VII. Strong with You

It was dark... And, cold. My eyes were open, but there was nothing to look at other than the emptiness around me. Suddenly, without explanation, flames emerged far below. They lit up the place and showed me where I truly was. I gasped at the sight, trying to move away without result. I was suspended above the Kingdom of Sol, entirely illuminated by flames alone. The rest of the land outside the kingdom was nothing but a silhouette, contemplated by a dark sky. But in the distance. Beyond the forest and mountains. Just above the horizon. We're bright, sharp lights... One of those lights rested against the palm of my hand, calling to one another. Calling me. The gem in my hand grew brighter, and warmer. I heed its call, and attentively listen to it. But it wasn't words, or visions that it wanted to share with me... It flashed with intensity, and began to… snore...?

I woke up, resting in the comfort of my bed. But not even that could relieve the body aches. I turned to look at the balcony, the moon sitting right over the balustrade. Light snoring caught my attention, and I glanced to see who it was. And once I did, I smiled...

"…S-Sonic...?" I whispered.

"…H-huh… Mmm..."

He slowly lifted his head from the edge of the bed, while sitting on a chair. His quills were untamed, amusingly pointing in all sorts of directions. He slowly took notice of me with widened eyes, and practically jumped out of his seat.

"Blaze."

I was met with a hug, which caught me by surprise. I laughed, and returned a kind hug of my own…

"How are you, sleepyhead?" he muttered.

"Sleepyhead? Says the one who woke me with nothing but loud snoring."

"Was I that loud? Sorry," he apologized, sitting right beside me.

"I jest… Besides, it is part of your charm."

"Why thank you, your highness. Hey, since when did you become all fun and jokes?"

"Well, that is what I get for staying with you for as long as I have."

"Huh. You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Hmph… Perhaps it is."

"You got something to say, Princess?"

"...I may."

We stared at one another intently, before bursting into laughs…

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine. Still aching from the last…" Then, everything slowly came back to me. "Sonic… The doctor, the people. Please tell me-"

"Hey, slow down. Relax… Everything's fine. The people are safe, Maia has knights all over the kingdom. We've spent the whole day helping everybody out. As for you, you've been sleeping all day after what happened."

"...Sonic, you shouldn't have... You should be resting. Not watching over me."

"No, I still owe you... Besides, you had me worried. I asked Gardon if I could check up on you, so... Here I am… Hope you don't mind. I can leave if you want-"

"Thank you, Sonic."

"Glad you're back… You know, we tried to stop that thing. But, it flew off... The good news is that you managed to hold on to one of them."

"One of… what?"

"The gems. The silver one. I gave it to Maia, but, the rest…"

"I, see…"

"...Hey, Nega might have some. But not all of them. And don't worry. We'll get them back… We'll go whenever you're ready, you and me. Just like old times, right?"

"Yes..."

Sonic continued to stare at me with an unconvincing look…

"...Blaze. Do you trust me?"

"I do… But Sonic, weren't you supposed to be in bed? I, thought I told you to stay."

"You know I can't just watch outside my window when people need help."

"You could have gotten hurt..."

"But I'm fine, see...? Besides, you looked like you needed a hand-"

"I can take care of myself just fine… Although, I appreciate your efforts, if I can no longer fight, the only strongest ally left would be you. And, you weren't even fit for battle. If we both would've gone down. If something were to happen to you… I, can't imagine, how things would've ended… What were you thinking?"

"Blaze. I know that you're capable and all. But that's not the point. That thing wasn't after the kingdom. Think about it... Nega would've sent more than just one of his handiworks to do that instead. It was after the gems. That's why it caught you, and… What kind of ally do you think I am to just watch you get hurt like that?"

"...The one that shouldn't be wasting their life for glory…"

For a moment, Sonic was taken aback by my sudden words…

"I'm not all about glory, Princess-"

"Wasn't everything about the 'adventure' for you?"

"Blaze-"

"While my troops fight and exchange blows with the enemy, you-... You, ugh..."

"Liste-"

"I really thought you grew out of your reckless ambitions," I murmured. "I guess, that's just not the case..."

