Hey there, just a little bit of history before we begin. For some of you who may not know, this is a remake of the very first Fanfiction I put up on this site some two years ago. I feel my writing skills have improved since then, and I thought it would be good homage to re-write it. If you're interested in reading the original to see what it was like, the story is called Passing Time. Enjoy, please leave a review!
View of the Sapphire Sea
The night was young. The small community of Cappy Town was retiring to their beds, ready to sleep and await the coming morning. There was no fear of the future, no worries to fret the minds of the citizens. The night was at peace.
It was the only time where he could find peace. His life consisted of constant concentration, demanding objectives, near endless training, his mind on consistent standby, just waiting for the one day when the peace would be shattered. But it had yet to shatter. It had been eight years since the peace had once been broken by Nightmare. Ever since his undoing, there had been nothing to upset the balance.
And yet he trained. He pushed himself every day to his limits, some days we would surpass his limits whilst on other he would stay away from them. To say he had a social life would have been somewhat a lie. His daily schedule was so demanding, so tough that even at nights like these; he would be forced to walk away from his bed, his insomnia, and journey outside to the edge of the cliffs, where he would see the beautiful view of the sapphire sea.
Over the few months, he had found himself walking out here to the view. He would find himself sitting down, crossing his legs occasionally and watch how the moonlight reflected on the calm waters. To see something so vast calmed him. Amidst all the inner turmoil he faced, this was his one solace. The sea.
His condition had worsened. His light insomnia had become worse; his nights became more of an endurance trial. He couldn't escape from his routine; he was chained and gagged to what he knew and did best. Although there was peace in Cappy Town, there was also a niggling fear. Nightmare's attack was so vicious, that it has scarred the community forever. That was when his days became a lot harder. To meet the demands of the king, Dedede, who was equally afraid of an attack. His demands, to guard the castle, to patrol once, twice, and twice again. To fervently train his subordinates and lecture budding warriors to carry out his duty once he could carry it out no more.
That was the day his troubles begun.
Even now, the problem had escalated so much that even the view of the never ending sea couldn't completely soothe him. The lack of sleep had left him exhausted, yet he still couldn't close his eyes and drift away into blissful sleep. It had been three days since his last sleep and the problem was driving him insane. He tried his best to keep his composure, but the day he would see himself admitted to an asylum were coming closer.
The lack of sleep also generated many thoughts in his head. Thoughts about his quality of life, the life he lead, and what was left of it. What was left of it? That was what hurt him inside the most. He wasn't sure how to take it, and the confusion frustrated him. He could easily say that his life had taken a turn for the worse with his condition, and everything would soon come to an end. Death. The final end.
What would happen when he died? Would he go to heaven? Hell, perhaps? Or did such superstitious things mean nothing? Would he just fade into blackness when he went? Would he be remembered?
But what resounded most of all was the difference between life and death. A life filled with exhaustion and frustration, or peace and quiet in death? What would everyone else think, if he were to take his mask off by the very cliff he sat on, leave his sword Galaxia lying by it, and plunge off the cliff right into the beautiful cyan sea, dive down as deep as he could and never return? Maybe it was where he belonged? Sitting there, he could feel the waves calling to him. Calling for him to walk towards the salvation he so desperately needed.
He wouldn't do it. There was one thing that stopped him from contemplating suicide. It was one person in his life, a person that he secretly cared for. It hurt him so much that he knew he would never be with her, but just to watch her grow and walk through the path of life; it was something that fascinated him. He was fascinated with her. She was the one thing that made him smile.
"Meta Knight?"
He jumped right there, his trail of thought shattered in an instant. Quickly turning around, he felt his heart jump slightly, almost as if he were in a dream. There she stood, eighteen years old and still naïve to the world's offerings. Tiff.
"Tiff...what are you doing out here?" he asked her, trying to stave off his emotions. "You shouldn't be out here so late at night, you need to sleep"
She slowly walked towards him, watching as he turned around and sat down, looking back towards the sea. She sat down beside him, her eyes fixed on the still water. She had never been out to this cliff before, and was in awe of the sight in front of her.
"This place is amazing..." she said dreamily, having lost track of the line of questions she was pursuing earlier. "How did you find this?"
"I take many strolls" Meta Knight answered swiftly. He was reluctant to share much information and was caught between two wishes. The wish to be alone and the wish to have her company. "I encountered this view whilst on one of those strolls, and I must say I found it breathtaking. Therefore I am out here tonight, admiring the view" he explained. There was a little silence. Tiff thought about what she wanted to ask him. Gazing at him with the corner of her eye, she could see that he was unnaturally still.
"...I've seen you come out here before" she said quietly.
"What of it?" Meta Knight replied. He appeared to be nervous, not wanting to talk about such things. Tiff had seen Meta Knight walking out to the view before, many a time in fact. To add, Meta Knight had become a lot quieter over the last few months, and she wanted to know why. Direct questions would harm her chances of knowing the truth, so she approached it lightly.
