As crisis city days went, today was peaceful. Blaze the cat, age 14, was reclined atop a battered leather couch, leafing her way through a poetry book. She and Silver had spent the last two weeks reinforcing the city's library and today they were, finally, settling in. Together they'd restored the brickwork, welded metal bars to the windows and established a defensive perimeter through the placement of destroyed vehicles. There was only one job left, the transportation of their belongings from their old home to their new one.

Silver was currently seeing to that. She could have been out there with him, but a single spare pair of hands wasn't comparable to the grasp psychokinesis granted him. While she would struggle, bags weighing her down as she leapt across rooftops, he could soar over it all; well out of harm's way. Were he not so focused on training and beating Iblis, the hedgehog could likely live the safest life of all the city's inhabitants. He could live on the rooftops and only descend in search of food, beyond the monsters' reach. Then again, if he chose to live like, he wouldn't have become her trusted partner.

Finding her thoughts had overcome her interest in poetry; Blaze set the book aside and reclined deeper into the couch. They'd only spent a handful of nights here, just yesterday moving a bed into the library's children's section, but she was already comfortable. While their hearts were always set on their grand goal, destroying Iblis once and for all, she knew it was important to enjoy these moments of respite. Their new home certainly allowed for this, every room contained stories and histories they'd never heard of let alone read. This library contained more entertainment than they'd ever need. The building was gigantic, two stories tall and only the upper west wing had been beyond saving. Naturally, some of the books had worn or burned beyond being readable but the majority had survived the end times.

She was considering rising, be it to seek out a more interesting tome or prepare a meal for her partner's return, when a ringing echoed through the halls. Immediately, Blaze recognised it. It was the ringing of a chandelier with fifteen bells bound to it in place of candles, the security system they had set up. Whenever the door was pushed open the bells would ring, alerting those inside to what may be an intruder. But Blaze had no idea if that was him or a wanderer or one of Iblis mon-

"Blaze, I've found something really cool! Come quick!" Through doors and walls, his voice had rung out louder than the bells. He was good at being loud when he wanted, be it calling out to her or shouting about saving the future.

Curiosity piqued, she began to make her way toward the library's entrance. She'd sat near the far end of the first floor's fiction section, the area specialising in older poetry and prose over the likes of novella or series fiction. Winding her way around bookshelf after bookshelf, she couldn't help but ponder on what he might have brought. It likely wouldn't be a practical object; he wouldn't be so excited for about a strong padlock or an unburned broom. He might've found clothes? The hedgehog didn't often wear much, but he'd found a handful of garbs he enjoyed wearing; a jumpsuit of some kind and an outfit from a lost Winter festival most notably.

Pushing past doors, she soon found herself at the library's entrance. All of their belongings had been abandoned at the entryway; books, toys, bed sheets, trinkets and clothes, split among suitcases, rucksacks and old burlap sacks. Whatever this 'thing' was, it was clearly important to him. Had it been something simple like clothes he would have brought them to her. No; this had to be bigger, stranger even.

She called out, "Silver? Where are you?"

"Over here! I've not gone far!" By the sound of his voice, he was through the door opposite to the one she'd exited; the more studious and scientific portion of the library.

Blaze soon arrived in the library's gigantic non-fiction section. The walls were stacked five metres high with books on subjects ranging from botany to architecture to cooking. Now in the same room as him, albeit a giant room with row upon row of desks and shelves blocking her vision, Blaze could hear the whir of his psychic aura and track its glowing light.

Her pace slowed as she rounded the bookshelves, what intrigued her most was that this item so clearly excited him yet was likely so impractical. Their choice to move into the library had been a difficult one, not only had the building required a lot of patchwork but its size made it an easy target. Despite that, they'd had their eyes on this building for years. Living here granted them access to books and games the likes of which they'd otherwise have to scavenge for, that made it the most comfortable building in town. New information and leisure were mere footsteps away at any given time. For him to have found a distraction that surpassed this, it hardly seemed possible. She noticed the light brighten with ever step and soon only one shelf lay between them.

