Sonaze: Beauty and the Beast 2

Sonic wrinkled his nose at the extreme heat on his face. His whole backside was dripping wet. He opened his eyes. He was staring directly at the sun. He yelped and looked away. Then he sat up, confused. "I fell asleep?" he asked, looking around. His left cheek had an agonizing stinging sensation. His back felt like it had been sunburnt badly. He looked at his reflection in the creek. He was back to his hedgehog self, of course, but he had deep claw marks on his cheek from where the bear had attacked him. They were scabbed, and looked infected with white pus. Sonic wrinkled his nose disgustedly. This made his cheek hurt. Not to mention he had a third degree burn on his back from where Blaze had chucked a flame at him. Sonic stood up and shook the water off of himself and out of his quills. He had another headache. Each morning at sunup, Sonic never felt his transformation back to his normal self, but he always had a migraine when he woke up because he had slept during it and his unconscious body had to work extra hard to change back. At night, his insides changed, too. His senses got sharper, his heartbeat slowed, and his lung capacity enlarged. The only thing that didn't change was his stead fast heart of gold. Sonic sighed. He knew he owed Blaze an explanation. Maybe even two, if she had recognized him last night after he had spoken. After all, his voice in his wolf form was the same, only deeper and more of a growl to it. Sonic took of running then. It was magnificent, to run at supersonic speeds again instead of his slow wolf pace at night. He felt the cool winds whip through his quills, his feet barely touched the ground. Everything was a blur, and he was in cloud nine. Sonic skidded to a stop at Tails' workshop and saw Blaze and Tails sitting on the workshop steps outside. Tails was spontaneously drawing in the mud with a stick. They looked up and saw Sonic then, and their eyes lit up and they ran to him.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?" Blaze roared, putting her hand up to Sonic's wounded cheek. It hurt when she touched him, but he ignored it, mainly because of her warm touch, which made his heart do somersaults.

"Just...got into a fight with Eggman..." Sonic said.

"But...those are claw marks!" Blaze cried.

"Eggman had a robot-" Sonic began, but paused. Was it worth lying like this? "Yeah, you're right. These claw marks are from a grizzly bear," Sonic said. This caught Blaze's attention, she eyed him.

"Bear," she repeated.

"Yeah. A grizzly," Sonic told her.

"You have a burn on your back, too, Sonic. How'd you get that?" Tails asked from behind Sonic.

"Somebody burnt me," Sonic replied simply.

"Who?" Tails asked. Sonic glanced at Blaze. She looked worried.

"Me?" she mouthed. Sonic didn't respond. He looked away and looked at the ground. "Sonic? Can I speak to you? Alone?" Blaze asked. Tails nodded and ran inside his workshop, leaving Sonic and Blaze alone. "Sonic," said Blaze, "there's something you're not telling me. And don't deny it. I know. SO! Tell me...what's been going on?" Blaze wanted to know.

Sonic took a deep breath and asked, "You wanna know?" Blaze nodded. "Well, that beast you saw here last night...that fought of the grizzly...the one you burnt in the back...it was me," Sonic said.

Blaze just stared. "Ha ha, very funny. Quit joshing around!" Blaze said, giggling slightly.

"I'm not lying!" Sonic said harshly.

"I find that....hard to believe," Blaze said slowly.

"How? I was there!" Sonic roared.

"Tails told me you had twisted your ankle last night! And whatever attacked the bear last night...had a perfectly fine ankle. Plus, what I saw last night was a huge, ferocious beast. Not a handsome, cerulean hedgehog!" Blaze explained icily.

"That's just it," Sonic said, trying to control his emotions, "the beast...was me! I turn into it every single night!"

"Tails said you had a twisted ank-! You know what?! I don't know what to believe anymore!" Blaze yelled. Frustrated, she turned and walked away.

"BLAZE! WAIT! I'll show you! Meet me at Emerald Park at sundown!" Sonic roared after her, but she was already gone. Sonic groaned and covered his face with his hands. Did Blaze still trust him? Was she mad at him?

Tails appeared then. "Sonic? You-" Tails began.

"Leave me alone, Tails. Please," Sonic said sadly. He walked away from Tails to downtown Apotos. He spotted Blaze buying ice cream from Armanos. Sonic approached her, and she turned and saw him, holding a vanilla ice cream cone.

"Sonic," she said.

"Meet me at Emerald Park at sundown. I am not lying, I turn into this beast every night," Sonic said.

"I can't believe you. You've already lied before about the twisted ankle, obviously," Blaze said, looking at Sonic's feet.

