Yeah, and so I've been dead here, but I'm working on my stuff, promise!

Falco: Yeah! Patience is a virtue! Especially here!

But since I wrote this and love it so much, I decided to post it here too! Meaning I posted it on deviantArt beforehand. I have nothing to say about that.

Falco: RF doesn't own any of us or Super Smash Brothers Brawl; we and it are owned by our respective companies. She does own this fanfic, however.

Things are a little dark in the beginning and near the end; the topic is depression. But I'm sure everyone who reads it is mature enough to understand.

Now, away oneshot!

Rush…it was nothing more than a rush. Colors blurred and became one, things didn't make sense, or else have any sense to make, and life as he knew it vanished into a spiral that seemed to destroy all that stumbled into it.

And yet he knew how and why he had fallen into it, as he brought the silver edge closer to his throat. How many times had he settled it there? How many times had he threatened to bring it full circle, yet fell back due to cowardice?

Or was there something else hidden deep inside…?

Closer and closer to skin; soon blood seeped from a thin line. It trickled down his neck, past his shoulder, and onto his back, where it vanished into the depths of the cloth that covered his body. The silver never left the pale white, almost whiter than the shade of a ghost.

He never cried, he never yelled out. He never planned to let them know how this was happening, and why. How he had taken a final chance for redemption, lost it all, and was thrown into the dust to fade.

Meta Knight shouldn't have been the one; he was newer, he did not know this lost soul like the other veterans did.

But he was the one who still looked at the old photo album of Melee, and the current album of Brawl, and noticed. Did the others care? Were they too oblivious? Or perhaps it was the similarities between the two of them cropping into his mind and turning him in this direction? Maybe it was something even bigger than that?

The Dreamlandian knew, however, that he was the only one who noticed that there was a collar this time around. It appeared alongside him in Brawl, not in Melee.

Yet, it was several months into Brawl…why did he notice the collar's fullness now? Was it the way it was drawn up; as if trying to hide a secret? Was it just that he was finally looking at the two different pictures and putting two and two together? Was it a change, like every other veteran mentioned needing?

What story did the collar tell?

The kids adored him; he had seen from the albums that that had never changed. They flocked to him; throwing their arms around his neck and laughing. He would always laugh with them, smile alongside them…

But there was always still that flash of pain before every smile…that wince of sorrow before each laugh. The children, although smashers and teenagers, were still too young to fully understand. Unless they were hiding it, Meta Knight felt that he was the only person who noticed that there was something more amiss towards the veteran swordfighter with the stunning blue hair and eyes.

The albums were located on the floor; Meta Knight, despite his tough appearance, was laying stomach first; his yellow eyes glancing at the two group photos. There was one without the collar…one with it. His sword was detached and lying at his side; he was not expecting an intruding smasher to interrupt his thoughts.

"Pictures!" Nana was the first to notice the books. Toon Link huffed and Popo flinched. Ness and the female Ice Climber led Lucas and Marth to where Meta and the books were. "I remember when we took these!"

"Is that you guys in Melee?" Lucas pointed to the Melee book, where everyone in the photo was laughing at some joke behind the camera. "What was it like?"

"It was fun!" Nana insisted, sitting on the floor and turning the pages. She was in almost every picture. "I love the camera."

"Pictures are boring!" Toon Link shouted. "I want to do something fun! Let's play something!" He vanished in the blink of an eye.

Meta Knight watched as Popo and Ness charged after the younger Link. He saw Nana and Lucas grab the Melee photo album and vanish off. It was only he and Marth, both looking at the just barely started Brawl photo album. The group pictures, and the collar…

"The more popular you are, the less time you should spend in front of a camera," The taller swordfighter insisted, sitting down and looking at the pictures.

Meta Knight glanced back at the photos. "I agree with you there." The picture they looked at had to have been taken only two weeks ago; smiles were flashed, laughter was evident, and eyes were alight with fun. Now he looked up to the veteran; his smile was sincere, but his eyes were sad. "The collar?"

Marth already had the answer ready. "A needed change, Meta Knight. That's all."

The Dreamlandian blinked. "Something we all need once in a while."

The collar haunted his thoughts.

Meta Knight found himself pacing his dorm; why was something so small bothering him so much? Marth himself insisted that it was nothing more than a change. The smile was sincere.

But the eyes…

Meta Knight believed the eyes reflected the soul. Even though masked, he knew Kirby and DeDeDe both knew of his emotions and troubles. He had wondered if anyone else was willing to overlook the mask and use their eyes; it was not that hard to see his fears and joys.

