While this situation had surely been jarring for Silver, now asleep within Marine's hut (the first to ever do that successfully) Blaze was still coming to terms with the meshing of her two completely different lives. She sat by the ocean, feet dangling off the edge of the dock, in contemplative eye lock with her reflection in the water. What stood at the front of her mind was this; she had sacrificed herself to give him a better future… yet she had been the one to benefit. She had lived a life of relative luxury, sure there had been occasional altercations but that was nothing compared to the burning landscape where he had been left; scrounging to survive, fighting every day and never knowing comfort. She didn't know for certain what his future was like now, but judging from his breakdown on the beach… it wasn't the happy world he had told the others about. Was he sparing their feelings? Or was he scared that telling them could lead to an even greater cataclysm, something he'd be unable to stop. He had been suffering in the wake of her sacrifice, it had been for nought; it had been for less than nought! She clenched her fists, closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
On one hand she was the Princess of this dimension, the reigning monarch in a world that would crumble without her… but in the other she had come from a hellish future and had her tormentor sealed into her very soul. What had happened between here and there? Two theories came to mind, the first being that Iblis release in this dimension had prompted everything to exist as it did eventually leading her to be reincarnated, the latter assumed this world had always been here but she had been inserted into its narrative… perhaps rewritten how things were through her reincarnation, with that Iblis had been reincarnated to. Not as another being but as the very emeralds she guarded, their fates and being still bonded; released from her but sealed into another form. They were still crystalline in the future, in that sense sacrifice hadn't been in vain; Iblis had been fully sealed. She held the two Sol Emerald in her hands; there were no more disturbances regardless of how far she held them apart. She had been back to the palace and checked, the grey emerald remained sealed away in her bedroom and yet Silver had arrived with some version of it.
She shook her head, fully aware that this spelt disaster in the immediate future. She had regained her best friend, the person she'd always been able to trust, and yet with him had come an omen of her world's future. It would collide with his. She clenched her eyes and heaved a breath. It wasn't fair but that was nothing new; she'd dealt with unfairness through both lives. Being born into a world where survival was nigh impossible but with a friend, born into a world where survival was simple… but she was bullied and friendless for so long. She had both safety and Silver, she wasn't willing to give up either but both could be pried for her grasp… she didn't know what would happen if he fixed his future, would things reset? Would the Silver she knew be gone again, would she have to find him and then try to remind him of their past? Was it a certainty that he'd remember, could she repeat the events of the beach with a new Silver? Probably not, her dimension would have to be destroyed to have a Sol emerald appear within his time. What if the future wasn't fixed even after they fixed this current issue, what if they made yet another sacrifice in vain? Her heart couldn't take that.
And what of her world? Was it destined to collide with Sonic's? Or had she simply died at some point within his dimension, Sol emeralds on her person and thus spread within his world. It was unclear what had happened or how it had happened, just as it was when she had been from the future. Two hundred years of lava flowing through cities could destroy a lot of records. What was she to do? Just govern and hope it didn't happen in her lifetime? Send Silver off and hope he sorted it, leaving her alone once again? Not as alone as she had once been but… she wanted him safe, it was what she had always wanted and eternally been denied. She was happy to be with him again… and yet his appearance heralded an immanent disaster. She now fully understood why he'd lied about the state of the future, it made his presence like the spectre of death. Her best friend was cursed in an irreversible way, his presence in the past an omen of danger in the future. She took her head in her hands, feeling a pulsing headache brewing. She hadn't gotten sleep, she was thinking much too hard about this surely.
She looked back to her reflection, her face was the same but different. It was health she assumed, clean fur and a good diet. They had always been able to retrieve clothes but it was the things hidden behind the veil of golden cuffs and a purple gown, she felt her arm and felt muscle she hadn't had. They'd been running on fumes, she had spent a day without sleep and felt her mind unravel while he suffered without food for his entire life. Subsistence on energy alone, sleeping among flames in a broken city. She clenched her teeth, she had no control over what had happened yet felt fully responsible; he had tried to seal away Iblis for her only for their positions to swap. This is what he'd wanted for her, but not what she wanted for him! He was supposed to be safe and happy, in a future where he could naively wander without worry.