No more than five steps later, Blaze immediately understood. The hedgehog had his back to her but that wasn't the first thing to catch her eye. Wrapped in psychic light and floating just beyond his reach was a grand piano, its stool sat just behind him. Of all the possible items, Blaze never would have considered this. A smaller instrument perhaps, something made of metal like a flute or something simple like drums, but never a lumbering grand piano. One thing was for certain, if it was intact, it was a find worthy of his overexcitement.

"Silver," With the call of his name she caught his attention, as he turned back his grin almost blinded her, "Where did you even find this?"

The hedgehog's eyes were alight with excitement; "There was a lot of activity so I had to take a different route. I flew past a giant skyscraper and saw it in one of the windows, I couldn't help myself!" He brought the great wooden mass to the ground once only to raise it again, as if unhappy with its exact positioning. Glancing to the surrounding bookshelves, Blaze determined that they were in the music section. Unintentional or not, he'd picked a fitting location.

Though such rules had been unenforced for at least two centuries, the irony of moving a musical instrument into the library wasn't lost on Blaze. She watched as he struggled to decide the right position for the large instrument, dragging it left and right through the air. Eventually, he settled near the far wall, quickly sliding the stool. Blaze knew what a piano was from depictions in a variety of books and, judging by those depictions, this piano wasn't in good shape.

The wood had lost most, if not all, of its lustre; though it was unburned the city's heat had warped the lid's wood and eroded much of its varnish. The keyboard wasn't missing any keys but she wouldn't say it was in good condition. They didn't sit on an even plane, many having sunk lower than was surely intentional and many being chipped. She stepped forward to glance inside only to find many of its strings had snapped, those seemed rather important to the function of the instrument. The chair wasn't much better for wear, what had surely once been an emerald green cushion was now torn and bleached a yellower shade.

Of course, that was to be expected; they were beggars rather than choosers and there wasn't much left to choose from anyway. Still, she had to ask, "It does work, doesn't it?"

"W-Well," His hand came to his chest fur and his eyes split from there, "Some of it does?"

Blaze allowed her amber eyes to bear down on him, "What do you mean some of it?"

"A little more than half of it?" He admitted, still pulling at his fluff, "That means it's most of them though, that's more than enough… I think."

Silver slid onto the stool, more of its fabric tearing as he did so. An expectant look was thrown her way. She rolled her eyes before lowering herself down next to him. Safe to say, the seat wasn't designed for two. While it managed to hold their weight her left hip was pressed against his right, even though she was fully sitting Blaze could tell he was half hanging off of the stool. The closeness was setting off… something in her chest, a strange warm fluttering of sorts. She felt him shift slightly and almost jumped, following his eye-line she found her tail had curled around and into his lap. Grumbling beneath her breath, she snatched it up; sitting on it to prevent any further wandering. With a final flick of his wrist, a book was pulled from the ground beside him, sliding into the piano's holder.

The pages were littered lines, numbers and squiggles sitting atop and between them. He stretched a little before lowering his fingers to the white keys, though he stopped himself before actually playing. His brow furrowed for a minute as if he was trying to remember something before finally the first sounds were played. She'd flinched as he started, a sound unlike any she'd ever heard echoing out from the device; the notes causing her ears to flutter. As he continued to play, fingers occasionally pressing the darker keys, she managed to settle somewhat. The noise was bizarre but not unappealing, questions about the music's origins and how it was meant to sound started trickling into her mind. Blaze couldn't help but notice he wasn't looking at the book, his eyes were constantly on the keys as he tried to play patterns he might well have made up upon finding the instrument. They were far from perfect, occasionally a note would fall out of place and he'd cringe; trying the piece again and again with a new note in place of the old.

She had to ask, "Do you know what you're doing, or are you just making it up as you go along?"

