It's been a while since I wrote a piece. Life has been busy.

Do note there are spoilers in this story for Mother 2/Earthbound in case you're coming in canon-blind.

Please enjoy. Feedback is lovely if you have time to spare.

Glass Cannons

Being a "hero" is nothing like what I thought it would be…

Everyone and everything I love is safe now…has been safe…

That should be enough…

But…

It's not…

Nothing has been the same since I came back to Onett…things are different…

I'm different…

"Ness, you haven't been sleeping well lately".

Mom's casual observation snaps me out from my trance. Almost as if a door to my mind suddenly shuts, the room comes slowly into focus. The sounds of the birds chirping outside gently flutter to my ears and the smell of steak floats to my nose as I become more and more aware of my surroundings. I'm sitting at the table. I think I was trying to make myself take a bite of the steak in front of me. It used to be my favorite food. I would crave it all the time while I was away from home on my adventure. Now I barely taste it.

I barely taste anything that I eat anymore.

Mom's gaze hasn't left the side of my face, but I try my best not to even look like I acknowledge what she said. Give her one inch and she'll take a mile when it comes to worrying about me. She doesn't need to worry.

I'm fine. Everything is fine.

From by King on the floor, Tracy rolls over to lay on her stomach to face me.

"Mom's right, Big Bro," she says, tilting her head. "I hear you in your room all the time at night. What are you doing in there?"

I swallow, suddenly feeling hot. I thought I was being careful, quiet enough that no one could hear me. I was sure to put the pillow as close to my face as I could when I felt the attacks coming to muffle whatever sounds I made. I moved my bed away from the wall so I wouldn't accidently kick it in panic. Where did I go wrong? My mind attempts to race, thoughts scrambling and tripping all around to think of something I missed, but my mental speed is weighed down by the anxiety of Mom and Tracy staring at me, waiting for an answer.

They're concerned about me. I know they've been for a while now.

But I can't tell them what's been happening to me.

I just can't.

As if someone or something knew I needed to be rescued, the phone rings and Mom races to answer it. It's my dad. Tracy is thankfully distracted and gets up to talk to him, probably to tell her about her latest part-time gig…whatever it is now.

I take that as my cue to leave before Mom and Tracy can stop me. I get my backpack and open the front door, the calls of my name shut off as soon as the door shuts. The day is bright and sunny in Onett, not a cloud in the sky, but I don't have time to admire it. I take off running out of the fenced yard and down the dirt road to town. I run so fast and so hard without stopping that it takes me a minute after I've stopped to realize that I ran all the way to the arcade in town.

I pant as I bend over to catch my breath, ignoring the stares of the residents around me as they go about their lives. When I first came back to Onett, I used to walk these streets just to hear what people had to say and feel so angry after conversations with different people. The dribble of everyday life just seemed so trivial after what I had done and seen over the time I was gone. We just saved your world as you know it, I wanted to shout. Why can't you see how close you were to the end?

I've concluded that peoples' memories are short, especially once they've known you've saved them from certain doom.

My sides ache and my lungs burn, yet a personal sign that the memory of my adventure is getting farther away. Traveling around Eagleland got me into some serious shape (the weight everyone used to tease me about gone), but since I've been home, I haven't been out much. And it's obvious with how much my body protests against my sudden sprint from the hills.

When I raise my head after catching my breath, I see a familiar opening in the trees up ahead. A year ago, that path took me somewhere brand new and started to expand that world I knew. My feet start taking me down that same dirt path, the busy sounds of Onett fading as I went further and further. A year ago, I was nervously treading this path to the next destination.

Now I'm on a mission.

At this point, there's only one person I know to talk to.

One person that could even begin to comprehend and understand what I'm feeling.

One person…that I trust.

The Polestar Preschool hasn't changed much over the last year.

Twoson is also the same too. Bustling with life and newfound popularity after Venus hit it big in Fourside. Before Venus…Paula was pretty much the only talk of the town. It seems like people haven't forgotten her, she's just more in the background with Venus around.

