I do not own these characters.
Shafts of silent sunshine filtered earthward and spangled on the edges of the castle walls, brimming them with the early spring light. All around, the land was bathed in the comfortable, watery light that seemed to cascade down like a soundless waterfall. Minors were littered all around the small village, playing in the sunshine pool. A pleasant wind shifted by them and carried their shrieks of delight into the air above, perfecting the April scene. It was a thing of beauty, this day, this season that filled everyone with a happiness so pure it was indescribable. However, it would be false to say that every person here was happy. No, there was one who was lost in a state of feelings of everything save for joy.
The small blue knight stood guard in the hallways of Castle Dedede, submerged in a sea of personal thoughts and concerns that droned out the merry April mood. He simply did not know what was wrong. Sure, it had been nearly a year since the defeat of Nightmare, and there appeared to be no sign of any other upcoming trouble, so what was the problem? It was not a problem with the world, but within the walls of the castle. It was a certain person, and to be more specific, it was Fumu. Ever since the fall of Nightmare, she was always on the edges of his mind, if not the main thought. Her laughter had started to sound louder to Meta Knight, and more song-like, and her figure more appealing to the eye. Her voice and eyes standing out much more than anyone else's. He just was not sure why. Whenever the blonde girl wound stride through the hallways, Meta Knight's gaze automatically shifted to her, and wouldn't tear away unless she was out of sight. He was filled with such strange emotions whenever she was near, emotions without names he did not want. He would try to banish the feelings as soon as they appeared.
There was something else too. Concern, for Fumu. No one else had noticed the extra drag in her pace when she walked, the dulling in her eyes, the dim atmosphere that surrounded her. Meta Knight had noticed, and the concern came and stuck to his mind, reluctant to leave. Such thoughts were echoeing in his conscious now, and he tried to fight them off, when suddenly Fumu appeared at the end of the hall, coming down toward her residence at the other end. Her feet shuffled on the ground, and she appeared more gray than blonde. Meta Knight watched her carefully as she shuffled by, and the unwanted feelings crashed back. The girl passed him without acknowledging him, or anything for that matter. Her eyes were blank, and she appeared unaware of any action she was executing. She stopped suddenly, stumbling slightly as if unexpecting the halt. The knight blinked curiously, and readied to call out to Fumu, when suddenly he saw her sway on her feet. Alarmed, Meta Knight swept toward her just in time for her lithe body, unusually warm, fell into his arms. Her eyes were fluttering and then shut.
For a minute, the world's rotation could be felt. Stars shone in the sunlight. The air was gone. Meta Knight stared into the damsel's face, startlingly pale but serene, peaceful. Her body leaning on his, her eyes easily seen despite the fact they were closed. It was a moment of sheer pleasure, and Meta Knight felt he wouldn't be able to move from this position if he could. He stared at Fumu's face again and blinked. What am I doing? He was holding a swooned girl, who was obviously in poor health. He would not stand there and stare awe-struck. The knight quickly whisked Fumu to her home, without looking at her face again.
Upon delivering the girl to her parents, they immeadiatly called for the doctor, who came and reported that Fumu had pneumonia. A very bad case at that. Lethal, and he had said her chances of survival were slim. Worst of all, Meta Knight heard this all, and as the words clarified in his mind he felt a terrible feeling. As if a serrated blade were being driven into his chest. He retired to his room, and stood on the balcony, wrapped up in his cape and overlooking the village below. The sun began to set, and the children were being rounded up and herded to their homes. Meta Knight closed his eyes being his mask. Fumu, dying? Could that have been a mistake, a lie? It had to be. There was no possible way for Fumu to be dying. This was not real. It was not true. Heat flared in Meta Knight's face, it began to feel damp under his eyes. A sob escaped him, and once again those unwanted feelings came back. The nameless emotions he did not want, was not allowed to feel. He was just concerned, sad for another friend in his life who would soon be dead. He would have felt the same had it been anyone else in Fumu's postion...
