Kiss the Darkness.
Kir Sirin.

.2.

Seeing Shadows

"Pit, don't move!" Ike yelled as Pit was close to landing back onto the stage. The blue-haired mercenary sprinted towards Zelda as she readied herself to transform into Sheik and brought his heavy sword down in a swift arc; causing it to ignite and cut through the princess.

A cry was heard, followed by a flash of light, and the speaker booming, Player Zelda defeated.

Pit, unable to fly any longer, fell on top of Ike's shoulders and he hugged his neck. "Great job!"

"Thanks." Ike gave a secret smile and patted Pit's arm. "I couldn't have done it without you."

The simple statement sent Pit's cheeks turning a deep scarlet.

Ike, unaware of Pit's embarrassment, ran out of the battle room and out into the Smash Hall with the angel still on his shoulders.

He smirked at the defeated faces of Link and Zelda.

"Another round?" Ike offered.

Zelda grumbled and glared at Link, who simply looked at his shoes and shook his head silently.

"You can't defeat us!" Pit yelled triumphantly. "We're the perfect team!"

"Yeah, yeah, just shut up." Zelda hissed. "What about the bet?"

"Well…" Ike looked up at Pit who smiled brightly then back at the losers. "I say you make Pit and I dinner tonight. I hear good reviews on Link's cooking."

"Link?" Zelda looked at the Hylian beside her. "I didn't know you cooked."

"Uh… Well… Heh…" He glared up at Ike and hissed, "Thanks a lot." He blushed.

Pit and Ike chuckled together.

"Ike, um," Pit spoke, "set me down for a bit? I need to check on my strawberry patch."

Ike raised an eyebrow and smirked at Pit. "Oh? You still grow those things?"

Pit blushed at the sparkle in the mercenary's blue eyes. "W-Well… I t-try to… Sometimes rabbits come… Or—"

"Or stupid princes that think that they own everything around here." Ike muttered irritably.

"Yeah… Marth has been eating them too…"

"Okay, I'll let you check on them then. If you see Marth, punch him in the face and say it's from Ike." He smiled. "Okay?"

Pit chuckled. "Okay."

Ike took a knee and allowed Pit off his broad shoulders. Pit mumbled a 'thanks' and ran off.

Ike glared at the snickers he heard from the duo in front of him. "What?" He grumbled.

"Nothing." Link shook his head but he still smiled.

"The perfect team." Zelda covered her mouth as another laugh seeped from her lips. "Isn't that right, Link?"

A Pause.

Then Link and Zelda burst into a loud fit of laughter.

Ike quickly turned away as he felt his cheeks burn and walked to his room. "You better make sure our meal is a feast fit for kings, Link!" He yelled over his shoulder. "Or there will be hell to pay."

"From you and Pit?" Link yelled back.

That just caused another outburst of laughter that echoed through the halls.


Pit stopped in his tracks when he saw a dark shadow looming over his strawberry patch. He saw a hand gently pluck a red fruit from its vibrant green vine and bring it to it's shadowed lips.

"Marth!" Pit yelled. He quickly ran over and tackled the prince; grabbing his hand just before the strawberry was lost within his mouth. "I told you not to eat my—"

But Pit stopped and realized he was not straddling a prince.

But a darker reflection of himself.

An angel with black wings, a black laurel wreath in his dark brown hair, deep, dark blue eyes, a black exomis with golden lining, black sandals that reached his knees, a black glove with a blue insignia on it, two burning-bright, yellow bands on his wrist, and a purple bow outlined in gold that lay forgotten beside him.

"Wha—What?" Pit breathed.

Dark Pit smiled; crushing the urge to throw the stupid angel halfway across the world and off of him, "Hey there."

"Wha… Who…?" But Pit couldn't finish any of his sentences.

What was this some kind of joke?

"Speechless?" Dark Pit spoke to take his mind off the pain Pit was creating. "So was I when I learned there was another me out there."

Pit clumsily stood up. "A-Another…?"

"Medusa never told you?" Dark Pit stood up and shrugged. "Well I suppose she couldn't what with you killing her and all." He locked his dark blue eyes with Pit's bright sapphire. "She stole some of your essence."

He held up his arm with the two glowing bands around them. They floated of their own accord and only dimmed to a low glow when he fell asleep. "Recognize these? Palutena gave these to you, didn't she? She rewarded you with them after you killed my Queen. They allow you to stay here on earth, since angels can't survive without being within their goddess' light for at least a few minutes each week. Medusa took some of that essence, called on a harpy named Celeno, and made me. Whatever you received, I received."

With each word, Dark Pit took another step closer to Pit.

Another step closer to retrieving his heart…

And ending Pit.

"You can say I'm the 'fallen angel' version of you, Pit." The angel in question tripped backwards and landed on his back. Dark Pit smiled darkly and sat with his knees on either side of Pit's form.

How his hands ached to feel that heart below him.

"Pit, you're blushing." Dark Pit gently caressed Pit's warm cheek with the back of his gloved hand. "A sight I never tire of. Tell me, what does a beating heart feel like?"

"What...?" But Pit's vision flashed to the darker angel's black wings behind him. "Your wing!" He cried. "It's bent and bleeding!" Pit managed to sit upright and gently stroke the soft bone; making Dark Pit's eyes narrow. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"It's nothing." Dark Pit grabbed the other angel's wrist and tried to lower it back down. "You shouldn't worry—"

"But look at it! Doesn't it hurt?"

Dark Pit blinked. "No." He lied.

"What?"

"I doesn't hurt. I can't feel it. I can't feel anything." For some reason, that statement felt like a lie. Was it because of Pit? Was it because he was so close to his own heart?

Or something else?

"Why not?"

"I have no heart. Your essence allows me a body, not a heart." Dark Pit's eyes clouded over and he started to feel as if he should be backing away from this angel.

But why?

Was it the concern in those beautiful eyes?

It made Dark Pit wish to cry.

But he couldn't, wouldn't, or even shouldn't, because he had no heart. Whatever he was feeling, it was fake.

It could never be real.

Not until the Pit before him lay cold and still in his arms.

"No… Heart…" Pit echoed softly. He continued to stroke the black feathers underneath his fingertips. "Still… You can't fly right like that…" Dark Pit could see Pit's brows furrow in confusion or worry. "Come with me. I have medicine for you. Not human medicine that stuff doesn't work, but medicine I get from Angel Land."

Dark Pit's mind screamed against the notion, but the innocent shine in Pit's bright blue eyes made the Angel of Darkness smile and say, "Lead the way."

The two angels walked back into the Smash Mansion; Pit holding Dark Pit's shoulder softly, and Dark Pit holding the red strawberry.

Dark blue eyes gazed softly at bright blue secretly.

Maybe that was the first sign that Dark Pit should have left.