Disclaimer: Nintendo owns everything. Not even my own damn consciousness belongs to me.
Author's Note: I'm in a state of apathy at the moment that somehow seems to work in accordance with the law of opposites. The more I feel the need to revise for my exams, the more I don't do it. I somehow manage to waste an entire day writing or doing anything but revising. This was written in two hours' nonstop writing, out of a small plotbunny that spawned out of nowhere. It doesn't end happily, and it's kind of surreal. This isn't happy stuff.
Meta Knight and Jigglypuff have not yet had a separate oneshot from me. Well, here it is now. It does contain a bit of Snake/Luigi-ness, as expected from me, but it really doesn't dominate the story. Mind you, it's not weakly implied - the fluff is described in some detail, so if you don't like yaoi, skip this fanfic.
Not the best thing I ever wrote, but then this was pulled out of my head two hours ago. It's 2:00 AM over here. I've been drinking a lot of iced coffee. Please forgive me for the potential suckiness.
Meta Knight had always been alone.
This was a fact that was impossible to argue with; yes, Meta Knight was a loner, and it would stay that way for ever unless he actively did something about it. But the cold hard fact was that he didn't, which would have sealed his fate as a loner forever - had not he decided to enter the third Smash Brothers Tournament.
He was always a cold, melancholy figure that struck people as heartless, and it would be fair to say that he preferred it that way. Meta Knight had too much to think about and too much to hide to let affections get in his way. He had no time for happiness, sadness or even love. Nothing much about him changed during the start of the tournament, and although he had gained a few acquaintances that he spoke and socialized with sometimes, he much more liked being by himself. It was not uncommon to see him gazing out of the window in deep thought, his eyes dark and brooding, his cape wrapped tightly around his form. Most Smashers understood his preference for solitude, and left him alone. He was marked as an outcast even before anyone got to know him properly, and this just made it harder for anyone to try to understand him. If anyone spoke to him, he would reply back politely but with no further interest in pursuing any more conversation. That was all.
However, Meta Knight didn't entirely shut himself away; while he was silent, he watched two particular Smashers from a distance.
The first was Kirby. The sweet, oblivious little pink spirit insisted on staying close to him whenever he got the chance; as his mentor, Meta Knight hardly protested at this arrangement. He seldom spoke to Kirby outside of instructing him - but he didn't find the pink puffball irritating. He never actively intervened with the other's skills or during brawls; but he was one step behind Kirby at all times, keeping watch in case he ever got himself into trouble. Kirby didn't bother him and he didn't bother Kirby. Simple as that.
The second was Jigglypuff.
She was a veteran Smasher from the world of Pokemon; her suite was next to his in the massive hotel the Smashers were all staying in, and over time they had begun to make small conversation with one another. Meta Knight did not understand for sure why he was drawn to her, nor why she seemed so secretive nowadays - he found her likable and would quietly sit with her sometimes out in the garden, and she had never protested. Yet recently she had become withdrawn and moody, unwilling to stop and chat, and he had become worried about her.
But how was he ever going to voice all that in words? He had never done such a thing before simply because he hadn't needed to. His own pride and dignity wouldn't allow him to try, either. But he did succeed in one thing - and that was watching Jigglypuff everywhere she went. So far, his observations told him that she was (at the moment) vastly unapproachable, being prone to sudden bouts of anxiety and anger. So he kept his distance, but watched her from the darkness, his eyes seldom blinking. A delicate balance, yes, but he was managing it well.
It was inevitable, however, that the male Smashers noticed; they said nothing to Jigglypuff, but whenever they passed the masked knight in the hallway, they winked and grinned at him, slyly asking him about their supposed 'relationship'. Solid Snake was the most persistent (but surprisingly less annoying than most), constantly trying to get information about Meta Knight's 'girlfriend'. Of course, all it usually took for the mercenary to back off were a few sharp words from the knight concerning him and Luigi - Meta Knight was seldom intervening in other people's business, and he appreciated people doing the exact same. He honestly had nothing against the mercenary or Luigi (how could anyone loathe the younger Mario brother and his sweet charm?), but when it came to Jigglypuff, he wanted no interruptions.
However, it all changed one fateful day.
