Meggy: Gah. I can't believe I'm doing this, but…it's time for the romance! (Turns and pretends to barf violently)
Yoshi: You don't know how much it's killing her to do this.
Young Link: Yeah. She totally HATES romance!
Meggy: Amber better be grateful for this…That's right, y'all, this fic is hereby dedicated to my Harry Potter loving friend and romance fan, Amber! (Faces Disclaimer, who is lazing on the couch) Oi! You! Get your lazy bum up and do your job already!
Disclaimer: Oh, right! (Jumps up) Meggy owns nothing but the plot!
Meggy: (whacks Disclaimer into KO mode with her giant WET NOODLE OF DOOM!) Thank you much. Now, on to the fiction! YAY FOR MY WET NOODLE OF DOOMY DOOM DOOMNESS! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (Runs off like a spaz)
Young Link: O.o
Yoshi: Right… Enjoy the story!
A girl with light brown hair groaned as she spotted another batch of heart decorations hanging on the wall.
"I hate Valentines Day!" Nana shouted, stomping down the hallway with her brother trailing behind her.
"Come on, Nana," Popo whined. "It can't be all that bad." He followed his sister into their room. A medium-sized bedroom with icy patterned blue wallpaper and plush pink carpeting greeted them. A pair of oak desks sat beside the door to the bathroom on the left. Across the room in the top right corner lay a bunk bed.
Nana threw herself on the bottom bunk and laid on her back. "It IS that bad!" she wailed at her brother. "Every year it's the same! All this icky, yucky, mushy, gushy, lovey-dovey stuff. Hearts and fluff all over the place. Makes me sick! I never get a card or anything, anyways! Why should this year be any different? Tell me that." She glared at the wood of the top bunk and crossed her arms.
Popo sat down beside her. "Well," he mumbled, "this year, we're at the Smash Mansion. Maybe you'll get lucky."
True. This was the first year the Ice Climbers were at the Smash Mansion. Although months had passed, it was still rather hard for Popo to believe that he and his sister were chosen to fight in the Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament. What an honor!
His sister snorted. "Yeah, right," she grumbled. "Like anything will change because we're in the tournament."
"You never know. Anyway, it's almost time for lunch. We better head downstairs." Popo got up and offered his hand to Nana. With a sigh, she took it, heaved herself up, and followed her brother out the door.
As they reached the kitchen, the Ice Climbers could hear giggles and shouts. They exchanged glances. With a shrug, Popo pushed open the door.
"Get back here with my sword, you little brats!" Marth's angry voice sounded through the kitchen.
"You'll have to catch us first!" Ness teased. Nana and Popo could hear him and Young Link laughing as they raced passed the door, a steaming Marth hot on their heels. The two boys ducked under a table. Marth was going too fast to stop.
WHACK!!!
Marth growled when he heard the two kids roaring with laughter under the table. Ness waved the stolen sword and quickly pulled it back in before the blue-haired owner got a grip on it. Young Link stuck out his tongue and blew a loud raspberry.
Marth practically threw a fit. He almost flipped the table over reaching underneath it to get a hold of the troublemakers. Young Link shrieked and scrambled out of the hiding place when he felt the older swordsman scrape at his boot. Ness darted out after him, and the chase started all over again.
"I mean it!" the blue-haired swordsman yelled. "Give me that sword or I'll--"
"BOYS!"
All three screeched to a halt before a fuming princess. Peach stood there, gloved hands on her hips and tapping her foot. Normally easy-going and playful, it was kind of scary when the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom got angry. Ness, Marth, and Young Link stared at their shoes instead of meeting her gaze.
"I told you to stop running around in the kitchen!" she scolded. "You're going to knock something over. Ness, please give Marth his sword back."
Ness hesitated, then handed Marth the sword.
"Thanks," Marth said.
"Hey, Peach?" Young Link asked, his eyes suddenly wide and curious. "Who's your Valentine?" Ness perked up too.
Peach got a starry look in her eyes. "Mario, of course," she replied dreamily. She stood there for a moment, lost in thoughts about her hero while the little hylien and the psychic boy chuckled to themselves. The princess snapped out of it. "Why don't you guys run off and play?"
"Yeah, let's go!" Ness said.
"Oh no, I'm coming with you," Marth said sternly. "You cause way too much trouble by yourselves."
Nana sighed as the three dashed out. "I wish I had a Valentine," she mumbled, unaware that a certain Smasher happened to hear.
.:&:.
"Nana, come on!" Popo called. "We have to help Zelda set the table for dinner!"
"I'll be down in a minute!" she yelled back. The Ice Climber stepped into her room and looked out the window, resting her elbows on the edge. She sighed as she gazed at the falling snow.