But if only people knew.

I walk up to the door and open it to find the same small room, Paula's mother still bustling around and busy. But different kids occupy this room now. They all stop and stare at me and I suddenly feel like an intruder on such a happy, peaceful moment. I almost turn around to leave, but Paula's mother sees me before I can make the escape.

"Ness! Oh my goodness, it's been awhile!" She comes over to pull me inside, shutting the door behind me. "I almost didn't recognize you, you've grown a lot in just a year."

I open my mouth to try to speak, but before I could say anything, I see her come from upstairs.

Paula.

She slows down at the last step and we stare at each other from across the room.

Even though I've only seen her for a few seconds, the old memories and feelings come rushing back to me. I remember how intimidated I was at first by her PSI abilities, leagues past my own; how I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to get along with such a spunky, feisty girl like her. Girls in Onett were nothing like Paula and to be honest, she scared me a little in the beginning.

But I also remember how afraid I was that we had lost her for good when she was kidnapped by Monotoli in Fourside and how relieved I was when got her back; how much of her protector I became toward the end of our adventure. Jeff and Poo used to joke with me that Paula was our "glass cannon" - incredibly powerful, yet fragile. And I could see where that came from. She was the one we had to watch the most, heal the most, take care of the most over the course of our adventure. But they seemed to forget quite often that she held her own. She had mastered powers that Poo never developed. She could've killed Jeff in one shot at any point if he caught her in a bad mood. And sure, I was the leader of a group of kids chosen to defeat Giygas and had harnessed all the powers of the Earth.

But Paula relied on more than just brute strength to win the final battle. And that was her greatest strength of all.

Though she still looks mostly the same, she's taller and she has more curves than the last time I saw her. She's grown out of her pink dress, now wearing a dress of a color that I can't really place...

Periwinkle.

It's periwinkle.

I hold back a smile. She doesn't and it lights up her face. She walks up to me and stands in front of me, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Hi, Ness," she says.

Hi, Paula.

Without warning, she reaches up to wrap her arms around my neck and my arms automatically wrap around her waist. Tension leaves my body as I feel myself relax in her arms. Her gentle sighs in my ear make me hold her tighter, closing my eyes to focus on her and only her.

I've missed you so much.

I've missed you too.

The kids, excited about Paula being in the room, cut our hug short with questions about me.

"Kids, calm down," she says as she lets me go. My body isn't ready for the sudden chill that wracks through it but I keep a straight face. "This is Ness, he's a good friend of mine."

Paula's mother comes to the rescue by calling out snack time and Paula takes the opportunity to whisper something in her mom's ear. Paula's mother nods and smiles at me, waving us off as we leave the preschool to enter the world of Twoson, just the two of us.

Suddenly alone with Paula, I find myself shuffling with nerves. I'm not sure what to say, where to go or what to do. I was never the planner of the group, that much was a given. But as she used to during our adventures, Paula thoughtfully sighs and takes a quick look around.

"I'm feeling like going on a tiny adventure," she says. "Let's go this way." She points to the tunnel toward Threed. "Maybe we could pass through and see how the town is doing."

Sounds good.

We start walking in the direction of the tunnel. Somewhere along the way, my fingers slip between Paula's and she squeezes my hand gently.

Paula and me. Just like old times.

We stop by the cliffs overlooking Saturn Valley and sit down. From here, we can see the Mr. Saturns moving around the village below and hear their nonsensical chatter to each other faintly. We chuckle as some parts of conversation become discernable, especially the word "zoom!".

We don't say anything for what feels like an eternity, just watching life move around us below. Some part of me knows I should probably ask normal questions: how have you been? What have you been up to? But I stop myself from even trying. I've never been good at small talk. Maybe "Overcoming Shyness" would benefit me too if I gave it a read.

Most people make small talk after not seeing or speaking to each other for a year.

I look to her, but she's staring down into Saturn Valley. There's a hint of something that I don't expect in her tone...was it sadness?