It was the beginning of yet another month, and each Smasher saw their scores and overall rankings for the previous month pushed underneath their doors. Master Hand respected that some people preferred to think more deeply about their position in the tournament without any intervention whatsoever - so instead of using a large bulletin board to post everyone's scores, he gave each Smasher a more detailed version of their overall performance every month. He had looked at his piece of paper without much interest - he was the top Smasher, just as he had been for the last three months, and out of thirty brawls that month he had won twenty-eight of them. Not bad at all, but nothing more about the whole thing interested him.
He spent the whole day like any other, watching and training for his brawl, and carefully resting himself in preparation for any upcoming ones. It wasn't a bad arrangement, not at all; nothing too special happened, and he wasn't too bothered about anything. But there was a nagging feeling, deep down inside, that he found increasingly harder to ignore - he had not seen Jigglypuff all day. She would normally be in the cafe, drinking coffee by herself, or chatting to the other female Smashers who didn't think her irritating. But nobody had seen her all day, as far as he knew, and she hadn't had a brawl scheduled for that day either.
Meta Knight was worried. As much as he hated to admit it, he was feeling anxious; he had to find out where she was, he just had to. He slipped out of his suite and walked softly over to Jigglypuff's - after just a moment's hesitation, he knocked three times on the door and waited.
There was something seriously wrong with Jigglypuff.
Meta Knight may not have cared about other people a lot, but he could see that much. Something was wrong with her. She opened the door and greeted him, but she seemed to be agitated for some reason; her eyes kept on blinking anxiously, her pupils unfocused and never resting on one single place, and her voice was unusually high-pitched in tone. When asked what was troubling her, she squeaked out: "Oh no, I'm perfectly fine, Meta Knight! There's no need to be worried about me!".
Something was definitely bothering her.
The masked knight said nothing more, instead inviting her for a small meal and a drink down in the bar. She agreed, and they made their way downstairs, a group of male Smashers grinning mischievously at the knight as they passed by. He gave them a warning glance, and they backed off - no use arguing anything with Meta Knight. He specially asked the bar staff to give them a place that was isolated - they complied, and gave them a small table for two in the corner that was partially blocked by a frosted-glass partition. It was also far from the window, so nobody would snoop on them. It was already ten o'clock by the time they had sat down, so it wasn't as if there were many customers downstairs.
That was a little reassuring, at least.
Jigglypuff was mostly silent for the duration of the meal. She had ordered a small salad and a slice of apple pie with cream; she appeared to be unable to stomach anything else. She ate steadily, methodically, spooning up the cream and clearing her plate without saying a word. Meta Knight found this silence unnerving - he hardly touched his food, and stole glances at her every now and then. She didn't appear to notice.
However, that was hardly the worst part, as the masked knight was about to find out. The problem began when they ordered the drinks.
The pink Pokemon had never been a drinker, but she was pouring and drinking champagne that night as if there was no tomorrow. This seemed to open her up, make her talkative once again. Too talkative. This was hardly a comfort for the knight, who simply had to sit there and listen to her half-incoherent ramblings. Jigglypuff was gesturing wildly with her hands, pausing only to drink a glass of champagne, chattering almost non-stop. Meta Knight listened nonetheless; and for this he had two reasons. First, Jigglypuff needed company. He was the only one standing by her at the time. And second, he need information to find out why she was being like this in the first place, and her speech would inevitably reveal a clue. He eventually discovered the reason after about an hour of idle chatter about cooking, the supply closet and the swordsmen - out of thirty brawls for that month, she had won a mere four, and was being teased cruelly about it by the other Smashers. Master Hand himself had been disappointed by her performance, and had given her an ultimatum: bring up her scores for the next month, or leave the tournament.
"... I think all this is terribly unfair," Jigglypuff slurred, a small, almost-hysterical giggle escaping her as she twirled a glass around in her hand. "that's hardly my fault. I can't help it they're all stronger than me."
"Don't you worry," Meta Knight tried to reassure her, although he was inwardly stunned. "I could help you, if you want to. Come to me, Jigglypuff - I can teach you how to fight well. I've been teaching Kirby for almost three years now."
"Who said... anything about me wanting to be taught, Meta?" she replied, her eyes dull and unfocused. She put down the glass, her head slumping down. "who said I was going to stay and go through all this again?"
