Caliginous Incandescence

Caliginous Incandescence

She had no idea why she felt this way for him.

Him.

Of all the people on this earth, she found herself captivated by him.

She had no idea why; she had no idea how.

But somehow, she'd fallen for him.

Somehow... he'd captured her.

Maybe it was his eyes.

That was where most infatuation was said to start. Maybe it had been his eyes that had started this incomprehensible attraction she held for him.

Blaze the Cat scoffed at the thought, but she couldn't deny that whenever she looked into his eyes, she felt something.

There was just something about those intense orbs, so cold and heartless one moment, yet raging more furiously then any inferno she could ever conjure up the next, which drew her to him.

Maybe it was because at times her own eyes could be filled with that same cold indifference, only to be filled with the same fire of passion and power.

The pyrokinetic cat sighed.

"This is so ridiculous." she said.

Was it though?

Sitting on a grassy hillside, Blaze continued to ponder about this most embarrassing situation she'd found herself in.

Alright then, if it wasn't just his eyes, then maybe the attraction was more primal.

He was a very fine creature after all.

Any female from any species would be fooling themselves if they believed he was not an attractive male.

Blaze shook her head.

No, that couldn't be it. If looks were all it took for her to feel this way, she'd have fallen head over heels for Silver along time ago.

Sighing again, Blaze tucked her knees to her chest and hugged them to her body while her yellow eyes observed a pair of butterflies fluttering before her with mild interest.

What was the reason behind these feelings?

Just why did she feel this way?

They'd only intermingled a very few amount of times since that whole business with Nega and his ridiculous card scheme idea after Silver and Sonic and he, had rescued her and several others from his grasp.

But Blaze was certain she'd not left such a great impression on him as he had her.

"Just what is going?" she said aloud.

There was a footstep behind her.

Reacting instantly, and cursing herself for allowing her thoughts of him to blind her of her surroundings, Blaze was up on her feet in seconds and had already turned around; her hands wreathed in intense red flames, as should stood face to face her would-be assailant.

Her breath almost caught in her throat as she realized who she was facing.

The very person of her thoughts.

The one who had so easily, and worse, unknowingly, tampered with her feelings:

Shadow the Hedgehog.

His pitch-black fur and red highlights seeming to glow eerily from the shining sun in the sky, if Blaze wasn't so focused on a possible attack she was sure she would've been blushing at this very moment.

The hedgehog had brought his arm up, dropping into a crouching fighting stance in preparation to ward off a possible attack.

Blaze stared into his eyes, and a chill went up her spine.

Shadow's eyes were utterly cold, no, cold just wasn't enough to describe his emotionless gaze.

His eyes were dead. There was no anger. No despite. They were just dead.

Dead with an indifference that shocked Blaze to her very core.

If she had attacked, she would have died.

Painfully.

But quite suddenly there was life in his eyes and he easily slid out of his fighting stance to stare at Blaze impassively.

A few, painfully uncomfortable seconds went by and then Shadow finally spoke.

"I'm not a threat unless you want me to be cat. Please feel free to "flame off"."

Blaze stared at the hedgehog hostilely a second longer before she sighed and eased out of her own fighting stance; the flames along her hands winking out in an instant.

She gave the hedgehog a cold stare. "You should try announcing your presence Shadow the Hedgehog. I don't like to be snuck up on."

He gave her the tiniest of shrugs as he crossed his arms. "Not my problem you're too preoccupied with your thoughts rather then your environment. Danger strikes at any moment. Just be grateful you're not annoying enough for me to consider you an enemy."

Ignoring his lecture, mostly because most f what he said was true, Blaze quickly changed the subject.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not hiding her annoyance at being lectured.

Instead of answering her question, Shadow began to walk forward and Blaze fought against the impulse to get back into fighting stance, but could not stop her fist from clenching as the hedgehog closed the distance between them in a couple of strides and walked on past her.

Blaze turned around to find Shadow's back to her.

She felt like leaving right then and there but a thought kept her where she was.

He was here. Right here in front of her. She could at least find out if all this time she's spent thinking about him has been a total waste of her time.

"Well are you going to at least answer my question?" she asked when it seemed as though the hedgehog had ignored her.

Shadow looked back at her with an irritated gaze.

"I wasn't. But if you're going to bug me about it I come here to be alone. This place seems to be the only refuge I have where I can escape the constant stupidity of the hedgehog and his friends."

Blaze scoffed. "Well at least you're honest."

"I always am. You people always seem surprised."

"Well someone with a personality like yours wouldn't exactly have everyone think you're some shining beacon of truth."

It was Shadow's turn to scoff and then he turned his head back around to face her.

"Since you've asked your question, I'm asking mine, why exactly have you 'graced' me with your presence?"