"Do you still trust me?" Sonic asked hopelessly.

"I dunno, Sonic. I dunno what to think, anymore. I need some time alone," Blaze said, turning to leave.

"BLAZE! Wait...I like you," Sonic said, grabbing Blaze's shoulder. She turned around again and faced him. If she wouldn't believe him about other things, she had to believe him about this. Armanos whooped, but neither Sonic nor Blaze heard him. "I do, Blaze. I like you, a lot," Sonic said bravely.

"I don't know, Sonic," was all Blaze responded.

"Do you like me back?" Sonic asked, feeling a weight develop on his heart. Blaze just stood there staring at him, ice cream dripping down her wrist.

"I'm...sorry, Sonic. But I need time alone...to figure things out," Blaze said, and she walked away.

"Blaze..." Sonic began, trying to keep the dam that held the lake of tears from bursting. But Blaze was already long gone. Sonic rubbed his watery eyes, disgusted with himself for having been brought to tears like this.

"You doing okay, Sonic? Want an ice cream?" Armanos asked gently with concern.

"No!" Sonic replied sharply. He raced back to his house and peered through the window. He saw Blaze looking through a photo album on his leather couch. The album contained pictures of her and Sonic from their previous encounters. Sonic walked through the front door and approached her. Blaze didn't even give him a second glance. Sonic had a feeling she didn't even notice. "Blaze," Sonic said. Blaze slammed the album and looked up at him. Sonic noticed she looked a little distraught. "Please, I am not lying about this monster thing! I'm telling you! Meet me tonight at Em-" Sonic began.

"Sonic, I'm tired. I told you, I want to be left alone. Why can't you understand? Do I have to spell it out for you?" Blaze asked coldly, standing up. And to his horror, she traveled over to his front door and said, "I'm staying at Cream's. To get my head straight." Sonic wasn't giving up. He sped to her and seized her shoulders and slammed his lips against hers. He kissed her sweet, luscious lips deeply, expressing his full emotion. His heart was bouncing with passion inside his chest so much, he feared it would have escaped through his chest. He deepened the kiss then, a lump forming in his throat from sorrow. Then he pulled away and looked into Blaze's lemon eyes. Blaze stared back. She hadn't kissed him back. He had done all the kissing.

"I like you, Blaze," Sonic said, trying to swallow the obnoxious lump in his throat. Blaze looked at the floor.

"Sorry," was all she said. And with the sound of shutting doors, she left. Sonic's heart felt like mush. He stomped at the carpet with frustration and went into his bedroom. He looked at the framed photo of him with his arm around Blaze sitting on the bedside table. He picked it up and stared at it. This was before his nightly curse took place. Before Blaze lost her trust in him. But not too long after he'd fallen for her. Blaze looked beautiful in the picture, with her wide grin exposing bright, white teeth. Sonic set the photo down and collapsed on his large bed and gawked at the ceiling. His stomach gave a loud growl. Sonic was hurting inside, he had the same throbbing headache, and he was hungry. Of course, he could've done something with his hunger and headache, but his hurt from Blaze's departure was there to stay. It was all on Blaze to make him feel better. The light in the room darkened, and Sonic transformed again into his wolf form. But he ignored all the pains that came with it, because they paled in comparison to the pain he felt INSIDE. Once he was his wolf self, he left his bedroom and stepped out of his house, feeling lonely and empty. He walked slowly to downtown Apotos, this time not enjoying the pleasant night scents or the cool breeze that came from the ocean waters. Then he heard a scream. He turned around, but was then blinded by a hot liquid dousing his eyes. Sonic yelled in pain and covered his eyes, which stung.

"S-Stay away from me!" cried a familiar voice.

"Armanos?" Sonic asked. According to the hot, sticky feeling and the cocoa smell on Sonic's face, Armanos had squirted hot fudge into his eyes.

Sonic wiped at his eyes as Armanos cried, "How did you know my name!? Sonic will hear of this!"

"I AM Sonic!" Sonic roared, still trying to get the fudge out of his eyes. His fur would stick together now, and he would have to wash his face. Good.

"RUBBISH!" spat Armanos, and when Sonic could finally open his eyes, Armanos was gone. Sonic felt even worse now as he took off on all fours into the nearby bushes and headed for Emerald Park. It was derelict. Sonic sighed and sat down on a bench. He looked at the leaves on the grass. All he could think about was Blaze. He wasn't too offended by Armanos' reaction. He expected Armanos to react like that. Armanos was a coward. But Blaze...Blaze had walked out when he had kissed her. She had lost her trust in him. He felt shattered inside. The moon was nearly full. Tomorrow night, it would be a pure full moon. Sonic's transformations hurt five times worse at full moon nights. The moonlight lit up Emerald Park as Sonic leaned back and closed his eyes and accidentally fell into a deep sleep.