"...Are you okay?" she asked. "...You're not yourself"
Meta Knight sighed. She seemed to be on to something. He didn't know what to do, part of him wanted to run away whilst another part wanted to open up right to her. All of his problems sat in his heart and his mind, if only he could get rid of them, maybe he could beat his insomnia and sleep once more.
"...I've been having a little trouble sleeping lately" Meta Knight said quietly.
"Sleeping?" Tiff asked. Meta Knight could only manage a nod, he was embarrassed. A man like him shouldn't have any problems whatsoever, yet he had so many. He felt if he let his weaknesses show too much, he would be disregarding his duty as a knight.
"Yes...it must be my mattress" he explained, shuffling a little.
"Is that why you're out here tonight?" Tiff asked.
She could hear a low grunt emitting from behind Meta Knight's mask, masking any kind of definitive response.
"...So why don't you buy a new mattress?" she asked.
"Dedede's too stingy with his money" Meta Knight spat, putting emphasis on Dedede's name. He had a growing resentment towards the king he served, mainly due to his obliviousness towards Meta Knight's growing problems.
But perhaps it was Meta Knight who was to blame for trying to hide his problems? It was these kinds of dilemmas which plagued Meta Knight; he wasn't sure which way to go, and there wasn't any middle ground for him to tread.
"...I must apologize, Tiff..." Meta Knight said after a short silence. "I haven't been very true to you here as of yet. I am having problems sleeping...but there are other reasons" he explained.
"What reasons? Is something wrong?" Tiff asked, her face becoming wrought with concern. Meta Knight exhaled a large sigh. He knew he would have to open up somehow.
"...I've been...experiencing problems lately...concerning my well being...my mind" Meta Knight uttered. Tiff gave an exasperated sigh, as if she had already clocked it.
"It's Dedede, isn't it?" she asked. "He's been working you too hard. I mean, I'm seeing less and less of you every year now, you're almost completely non existent!" she noted.
"Indeed. Dedede's insecure mind has been affecting me as well"
Tiff stood up in a huff.
"Well, you don't worry one bit Meta Knight" Tiff said determinedly. "When the sun rises again, I'll go tell that no good Dedede exactly what's what! You've been overworked for far too long!" she huffed. She turned around and was about to start marching back towards the castle.
"Tiff...Tiff, wait!" Meta Knight suddenly shouted, remaining still. Tiff stopped in her tracks and turned around.
"...Meta Knight?" she asked worriedly.
"...Please sit back down...just for a minute. Please?" he asked, turning around. There was a slight quiver in his voice; Tiff had never heard him raise his voice like that before. Slowly, she nodded and walked back to where she was before, sitting down and looking at Meta Knight.
"Is there more you wanted to tell me?" Tiff asked.
"I...don't know if I should say it. I don't feel the confidence" Meta Knight thought. He then looked up towards Tiff. She had grown up to become so beautiful over the past eight years, her features were flawless, her face like smooth porcelain. Yet her innocent and kind demeanour stood the ravages of time. As she grew, Meta Knight's attention was caught by her, and as time went on, he couldn't help but feel a form of affection for Tiff, an affection unlike any he had ever had before. Whenever they talked, he couldn't help but feel nervous, he couldn't help feeling conscious of everything he said, or how his posture was, or his voice. Everything he did had to be perfect when in her presence. He was afraid of the chance that she might reject him at any moment for his imperfections.
To be opening up about these imperfections in front of Tiff made Meta Knight feel scared, a feeling he was certainly unfamiliar with.
"Tiff...do you think I'm old?" he asked after a long silence.
Tiff started to smile. It was her natural reaction to such a strange question.
"...Old?" she asked, trying to hide her smile. Meta Knight looked down and sighed. He'd just made a fool of himself in front of her. He didn't know if he could feel any more shame at that moment.
Tiff then cleared her throat. "You're not old at all! Why did you ask me that?" she asked. Meta Knight then sighed, but Tiff detected a quiver in his sigh. As if he was crying. Her smile suddenly vanished.
"Meta Knight?" she asked quietly, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't understand..." he said, his voice still quivering. "Every year that goes by, trying to meet these demands...I can't keep going. I'm slowly but surely decaying every year...and because of my insomnia, I've found myself being confronted by the big question in life...when am I going to die?" he mused. Tiff shuffled closer to him, genuinely worried about what he was saying.
"Meta Knight...are you crying?" she asked quietly. She asked this because she had noticed a teardrop had emerged from the visor in his mask and slid down the silvery material. His entire body was also shaking.
"I look at myself, and I compare it to eight years ago after the defeat of Nightmare..." he said. "...I'm not as good as I was then. I'm slowly getting older, my skills are dulling...and trying to meet these demands, when all I can think about is when...When will I finally be free of all this? Everything in life I want, or I wanted to do, I can't do it...I can't do it...because of this..." His voice had diminished into a hoarse whisper. Tiff felt her heart rending when she saw Meta Knight lift a glove to his eyes, his shaking becoming more erratic. There was a slight sound of sobbing in his voice.
