Author's note: A little something I came up with, as I did say I would do more of these one-shots. Although this one is not focused on a particular scene in the anime, it is placed somewhere after Kirby's birthday, episode 51. It's mostly just reflection, and I wanted to write a bit about how I think Meta Knight meditates. It's mainly based on an illustration I made on my deviantart page, which depicts the galaxy I describe here. If you're interested, link is on my profile! On that, have a good read! Short and sweet, like I like them. Tell me what you think!

Silence. Stillness. Quiet bliss. He felt like he was floating. He was mist; he escaped his body in what felt like an instant, and found himself into darkness. He was feeling absolute nothingness; no heartbeat, no smell, no sound, no taste. Nothing was moving, yet he was traveling, faster than any spaceship or vessel, faster than any celestial creature ever could. He was light; he was life.

He stopped all of a sudden, and there he was, in his sanctuary. He was facing a large, brightly lit galaxy of warm colors, surrounded by a distant dark nebula that faded like mist like a ring around it. The stars shone like thousands of millions of faraway beacons, showing the way to even far away worlds. He stood hovering there, feeling his first wave of true bliss, for this was his home. He grew in this sanctuary, on a lone star that lived in this fiery cluster of pure light. The star's light was poor… His bliss was replaced by anger. He could feel it; Nightmare's presence: his bony fingers had his home in their grasp, and possibly the whole galaxy.

Despite his chagrin over this loss, he still felt that purifying feeling he came here for take over his being; in this place, he could not linger on anger or sadness or even happiness. Each emotion or stimuli simply passed by, like it was meant to be, like it was nothing. All that was left of his being was a faded presence, a soul that sought nothing else but calmness and quietness. His thoughts were put to silence as he was lost in the bright lights of the galaxy, as he relished in this moment of stillness that calmed his soul and feelings; a moment that was meant to help him grow.

One by one, the lights extinguished, and the galaxy was overcome by darkness. The calmness disappeared, and his soul was gripped in a burning fist that filled him with a sudden fear; bony fingers appeared all over him, claw-like hands that gripped his being painfully, and a voice echoed.

"Power… I want… power…"

That voice was his own; dangerous, dark and deadly. With a sudden surge of strength and power, he wriggled out of the darkness's grasp, and was forcefully pushed back into his body. His eyes snapped open, and he breathed in a loud gasp. His heart was beating against his skull and he was shaking horribly as goosebumps crawled on his skin. It took him a moment to calm his heart, but even more to fully comprehend what had happened. His eyes squinted as he found he was staring at the sun on the horizon, but they softened. The scene before him was beautiful, so serene it helped him calm himself quicker than he thought. The sea was shining like it was covered by millions of tiny diamonds as its unmoving waters reflected the warmly colored sky like a perfect mirror. The sun and its reflection were glowing like the galaxy he had seen. It was so beautiful…

"Po…?"

Perched atop a balcony facing the sea, Meta Knight turned his head, golden eyes meeting with deep blue. It seemed like Kirby had been passing by when he noticed him there, and now the young puff was behind him on the balcony, eyes wide.

"Hello, Kirby," he greeted, nodding his head as usual. "May I help you with something?"

"Poyo," the child answered quietly, stepping closer with two, tiny and shy steps.

His head tilted to the side, as if inquiring something, but Meta Knight found it hard to understand what the child wanted of him. He ever so slightly tilted his own head in an interrogative manner, asking gently and patiently:

"What is the matter, Kirby? Do you have a question?"

The young puff stepped closer and tapped his own head with a quiet 'poyo' that felt strangely uncharacteristic of the child. Even the stoic knight was surprised, but he made no comment and simply said:

"Does your head hurt?"

Kirby shook his head vigorously and walked closer so he was right next to the bloc of stone he was standing on. He pointed a stubby paw at him, then held his head as if he was hurting.

"Mena, poyo!" he blurted out, waving his arms as if expecting to be understood.

Although he didn't show it, Meta Knight did, somehow, understand. Was Kirby feeling the contact he had had with Nightmare just now? The child was, indeed, more clever than he looked sometimes. Perhaps, over the last year he had spent in Dreamland, he had developed a keen eye for these things. He really was the Star Warrior he was supposed to be, Meta Knight thought as his gaze softened on the younger puff. He slowly shook his head.

"I'm fine, Kirby," he said softly. "There's no need to worry."

"Kirby!" they both heard from down the hallway.

They turned and saw Fumu appear in the balcony's entrance. She appeared relieved as she softly sighed and put her hand on her hip.

"There you are," she smiled. "I thought you were right behind me!"

She looked up at the knight and her smile grew sympathetic.

"I'm sorry if he bothered you, Sir Meta Knight," she apologized, making him smirk ever so slightly.

He shook his head again.

"There's no bother," he assured, before looking back down at Kirby, who was still looking up at him worriedly. "Go on now, child. I believe it's almost time for dinner, no?"

At the mention of food, Kirby's eyes lit up and he blinked, suddenly retrieving his bright smile. He nodded his head and ran back to Fumu, exclaiming:

"Poyo poyo! Dinnarh, poyo!"

The young puff and the young girl both waved at him as they left the balcony, leaving him alone once more with his thoughts. This exchange, he thought, although brief, was significant. If he had ever doubted that Kirby could start growing normally after so much time in hibernation in space, those doubts were erased. He wasn't even sure if he had actually ever doubted him. Things were going nicely as planned… Although… his contact with Nightmare worried him. Would Kirby be ready to face the Lord of Fears and his nightmares in time? Even if he thought it was a good idea to let Dedede summon demon-beasts after demon-beasts to help him grow, he found those demons stronger and stronger as time went on. Sometimes Kirby couldn't even face them alone… What would happen in front of Nightmare? He sighed. It did him no good to linger on such things, when he could just watch, and wait.

After all, he praised himself in his patience. He had waited thousands of years for this moment; he could wait a few more years. He looked up at the sky. Perhaps even less than a few years…