I stood up and walked around the bench and stepped on something soft. I heard a girl scream. I looked down and noticed I had stepped on a tail. I jumped back, panicked I'd hurt her. The tail slid away into the bushes like a snake and then Blaze emerged. I gasped, looking at Blaze.

"That hurt, you know," Blaze wept, cradling her tail. I felt guilt crawl into me. My shoes became cleats at this stage.

"Blaze, I am sorry...it's me, Sonic," I said. But Blaze chucked a flame at me, catching my arm on fire. I yelped as I patted it out with my hand quickly. But Blaze chucked another flame at my leg. "STOP BLAZE!" I roared as I patted the fire out of my leg.

"How do you know my name, beast?" Blaze hissed.

"Because it's me! Son-" I began, but Blaze chucked another flame at my other leg. I groaned as I patted it out too. I was just not having a good day. The fires had burnt some of my hair off, so I looked like a mess. I looked up and noticed Blaze was running away. I immediately ran on all fours after her, feeling slightly vengeful as I lunged at her and pinned her down, with me on top. She stared up into my eyes and relaxed.

"It...it is you...your eyes...your beautiful green eyes..." Blaze stammered. She reached up and touched my face.

"Do you trust me now?" I asked.

"I never lost my trust in you...I just didn't believe you. I mean, I understand that you won't hurt me like this," Blaze replied, stroking the fur on my cheek.

"Yeah, because you know it's me," I said, chuckling.

"I'm sorry, Sonic," Blaze said.

"No. I'M sorry," I said.

"For what?"

"Being a liar..."

"You didn't lie. Well, you did, about the broken ankle, but...about this, I just didn't believe you."

I smiled and stood up and helped her up. She returned the smile. "How did this happen?" she asked.

"I don't know. But I've had it for a year," I said.

"And you turn into it...every night," Blaze said.

"Yeah. And turn back to myself at sunup. It gets annoying," I said.

"I'll bet. Does it hurt?"

"Only at night. I don't feel it at dawn. But that may be because I've slept while it happened. At night, it gets worse by silly little things such as full moon and hunger." Blaze went to me and put her hand on my side. Then she ran her fingers through my fur. I closed my eyes and let her do this, enjoying the feeling of her touch.

"This is...unbelievable," Blaze said.

"Well, believe it," I said, smirking my sharp teeth.

"Wow...Sonic...huge teeth, and claws!" Blaze remarked.

"Heh heh, yeah, but I'm not the a grandma disguised as a big bad wolf."

"Actually, it's kind of the other way around..." Blaze was now feeling my sides with both of her hands. Was she flirting with me? Or just enjoying the feeling of my soft fur? Either way, it made my heart do somersaults.

"Yeah, okay, but...can you not tell anybody about this?" I asked.

"I won't," Blaze promised.

"Okay, thanks," I said. There was an awkward pause. We stared at each other. Then I said, "I wanna show you something." I got down on all fours. "Get on," I told her.

"On your back?" Blaze asked skeptically.

"Yes," I replied.

"I'm sorry, but...I don't feel comfortable about doing this," Blaze said.

"Don't worry! I'm strong, and I won't let you fall," I assured Blaze, "you won't be able to catch up with me when I'm running on all fours."

"Can't you just carry me...?"

"Not while running on all fours! Now get on!"

"But you can run on two-"

But Blaze climbed onto my back anyway. I could feel her warm body against me, and I enjoyed her closeness. "Hold on tight," I instructed her. Blaze leaned forward and wrapped her arms around my neck. Then I took off running into the night and headed for Emerald Forest. Blaze's feet were bumping against his sides, and it hurt slightly. "This is what a horse feels like," I whispered to myself.

"Where are we going?" Blaze asked.

"Surprise," I said. I carried her to the big tall tree I had climbed up earlier, and let Blaze climb off my back as I stopped. Then I stood up on two and brushed myself off. Blaze looked up the tree and didn't notice the inscriptions I had made in it.

