Fumu sighed as she toyed with her tied hair, curling it around her fingers. She stood in her house's balcony, listening to DeDeDe's rant form over there. Apparently, Escargon chose the wrong menu for today's breakfast and DeDeDe didn't like that. She giggled to herself and continued twirling her ponytail between her fingers. It had been two months after she and Edge went to see Sword and Blade's performance with the tiny pieces of snow falling in mid-summer, but she still remembered it like it had been yesterday. Unfortunately, Edge had to leave with Thorn for a special mission in a place called Rock Star, and she yearned for his warm hugs after being separated for so long. Sometimes she'd see Stranger in the forest when she'd visit Whispy and he'd hand her a letter from Edge himself, always saying how much he loved her and how much he missed her. The mysterious man became her friend after their strange encounter and she'd always express her thanks by laying a plate full of biscuits and hot tea for him to eat in the night before going to sleep. The other day, when she'd waken up, the plate would be empty and the cup would be always left halfway. He always ate them and whenever they met again, he'd express his appreciation. And when they'd meet, Stranger would always have Edge's letter. She sighed once more, how she wished to be around Edge's arms right now. A small tear escaped her eye and trailed down her cheek and she let go of her hair to wipe it away. But in a matter of seconds, her eyes were filled with even more crystalline tears that dashed down her cheeks as if they were in a race.
"Fumu, you're crying. Are you alright? " Lalala's sweet, high voice asked, as the pink blob saw her mistress shed a tear. Fumu could've flinched, but she was accustomed to having them floating around. Lololo approached the yellow girl and handed a napkin for her to wipe away the free-falling waterworks.
"I- I'm *hic* f- fine…" she answered dabbing her cheeks with the paper towel.
"Is this about… Edge?" Lololo asked while tilting his body to the side.
'Lololo!' Lalala whispered roughly with angry, narrowed eyes at her brother. However, Fumu heard the whispered scold and dismissed it with a flick of her wrist.
"It's fine, he has a right to know. Besides, he's right," Fumu's usually shining eyes cast a dull glance at the beautiful scenery in front of her, already bloodshot from the crying. Lalala and Lololo exchanged a look and shrugged to each other before meeting with their mistresses' gaze once more. There was a silence as a chilly breeze from morning's air blew a few strands of hair into Fumu's eyes and Lololo and Lalala sat on the balcony's edge to comfort their friend. Both flying blobs patted the girl's back with concerned eyes darting around every time she hiccupped. Her face lowered and her hair fell over her eyes, a frown displaying on her lips. This was very unusual behavior for Fumu… She'd always smile and laugh and argue and nag. But this was different… she was heartbroken.
"Lololo, Lalala!" Parm's voice called from within the house. Both creatures jumped at their names being called and their eyes landed on their depressed friend, debating whether they should stay or just leave. Lalala approached Fumu and rested a hand on her shoulder.
"LOLOLO! LALALALA!"
"We need to go," Lalala announced. Fumu nodded to acknowledge the fact.
"Bye, Fumu!" Lololo yelled before dashing into the house.
Fumu breathed in deeply and closed her eyes as she felt the cold air enter her lungs. She turned on her heel and entered her home, looking down to avoid conversation. She heard her mother fumbling in the kitchen and her brother watching television. She saw from the corner of her eyes how Lololo and Lalala were talking to Parm and how Kirby jumped and giggled beside Bun. Her eyes snapped back to the floor and her hand reached out for her room's doorknob. She turned it slowly and pushed the door with little effort, feeling suddenly weak. She stopped dead and blinked a few times, to bite back the tears that threatened to fall. Once she felt comfortable again, she entered her room and closed the door, locking it later. Her feet took her to the bed and she let her limp body fall hard against the soft, comforting mattress. Her hands reached for the back of her head and her eyes were fixed on the ceiling as she slowly counted every passing second alongside her ticking clock.
Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tock, tick.
After a long period of silence, a tap was heard on the window, making Fumu jolt out of her trance-like state. She sat up and stared at the window intently, swearing she'd seen a flash of olive pass by. She narrowed her eyes and observed quietly. There was nothing outside… after a few minutes of silence she shrugged it off, lying back on the bed.
Tap. Tap, Tap, Tap.
"Wait a minute," she mumbled under her breath. She sat up once more and got out of bed, heading to her window. She hesitated for a minute before opening it and poking out her head.
