Tin Soldier
Chapter 3.

trust: firm belief in the reliability and strength of someone.

It grew dark quickly. The moon was hidden behind the heavy clouds, so the trio relied on the street lamps for light. Helicopter safely stored away in Tails's workshop, Sonic suggested they search for Shadow the following morning, but Blaze doubted they would discover him so easily. It took her a moment to realise this was the first time she had entered the town Sonic resided.

There was nothing particularly special about the area, except for the amount of flourishing nature. 'What's this place called?' She asked the hedgehog.

'Emerald Town,' he replied. 'Listen, it's late and I doubt we'll be able to do much right now. You all right coming back to my home?'

There was something odd about the thought of Sonic living somewhere. In all honesty, Blaze imagined him to live anywhere. She thought he was a traveller, and a place to rest was the least of his concerns.

Sonic was more sensible than she gave him credit for.

'I live very close, so if Sonic makes a racket by snoring, you can always pop over to mine.'

'Tails!' Sonic scolded. 'I don't snore.'

The kitsune snorted. 'Sorry. Of course you don't.'

'Thank you for the offer, Tails,' Blaze said, 'I'm sure it'll be fine.' I doubt I'll sleep anyway.

Approximately fifteen minutes later, they reached Sonic's home. It was very small and was actually a flat more than anything. Hurrying up the steps, Sonic swivelled around on his feet and gestured for Blaze to follow. 'See you, Tails.'

'Good night.'

Entering the flat, she allowed Sonic to guide her up the staircase and then stop at one of the doors on the first floor. Without a word, they both entered. Expecting to see a room filled with rubbish and to be an absolute mess, Blaze was in for a surprise.

Sonic owned few possessions and, despite his character, his apartment was dull, empty almost. A settee was placed at one end of the main living area, a series of comic books piled onto the table opposite. A small television was also on the desk. Leading from the right was the bedroom, a balcony outside.

'Here, let me take care of what Sol Emeralds you have,' Sonic said, outstretching his hand.

Almost instinctively Blaze backed away. 'No, it's fine. I can take care of it.'

It? She only has one then. 'You can trust me. You can't have that weighing you down all the time.'

'Thank you, but I'm fine.'

Sonic inhaled deeply and gave in for now. Blaze could be ridiculously stubborn when she wanted. Not responding, he approached the settee and flung the few pillows off. 'I'll sleep here. My bed is clean, I promise.'

'Oh... You know, that's not necessary either.'

'For God's sake, Blaze!' Sonic exclaimed, grinning ear-to-ear. 'Just let me do something, and can you please agree to it for once? You can be incredibly infuriating.'

Opening her mouth to retaliate, Blaze soon closed it and then smiled a little. 'You're not the first to say that. I'll take the bed. Thank you.'

'It's all right.'

Blaze was relieved to discover Sonic was being honest when he said his bed was clean. It was comfortable too, with just the right amount of pillows. Yet even when she had buried herself beneath the sheets, fatigue never took over. Her mind couldn't rest. Thought after thought ran through her head, and she wished she could switch it all off.

Rolling onto her side, she hugged her knees and scrunched her eyes closed. Nega appeared in her thoughts, how delirious he was, how insane and manic. The last time she saw him, she knew he wouldn't be begging for mercy so easily. He had changed. Somehow, he was different, he was finally showing how crude he could be.

How much she wished he hadn't harmed any of her people yet, that, maybe, she wasn't too late. Please don't make me too late.

Sitting upright, she exhaled slowly and rubbed her temple. It was silly of her to worry when she needed to sleep. But she had been lying there for the past two hours, and she had a hunch she wouldn't be able to relax. There wasn't any point in trying either.

Removing the sheets, Blaze stepped towards Sonic's window and rolled up the blind, before opening the french doors. The balcony looked over the street, and even though it was late, people were still getting around in their cars or using their feet. The air was nice and fresh, cooling her form. It was peaceful, an atmosphere she had never treated herself to for a long time.

But her mind would not stop. Now, all she could think about was how she had forced Sonic and Tails through more issues which should only belong to her. Sonic was ridiculously kind sometimes. It annoyed her. It annoyed her that he didn't sit down and quit. What kind of idiot kept going? What kind of idiot didn't say "no" for an answer?

