Disclaimer: I do not own any of the recognized characters or gameplay patterns within this fanfiction. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tails, Eggman, Blaze, and all related characters of such are owned by SEGA. All original character's are owned by me, unfortunately.

Expression 9.1

The Grace landed surprisingly gracefully onto the black sanded beach. Blaze was a far better sailor than Tails had thought she would be, considering that she had mentioned that Marine was better than she was. His experiences told him that shouldn't mean much, considering Marine had been horrible starting out, but that had been several years ago.

His arm was still hurting, and he knew it was dislocated in his shoulder and elbow. Which meant he was stuck making sure that he didn't lift up anything too heavy, including the Grace, which meant Blaze and Spark had to handle it themselves.

Tails instead was the watch and lookout. The sand was warm beneath his feet, but not to the point of pain. It was as if the purple sun above just didn't give as much warmth as everything else should have. Considering they went south, he wondered then if they had gone too far south, far past the equator. But no...Adabat was far below the equator too and that was tropical. This place was just weird.

Spark was jumping around after she landed on the sand, her usual sparks apparently shocking her until she forced some control over them. "Ow..." she murmured as she helped Blaze drag the boat up. The mountains seemed to rise out of nothing, or maybe a small canyon or valley. They were almost sheer cliffs, sticking straight up and filled with hundreds of small crevices carved from water.

This entire place was a floodplain, Tails realized. The instant it rained, everything here would be swept away without any chance of them bringing it back. "We should probably take it higher. Once a rain comes in, everything here's going to get swept out to sea," Tails said.

Blaze kept pushing the boat onto the sand. "Would be easier if you hadn't done something to your arm," she said. "What did you do to it? And why?"

"It was the Eye's Reflection," Tails grinned.

"The what?" Spark asked.

Blaze groaned. "It was a water primordial. Not something you can just name, Tails. It had one," she answered. Spark turned to look at her. "Tails comes up with bad names for new things. He has, under his list, nymphs, rocs, drillers, and grubs. That's just from this trip, too."

"I name things plenty well," Tails argued, grinning wide. "Not my fault that you don't enjoy it. Besides, you agreed with me on the grub thing."

"They were annoying little pests. Grubs made the most sense. At the time."

"And you're saying they still don't?"

"No, no, they still do," Blaze agreed. Spark's head was turning like she was watching a tennis match, based on whoever was talking. She should probably slow down, otherwise she'd get dizzy. Tails knew from experience, he used to do the same thing when watching Knuckles and Sonic argue over some mysterious fact.

Although most of the time that mysterious fact was generally 'who had the last of the potato chips', in which the answer was more often than not 'Tails himself'. Not that the two ever realized that.

"I...these are not normal common things?" Spark asked.

"No, they aren't. They're words from common, definitely, but generally-" Blaze started to explain.

Tails interrupted, "Rocs aren't. They're from mythology on our worlds. Same with nymphs. The drillers...well, and grubs, though, are."

Blaze threw her hands up in the air before she turned to Spark. "Think he needs help with the arm thing?" she asked.

"I do know first aid, but...it would hurt a lot," Spark answered gently. "And I...do not wish to hurt him."

"It'll be hurting me more in the mean time if nothing is done about it," Tails came over. "But next time you want to win an argument Blaze, I don't think you should do it by telling Spark to correct a dislocated shoulder. That's a bit extreme."

"Only because you haven't told us how you got it. And it was a water primordial, not an 'Eye's Reflection," Blaze answered coolly.

Spark reached and out and grabbed his arm, and Tails braced himself for the pain. At first she didn't do anything, and he was about to ask what was wrong before she suddenly shoved it back into place. He'll admit, he cursed slightly louder than he should have. It wasn't a sudden jab of pain, more of like someone set his arm on fire while simultaneously hitting it with a hammer while attempting to gnaw on it while it was frozen. Maybe a few more adjectives in there.

However, once she finished, which took only a few seconds, everything died back down to a dull throbbing, and he gave it a quick stretch. He'd still have to keep some weight off of it, but it was a lot better than it was before.

"That's what I was calling that thing. I didn't know it was a primordial, and it needed a name."

"Admittedly, Eye's Reflection does sound a lot better than simply a 'kraken'," Spark agreed. Blaze rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Tails' naming schemes asides, how did it manage to do that without breaking every bone in your arm?"

"It made the water solid. When it tossed me away I landed wrong. Then I shot forward again and, well, it smacked me towards the Grace," Tails explained. Blaze stared at him for a while, before she shrugged.

"No, that...that all makes sense," she agreed. "How far do we need to move the Fox's Grace up?" she asked. She went back down to the back of the boat, the water lightly lapping at her heels, before she started to push.