Meta Knight didn't manage a reply as she picked up the entire bottle and inhaled the rest of the contents in one fast, spontaneous motion. He instinctively reached out a hand to firmly take the champagne bottle away; she had been drinking and talking for two hours now, and it was time that she stopped.
"Jigglypuff, you are exhausted and you have been drinking too much champagne. Let us return to our suites now. You need time to calm down - we will resume our talk in the morning."
She gazed blankly at him as if she did not comprehend what he was saying. After just a few seconds' pause, she resumed talking, her eyes glassy, her voice increasingly slurred; there was no way to stop her. Meta Knight hardly knew what to do - he just sat there, stunned and in a daze. There was nothing else to do - except to let her talk herself into exhaustion.
However, this time it did not last long. She had scarcely talked for about four minutes before she stopped; her face went a shade of ashen grey, and she wordlessly stared at him. He knew, in that instant, that he had destroyed her previous chain of thought and had made her come to terms with her actions that night.
"Jigglypuff," he called gently in an attempt to soothe her. But she ducked her head, grasping the edge of the table, suddenly beginning to cry in earnest; nothing he said could comfort her. She sat there weeping her heart out onto the tablecloth, each sob tearing through his heart like a knife. He picked her up in his arms, left a bundle filled with coins down onto the table, and without a word left the bar and up the stairs to his own suite.
Meta Knight stayed next to Jigglypuff that night.
She stayed silent and unmovable in his bed, not just from the drink but also with the stubbornness that came with shame. She kept her back turned to him, only answering his occasional questions with a yes or no; it was not until dawn that she began to respond clearly to some of his statements.
"I've never been so embarrassed in my life," she said quietly. "and I've certainly never been this roaring drunk, either."
"Which was the most embarrassing, talking to Master Hand or talking to me?" the masked knight asked in an equally quiet voice; she didn't reply for a minute or two, but he waited, knowing that an answer would come, regardless of the time it took.
"You," she finally replied. "at least with Master Hand, I didn't cry. I kept calm throughout that entire interview. I certainly didn't lose it entirely like I did back in the bar."
"And did crying make any difference, Jigglypuff?" Meta Knight asked, but this time there honestly was no reply. She had fallen fast asleep, exhausted from tears and general fatigue, and it wasn't long before he fell asleep as well.
Morning light awoke him to the realization that the pink Pokemon was gone. He darted over to her suite, finding that nobody answered to his knocking; not one of the training rooms were open yet, and she wasn't in the cafe or in the gardens. He returned to his own room, crestfallen after an hour's worth of search, coming only to the conclusion that she had disappeared - but then his eyes fell on a piece of paper on his bedside table that hadn't been there before. He picked it up and smoothed it out, his hands trembling lightly.
Dear Meta Knight,
By the time you read this, I will be gone from the hotel, back to my own world. I thought about it all last night; it's all I've thought about since talking to Master Hand - and I have decided to leave. I don't plan on returning, either. I've endured too much here, Meta, and I no longer have the courage to go through this again.
I didn't tell any of the others, so this may come as a shock to you. Please don't be worried about me. I'm all right. I'll be happier back where I came from. I was always too weak to compete with any other Smasher here. But I decided to tell you, just you, because...
... because...
... you were the only one who stood by me. You gave me strength for a time. You stood by me yesterday.
Do you remember asking me if crying made any difference, Meta? I never answered. Well, now's the time. The answer is - yes. In fact, it made all the difference. It was the final sign of my true weakness, and I showed it to you out of all the people - I didn't think I would ever be able to look at you properly again. But I'll miss you... I'll miss you so much that my heart will break any second.
I never told you while I was here, Meta Knight. But I knew you were always behind me, watching me. That's partly why I hid away. I wanted to see how much time you were willing to give to me. I wanted to see to what extent you were willing to follow me. And you always followed me - when I was alone by myself, I could feel your eyes fixed on me. But believe me, I couldn't have been happier.
I was never saintly, Meta. I was never a beautiful girl that people would love and care for. I grew up lonely, learnt to enjoy solitude, almost as much as you did. I didn't ever think I would love or be loved, but I can tell you now...
... I do believe I was a little in love with you.
Please don't tell the other Smashers I'm gone. They must figure it out for themselves. And please don't be worried about me. I'm fine. I'll always remember you.
