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As Toon walked down the hall towards Samus' room. He felt somewhat nervous. He still remembered the earlier conversation he had with Link and the gang. Samus' reputation as a violent and anti-social individual made him a bit reluctant to talk to her, but his determination to fufill Aryll's birthday wish quickly defeated any fear and nervousness he felt at the moment. As he got to the door, he noticed two strange things. First off, the door was unlocked. Samus usually locked the door upon leaving and entering her room, thus ensuring complete privacy. The other strange thing was that Toon could swear he heard...singing? A feminine voice was heard in Samus' room singing a song in a strange language.
As he slowly opened the door, Toon was met with the strangest sight: Samus was lying on her bed, playing a guitar, and singing a song in Chozo. The song was a lullaby that Old Bird sang to her every night before she went to sleep. Toon's eyes widened at the sight. He would have laughed if this was anyone else, but this was Samus! The Smash Mansion's resident bad girl! He couldn't believe his eyes and ears.
What was equally shocking to him was the small pillow next to her bed. The shocking part was the small, furry creature sleeping on the pillow. Put simply, it looked like the cross between a rabbit and a squirrel. Like a rabbit, the creature had white fur and long, floppy ears. Like a squirrel, the creature's tail was long and bushy. This was Pyonchi, Samus' favorite childhood pet rabbil. Whenever she would be brawling, or had to go on missions, Pyonchi would be left in the care of Red, the Pokemon Trainer, whose job was to care for all the pokemon in the mansion (she also threatened that if he told anyone about Pyonchi, she would snap his neck).
Toon's initial shock was soon replaced by a feeling of fascination. Never before had he heard someone sing with such beauty. He simply sat cross-legged by the foot of the bed, entranced by the golden-voiced bounty hunter. He didn't move or speak, not wanting to interrupt the beautiful song even though he understood none of the lyrics. The sight of Samus singing reminded Toon of how his parents sang him and Aryll a lullaby before they went to sleep.
When Samus was finished with her song, she put the guitar down and gave a contented sigh. But this feeling of relaxation came to a screeching halt when she heard the sound of slow clapping. She whipped her head down to stare at the green-clad intruder in her room, her face contorted with shock and anger at the realization that Toon had not only come in unannounced, but had overheard her sing the entire song! Even more startling was the fact that he also found out about Pyonchi, a secret that no one but her should know about. All the while, Toon simply stared at her with a smile, believing the bounty hunter would greet him warmly.
The reaction he got was completely different.
Samus jolted out of the bed and slammed the door shut. She then turned her wrathful gaze on the young hero, grabbing him by the collar and pinning him to the wall with one hand. In her other hand was her Paralyzer, which she held firmly between the boy's eyes. If a glare could physically manifest itself into a dagger, Toon would have been stabbed in the heart right then and there. "You didn't see or hear anything." she seethed, ennunciating the word anybody. Her tone was dripping with murderous hostility.
If this was any other twelve-year-old, he or she would have soiled himself. But Toon's supernatural courage allowed him to remain unfazed by the huntress' threatening demeanor. He simply said in a polite tone, "You have a very lovely voice, Miss Aran. I never knew you could sing so well."
The statement caused Samus to release the boy, dropping him back to the ground. Samus hung her head and sighed before locking eyes with Toon again. "No one does, really." she said sadly. She then returned to the bed as Toon sat back down in his original spot. "I'm sorry I snapped, kid." Samus said with genuine remorse. "But, it's not like I can tell people I'm interested in stuff like music or pets. I've got a reputation to keep!" she continued. "What would happen if the others found out I'm not as tough as they thought I was?"
"Just because you're interested in stuff like music doesn't necessarily mean you're weak." Toon replied. "Ganon plays the organ, DK plays the bongo drums, Link and Zelda play the ocarina, and I play the Wind Waker and Spirit Flute. So you see, everyone has a musical side to them."
"But you all come from games where music is magic." Samus objected. "You ever see me using a guitar in my games? No. I get through by being tough."
"True." Toon conceded. "But that doesn't mean you can't show people your human side."
"And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Samus asked, the anger easily heard in her voice.
"Just listen for a sec!" Toon retorted. "I always hear the others talk about how you're a deadly bounty hunter with a bad temper and how you're prone to beat up anyone who looks at you funny. I just came from a conversation about how you beat up Snake for being a peeping tom. To me, its like all they see when they look at you is a cold, emotionless, psycho chick with a gun."
The memory of brutally assaulting Snake brought out a small, humorless chuckle from the bounty hunter.
"But in my opinion," Toon continued. "I think you do have a heart, you just need to show it a little more. Now, when I say that, I don't mean that you should be like Peach. I mean that you should spend time with the other smashers outside of brawls. I know you don't like people and want to keep your bad girl reputation, but there's nothing wrong with getting to know people. You may like people more."
Samus simply stared at the boy, impressed by his words of wisdom and slightly amused at the thought of holding an intellectual conversation with a adolescent kid.
"But, to the real reason I'm here, my sister's birthday is tomorrow and we're taking her to Delfino Isle to celebrate." Toon said. "I told her all about you, and she sent me an e-mail saying she really wants to meet you. So, I thought you'd like to come. If you don't want to, I understand. I'll tell her that you couldn't make it. But, it would really mean a lot to her if you came."
Their conversation was soon interrupted by the loud beep of the intercom. "Toon Link, please report to the stage! Your match with Pit is starting!"
"Well, got to go." Toon said as he got up to leave. "You'll think about what I said, won't you?"
And with that Samus was left to ponder on his words.
What will Samus' decision be? You'll have to read to find out! Next chapter is Tomorrow. Please leave a review.