"Well… I can't really read the book," As he admitted that, his playing slowed, "But I thought that if I just kept trying I'd eventually figure it out?"

"I think that's highly unlikely," She truthfully answered, "I think you'd have far better luck creating your own songs."

"That sounds like way more fun!" His face lit up, "Just join in whenever you feel like it."

"Join in?" She blinked.

"Yeah, this isn't just for me after all," He was still beaming, clearly excited by this brand new toy, "You can play too, if you want?"

There wasn't enough space on the stool for them to sit comfortably, let alone on the keyboard for them to freely play together, but seeing a spark of excitement in his eyes and urged on by her own curiosity; Blaze pressed her first keys. Noticing her hesitation, he gave her a moment to test on her own. She quickly came to understand not only the point where the keys stopped working but the further along her side she went the higher the sounds were. Additionally, she discovered the speed notes were hit did affect their sound, if she pressed too slowly the note wouldn't sound but if she pressed much faster it would be louder.

Soon enough though his hands returned to the keys. As she'd anticipated, there wasn't nearly enough space. Their wrists and shoulders would constantly brush, hands crossing both over and under one another, as they slowly but surely grew more confident in their playing. Blaze was unsure how much time had past but, eventually, she started to feel more confident in her movements. She fully relaxed, a smile growing on her lips, and managed to play along.

Just as she thought they'd roughly synchronised, Silver's section came to a rather abrupt stop. Glancing to him, she found his hands had raised and wisps of blue-green aura were slipping from his fingertips, "Hang on, I've got an idea. I might be able to fix the other side."

There was a sound like the scraping of metal, followed by ringing and rumbling and rustling. It was almost as if some shining creature had entered the case of the piano. Leaning in slightly, Blaze managed to gaze through its open lid; she found the broken threads stretching toward one another, reaching out to reconnect to their parallel counterparts. Rust flaked from the wires like old paint being stripped from a wall, some of them were too warped to reach and thus a thin string of psychic energy came to connect their endpoints.

A smirk crossed her lips as she glanced back to watch him work, the way his quills bounced as he attempted to psychically hold the strings together and the sheer concentration on his face was a sight to behold. Following more than a little fiddling, twanging sounds occasionally emanating from the instrument's wooden hull, he pulled back.

A toothy grin graced his lips, "Alright, that should be the wires fixed? Well, not fixed but… you know."

Her fingers stumbled along the right keys, pressing each in sequence and uncovering brand new notes. Their tone didn't quite match the other half of the keys, but they were undeniably musical sounds. The further she travelled from his side the higher their pitch was. His aura's reverb was also granting the notes an almost ethereal quality; they echoed out and bounced against the walls and bookshelves. Now that they were able to play more independently the sound changed drastically. Their music was no longer so synchronised but with a wider range of notes to play, they were able to more thoroughly explore the instrument.

Of course, two people hammering at a piano together (without a plan or prior practice) didn't create the wondrous sound she imagined pianists could have in the past; but the noise was certainly fascinating. She supposed it made sense that the first time would be this way, as long as the instrument remained intact they'd be able to find combinations of sounds they liked; to grow as musicians even without a teacher. Perhaps, one day, they could play like those old pianists.

As her fingers continued to fall on those reconstructed keys, she couldn't help but think their unique twang sounded far more melodic than the hitched notes the regular keys played. Still unsure what she was doing, thoroughly unable to read the music sheet he'd set up, the feline's fingers glid across those ebony and ivory bars. She was producing some kind of melody certainly; finding keys that, when hit in the correct sequence, made a sound that bordered on appealing. Meanwhile, having had the chance to fiddle on his own before bringing the instrument home, Silver was producing something closer to what she thought good music might sound like. He'd found clusters of notes that seemed to flow into each other, the beginnings of a true melody even if they weren't quite a song. She couldn't help but throw glances to him as they played away, watching how his nose and brow would crumble whenever he misplayed and struggling to suppress her laugh. He was having fun but, like always, he wanted to excel; to truly to his best. His heart was so openly bared, be it in moments like these or his pursuit of their grand goal.