Farewell, my love.
Jigglypuff
Evening came swift and fast.
Meta Knight stood in the shadows down in the garden, watching Snake and Luigi making their way to the lake. They were laughing, joking with each other about something-or-another; the sight proved too painful for him to watch, and he looked away. He had dreamed once of him and Jigglypuff, doing the exactly same thing. In that dream they had been so happy together, and he had laughed and smiled without a care in the world - but it had only been a dream after all, and it could never happen now. It struck him only then that he would never see her again; at least for the remaining duration of the tournament. It was a long time before this tournament was over, and longer yet before another would be announced. And Jigglypuff was no longer likely to join the next one, with the last shred of her confidence destroyed.
Where was she now, Meta Knight wondered. Was she back in her home world, hiding away? Or was she on the roads, travelling away from her memories, her painful past? Was she gone already? Would she forget him?
Thoughts had previously been his salvation - now it was his torment. It hurt too much to think about Jigglypuff, her sweet scent, her beautiful blue eyes - eyes he would never see again. He idly watched Snake and Luigi to try to get rid of all the horrible thoughts - but it honestly wasn't helping much.
Luigi was resting now, his head on the mercenary's lap, reaching with one hand to pet the other's hair. Snake was looking down at him, complete adoration in his face (a previously-nonexistant emotion for him), replying to whatever the plumber had said. Meta Knight could sense that the mercenary liked Luigi - perhaps he was even utterly and completely in love with him; the younger Mario brother had been the first to reach out to him, the first one to genuinely care, and Snake appreciated that. They were almost inseperable now; they were always together, impervious to the teasing of the other Smashers, days passing in happiness.
Happiness. He could have had it as well. Had he not made the wrong choice, he would have had all the happiness the world had to offer.
The evening was coming swift and fast. Snake suddenly reached forwards, neatly grabbing something out of the air; working quickly, he slid out a small glass tube from his shirt, put what he'd caught in it, and gave it to Luigi. The latter smiled and laughed as he accepted the gift, putting his arms around the mercenary and giving him a small appreciative kiss. He turned the glass tube over in his hands, gazing dreamily at whatever was inside, snuggling into the mercenary's arms comfortably. Snake held him, leaning back on a tree, lightly stroking the other's hair.
Meta Knight bowed his head, not wanting to see any more. The two were unlikely, yes, but they still loved one another in many ways. Snake and Luigi were proof that unlikely love could work. So why couldn't it have worked out for Jigglypuff and him?
He turned on his heels to leave the site. He would have to go brood somewhere else. However, he forgot to be cautious; he stepped on a patch of damp grass, slipping rather unceremoniously. Although he didn't fall over, the sound and rustling was more than enough to alert the sharp-eared mercenary. Snake looked around, his eyes spotting the masked knight in the shadows; Meta Knight met his gaze, not knowing what else to do. Snake could be a handful when he was angered, and he really didn't need this now-
But Snake wasn't angry. He only smiled gently at Meta Knight, beckoning him near; the masked knight hesitated, but reluctantly walked over to them. Luigi showed no signs of acknowledging him - but when he looked closely at the green-clad plumber, he realized that this was because the young man had fallen asleep.
"Were you watching?" Snake asked. Meta Knight nodded in reply. "wouldn't blame you. Me and Luigi aren't the most likely couple ever, are we?" he lightly caressed Luigi's cheek as he said this. "bless him - he looks so peaceful, doesn't he? I'd hate to wake him now."
"At least you two love each other," the knight replied, the word 'love' sounding foreign to him. "wouldn't that be more than enough?"
"You're right, it would be," the mercenary glanced at the other, tilting his head quizzically. "say... Jigglypuff said that she was going into training for the next few days. Isn't that why she hasn't been coming down to eat today?"
Meta Knight tensed. How was he going to answer this? Jigglypuff had left the tournament, and the Smashers would inevitably find out sooner or later. "She's... training, yes. I tried to help her, but she has been rather downhearted recently because of her scores. She wouldn't accept my help."
"Shame. She's such a nice girl. You should try hard with her, Meta Knight. She's sweet on you," then his eyes lit up. "I know! Meta Knight, why don't you take one of these-" here he pointed the glass tube that Luigi was holding. "-up to Jigglypuff? As long as they don't have to touch them, women have a tendency to go crazy for those things."