And now what? Her kingdom, what she had been given in exchange, was to be destroyed as he returned to her? Should it not, should he succeed in whatever mission time had set him, he would be reset back to that future or worse… wiped from reality entirely. There was no winning, there was no-
"Oi mate, you've been lookin' a bit down since this fella arrived. Is somethin' on your mind?" A set of green boots was now kicking out to sea with her, looking Marine in the eyes and seeing a rare look of genuine concern Blaze couldn't scold her for intruding on private thoughts. "You're not the best for talkin' about your bothers but this is takin' the cake, you usually just look angry; you're lookin' downright sad today."
Blaze composed herself, lowering her hands to her thighs and taking a deep breath. "Marine, you are my friend and though I don't often admit it you are incredibly important to me. However Silver, the hedgehog asleep and drying in your house, was not only there for me when no one else was but was a ray of hope in a darker world. I lost him a long time ago but didn't know I had. Today my memories of him resurfaced, I tried to sacrifice myself and give him a better life once upon a time. We lived a close life together, we were all the other had." Blaze tried to explain to the young racoon, though she was certain there would be prodding questions.
Marine blinked twice, processing the information; "Wait, how did ya forget him? Did you hit your head or somethin'? You said he was a big part of your life, how could he be if you forgot him?"
"I… I'm not sure. I wasn't always from here Marine, though I suppose I was in this reality… I was once from a future in Sonic's world and crossed to another dimension, I believe it was this dimension. Whatever happened after that in his world I do not know but I was reborn here, I didn't just wake up without memories and somehow become the Princess. I don't know if this dimension was here before and I changed it or… regardless, what matters is I remember him and he's here now but I'm scared he won't be for long." Blaze replied, trying to make things as clear as possible. "There's a chance, well… more of a certainty that him showing up here means things will go wrong soon. This is bigger than the island, our whole world might be in danger along with Sonic's own, Silver is at the centre of it all."
"Oh that's why you're sad? Then you're bein' real stupid." Blaze's brows furrowed, ears lowered. Marine leaned back a little, realising what she had said; "What I mean is that you should go and spend time with him if you're scared he'll be gone right? Don't spend so long worrying about when or if he'll have to leave, live in the now not the future! That's where ya are now right? He's here and you're here, why aren't you with him right now? We've dealt with big problems in the past, it seems like every time someone from that dimension shows up here there's some big tussle, so lets just enjoy peace while it lasts eh? Let's have some fun!"
Blaze expression softened and she slowly rose, extending a hand to Marine and helping her up; "You're probably right, I should enjoy whatever time I have with Silver. I think you'll like him to Marine, he's an-
"Gosh Blaze you're talkin' about him a whole lot, and with all these feeligs… do you love him or somethin'? I've never seen you like this with anyone, not even Sonic and Tails when they left. Never thought I'd see you with a crush, and he's dangerous too? Or is it that danger follows him? I didn't think you'd go for that type."
Blaze ears lowered and brows furrowed once more, a harshness growing in her voice; "He was the one person I could count on in a world of terrors, the person who would care for me in ill health and comfort me. Of course I care for him more than any other. Do not mock the bond we have, it's stronger than any other to ever exist. I died so that he might live in peace only to end up here in comfort! Do you understand how much that hurts!?"
Marine was taken aback but her eyes widened at the last sentence, "W-Wait a minute, you died? Like… actually died died? That's how you came here, you had to die?"
Blaze's brow softened, she refused to look Marine in the eye. This situation was strange, explaining it to an outsider would probe difficult… let alone explaining it to a child like Marine. She continued; "He tried to sacrifice himself for me but he couldn't do it so I… I did it for him. I wanted him to be safe and happy more than anything. Instead I ended up safe and he ended up living in an awful world alone, when I was last there fire engulfed the city and lava ran through the streets. You've seen him; he's clearly not from somewhere safe, he's malnourished and unkempt. I just… I could suffer, I had resigned myself to eternal pain, I wanted him to be safe and happy." Was this Iblis, even after it had been bested, destroying her life as it had theirs before?
Marine moved in and hugged Blaze, "Alright, alright; lets go talk to him then eh? I'm sure he's feeling like this to right? He woke up, that's why I came out to get you. We can go for a sail later alright? Show him the sights and stuff, would he like that?"