"All right sure, I used to be all about that. But you're not the only one who can be serious, okay? It's not all fun and games for me. People needed help. I ran all over your kingdom, with a bad leg, because I knew they were out there. Alone. Afraid. Because it was the right thing to do, not some excuse to 'play the hero', or however you want to brand it. I saw you get hurt, and jumped in because-"

"Because what?!"

"Because I care! For you! You know what, I'd give my life for you... If it ever matters to you."

My eyes widened. The world stood quiet, and still. And, he had turned away. I… just, stood there, for what felt like an eternity. His smile... It was gone… He was, upset. And I never would've thought I'd see him as such... I opened my mouth to respond. I wanted to say something. Anything. But I couldn't find it in myself to speak; words seemed to fail me. I was grounded, unable to look away from him. As the room fell still, I soon realized, with a sinking feeling, what I had done...

"...I… I-I'm so, sorry-"

"N-No, I'm… I'm, sorry… I shouldn't have yelled-"

"No… I apologize... And, thank you… For everything."

"…It's nothing."

He remained quiet and still beside me. Both of us wouldn't dare to make a move nor sound…

"...Sonic."

He was barely looking at me, yet with a low expression.

"...I shouldn't, have said those things," I apologized, looking down.

"...It's fine."

"And... It does, matter to me… Your life... More, than what you can imagine."

"...Blaze."

"Although, I appreciate your willingness to do so... please, don't ever, exchange your life for mine... Besides... I, wouldn't deserve such-"

"Don't say that."

"…Sonic-"

"As a hero, I have to risk my life all the time... It's, part of the job. Of course, it's out of my heart for those close to me. But Blaze, I… How do I say this… Sometimes, I look back, you know? From when we first met. Everything we've gone through… The times we spent together. Even the times when you'd get mad at me, and we'd argue with each other... Do you still remember?" he asked with a faint smile.

"Y-Yes…"

"…Although I thought maybe I wouldn't get to see you again, those memories were never really too far out... And, every time I would spend time thinking about them. Thinking about you… Made me realize that, I feel… strong, with you… I think, I've always had. And I'd never want to lose that... I'd, never want to lose you."

His words, his voice, embraced me with a warmth that would spark deep within me. Only for his hand, slowly resting on mine, to burn me asunder. I wouldn't dare to pull away, however, slowly losing myself in the sensations of his fingers intertwined with mine instead. As I looked up at him, a kind smile spread across his face, and my heart swell with nothing but emotion. He had returned to his old self, but in my eyes, he was so much more. However, there was something else that had returned... That feeling again... I was so, utterly, overwhelmed with it. Frustrated with it, but mainly, with myself... It reminded me of my younger self, when I tried to just, push it away. I knew I wasn't deserving of his kindness. Of that never-ending warmth that I knew called to me. Not after everything that I did to him... And yet, I couldn't deny myself. Not anymore. The thought of not fighting them, letting them course through me like a raging fire…

"Sonic… Can I be, honest with you?" I muttered, as he nodded in response. "I've… Ever since, you and Tails departed. All I ever did was, wait… I know. It sounds somewhat silly, but… Getting to know you, and everyone else, is something I would never, trade away. My life has been filled with nothing but duty. But our moments together... I've held them close, for as long as I can remember. You taught me how you'd live your life, full of passion. I've learned the joy of having people close to you. And, although our times were surrounded by the fires of battle, I can't forget our times in between… It, pained me, every time you had to depart..."

"...I'm sorry."

"No, don't be," I said, holding his hand on mine. "You've returned and, I couldn't be happier… Before, I would silently hope. That maybe, something, would happen. So that I could, see you again... I hope that, you don't think any lower of me for hoping for such-"

He, wrapped his arms around me. I froze, soon realizing this. It felt… sublime. Inexplicable. And yet, it was all I could ever ask for. I found myself resting against his neck, my arms wrapped around him. I embraced the warm feelings. So natural, so intense, no flame could ever dare to compare. I was so, elated. Like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, exchanged with nothing but his kind essence. We pulled away, just to look at each other. The fire within me had reached new heights, but at least now I knew where they truly belonged: intertwined, with his winds. I've never been so sure…

We had rested so much while recovering, that we spent our time together conversing and laughing away that night, remaining on the balcony under the stars, with the moon watching over us. All while wishing, that tomorrow would never come...