"Are you nuts?!"
"Excuse me?" Star's eyes widened at Sonic's tone towards her. When she got home from a long day at the recording studio, this is not what she was expecting to be greeted with. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh don't give me that. You wrote a song about Shadow. I know you did. Everybody that was there that night knows you did."
Star frowned at him and crossed her arms. "Ok, yes, I did. So what of it?"
"So what of it?! Again, I ask, are you nuts?!" Sonic waved his arms around in disbelief. "He insulted you! He works with Eggman! He hates me! How can you possibly be in love with that guy?!"
"My heart can't control who it finds attractive, Sonic. Yes, I have a crush on him, but that's all it is. A crush. He won't talk to me. He refuses to, so I'm sure nothing is going to happen between us. My crush on him will die out. For now, it's helping me with my music, so I'll use whatever inspiration it gives me."
"... You sure it's just a crush?" Sonic had to be sure.
"Yes, Sonic. Just a crush."
"And you're sure nothing is going to happen between you two?"
"Not as long as he continues to ignore me."
Sonic waited for a moment, searching his sister's eyes for the lie. It was a thing they had as twins. They could tell when the other was lying to them. Sonic at last sighed and nodded. "Ok. I believe you. I'm sorry I yelled at you."
Star smiled and gently pulled him into a hug. "It's ok. I appreciate you looking out for me."
"Heh, I may have been born second but I'm still your brother, so I gotta protect you."
"I know." Star chuckled, playfully ruffling his quills. "Ok, I gotta go now. I promised some kids that I would perform at their children's church tomorrow, so I gotta prepare."
"Ok, sis." Sonic chuckled. "I'm sure they'll love to hear you sing for them."
Star nodded and rushed upstairs to her room to prepare her Christian songs, unaware of the events that were going to happen the next day.
Fate had a plan.
…
The next day, early in the morning at the Dark House, Shadow had been sitting at the computer for the past hour, listening to Star's new song about him over and over again as he was doing some research on her at the same time.
There was not much he was able to pull up about her, just that she was a successful singer/songwriter, that she had come from Mobias, and that she was the twin sister of Sonic the Hedgehog. Nothing that he didn't already know about her.
"Guess she doesn't really like to talk about her upbringing." Shadow hummed softly to himself.
"Stalker, much?"
Shadow jumped a bit and turned to glare behind him at Rouge, who was standing in the doorway smirking at him with a knowing look. "I'm not stalking, just researching."
"Yeah, that's stalking, honey." The bat laughed as she approached him. "Why don't you just ask her out and get it over with already?"
"I'm not doing this to ask her out. I'm not planning to ask her out. I'm doing this because it's very strange for her to just appear out of nowhere, and have no background check on her, and for her to suddenly have a crush on me when she doesn't even know me, and plus I insulted her."
"You know how she is about words. They just slide off her back. She wasn't offended by what you said at all."
"And that's suspicious to me."
Rouge sighed and shook her head as she watched her partner go back to his research, playing the song over again. "Ok then, so what's with playing the song over and over then? Trying to find an encrypted message in it?"
"Kinda. I'm still trying to wrap my head around how it's about me."
"She likes you, Shadow. She finds you attractive. What's to wrap your head around?"
"That! Just that right there." Shadow frowned at her. "Why does she like me? Why did she choose me?"
Rouge frowned at him, feeling a little frustrated. "That's not how the heart works, Shadow. She didn't just choose you." She sighed. "Look, if you're really that curious of why she 'chose' you, then just ask her out. Get to know her and have her tell you herself. Cause you're not going to get any answers like this." And with that, she walked away.
Shadow frowned as he watched her go before looking back at the computer. Was he really that curious enough to ask the female Faker out? It could just be a hangout thing. Not like a date or anything. Boys and girls could do that, right? He did it with Rouge all the time, why should this be any different?
He sighed and shut the computer down, standing up from the chair and grabbing his house keys as he left through the front door.
…
Shadow walked through the streets of the city, being nonchalant as ever. He didn't want people to figure out what he was really trying to do as he was very embarrassed about it, but Rouge was right. He wasn't going to get any answers by staring at a screen. He needed to go directly to the source of the information. As he came up to the children's church, he froze.
There she was, Star the Hedgehog, standing in front of the doors with a smile on her face as she chatted with some of the parents who were dropping their kids off.
She had actually decided to dress up this time. She was wearing a modest dress that slightly went past her knees. The top of the dress was completely black, the skirt being pink and covered with black butterflies. She was wearing a white headband, and she had neutral colored makeup on. Her headphones were gone, but ever present was the same purple crucifix upon her chest. Seems that she never takes it off.
He didn't want to admit it, but she actually looked… beautiful. You know, for someone who looks exactly like the Faker. She was carrying a black guitar case in her hand, so Shadow could only assume that she was here to perform for the kids.