She had been right, of course. All mush and fluff the entire day. There were also rumors going around that there was going to be a dance of some sort that night. Yet all day, not a card or candy piece had shown up for her.
Nana tugged a bit at her brown hair and was about to go downstairs when something caught her eye. A slip of paper was lying neatly folded up on her bed.
She stared at it. There was no way Popo could have put it there, and she didn't do it. What was it, anyway? Was it even for her, or put there by mistake?
Nana picked it up with shaking hands. There was her name on the front, clear as day. Was it a Valentine? Did someone really send her a Valentine card?
Momentarily forgetting that Popo was waiting for her, she slowly opened the little card. There, in bubbly letters, was a message:
"Your icy attacks could freeze anyone to the bone,
But your face when you smile is enough to melt my heart."
Carefully placed beneath it was a yellow heart candy with the words "Be Mine" printed on it in red.
Nana stared at the message with wide eyes. A Valentine. And for her. Yet… there was something missing… She looked at the front again and realized what was wrong. There was no signature. Who sent the card?
She smiled. It didn't matter, the fact was that someone had sent her a Valentine! An original one, at that!
Popo's voice came floating up the stairs. "Nana? It's time for dinner!"
"Okay!" Nana ran out of the room, keeping the message carefully folded.
She raced down the steps shouting, "Popo! POPO!!!" At last, she reached the cafeteria, panting for breath.
Popo caught sight of her and was about to scold her for not doing her part of setting up the table when he saw how excited she was. He hurried over. "Is there something wrong, sis?" he asked.
Nana waved the slip of paper. "I got a Valentine, Popo! A REAL one!" she said happily.
Popo's eyes lit up. "Are you serious?" he yelled. "This is great! Who's it from?"
His sister gave a shrug. "I don't know. Can you help me find out?"
He nodded. "But it'll have to wait until after dinner. Come on."
Nether of them noticed a small giggle as they went to get something to eat.
.:&:.
"Okay, then," Nana said, taking out her list with all the Smasher's names. "We should figure out who it can't be. That should narrow it down." She held a pen at the ready.
"Right," Popo replied. He and Nana were back in their room. Nana was sitting cross-legged on the bed while her brother stood in front of her.
Popo began to pace. "Well, it's definitely not a girl, that's for sure."
Nana scratched out Peach, Zelda, Samus, Pichu, and Jigglypuff. "Who else?"
"It's probably won't be one of the adults, so that leaves… uh, sis? Who does that leave?"
"Pikachu, Ness, Fox, Falco, Young Link, and Kirby," his sister answered, checking her list.
Popo rubbed his chin. "It's not likely to be someone who isn't human," he said slowly.
Nana crossed them off. "That means it could be either Ness or Young Link."
Her brother sighed and slumped over. "I can't choose between those two," he moaned. "It's way too hard."
"That's okay," Nana said. "We'll figure it out sooner or later." She took her brother's hand and they walked out of the room to find something to do.
They passed Pichu in the hallway. "How's it going, Pichu?" Popo asked.
The little electric pokemon shrugged. "Okay, I guess," she muttered. "I should warn you, though. Ness and Young Link are running all over the place, asking everyone who their Valentine is. It's harmless for once, but it'll get annoying after a while." With that, Pichu walked off.
The Ice Climbers looked at each other for a moment, then continued down the hall until they reached the arcade.
"I bet I can beat you at Mario Party 6!" Popo challenged.
"You're on!"
After about half-an-hour, the game was over. Nana won the first board, and Popo won the last. It was a tie.
"Hey, guys!" It was Ness. He and Young Link must have come in when they were playing.
"Hi," Popo replied as he turned the Gamecube off. "What are you doing?"
Ness was about to answer when Young Link cut him off. "Hey Nana, you have a Valentine, don't you?" he asked, ignoring Ness's 'death glare'. "Who is it? Come on, I won't tell anyone!"
Nana smiled. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't know who it is, either."
Ness stopped giving Young Link the evil eye and raised his eyebrow at the Ice Climber. "How do you not know who it is?" He asked.
The girl took the note out of her pocket and silently handed it to Young Link. He flipped it open and read the message coolly. Young Link's eyes went wide and his face turned bright pink as he passed the note to his best friend, trying without much success to hold back his giggles. Curiously, Ness glanced it over, then seemed to double-check himself. The psychic boy gave the letter back to Nana before bursting into laughter.
"What's so funny?" Nana asked, her cheeks turning red from embarrassment.