I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say except that. I wish I could explain myself beyond that, but no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to find the words. She takes a deep breath and turns to look at me. Her eyes sparkle with tears.

I thought I would never see you again.

My heart sinks. Paula, I-

I've been worried about you ever since we parted. You've never once called, written or come to see me. It's as if I didn't exist to you.

But I-

And now you just show up and expect me to be okay with this? Is this what our friendship is going to be like for the rest of our lives, Ness?

A tear rolls down her cheek and I internally retreat, ashamed at myself. I'm the cause of her pain. It cuts me deeply to accept that I am the reason she's crying.I shouldn't have gone to Twoson to see her. I should've handled everything myself as I've been doing. What an idiot I am to think I could just reach out and expect her to accept me. She's better off not seeing me at all.

I get to my feet.

I'm sorry, Paula. I… I won't bother you anymore.

She doesn't reply but stares into Saturn Valley. I fight back my own tears and start to walk back toward Threed.

I have them too.

I stop walking. Have what?

The nightmares.

I swallow hard. Suddenly I feel sick and dizzy that we're even thinking about talking about this. We're seeing each other for the first time after a year. We should be laughing, sharing snacks and talking about the good parts of life in general. Like what normal kids do.

But our emotions are high. It's hard to breathe from the sudden tension between us. A part of me wants to run as fast as I can from it because I don't know how to handle this.

But I'm also selfish. I need someone to hear me - really hear me - and understand. And the only person that can touch the silence I suffer with is Paula. I turn around to walk back and sit by her again.

What are yours like?

Mostly voices. Sometimes I see Giygas. Or old battles. What about you?

I also hear voices. See battles. Sometimes I wake myself up yelling or crying. Or rolling around in bed trying to escape something or someone.

I can feel Paula looking at my profile as I pause. I feel so many emotions coming from her at once, I'm not sure how to respond. But the discomfort of my lack of response is forgotten as she scoots closer to me and I open my side to welcome her, my arm wrapping around her shoulders. She lays her head on my shoulder and we sit in silence.

She breaks it after a few minutes.

When I first came back to Twoson, I thought I could just go back to being a normal kid like I was before our adventure. Everyone told us we would…do you remember that?

I nod.

But we're not normal kids anymore…and I don't think people understand that. We saw the pure darkness and evil that lurk in people, animals, and even things. Giygas sent everything he could to destroy us and we traveled through time just to defeat him. How did we think we could go back to being normal kids after all of that?

I don't know. I tried for a while. But nothing I used to do before our adventure appealed to me anymore. I can't even find it in me to play a game of baseball. Nothing I used to do before the journey can make me go back to feeling like a kid.

The air feels cooler as the sun begins to set.

You know, I think…I think we just…grew up too fast.

We had to. The world needed us to.

I suppose.

What do you mean by that?

Us being the chosen ones doesn't change the fact that the world depended on a group of kids to save them.

She has me there.

Our eyes meet and in Paula's, I can see the same darkness and fear for the future that I bare. A strange feeling rises in me: on one hand, I want to bask in her comfort and draw strength from her. On the other, I want nothing more than to protect her from her demons and be the strength she needs. It seems counterintuitive to want both things so badly and I wish I knew which one to pursue. I think a part of me is afraid I'll fail her. But a part of me knows I would rather die than let her down.

Our foreheads gently touch, our noses barely connected. I close my eyes, more in concentration than nervousness.

Do you think the nightmares will ever go away?

I think with time, they may get easier to handle. But I think they'll always be a reminder of what we went through in order to ensure that those we love were safe.

I tighten my hold around her shoulders in silent agreement. The air dips again in temperature as the sun sinks on the horizon.

Oh, by the way…I remember what I wanted to tell you when I saw you again.

Oh? What's that?

How about I just show you?

Just before I lose myself in Paula, a single thought crosses my mind: maybe Jeff will get his wish one day after all.