The masked knight leaned over to look. He couldn't see very well in the rapidly falling dusk, but when his eyes had adjusted a little, he could make out something inside the tube that glowed with a soft, bright green light. "What is it?"
"Fireflies. Girls really like them. They think those are particularly romantic, I suppose, and I couldn't very well disagree with that."
"You gave Luigi one. He's not a girl."
"He's just as beautiful as one," Snake answered, his voice uncharacteristically soft as he pulled the younger Mario brother closer. The latter nuzzled close to the warmth in his sleep, making soft purring sounds like a kitten; the mercenary chuckled and patted his head. "and acts like some kind of cat, too. I must admit it's very cute. So are you taking one of them for Jigglypuff?"
Meta knight remained silent for a while. He had known about those creatures, of course, but he had never actually seen nor handled one of them before. However, they were very pretty indeed, even though none of them would ever get to Jigglypuff - "Yes, I will. Could you select and catch one for me, Snake? I've never really seen those before... I don't know which ones glow the brightest..."
"No problem."
The mercenary looked up, waiting for a few seconds, before reaching out and carefully grabbing a firefly out of the air. The insect beat its wings, making a kind of buzzing sound, as Snake dropped it into yet another glass tube and handed it to Meta Knight. "There you go. She'll love it."
"Thank you."
Dusk had fallen, and the other Smashers were slowly getting to bed. But Meta Knight alone remained fully awake, standing on his balcony, his cape fluttering around him in the gentle caress of the night breeze. He held the glass tube with the firefly in it loosely in his hands, glancing at it now and then, looking down at the garden. Snake and Luigi had gone inside some half an hour ago - he had watched them from the balcony as Snake gently shook the young man awake, murmuring that they had to get inside now. He had watched silently as Luigi rubbed his eyes, dozy and rather tired, and he had seen the mercenary bend down and cuddle the green-clad plumber tight, whispering sweet nothings in his ear. They had hugged, pressed softly against each other's body, and had left the garden hand-in-hand.
A rather strange example, maybe, but to Meta Knight, it made no difference. Jigglypuff and he could have shared a moment like that. He could have loved her back. But where was Jigglypuff now? Back in her own world, perhaps hiding, perhaps singing away without a care in the world. Perhaps she was so relieved over escaping the tournament that she could have forgotten him already. He would never know.
His gaze fell on the firefly. It was still crawling around inside, buzzing now and then, still glowing; but somehow the glow seemed weaker, dimmer, and it didn't feel as magical as it did at first glance. Meta Knight looked at it for one more minute before slowly tipping the insect out onto the thick railings, freeing it. It had been meant for Jigglypuff, but it had no point now.
The firefly seemed hardly alive. It twitched for a brief moment, and then sat still - it didn't even attempt to fly away. Maybe it was too weak to fly now. Maybe it would die soon. None of this would have normally affected the masked knight, but just looking at the helpless insect stirred something inside his heart. Here was a creature that could have sealed his happiness. If he had found it just a day earlier, he could have been loved. Happy. Overjoyed. The teasing of the Smashers would have meant nothing to him, if there was someone beside him, someone he could love and care for dearly...
... but it was gone now, all gone, and the remainder of what could have been was manifested in this little firefly.
And that was a poor example in contrast to how much he and Jigglypuff had cared for each other, and how neither would ever know.
Meta Knight slumped down with a heavy sigh, blankly staring at the firefly on the railing. It was a long time before it moved; it suddenly darted forwards, as if registering for the first time that it was free, and crawled over the paint cracks of the railing. Slowly, very slowly (and almost sluggishly), it opened its wings, the dark glittery surface clashing against its soft, faint green glow, and flew away into the darkness.
He knew that the firefly would hardly last another day. They were such fragile creatures, despite their beauty, painfully reminding him of how nothing good ever lasted. He clenched his eyes shut, but he could still see the faint glow in the darkness, drifting from place to place, teasingly close to him. He reached out a hand, grasping in the darkness, hoping to catch at least a little of what he could have - but it was no use, as it kept on evading him and his helplessness. So near and yet so far.
The glow was always - always just an inch away from from his grasp.