Not exactly liking his disdainful emphasis on "graced" but deciding to let it go, Blaze answered him. "Well… like you, I figure this is a good place to just sit and think."

Shadow nodded looked away again to stare up at the clouds.

"You may continue to do so if my presence doesn't disturb you or until yours disturbs mine."

Taking that for the invitation for company that it was, Blaze nodded and walked right next to Shadow and sat down on the hillside to join him in staring at sky.

A few minutes passed and not a word was spoken.

Several times Blaze tried to speak and begin some form of conversation but the words just wouldn't come out.

Just great.

He was standing right next to her and yet here she was, unable to bring herself to speak.

Surprisingly however, she soon found she didn't have to be the one to initiate a conversation.

Shadow looked down at her with a curious eye and asked, "Not that it's any of my business but what did you come here to think about?"

Blaze tried hiding her amazement by pretending as though she hadn't heard.

"W-What?"

"Don't toy with me cat. You heard me." He said, and he was actually smirking.

Good. He was at least talking to her.

But he'd just so happen to ask a question she really did not want to answer, so she tried to go around it.

"Well what are you thinking about Shadow the hedgehog?"

Shadow looked momentarily irritated by her ignoring of his question before he merely shook his head.

"If you must know, Blaze the Cat, I find myself thinking about you."

Blaze's eyes widened and she looked up to Shadow with her mouth gaping open.

He didn't… no he couldn't have just said that…

"What did you say?" she whispered, her voice constricted by her disbelief.

Shadow sounded entirely nonchalant as he replied, "I said I was thinking about you Blaze. I have been for quite some time."

Blaze couldn't bring herself to respond.

Her senses had returned to her enough for her to lightly gasp when Shadow knelt down to stare deep into her eyes, and within them she could see that ruby-red fire, what had infatuated her with him in the first place burning intensely.

"I don't know what it is about you… but… I find myself drawn towards you." he said, with an emotion Blaze just couldn't decipher. Whatever it was, it sounded genuine and wanting.

"I don't know how this must sound coming from me but…"

He suddenly stopped and shook his head.

"Tch, what's wrong with me...? I should leave."

With that, he got up and turned his back on her, but before he could walk away, Blaze quickly grabbed the hedgehog by his wrist.

"Wait!" said Blaze.

Shadow froze in place but didn't look back at her.

Blaze knew at that moment that if she was looking to take advantage of that one, opportune moment…

Right here, right now… she was sure this was all she would ever get.

Still holding Shadow's hand, Blaze rose to her feet.

"Shadow… I… I feel the same way…"

Slowly Shadow turned to face her.

What was on his face wasn't pure disbelief, but it was certainly close.

"What did you say?" he asked.

Blaze paused for a moment, trying to fight the blush that was slowly spreading on her cheeks.

Still, she managed to regain her nerve.

"I feel the same way about you Shadow…"

There it was. She said it.

Shadow stared at her intently and Blaze met his gaze for several seconds before looking away, unable able to bear the full weight of his gaze.

"I'm sorry Shadow… I didn't—"

Whatever she had been about to say, she honestly didn't know herself, Shadow didn't give her a chance to finish.

With his finger under her chin, Shadow slowly tilted Blaze's head up so she could look him in his eyes again.

He was smirking.

"Hmph, from what I've seen you normally aren't this shy."

Blaze actually looked embarrassed. "I'm not…you tend to have this effect on me…"

His face moved closer to hers.

"Really?"

Blaze's heart pounded in her chest as she answered.

"Yeah."

Shadow closed the distance between their faces completely.

Their lips touched.

Blaze's mind hazed.

At first she was too shocked to respond to this astounding gesture by the enigmatic hedgehog, but it didn't take her long.

She leaned into Shadow as she eagerly returned the kiss, gently caressing her lips across his own and savoring the spicy, lingering taste of his mouth.

It was only then she realized how long she'd wanted this.

Wanted him and her like this.

This one simple thing.

And just maybe… she wanted more…

Abruptly Shadow ceased their kiss and smirked, staring into her eyes.

And this time, Blaze didn't hesitate to meet them and she gave the hedgehog a smile of her very own.

"How often do you come here?" he asked.

"Everyday…" Blaze replied, her mind still misty from their kiss, and utterly unable to keep herself from leaning very close to Shadow's mouth for a possible second one.

Shadow chuckled.

"Good. I'll be waiting."

And just like that he was gone, disappearing in a flash of green light.

For a moment, Blaze just stood there, deep down lamenting his sudden departure.

But suddenly she rubbed her lips together, and found she was still was able to get a faint hint of his fiery taste.

Blaze smiled.

"I also don't like to be threatened with a good time Shadow the Hedgehog…"