"Why so down?" she heard a deep voice ask from above her. She flinched and her eyes widened. Her eyes snapped upwards, meeting with Stranger's own glowing, emerald ones under his dark hood. A sad smile crept upon her lips as she gestured for him to enter and walked back to the bed, patting the empty spot next to her. The muscular man made his way next to his friend and sat down, making the bed sink due to his weight. There was an awkward silence as he waited for Fumu to say something, looking down on her with shaggy, coffee strands of hair falling out of his hood. His lips were pressed into a thin line, absentmindedly frowning at the brokenhearted girl's behavior. Fumu still dared herself to say a word, but found it difficult to. She couldn't talk without breaking out in tears. And she didn't want to cry, less in front of Stranger.
"Thanks for last night's coffee, I needed that," Stranger mumbled lowly, awkwardly running a hand down his covered hair. Fumu smiled and let at least one lonely tear streak down her cheeks, her eyes reaching Stranger's.
She bit her bottom lip and continued, "Thanks for the letter."
"… Do you miss him?" Stranger asked rather suddenly.
"A- a little bit."
"So little you're crying over it?" Stranger asked, raising an eyebrow at Fumu. She blinked away the falling tears and nodded, brushing away her messy bangs.
"Are you going to cry if I tell you what Edge said to me at dawn?" Stranger asked once more. Fumu took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, later opening them to mouth the word 'no'. Stranger smiled and prepared himself for her reaction…
"Edge is coming today at noon… to be here with you. What do you thi- ACK!" Fumu cut him off with a strong hug and wet tears, finding solace in Stranger's embrace. Fumu smiled as she let warm tears form and remembering what she promised, she let go of Stranger and wiped off her tears quickly. She hiccupped due to the crying and giggled, this day would definitely be better than the rest.
Thorn sucked his teeth with a 'tsk' and shook his head with a smile plastered on his face. Edge fidgeted with his hair in front of the mirror and checked his teeth… for the umpteenth time!
"You'll be fine, my boy," Thorn said with a sigh.
"What if she's mad at me for being so late? Or what if she's too sad? Do you think I made her cry? What if she fell in depression and it's my entire fault?" Edge blurted all in one breath.
Thorn rolled his eyes and rested against the door's frame. Right now both were staying in Castle DeDeDe after battling a rogue WolfWrath in a distant planet full of desserts. And Edge was way over the top on what to do for Fumu.
"What if she moved?"
"Stranger always gave her your letters. Here, in Dreamland!" Thorn patted the castle walls to reassure the boy.
"What if she didn't like them?"
"She always did!"
"But what if she's mad at me?"
Thorn stopped answering his shadow's random questions to arc an eyebrow, "Mad…? Why?"
"I left for too long!"
"She wouldn't be mad, young lad. She's probably jumping with glee in her room."
…There was a pause...
Edge imagined how Fumu would react and laughed at his master's remark, thinking it was probably true, knowing Fumu and all.
…
"Mom! Dad!" Fumu burst into the living room with heavy pants, almost tripping on a crystal vase on a nearby table. She'd bid her goodbye to Stranger and led him out by the window.
"Oh, darling, please be careful with the vase," Miss Memu said with a sigh.
"What is it, dear?" Parm asked, laying the newspaper he was reading in the coffee table.
"You remember the warrior named Thorn? You know, the man that's friends with Sir Meta Knight."
"Ah yes, his disciple helped out with that Lightning Knight thing," Parm responded.
Fumu was about to say something when Bun's chirpy voice interrupted.
"And I remember how you two kissed that daaayyyyy…" he teased with a singsongy tone.
Fumu swore her chest froze as her eyes met with her parents and their smiles quickly veered into frowns as their eyes narrowed in her direction.
"You two kissed?" Memu interrupted, lips pouting.
Fumu glared daggers at her younger brother, who realized he said something he shouldn't have and sunk slowly back into the sofa he'd been sitting while watching TV. She sighed and her eyes moved to Kirby, who smiled innocently beside the other and waved his greetings. Then her eyes slowly shifted to Lololo and Lalala, who were anxiously floating, waiting for her to answer. And finally her eyes fell on her parents, which also waited for her answer, but with arched eyebrows and crossed arms.
"Well…" she scoffed and laughed, they never… kissed.
"Well?" They interjected simultaneously.
"We're kind of… an item."
"And…?" Memu continued, opening up her frilly fan to produce a small gust of air.
"We never kissed, Bun's being too straight. When he left we hugged and he kissed my forehead, with care and love."