An idiot who had too much free time on his hands? Whenever Blaze looked at him, all she saw was glee. A boy ruled by no one. The wind was his companion, what he lived for. He was an independent soul, and she wished she knew how such freedom was even possible to achieve.

There was a knock at her door. At first, she stood there, ears upright, waiting. Then she sighed. It could only be Sonic.

'Come in.'

She didn't look to see him enter, but she heard him thanks to her sharp senses. Sonic proceeded to the french doors and stopped there. A pause and then he spoke, his voice quiet and soft. 'Can't sleep either?'

It was a question he already knew the answer to. Blaze didn't respond until he came to stand beside her. 'I find it odd how life continues, despite what is happening. None of these people are aware they could be dead by tomorrow.'

'Well, that's because they won't be,' Sonic said. He nudged her playfully. 'Don't worry: we'll put a stop to Byron... or whatever his name is.'

'How?'

Sonic wasn't expecting her to ask that. At first he mumbled nothings under his breath, then shrugged. 'We'll find a way. We always do.' Studying her face, it was impossible to know what she thinking, but he was aware she wasn't convinced. 'Can I ask, how do you know Shadow?'

It was only a matter of time until he would ask this. Blaze wasn't sure if she wanted to reveal everything. In some ways, it wasn't any of Sonic's business what happened to her and Shadow, but she needed his help. And she needed to let him in on some details, it was only fair.

'Unfortunately I can't tell you how he got to my dimension, but I can tell you what he was after. I don't want to sound rude, Sonic, but, back in my Realm, we are far more advanced than you when it comes to technology or weaponry. To put simply, a weapon was designed where I come from. This weapon can destroy a whole town. Not as threatening as you'd assume, but it can cause a great deal of damage.'

Sonic gaped in horror. 'Not as threatening as I'd assume? I knew you were a little crazy, Blaze, but seriously? So you're telling me that Shadow has it? Shadow has a weapon which can destroy an entire town?'

'Yes.'

'What?'

Blaze rolled her eyes. 'I'll be honest, he doesn't seem like the type who'd commit murder without good reason. Anyway, the fact he stole that weapon is the least of my concerns. I doubt he knows how to use it. That doesn't mean I don't want the weapon back, though.'

She might have claimed to not being able to sleep, but Sonic noticed how exhausted she was. Every second he was with Blaze she was always tense and alert. Obviously this was because of her position in power and her duty. Yet, sometimes it was just not necessary. He wanted her to be able to calm down and not think.

That would be nice. It would be nice if Blaze stopped caring about everything for a couple of seconds.

'I used to be quite like you.'

The tables were turned and it was Blaze who acted confused. 'What do you mean?'

'Just thinking all the time, and worrying.' Sonic shrugged. 'I used to be like that. When I was younger, my life wasn't as great. I didn't have a home, didn't have any friends and had no idea where my parents had gone. They just vanished. I–– I hope they didn't leave my life on purpose, but I do wonder.'

'Don't be silly,' Blaze said, although she was shocked to hear this. 'Your parents wouldn't abandon you.'

'Then what happened to them?' Sonic asked, meeting her gaze.

She didn't want to answer, didn't want to assume. Blaze looked away, and they melted in silence, thoughts whirling in their heads. When she next spoke it caught Sonic off guard slightly. 'What happened to you?' She realised she was stepping onto very personal grounds so quickly added: 'You don't have to answer. I understand.'

'It's okay. No one really does ask, to be honest.' Sonic turned and leaned against the bannister, before looking at her. A light, playful smile was attached to his youthful face. 'I don't mind telling you. Friends don't keep secrets from each other.'

'Friends can also take their time to open up as well, Sonic.'

'Maybe. You want to know, though, and I get why. When I was kid, I spent much of my time living on the streets and thieving. It was how I survived. My parents were gone, and any friend I made, well... they weren't really my friends. More, people I needed to help me survive.'

'How did you possess money?'

'Well when I finally got some sense knocked into me, I started doing volunteer work, just helping clean stuff and everything. Then I took an interest in being a sort of detective.' Blaze snorted. 'Yeah yeah, laugh it off. I always wanted to be detective since I was with my parents. Of course I wasn't up for it. Too impatient and the paperwork? No way!'

