A/N: *looks at the amount of people who added me to their favourites because of my Kirby fanfics* *cringes*
So... anyone who knew me as DeeDoo here? No? Well, for those who didn't, I used to mainly write Kirby, a few Pokemon and Vocaloid. But then after that... after a long break from writing... (and I mean months there) I came back! And reread my stories. Found them terrible! Deleted most of them. Deleted all of them eventually—except for one. That last one is Mask, a story I wrote when I was still DeeDoo, and is the only symbol left I have of my past writing. I think it's fine, so I'm leaving it the way it is...
...I still feel pretty guilty.
Hi, Bye, Do You Want to Spar?
by Bell Marilli
[Hi.]
Whenever Kirby met his mentor, Meta Knight's first word would be "Hi". You'd think someone like him would say "Hello" or "Greetings"... Well, Meta Knight didn't. He just said a simple "Hi", and Kirby would cheerfully reply back to him.
As usual, they'd meet in the yards. Sometime the courtyards. Mostly the yards, because Meta Knight preferred that big of a space. Kirby was fine with anything—his mixing swirl of emotions never had almost never once played on favouritism.
Meta Knight had a truly strange personality—Kirby could never fully grasp him. Even as an apprentice for many years, Kirby still wondered. A lot. Meta Knight never told him much, and Kirby was pretty annoyed because of that fact. So he'd pelt questions at Meta Knight, and the knight would never answer. He always kept quiet. Kirby found him a good mentor, if too quiet.
Just as mentioned above, Meta Knight was weird. When he said things, he said them with but one meaning. "Hi"—hello there. "Bye"—I'm going to defeat you! "Do you want to spar?"—he'd finally acknowledged the fact Kirby was ready for sparring and battling, and then he'd ask that.
So... the "Bye" never came after the "Do you want to spar?". When Meta Knight left, he'd leave quietly. It'd leave Kirby puzzled, once again, and making him run after his mentor, making him demand, making him curious, and Meta Knight would never answer. It was only three phrases he spoke—"Hi", "Bye", "Do you want to spar?"
Kirby felt so... so far away from his mentor, as if Meta Knight had purposely, deliberately, set up a mental barrier, halting Kirby from digging out the unwanted truth. But Kirby had promised to never leave Meta Knight, no matter what... So what was the knight so afraid of?
Why won't you trust us? Why won't you trust me?
So Kirby waited for Meta Knight to appear, once again.
In the yard, Kirby waited. Meta Knight appeared, like he always did. "Hi," he said quietly. Kirby almost didn't hear it.
"Hi, Meta Knight!" Kirby yelled excitedly. Now Kirby wanted... just to get Meta Knight to speak something else...
He'd try.
[Bye.]
It was quiet for a very long while. Kirby didn't know what had prompted the silence, but he gladly took it as he formed a plan. What to say... It would be so weird, suddenly bringing this topic out of nowhere! But Kirby wanted to know more about his mentor—was that so wrong?
"...Bye."
Too late.
Kirby plucked the sword out of the rock, inhaling it, transforming into Sword Kirby. He saw Meta Knight charging, Galaxia pointed towards him, going in for a stab—Kirby quickly blocked it, shifting his sword horizontally and allowed the tip of Galaxia to push the blade. Kirby quickly flicked his wrist, making Meta Knight skid backwards slightly. The pink puffball leapt, soaring through the air, coming down for a stab at the mask—Meta Knight deflected it. Using his feet, Kirby propelled himself towards the air, once again, jumping, then landing a few meters away from Meta knight on the grass.
He waited, but Meta Knight came again. Kirby frowned.
That wasn't good enough?
Meta Knight raised his sword, and Kirby sidestepped swiftly, thrusting his sword forward. It hit the mask, and Kirby smiled, but Meta Knight brought Galaxia down on Kirby. Gasping, Kirby managed to block the attack... after getting a cut, that is. Not the average cut, an actual, big, cut.
"Hey, this isn't fair! It's totally safe for you, you have a mask! And I've got nothing!"
Meta Knight remained silent.
This fueled Kirby's anger.
Kirby sliced at Meta Knight horizontally, and Meta Knight jumped backwards. Kirby charged a sword beam, Meta Knight mimicked him. Agitated, the fury stored within him, flowing into his blade, letting a fiery red emerge from his blade as he swung it at Meta Knight. The knight's eyes widened, and even though he retaliated with a sword beam of his own, he was blown back into a castle wall. The anger, having used up by the powerful sword beam, evaporated into the air, and Kirby gasped as he watched the smoke clear from the collision. He realised he had just attacked his mentor without mercy. He couldn't have..! Not to his mentor, at least. Meta Knight always went easy on Kirby, why couldn't he..! Kirby's cerulean eyes flashed worriedly as he ran forward, whipping around countless times, heart almost leaping out of his throat. He wanted to yell for his mentor, and he almost did.
"...D...Do..."
"Meta Knight!" Kirby flicked his gaze to the direction of the voice, and sprinted to his injured mentor. "I-I'm really sorry, I wasn't thinking straight," Kirby apologised. "I'm not sure how that red beam came to be..!"
Meta Knight nodded, coughing as he leaned against the broken castle wall. His golden eyes were staring slightly ahead of him, and Kirby feared the next line. He hoped it wasn't going to come.