Ness reduced his laughs to giggles. "Sorry," he said. "I just think it's weird that you would have secret admirer." His chuckles died and he looked thoughtful. "I wonder who it is?"
Nana sighed. "So do I," she mumbled sadly.
"We'll help you find out who it is," Young Link promised seriously. His friend nodded. The Ice Climbers starred for a moment. It was odd to see the two goof-offs acting serious for once.
"Thanks, you guys," Nana said with a smile.
"Oh yeah!" Ness shouted. "Peach made this HUGE cake downstairs. You guys want some?"
"YEAH!!"
The four kids raced down to the kitchen. Young Link turned to Nana. "If you find anything, be sure to tell us," he said.
She nodded.
Peach looked up as the four came into the kitchen. "Oh no, not you two again," she moaned as she spotted Ness and Young Link.
Ness smiled. "Sorry about before, Peach. All we want is some cake."
"Help yourselves, just don't break anything. There's plenty to go around." She started out the door, but turned around to say, "I almost forgot. The dance is at 8 o'clock, guys." Peach left.
Nana groaned. So there really WAS a dance… Great.
Popo smiled at her. "Aw, cheer up and have some cake, sis." He took a piece already cut and shoved a chunk of it in his mouth.
Nana smiled, then laughed when both Ness and Young Link looked at her brother in disgust and crammed even bigger pieces into their mouths. It must have been insulting to see Popo eating like a pig. That was their job.
Young Link turned a dark pink and swallowed his food quickly. He stood up and bolted out of the kitchen. "I'll be right back. I just remembered there's something really, really important I have to do before the dance, and I want to get it done before I forget again!"
Ness shrugged. "You know," he said. "Young Link's been acting pretty weird lately." He saw the look Nana was giving him. "Well, weirder than normal, anyway."
Popo grinned. "Oh well: More cake for me!"
.:&:.
"Oh man," Nana moaned. "I had way too much cake."
"I'm going to play with Young Link and Ness in the arcade," Popo told her. "Why don't you take a rest? That dance thingy is going to start in an hour."
Nana sighed. "Alright."
Slowly, because of her upset stomach, Nana climbed the stairs. She remembered that Young Link had come back after a while, but he wouldn't tell them what he had been doing. What could be so important that he had to skip cake time? Young Link never misses an opportunity to get sugar hyper.
Nana walked slap-bang into someone turning the corner. "Sorry, Fox," she mumbled.
Fox shook his furry head and helped her up. "That's okay, I wasn't paying attention either. See you at the party!" He raced off again, shouting, "Falco! What did you do with my blaster? If you went and broke it again, I'm going to--"
Nana ignored him and continued to her room. She walked inside and was about to throw herself onto her bed when she saw that something was already there. Another slip of paper. Grabbing it and flipping it open, she instantly saw the same bubble letters as last time:
"I wish I could get to know you better. This is probably a waste of time, because you'll most likely say no, but I'm going to give it a try. Can I talk to you at the dance tonight? You don't have to, but…I'll be waiting."
A candy heart was with this note, too. However, this one was purple with "True Love" written on it in white.
Nana's eyes went wide. At the dance? He, whoever 'he' was, wanted to see her face-to-face! She was going to see her secret admirer!
Her stomach squirmed. Maybe she should lie down for a minute.
Nana set the card on the window sill and climbed under the covers, fully dressed. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was sound asleep.
.:&:.
"Nana, wake up! Come on, Nana, get up!"
Nana's eyes snapped open as they focused on her brother, who was shaking her awake. "What is it?" she asked groggily.
"The dance started ten minutes ago!"
Suddenly, Nana didn't feel so tired anymore. Jumping out of bed, she grabbed Popo's sleeve and tore out of the room. The latest message ran clearly through her head. 'Please don't let it be too late,' the Ice Climber prayed as she and her brother reached the cafeteria, which had been cleared out and decorated for the party.
The two kid Smashers walked through the double door and were greeted by rainbow lights and blaring music. Everyone seemed to be here.
Popo turned to his sister. "I saw the note," he told her. "I'll be with Yoshi if you need me."
Nana watched his disappear into the crowd and felt pretty silly standing at the side. She watched Mario and his brother Luigi do the chicken dance for a while. They even clucked. Someone walked over, but Nana didn't notice until they tapped her shoulder. When she turned, she saw that it was Young Link.
"Hey Nana! Any news?" he asked cheerfully.
"Yeah, actually," she replied. "I got another message from him." She looked around, puzzled. "Hey, where's Ness?"
"Busy." He pointed at the snack table. Captain Falcon was talking all calm and cool to Samus, trying and failing to make her go out on a date with him. He was reaching for a glass of punch, but he wasn't looking. Ness had moved the bowl so that Falcon's hand would land in it. A small lump that looked suspiciously like glue was sitting in the bottom.