"That tree is HUGE!" Blaze remarked. I wrapped my left arm around her and started climbing up the tree like I had earlier. Blaze looked awestruck at my ability to stretch my arms at great lengths. At the top, Blaze was so speechless about the view and the scents, she forgot about her acrophobia. "It's beautiful up here," Blaze said. I sat down on the branch and Blaze sat down and joined me. We sat there, staring at the nearly full moon.

"Sonic," Blaze said, breaking the silence.

"Hm?" I asked, taking my eyes of the view to look at something even more beautiful: Blaze.

"I like-" Blaze began as she shifted comfortably. But she slipped and fell off the branch and started to fall, but I caught her with my outstretched left hand.

"Be careful," I instructed her, my heart pounding fast from the panic I had felt upon seeing my crush nearly fall to her death. I pulled her back up beside me.

"I'm scared...of heights," Blaze said shakily, grabbing onto me and burying her head into my fur.

"It's okay, Blaze. I won't let you fall," I assured her. Blaze pulled away and looked into my eyes.

"I like you," Blaze told me. My heart skipped a beat.

"Really? Even though I'm a big hairy beast?" I asked.

"Yes," Blaze said. And she leaned forward to me. I watched her, my eyes wide. Then I closed my eyes and leaned forward to her. I felt her sweet lips caress mine, and my heart fluttered with love. We kissed passionately under the bright moon. I didn't want to slip my tongue into her mouth because I feared my sharp teeth would hurt her in some way. Her lips were tender and heart stopping. My whole body buzzed with passion, and I felt like I was the King of Apotos. We deepened the kiss then, and Blaze's tongue brushed my lips, but I refused to do the same back, because of my teeth. Then we let go, and a long string of saliva trailed from my mouth. I flushed in embarrassment, but Blaze giggled as she wiped my spit off her mouth, breaking the saliva string. My color returned and I chuckled, too. We turned back to watch the view. Blaze rested her head on my shoulder. Then as time passed, and midnight approached, Blaze began to get really drowsy. I noticed she was nodding off on my shoulder, using it as a pillow. I scooped her up gently and jumped down from the tree and landing on the ground smoothly. Blaze had fallen asleep at the feeling of my warm fur. I smiled at the carving I made in the tree and made a heart out of the question mark so it now said:

SONIC + BLAZE =

Sonic's eyes popped open. What? What happened? Where was he? He blinked his eyes and looked around. He was sitting on the bench in Emerald Park. He had fallen asleep. It had been a VERY vivid dream. Sonic felt even more sad when he realized this. It felt so real...everything...Blaze's flames when they hit him...her touch when she rode on his back while he ran...the bark underneath him while he sat on the tree...Blaze's lips when they kissed...but it was all a dream. Sonic scowled at himself and noticed the sun was about to rise. He stifled a huge yawn and ran towards the large tree to see the inscriptions. No change. Yep. It had all been a dream. The last symbol was still a question mark. Sonic groaned and collapsed as he turned back to normal in one painless second. He jumped back to his feet and looked at his hands. "What've I done to deserve this?" he asked himself.

"Sonic?" said her voice. Sonic turned and saw Blaze standing five feet away, looking at him.

"Uh, hey," Sonic said.

"So...you like me, huh!?" Blaze asked, looking at the inscription on the tree.

"Uh, yeah," Sonic said, wishing he'd covered the inscription. Blaze approached the tree to look at the inscription closer.

"I'm sorry about what happened yesterday. I just had to be alone for awhile to think about everything, and to rest awhile, because I was tired and cranky," Blaze said.

"So you're not mad at me?" Sonic asked.

"No! Not at all. I think you're mad, though, mind you," Blaze said.

"ME? I'm not mad. Why would I be mad?"

"Because you say you turn into this beast every night."

"But I DO turn into this beast every n-wait...why would I be mad about that?"

"Oh, geesh. I think you misunderstood me. I meant mad as in, crazy. Sorry, I've been hanging out with Marine too long." Blaze lifted her finger and added something to the inscription. Sonic sighed and turned around.

"What's wrong?" Blaze asked with concern.

"Oh...just...I dunno," Sonic said.

"I know what'd cheer you up," Blaze said.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"Turn around."

Sonic turned around and saw Blaze standing by the tree. She had made a heart out of the question mark, just like Sonic had in the dream. She liked him back. Though he wasn't happy about this. Blaze didn't believe him; thought he was "mad". This hurt his feelings. A lot. He looked away and bit his lip. He felt Blaze approach him and get close to him. It didn't make him feel better.

"I like you," Blaze whispered into his ear. She leaned forward to kiss him, but he pulled away. "Sonic," she said with concern.

