A Shooting Star ~Kirby and Sonic crossover~

Chapter 36: Streak

"Hey! Let us in! We want to see, too!" That was Tuff, yelling at the top of his lungs as he screamed at the three mobians sheltering inside Sonic's bedroom. He banged loudly on the door, causing Tails to flinch and flatten his ears. "What does it say, Sonic?"

"Kid, give it a rest. They won't answer," Dedede coaxed from the other side. The sound of stuttering lips became the only one in the silence.

Tails sighed with relief. Perhaps the king of Dreamland had convinced Tuff?

When Tails arrived to Sonic's house after Shadow's sudden, vague call, he'd seen the two Dreamlanders begging Sonic and Shadow to show them the file that had been sent to them. Tails currently knew nothing on the matter, but after seeing Sonic's terrified look, he couldn't help but be curious. He didn't blame the two aliens for being the same.

Sonic... afraid... Tails felt an unsettling chill crawl up his spine, gnawing at his heart with cold jaws. He inhaled deeply through his nose, swallowing nervously. He isn't the type to get scared. And if he is, it's usually something big...

He glanced over to his brother. There he was, his blue quills bristling and green eyes wild with terror. His tail lashed, swiping the air lightly. A low snarl uttered from his throat, so quiet that Tails found it hard to believe he was making any sound at all.

Is this... really Sonic? The calm, yet hyperactive hedgehog was nearly trembling out of his fur beside him. There's something wrong. I don't like it.

"Plus, we can always eavesdrop, ya' know..." Dedede continued to whisper.

"We can hear you," Shadow snapped.

Tails took a small step back, sidling towards his best friend. Despite everything Shadow had done for them, Tails still found himself being intimidated by his small growls.

Shadow's muzzle curled into a cruel smirk. "And if you dare try to listen in on us... Well, I'm sure the others won't notice two idiots missing from their group now, would they?"

Tuff snorted, ignoring Shadow's warning as he continued to bang on the door. This time, he was much louder. "Dedede, can't you bust this door down? They could be conspiring against us!"

Shadow let out a long exhale. "That's it." The hedgehog disappeared from Tails' view in a flash of yellow light, causing the fox to jolt in surprise. Right. Chaos Control. The teleportation technique, which could only be used by a vessel of chaos.

The next thing he knew, he could hear the protesting grunts of Tuff echoing throughout the halls of the house. The heavy thuds of feet followed, and Tails guessed that it was Dedede tailing Shadow as the black hedgehog dragged the cappy away to parts unknown. He smiled fondly, his blue eyes glittering with amusement.

If it had been a year back, Shadow would have mercilessly torn Tuff's skin from his body. Thanks to Sonic, Shadow's changed. Even though he was still fearful of Shadow's power, he felt his tense shoulders relaxing, his hide smoothing as his hairs lessened their prickling.

Speaking of Sonic, the hedgehog finally snapped out of his frozen daze and began to log into his laptop, his fingers shaking as they trailed over the keyboard.

Click, click.

Tails watched as the hero entered the wrongs keys, causing him to restart the process of entering his account. His smile died.

"Sonic? Is everything okay?" Tails leaned over to put a hand on Sonic's quivering shoulder. He could've sworn his fur turned darker when he touched him. "You're kind of acting..." He struggled to find the right words. "...Strange."