Another chapter up. :-)
"Thank you," said Marth pleasantly, a hint of a glare on his face to make sure the smartly dressed costumer knew he wasn't just a young man doing business. He was a son of Ganondorf.
The man nodded, secured the packet of gems inside his suit coat, and headed for the stairs with a quick glance behind him.
"Why are they always so nervous when they leave?" Marth asked his brother.
Ike, dropping the small, purple, glowing objects into a nylon case, glanced up. "Because if they double-cross us, they die slowly and painfully. Good evening. What do you want?"
Marth glanced over and joined his brother in staring down the woman. She flipped her long, brown braid over her shoulder and her eyes crinkled above her mask. "Same as usual."
"Two 16 ounce cases?" Ike's question was mandatory and she nodded.
"Thank you."
"Marth'll take the cash."
"Good evening," he said coolly as he rested his elbows on the counter. As she counted out the gold coins he deftly wondered whether she was buying for a gang or perhaps using stolen coins. She certainly had a lot of them.
"Where you from?" asked Marth as he slid the gold off the table and into a sack. He tied it deftly, keeping eye contact with her.
She gave stare for stare. "Just outside Smash. You? You're one of Ganon's boys, aren't you?"
Marth gave a dry smirk just to seem cool. In reality, he was nervous she was calling Dad 'Ganon' so lackadaisically, as if his father wasn't a powerful gang lord. As if, being his son didn't mean he was one of the most powerful and well-armed men in Smash City. "Aren't I?"
Her blue eyes twinkled at him. "Thank you, sir." She directed this at Ike, though she didn't look at his burly brother, simply taking the two cases from Marth. "Have a good night."
He wasn't done. "Where'd you get all this cash from?" His voice was calculating.
Her eyebrows rose and she started to answer, but Ike cut her off.
"Shut it, Marth." He looked hard at the woman. "Your business isn't ours and ours isn't yours," he added, laying a heavy, warning hand on Marth's shoulder.
Marth glanced at him and then raised a brow. "We'll be seeing you soon, won't we?"
"Probably," she answered. "Maybe." Then she slipped out.
Marth whirled on Ike. "Tell me later, don't embarrass me in front of our customers!"
"How else were you supposed to stop?" Ike snapped, slamming shut the lid to the two crates that hadn't been emptied by that evening's sales. "You're smart enough to know we don't ask after other people's business."
"Well, I'm suspicious about people who show up in masks."
"You shouldn't be. You should ignore it. We sell to everyone."
"That's not true, bro," Marth retorted, knocking over the table and folding in the legs. "We wouldn't sell to Bowser. How do we know that's not a mercenary anyway that Bowser hired to get gems?"
"Bowser doesn't know about these things," Ike returned calmly, hefting up a box and shoving it to the back of the truck.
"He might soon."
"Then we might have to change our policy about not knowing others' business. But that's not the case right now," he added, slamming the truck's back doors. "Why don't you drive back the long way and I'll go around the east side, towards Koopa's."
"Why don't you wanna drive?" asked Marth, catching the keys Ike tossed at him with a backhand.
"Because I'm better suited to do hand-to-hand combat if necessary and you are better at quick thinking in getting that truck out of sight and out of mind without crashing it into a wall."
Both chuckled remembering the last time Ike had been driving the truck and they ran into trouble with some of Little Mac's cronies. They'd fought them off, but the truck had been unsalvageable.
"Don't wanna make Falcon angry again, huh?" Marth teased, climbing into the truck and closing the door. "See you at home."
Ike patted his mini gun and hefted his large, sword-like weapon in his hand as Marth drove out of the warehouse. He followed, leaping up to catch hold of the thick strap that attached to the garage door, and jerking it down. The rattle of the door as it slid to the ground on its tracks matched the louder rumble of the train as it pulled into the station above. Ike smiled. They'd closed on time. And now to see about Bowser…
-ooo-
Reflet flinched as Little Mac kicked the young boy. He rolled over on the ground with a muffled cry.
"And don't let me ever catch you in there again!" he thundered. He advanced towards the cowering child with a stomp and Reflet pressed her lips together and squinted her eyes. It was such bad luck she hated violence like this. Especially when it was unjust.
Without a sound Lucas stepped in front of Mac. The black eyes met the furious ones of the gang leader, who didn't need any urging to send him rolling on top of his friend with a backhanded smack to the face. Lucas' nose was bleeding.
Little Mac bent down, scooped both up by their shirt collars, and banged their heads together before dropping them back on the floor. "I want no trouble, or you'll find more than you bargained for!"
They didn't bargain for anything, you big bully. Lyn and Robin picked them up on the street and brought them here and you decided to train them up as more people you can use to get what you want. You're crazy! You don't even know how much trouble I am, but you wait and see. Someday you'll pay for…
"Reflet. Come." She meekly and silently followed her brother out of the room, Little Mac ahead of them and Ryu and Lyn taking up the rear. They left the crying children alone.
"I'b sorry, Villager," moaned Lucas, wiping his nose with the back of his hand and holding the side of his head with the other.
"You didn't do anything," the other boy said quietly. "I shouldn't've come in here. But I wanted to try and call the orphanage and see if they'd decided to keep us again." Large tears rolled down his cheeks and the two boys clasped each other, scooting over to cower by the wall as the lights turned off, leaving the room dimly illuminated by the emergency bulbs.
"Lucas," whimpered Villager after a long pause of silence. "Tell me 'bout your mother again. I like her." He shut his eyes and listened quietly as Lucas, with a solemn air, began the age-old description.