'Right,' Blaze smiled.

Sonic smiled too. Somehow, he was making her happy. 'I landed the job of being a sort of companion-guardian to Knuckles for the Emeralds. Remember him?'

'The red echidna? I do, yes. We didn't see eye-to-eye. You get paid for doing that?'

'Kinda. Heck, I got my own place and I can fill my belly with edible food. Not all bad.'

It wasn't, Blaze had to admit. While she was lucky to, arguably, have the most honourable role in her Kingdom, Sonic's life did sound thrilling. Maybe she was a little envious, but she didn't want to show it. Sonic had been unfortunate, and he was very lucky to be where he was now.

Still, that didn't mean he was tedious. He was very interesting.

The girl would have liked to hear more from him, but the time was ticking and she didn't want to waste these precious hours. 'What do you intend to do tomorrow?' She asked.

'What do you intend to do?'

'Shadow has my Sol Emerald. I need to find him.'

'Hm, well I can take you to someone who knows him fairly well.'

'What's his name?'

'Her, and she's a bit...' Sonic chuckled bashfully. 'Hopefully you two will get on.'

Neither slept. Or Blaze didn't anyway. When Sonic had dispersed, she spent the next couple of hours on his balcony before collapsing onto the bed and lying there. She could have left the apartment and already started work, but that would be foolish. Also, she doubted Sonic would appreciate her leaving without a word.

Tails met them both outside of the flat, bright and cheerful as usual. Blaze noticed there was an extra sense of enthusiasm about him though. 'I've just designed the most brilliant device ever! I still have the blueprints, but I'm getting there.'

'What're you making?' Sonic said.

'I can find a way for Blaze to return to her Realm. I couldn't sleep last night because of what Nega could be doing in that dimension. Obviously Blaze needs to return and put a stop to him, so a sudden idea came to me.'

'Just like that?' Sonic clicked his fingers. 'Tails, you're a genius!'

'Well...' Tails chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. 'I still have to make it. Blaze, do you have a Sol Emerald? Maybe if I could use it? I need your Realm to be attracted by the Sol Emerald, otherwise there isn't anything which can pull you to it.'

However Blaze wasn't as ecstatic as Sonic was about this. She recalled Nega saying he would deliberately have Sonic and Blaze meet. The only reason he would want that was for his own gain, not for Blaze's sake.

Was Nega one step ahead of them? Did he know Tails would use a Sol Emerald and create a device to send her back?

'Hey Blaze,' Sonic said. 'What's up?'

'Nothing. Tails, if you use the Emerald, I'll want to be with you when you do.'

'Aw c'mon, you don't trust him to keep it safe?' Sonic grinned. 'Tails is the most trustworthy guy you can meet. Even more trustworthy than me!'

Knowing Sonic would remain as stubborn as ever, Blaze exhaled and retrieved the Emerald from her pocket. It glowed in the sunlight, and she gripped onto it tightly. The thought of losing this gem was horrid. 'If this goes missing...' Blaze chewed on her lower lip then scowled. 'Believe me, I'll kill you before Nega does.'

Ignoring Sonic's dumbfounded expression, she passed the Emerald to Tails who was oddly calm about her threat. 'It'll be fine. This will be in your hands again very soon.' Pocketing the Emerald safely, he turned to Sonic. 'What are you two doing now?'

'Off to meet Rouge. No clue where she is. I'll ask Knuckles.'

'Why would he know? He can't stand her.'

'He can't stand anyone, Tails. And I'll be surprised if she's not near a huge piece of jewellery anyway.'

Curious to know who this Rouge actually was, Blaze followed Sonic in the direction he was walking. The roads were busier than last night, and it was then she noticed there were odd, tall beings. Pale skinned, no fur except for what was atop of their heads and wearing the most unusual clothing. Tails noticed Blaze's awe first.

'Uh...' He followed her line of gaze, then looked at Sonic, cringing.

Sonic laughed. 'Ah man, come on, Blaze. They're people. Human beings. Walk like us, talk like us, but very, very, very boring. You don't have humans in your Realm?'

'Um...'

'I'll take that as a "no". See you later, Tails. Make sure to keep that Emerald safe.'

