Music
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters in this story.
Character(s): Shadow
Patience was never one of Shadow's strong suits; he can only handle so much exposure to whatever disrupts his peace before his tolerance threshold shatters, and his irritation makes itself known – often in quite a violent and aggressive manner. At which point, he will not hesitate to discard the nuisance at all costs, whether it be an object or a person. It doesn't help much that the black hedgehog's list for what he considered a "nuisance" was rather lengthy.
Surprisingly, Christmas would not be included in such a list, for he doesn't mind the holiday, and actually enjoys it for what it is. Of course, he thought its premise and festivities to be utterly pointless, but most – if not all – holidays are quite trivial in their own regards.
Still, there was something – a certain spark or atmosphere – that, as if by whim, made the holiday bearable for him. Even enjoyable.
And it's not like he actually partakes in the various activities encouraged (such as shopping, decorating, or anything of the sort). Barring the times he's been persuaded (read: forced by a blackmailing bat) to help Rouge with her holiday errands, or convinced to attend the party Faker and his friends set up, Shadow doesn't really subscribe to the whole "Christmas Spirit" thing on his own accord.
Taking all that into account, it's odd that he favors Christmas over the other holidays, though this preference probably did evolve from his time spent with Maria; to her, it was no contest on what the best holiday was, and he too acquired this notion. It was hard not to, for – even though she couldn't truly experience all that was Christmas – she celebrated the occasion for days on end, with the utmost enthusiasm. Out of every inhabitant aboard the ARK, Maria would always be the one to spread around the Christmas cheer, baking sweets almost every day, decorating an artificial tree designed by her grandfather with home-made ornaments and multi-colored lights, and giving heartfelt presents to all.
However, she sang a lot more than all those combined; it was due to her constant humming and whistling that Shadow now knew – off the top of his head – the lyrics to almost every Christmas song on the planet. Not that he minded; the songs grow on you, and he was fond of most of what she sang in her angelic voice.
Eventually, he began to sing along, and their duets would endlessly echo throughout the ARK, lightening up the empty and desolate environment, brightening up everyone's moods in turn. Maria welcomed the change with open arms; she had always said that no one seemed to experience genuine happiness upon the ARK, that they never experienced a true contentment befitting for the season. It was during those moments when she, herself, felt bliss unlike any other, an unbridled joy that would – for a fleeting second – fill in the small void that resulted after her departure from Earth.
Maria had always been cheerful (Shadow couldn't recall even one time when she wasn't the keen, enthusiastic girl he had come to know and love), but it was definitely uplifting to see her that lively; it triggered in him a contagious merriment that raised his spirits up to the point where he felt he could do anything.
And that's a sensation no other holiday can quite match up to, and is probably why Shadow still has a soft spot for all the cheesy songs relentlessly played literally everywhere. As long as Vector's not the singer, that is. Shadow felt that being subjected to his torturous voice screaming into a karaoke machine once was enough for a lifetime. Seriously, who ever told him he could sing?!
Smokestep: I personally prefer Snow to this chapter; regardless, I hope Music was an enjoyable read. If it was (or wasn't), I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me why in a review. And, as you can see below, I'll be responding to reviews here. Anyhow, see you tomorrow for the next installment!
Responses to Reviews
Christian Ape99: Thank you, and glad you're enjoying it so far. Also, I've already written all the chapters, so I will not be using your characters; even so, I'm terrible at creating personalities from scratch, so that's probably a good thing.
ShinyShiny9: Thank you for such a thoughtful review! These are the type I always look forward to reading. And don't worry; I plan to be going all the way through to the end with this story. Anyhow, I'll keep your opinion in mind, and hopefully it will help me up the quality of the other chapters.
