A/N: Warning you that while I should've made yet another light-hearted piece, this one ended up pretty dark, though it does have a good ending. It talks about mental illness again.
The tree shined, like a piece of broken glass, as the shards of fragmented fabric was going around the tree, the intestines of a fey, going round, and round…
She imagined everything had a life, a piece of heart inside it. Organs had seeped, had breathed life into her little living room, into her little kitchen, and she cleaned the blood that gathered all over the walls and all over the floors, and she whistled, trying to distract herself from her delusions.
Washing hands? Did she do that? Maybe. Wash. Wash. Wash.
Count to four? Was four the official number of her life? She counted. One, two, three, four…
Everything was fine. Peachy keen. Because she counted to the number that had killed so many people in Japan.
She wiped the doorknob clean. Count to four. Then she opened the door, surprised to see it was Sonic, holding four roses. Four.
"Hey Blaze, I hope you don't mind me dropping by…"
She did mind. The kitchen wasn't clean! The living room was littered with corpses!
Could Sonic see these things? These deadly apparitions that poisoned her mind?
The tree was wrapped with intestines, the fluid coming out of them, the white fluid…
"Nice tree," he said.
"It's…not a nice tree," she said, as she scratched her neck. She imagined a mosquito sucking out her life, with an insulin needle proboscis…
"Of course it is!" He grinned widely, the teeth she saw that determined a killer, holding her close to him. She wanted to be safe, to be secure under this hedgehog, but something, something was holding her back…
"Do you…see things?" she asked.
"See things?" The question was very vague, very translucent. Sonic had tried to understand, wracking his brain to why the small purple cat was so worried all the time, but he sat on the couch, which Blaze could see were lungs, breathing in, breathing out…
"I see terrible things, Sonic. I see things you aren't supposed to see. I see many deaths unfolding before my eyes, I see organs of dead people littered on the ground, I see…I see…"
Sonic pointed to the tinsel.
"Do you see anything bad in that?"
"Yes! They are…they are…intest…"
He put the silver starry tinsel all around her, smiling still. "You know what I see? I see a movie star. An elegant lady. A princess. A warrior. A cat who is so strong and tries to keep it all in. But Blaze, you can imagine these things differently. I know you can do it. You don't have to think in gloom and doom. Think of how you see me."
She gazed at him, her almond eyes focused on his malachite eyes. She had known him to be a good friend, his eyes exuding warmth, friendliness, happiness, but Sonic had saw in hers despair, isolation, and madness.
Happiness was so far away from her. She wished she could cry, if the star wasn't shining so bright, the heart on top of the tree beating with its blood running down the pine bark.
"Blaze…"
What did it take to make that madness stop.
"Blaze…"
What would it take to make this into a good Christmas, the best one she ever had.
"Blaze…"
Take those pills…
"Blaze…"
Take that bullet…
"Blaze…"
Take that rope…
"Blaze."
She looked at him, the worry marking her face. Her arms had shook like lavender food-colored jello, and she had held his gift, slowly unwrapped it, and Sonic had sat across from her, concern in his eyes.
They were keys.
Keys to a van.
She wondered if it was to a brand new car she didn't need, as Sonic held them, his face a serious facade, holding onto her, hugging her for warmth in her miserable kitchen.
"We're taking you to get help Blaze. Come on, mental wellness is my gift to you. It's state of the art."
She was about to run away, call the police, try to make this hedgehog get away from her and back into her madness, the only way she knew how to function, but he seemed so reassuring, as he rubbed her back, talking to her softly, holding onto his white knitted hands…
They went outside. The breath gathered on the windows of the car, Sonic opening the door for her, bowing.
"You're still my princess, Blaze. Whether you're sick or well. I will make sure you're safe. No matter what."
She still had glitter from the tinsel on her hand, when Sonic wrapped it around her. She didn't see blood or horrible things in it. In fact, she thought it was beautiful, and it had reminded her of the stars in the night sky.
She fell asleep as he took her to the wellness center, dreaming of sweet dreams, for the first time in months…