Hey everyone! Here's the next chapter. Almost Christmas Eve here, and I can't wait! :D I'm so excited!

Disclaimer: Sonic's not a rapper. He's in a boy band. Yep, he's the posh one. Totally rad.


It was the next day. The weather was relieving to Blaze after the day before. The sky was crystal clear, and the air didn't have that chilly edge to it. She trotted slowly through the busy sidewalks, her tail swinging behind her.

She was meeting up everyone at the Café. Coffee wasn't really her thing, but Tails told her that they made great hot chocolate. That was more like what she had in mind. When she reached the Café, she hurried inside and was greeted by the aroma of fresh coffee beans and mint.

"Hey Blaze, over here!" Sonic called, waving her over. Blaze gave him a small smile and took a seat in the booth beside him.

"Hello, where's Amy?" She asked when she noticed the pink hedgehog's absence.

Shadow shrugged. "We don't know. She may be visiting relatives out of town or something. She was talking about her Aunt earlier."

Well at least someone in her family cares about her…Blaze thought as she ordered a cup of hot chocolate.

Sonic, Blaze and Tails were all squished in one seat, while Rouge, Knuckles and Shadow sat opposite of them. Sonic insisted they grabbed a booth, probably because he thought they were more comfortable. Blaze sighed. She had to admit it though; the red leather was comfortable to sit on.

The cozy and quiet atmosphere of the Café was soon disrupted by the frequent arguing between Knuckles and Sonic, with the occasional opinion from Shadow. Rouge, Blaze and Tails calmly sipped their drinks and made small talk, causing other customers in the Café to stare at them and wonder: How the hell do they put up with all that yelling?

When it looked like a fight was about to start, the three sipping on their drinks leapt into action. Rouge slapped Knuckles across the back of the head. Blaze booted Shadow from underneath the table. And Tails had the pleasure of grabbing Sonic's ear and giving it a sharp tug.

"What was all that for?" Shadow hollered at them, holding his leg in pain. He found himself swearing when the oh-so-innocent three took another sip of their drinks.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "Oh yeah, like that'll intimidate them."

Shadow pointed a finger towards Sonic threateningly. "Really, then you're next on my list Sonic."

To say the least, Sonic finally shut himself up. Everyone knows about Shadow's little list. It's far too complex to explain, but let's just say, you don't want to be on it.

Rouge rolled her jade eyes and sighed impatiently. "Can't you three ever shut the hell up? We came here to chat, not to fight."

Knuckles scoffed. "It gets boring though if there isn't a fight."

"Oh, like you would know!" Rouge replied quickly. Knuckles tried to think of something to say, but nothing came out. Rouge had that kind of effect on people.

Shadow shook his head wordlessly and looked over at Blaze. Her gaze was elsewhere, but he stared at her anyways. His blood red eyes longed for her company again. He was never fond of anyone like her before, except for Maria, but Maria wasn't there anymore. How could he love someone that wasn't there?

Shadow finally caught her attention, and their eyes met. Golden eyes reflected in ruby eyes. Two negatives fused together to create a positive. Blaze was sure that there was nothing else in the world that was quite like what her and Shadow shared.

"Hello, Earth to Blaze, hello?!" Sonic called, waving his hand in front of her eyes. She jumped in her seat and narrowed her eyes at Sonic.

"What Sonic what?!"

"Just calling you back from La La Land."

"That would be where your brain is, wouldn't it?" Rouge cooed. Sonic gasped in mock horror.

"Rouge, you…you…you monster, how could you say that to me?"

Rouge giggled and shooed him away. "Sonic, you're crazy man."

"Are you absolutely sure that he's a man?" Knuckles challenged. "He's isn't that tough is he?"

Sonic's eyes flickered. Oh boy, did he ever love a challenge. Knuckles suddenly felt stupid for saying what he did.

"Well, Knuckles, if that's what you think, fine. I didn't know you could be oh-so-manly when you can't even guard a rock."

"It's not a rock!"

"It is so!"

"Screw you Sonic!" Knuckles yelled. Sonic didn't even falter.

"At least I don't have the mental capacity of a raccoon!"

Tails suddenly spoke up. "Hey! Marine is smarter than you'll ever be Sonic!"

The whole table turned to stare at the little fox. Even Shadow was watching him, completely impressed by his outburst.

Sonic was surprised too, until he cracked a grin. "Ohhhhhhh, I see. Somebody has a crush on Marine…"

Tails became completely embarrassed. His muzzle bright pink, he quickly stammered, "N-no, I don't!"

"Yes you do! I can't believe it! It must be the hormones kicking in!"

"Sonic, do us all a favor and shut up," Shadow demanded in an emotionless voice.

Blaze felt sorry for the little guy, but kept silent. She had a feeling all along that Tails liked Marine, but she wouldn't dare say that out loud.

For a few minutes, the table seemed to become somewhat civilized, until Sonic and Knuckles got arguing again. Shadow, Blaze and Rouge exchanged annoyed glances, choosing to ignore them. Knuckles was too hot-headed while Sonic was too hard-headed.

"Rouge and I aren't like that Sonic! Shut up!"

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if you two weren't dating behind our backs," Sonic smirked. "Tell me Knuckles, is Rouge eating for two?"

