HELLO, EVERYONE! I'm back with this "last" one-shot! I'm SO SORRY! I hope you haven't died of the suspense. I meant to have this up last Friday, but there was a Winter Concert that went longer than it was supposed to, and I came home very tired. And then I meant to have it up that Saturday, but homework, and when I finished on Sunday, I thought I had it already transferred, so I had to transfer it today. *GASP* And I want to tell you about something so AMAZING (yet you're probably gonna think I'm crazy afterwards) that it knocked my socks off! Have you ever plugged in your headphones into your computer while your music was playing and that message popped up? The music was still playing off the computer but it was also playing on your headphones! I was soo amazed! =O As long as you don't click OK on that small message box, that will happen. XD You may now state your opinions about me. But, as I've said before, I won't care. Besides, why would I invite you to state what I probably already guessed you would say about this (if you read my profile, you would be able to tell that I'm not all there.) XD Now on with the story! Sorry for being a blabbermouth. I'll leave you alone now...

Disclaimer


More Than Meets the Eye

-Nani's Point of View-

I opened the door to my room and peeked out, making sure the coast was clear. Then I walked out quietly, and closed the door. For some odd reason, I was compelled to check on Lilo and her alien pet, Kirby. I was quite relieved and not the least bit surprised that Kirby wasn't a Chao after all; I mean, he didn't even look like one, or act like on for that matter. I sighed, and continued to tiptoe across the hallway, not wanting to wake anyone, especially that large penguin.

He has a hammer, and not just any hammer, but a gigantic mallet he carries around in his robe all day! And I wouldn't want to get caught on the receiving end of that mallet!

I tiptoed even more as I passed a large door with three fancy "D's" on it, and I could hear his snoring, his gruff, deep snoring, mixed with a few incoherent words. Escargon had said he was a moderately deep sleeper, but I took no chances. A few minutes later, I passed the snail's door, a green door, and his snoring wasn't as bad as Dedede's, thankfully. As I passed a few Guest Bedrooms, I was starting to wish that I hadn't ordered for my room to be so removed from Lilo's. Back then, I thought that I wouldn't have to take care of her as much, but later on… I shuddered.

I felt that I was the only sane woman in this house; then again, I was the only woman in this house, if you don't count Lilo. Although, the only people in this house who were sensible were Sir Meta Knight and his followers, Sword and Blade. I liked that they protected the house—Meta Knight took the outside, and Sword and Blade the inside, though sometimes they would switch—and all, but… the three seemed like they had something to hide, especially that round one. I don't know, but he seems…creepy to me, and I hoped that I wouldn't run into Meta Knight at this time.

Of course, the universe failed to listen to me once again, and I found myself staring into the glowing golden eyes of the protector. I chuckled sheepishly, and spoke weakly, "Hey…"

I mentally slapped myself.

"Ah, Nani," I heard him say in his smooth, soft-spoken voice, "what are you doing up?"

I hesitated, "I…uh, I was going to check on Lilo."

I hid my arms behind my back and lightly scrapped the floor with my house-shoes.

Way to be subtle, Nani…

"I just checked on her, and she's doing fine," he answered, still staring at me.

I studied his silhouette, and noticed he was wrapped in his cape, and those curved pauldrons…

Truth be told, he does look like a demon, but in no way does he act like one.

"Oh… well, thanks."

Get it together, Nani…!

I saw him tilt his head, "Is something wrong…?"

"No…! I replied hastily, "No, nothing's wrong…! Everything is just A-OK!"

He stared at me for a while, studying me, and, honestly, it was unnerving me.

"Huh…" he finally looked away, gazing at the stars via one of the various windows.

I felt relieved for a second until his eyes turned green.

What does that mean?

"You don't sound 'A-OK'," he stated, and it finally dawned on me: Meta Knight wasn't simple-minded at all, and he could read me very well, something most men fail to do, and that caught me a disadvantage; he turned back to me, his eyes once again golden, "something must be wrong."

I couldn't just dance my way out of this; this is Meta Knight here, and something tells me I won't be getting out of this for a while unless I tell him.