"I think he would very much, in fact… I think going around and seeing things with these new eyes would be nice. Reflecting on my last life I feel like I've taken this world's beauty somewhat for granted. The little things hold more meaning to me now than they ever did, now that I know the price. The rush of water, the growing of flowers, the sky through-
"Yeah yeah sure sure, come on! Let's go see your boyfriend eh? I'm sure he's worried about you to." And with that Marine began to drag the slowly boiling Blaze back toward her hut. It wasn't that the idea shone a light on Silver she hadn't particularly thought of prior, there had been times when to call him a companion even felt too impersonal, but more so that whether or not the love was there and returned he might be gone soon. It was hard enough losing him as a friend, let alone a… a closer partner.
They arrived, entering the ramshackle house (well, it was more like a single room with an attached bathroom) and finding the hedgehog fully immersed; spinning most every object in Marine's house that wasn't tied down… so mostly it was just junk painted like pirate ships with the exception of dirty cutlery and plates. He was surprised upon the door opening, quickly resetting the position of all the objects and looking down to them from Marine's guest-hammock. Blaze looking to the Racoon could detect sinister intention, but she had momentarily been awed by his display. A voice called from above; "Um… hello down there!"
"Oi oi mate! Come get ya Sheila! She's been up in arms worryin' about ya!" Marine shouted up, much to Blaze's chagrin… though she loosed a smile at his response. Blaze felt herself go red, she focused on the dirty dishes rather than daring to look to either of them. Fortunately his response eased her tension.
"…I'm sorry Blaze, I have no idea what your friend is saying. A-are most people like that? Have I learned to talk wrong?" The white hedgehog slowly floated his way down, landing in the daylight Blaze was immediately worried but she'd known things wouldn't be great. She and Silver had never gotten the best food and that was more clearly carrying over, the hedgehog was more fur than meat, his gloves were torn and his boots even worse for wear than she remembered.
She looked up to him as he approached, a cool sweeping over her; "No no don't worry, this is Marine. You'll get used to it, that sentence was a little rough. How are you feeling?"
"I think I'm about back to normal, I've still got a bit of a headache but it'll pass I'm sure!" He smiled, then looked down to the Racoon; "It is very nice to meet you Marine, I'm Silver. I'm from the fu-
"Oh I know mate, she's been gabbing about you since you woke up. Talking about being from the future and destroyed worlds and her dea-
"Thank you Marine," Blaze cut in, giving the racoon a long and hard stare. "Could you leave us for a moment? Perhaps go and get the ship?"
"Great mate, I'll leave you two to it!" And with that she was off like a rocket, scared of incurring the Cat's wrath. Now it was just the two of them, there was… a tension in the air.
"So," He started, "Um… we got it out earlier but I'm very glad you're alive and last night wasn't all a dream. I'm glad you're safe and I'm glad you remember me."
"Likewise of course, I'm glad that you're here and I remember you. While I am upset that things didn't happen as we'd hoped… I am happy to see you again, there's no denying that."
At that Silver loosed a huge sigh, leaning back against Marine's own hammock; "Oh I'm so glad! You have no idea how worried I was, I-I know we were close and stuff but I don't know what your life is like now. I didn't know if we were still close or if that stuff toward the end would make it worse or better or-
"Silver, Silver, relax. I'm here with you now and I have no intention of leaving you. I promised I would not again and I plan to stand by it." She was blunt with him, knowing it was for the better; "While in this world my upbringing has been different from that of our past I'm still the same Blaze as I was, now even more so with these additional memories."
Silver nodded, "Right right. What was your life like here though, I know you're a princess but… what does that mean for what you do?"
"A lot of boring politics and people telling me what I can and can't do."
"But… But isn't been the princess being the boss? Shouldn't you just get to do what you want now?"
She cracked a smile, realising that showing him her world was going to be far more enjoyable than she initially imagined. "You're so naïve, but… I understand; unfortunately that's not how a government works. I need to meet with people and have various duties to attend, it's not like I can wave my hand and everything is as I say. It's quite isolate at the top, you become… unapproachable."
He looked a little concerned at that… well this was Silver, he didn't do a little concerned in Blaze's experience; "You were lonely here? But there are more people right? It's not just you and Marine, right? The people who tell you what you can and can't do exist don't they?"
Blaze stepped closer, "There are different kinds of loneliness… the type you must have experience was far worse than-
"No, like… you made a sacrifice you should have gotten to live happily. That's not fair, I though…" Silver looked concerned and upset in his typical way, Blaze put a hand on his shoulder.