"Maybe another...sixty feet?" Tails guessed. Honestly, he'd feel better if they managed to move it into a valley, but the chance of them being able to do so with any amount of alacrity was startlingly small.

There was a small hum around as Spark and Blaze lifted the Grace up by only a few inches. Tails shook his head with a smirk as he twisted his tails, flying above the boat and making care to add more weight as he lifted up the metal plates that stood at the bottom. He made careful certainty to not move his shoulder much, and use his tails for all the major lifting.

With every metal plate he tossed back out, he sensed that Blaze and Spark were making it a bit farther, a bit faster. They were surprisingly strong, although Tails already knew that. Each plate had to weigh nearly thirty pounds each. The Grace itself was probably close to three hundred, and that was without the extra plates.

"Alright, we're as far inland as we can go, I think," Blaze said after a moment. Tails peeked his head out of the hole in the deck. They had made it off the beach, at least, and were surrounded by various grasses and trees. All black, purple, lavender, or red, but with a few blues in there as well. The mountains were tall enough to make his neck hurt trying to peer up to the top.

"Alright. We can probably tie it up to some of the trees, they look like they've been here a while," Tails said. Blaze nodded. Spark looked incredulous.

"We have no rope, though. We used it for the mast and to tie me down. Do we have more?" Spark asked.

Tails smirked. "Benefits of using this stuff. It doesn't rip. And it forms together easily," he said, showing off how the end pieces fused together. Sparks' eyes were wide, her mouth hanging open lightly.

"She never did see how we lived before. I'm not sure I want to build something big here though. Seems a bit...alien would be an appropriate word, but I feel it's missing something," Blaze suggested.

Tails agreed with her. It wasn't just that the colors were off; that he could deal with easily. But rather the way everything felt, too. The grass was harsh on his feet, and the trees were soft. They weren't pointy like they seemed, and the things that were round were actually sharp. There was a feeling in the air, a presence, that made Tails think of The Mountain, or of the Eye's Reflection. There was something here, and it was watching them.

"No, I agree. But we can use the Grace as a starting place. We tie it down well enough, we can use it for shelter," Tails explained. Blaze nodded, and wandered back down the beach to grab the metal plates that he'd thrown out.

Spark still seemed amazed by the rope. "Wait until you see how cool the blanket is," Tails grinned. He was in his element, now. He was talking about technology, about his stuff, and he didn't need to worry about stepping on Spark's toes for culture-related issues, as she seemed to be adjusting to everything well.

"But blankets should be warm, not cool," Spark said. Tails chuckled. He probably should have said that in Ikan'Thoan.

"Sorry, wrong word. Neat? Let's go with that," Tails suggested quick. He'd have to wait until after Blaze had...until after Blaze had made some clothes first. Or, Tails thought, he could probably make them, now.

"Did uh...you want to try to find something to eat? Might not be a bad idea to see what we can find, and from there...I don't know. Make some clothes for you and Blaze?" Tails asked.

Spark grimaced. "I have gotten somewhat used to this, actually," she answered. "But...I suppose. It is not as fun now that you have stopped reacting to it."

That was why she had been doing it? Seriously? Darn it Spark! Tails shook his head with a minor smile. That sounds like her though. "Blaze, we're going foraging!" he called out as he grabbed Spark's hand.

The fire cat was still gathering the metal plates before she looked up. "Sure thing? Bring your bail-bag and the survivor's guide with you. That did survive all this way, right?"

"I...think it did?" Tails asked as he flew into the Grace. He took some of the static in the air, a process that took a few long moments and left him also think there wasn't any here even with his tails, to get some light. The bail-bag was still in its corner, crushed up against the wall.

He grabbed it, putting it on in one easy swing as he flew back out. He fished around it for a moment, grabbing the small survival guide that Blaze had read through a few dozen times. He'd only read through it a few. Most of the time it was common sense. He pulled it out, grimacing as he saw the bent and broken shape it had been in. One of the sides had been charred, it looked like, and some other pages were soaked and then had dried out. "It's...seen better days."

Blaze stared at him incredulously. "I think the fact it's survived at all speaks more to your bag's resiliency than anything. Spark, are you sure you want to go?" she asked.

Spark nodded. "I think so. And Tails will need the help," the vixen answered. "We do not know what all is here, and Captain Monsoon's story leaves much about this land to be desired."

"She is right. And she's a better fighter than you are," Blaze said before Tails could protest. "But stay safe, you two. Spark, if you feel Tails grab your hand and suddenly take off, don't try to help. Just let him speed away. He's faster than you are."

"I am one of the fastest of Ikan'Thoa."