Curious, she gave a suggestion; "Why don't you try over here? I think your notes sound better than the piano's own."

She'd expected him to rise and swap places with her but, just as she had done to him earlier, he turned and leaned into her. Their cheeks bordered on touching, his shoulder brushed against hers and, once again, Blaze couldn't help feeling that flutter in her chest. When they'd first met she had been the taller of the two but now, without the boost of her heels, the difference was made clear. Discounting quills, he was a half-head taller than her at the very least. His long nose looked like it would about align with the jewel on her forehead and his shoulders had certainly become broader than hers.

Having caught herself staring, Blaze tore her eyes away; mumbling, "You're so naïve," as he stretched to reach even further across; head drawing closer as he, again, brushed against her.

With every keystroke she watched the symbols on his hands glimmer, resonating with the cords as they were plucked. Her assumption had been correct; as he played his tune in those higher sounding notes they succinctly flowed into one another. Every time he repeated a melody he seemed to grow more confident in it, short and sweet as they all were. His passion for the activity was clear, they'd come across musical instruments before of course but they'd never been in such good condition; much less on this scale. Things of the past drew both their attention, but they'd always fascinated him. From books to tools to toys to photographs and paintings, depicting nature and urban life alike, almost anything could catch his eye.

Blaze felt herself begin to slightly lean against him, matching the gentle brush of his shoulder as he played; "You're having fun, aren't you?"

A dusting of red covered his cheeks, surely at her words rather than touch; "It's just so strange… but in a good way, you know? I've never heard anything like this, I've never done anything like this," Despite his bashfulness, the hedgehog continued to play. He kept changing his tempo and trying new combinations.

There was a lot of truth to his words. Without backing music to understand the flow and cadence they'd never even sung before, outside occasional out of tune joke. Nursery rhymes were passed down family lines of course, but they could never know how accurate they truly were. To them, music was a lost art.

More words cut off her train of thought, "There's not really any point in playing music, it's not like it'll help us beat Iblis," Despite the sombre words he spoke, the hedgehog was still smiling, "Despite that though… I still want to do it. That's probably pretty naïve, isn't it?"

Blaze's fingers returned to the keyboard; her hands crossing over and under his in a much closer proximity, "No, but that was," Out the corner of her eye, she caught chagrin twitch across his brow and his blush redden, "Rest is important and we should find things we enjoy, both to take the edge off and well… for afterwards, of course. For whatever you want to do when it's all over," The music slowed, their wrists brushed again but this time their fingers came to intertwine, "I've got no idea what I'll do…"

She felt him squeeze her hand, their eyes met as the music fully stopped; bright yellow orbs mingling with her amber set, "What we'll do when it's all over," he corrected. Was he getting closer? There'd been no more than inches between them, perhaps it was just that he'd turned, "Whatever you decide you want to do, I want to do it with you. You're my partner, I want to stay with you forever."

Blaze had to look away, but her eyes only found their linked hands. She felt her temperature skyrocket, "That's even more naïve. If you already know what you want to do so I'll be the one to do it with you."

"Well, I don't know if I want to play the piano all the time. It's just kind of… nice, you know? It's not like we'll defeat Iblis and I'll end up sitting here all the time," He tried to explain, "I'll just do it… whenever it feels right. There's no reason to force it."

Those words resonated far more than she anticipated; she curled her thumb to top his. Despite the gesture, Blaze could only muster a two-word response; "So naïve…"

Silver was excited to spend another day in the Sol Dimension. Less than two weeks ago the hedgehog had fallen through space and time; arriving by happenstance at a strange cluster of islands ruled over by a feline he now knew a better than he'd ever known anyone. Remembering their erased history been a bizarre, bordering on traumatic, experience (initiated by the accidental touch of a hand) but he was more than happy to have remembered Blaze; let alone find her safe.

