June 19, 2012

Authoress Note: Greetings, everyone. This is a one-shot requested by SonicJordan, who I hope will like it. Everyone, I hope you all enjoy the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic, Blaze, or the basic idea of this plot.

Sand Blossom

Sand... that's all that could be seen for miles around, save for their anthropomorphic companion. The trek across the desert proved to be more tedious than anything else. Honestly, the blue hedgehog could run through the terrain with ease but he refused to abandon the purple feline beside him who felt it necessary to carefully scan the area for the item they were in search of. The hedgehog looked at the cat.

"How you holding up there, Blaze?" he asked. The cat, who spotted something shiny, dug in the ground only to find an old coin of sorts. She impatiently tossed the coin over her shoulder and looked at the hedgehog.

"I'm alright," she answered. "I just wish we could find that blasted Chaos Emerald." She balled her hand into a fist as she said 'blasted.'

"I know what you mean," the hedgehog commented as he scratched his ear and looked at the device in his hand. "It would probably help if I could read this thing better." He chuckled. Blaze walked over to him.

"Let me take a look at that." She examined the radar in Sonic's hand. It blinked, showing the Emerald was near. However, because of the area, it was hard for it to determine the exact location. But they were in close proximity to the Emerald. Blaze took the radar from Sonic and held it in up in every direction, seeing where the signal might get stronger. She paused in her actions and stared off, lowering the radar.

"Blaze? Is something wrong?"

Blaze's ear twitched as she scanned the horizon. "We've got to get to safety, Sonic."

"Why? You hear something?"

"I sense a storm coming."

"A storm?"

She nodded. "A dust storm." She paused. "We need to find shelter." Sonic nodded in agreement and the two set off opposite the approaching dust storm.

It wasn't much but it would provide enough safety from the storm. It looked to be an abandoned construction site. The structure and walls of the building were up and appeared to be sturdy. However, there were no windows which meant the ones who occupied the building might still need to duck below them to avoid the sand. Blaze and Sonic entered the building, happy to get away from the sand which had started to kick up and choke them. They stood against an inside wall.

"Whew. Looks like we made it just in time," Sonic said as he caught his breath.

Blaze coughed a bit before answering. "Yea. Good thing this place is abandoned." She coughed more and held her chest.

"Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine. It's just a cough." But the cough turned into hacking. Sonic reached into his shoulder pack and pulled out a bottle of water, handing it to Blaze. She took it without question and drank some of the clear liquid. She took a few deep breaths before giving the bottle back to Sonic.

"Thanks."

"No problem," he said with a smile.

"I guess it's good you packed them then, huh?"

"Well, actually Amy packed it. It was her idea I bring this thing along. And since she wouldn't leave me alone about it, I figured it couldn't hurt. Plus, I needed to shut her up." Both laughed and sat on the floor opposite each other. Afterwards, it grew silent minus the storm that was whirling outside. After a few minutes, Blaze broke the silence.

"I guess you find Amy to be pretty annoying with the way she clings to you, huh?"

Sonic shrugged. "It can be annoying at times but at least I know she really does care about me. I made a few mistakes in my life but she still loves me. I can admire her for that. Plus, she is pretty resourceful and she cares about my well-being."

"So how exactly do you feel about her? Do you love her like she thinks you do? Or she is just a good friend to you like Tails?"

Sonic scratched his ear. "She's a friend. Her and Tails are my best friends. I know I can always count on them."

"So you have absolutely no romantic feelings for her like she does for you?" Sonic shook his head. "Why don't you tell her that?"

"I'm afraid I'll hurt her feelings. I mean, I try to give her hints that I don't like her like that but I guess she's just so... gung ho about her feelings for me that she doesn't see my hints."

Blaze nodded. "I see. But why don't you like her? I haven't known her for a really long time but, from what I've seen, she seems like a really nice girl."

"She is. It's just that... she's..." He twisted his mouth in thought. "She's just... young."

"Sonic, she's only three years under you."

"I know but that's a big deal at this time. At this point in my life, I'd rather be romantically involved with someone who is closer to my own age."

"I guess I see your point. Though, I can't imagine being romantically involved with anyone."

"Oh, it's not so bad, Blaze." Blaze rolled her eyes. "I mean it. It can actually be fun and... nice."

"Because you would know."

"I've had my fair share of crushes before." Sonic smirked. Blaze looked at him, slightly wide-eyed.

"What?"

"What about you? You ever had a crush on someone?"

"No!" Blaze answered, a little too quickly.

"Oh really?" Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Well what about Silver?"

"Silver likes me; I don't like him. There's a difference," she said defensively.