"And yet we can both break the sound barrier, which you can't," Blaze answered. "At least...can you, Tails?"

Tails shook his head, a small smirk appearing in his mind. "All this time, and you never noticed? Blaze, I'm hurt!" he teased. "And no, I can't. I can get up there, and keep up with Sonic and you once you break through it, but doing it myself? I'm not there yet."

Blaze rolled her eyes. "I'll stay here then. Keep an eye for landmarks, and don't get lost. I'll keep an eye on the tablet then," Blaze said. Tails gave a half wave before he sped away, his tails making him hover. Spark was right behind him, doing her best to keep up.

-Side B-

Blaze watched Tails and Spark head out into the wilderness, before she fell backwards onto the sand. She was exhausted beyond words, barely able to keep up with what the other two. It was as if someone had just flipped a switch, telling her body that she needed to rest. And she did need to rest, but there were still other things that needed to be done.

She couldn't open up the Grace on her own to create a makeshift house, but she could start letting things hang out and dry. The sun was still high, now a dark purple. It still gave off heat though, and it made her wonder what kind of radiation it was giving off. Did Tails' tablet have some kind of radiation detector? She would've expected it to have something similar.

She jumped into the Grace, taking a deep breath to steady herself once she got inside. It smelled odd, like a mix of blood and death and disaster. Which, admittedly, was exactly what had happened. She was used to it, but that didn't mean it didn't occasionally rear its head up and let the fact be known.

Blaze conjured a small fireball, just enough to let some light in. She should probably stop using her flames so much, considering that she'd just gotten them back. But the fact they were back at all still made her giddy, and want to abuse them. She was sure that most elementalists would feel exactly the same. A lot of the bags on the floor were still wet and cold when she picked them up, her claws feeling over their insides. Most were things like food, having gone spoiled from seawater. Others were fresh water, still tightly capped and held together strongly.

About half of their food was spoiled or had gone bad, Blaze figured out within the next half hour or so. Some of it, like some jerkies, had gotten sea water inside them, but were still okay to eat as long as she reheated them.

She pulled out the bags one by one onto the deck of the Grace, glad to be out of the darkness of the hold for the entire time. The air was warm and muggy, and Blaze figured they probably wouldn't dry on their own up here.

Which is what she was for. She took each one and carefully heated up the area around it, steaming it and acting as a standing dryer. Each one was only around five minutes, as they didn't have that many bags that could hold things.

By the end of another hour, Blaze was tired enough to just crash somewhere. She took Katia's sheets, now dry and brittle from their time being used as sails, and carefully folded them into the corner of the Grace.

There were dozens of grasses of colors around, and Blaze took the time to pick a few that didn't try to snap at her, folding them over her arm. She'd weave an actual bed at some point, but this would be alright for now. Despite still being excited she'd gotten her power back, using it like she had still tired her out. And the battle with the water primordial.

"Do you think she knows, yet?" she heard Silver's voice say into her ear. Blaze gave him a look as they watched over the small village, rivers of lava and magma flowing slowly underneath them. It was a safe place from Iblis' wrath, but Blaze wasn't sure for how long.

"Of course she doesn't know," Blaze answered. They were only eight years old, of course her mother wouldn't know anything about her. They'd found a small paradise not far from the village, with dozens of flowers of all varieties dancing in the warm wind. Blaze had thought it was a good idea to pick a few and stick them onto the table, with Silver and her watching out for her mom's face when she came back and saw them.

Everything went exactly as planned, but her mom was still washing some dishes, or some other household chore that Blaze didn't care enough to figure out. No, but she had sneaked through, and put the flowers on the table before ducking back out.

They were behind an overlook with a perfect view of the table. Blaze would've grabbed some for Silver's parents too, but they were out on patrol and not due back for a few days. By then the flowers would have died anyways.

Blaze's father came back, not quite the village chieftain but someone close to it, and the next in line should anything happen. "Where's the kitten?" he asked as soon as he realized it was far too quiet in the house.

"She's out with Silver. Practicing patrol schemes, like always. Little spark's going to burn out if she doesn't stop soon," her mom answered easily.

"Please, no more fire puns. I can only handle so many of them in one day," her father said as he sat down against a chair. Blaze blinked...when had they gotten a chair? Let alone one made of wood? Wood was a special commodity for them, seeing as how it was so rare. Most of the time they had to use concrete or rubble in the vague shape of a chair or table.

"You'll learn soon enough," her mom said, smirking as she pulled out a pie from the oven. Blaze frowned; that wasn't right. They had no oven in the diseased future. That was impossible. But it was her mom, and she was capable of the impossible...Blaze shrugged it off to the side.

