ZehHyperactiveAuthor, SkulY2K, Mist Valley Apex Avian, TDSonic135, ItsStephanyx3, PastaxRocks, Welshausten, RagingSapphireStorm, Novus Umbra, Ksonic, Jacklethekitsune, Writer's Freedom, poka, CherrletheChicken, MyLoveForYou, SugarhogRose, 01sonamy01, Alyssacookie, OddSakura, Mana the Cat Magician, Colurful Star, sinister showdown, Mike Prower the Fox, IHeartSonAmy, Kurdave, AutoKnight01, Kettle-chip:

Thanks everyone! You all made my day(s)! =D This chapter should be... fun... I've been wanting to write this for a while...

Oh, and MAJOR thanks to Mana the Cat Magician for her help on this chapter! (You're amazing, girl!)

...xxx...ooo...xxx...

Chapter 5: His Own Medicine

...xxx...ooo...xxx...

"Wait, what?"

His laughter suddenly dead, Sonic tilted his head in confusion, his green eyes trying to discern the almost-too-serious expression on Blaze's face. And yet, the cat had to be joking. Had to be.

"Did you not hear me?" Blaze said, her lilac tail flicking back and forth. "I said... I don't think that this is working out, Sonic. I'm sorry. I know you seem to care for me... but I'm afraid that I don't return those feelings."

For three full seconds, which was a long time for the hedgehog, Sonic didn't move. But his mind was moving a million miles per hour, trying to think up dozens of different meanings for what Blaze had just said, grasping at straws, desperately trying not to think that she really did mean that. By the time his lower jaw had almost descended to his chest, a nervous laugh escaped.

"You're kidding, right?"

Getting annoyed, Blaze furrowed her brow at him and peeled his arm from around her shoulder. "No, Sonic. I'm not. I really don't think that I like you that way. You may have told me about love and friendship, but I never felt anything for you in return. I thought I did... but there's nothing in my heart for you."

Every single word that pelted Sonic's ears sunk his heart lower and lower. No... this... this couldn't be happening. Blaze... she had to like him! He was Sonic, for crying out loud! The hero! The hero always got the girl, right? That was just... how it was supposed to be!

Yet Blaze's way-too-attractive face was set like flint, her arms firmly folded across her chest, letting Sonic know that she was dead, dead serious. That she really didn't have any feelings for him.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait. Hold up. Whaddya mean you don't like me? What is there not to like?" Sonic asked incredulously, not wanting to believe this was happening, his outer annoyance masking his growing inner panic and pain.

Blaze was this close to saying, 'would you like a list?', but held her tongue, and said, "I don't know any other way to say this, but... I don't wish to be your girlfriend any longer. I'm not ready for us to be in a relationship. We should go back to being friends."

Sonic's eyes were now huge in horror. "Friends? But why? W-what I'd do wrong? Why'd you even...get my hopes up?" he stuttered, fighting off the very, very unfamiliar sinking, rejected sensation in his chest. His heart was beating at an incredible pace, his breathing more labored. Everything felt so... surreal.

Blaze blinked at him, wondering why Sonic looked so... stunned. He really hadn't seen this coming? Was he that blind and oblivious to her lack of feelings for him? What was it that had... enchanted and distracted him so? Sonic hadn't acted like this at all since they'd first met.

"I don't know if you did anything wrong, Sonic. I just don't have any romantic feelings for you. I'm sorry, " Blaze said, and, not sure what else to say, simply turned on her heel and started walking away from Sonic.

Sonic was left gaping at her retreating back, his mouth and face stuck in a shocked expression.

Dude, she's getting away - you gotta go stop her!

No, she was not going to ditch him! Nobody left Sonic the Hedgehog in the dust, especially not the girl of his dreams! In a desperate rush of air, Sonic sped around in front of Blaze, standing squarely in the cat's way to prevent her from leaving.

"Blaze, wait, listen," he said, his voice laced with desperation. "You can't do this to me."

Sonic reached towards the cat to put his gloved hands on her shoulders, but to his dismay and rejection the cat took a step backwards, avoiding his contact.

"And why not?"

"But Blaze, I love you," he said quickly, desperate to confess his feelings. "Ya gotta understand that... you can't just leave me hangin' like this. I love you. You don't feel anything for me?"

He tried to reach out for her again, trying to touch her and hold her in his arms again, but she firmly pulled away, tearing at Sonic's breaking heart.

Green and gold eyes met, Blaze still firm, Sonic suddenly worked up to a frenzy. As he gaped at her, he felt his stomach fall down to his feet, and his heart cracking. This... he couldn't accept this. He couldn't... lose like this. What he felt for Blaze was too strong, too passionate... how could she not return those feelings? Sonic had never before felt so... desperate, so helpless to do anything before. Never had he been so attached, and so needing of another person in his life.