Young Link smiled. "So you got another letter? Awesome! What did it say?"
"Well, he said that--"
The hylien put a hand to his pointed ear and said, "Huh? I can't hear you. Maybe you should tell me outside." He motioned toward the door to the courtyard.
The Ice Climber remembered what the note said, but decided to follow Young Link out to the courtyard anyway. They walked down the path together until they reached the big logo fountain. Warm water was spurting out of it at the moment.
Nana looked up at the dark clouds covering the sky. "It's not cold enough to snow again. I think it's going to rain."
"Yeah," Young Link muttered absentmindedly. He was staring into the fountain, lost in thought.
His friend began to worry. She hardly ever saw him like this. "Young Link, are you alright?" she asked, walking over. Nana put her hand on his forehead. "You feel kind of warm. Do you need a rest?"
He shook his head and smiled. "No, I'm fine."
She still wasn't convinced. "I don't know… You're turning red in the face. Do you have a fever? Are you feeling sick at all?"
Young Link's cheeks went brick red. "No, that's not it…I-It's just that…well, I-I…"
"What's wrong?" Nana asked. "You're not acting normal. What IS it?"
He swallowed. "Uh… I know who your Valentine is, Nana."
Nana stared at him. "You do? For real?! Please tell me! Come on, Young Link, please?"
Young Link shook his head. "Nuh-uh," he said. "I can't tell. You have to figure it out."
The girl took on a really putout look. "Awwww…well, fine then. If you say so." The list she and Popo had come up with came back to her. 'From what we got, it's either Ness…' She glanced at the hylien, who was sitting on the fountain's edge. '…Or him. So which is more likely?'
Nana plopped herself down by her friend and thought hard. Popo was right. It was hard to choose between those two. 'Well, they both seemed pretty surprised when I showed them the first letter… and they've been nor--as normal as they always are.' She glanced at the boy. 'Ness said he's been acting funny lately, but I've only seen him act weird out here. Wait a minute…' The Ice Climber looked around the yard. They were the only ones there.
"I GOT IT!!" she yelled, making Young Link jump a foot and almost land in the water.
"You've got what?" he asked. "Did you figure out who it is?"
"Yeah, I did!" Nana said excitedly. "It was you, wasn't it, Young Link?"
He turned bright red. "WHAT?!?"
"See? You're blushing again! I'm right, aren't I?"
Young Link sighed and put his hands up in surrendered. "Alright, alright, you got me."
Nana threw her fist up in the air. "YES! Wahoo!" She set her hand back down. "One question."
"Let's hear it."
"What happens now?"
Young Link hesitated. "Well…um…I think…" Nana felt his hand slid into her own and lock fingers. She turned and saw that he had gotten much closer to her. With a soft smile, he leaned in and gently pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was quick and small, but that didn't matter.
They broke apart and looked in opposite directions, both a dark brick red but smiling. At the same time, they jumped up, yelled, "Race you back!", and took off down the courtyard path.
"I win!" Young Link shouted, landing his hand on the doorknob.
"Dang it!" Nana grumbled, and then scraped her shoe against the stone. "Hey, uh, Young Link?"
"Yeah?"
She reached up and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you." The Ice Climber raced inside.
Pichu was literally shaking from all the sugar she went and had. Mario and Luigi were now running around and shouting a bunch of war cries like a pair of five-year-olds. Apparently, Ness's prank worked, because he was now being chased around the room by a seriously ticked off Captain Falcon who had a punch-drenched empty bowl stuck on his hand.
Nana walked casually over to the snack table and grabbed one of the thousands of cookies. She watched Samus drag Captain Falcon over to Peach and ask her to please "baby-sit the oversized toddler with a Hot Wheels obsession." Ness disappeared.
Popo hurried over. "Sorry, I lost track of time!" he panted. "Did you find out who your secret admirer is?"
"Yep," she said.
"Who is it? Come on, tell!"
Nana shook her head. "I hate to break it to you, Popo, but I can't. Personal stuff, you know?"
Young Link was talking to Ness and seemed to have said something that offended him. The psychic boy turned away, looking like he was going to throw a temper tantrum. Nana caught Young Link's eye and they both nodded, smiling.
They came to a silent agreement: To keep what happened outside private.
Besides… did anyone else really need to know?
Endness!
Meggy: That you for reading, and goodnight! I LOVE ALL THE BEAUTIFUL PEOPLES WHO REVIEW AND MAKE ME HAPPY!!!
Yoshi: Buh-bye, now!