Human beings. Blaze had heard of them, but she never knew they were real. It was unfortunate she never bumped into one during her previous travels here. They did look fascinating, and she was surprised none of these "humans" actually noticed Sonic and her. Almost as if they were normal to see.

She kept her guard however, ears upright, and constantly observing. It took her a moment to realise she was walking, not running. Which meant Sonic was also walking. Walking. Throwing him an odd look, she said, 'Are you feeling lazy or something?'

'Nah, I just don't want to exhaust you.'

'Excuse me?'

'Oh... Oh, that wasn't an insult. You just seem really tired.'

'Yes but that doesn't mean I can't run. I'd hate for you to get into a strop about not doing what you do best.'

'Aw thanks.'

'Not actually a compliment, Sonic. Anyway, how do you intend to reach Knuckles?'

'Fortunately he isn't on Angel Island right now. He's been staying here for a couple of days, trying to investigate with Tails why the Chaos Emeralds have been acting so weird. The Master Emerald is what he protects, but being a specialist, we kind of need him on board when things go wrong.'

Angel Island? Master Emerald? Blaze wasn't sure if she wanted to know anymore. This dimension was more peculiar than she thought. 'I don't think he'll be happy to see me.'

'I'll knock him in the head if he's difficult,' Sonic smiled. 'I'm sure you will too.'

It was weird how much of a difference Sonic made. Without him, she would be at a loss. Sonic was someone she required to help her. While he wasn't as bright or as realistic about the world, he was a worthy companion, and, maybe, one she could trust. Friends... He was her only friend, but he was right. Friends were important.

She hated it when he was right.

Together they reached what looked similar to Tails's workshop, although there was a lot of noise coming from within. Blaze frowned, tensing slightly. Then she heard an exclaim, a curse, and then the sound of something being thrown.

'Knuckles is here all right,' Sonic sniggered. Without even hesitating, Sonic entered the building, only to have half a chair whacked into his face. At once Blaze charged inside, fire spurting from her palm and meeting the offender.

Thankfully the fire only ate away at the broken chair which was dropped instantly. Blaze snarled and stepped over a bruised Sonic, now facing the hot-headed echidna who was the least bit impressed to meet her.

'You. You. I should have known you were a part of this!'

'You have a temper, and I'd strongly advise you to cool off so we can discuss properly.'

'Ha! You can't tell me to cool off when you're throwing embers everywhere.'

'Both of you shut up!' Sonic yelled. He really didn't want an earache, especially after being hit in the face. 'Knuckles, what the Hell?' The hedgehog wiped his bleeding nose. 'Eurgh.'

The echidna realised his fault and claimed a tissue from one of the undamaged desks. 'Sorry, Sonic. I wasn't meant to hit you.'

'Yeah, obviously.' Sonic took the tissue from him and placed it under his nose. 'Look, me and Blaze came to you because we want to know where Rouge is.'

'Rouge?' Knuckles narrowed his brows. 'Why would I know where she is? Hopefully she is nowhere near here. Why is she here?' He asked, pointing at a very insulted Blaze.

'Excuse me? She has a name. And she is here for reasons which do not concern you. I need you to tell me where Rouge is, because we're looking for Shadow.'

'Wh––' Knuckles squinted his eyes. 'Why would she know where Shadow is?'

Blaze pulled a face. 'Why are you asking me? This was Sonic's plan.'

'Hey, don't start blaming me,' Sonic said. 'I just got hit by a chair!'

Obviously this wasn't going anywhere. Blaze sighed and stepped closer towards the red echidna. 'Okay, we all need to calm down and start talking like proper, mature adults. What's happening is very serious and I don't think we have the time to start yelling at each other. This isn't like last time, Knuckles, even though I doubt you know how perilous it was last time.'

It was hard to push aside Blaze's biting insults, but Knuckles knew she was right. 'Fine.'

'Something's angered you,' Sonic said, sniffing and removing the tissue from his nose. 'What's wrong?'

'It's the Chaos Emeralds. They're dead.'

'Dead?'

'Dead, yeah.'

'How can they be dead?'

Knuckles growled. 'I don't know! They don't have a colour anymore. They're grey and useless! That's why I thought Blaze might have something to do with this. Every time she appears something has gone horribly wrong.'