"Your highness!"

A shout from the Captain of the Guard broke their stare. For the first time Blaze was actually relieved to see the koala, and didn't chastise him for calling her royalty.

"What is it Gardon?" Blaze asked as he approached, seamlessly switching topics and turning from an unusually distressed Sonic.

"Your highness, there's an urgent matter you must attend to. Please, come quickly."

Blaze let out another sigh of relief. Thank goodness she could get out of here! "Alright, Gardon, I'm coming." With that, she started following after the koala.

"Wait! Blaze, Blaze -" Sonic said, and once again ran in front of her to block her path. He wasn't going to let her get away, and she couldn't out run him... "Listen, you can't just... I mean, that's it? Can't we... work this out?"

Blaze narrowed her eyes in irritation. "There's nothing more to discuss. I have more important things to worry about now, as I have a duty to my people, and I'm sure you have something else to do. Good day," and with a curt nod, she tried to step around the panicking hedgehog, but he continued to stand in her way.

Sonic wasn't about to give up. "Blaze, please, ya gotta understand, you mean everything to me! Look, why don't we run away together, and we can be free, and you don't have to be worried about your princess duties! We can be free..." Sonic rambled, his eyes searching hers, looking to find some shred of... emotion in them.

But there was nothing.

"Sonic." Her patience shot, Blaze's voice was twinged with frostiness. "Since you don't seem to get what I'm trying to say, I'll come right out with it: I don't love you, and you don't own me. Now stand aside. We're finished."

Ouch... Sonic's heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds at that brutally honest comment. "But Blaze..." he groaned and once again reached for her, finally succeeding in getting one arm around her waist.

At his contact, Blaze immediately ignited a shield of fire around herself, one of the flames singing Sonic's arm, instantly causing the hedgehog to rip his arm away as he was burned.

"Ah!" Sonic yelled, and glanced at his arm in horror. It was now stinging with intense, throbbing pain... agony that was nothing compared to how his heart felt.

His head whipped back up to look at Blaze, but the lovely cat was now surrounded by a veil of fire, making her untouchable, unreachable, unattainable.

And then, without another word, Blaze the Cat simply walked away with Gardon to attend to more urgent matters of the kingdom, leaving an burnt, incredulous, brokenhearted Sonic to wonder what on earth had he done wrong.

What just... did she just leave me? ... Was I just... dumped?

He gingerly ran a gloved finger over the fresh burn that ran up his arm and winced.

Me, Sonic the Hedgehog, dumped. And everything... was going so well... I loved her and... it felt so good when we kissed... how could she just be so... uncaring about it?

His red shoe went back and forth against the ground, creating small trenches in the dirt.

No.

I can't just stand here and brood about it. I can't let this bother me. I have to do something. Blaze is too valuable to simply slip through my fingers like that.

His head snapped back up, his lime green eyes suddenly ablaze with passionate fire.

She really does love me... but she just doesn't get her feelings. I have to do something... I'm not giving up yet. I can't. It's not in my nature.

And with that, Sonic bit his lip and took off to the other end of the island, desperately searching for a way to prove his love...

...xxx...

Letting out a long, drawn out, and perhaps overly dramatic sigh, Silver made his way into the guard room, his boots scuffing the dirty stone floor of the interior castle corridors. He knew that he should really keep his head up, especially since he was about to see one of the captains for his daily duty assignment, but Silver found he just couldn't raise his golden eyes up to look at anything but the filthy ground. Not since Blaze had said that she had a boyfriend.

Why was he taking the news so hard, though? What was it that had bothered him so much? When Sonic had pulled Blaze into his arms, and held her so close, and kissed her right in front of him... his stomach had twisted in disgusted nausea, and his heart had become suddenly sore. But why? Didn't he want Blaze to be happy? Was he just being naive again?

Everyone told him that he had to grow up and be a man now, stop being so childish and fantasizing. It had been drilled into his head from the first day of training. But still, if Silver was honest with himself, he'd admit that he'd been hoping that him and Blaze would eventually be together. In fact, she had been all he was thinking about for awhile now, consuming his thoughts and dreams. The whole time he'd come to know Blaze, Silver had always felt something for the cat. He'd been afraid to tell her, though, not only because she was a princess and he was merely a castle guard, but also because Blaze was very withdrawn. He'd wondered what she'd say if she knew he had any feelings for her.

But now... she had a boyfriend, making Silver lose hope that Blaze would ever choose him. Silver had been shocked to find out. He hadn't thought that Blaze had any friends besides himself. Why, the cat hadn't even mentioned that she knew Sonic until he randomly showed up as her boyfriend. Surely she hadn't known him that long or that well... and then they were just spontaneously dating? Did he really mean nothing to her, after all the battles they'd fought side by side in?