The kids flocked towards him, and the smaller ones looked up to him. Height did not prove superiority. Innocent laughter, days of sunshine and games, a roll model, a savior; Meta could see all those even without his eyes. Even he had respect for this wiser sage, and wished to search for a way to become friends.

But there were flashes of pain, cold, sad eyes, and the collar that seemed to bother him. It was almost as if that dratted collar was a mask itself, hiding away something the veteran fighter did not want others to know. A sad tale of desperation; many, many struggles, and the hope that things would turn out alright, only to find out that the ground had crumbled beneath you and destroyed your world.

He looked back to the Brawl photo album, searching the three pages already filled with pictures. The collar had always been there; it was a part of his new design. Perhaps he was being careless with his eyes, and it was even there in Melee.

But it was there now, when it wasn't there before. Maybe not in appearance, but in significance.

He looked to the final picture on the final page: they had gathered in the mansion's living room. Peach had stumbled and fallen; Bowser and Ganondorf laughing behind her. He and Marth had books; he remembered looking up to see the mushroom princess fall to the ground. Deciding other's pain wasn't that funny, he returned to his book.

Then he saw it. It was always there, in the picture, but like the collar, it appeared before him. He blinked; how had his eyes missed it before?

Ike and Snake were sitting together…

There was something there every time he had glanced in the agent's direction. A hopeless crush, perhaps, but there was always something there.

He should've realized no one ever looked with their eyes anymore, however. He fell even more into the spiral for not realizing this to be simple truth. The eyes reflected the soul, and very few spoke with their soul anymore.

He had fallen apart after things with Ganondorf during Melee went wrong. The abuse began; he could still feel the gerudo's blows even now during Brawl, even now in his dreams. The kids begged him to play; Mewtwo had insisted that he leave. The pain was nothing, however, to the desperate hope that things would turn out okay.

They hadn't. At long last, he had lost his patience and left. He held his blade out, and threatened Ganondorf. He spoke with his soul, and Ganondorf had read his eyes; even to this day, the king had left him alone.

Love had been the one thing Marth depended on; other emotions were grand, but they betrayed him in the end; happiness became sorrow, innocence vanished in the blink of an eye, and bravery could always turn into cowardice. Ganondorf had failed him; he lost faith in his own ability to love.

Then Brawl came. He had hoped to find redemption, and at first, it seemed Snake was that personified. The two had become friends, teammates, and partners. When they brawled, things would seem right.

But there was Ike, hovering in the shadows, displeased with the veteran's interfering. They hated each other, Ike and Marth. Their fights turned personal, their swords sought blood they could not bring. Threats were whispered as the blades clashed, but team red always won in the end.

Until the day the spiral came to him, and sucked him in whole.

They brawled together, and they were even better than when he was with Snake. Team green devoured their opponents; the smashers began laughing at how the loving couple finally decided to team up and destroy the game.

Loving couple…he had always known, but still he persisted. He had seen them kiss in the deserted hall; he had seen them resisting to share the intimate moments only true lovers shared, for fear they would be discovered. He had known about them, and still his love hadn't faded.

Perhaps the agent had led him on; his heart was broken once again. The spiral claimed him, and the blade found itself to his neck for the first time.

The team brawls became more personal, but as he and Ike clashed blades, he knew Snake was his opponent as well. Both clad in green, destroying the battles and their opponents with perfected teamwork.

But there was hope for the smashers; he had picked his battles against the other swordsman carefully, and Snake was always preoccupied by the tiny swordfighter that was Meta Knight. Team green, always the victors, finally lost when the prince and Dreamlandian raised their blades against them.

The kids flocked to him with cheers; Game Watch, Kirby, Olimar, and Pikachu jumped for joy. R.O.B. declared the brawls back in the hands of the smashers as the heavier brawlers laughed in Snake and Ike's faces.

And the spiral jeered; he had won the match, but he had lost Snake's friendship. Silver met white, steel met flesh, and he had completely lost faith in his ability to love.

Meta Knight had not known why he had asked to be Marth's new partner; he had never taken interest in the team brawls before Snake and Ike had became the dictators for almost a month. He had seen the way the veteran fought Ike, and he had seen the hopelessness in his eyes when everyone spoke about the team as a couple.

The collar popped into his mind again; was it related to all of this? There had always been something when the veteran had looked to Snake…was it love?

He had to ask. Grabbing the Melee book, which he had won back from Nana, Meta ran towards Peach's room, and opened the book. A specific picture was on his mind. "Can you tell me about this?"

