"Looks like we're gonna have to skip Christmas Island mates… Just to play it safe…" Marine announced.

"In that case, we're heading to Eastern Islands then?" Sonic asked. Marine nodded.

Blaze sat at the back of the ship, feeling rather frustrated with her self. "Why did I let myself get caught so easily?" She thought. She hugged her knees. She knew she could put up a better fight, but the let herself be thrown into that room like it was nothing. Had her friends not have rescued her she would've remained prisoner to some unworthy loathsome metallic pirates.

Sonic noticed her isolation and went to join her. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Look, don't trouble yourself with my feelings. I said I'm fine." Blaze noted sharply. They sat in silence, Sonic choosing not to inquire any further for he knew her well enough to understand he wasn't going to get an answer.

Two hours later, the ship swayed slightly as Marine threw down the anchor to dock the ship. She let down the docking ramp and stepped off to tie the ship to a docking post. Tails, Sonic, and Blaze exited off the ramp as well.

"Welcome to Eastern Islands mates!" Marine said cheerfully. Tails smiled, Sonic's expression remained neutral, and Blaze crossed her arms. Marine frowned. "Wow, what a great group." She said sarcastically.

Marine thought for a moment. Her face brightened again as she said, "I bet you're all hungry! I know this great restaurant, c'mon!" Marine ushered for them to follow before running off. Tails was quick to follow, leaving Sonic and Blaze alone.

Blaze shook her head in annoyance as Sonic sighed in aggravation. "Why does she always have to run off like that?" He said in an irritated tone.

Blaze was just as irritated as she replied. "I don't know, she just does."

"Let's go." Sonic said before he blasted off at the speed of sound. Blaze lingered for a moment before she too dashed off.

"Alright, I'll take the shrimp fettuccini, chicken salad, bow tie cake and-"

"Marine, why don't you try to order just ONE thing and worry about dessert later?" Tails said, giving her a look.

"Sorry mate. Just the fettuccini then."

"I'll take the chicken salad with ranch dressing." Tails said, and both he and Marine handed the waiter their menus.

"Uh, I'll take the chicken breast with a side of fettuccini." Sonic said, handing in his menu.

Blaze was the last to order. "I'll take the tuna casserole with a side of Caesar salad." She handed in her menu and the waiter scribbled her order onto his notebook with the others.

Blaze said in silence as the others began their chatter on the restaurant and their orders. A waitress was about to walk by, when she stumbled and Blaze received a bowl of fettuccini on her head.

"Oops." She heard the waitress say, her voice sounded snobbish and rude. She turned and saw the name tag. It read, "Tiara".

Sonic noticed her face go dark and cold. He saw the fire in her eyes and the food on her head began to steam. Tails looked alarmed as he shouted. "No Blaze! Don't burn up or you'll burn the food to your hair!"

Blaze ignored Tails as she rose from her chair and turned to face the girl laughing behind her. She noticed another girl, Honey, laughing across the room. She glared hatefully into Tiara's eyes. "You two find this funny?"

"Obviously!" Tiara shot back. Blaze raised a brow and shot a fireball at Honey, which not only knocked her down, but burned up her fur and clothes a little bit. Tiara looked at Blaze in shock.

"Do you not know who I am?" Blaze raised her voice slightly as she spoke. "Everyone fears me because of my pyrokinetic abilities. A wise person would not even THINK to anything like that to me. I have every right to press charges because if you didn't notice, I am the princess and next in line for the throne!" By now Blaze had the whole restaurant's attention. "I am of VERY high authority and-"

Sonic knew he needed to calm her down before she burned the whole restaurant down, so he grabbed her wrist. "Hey," He said in a soothing tone before hugging her close to him. They both knew she wasn't willing to burn him, so she relaxed her body and lowered her temperature. Tiara looked at Sonic in shock before she got up and ran into the employee doors.

Sonic put some money on the table with one hand, holding Blaze with his other arm. "Here's to pay for the food, bring it to us later, Ok?" He led Blaze towards the door. She didn't put up a fight or refuse, she allowed him to hold her and lead her out. They walked to a more secluded area before he released her and asked, "What was that?"