Since his arrival, he'd been on a brief break from fixing the future. He'd been living in a bizarre wooden hut that belonged to a friend of hers, sleeping in a hammock and venturing to the palace every day. Some days Blaze would take him to visit an island, on occasion they'd try a modern activity but often their time was spent lounging in the palace library. She'd work away at royal duties while he flipped through books, idle conversation flitting through the air. Despite her workload limiting them, they were able to enjoy each other's company. He was excited to see what today would bring, but more than that he was excited to see her again. Having scarfed down a quick breakfast, he quickly exited his temporary abode.

The sound of waves filled his ears, the smell of salt was strong in the air and the sky was both blue and clear. He wasn't quite living on the beach, rather just a stone's throw from it, but he'd come to love the sea. Sailing, hunting for seashells and so much more; this island nation had already claimed a space in his heart. Still, he didn't have time to dawdle; stretching in the morning sun he set off toward the castle… only to be immediately stopped by his housemate.

Blaze's friend, Marine the raccoon, was hammering away at the house; patching a hole she'd surely created herself.

"G'day mate, where's she draggin' you off for today?" She greeted and asked, "Maybe she'll take you up the mountains, maybe around the coral caves…" She answered again before he could even think, "Or maybe she'll treat ya to another doctor's appointment."

Silver cringed at that. While his days spent with Blaze were often simple fun, there had been exceptions to this rule. Yesterday was an example of that, the hedgehog's left arm was still more than a little limp from the various blood tests and vaccinations she'd insisted he have. Coming from a destroyed future, modern medicine had been entirely inaccessible to him, thus Blaze had seen fit to schedule a full check-up. To make matters worse, as that appointment ended, she'd dragged him off to the dentist; making certain his teeth were in tact. Silver knew it'd all be good for him in the long run, and afterwards they had returned to the library, but the thought of a repeat sent shivers down his spine.

"Good morning Marine, and not this time. She promised me we'd do something fun after all that," Silver explained, "I don't know what we're doing today but I'm sure it'll be great!"

"Sure mate, that's what she wants you to think," The raccoon grinned, blue eyes mischievously sparkling, "She's lullin' ya into a false sense of security. She's a cat, after all. She likes to play with her prey a lil' before pouncing."

A second shudder ran up his spines and, before he could stop himself, he blurted out a response, "Blaze would never do that!"

Rather than admit she was wrong, the little girl dropped to the ground. Her tools were cast aside and snorting laughter freely flying from her throat, "Honestly mate, you're so gullible. Only been here two weeks and already you're tied around my finger," She struggled to sit up, "I'm sure you'll have a bonza time with her, regardless of what torture she has planned."

"I was always told naïve more than gullible…" He still wasn't used to the young raccoon girl, so excited for adventure and quick to tell jokes, but he understood she was more than harmless. Quills relaxing, he managed a quick goodbye, "I'll see you later Marine, try not to hurt yourself."

"If I do, I'm sure you'll hear about it!" She called out, managing to return to her work; ranting and raving to herself about the inevitable voyages she'd lead.

He took to the air, gliding over the island's market town. The stalls were just starting to open, students were heading to school while their parents rushed to work. Despite having been here for two weeks, Silver still got his fair share of stares as he soared by. He wondered if the townsfolk would get used to him. The flight to the palace didn't take more than ten minutes, the island itself wasn't particularly big, but as he drew closer a sound caused his ears to flicker. Between the wind and the hum of his power he couldn't make it out but upon his landing it became clear. Music was being played in the palace. Someone was playing a piano. He'd landed in the gardens, planning to enter through the back door and avoid causing a fuss, but having passed through the hedgerows he found a koala blocking the doorway. Gardon, head of the royal guard… not that Blaze much needed one.

"Silver," He nodded a greeting, "I take it you're here to see the princess again."