"You like me for my hedgehog self! You think I'm crazy about this wolf stuff! And I'm not! Once you saw my wolf form, you'd probably run! I'm sorry, but I can't help with who I am!" Sonic roared. Blaze sighed sadly.

"I'll meet you here at sundown. That way you can prove to me you turn into the wolf," Blaze said. Sonic looked deep into her sparkling, golden eyes and nodded. She smiled and hugged him. She held him closer than she ever had before, and he knew she really did like him. And Sonic felt happy again, as he hugged her back, pulling her closer to him. They pulled away. "Wanna go have breakfast?" Blaze asked.

"Sure," Sonic said. He felt her grab his hand. His heart skyrocketed out of his chest at this. Together, they walked to downtown Apotos and saw Armanos selling ice cream as usual. Sonic's heart flipped at the sight of him, remembering his reaction when he saw him as his wolf form. "Hola, Armanos," Sonic said, smiling and waving at him anyway.

"Hola, señor Sonic. Practicing your Spanish, I see! Oh, and you and Blaze are a couple now!" Armanos said.

"Not exactly. We're on our way to our first date," Sonic said.

"EXCELLENT! Blaze, he has talked to me about you nonstop," Armanos said.

"Really?" Blaze asked. Sonic tried not to redden.

"Oh yes! Quite! Oh Sonic, by the way, I recommend you stay up later. I mean, I know heroism is tiring, but I saw this hideous beast last night...and...get this...he called himself SONIC! I bet it's Eggman's doing. You keep your eye out, Sonic," Armanos said.

"Will do..." Sonic said, feeling Blaze's stare pierce him.

"EXCELLENT! He was one scary beast. Oh, and, enjoy your first date. NO KISSING YET THOUGH! Save that until like your fifth date," Armanos said.

"Will do," Sonic repeated, wishing to leave now that Armanos mentioned his wolf form.

"Great!"

"Adios, Armanos."

"Heh heh, see you two later, try not to have too much fun!"

As Sonic and Blaze walked away, still holding hands, Blaze continued to stare at Sonic. "Armanos saw me. Believe me now?" Sonic asked.

"Yes, but I'd still like to see it," Blaze said.

"Promise you won't run away in fright?" Sonic asked, not bothering to tell her that tonight his transformation would hurt worse due to full moon.

"Promise," Blaze said, smiling and kissing his cheek. Sonic's mood increased at this and he smiled as he and Blaze walked to Pancake Hut. When they arrived, Sonic let go of Blaze's hand and the waiter escorted them to a booth. They sat down across from each other and read their menus in silence.

"I'm not a breakfast person. I'll probably have a water and a pancake," Sonic said, putting his menu down.

"OH, no, Sonic. We should share this delectable looking strawberry crepe platter! It'd be too big for me to eat alone," Blaze said.

"Nah, no a strawberry fan," Sonic said. Strawberries irritated his intestines.

"Ah, come on! Just pick the strawberries off and I'll eat them!" Blaze begged.

"Alright, alright. We'll order the strawberry crepe," Sonic said reluctantly, but he smiled.

"Thanks so much, you're so special," Blaze said. Sonic's heart fluttered as Blaze ordered when the waiter appeared. When their food arrived, Sonic had to admit, it looked delicious and he started to salivate. He and Blaze began eating off of it. Sonic gave all of his strawberries to Blaze. He liked strawberries, but they didn't process well in his stomach or intestines. After breakfast, the two left the restaurant. "I'm gonna go visit Cream," Blaze said.

"Okay," Sonic said, secretly wishing she didn't have to leave. He watched her walk away, while her tail danced to her movements. Sonic smiled and looked up at the clock tower. He had less than ten hours before his transformation took place. He was nervous, because this time Blaze was going to see it. He ran at supersonic speed to Tails' workshop. He told Tails everything about his transformation. Surprisingly, Tails believed him. Sonic asked why, and Tails responded that he has known Sonic longer than Blaze had, and that he knew and understand Sonic never had any dull moments. Since Blaze lived in her dimension, she didn't quite understand this. After spending time with Tails, Sonic was horrified to see that the sun was already starting to set over the western part of Emerald Coast. It was nearly time. He let out a huge sigh. "Time sure flies, huh?" he asked nervously.

"Good luck, Sonic. You have my support," Tails said, noticing Sonic's stress.

"Thanks, buddy," Sonic said, opening the front door to Tails' workshop. And swallowing a lump in his throat, he made his way to Emerald Forest to the large tree with the inscription in it.

End of Part Two