Knuckles' face went redder than ever while Rouge nearly choked on the cake she had been nibbling on.

"That's it! You're fucking dead!" Knuckles bellowed before shooting his fists towards Sonic. The hedgehog dodged them just in time and darted out of the Café. Knuckles and Rouge followed after him, ready for a bloodfest.

All that was left was Shadow, Blaze and Tails. The three glanced at each other, shrugged, and ordered some cheesecake. They were sure the other three would manage.

An hour or two later, it was just Shadow and Blaze walking along the bustling sidewalks. Blaze always walked with a fast pace, but Shadow never fell behind. He walked with long strides beside her, their arms linked together.

"This is what I love about Christmas. All the people, the good deeds, the music, the smells, everything…" Blaze said, her breath coming out in frosted puffs. She suddenly became downcast. "I wish Gardon and Marine could see this."

Shadow couldn't help but feel for Blaze. She still had people she cared about back in her own dimension. As much as Shadow wanted her to stay, there was no denying that she would have to head back whenever the machine was repaired. The way progress was going, it should be fixed by mid-spring. Or at least, that's what Tails told Shadow.

"Maybe they will, someday." Shadow replied. "Don't think about them now. You will just get irritated and whiny and depressed." Upon seeing Blaze flatten her ears in anger, Shadow sighed and added, "I don't like seeing you like that."

The sky was becoming dark and the streetlights blinked on. Shops and homes greeted the darkness with bright colored lights and decorations, everything from wreaths and bows to strings of lights and displays.

"Shadow," Blaze began, "do you ever miss Maria?"

Shadow didn't turn to look at her, but said, "Everyday of my life."

There was a saddened silence until Shadow stopped in his tracks and faced Blaze. With a serious look on his face, he said, "Blaze, I know about many, many things. I have more precision and intellect than many computers built today. But I would trade every single thing I knew if I could learn one thing."

"What's that?"

Shadow gave her his rare smile. "If I learn how to save a life."

He leaned down and gave Blaze a deep kiss on the lips. They soon pulled apart and Shadow departed, his red scarf blowing in the chilly breeze.

Blaze watched him fade into the crowds, repeating his words in her head. How to save a life…how to save a life…how to save a life…

She vaguely wondered if he was referring to Maria, or to himself. Maybe he was referring to something she would never know about or something bigger. A feeling ran through her spine, one she couldn't pinpoint. Probably just the chill from the wind, it's pretty cold out now…Blaze thought. She soon turned and started to make her way back home.

On her way, she ran into Sonic. Sonic was wearing a cheeky grin and she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"I escaped him! I, the great Sonic, have successfully maneuvered from the grasp of the troublesome two…"

"No wonder they tried to hunt you down. What you said was terrible Sonic."

"I guess you might be right. I'll apologize to them tomorrow when they cool down. Plus, I think they're in denial anyway. I mean, come on, it's almost official. They might as well just come out and say they are a couple."

Blaze huffed. "There's such thing as privacy you know."

"Not when you're around me," Sonic replied, obviously on an ego boost.

"Oh, believe me, I know," taunted Blaze.

The two past by the house, walked through the forest and the back roads, and eventually came onto Shadow and Blaze's hill. Blaze didn't tell Sonic, but this was where many of her memories of Shadow linked back to in someway or another. After all, this was the spot where they confessed their love to each other. This was a hill that they would never forget.

As they sat on the ground, lounging around and talking, the hours seemed to pass by. Before Blaze knew it, the sky was no longer a dark navy, but black. Blaze wondered about the time, and placed it around 1:00 AM or so. For the last few minutes of their chat, she could smell something. Blaze had chosen to ignore it until Sonic suddenly stood up.

"Hey, you smell that Blaze?"

Blaze suddenly felt that feeling she had before in her spine. "Yes Sonic, I had for the last while."

Sonic started to look around, puzzled by the scent. "Man, I know that smell. I just can't place it though."

He turned to Blaze, then to the view of the city, before calmly saying, "Oh, it's just smoke."

"Smoke?" Blaze repeated. She stood beside Sonic and looked down at the city, and sure enough, there was a cloud of smoke rising from the ground.

"Do you think someone's burning something?" Blaze asked.

Sonic shrugged. Blaze continued to stare at the smoke. It was a lot of smoke. The more she looked at it, the more she felt worry weigh in on her. When she turned to Sonic, she nearly jumped back. His wide eyes were staring at the fire with an incredulous look. "That…that couldn't be…" He mumbled.

"Sonic…are you alright? What's going on?"

He turned to Blaze with a grim look on his face. "Blaze, that's a building on fire!"

Blaze felt her heart drop into her stomach. "Oh my god…shouldn't we help?"

"That's not the worse of it though."

Blaze looked at him hurriedly. "What can you tell me that can top a building burning?"

Sonic, his emerald eyes stormier than ever, told her in a shaky voice. "That inferno is Rouge and Shadow's apartment building."

How's that for a cliff hanger? Oh yeah, sorry if it's not exciting as you thought it would be. But I'm sure the next chapter will get your blood pumping, no? ;D

So, read and review! Oh man, I wonder what's going to happen (Too bad I already got the next chapter done and already know...oh well!).

-Kendell