"Who?" Silver blinked before quickly realising, "O-Oh, yes, Blaze! Yes, I am."

"She's not in the library, but I'm sure you'll manage to find her," The elder explained, turning and unlocking the door, "Just follow the music."

It was only as the door closed behind him that he realised what he'd been told, he was to follow the music to Blaze? But then, did that mean she was the one playing? He racked his thoughts and remembered the stories he'd read about princes and princesses, that there were often parties with lots of dancing. They were named balls, if his memory served? Perhaps this was like that? Regardless, the sound now had his full attention. It was wonderful, unlike anything he'd ever heard.

Silver followed the music up stairs, down hallways and around various bends until finally, he arrived at a door. He immediately reached for its brass handle but, as he did, he noticed a small metal plaque was affixed just left of the door. It simply read 'Music Room.' Bracing himself Silver pushed inside, the music he already thought was blaring grew louder still but its source overwhelmed his senses before the sound itself could. Blaze was sat at the far end of a large room, various instruments hung on the wall and music books neatly shelved. Of course, she was sat in front of a grand piano. It was as he'd first thought; she was the one playing it.

With his arrival, Blaze brought the song to a close. She slowly turned back to face him, "Whenever it feels right," Words spoken in another time and place ringed in his head. There was a smile on her face, her fangs were just barely visible, "I thought now seemed like such a time…"

He approached without hesitation, gawking at the piano in front of him. It was like the one they'd played, made from dark wood and having brass embellishments, yet to compare the two seemed ridiculous. The light bounced off its varnished surface and the wood was entirely free from scuffs. He reached past her, drawing a finger across its lid and finding it perfectly smooth.

Having convinced himself it was real, Silver finally slid down next to her, almost jumping back up as their outer thighs brushed. He hurriedly tried to explain his state, "I-I don't think I've touched one of these in this lifetime."

Her smile remained, "Well," Her fingers danced from left to right, playing the scale, "In this one, I've picked up a thing or two. I started lessons as a child, I don't remember much enjoying my music classes but…" As though it was the easiest thing in the world, she pressed the keys and drew forth a sweet tune, "With my renewed hindsight, I suppose there was some worth to them."

His jaw slacked as he watched and listened, her elegant fingers running wild and free across the keys; plucking from them sounds he'd never heard before. He'd heard music in his visits to the past of course but he'd never witnessed it being played, let alone by someone he knew. It'd always just been blaring from radios or phones, distractions passing by.

Blaze continued to explain, nodding to the papers in front of him, "I can read those sheets now, they're not nearly as complicated as they look," He felt something on his far side, glancing down he found her tail had coiled up and around his waist, "Just… join in whenever you want."

He watched her for just a little longer, coming to understand the patterns she was following and the regions of keyboard her hands tended toward. Of course, a side effect of this was finally understanding how truly enamoured he was with the sight of her playing. She had lived a peaceful enough life that she could dedicate time to this. He knew this world wasn't free of harm, but it was so much more peaceful than anything he'd ever known. That wasn't the only reason he stared of course, the longer he did the more he felt a strange warmth in his chest that threatened to spread across his cheeks and up his ears. He'd noticed it many times before but it only seemed to happen when they were alone together. As it grew too much to bear, he took it as a sign he should join her.

He started by playing on two keys, doing little more than alternating between them, and beginning to reflect on what he'd done before. There was no trick to pressing the keys, the sound was simply cleaner than that of the rusted strings he'd used and repaired. Slowly, but surely, he became more comfortable; reaching further to play. More and more frequently their arms would cross and the melodies they'd made in that past life came trickling to the surface. Of course, having been played on a broken piano, some of the tunes weren't quite as melodic as he recalled but others sounded a thousand times better.

Given time their shoulders would push closer together, their heads would rest against one another's and the sound of their shared music, fragmented and messy as it often was, would echo across the palace grounds.