"Oh," Memu mused, uncrossing her arms and placing them on her lap. Though Parm still stood with crossed arms, making Fumu hesitate and sit down in the chair in front of them.
"I never gave this young man permission to court you," her father proceeded. Memu gave him a knowing look and smirked.
"Darling, let her be. At least we know he's a gentleman," Memu whispered while waving her fan.
''Very well then, I want you to invite him over for dinner this evening, get to know him a little better," Parm replied with a sigh and smiled at his daughter as she giggled and ran out the door, yelling an 'I will!'
…
"Well Casanova, what now?" Thorn asked, eyeing the bouquet of flowers in Edge's hand, obviously for Fumu. Edge checked himself on the mirror for the last time, his back at Thorn.
"We meet and I hand her the flowers. The rest is up to her," he smiled to himself and turned around to face his lord, exhaling an amount of air.
"Wish me luck!" he stated before exiting and heading to Fumu's home.
"Good luck, kid," Thorn whispered with a smile, reaching for the door to close it.
"For dinner? At your house?" Edge asked Fumu as they walked together through the countless gray hallways of Castle DeDeDe, heading to Fumu's house after their short meeting.
"Yeah, what do you think?" Fumu replied a smile on her lips as she looked at Edge. He smiled back and stretched out an arm around her shoulder, bringing her closer.
"I'd love to! By the way…"his voice trailed off as a sly smile crossed his lips.
"Hmm?"
"Dibs on the chair next to yours," he whispered, making her chuckle under her breath and bring the flowers close to her face, smelling the sweet aroma. They continued walking and soon reached the suite Fumu lived in. Edge opened the door and waited for Fumu to pass before entering and then closed it behind himself.
"Mom, Edge's here," Fumu announced as she approached the kitchen. Edge, however, stood still on top of the welcome mat, feeling awkward and hesitant. He remembered that Parm and Memu were known for being very traditional and classy. He'd have to try and be traditional and classy, for Fumu.
He heard Fumu and her mother exchange some words but the sudden nervousness beat him up so much it was a challenge making them out. He then heard Kirby's unmistakable 'poyo' and saw the pink puffball pass by and smile in his direction before heading into the kitchen. After a few minutes Parm passed by and, if looks could kill, Edge would've been dead on the floor. The shadow tried his best to smile politely in his father-in-law's direction, but found it rather difficult due to the older man's steely gaze. So Edge gestured a greeting with his hand, answered by a firm nod before the Cabinet Minister entered a hallway and was out of sight. Edge exhaled the breath he held in and shook his head.
'I suck at this, don't I?' a voice inside his head asked. Edge could only chuckle under his breath and nod weakly.
Fumu realized then ended her conversation with her mother and went back to the entrance to meet with Edge. He has never looked more nervous, beads of sweat trailed down his forehead, which he wiped away with his forehand before flicking the sweat off. She held back her laughter and approached him.
"So, why don't I give you a tour of my house?" she said with a smile, taking his hand and leading him through the rooms. They walked into a messy room crowded with toys and balls and eaten food. Edge's eyes widened and he pinched his nose in distaste, eyes watering due to the smell of putrefied…. something. Fumu turned her head to look at Edge and couldn't help but laugh at his expression.
"So, this is Bun's room," she said. Edge looked back into the room and saw the walls were painted navy blue and the disordered bed had red sheets with a dozen scattered pillows of many colors here and there. The bed stood below a window that viewed the whole village, red curtains draping over it. A chilly breeze picked up, stirring the curtains and moving them around… also waving the horrible scent in their direction. Fumu coughed and waved a hand in front of her face.
"Well… uh, let's take you to my parents' room." With that Fumu took hold of Edge's hand once more and both walked out of the smelly room, closing the door to entrap the odor. Edge took this as his cue to breathe in some fresh air, a hint of seasonings reaching his nose. He looked back at Fumu and she smiled again.
"Mom's cooking, by the way."
"I see."
She then turned around to open another door. This room was actually cleaner than the last!
'Thank goodness,' Edge thought, looking around. The room was colored light beige and carpeted with a darker shade to contrast. There was a giant wooden bed next to an Oakwood desk and the closet was one of those big enough you could walk into, and it was stuffed with various dresses and tuxedos. Surely this was Parm's and Memu's room.
"Mom and Dad's room. Always tidy and clean," Fumu concluded with a wink, making Edge blush lightly and exit the room with her. They then made her way across a hallway to enter the living room area, which collided with the kitchen and the dining room.