Peach's eyes went wide, and then she had a sad smile. "It was Marth's first time falling in love. He and Ganondorf were teammates and lovers; it was almost cute seeing them together. I never dreamed that someone so cold like Ganondorf would ever be with someone so warm like Marth.

"But then things fell apart, and Marth appeared with bruises and black eyes. We always asked, but it was the same excuse, over and over again. The children begged for him to play, and Mewtwo hounded Ganondorf's tail. When they split, we all watched with disbelieving eyes."

The Dreamlandian understood. "Thank you." He handed her the book and walked out of the room.

Even when he reached the veteran's door, he knew the lights were off. He raised a small hand and knocked. "Are you in there?" He tested the handle; it was unlocked? Did the prince somehow know that it would be Meta Knight who would knock on his door?

The room was dark, but sunlight filtered through a window. Meta Knight closed the door behind him and used his eyes; hurt, deception, and a bleak hopelessness…the spiral was destroying his soul. He was looking towards a blank wall, the bloodied blade resting in a loose grip. The collar was finally unturned; there were scars all over his exposed neck.

It was when Meta Knight finally wandered up to the bed and sat besides him when the veteran spoke. "All masks are useless, it seems."

"Then let us not talk with them on." For the first time in his life, Meta Knight freely pulled his mask off. He looks were not much different than Kirby's. "Masks reflect the mind, eyes reflect the soul."

"Is there a way out?" Marth turned to face him, and all the pain his soul was going through reflected in his watery eyes. The spiral was killing him, and deep inside, he cried to be freed.

Meta refused to look away; Kirby had helped him through his pain, and now he will help another. "There is. It's hard, and long, and the scars never fully heal, but there is a path upward, a path back to the sky. All you need is a friend, and I wish to be that friend."

"It's funny…I never really thought I had friends," Marth admitted, sighing. "The other veterans are fellow fighters, and the kids I adore. But I was always looking for more…"

"Love is very complicated. Although I don't know the burdens it carries, I realize you do."

"Looking for love in all the wrong places. Is that how the song goes? I just wish I hadn't lost my ability to love…" Falchion felt to the floor, he wrapped his arms around his knees.

Meta Knight shook his head. "They are nothing to you, if they caused you such pain, and knew it. Let love come to you, and never doubt your intuition; I know when the right guy or girl comes, you'll be ready."

"It's funny…I was telling all of this to Pit not too long ago," Marth said. His shoulders relaxed. "He had fallen in love with Ike, of all people. How familiar this all sounds."

"But you will get out of this depression, this spiraling destruction," Meta Knight said. "You must; a lot of people will be hurt if you die. And I would lose my partner."

"I would like it if we became friends." The smile was sincere, and his eyes had a small spark of hope in them. "You, whose airship was destroyed by a pink puffball, and I, who lost faith in my own soul; I think we could become Team Lame."

Meta Knight laughed. "Team Lame…I like the sound of that. But Ike and Snake are lamer than us; we kicked their asses, didn't we?" Seeing the veteran shake his head and chuckle made the Dreamlandian smile. "Now, let us put our masks back on and go see the doctor. The sooner we get you out of this mess, the sooner Team Lame can go and kick Team Even Lamer to the ground."

The spark of hope, and the promise of the days of old; sunshine and laughter and wishing for a brighter tomorrow…

Ignoring the confusing looks of the other smashers, the two mask wielders ran for the infirmary; such reflections shining in their eyes.

The kids begged to play; they crowded around the two swordfighters and demanded a game of tag.

The other smaller smashers, R.O.B. replacing Olimar, also wished to join in the game.

It was raining outside the mansion windows, but Marth and Meta Knight agreed and joined the kids.

No more flashes of pain, no more winces of sorrow, no more sadness in either of their eyes.

Meta Knight had forgotten that the collar was still there.

Marth: And that ends the oneshot!

Meta Knight: Inspiration from nowhere, ladies and gentlemen. And no, there is only friendship between the two of us. Even RoyalFanatic, the supporter of unique pairings, finds us to be…too unique of a pairing.

Marth: About the whole Team Lame situation; RoyalFanatic had been spending time with friends, and they did a round of the Subspace Emissary. Eventually they were crazy enough to give voices to us (the team of four for the Great Maze was us, Pikachu, and Ike), and we ended up having debates over which of us was lamer. Pika and Ike did lame things too, and we were dubbed the lame crew.

Meta Knight: All was changed to fit the current situation, so it would make sense. And that is all from us.