Finally, the parents left and Star was alone. Shadow took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, let it out, then approached her. "Star."
Star, who was just reaching for the door, jumped and pulled back a bit from the call of her name coming from such a gruff voice. She looked over to the source, and she was surprised to see none other but Shadow the Hedgehog coming towards her. "Shadow? What are you doing here?"
"I…" His words got caught in his throat. What could he possibly say in this situation? "... I heard your latest song."
Star blushed a bit and looked down, her ears lowering a bit. "Oh… let me guess… you figured it out that it was about you and now you want me to either take it down and delete it, or you want half of the profit it makes."
Shadow frowned. "What? No. I mean, yeah I figured out it was about me but… I don't think it's a bad song. And I don't care about how much money it makes."
Star sighed. "That's a relief."
"... Has… has that happened to you before?"
"Yeah. When I was making my own music on Mobias and putting out what little copies and demos I could, I had a few exes come towards me about the songs when they found out it was about them."
"And they either told you to delete the song or pay them royalties. Jackasses." Shadow was shocked at his own growl. Why should he care about how the men on Mobias treated her?
"It's alright." Star shrugged with a small smile. "A few legal contracts here and there and any exes or boyfriends I have can't demand of anything as long as the songs stay anonymous."
"Tch, your last song wasn't very anonymous." Shadow smirked. "Sure, you may have changed the color of my eyes, said I was wearing a white shirt, and that your ex beat me up instead of your brother, but it was very clear it was about me."
"Very clear to those who were there." Star smirked back. "Believe it or not, Shadow, you're not the first person I spilled a stainable drink on, and I did have an ex fight for me once. So yes, I admit, I am clumsy sometimes."
"Touche."
The two laughed a bit before suddenly, the doors to the children's church opened and the youth pastor stepped out. "Star, there you are. Come on. Everybody's waiting."
"Oh, I do apologize, pastor." Star bowed her head to him. "I'm coming in right this second now."
The pastor nodded, then frowned at Shadow. "What is he doing here?"
"Oh… uh… he…" Star struggled to find the right words. What exactly was he doing here if not to ask her for royalties?
"I've seen the lighted path of redemption, a path towards God in his great Kingdom." Shadow suddenly spoke up, causing both Star and the pastor to widen their eyes. "I'm here with Star as a volunteer to perform for the kids. I will be playing the guitar while she sings." 'Why did I do that?!' He wondered.
"Uh, yep. That's right." Star smiled nervously, not really sure what else to say at this point. She didn't want to expose Shadow for lying to a pastor, especially since she herself had to wonder why he had done so in the first place.
The youth pastor huffed a bit. "Fine, I suppose I can allow it. But you…" He pointed at the black and red hedgehog. "I'm keeping my eye on you."
"I wouldn't expect anything less." Shadow nodded before all three of them entered the church.
The pastor silently led the two hedgehogs down the hall to a small room with a stage before turning to them. "You two can set up in here and get ready while I go get the kids. I'll see you in about five minutes."
"Of course, pastor." Star nodded to him Once he was gone, she turned to Shadow. "Why did you do that?"
"Honestly, I have no idea." Shadow shook his head. "It was just the first thing that came to my head."
"Do you even know how to play the guitar?"
"Of course I do. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't. Just tell me what songs we're playing."
Star gave him a suspicious glare for a bit before answering. "The Lion and The Lamb and I Will Trust In You. I have sheet music in the case if you don't know what that is. Can you read sheet music?"
"If I can play the guitar then I'm pretty sure I can read sheet music." Shadow rolled his eyes. "Just give me a moment to set up and tune this guitar." And with that, Shadow took the guitar case from Star's hand and went to the stage to set up.
Star sighed and shook her head, gripping her necklace for a moment, "Lord forgive my sins, and please let this go well." then went up to the stage to check the microphone.
A few minutes afterwards, Shadow and Star were ready to perform, and they watched as a small herd of children entered the room, along with the youth pastor. They all took their seats and stared up at the hedgehogs in curiosity.
"Hello, children." Star smiled to them. "I'm Star, and this is my… my helper, Shadow. Today, we're gonna be playing two very great songs talking about God and his Son. How many of you have heard of these two wonderful people?" She chuckles as every child raised their hand. "That's good. I know who lives above who will be very happy to know that. Now, are we ready to hear some music?"
"Yeah!" The children shouted, getting excited now.
"Ok then. Our first song is about Jesus, you all know him right? It's called The Lion and The Lamb. Shadow? Mind starting us off?"
Shadow nodded, looked at the sheet music on the stand, looked down at the guitar in his hands… then started to play. Star was shocked by how well he played the instrument, never missing a beat, and performing the melody of the song perfectly. It was so good, she almost forgot to start singing until the red eyes looked up at her, as if to cue her in.