The wooden door to the guard room opened with a creak, and Silver slipped inside, his golden eyes darting over the the captain on duty: Amos, an elderly raccoon who really should be retired, but stayed on mostly to deal with the youngin's like himself, although he was by far the least strict of all the guards. Silver would've smiled if he could get the image of Blaze and Sonic kissing out of his head.

"Silver! Good to see you up and early this morning!" Amos greeted him warmly, as was his custom.

"Good morning, sir," Silver said and approached his superior.

A lighthearted grin overtook Amos' face, telling Silver this meeting wouldn't be all business. "So, you hear about the princess? Apparently Sonic's courting her now. Any of the other royal girls wouldn't be able to get away with that you know... only because Blaze is the Sol Emerald Guardian can she be courted by anyone she'd like."

Silver clenched his jaw, suddenly wishing Amos wasn't such a gossip. "So I've heard," he said, trying to be casual, and change the subject to one that didn't strike so many nerves. "Now-"

Amos continued on, "I always thought you two had a thing... with how close you are. Especially since you're of age now, aren't you? But I guess only a hero would be enough to capture the princess's heart, eh?"

"Hero?" Silver echoed.

"Oh, don't tell me you don't know Sonic the Hedgehog. He was the one to help Princess Blaze stop the pirates and Eggman Nega and recover the Jeweled Scepter a while back. Apparently he's from another dimension."

Silver blinked. Oh, how could he be so stupid? The name Sonic should've rang some bells, but... once Blaze had said they were together, everything had become hazy in his mind. Sonic... oh, right. Duh. The hero... the big shot. Was Blaze really attracted to him, and all the fame and attention that came with it? It seemed unlike her. Silver sighed. He knew he'd never be a big hero like that.

"Oh, yeah, I knew that," Silver said. "But anyway, Amos, uh, what is my duty today?"

"Right down to business as always, huh, Silver?" The hedgehog nodded, and Amos continued. "I see... well..." the elderly raccoon's wrinkle-framed eyes scanned the schedule. "You had night duty yesterday, yes?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, why don't you take the day off and take the same shift tonight, hmm?"

"Oh... uh, I'd be honored to take the day off, sir, but... you don't have any jobs for me?" he asked hopefully, knowing that he'd need something to keep his mind off of Blaze...

"No, Silver, I think you deserve a day off. Everything I've heard from Gardon concerning you has been golden - or should I say, silver?" he cackled at his own lame joke.

Silver forced a smile. "Yeah... thank you sir... I'll talk later, then."

"Yes, Silver. Enjoy your day off. After all, you're only the magical age of sixteen once!"

Silver turned away from the captain, swallowing another sudden wave of nausea as he went to roam around the castle, taking in the bustling life around him. Yeah.. he was sixteen. And everyone knew what that meant.

After he'd made one lap around the castle and was headed back to his quarters, he spied a certain lavender cat lingering at the edge of a courtyard, obviously on her way out.

What... what was Blaze doing back here? It wasn't often that Silver got to see her inside the castle during the day, and... wasn't she supposed to be with her boyfriend?

Using his psychokinesis because it was quicker, Silver zoomed over to Blaze, landing just behind her. "Blaze?"

The cat turned and smiled, relieved that it was this hedgehog. "Hello Silver."

"Hey," he tilted his head. "Why are you here? I thought you and Sonic-"

Blaze shook her head, dismissing the topic. "We're no longer a couple," she said simply, and saw no reason to elaborate.

"Really?" Silver blurted out. "You mean you... broke up with him?"

"Yes. I don't know why I agreed to go with him in the first place. I never had any feelings for Sonic. I was just confused. But I believe that I've figured it out now."

Wait... so Blaze didn't even like Sonic, at all? She had just been confused? A wave of relief washed over Silver. This was the best news he'd heard all day.

"That was quick. So, you never liked him?" he asked somewhat hopefully, a small smile stretching across his muzzle.

"No, I don't think I did. He was one of my first friends, and he showed me why I shouldn't be so withdrawn... but there was never any romantic attraction with him. Although..." she frowned. "He did take it pretty hard. Sonic seems to care for me quite a bit, Silver. I have faith that he'll recover, however. Sonic's always been cool headed. I respect him."

For some reason, Blaze's mini speech left Silver elated, or at the very least, relieved. "That's... that's good Blaze. I'm glad that you don't, er, that you've figured it out. But anyway, what are you doing back at the castle?"

