I am soooo sorry! I haven't updated in forever, and I meant to be going faster than this, but I've been working a ton lately, and by the time I get home, my inspiration has run dry. There should be at least a few coming in the following week so hopefully I can keep on top of it!

Okay, I'm going to warn y'all from the get-go here, they are going to be slightly out of character. I needed them to be for this to work. Especially Shadow. The way I picture it, he is actually genuinely excited about something for the first time in a long while. He's not going to be celebrating something with himself for probably the first time, so of course he'd be happy!

Anyways, I made this for Independence Day everyone! I figured I might as well do a holiday special, even if I am like…a day late. So I hope you like!

Another warning, slightly cheesy and cliché. I find those two characteristics are a hard thing to move around when doing romance.

Well here it is. Theme 20.

I don't own Sega characters.

She was floating. A starry veil of colors arrayed all around her, warm colors circling in combinations of pink, orange and yellow. Splashes of blue symbolized the sky, as her essence drifted between the flying shades and bright sheets of her swirling subconscious.

"Blaze…"

A sudden voice echoed in the cavern of her sleep, deep and lulling to the ear. She felt her ear twitch, as a part of the veiling skies ahead began to break away.

"Blaze…Wake up."

Gentle brushing touched her arm, and the scene of serenity shattered in resolution, her senses rising to her body. Suddenly, she was aware of her heavy lids; trying to pry open to someone's beckoning, soft sheets shifted below her form.

Finally, the poking of a finger jabbed into her ribcage, snapping her eyes open in alert of danger.

Her body shot up like a rubber band, vision obscured from the slight blurriness in her rapidly blinking ochre eyes.

"Blaze," the same voice that had interrupted her from pellucid dreams spoke from her right. Snapping her head, the feline's vision cleared to take in the sight of a familiar room, neutral shades and empty of decor, simply minimal necessities of an everyday bedroom.

Eyebrows furrowed, Blaze narrowed her eyes as her pupil dilated to penetrate the darkness, roaming over the dark figure that stood nearby.

"Shadow?"

The surprise in her voice was evident, as she peered at the luminescent numbers of the clock that sat on the oak carved dresser across the room. Pulling back the covers, she swung her legs over the side and perched steadily on the edge of her bed. "What are you doing here? It's midnight."

Shadow smirked, amused by the sight of the ruffled feline. Her hair that usually swooped in a ponytail draped about her shoulders in layered cut locks, her pajamas consisted of a loose fitted V-neck and black spandex, and her tall regal form was decreased with lack of heels and hair-height, revealing her to be petite, and somewhat short.

The two Mobians had become close companions as she stayed in his dimension, but Blaze was still inwardly flustered at him entering her apartment without her knowing. How long had he been standing there?

"Get dressed; I want to show you something." His answer was vague, but there was a hint of mischief and delight in his monotone octave.

The confused she-cat frowned, but stood from her warm bed and walked to her dresser. Though she held know clue as to what his intentions were, she subsided with merely slipping a pair of baggy sweatpants over her shorts, and stepping into her furry boots.

When she turned to show she was ready, her jolted to see his ruby eyes glowing vibrantly in the dusk lighting, staring straight at her. His gaze was sharp, judging even, as his eyes roamed her features before following back up to her face.

She gulped down a blush. "Okay, ready."

The hedgehog smiled, the mysterious gleam in his eyes irked Blaze, and she had the urge to swipe at him with extended claws.

"Come on." Instead of walking out the door, or flashing the pair away as the feline expected, he strode towards her window, unlatching its lock and sliding it open as the cool wind breathed into the room's warm atmosphere.

Even more confusion bubbled up inside of her, and she swung her tail in suspense, "on the fire escape? What the heck is on the fire escape?" she complained, crossing her arms in obvious stubborn disdain.

Shadow scoffed at her reluctance, as he held out his hand toward her. "Just trust me."

Amber eyes narrowed in suspicion, but the sincerity in his eyes was no lie, and she relented and she put her bare hand in his gloved one, allowing him to lead her out into the cool breezy night.

She followed him in silence as he pulled her up several metal stairs along the rigid sides of the building, her curiosity at his unusual excited behavior peaking even more as they reached the last step and descended upon the roof of the apartment building.

Shadow halted in his trek at the center of the roof, letting Blaze's hand go and standing still in the silence of the night.

Blaze circled in her spot, looking for any sign of surprise or unusual catastrophe. In finding nothing, she stepped in front of Shadow and frowned. "Okay Shadow, what is it you're trying to show me? There's nothing here."

The ebony hedgehog cracked a rare grin, one that caught the lilac she-cat by surprise. "Do you know what the date is today?"

"July fourth…well technically the fifth now. Why?"

Shadow nodded. "In this dimension of this country, there is a celebration called Independence Day that is held on the fourth of July. Humans here have parties and send off fireworks in joy for having a free nation. I wanted to show you, they're about to begin."

Intrigued, Blaze tilted her head. "Fire…works? What are those?"

A sudden loud sizzling sound shot through the sky, followed by an ear bursting crack. The feline jolted, tail bristling body tensing as she jumped in shock.

A humored chuckle escaped Shadow's throat at the now fuzzy feline, who's tail still stretched board straight. "That is a firework."

She turned to look out at the city lights that mirrored the speckled sky of stars, just in time to witness an explosion of glistening sparkles feather out across the dark upper horizon. Though the sight was spectacular to the naïve eye, the loud crack that sounded through the night cause her to jump back and wince once again, ears pinning to her head in distress.

A solid frame moved in position behind her, holding her with firm arms to a fluffy chest. Her amber eyes remained pinched tight, and her body tensed once as another pop emanated from the azure skyline, causing her to push further into Shadow.

"Shh. Just relax and watch." His whispered words tickled her ear, and his breath was so close, it caused her to shiver despite the rather humid air. She did as instructed, and slowly let her muscles lax, peeling her lids open and steered her vision upward.

Just as a stream of smoke jetted to the sky, the rocket erupted into a circle pattern of gold and silver sparks, and Blaze's eyes widened at the sight of them falling in a breathtaking cluster of twinkling lights. She inhaled a gasp of astonishment as another one did the same nearby, only different, for this one was of deep jade and dazzling amethyst colors.

"That's…amazing!" She felt like a giddy school girl, or a young child seeing sights of the world for the first time. Colors of sparks emitting varied patterns and shapes continuously shot through the night, and she watched in growing awe.

Her hands subconsciously fell to the ones clasped around her waist, and a gentle hum of thanks left her lips as she glanced back at the closeness of Shadow's face.

Shadow smirked in smug pleasure, and happiness bubbled inside him like never before. It was a feeling that was completely foreign to him, being able to forget his past, GUN's constant plaguing of missions, Sonic's annoying arrogant antics, all for just a moment of pure bliss.

His grip on the feline tightened, as he watched her golden orbs turn back to the lit up sky, long black lashes fanning out and fluttering with each loud crack and bright fluorescent glitter.

He decided then and there, with a smile, he would much rather watch the fireworks in the reflection of her golden eyes for the rest of the night.