'"You've seen this place," the yellow girl trailed off continuing to another hallway across the room, heading to an ivory door decorated with many pink flowers. She reached for the handle and opened the door, showing a pink-colored room, clean and neat. An Ivory bed stood across the room in a corner, accompanied by a white nightstand. Across the bed there was a bookshelf full of many tomes and next to the bookshelf there was a desk, full of papers and research information. On the other side of the room there was a wide closet, reaching wall to wall. Green curtains draped over the open window that viewed the Castle's garden and nature's beauty beyond Whispy Woods.
"Tour's over, that's our house!" Fumu concluded, plopping down in her bed.
"Cute room," Edge commented, walking around with slight curiosity. He stopped in front of the bookshelf and read rapidly some of the titles, recognizing the works of many famous writers and historians. Fumu looked like the reading type; no doubt the majority of these have gone through her hands.
"Dinner's ready, you two!" Lololo announced while suddenly entering Fumu's room. Edge jumped and turned around, looking at the blue blob with confused eyes. Fumu giggled at the sight and gestured for Lololo to leave.
"Oh, Edge! Forgot to tell you… That's Lololo. He has a pink sister named Lalala. They're our servants, but they became our friends," Fumu said before opening the door and waiting for Edge to move. The boy shook his head in disbelief and smirked, walking out of the room. Fumu led him to the dining room, where father and son-in-law meet once again. Parm tried his best to crack a smile, but it turned out looking like he suffered from facial paralysis. Bun looked at his father weirdly, cocking his head to the side.
The yellow boy stiffed a laugh, "Dad, you okay? You look like a giraffe stepped on you!"
"Bun!" Memu intervened.
The child immediately felt the possibilities of getting into trouble and lowered his gaze. "Sorry," he mumbled under his breath.
Edge sighed mentally and prepared himself for whatever was coming. There was a 'pssst' heard and Edge looked down to see Fumu pat the chair next to hers. He walked over and sat down, smiling in her direction, which only made Parm's uncharacteristic scowl deepen. Edge felt the old man's eyes on him and tensed up, trying his best to not make any eye contact with Parm. But Parm just kept staring at the boy with hard, beady eyes, making Edge sigh uncomfortably. Lololo and Lalala exchanged a glance and shook their heads, this would be a disaster… and they knew it.
"Well Edge, since you're a special guest I made you a special dinner!" Memu announced, "Pork and rice and a nice tea. What do you think?"
Edge instantly noticed his mother-in-law was friendlier than his father-in-law and actually couldsmile at her, thankful he didn't feel Parm's eyes on him anymore.
"It smells wonderful, Miss Memu. It's been rumored you're the best cook in PuPu Village," he praised.
"Oh! You're just a charmer aren't you?" Memu giggled as she took her seat.
…
After an hour and a half, the food was served and eaten, the tea was finished, everyone was full… but Parm's eyes still never left Edge. The young warrior fiddled with the last remaining lump of rice before fitting it into the fork and eating it.
"Well Edge, would you please tell us about yourself?" Memu asked, standing up and picking up her plate. Edge found an opportunity and quickly stood up.
"Maybe after I help you with that, Miss." He took the plate from her hands and stared collecting everyone else's plates, including Parm's. The Cabinet Minister cleared his throat as Edge passed by with the tower of plates and entered the kitchen, placing them on the sink. The boy walked back and sat back down next to Fumu.
"Now, you said you wish to know more about me. Well, I'm Thorn's shad- err, apprentice. He adopted me and became my father, and we understand each other very much. Um, I've fought in many wars though I'm of young age and… I work my way through magic under Thorn's eye—"
"Magic?"Parm blurted out. "What kind of magic?"
"Actually… sir… I uh, only work using basic spells; I only know a limited amount. I—"
"Limited? How much do you know?" Parm insisted. Me mu cast him an angry glance, but her glance was fed to the dogs as Parm leaned in closer to hear the boy's words.
Edge's eyes flickered at Fumu and she nodded for him to go on, "Well, two or three."
'Liar!'
"Ah, I see… Please do go on," Parm replied while lying back on his chair. Me mu sighed and arched an eyebrow, having her question ready, "And tell me darling, what is your pastime?"
"I usually meditate, train, read and play my instruments."
"Cool!" Bun said, very enthusiastic, "Which instruments do you play?"
"I play the tin whistle with Thorn once in a while."