"Gardon had some papers for me to sign, dealing with the new stronghold for the Jeweled Scepter. I-"

The rest of her sentence was cut off by a sonic boom echoing off the surrounding castle walls. Neither had enough time to cringe, as the noise's famous creator suddenly appeared.

Sonic stood with one had behind his back, and the other reaching towards Blaze, who stepped backwards.

"Sonic? What are you-"

"Listen, Blaze..." Sonic's voice shook a little with emotion. "I'm sorry for anything that I did. But I'm here because... I tried to run but... I just can't stop thinking about you. And I'm willing to do anything, absolutely anything to make us work. I'm hear to say, I haven't given up... and I still love you."

He reached behind his back to present a dozen freshly-picked, deep-red roses, held in gloves that were sprinkled with blood from the thorns. Blaze studied the flowers, then Sonic's eyes that were pleading for acceptance, for reciprocation, but Blaze turned her nose up. It wasn't that she wanted to be mean... but that she simply didn't care for him.

"Sonic, I've already told you no. How many times do I have to say it? I don't want to be your girlfriend." She turned her back on the cobalt hedgehog, who's heart was breaking more and more by the second.

"But Blaze, you just, just don't understand, I love you so much- what more do I have to do?" he pleaded, hating to sound so weak and needy and desperate... but his heart was aching for the girl. "I'll do anything for you-"

"Nothing, Sonic. What is it you don't understand? I've already said I don't love you. Now leave me in peace," she said, her back still turned.

Sonic's hand gripped the roses tighter, feeling the thorns prick him, but still offered them to the cat. "Blaze, please, hear me out-"

"Hey, pal."

The only one in the area who hadn't spoken made his voice heard. "If she says she doesn't love you, why don't you just leave her alone and move on? Your begging isn't going to do anything."

Sonic turned to Silver and sneered at him, not feeling like himself at all. "Oh, what do you know?"

Trying to maintain a level head, Silver looked right back at Sonic, the world renowned hero. He was shaking in his boots a little, since Sonic was, well, Sonic, and Silver really wasn't anybody special... but when someone was bothering Blaze... he'd stand up for her no matter what.

"I know that Blaze doesn't love you, and that you're being a possessive ex-boyfriend. Now leave her alone and get lost."

Sonic's upper lip was still curled up in annoyance at the other hedgehog. "I'm not being - oh, jeez, and who are you, her new boyfriend, pretty boy?"

"Sonic." He froze at her voice. Normally is was so musical, so lovely, but now it was twinged with ice, a coldness that sucked all the life out of Sonic, freezing his heart, contrasting with the stinging burn that still carved into his arm.

"Silver is right." Ouch. "I don't love you." But why not? "You need to move on." I can't! "Now please leave. I would rather not call the guards on you or fight you myself."

Sonic's eyes were huge. "But I don't wanna fight you-!"

"Then leave, Sonic," Blaze finally faced him again, creating a shield of fire around her body.

"But how can you just - don't you care about me?"

An unexpected sob escaped Sonic, and suddenly he was shocked at himself. Never had he felt so clingy, so needing of anything besides the open air before in his life. And never, ever had he felt this horrible, as he studied the unattainable, attractive Blaze hiding behind an impenetrable cloak of fire. His heart had become like melted wax in his chest, and it hurt to even breathe.

Yes, Eggman had crushed and bruised his body before, but this... this rejection of the girl he had fallen so hard and fast for... it was unbearable.

Sonic was always one to go all out and give everything he had, live life to the fullest; he hadn't given Blaze only half of his heart, he'd fallen completely in love with her... and he'd felt so much, given her so much of himself... and gotten nothing in return.

Blaze really, really didn't love him.

Pressure built up behind his eyelids, and Sonic finally dropped the roses and turned to speed off and out of the castle, letting the unfamiliar tears brush away in the passing wind.

...xxx... A/N ...xxx...

Ah... now Sonic finally knows how it feels to be rejected. I tried not to go overboard and make him a complete stalker, but I don't think Sonic would give up the first time. But still, Blaze refuses him. And another reason why I picked Blaze is because she doesn't beat around the bush - she's brutally honest sometimes.

I'm sorry about the use of a very unoriginal OC, but I wanted to develop and write how Silver felt for a bit and I wanted to have him talking to someone. What... did you think it'd be Amy? That'd be too predictable and too much of a coincidence, now wouldn't it? There will be no SilvAmy in this story. Besides, the girl's too heartbroken right now...

By the way, I know we didn't check in with our main pink heroine (that word does have an 'e') this time, but you'll find out what she's been up to next chapter.

Oh, and... I've decided to drop the T-rating, so you all can breathe easy now. I just realized "that part" was unnecessary and would've dug me into a much deeper hole than I'm already in. ^^'

Thanks for reading, next chapter soon!