Silver was standing next to her, an expression of pride and eagerness easy to see upon his face. He didn't seem put out that her mother ignored the flowers on the table and instead brought the pie outside a...glass window? They didn't have glass. It had melted. They didn't have the ability to bake pies.

"I wonder if the little spark has figured it out yet," Her mother said to her father. "I can only make it so easy."

"You shouldn't tease her. And these flowers do look quite nice. Such a shame we didn't have them in the actual timeline," her father said. He gripped one, and nibbled on the stem just a little bit, before he passed it off to her mother with a quiet throw.

Blaze blinked, standing up to her full height. She was eight, but there were such impossibilities, timelines and...

Blaze opened her eyes to the setting sun on the far side, one hand reached to her heart. It was a dream. Of course it had been; that's what all the inconsistencies were for. Chaotic representations of a subconscious memory. She remembered the actual memory; she and Silver had heard of a flower garden not far from the village, but by the time they had gotten there all the flowers had long since died.

She pushed herself up, shaking her out her feet and legs as she did so to get her blood flowing. She gave a few half hops, before she jumped out of the Grace. There were no signs of Tails or Spark being back yet.

She looked over to the sunset as the purple sun was starting to vanish underneath the horizon. By all rights, she should stay here and wait for them, maybe try to catch some fish or something for food. It would probably get dark fast.

But yet...her mind remembered the story that Spark had told, the story of Captain Monsoon. She was re-energized from her all-day nap, and she conjured a small fireball, forcing more and more power into it, making it smaller and smaller.

She threw it high into the sky, compressing it still using her power. She grinned as it exploded high above them, scorching the sky red with its energized flames, a small flare pointing towards the ship. As long as they weren't behind a mountain, they should have been able to see it without an issue.

Blaze was eager to go out and explore on her own. The only whispers in her mind were her own as she surged forward into the valley between the mountains.

The grass seemed to be imbued by the fire, growing out behind her as she ran atop it. She could imagine the small tendrils making their way towards her feet from their flowers and stems, but by the time they got to the point they could trip her she was already forty or fifty feet away.

The trees weren't in her way either. While there were plenty there to try, it seemed as if they parted for her, creating a small path of the strange grass in front of her. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth...until she suddenly turned a sharp left and started to head towards the mountain.

The trees tried getting in her way, but seemed far too slow to react from the burning pyrokinetic cat. There was definitely some kind of spirit here, she knew. Whether it was the nymphs from the Lost Jungle or something similar but far weirder, Blaze wasn't sure.

Within minutes she found herself near vertical, running on the side of the mountain. It was nearly half a mile high, if not more, but had all the kinds of grasses and such that would make staying still near impossible. She grinned though; her heart was beating in tune to the flames, and she knew they would not resist her call.

She slowed down enough at the top to only fly around ten feet in the air when she reached the top. She was not eager to repeat the same thing from Vianex and fly nearly a mile in the air.

Ten feet wasn't enough to seriously hurt her, she knew, but she still landed with a minor wince. The grass up here was different than it was everywhere else. It was rougher, coarser. She could see far and deep into the valley now, seeing where she could imagine the wreckage of Captain Monsoon's ship would be, only to see nothing. She wasn't surprised. It was, after all, only a folk tale.

She looked behind her at the beach, seeing the large ocean taking up most of the horizon. The colors were far different than she was used to; orange where she was used to green, blue with yellow, and red with purple. It gave off an ethereal vibe to the world that Blaze wasn't sure of.

She glanced towards the other rows of mountains, and started to make her way towards them. She wouldn't go far from the Grace, just in case Tails and Spark decided to come back while she was gone.

There was a large lake up here with dozens of oddly shaped flowers that she didn't recognize. The lake was almost heart-shaped in a way, and she saw a variety of fish jumping out of it. The water was a odd sheen of white, and Blaze took a step back as she looked at the fish. Some of them had partial wings, and looked as if they stayed in the air for a few moments before they plunged back down.

Flying fish. Who would've thought? Blaze conjured a small lance of fire, watching carefully at the fish until she found one that would be a nice catch. She threw her spear, piercing it easily and pushing it to the other side of the lake.

In the minute that it took for her to get there, as she dared not touch the water, the fish had flopped it's last bit of air, and was an unearthly still.

She grabbed it, feeling it's strange warmth on her hands and arms. It wasn't too big, about the size of her head, but the fact it was warm was...odd.

Then the fish jumped up one last time, slapped her with its tail, and jumped back into the pool of water. Blaze watched as the burn on its left side healed quick, the fish going back to jumping around seconds later.

The wind swirled around her, as if laughing at the fact she lost the fish.

Maybe next time, Blaze.

Until Next Time.