She couldn't hold back. With a tear coming to her own eye, she moved right up to Meta Knight and embraced him. He remained unmoved, still silently crying into his glove, but Tiff squeezed him a little tighter, trying to inject reassurance into him.
"Don't cry..." she said quietly. "...Be strong. Everything's going to be all right. We all have to die sometime, right?" she asked.
"...I...you're correct..." Meta Knight said quietly.
"And your skills haven't dulled one bit. I watch you train sometimes...and I think you've gotten even better. And I bet you haven't even reached your prime!" Tiff said encouragingly, watching as Meta Knight's head turned to look up at her, his eyes tinted slightly blue from the sadness. He could feel her body cradled against hers, their warmth being shared in the chilly night. There was comfort in this. The comfort Meta Knight was desperate to find. He slowly realised that his eyes were becoming heavy.
"Tiff...there's one more thing..." he said, having regained his composure a little.
"What's that Meta Knight?" she asked, still looking into his eyes. Meta Knight looked down, a little embarrassed.
"I...oh, I don't know...I just wanted to give you some praise, but I feel stupid doing so. You'll think I've become sentimental..." Meta Knight complained. But Tiff responded by holding him just a little tighter, squeezing him just a little closer. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, moving her mouth towards his ear.
"You can tell me anything..." she said quietly.
"Tiff..." Meta Knight said quietly. "...Promise me that things won't change for the worse between us once I reveal this..."
"I promise..."
"...I think I'm in love with you"
Tiff's eyes opened a little, feeling the jolt in her heart from hearing what Meta Knight had said. Meta Knight never knew about her secret crush. Her secret crush...on him. Meta Knight never knew how lucky we was going to be.
"...You are?" Tiff responded after a short silence, listing her head to look back into Meta Knight's eyes.
"...I'm...well, I just can't describe..." Meta Knight said quietly. "These past two years or so...watching you grow into who you are...it has fascinated me" he explained. "You're always so caring, never a bad thing to say about anyone unless they've clearly done wrong...ah, I sound idiotic...I never thought I'd be saying these things...I just feel a lot more comfortable, desirable...important, I feel a lot better when you're around" he stammered.
"Meta Knight...that's so sweet of you..." Tiff said quietly, gazing still into his eyes. "...Can I take off your mask? I want to see what's behind...I want to see what you truly look like..."
Meta Knight felt a hesitation deep inside of him, but slowly, he nodded his head. Tiff then reached her hand towards the back of the mask, where she thumbed on the buckles, loosening it. Meta Knight felt his nerves rise as he felt the mask loosening on his face, his forehead revealing already. Then, all of a sudden, the mask dropped off, revealing Meta Knight's face for the first time in his life. It was daunting, but Meta Knight could see Tiff's face fully and clearly now. She looked so dashingly beautiful and serene in the moonlight. He could also hear the sounds of the calm waves a lot clearer now. Everything just seemed to be perfect. It was like he had died, and was being carried in he arms of an angel.
There were no words spoken between the two for quite some time. Tiff couldn't get over the mix between cuteness and handsomeness of Meta Knight, who started back at Tiff with a form of intensity. Tiff was almost magnetically drawn to Meta Knight, and before she knew it, her face was getting closer to his. It was initially a contemplation, but she knew as their faces were about to make contact that she wanted to make it an intention.
Their foreheads pressed lightly together, the two still staring into each other's eyes, and their lips came into contact.
Meta Knight could feel a burning sensation shot right through his body as he lay cradled there on the grassy hill overlooking the sea. Tiff felt exactly the same, how would the people back at Cappy Town react to the events that had just transpired. The daughter of the cabinet minister found kissing the castle knight outside the grounds at night! It sounded like a barrel of laughs at first, but as their lips parted, as she realised what she had done, it all seemed to make more and more sense. For the both of them.
Meta Knight felt completely dazed at what happened. So dazed in fact, that his eyes started to droop. He felt his energy vanishing suddenly inside of him, wearing him out completely. Was he dying? Had the insomnia finally delivered the coup de grace?
"Tiff...thank you...I love..." Meta Knight uttered. Tiff watched as Meta Knight's eyes closed, feeling his deep exhale on her face. He slid downwards, to a position where Tiff was in full control of her cradle, like mother and child. She smiled as Meta Knight's soft breathing patterns tickled her arm. She adjusted her position and rested Meta Knight against her chest, before leaning her head above Meta Knight's.
She too, fell asleep in due time. It was the most comfortable sleep they had in ages, and throughout the night, they were constantly held secure by the lullaby of the waves, licking against the cliff's edge that provided the view of the sapphire sea.
And there we have it! I hope you enjoyed reading the story, most of the criticism from the original version came from Meta Knight's overreactions and how it may have been out of character, so I toned it down in this story to try and make it a little more realistic. I may have also misrepresented insomnia in this story, but I think it'll be accurate enough for now. Leave a review and let me know what you think, and check out mah other stories!