'Blaze's appearance is a joy for me,' Sonic retorted. 'Don't associate her with anything like that.'

Knuckles slumped his shoulders and lowered his voice. 'Fine, but it's true, Sonic.'

'He's right,' Blaze said. She was flattered by what Sonic said. If not, flustered, but she couldn't allow her emotions to control her. Nor could she admit to the fact she was always overjoyed to see him as well. 'Do you not have any idea where Rouge is? Shadow currently possesses one of my Sol Emeralds and I must have it back.'

'That son-of-a-bitch,' Knuckles sneered. 'Sonic, why won't you just let me punch him in the face? We both know he needs it.'

'Do remember that guy can probably rip you in two, mate.'

'Still.'

'So the Chaos Emeralds are dead?' Sonic asked, heart racing a little, thinking back to when such a situation occurred before. It wasn't a pleasurable experience, being transformed into a werehog and having no one recognise him. 'How is that possible? Nega wouldn't need them for anything, would he?'

'The only reason I can think of is that he'd want to hinder your abilities,' Blaze said. 'I trust you have them,' she turned to Knuckles who nodded.

'Yeah, but I'm not giving them to either of you. They're safely stored away. I'm sorry I can't be of any use to any of you. I don't know where Rouge is.' A pause. 'Actually, I may do. I saw her a moment ago.'

Blaze rolled her eyes. How dumb could you get?

'She kept going on about some date she has. Not that I care or anything.'

'Where is she having this date?' Blaze queried.

'At some fancy restaurant. A new place called Moon.'

'I've been passed there a few times,' Sonic said. 'Thanks, Knuckles. Blaze, you ready?'

'Of course.'

Tissue up one of his nostrils, Sonic and Blaze exited the building, leaving Knuckles to deal with the mess he had made. They continued up the street in silence, searching for a restaurant called Moon. Blaze hoped this would be worth it. If finding Rouge was useless, then they would have wasted so much time and she couldn't afford that.

She trusted Sonic, though. She had to.

'How are you?'

Sonic looked at her. 'Oh, you mean my nose? Heh, it's fine. Happened before.'

'Are you hurt elsewhere?'

'Nah. Blaze, don't worry, it's cool.'

They passed more of those humans, more buildings and other creatures like themselves. Blaze couldn't believe how ignorant everyone was of the world; how they continued their way, oblivious.

It was almost taunting. They must lead such fabulous lives.

'Here we are.'

The restaurant was glamourous, with shining glass as walls. The brick which held the building up was painted in a glowing white, and inside it appeared just as luxurious. Red, soft settees vacated the floor, and the waiters and waitresses were dressed in smart, formal clothing. The food served looked delicious. Sonic's mouth was watering just by looking at the dishes being served.

Blaze wasn't as stunned. She entered the restaurant first, casting her eyes on each customer, before turning to Sonic who stumbled in, mouth agape.

'I didn't know it was this fancy.'

'Where is she? What does she look like?'

'You're looking for a bat with a big...' Sonic trailed off.

'Big what...?'

Sonic cringed. 'Big rack?'

Rolling her eyes for umpteenth time that day, Blaze searched for a bat, closely matching Sonic's description. 'You are an idiot.' After several seconds she soon found someone similar. A white bat, with large ears, fairly plump lips, a great deal of makeup and–– 'Oh.' Secretly Blaze was rather timid about her appearance, but she never liked to obsess over it.

'Ah, you found her. Come on.'

Upon walking in that direction, Blaze studied who Rouge was talking to. A good-looking tomcat, brown fur and blue eyes. She was sure she recognised him from somewhere. Then it hit her. Grabbing onto Sonic's arm she stopped him walking further.

Confused, Sonic turned to her. 'What?'

'The person she's talking to. I know him. He comes from my Realm.'

'Really?' Sonic looked at the male cat, then back at her. 'What does he do?'

'He's one of my guards. I have no idea why he would be here, though.'

author's note: Hello, thanks very much for reading. Sorry if the pace of this fiction appears slow. I don't want to rush, but I also don't want it to be a drag. Just want to say a quick thank you to sonicxblazey, Captain Combat Beard, [ Guest ] and Hellfirestorm85 for reviewing the prior chapter. I hope you all enjoyed this one.