"I made that sacrifice so that you could live happily, me living at all is a shock… and you still living so poorly is aggravating. I was lonely as I was the only one with powers like ours, while that has happened lets not reflect too long on it and what we'd hoped when we split. The reality is that we're back together and that I won't let anything separate us again, now have you had anything to eat? I'm sure Marine will have something around here." Blaze set off, searching through drawers and dressers attempting to ignore the various pirate paraphernalia.
"Oh I had some rings before I got here, I should be fine for a couple of hours or so."
She continued to rake through drawers, finding what looked to be a box of cereal… high in sugar but it would do for a start. "We both know that's not a healthy way of living, you're practically bones with fur on top. We need to start you on a proper diet before you waste away any further. " Opening her fridge she found a remaining splash of milk, she fused the two in a bowl and shoved it into his hands; "You're going to eat now and keep eating, I can't have you starving; food is easily available in this time and while I may not have much here to offer I certainly don't lack funds for future meals."
She turned to get him a spoon but by the time she turned back milky, sugary, masses were floating into his mouth. It wasn't the most mannerly way of eating but at least he was eating it. She made a mental note to teach him some basic etiquette before taking him to the castle, just little things so Gardon wouldn't turn his nose too far up. She turned on Marine's kettle, a utility Blaze had insisted she include, and began to make some tea. Before she could turn back Silver had already long finished the bowl, now standing wide eyed and slouched at the same time. He was spinning the bowl in his psychokinetic grip much too fast, "I feel really full but also full of energy, is that normal? When I ate in Sonic's time I just got sleepy."
"With sugary cereal like that yes, don't worry it'll wear off shortly." She turned back with the mugs, "Careful it's hot."
"A hot drink? Is… that's a thing?" Silver sounded quite sceptical, "Are you trying to trick me?"
"Yes, I'm well known for my practical jokes." Blaze deadpanned in response, sipping her tea with pyrokinetic abandon.
This prompted a laugh from him; "I've always liked your jokes though, you don't make too many but when you do they never fail to make me laugh."
She tired to ignore that, a small redness spreading… it was a complement she'd never heard from anyone else; "Speaking of temperature though how are you holding up? Going from burning hot to hypothermia to this must be quite strange."
Silver nodded, the liquid leaving his cup and beginning to float through the air… he was trying to cool it with psychokiensis… that and trying to make drinking look cooler than it truly was, much to Blaze's amusement. "It's certainly colder and I'm not used to it but I think I like it a whole lot more than it being boiling all the time. Luckily I've got fur for that, haven't looked for scissors in quite some time."
"I noticed when I was resuscitating you, hopefully you'll get to build yourself up a bit before you need a trim." She wasn't embarrassed by the memory, well… outside what he had asked her afterword, she would have done it for any of her citizens but was especially glad to have done it to him.
"Ah, right, that… yeah." He went quite red, scratching it his quills. It was clear he remembered the kiss of life… now she regretted even raising it again, a tension was blooming and she'd have to put a stop to it.
"W-We'll be going a sail today, I figured that you should get to see some more of the island as well as experience some sea air in a more controlled environment. After that I'll take you around town and to the castle, there's a lot I want to show you."
"Oh, that sounds great! I'm always scared of messing things up when I'm in Sonic's past, here things should be a little safer right? I'll get to see sights without being so worried about messing up." He smiled, his cup of tea now empty he floated it and the bowl toward the sink; picking up on the context of Marine's endless dirty dishes.
Blaze flinched for just a moment, but returned to her practiced neutral expression (used in most of her meetings) "Yes, we should be able to do most anything you want. Marine should have the boat ready so let's-
As she turned to the door a hand caught her wrist, Silver was looking quite stern… she knew she'd been caught. "Is something wrong Blaze? Should I not be here, is it going to make things dangerous or-
"No Silver it's nothing like that! I don't want you to go!" She felt herself hiss a little, closed her eyes and breathed a sigh… she kept them closed; "Let's just have today at least before we talk about these things, alright? I want to show you around without any worries of what is or may be. I want it to just be you and me with no worries about anything else. Just us, together in a peaceful place finally, in bliss together."
There was a pause; "I want that too Blaze." She opened her eyes, looking to him; "I-I'd like that every day if I'm honest, but today would be a good start to that right? I promise not to leave your side as you promised not to leave mine." He went from holding her wrist to her hand, fingers gently entwined. Thumb over thumb.
"Yes alright, let's start." A smile was growing on her face she opened the door… only to walk right into Marine.
"Awlright, you two lovers done your kissin' then eh? Holdin' hands and stuff eh?"
