A/N: I don't own Kirby, I really hope none of you thought I did. I did this as a fanfiction request/trade. This is my first exclusively romance-oriented fanfic. I'm more used to humor, so I hope it doesn't seem too hokey.

Spoiler Warning: Fanfic takes place after the series ends.

The Girl and the Warrior

Fumu looked on in admiration at the person she had known for what seemed like forever. The girl (or rather, the woman) remembered the days when he was just a child – someone she needed to look after, to protect, and to advise.
Those days were gone now, and every so often she regretted it. Fumu reconsidered: perhaps these days weren't completely gone; there was always the occasional word of advice or protective gesture that she would perform, but it was nothing like it had once been.
Kirby was an adult now: a grown-up warrior who knew how to fight well and how to take care of himself and live on his own. Fumu almost felt as if she wasn't needed anymore, and far worse than this were the feelings she was getting. Feelings as if she needed him more than he needed her.

King Dedede hadn't been as active lately in his attempts to defeat Kirby ever since Nightmare had been destroyed, but when he did try, every now and then, Kirby would brush off Fumu's attempts to be helpful. He would say a few reassuring words and chuckle in his adolescent-sounding voice, "Don't worry Fumu, I'll be fine. And even if I'm not, I know I'll always have you to back me up!" And then he would smile, turn around, and leave to be the hero of Pupu Village once again.
Fumu always felt that small tinge of worry that he wouldn't come back safely; which had always been her worst fear. Kirby was, and always had been, a very important part of her life. She often wondered if he was becoming more of a friend. Actually, it had become more than wondering – it had becoming a feeling that started out with a few smalls signs, but had grown into something that the intelligent young woman had become almost positive of.

She watched the pink star warrior as he ate at the family dinner table. He worked for a living now at Kawasaki's restaurant; and surprising as it seemed he made as excellent an assistant chef as he did a star warrior, and even showed Kawasaki a thing or two about cooking.

Fumu leaned her elbow against the dinner table distractedly as the members of her family left one by one, cleaning up their plates and mentioning in passing what they were off to do and what they would be doing for the rest of the night. Fumu didn't have time to pay attention to this. She was too busy wrapped in her thoughts, as she often had these past few years. Much as she hated to admit it, one of her greatest fears was giving up the opportunity to progress her relationship with Kirby past the previous bonds of loyalty, friendship, and assistance (of course, this was still something Fumu desired, but she was becoming increasingly dissatisfied with a simple relationship of friendship).

What Fumu wanted was romance. She had admitted this long ago, but had just recently come to terms with it. Kirby didn't need Fumu to call the Warp Star for him anymore – more than old enough to talk by now, he was perfectly capable of calling it on his own. Fumu felt as if she was losing him; as if every second that he grew older, he grew more independent and thus grew further away from her.

Fumu's train of thought was suddenly interrupted by the voice of the person whom her thoughts had been focused on. "Fumu?" The young woman looked up to see the round, pink warrior looking up at her from his plate; spoon resting on top of his third helping of mashed potatoes and eyes half-closed in concern for his friend. "Are you alright?" The question was innocent enough, and said in an innocent enough way, but…it touched Fumu nonetheless, especially what with the nature of the thoughts that she had been having.
She smiled in as convincing a manner as possible. "I'm perfectly fine, Kirby! Why would you ask something like that?" Laughing lightly, she cleared her dinner plates and set them in the sink, trying to keep up her pretense of a good mood by smiling back at the warrior.

Kirby seemed unconvinced. He tightened his grip on the spoon, gaze turned downwards to his plate. "I only asked because I was concerned about you, poyo. Fumu, seeing as how you're my friend and all… you can confide in me more often, you know." He looked upwards to see her reaction.
Fumu wasn't sure how to respond at first, but she found herself moving closer to Kirby against her will. She sat down next to him and sighed, her face beginning to show the slightest hint of a red hue. "It's…it's nothing, Kirby. If I told you what I was feeling right now, it'd sound selfish and ridiculous." She forced another tight-lipped smile onto her face and raised her head. "And I don't want to compromise anything between the two of us."

Kirby frowned, unusually ignoring his plate of food and pushing it aside in his desire to find out what was ailing his friend. He listened carefully to her words as she spoke, a look of mixed confusion, worry, and recognition becoming evident on his face. His tone, once he spoke, was hesitant but steady. "'Between the….two of us?' Fumu, we can accept each other for anything! Or, when you say that, do you mean…" He stopped midsentence, looking away in embarrassment. No, he was probably getting his hopes up. To think that the intelligent, well-mannered, kind-hearted, and sometimes shrewd young woman that now sat before him would be interested in a pink marshmallow like himself was unthinkable. "Never mind, poyo," he muttered quietly and hastily. "I didn't mean to say it like that…"
Fumu looked at Kirby in shock and surprise, and just a small amount of self consciousness. She had heard the uneasiness in his tone: the doubt, and the anxiousness. Was it possible that he was…? No, he couldn't be. But then again…
The girl swallowed hard and put a hand on her friend's head. She had for many months tried to work up the courage to tell her long-time acquaintance her true feelings for him; and now, after much internal conflict; decided that it was time to open up.

As it stood, Kirby was a nice person. He always had been. He had always shown everyone love – even the people who had seemed to show hatred or malice towards him. Kirby unconditionally cared about everyone, and perhaps that is what so attracted Fumu to him. Even if he didn't love her the way she loved him, she knew, the rejection would be made as pleasant as possible. The warrior would make sure that there were no hard feelings between them, and that they remained friends as they had always been.

"I like you a lot, Kirby…" began Fumu, searching for the words that would be least embarrassing for her to utter. "In fact, I think I like you a little bit too much. I've thought about it for awhile, and…I think I'm really starting to, well," She bit her lip and struggled to continue. Even though she knew her friend would take anything with grace, it was perfectly normal to become nervous in a situation like this one. "-I think, over the years, I've begun to love you." She looked in embarrassment up at the ceiling, not wanting to search Kirby's eyes for his reaction.

But before she could look down again, she felt something touch her hand, and she looked down. Kirby's hand was resting on top of her own. In surprise, she looked up into his eyes, her heart beating faster than she had ever felt it beat before. Kirby's eyes seemed to be swimming with tears, but they were smiling…Fumu didn't know how to think of it any way other than that – a small smile crept across Kirby's face to match the smile in his eyes. "You were worried…about that? " Kirby couldn't believe the words that he had just heard. He had waited a long time to hear them; perhaps even longer than he had at first imagined. "Fumu, I can't believe you were so nervous! I care about you more than anyone else in the world! You've always been there form me, and that's not something that I've forgotten or ever will, no matter how many monsters I go out and fight! And...Fumu...You know I love you too, poyo!"

Fumu smiled almost immediately, wrapping her arms tightly around the pink ball that had just professed his love. Maybe it wasn't so surprising after all. Kirby had always cared about her, ever since he was young. They had always shared the tightest bond of anyone else in the village: a bond of not just friendship or supernatural phenomena or loyalty, but of love as well. And to think that that love would go beyond that of just a normal friendship?

Well, neither of them objected to that in the least.

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A/N: Well, that's it. Thank you for all those who took the time to read and/or review.