Was that right? Would he truely, really be so distraught if, say, Kirby were dying right now, instead of Fumu? He tried to imagine Kirby in Fumu's place, and still felt sad, even a little guilty of secretly wishing his apprentice was in Fumu's place instead of Fumu. Why was Fumu so special? Why did she light up his day with just one smile? No one else but her had such an effect on the usually coldhearted puffball knight. He was never usually very happy, or very sad, or very-any-emotion. It was always neutrality, calm and cool. Never any extreme emotions. Meta Knight did not want these very-emotions. He wanted them gone, banished so he would no longer be tormented by them, and can be peaceful again. He wished somewhat that these feelings were live creatures that he could just kill to get them away from him. But wishing for the impossible was a pointless exertion of energy. He would have to confront them, however, like he was confronting an enemy. Find out what these emotions were and what they wanted from him.
It was almost a magnetic-like feel when he was near Fumu, the urge to be close to her and hear her lovely voice, just to fall under her spell. He had always tried to ignore it, to push it away and not have to deal with it. Now, what do you call that...feeling that makes a person seem extraspecial to you, to want to be right next to them all the time, and the fact that every feature to that person wa unique and appealed directly to you? It was, yes...affection, love. Meta Knight loved Fumu. Those unknown emotions now had a name. But giving them names did not change the damning fact that the knight did not want these feelings. He was forbidden to them. But was he really? Up until nearly a year ago, his first priority was mentoring the young Star Warrior Kirby, to prepare him for his battle with Nightmare. Now that Nightmare was gone...all there was really left to do was to guard the castle, expect immenent danger that would most likely never come...there was really nothing. He wasn't allowed to do nothing. He could feel love, love toward Fumu. He could but...it just seemed so...unfitting, unreal, not right. Fumu was a beautiful, charming, determined, caring young lady. Meta Knight was a solitary, unknown, coldhearted, mysterious...puffball. How could he and Fumu ever work out?
It was just as the moon rose high in the April night sky that Meta Knight took a course of action that halted all thoughts in the process. He wasn't sure what was compelling him then, but suddenly he let his cape drop from around him, and take the form of wings. The two long bat wings extended on either side of him, and he lifted off in one downstroke, with his mind still inactive. The wind carried him gently around the castle's perimeter, and he let it guide him straight up to Fumu's window. He landed gently on the windowsill, and stared inside, his amber eyes reflecting on the glass. Fumu was alseep in her bed, the covers tucked up to her chin. She was very still. Meta Knight felt the magnetic-like force again and carefully placed one paw on the window, pushing open without a sound. He slipped inside, and closed it up behind to keep the chill out. With inaudible footsteps, he crept up to Fumu's bedside, watching her still form with a growing dread that she had passed away in her sleep. But the faint stirring of her chest as she breathed raspy breaths indicated her life, and the knight felt relief.
He watched Fumu sleep for a few minutes when suddenly she twitched, making his lulled attention snap back to full awareness. She began to tremble, and rolled over on one side. She shook again and rolled over, whimpering softly in her sleep. She was having a nightmare, and while she thrashed, her breathing began to sound tighter, shallower, as if death itself were trying to drag the distressed damsel kicking and screaming into Hades. Meta Knight could not stand to see his beloved locked in her uncomfotable fever dreams, and he grabbed her hand. She ceased thrashing, but still trembled violently, and cried in discomfort. Meta Knight's other paw found purchase on her face, stroking her gently down the side of her dampened forehead, down her cheek, repeating the soothing caressing gensture until her shaking stopped, her breathing evened, and she appeared at ease. Meta Knight, however, continued to pet Fumu gently, getting her as far away from those terrible dreams as possible.
