, she began to roll until she had enough momentum to carry her over to the first djinn. She allowed all her other senses to lead her towards the djinn, then felt her sharp spines connect with the spirit's body, sending them in opposite directions. She quickly uncurled herself to locate the next spirit, then repeated the process. When she unrolled the second time, she propelled herself to the other platform, where Sonic was standing, grinning from ear to ear. He reached out to catch her as she fell back to the ground.

"You're amazing in everything you do, you know that?" He whispered into her ear. She smiled at him, and he set her back on her feet. The two took off once again, barging through the ship and out onto the shore at the other end. Just beyond them, they could see a docked pirate ship with four or five more slime djinns. Upon spotting the two hedgehogs, they howled in rage and then began to fuse together.

"Whoa, since when can those creeps do THAT?" Sonic asked rhetorically as they came to a skidding stop on the shoreline facing the large ship. Aly shrugged in response, her eyes trained on the creature forming before them.

It was similar to a manta ray in shape, but it had 4 long, narrow, up-turned horns on its head and a pirate's hat. It was aquamarine in color and lashed out its wide, jaw-like arms at them in rage. The two hedgehogs could see its vicious, sharp-pointed teeth behind the arms.

"Aha! Someone's looking for a duel!" Sonic laughed, jumping in place in preparation to charge at the monster.

"Sonic, be careful! Captain Bemoth is not a force to be reckoned with…." Shahra started warningly.

"Hm, is that so? This should be interesting. Come on, let's have some fun!" He added, turning to Aly. She nodded, determination sparking in her green eyes. Captain Bemoth took off down the shoreline, turning around and daring the two to challenge him. They both accepted the challenge and charged after the monster.

It's time to receive the Ring that controls storms, and then move on to find my final Soul Piece.