[Do you want to spar?]
It came.
Whether Kirby wished for it or not, it came.
"Do you want to spar?"
Kirby inwardly cringed. His prayers went unanswered. No, it went answered; but a twisted version of his wish to throw back in his face, that kind of answer. His eyes moodily locked onto the ground, lips trembling. He wanted to say his usual reply, he desperately wanted to, but he also wanted to say no, to say he wanted to actually bond with Meta Knight... acquaintance, friend, or not. He could feel Meta Knight staring at him, and he didn't exactly like it. Kirby was also aware he was stalling time, and that he needed to come up with a very good idea fast.
"N...No, I don't want to."
Surprised, Meta Knight stared at Kirby. After a long moment, that Kirby felt like years, he finally spoke. "...Then what?"
Finally! Something else! Some other word he heard! "I—I want to know more about you in general," Kirby said cheerfully. "You're my mentor and I hardly know anything about you! It's kind of creepy, in a way, but... I really want to know—so, please?"
The knight fell silent. Kirby smiled at him. "Kirby... you must know, that as a star warrior, I must pass down my skills to my apprentice. We will have to work very hard to do so. You are a strong warrior, Kirby, and I am very proud. But there is so much more to achieve... do you understand this, Kirby? If a new enemy arises, you must take him out, I cannot be with you."
"Ah." Kirby sounded annoyed. Meta Knight was slightly surprised. "So, kindly enlighten me on why you can't be with me if 'a new enemy arises'? You're capable of fighting me, you're capable of fighting whatever comes."
"But I'll be older—I have to do my best to pass down my skills first! Don't you understand?"
"No, I don't, not really," Kirby replied. "I can tell you that safely. What are you so afraid of? Falling to the enemy? ...Meta Knight, can I tell you a story? A story that you've never heard before?"
Meta Knight nodded. "...Go on."
"There was once a young puffball, a fated, strong star warrior. He brought down the universe's—and more—greatest enemy of all—Nightmare. Nightmare has faded into history, never to be seen again," Kirby said slowly. "But, even while the puffball knew Nightmare was down, he still had one last wish."
Meta Knight looked at Kirby oddly. He was telling a story of himself. He had one last wish? What was that?"
"My last warrior's wish was to die fighting."
"What?" Meta Knight was astounded.
"If I die, I want to die saving the world," Kirby declared. "I will not let myself fall. It's what I want to do. Somewhere along the days, there will be one day where I will have to sacrifice my life, eventually. And I will do that gladly, fulfilling my last wish.
"So what's your wish, then?"
Meta Knight paused, his golden eyes flicking to Kirby briefly, before looking at his hands. He'd been fighting since the day he was born.
Fighting the everlasting nightmare no one could take out...
"He's been born into a world of chaos," a male voice said, sympathetically. "All I do is... pity him... It is all I can do. He will not survive much longer, my dearest wife. He will be hunted down by Nigh—"
"No! Don't you say that," a female voice cut the first voice off angrily. "This is my dear son, and he will not fall into the clutches of the enemy! He will be strong! He will be strong! For the world needs him to carry on existing—he must be the chosen one, the one who saves all! Even if he is not, then he will assist that one who saves the universe—he will not die, do you hear me?"
"What's the chances, my wife? The chances of survival are very low... What do you possibly think can happen? That he will magically survive? No—they will kill all babies, especially males! Because of that damned prophecy... the one that will take my son away! It hurts me as much as you... But we cannot fight it, my wife, don't you see?"
"I don't see." The feminine voice was suddenly calmed, smooth. "He will survive. I know he will. But enough of this nonsense. We must give our child a name to go by as the years past, if he lives or not."
The first voice was quiet for a while. "You decide, my dearest wife. For you love him more than I do."
The feminine voice laughed. "Thank you. I wish to call him Meta. Meta..."
"Meta..?" the first voice repeated.
"Meta," the feminine voice said to the baby, "I want you... to fight forever."
Fight forever...
Words echoed in Meta Knight's mind. Fight forever. Die fighting. Fight forever. Die fighting.
...What am I so afraid of? Dying?
Meta Knight shook his head. I am a poor son. I have not fulfilled my mother's wish... I have not looked forward to it.
"I want to die fighting, as well," Meta Knight decided, looking at Kirby and nodding. "Thank you. You helped me remember my mother's wish. I owe it all to you. Now I can die knowing I have fulfilled my mother's wish—to fight for justice for forever."
"It's okay!" Kirby laughed. "I only wanted to be friends, that's all!"
Friends..?
"Friends..." Meta Knight repeated aloud, staring at Kirby weirdly. "No, that wouldn't work. I'm your mentor."
"But you can be my friend, too! Don't you see? My mentor, my friend—they're almost the same," Kirby explained, smiling widely. "Even if you're an uptight, silent mentor, you're still my mentor! And you have to teach me well! Do you want a silent apprentice?"
"No, I suppose not."
"See then? Can we be friends now?"
Meta Knight hesitated. "...Fine."
And Kirby heard less of those three phrases from then.
A/N: Agh, that was a horrid plot... Far worse than Mask, I think...
It's so cliche! And talk about... Well, I didn't want to insert his short past, but I did! Oh well, consider that an extra tidbit from me, then.