Blaze's Knight

Chapter 1

There were eight of them. Eight gangsters were forcing me and the lilac cat I was protecting, step by step, into a corner in the alley. No one would be able see us. It was plain to see that they had forgotten the meaning of mercy. But no matter how red they stain my fur, I thought, they won't lay a finger on Blaze.

As they advanced on me, I reflected back to how all this started a week ago. I'd heard Blaze screaming for help and found her being pinned down by one of those thugs. He walked (or rather, ran) away five minutes later with an array of bruises and a spectacular black eye.

I had helped Blaze up and she smiled at me and thanked me for saving her. It was at that moment I did something I thought I never would have the courage to do. I don't know if it was from the fear I felt when I saw her struggling with her captor while he forced her down, or the adrenaline rush I got from the fight. But regardless the reason, I had blurted out, "Would you like to go out with me?" I had immediately felt the color rising in my face, and she tried to hide the red in her cheeks before she said yes.

We had planned to go a week later, which, coincidentally, was the same day that thug planned to get back at me. We were walking home from our date when he and seven of his cronies jumped out and forced us into an alleyway. I had immediately stepped in front of Blaze protectively.

Then I was back to the present. The one who I had pulverized the week before (still with a tinge of purple around his eye) stepped forward and pulled out a knife. Blaze gasped in fright and crouched even lower behind me, terrified.

A voice inside me said, You've faced far worse odds than these and come out unharmed. These guys are nothing! It was right; I was more than capable. But another voice said, But you've never had to protect anyone before. It was right too; even I couldn't fight more than three of these guys at once. That left at least five of them and an unguarded Blaze.

I was just about to make my decision when the first voice said, So you're going to run away from a fight you can win with your eyes closed? You coward! The second voice retaliated, Which is more important; your ego, or her safety? I made my decision.

Still in a protective position, I turned my head and whispered to Blaze, "Do you trust me?"

She hesitated before speaking. "With my life, Silver," she whispered back.

"Then hold on," I said. In one fluid motion, I turned around, picked her up, and ran for it before they could react. As I ran, I could hear them yelling at me, but I was going too fast and was too far away to hear them. Not that I wanted to.

Blaze had her arms around my neck, clinging to me desperately. Being held by someone running as fast as they can isn't the smoothest way to travel. I used my psychic powers to hover a little off the ground, so Blaze would be more comfortable. Flying would be more exhausting to me, but I didn't care. As we went on, I felt her gradually relaxing. After a minute or two, she closed her eyes and rested her head against my chest, wrapping her arms around me. At one point, I could've sworn I heard her purring softly.

As I flew, I noticed that the middle of her back was warmer than the rest of her body. I was mystified for a moment, but remembered something that happened several years ago. We were walking at the beach one summer. I had noticed that her swimsuit covered an unusual amount of her back. At one point, it slipped a little, and she pulled it back up, blushing furiously. But I had noticed a small flame flicker out. At the time, I thought I was just imagining things. Turns out I wasn't. So that's why she's picked on so much, I thought. She's different. People can be so stupid and mean!

When we got to her house, I landed on the porch and set her down. I stood there, catching my breath from flying so far while carrying her. We just stood there for a while, in an awkward silence. Finally, I couldn't take it and said, "I guess I better get going. Bye, Blaze." I turned to walk away.

Then she did something I would never have expected. Something that nothing could ever have prepared me for. As I turned to leave, she reached out, grabbed my left hand, pulled me towards her, and...

She kissed me.

I had never felt anything so wonderful, so joyful, so shocking, or so surprising in my life. There were a million other things I had never felt so strongly before then. My face was so hot; it felt like it was on fire. In a burst of emotion and passion, I put my free hand on the place on her back where I knew there were flames burning beneath her dress.

No sooner had I done that than she let go of my hand and pull her lips from mine. I opened my eyes and saw that she was looking at me in a way I could hardly bear, like she thought I was going to hit her. She suddenly cast her gaze to the ground, tears forming in her eyes, unable to look at me.

I was puzzled at her reaction. Why was acting like she was...ashamed?

Ashamed...

Then it hit me.

In a flood of realization, I suddenly understood why she had kissed me in the first place. She never had anyone that would stand up for her, until I came along. Tonight, I chose her safety over my dignity. I chose to tire myself out rather than make her uncomfortable. I had been, for her, what every girl dreams of having - a knight in shining armor.

When she was being made fun of because of the flames on her back, I was the only one who stood up for her. She must have thought that the only reason I was her friend was because I didn't know. She didn't want to lose me, so she never told me. She was afraid that, now that I knew, I would become just like the people who had made her life miserable.

I couldn't stand seeing Blaze like this. I couldn't let her think she'd lost her one true friend. I took my now-free left hand and tipped her head up. The very sight of her tear-stricken face shot so much pity through me that I couldn't stop from crying a little myself. I whispered to her, "You have no reason to be ashamed of yourself," and I leaned in to kiss her back.

I could almost feel her relief radiating off her as she wrapped her arms around me. Tears continued to stream down her face as she thanked me in the most sincere way possible.

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Silver and Blaze are (c) SEGA