Blaze hesitated to answer. "…I don't know… I-"

"No, not what happened, what's the deal with that girl? She can't have done that for no reason."

"She's a jealous, attention craving brat with her intolerable friend. Their names are Honey and Tiara, Tiara being the one that dumped pasta in my hair."

"You looked like you were going to kill her."

"Kill her, no. Give her 3rd degree burns, perhaps?"

Sonic chuckled while shaking his head. "Okay, that's better than killing her, but maybe not burning down the entire restaurant is a good idea?"

Blaze shook her head and smiled. "Okay…"

"Maybe you need me around to keep your cool."

"What?"

"Heh, c'mon you need to wash your hair." He led her back towards the ship.

Blaze ruffled her hair as she walked up the steps to the deck. She greeted Sonic and he handed her a Styrofoam dish. "Here's your order."

Blaze smiled. "Thanks."

"You two seem awfully friendly. Did you run off in the woods and I dunno… Make out?" Marine teased. Blaze shot her a death glare and Tails snickered.

"Well, let's get this show on the road…" Sonic said in a bored tone.

"Aye-aye mate!" Marine said cheerfully. She ran off the ship to untie it from the docking post, and Tails decided to help out and lift the anchor. "Thanks mate." Marine smiled at Tails who just nodded his head. They stepped up to the surprisingly high tech steering area and Marine turned on the propellers and began to sail.

"So, you think Sonic likes Blaze?" Marine asked Tails, who stood next to her.

Tails looked down at Sonic and Blaze, who were chatting on the deck below. "Hmm… I'm not exactly sure…"

"What do ya mean? They're together all the time!" Marine exclaimed.

"That doesn't mean they like each other. Or… I guess if you mean as friends…"

"No, I mean like-like her."

"Well…" Tails looked thoughtful before replying "No. But if you want a real answer, watch them and look for clues. For example, Sonic would never have hugged Amy or you like that."

"Really?" Marine had a wide, mischievous smile on her face. "How about, since I know Blaze I'll watch her. And you know Sonic, so you can watch him!"

"Um… Ok?" Tails wasn't to sure about the idea of this. He didn't exactly think it was necessary or that it mattered whether they liked each other or not.

Meanwhile, Sonic decided to question Blaze's pyrokinetics.

"Are your hands really hot?"

"Um, I don't know… If they are, I wouldn't be able to tell."

"Take off your gloves." Sonic said. He took off the glove on his right hand. "Or at least one of them."

"Ok…" Blaze took off the glove on her left hand. Sonic slowly brought his index finger towards her hand. He instantly pulled back when it made contact. "OW!"

Sonic cradled his finger and Blaze looked at him with an alarmed expression. "Oh, I'm sorry! Are you okay!?"

Sonic burst out laughing. "Just kidding…" Blaze gave him a death glare. "…Sorry."

Sonic then intertwined his fingers with hers. Blaze felt her face grow warm as she tried desperately not to blush. They both looked at their hands for a moment before Sonic said, "Well, your hands are warm… but not too hot or anything."

"Your hands feel a little cold…" Blaze said. The feel of his hand felt cool in comparison to hers. "But not like ice. Just not warm like mine are."

They sat there awkwardly before Sonic pulled his hand away. "Okay so…" He blushed slightly, trying to think of another question to break the awkward silence. "Uh, does fire ever burn you at all?"

Blaze thought for a moment, trying to remember if fire had ever burned her. "No. Heat doesn't seem to affect me."

"Cool."

"Look at them!" Marine pointed excitedly at Sonic and Blaze.

"They're… Holding hands?" Tails said is slight surprise. Maybe Marine was right to inquire a little bit on Sonic and Blaze's relationship.

"Yeah…" Marine said excitedly. "Look at those lovebirds! What should we do about it?"

"Don't ask me! Watching them was your idea anyways!"

A/N: Horrible ending. Not sure I like this chapter, but I promise the next chapter will be better. Getting computer access is a bit of a struggle, so don't expect me to post too often considering I broke my laptop a while ago and my cousin won't let me use hers. Someday I'll get my own and these stories will come easy…

Until that day I apologize for the inactivity.