"Nice!" the kid answered. Fumu scooted over and rested her head on her hand, giving him a wink. Edge smiled in return and wished Parm would just give upon staring at him like that!
"Any history in the past?" Parm suddenly asked.
"History, about what?"
"How many girls have you seen before my daughter?" Parm asked with his hostile eyes at the spiky-haired boy. Fumu herself found this a little interesting and leaned in closer to hear his answer.
"Well, actually, none (that Crispy Pink knows of). Fumu's… the first," he answered rather shy, eyes meeting with the wooden table's surface as they avoided Fumu's. Fumu blushed and laid her hand on top of Edge, making him blush also.
"Good, good," Parm murmured while fiddling with his mustache. Memu glared at her husband once again and restrained herself from jerking him away with scolds and slaps.
'How rude! Wait a minute… how rare! He's never been this overprotective before,' Memu's internal voice said while the grown woman pouted her painted lips. She remained silent as Parm asked yet another sudden, deep question about the boy's life. She mentally argued on what to do and came to a decision. The mother rose from her chair and nodded her goodbye before leaving to the kitchen. She giggled under her breath as she entered the area and her hands fell on the teapot. She opened it and saw it was empty, perfect for what she needed it for. She turned around and searched the cabinets for some spices, spicyspices. (Yeah, I said it! Nah, JK) Then she filled the teapot with water and smashed the spices into small bits. After that, the spices and the water mixed and Memu turned on the stove to prepare her… tea.
"If he's such a gentleman, I want to see his reaction after drinking this crazy thing," Memu mumbled to herself, a sly smile displaying on her lips. Her plan was to serve the tea to both men and see how they would react after slurping the bitter drink. If Edge were really a gentleman he wouldn't curse or spit it out, he would gulp it and say his thanks. Let's see how this goes.
After some minutes, the tea was done and spicy as ever. Memu hid her smile and served two cups, one for Edge and one for Parm. She came walking back and sat down beside her husband, sliding the other cup across the table for her son-in-law. Edge mumbled his thanks and took the cup, watching the swirly mist erupt from the drink. His eyes caught with the tea's weird color but he shrugged it off, closing in on the beverage. Both Parm and Edge drank at the same time, but their reactions were different. Memu feigned innocence and batted her eyelashes, a finger next to her lip cutely.
"Oh, how is it, sweetie?" she asked her husband, who bitterly gulped the drink and coughed as the nasty taste trailed through his tongue and throat. His eyes closed and his mustache stretched out comically, his grayish-purple curls springing up. Bun stiffed his laughter, but couldn't control it and started chuckling at his father's expression. He grabbed his stomach and fell of his chair, causing the boy to laugh harder and roll around the floor.
"Well… darling, it tasted… a bit bitter," Parm managed to mutter with another cough.
Edge, however, stayed calm and gulped the drink. His tongue twisted in distaste, but he kept his cool and inhaled some fresh air, feeling the taste disperse already. Edge also coughed, but he tried his best to not jump off his chair and run around yelling he needed water.
"And Edge…? Did you like it?"
"Absolutely, Miss Memu!" he chirped enthusiastically, though inside he knew he was lying. Fumu snorted and busted out laughing, covering her giggles with her hand. Bun suddenly stood up and sat back down on his seat, still giggling. Memu's eyes sparkled and her sly smile widened and became a genuine one. This boy certainly deserved to be by Fumu's side.
"You know?" Fumu said as her head rested on Edge's shoulder, both standing in her home's balcony. Edge eyes slowly met hers as he waited for her to answer.
"Bun actually thought we kissed."
Edge smiled and his eyes shifted to the moon, shining after an evening full of strange events and cranky in-laws. Fumu's eyes also met with the moon and she felt at ease and calmed, everything went perfectly. Crickets chirped, stars shone, and chilly breezes blew now and then, while Fumu and Edge enjoyed each other's company.
And Stranger stood above them, smile on his lips as his eyes narrowed in their direction… as the two young lovers exchanged a warm, first kiss under the moonlight.
YAYZ It ended! It's looonnnggg, isn't it? Now, Edge met the In-laws and everything went… well. Review!
Dedicated to Sweey! Who helped me in rough times and writer's block. Blessings to my good friend~
Plot/Storyline © Crispy Pink, Fan Fiction Author
Edge, Thorn, Stranger and others related Sweey Per, Fan Fiction Author
Fumu, Bun, Memu, Parm, DeDeDe, Escargon, Lololo, Lalala, Kirby and all things related © HAL Laboratories/Nintendo