Sonic held up his hands. "Ok, ok, I believe you. I understand how that goes."

There was more silence as the two listened to the sound of the raging storm. It seemed as though it could go on forever. Blaze stared out a window, her mind distracted with what could become of her home if she didn't find the Sol Emeralds in time. Helping Sonic find the Chaos Emeralds was the only way she could find them without getting hopelessly lost in this world. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Sonic speak. She snapped her head to look at him.

"Huh?"

"I said Amy and Silver are a lot alike, aren't they?" Sonic repeated.

"Oh. Yes, they are quite similar to each other."

"Both love someone who doesn't love them back."

"Both try their hardest when the person of interest is around."

"Both act as if they don't need their crushes."

"But are afraid of what might happen if their crush was no longer available."

Sonic and Blaze looked at each other and then started laughing. Sonic was laughing harder than Blaze. After their laughing fit, they looked at each other. Just looking, not uttering a single sound, and appearing to be communicating with their eyes.

"You know, I was thinking..." Blaze waited for Sonic to continue. "Maybe we should... play matchmaker and get those two together."

"Why?"

"Well, for one, they won't bother us anymore. And also, because I think they would be pretty good for each other."

Blaze tilted her head in thought. "I do agree they would make a cute couple."

"So, you want to do it?"

Blaze thought for a moment, then a small smile came on her face. "Sure. Let's get them together."

Sonic made a triumphant gesture as Blaze slowly shook her head and rolled her eyes. Then he leaned back against the wall and looked out one of the windows. Blaze followed his gaze.

"When do you think this storm will be over?" he asked out loud.

"I don't know," Blaze replied, annoyance coming into her voice. Suddenly her eyes went wide and she slapped her forehead. "Ugh, I am so stupid!" She pulled her bag from her back and rummaged through it.

Sonic raised a curious eyebrow. "Is something the matter?"

"I am so stupid. I can't believe I forgot about these."

"Forgot about what?"

Blaze rummaged through the bag a while longer before finally pulling two contraptions out. "These," she answered Sonic.

"What is it?" Sonic asked as he got closer to her.

"They're portable respirators. We can wear them outside during the dust storm. Your friend Tails thought they might come in handy."

"Cool," Sonic said as he took one of them, their hands lightly touching from the exchange. Blaze looked away from him as she felt heat come into her cheeks.

"Yes. They are helpful. I can't believe I forgot about them." Blaze forced her voice to remain calm.

Sonic, who also took note of the physical contact, smiled slightly as he spoke. "Don't beat yourself up about it, Blaze. We all forget things sometimes. The point is, you brought them along and we can use them now."

"Yea, I guess so." Her ears twitched as she heard a beeping sound going off. "What is that?"

Sonic listened and then looked to his pocket, where the radar was. He pulled it out. "Oh! Looks like there's an Emerald nearby."

"Why didn't we hear it before?" Blaze asked as she looked at the device.

"Too busy laughing," Sonic said with a shrug. Blaze gave a small smile to him which he returned.

"I guess we better get that Emerald." Sonic nodded and led the way the radar took them. It was a game of hot-n-cold as the anthropomorphic animals searched high and low for the Chaos Emerald.

Soon enough, the beeping grew louder and more persistent. It vibrated in Sonic's hand as they stood before a wooden crate. They looked at each other and nodded, then simultaneously destroyed the crate. The red Chaos Emerald laid there among the broken, wooden pieces. It shined in all its glory.

Sonic stopped the machine from beeping as he picked up the Emerald. He and Blaze examined the powerful jewel before Sonic put it away in his pack. Then they turned to leave, portable respirators in hand.

They stood in an entranceway to the building, staring out at the dust storm. They watched as the sand blew past them in a fury.

"This has been... interesting," Blaze commented.

"Yep," Sonic replied.

"This means we're up to... four, right?"

"Yep."

"And I found five Sol Emeralds. I guess we're making good progress."

"Yep."

"Do you have anything else to say?"

Sonic looked at her then placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Blaze, blinked rapidly, stunned by Sonic's sudden gesture.

"We should go Emerald hunting more often."

Blaze nodded slowly, cheeks turning red. "Yes. I agree."

They smiled at each other and then put on their respirators. Hand in hand, they charged into the dust storm, ready to locate the remaining Chaos and Sol Emeralds.

~*~*~*~*End~*~*~*~*~

Authoress Note: And that's the end of that. This is my first time writing a Sonic X Blaze story. I think this is more fluff than anything. Either way, I hope you all like it, especially SonicJordan. I appreciate all reviews. Thank you. ~AA1