He heard her voice, hoarse and creaky, "Water..." At first, he didn't hear it. Her voice had startled him, making him think someone had caught him in here with Fumu. Realizing it was her voice, he listened for it again, "...W-water...I need..." she whispered, giving Meta Knight's paw a weak squeeze, making his own face heat up suddenly. "Water," he said to himself, reluctantly taking his hands away from Fumu. Backing away until he was flying out of the room again, returning within five minutes with a glass of icy water. He took his previous position by her bed again and slipped an arm under the girl's head, elevating slightly while he tipped the glass against her mouth. Fumu's hands joined his on the glass, as she drank a bit before pulling away. Meta Knight put the glass on her bedside table and wiped away the rivulets of water that had streamed from the corners of her mouth. He held her hand again.
Meta Knight heard Fumu's voice again, shortly after taking her hand, "Cold..." she whimpered, squirming a bit under her sheets, "So...cold..." she murmured againd, and rolled over, her other hand grabbing Meta Knight's. Meta Knight took his free paw and placed it gently over Fumu's forehead, which still felt quite hot and damp from persperation. Despite that, she was shivering visibly. Meta Knight could not see any other extra blankets in the room, so he tried something he both did and did not want to do. He climbed up on the edge of the bed, one arm around Fumu's shoulders as he drew her up close to him. She leaned on his shoulder and he pulled her sheets over her and draped his cape around her, pulling her close to his body. "I'm here." he whispered to her softly. A smile suddenly spread across her face while she slept against him. Her hand grabbed his paw, "You saved me." she murmured, her eyes half opening. Meta Knight looked alarmed suddenly, not realizing he only wanted to check on Fumu without anyone, escpecially Fumu, seeing him. Was she delierious, and would not know he had been here? Or did she really know he was here and...wanted him here? His face flushed under his mask as she cuddled closer. Not even fate could stop what happened next. Meta Knight's paw had unconsiously loosened the straps on his mask, and fell away from his face. He moved it out of his way, turned to Fumu, leaned in and just as he was about to land a kiss on her cheek, she tilted her own head back, her lips meeting his. Her warm arms hugged him, and his hugged her, each holding each other as close as could be to each other. Once again, the world's rotation was felt, stars blazed in the dawn, and there was no oxygen.
It felt like long, pleasant hours since the kiss had started, and now they were both pulling away, and white eyes suddenly met blue eyes. Meta Knight started into her crystal blue irises in a moment of pure relaxation, and acceptance of the feelings that washed over him now. He did love Fumu. He loved her so very, very much. And she loved him right back. Meta Knight had never wanted such extreme emotions, but now he welcomed them, but still cautioned his conscious not to express them verbally. Fumu smiled at him, "You've saved me," she murmured, and pulled away from him, lying back down on the bed and falling back into a sleep. Meta Knight blinked, and reached for his mask, fastening it back on. He stared at Fumu's sleeping form a moment longer, and then exited the room, flying away into the dawn. Fumu opened her eyes a bit to see those elegant dark wings printed against the rising sun in her window. And, she saw the figure bearing those wings suddenly flip midair, and trace a heart-shape with his wing-tips before disappearing. Fumu smiled warmly, and closed her eyes.
Three days later, the fever broke, and a week later, Fumu was able to walk around her house, but was kept inside until her parents were sure the pneumonia was truely gone. Her family, the doctor, everyone had been astonished at her fast recovery, considering the fact she had been presumed to die the night Meta Knight came to her room. She never told them about his visit, of course, but answered vaguely, "I guess there's an angel watching out for me."
However, a few days after Fumu had fully recovered, the doctor had been called for again. Meta Knight had Fumu's virus, though not as lethal as she had been.
One night, Meta Knight had awoken several times from uncomfotable, fever-induced nightmares to find a glass of ice water on his bedside table. Often times while he slept through the midst of a nightmare, a hand would stroke his face, uncovered by a mask. The touch was like acid to the dreams, and would sleep more peacefully. He even found himself wreathed in blankets he had seen on Fumu's bed. One dawn, he had half-awoken from a sleep, to see Fumu, right before he felt her gentle kiss on his cheek. And, just like Fumu, he recovered much earlier than presumed to, much to everyone's bafflement.
Well, it seems love can conquer almost all obstacles.