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SSMB: A Fond Farewell

The sun was already setting in the sky when she came upon him, the golden rays of light washing over the land like a comforter being placed over a small child. The air was chilly, signifying that the winter season would soon be upon them. For a moment he stopped what he was doing and stared at her, his blue eyes piercing her own green ones. Neither of them moved nor said a word, and to her the time seemed to slip by more slowly as they kept their eyes connected to each other. A second passed, then two, finally three before he broke the silence.

"Hello."

That one word seemed to break her from her trance, and she shook her head lightly to regain her senses.

"Hello," she responded back, getting a small half smile from him.

"Did the others send you out to get me?" He asked, turning to go back to what he was doing, picking up a small clothed bundle and attaching it to his horse.

"No not really, I just came to see you by myself."

This stopped him again and he turned back to her, his right eyebrow lifted slightly in surprise. Again a half smile lit up his face, making her look to the ground in slight embarrassment for some unknown reason.

"Oh did you now?"

She quickly looked back up, nodding her head lightly as a small tinge of redness crept onto her cheeks. Hopefully she thought that he didn't see it, least she get even more embarrassed than she already was. He didn't show signs of it however and went back to packing up his things. Swallowing lightly she cleared her throat to get his attention, addressing him when he had turned to look at her once more.

"Need some help?" She indicated to the bags that were left on the ground at his feet.

"Well only if you want to," he responded with a shrug of his shoulders a full smile now gracing his face, "but be warned they're pretty heavy."

She nodded, stepping over to help him pick up another bag. Again the silence passed between them, neither saying a word to the other as the bags were hooked up and attached. The horse made few sounds now and then, its chestnut colored tail swinging back and forth in the gentle breeze that had begin to blow. The sun continued to sink into the horizon as they worked together, the land growing darker as more and more of the light faded. Finally the last bag had been placed and the two stepped back to admire the word they did. He turned to her and gave her a smile, which she returned in kind.

"Thanks a lot," he said, pausing to wipe a bit of sweat that had formed on his forehead, "would have been here longer if you didn't help."

She chuckled lightly in response again shaking her head, her hair swaying back and forth behind her.

"It's no problem at all," she replied before staring at the horse, "so you're really going huh?"

He nodded at her question, catching what sounded like a bit of sadness in her voice. Inwardly he was also sad as well, this trip would be long and he would miss his friends here at the mansion. For the last three months he had gotten to know each occupant a great deal, each going from strangers from the first day to close friends on the last. Now he had to return home, and it would be a long while before he would return to this place.

"Well," she continued, breaking him out of his thoughts, "I hope you get home safely."

He smiled and reached out to her, pulling her close to him. She let out a soft gasp of shock, and then slowly felt her body stiffen when his arms wrapped around her in a light but firm hug. Her heart began to beat faster than usual, and she could feel her mouth start to go dry. Finally with shaking hands she managed to return the gesture of friendship.

"I'll be fine," he said softly, his breath washing over her ear and sending a shiver down her spine, "I have my sword and other items with me; you know how good I am in combat."

"Yes I know how good you are," she replied back, a bit of playfulness in her voice, "So good you lost in the seventh round to Falcon."

He pulled back a bit, a mock look of hurt on his face which she chuckled at."Hey how was I supposed to know he was going to sucker punch me? My sword was stuck in the ground!"

Again she chuckled, this time his laugh accompanied hers as their voices mixed into one. Finally the laughter died down, the two of them breathing lightly to catch their breath. By now the sun had set fully and the moon was clearly visible in the sky along with a bevy of stars. With a tired and heavy sigh, he turned and placed his hand on the horse's back. She watched as he looked up into the air and began to speak.

"I'm going to miss this place you know?"

He looked at her and she nodded, her eyes glued to his face as he now sat down on the grass beneath him.

"I came here a stranger like everyone else did, and from that gained so many new friends and experiences, more than I could possibly have known."

He sighed, reaching one hand down to pluck a blade of grass from the earth, rolling the green plant between his fingers.

"I'm sad to see it all come to an end," he said quietly, turning his head up to look at her.

Again his blue eyes pierced her own, the dark pools seeming to draw her in. She felt herself nod in response, but could not bring herself to answer him. He rose from the ground slowly and moved to her, hugging her again quickly.

"I better get going; I've got a long journey ahead of me."

He pulled back and smiled once more, raising a hand up to brush a strand of her hair out of her face.

"You take care of yourself ok?"

He turned and began to get up on his horse when he felt her hand grab his shoulder, spinning him around. Before he even had a chance to ask or say anything he felt something soft and warm press against his lips. It took only a few seconds to finally figure out what it was and what she was doing. His eyes were open at first, but as the kiss lingered he felt them gradually lower until they shut. When she finally pulled away, he could feel his cheeks start to burn and knew there was a full grown blush on them. Opening his eyes he saw that she was in the same state as well and was looking down at the ground. He swallowed softly and opened his mouth to speak but was quickly silenced when she put a finger to his lips.

"Don't say a word," she whispered, the blush on her face increasing in color, "just promise me you'll come back for the next tournament."

He looked at her, his own face matching her color as he nodded.

"Yeah," he replied quietly, "I promise."

There was silence as he turned to his horse, climbing to the top and settling himself into the saddle. He turned to look at her one last time, a smile gracing his lips as the two of them made eye contact.

"Well, see you next time."

With those words he urged his horse into a light trot, steadily increasing the pace over time. Unintentionally he raised a hand to his lips, touching them as he remembered what had just happened. A grin broke out over his face and his eyes seemed to reflect the joy he was feeling. Behind him, up on the hill he had left her on, she watched him ride off with a smile on her face as well. She kept watching until he became a speck in the distance, and only then did she turn her back and start to walk to the mansion. It was dark out and the only source of light now came from the full moon that hung in the sky. His last words still repeated themselves in her head, making her chuckle and stop in her tracks.

"You better come back," she spoke quietly into the air, pausing to look up at the moon, "or I'll drag you back if I have to Link"

With that said Samus continued her walk back to the mansion, eagerly looking forward to the day when she and Link would be reunited.

The End