"She had golden hair like the sun and her eyes were big and she always smiled big, too. It made her eyes smaller, but it also made them bright and everyone was happy. She said she gave me her small nose, but she actually still had one. Mother was short and thin and she would walk like a queen on clouds. She loved flowers and she planted them on the tippiest top of the building we were in. She said she always had a good attitude about sad things and that there was always something to be glad about. She said it was called 'counting our blessings'. She said I was her blessing." Lucas stopped.
"And then what happened?" prompted Villager, opening his eyes to stare worriedly across the room at the closed door. Lucas always stopped here and he wouldn't continue unless Villager asked him to.
"Well, people came and told me she wanted me to live with them and that she was up in the sky somewhere and couldn't be with me anymore. So I went with them and lived in the orphanage."
"And you met the black-haired boy," murmured Villager.
"Yes. I met the black-haired boy with black eyes who said his name was Ness. He was very brave and his eyes shined a little bit like mother's eyes did whenever he would smile. Except his smile wasn't the same. It was a half smile. And then he did the bravest thing ever and saved a very hungry, hungry dog. And when the people saw that he gave the dog his food they said he had to get out. And he told me he would be the strongest person one day and come and help me find my father, who isn't up in the sky yet."
Villager sighed happily. "When do you think he'll do that?"
"Oh, soon, prob'ly," answered Lucas, staring up at the ceiling. "He's prob'ly pretty strong now. Maybe he's a hero."
-ooo-
"Down, Duck," hissed the black-haired boy. "Get back here."
The orange dog turned back and sat by his side as Ness peered around the corner. His stomach growled silently and he licked his dry lips. If the man didn't have food, he'd be very much surprised. Yes, he looked heavily armed, but Duck could take out his right arm, getting rid of the threat of the sword, and Ness could have his metal yo-yo and chain around his neck pretty fast. From there, all he had to do was hit him over the head with the bat.
His eyes trained on the man as he stopped near the rainbow road, Ness placed his bat in its sheath of sorts, took out his yo-yo and readied it, and then snapped his fingers at Duck, who leapt up, his tail stiff, his nose testing the air, and his eyes practically drilling holes in the back of the burly man's armor.
"Follow."
Ness started forward, eyes bright and a small grimace that might have been a grin any other time on his face. Duck was at his heels. The man hadn't turned and Ness was close enough now to see that he had a gun in his belt and deep blue, almost purple, colored hair. It was a gang member, he was certain.
The man suddenly whirled, his sword swinging out in a wide arc. Ness dropped to his knees and the blade went over his head.
"Arm!" he shouted.
Duck was a blur of orange that leapt toward the sword arm recovering from the ferocious swing. Ness didn't wait a moment longer, hurling the yo-yo expertly at the man's neck. The chain wrapped around his throat and Ness jerked him towards himself, reaching for the bat as he did so.
"You chucklehead," growled the man with a strained voice. Ness watched his sword clatter to the ground and a moment later he had dropped to the ground with a crash.
It gave the orphan a sense of power to be staring down into the eyes of probably one of the strongest men he'd ever seen. He grinned. "Good bye," he said as he raised his bat.
Without another word the man had leapt to his feet, jerking the chain from Ness' relaxed grasp. His body struck the bat as he jumped and it dropped to the ground with a crack on the asphalt.
Something struck Ness' head and he saw stars as he went spinning away, falling flat on his face on the ground. His chin struck the road and a cry escaped his mouth. Duck's growl of fury was cut short by a sharp bark of pain and a dull thud as he was somehow flung off and hit the pavement.
"So, boy," said the man from somewhere above him. "What would your parents say about your behavior just now?"
Ness blinked rapidly, trying to keep the tears back and trying to refocus his vision. A small piece of loose gravel grew from a blur into an intelligible object. "Nothin'," he whispered. "They couldn't. They're dead."
Silence. The blinking couldn't stop the tears now and he sat up slowly, wiping his stinging eyes, sniffing hastily. He looked over at Duck. The dog was getting to his feet and limping towards him, his teeth bared at his master's attacker.
"You know who I am?"
"No."
Ness felt a hand grab his arm and another his hand. He was helped to his feet and he stared up at the man.
"Ike."
"Ness."
"I'm a son of Ganondorf."
Ness' face paled. "Oh." His voice was a squeak.
Ike abruptly smiled, but it was a small, hesitant smile and his eyes were stern and dangerous. "Why don't you come with me."
Ness stepped back. Ike didn't move to chase him and the boy relaxed slightly. "W-why?" he quavered.
"Where else do you live?"
"L-live?" Ness' voice was blank and unbelieving. "I live everywhere. But-but…"
"Which gang were you a part of before?"
"Before when?" Ness was thoroughly confused.
Ike's brow furrowed. "Why would you attack me for no reason?"
"I…" The boy's face turned red. "I wanted your food." His voice sank to a mournful, embarrassed whisper.
More silence.
"Can I just go now?" Ness queried, meeting Ike's hard gaze.
"Why don't you come with me? I'll get you food and water."
"B-but what are you going to do…?"
"Well, I'm going to feed you," Ike stated bluntly, his tone sightly irritated. "And then I'm going to introduce you to Ganondorf and maybe he'll want to adopt you. The brotherhood isn't an easy thing to be a part of, but it beats being on the streets. I know, because I've done both. So come on."
Ness stared. He looked down at Duck, who was sitting at his feet, his eyes glazed with pain.
"You hurt Duck."
"I'll carry him and Koro'll take care of it."
Without another word Ike had scooped up the animal in his big arms. One hand shut the dog's mouth and he cocked his head at Ness. "It's a few blocks. Let's go."
Ness followed without another word. Become part of Ganondorf's sons? The brotherhood? Well, if there was any way to keep his promise to Lucas, this was it. His eyes abruptly shone with hopefulness as he hurried to keep up with Ike's long strides.
Well, I thought it was sweet anyway. #ike4ever ^_^