"Uh, I just…left the oven on, is all," I lied blatantly, and he just stared.

He definitely wasn't convinced.

"This is about your sister," he said, and I jumped, "is it not…?"

I had no choice but to go along with this, as it was the truth, and the truth will always set you free…

…or just sink you into even more trouble.

Yep, that's the truth for ya.

"I…just wanna protect her," I said, hanging my head and rubbing my arm.

"But you have Sword, Blade, and me," he replied, getting closer to me, "your family's protectors. And you also have Kirby, and there's no doubt in my mind that he won't."

"I know…" I rubbed at my temples, "but…it's just very sudden for me. I mean, it seems like it was only two days ago that we lost our parents, and then you guys come charging in!"

I saw Meta Knight bow his head, and I realized, "Uh…not that I don't appreciate your efforts, which I do."

He sighed, "No…it's not that…it is…" he then looked askance, "something else."

We stood in silence, and I couldn't help feeling my opinions about him change, and I broke the silence, "Would you like to talk about it?"

He said nothing, and I left it alone. I felt uncomfortable staying in silence, and he broke it eventually and I smiled with relief, "Lilo feels safe."

"Yes, yes, of course, I—" I did a double take, "Wait a minute, she does? !"

He nodded, "There is more to us crowd of men than what meets the eye."

"Other than the fact that you guys came from different planets…?"

He didn't respond, and I sighed; this guy didn't talk much, but then again, it was really silly of me to say that.

"I'll let you figure that out for yourself."

I kinda expected him to say that.

He stepped aside and walked past me, and I instinctively smiled, that is, until he glanced at me out of the corner of his v-shaped eyehole, and said, "Would you like for me to escort you back to your room, or are you fine with going back alone?"

I hesitated, trying to find the right words, and I almost felt him raise an eyebrow at me.

"Uh, sure, I would like that," I spluttered, "the former choice, of course."

A long, uneasy silence reigned, and he just stood there staring at me, until he inquired, "Are you always this frivolous, Nani?"

My eyes widened; Dad would always say that to me (playfully, however) whenever I did something that seemed amusing yet silly to him, to which I would always reply:

"No…!"

I covered my mouth, glancing around, and I saw Meta Knight watching this with peculiar interest.

"Hm…"

He turned away from me and walked on, and I followed him after a while. Soon, after passing the same rooms I came across in reverse, we reached my room, and Sir Meta Knight already had the door open for me. I walked in, nodding my thanks, and he nodded back, and asked, "Is there anything else you would like me to do for you: get you a cup of warm milk, or perhaps some tea?"

"No, I'm fine," I smiled sweetly.

He nodded and was about to close the door when I stopped him, "Wait!"

He reopened the door and I saw a light yellow color replace his golden ones for a moment.

"Thank you," I started, "for helping me take care of my little sister. I really appreciate it."

I could tell he was taken aback, because he hadn't responded in a long time, and I kept my smile on my face for however long it took.

"It…" he hesitated, "It's not…" he finally sighed and said, "Think nothing of it."

I nodded, and he slowly closed the door, but I never heard any footsteps. I reopened the door and saw that he was gone, without a trace. I hated to admit it, but…some parts of his personality reminded me of my dad. Dad was a bookish type, and he was soft-spoken and stealthy; he was blunt, but not as blunt as Meta Knight is. He could also read people very well, as can Meta Knight. I closed the door and walked to my bed and plopped onto it, thinking about the Pelekai House's protector…and wondering if Lilo made the connections as well.

-END-


A/N: XD Finally! I have this up! It's been bugging me! And you know about that Christmas Story: forget about it, I'm not gonna make it anyhow. They shot the Christmas Break to smithereens, postponing it a week. You know the last week was supposed to be this week, but this year it's next week. -.- So, I'll just do something COMPLETELY different for Christmas and make it about, oh, I don't know, anything, but it will still have that undertone of Christmas, that I'll make sure of. Okay, take care! I'm too tired to even type for you to review, but I guess I already did. XD