"Ooooh. He's coming on the clouds. Kings and kingdoms will bow down. And every chain will break. As broken hearts declare His praise. For who can stop the Lord Almighty? Our God is the Lion. The Lion of Judah. He's roaring with power. And fighting our battles. And every knee will bow before Him. Our God is the Lamb. The Lamb that was slain. For the sins of the world. His blood breaks the chains. Every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb. Every knee will bow before Him. Ooooh."
As Shadow played the little instrumental he watched Star gently sway to the music, bobbing her head a bit. He was a little mesmerized by her soft voice and her smooth dancing. As she started up the next verse, he couldn't help himself as he started singing along a little bit, shocking the light blue hedgehog, and shocking himself.
"So, open up the gates. Make way before the King of Kings. Our God who comes to save. Is here to set the captives free. For who can stop the Lord Almighty? Our God is the Lion. The Lion of Judah. He's roaring with power. And fighting our battles. And every knee will bow before Him. Our God is the Lamb. The Lamb that was slain. For the sins of the world. His blood breaks the chains. And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb. Every knee will bow before Him."
Shadow then slowed down the strumming on the guitar, watching Star with a small smile as he let her take the lead again.
"Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Who can stop the Lord Almighty? No one. Who can stop the Lord Almighty?"
"Come on kids." Shadow suddenly encouraged the little ones who were watching them with awe as he started picking up the pace on the instrument in his hands. Star smiled back at him as they both continued to sing, the kids joining in now.
"Who can stop the Lord Almighty? Who can stop the Lord Almighty?"
"No one."
"Who can stop the Lord Almighty?"
"No one."
"Who can stop the Lord?"
"Our God is the Lion. The Lion of Judah."
"He's roaring with power. And fighting our battles. Every knee will bow before Him. Our God is the Lamb. The Lamb that was slain. For the sins of the world. His blood breaks the chains. And every knee will bow before the Lion and the Lamb. Every knee will bow before Him. Ooooh."
"The Lion and the Lamb."
"Ooooh."
"Yay!" The children cried excitedly as Shadow played the last note and the two hedgehogs took a small bow.
"Did you kids like that?" Star laughed, joy filling her heart as the kids cried back in approval. "Well I'm very glad to hear that. Shadow and I have one more song to play for you, then we're gonna let your youth pastor take you back to class to finish your lessons. I hope you know this one. It's I Will Trust In You. Take it away, Shadow."
Shadow nodded and started playing the next song, his eyes barely glancing at the sheet music as he played. He noticed that this one was a little slower than the last song.
"Letting go of every single dream. I lay each one down at Your feet. Every moment of my wandering. Never changes what You see. I've tried to win this war, I confess. My hands are weary, I need Your rest. Mighty warrior, King of the fight. No matter what I face, You're by my side. When You don't move the mountains. I'm needing You to move. When You don't part the waters. I wish I could walk through. When You don't give the answers. As I cry out to You.
I will trust, I will trust. I will trust in You. I will trust in You."
As the pace of the music picked up a bit, Shadow listened a little closer to the lyrics. He frowned a bit, almost noticing a crack in Star's voice. He glanced up at her, continuing to play the guitar, and noticed that her eyes were closed as she sang. She doesn't usually do that, does she?
"Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings. There's not a day ahead You have not seen. So in all things be my life and breath. I want what You want, Lord, and nothing less."
Again, Shadow was drawn to sing with her, as he was getting the sense that he could actually relate this song. Some things in life didn't make sense, and they seemed unfair. He could definitely relate after the events 50 years ago. He didn't know anything about God, but apparently He was responsible for all things in life. Some big plan. Was Maria's death really part of it?
"When You don't move the mountains. I'm needing You to move. When You don't part the waters. I wish I could walk through. When You don't give the answers. As I cry out to You. I will trust, I will trust. I will trust in You."
"I will trust in You." Star suddenly opened her eyes and looked up to the ceiling, as if she was trying to look through to the heavens. Shadow noticed that her eyes were a little red as it seemed like she was trying to hold back tears… he didn't like the look of it. He felt this odd sensation that he really didn't want to see her cry. Did he… care about her feelings? No, that couldn't be it. Maybe it was just seeing a woman cry. He never liked seeing a woman cry, ever since he witnessed Maria cry for the first time. It always broke his heart. "You are my strength and comfort. You are my steady hand. You are my firm foundation. The rock on which I stand. Your ways are always higher. Your plans are always good. There's not a place where I'll go. You've not already stood."
"When You don't move the mountains. I'm needing You to move. When You don't part the waters. I wish I could walk through. When You don't give the answers. As I cry out to You. I will trust, I will trust. I will trust in You. I will trust in You."
"I will trust in You."