Happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me~

Well, look who decided to crawl out of her hole in the ground? I've gotta apologize for not writing much lately; it's mostly due to laziness on my part. Just so you guys know: Large amounts of FFVII, Bayonetta 2, Xenoblade Chronicles and Fullmetal Alchemist do not make a productive writer.

But, thankfully for you guys, I opened up Awakening again and remembered that I set Robin's birthday to be my own! Add that little revelation to my research into the language of flowers and an…event that recently happened and I made this!

So, enjoy, I suppose.

8. Innocence


"Hello, Lucy. What are you making?"

"Well, I wanted to make a flower crown, but Daddy isn't here to take me to the field."

"Aw, don't worry. We'll take you there!"

"Really? Yay! Thank you Big Sister, Big Brother!"

"Lucy, why do you want to make a flower crown, anyway?"

"I wanted to make something for Mommy, silly!"

"Rain seems to be getting worse..."

The mood was melancholic in Smash Mansion. The day prior, Robin had lost half of her work. She was now farther away from home than she'd ever been, and it was hitting her hard. Throughout the day, an amalgamation of Smashers had visited her in an attempt to cheer her up. None of those attempts had worked. Robin just continue lazily flicking her pencil across her desk, not showing any other reaction.

But, surprisingly, somebody had roused her from her despair. Sweet, shy Lucas, had timidly asked for Robin to take him to an area in town he was all too familiar with. It broke every Smasher's heart, having to take him to the graveyard every month to visit his family.

In the meantime, the other Smashers were bored out of their minds. Samus was absentmindedly strumming a guitar, Pit was focusing on a new game he bought, the kids were singing along to some silly song on the TV, Peach was humming to herself and sipping some tea.

"So, Marth," the pink princess started after taking another sip of tea, "I must say, your English has certainly improved! But, of course, it's extremely sweet that you honour your heritage by taunting in Japanese."

"Thank you, Peach. It is truly an honour to receive such a comment," Marth replied, taking a swig of his own tea.

"So, how's Caeda doing?"

"Well, actually. Me and her have never been happier."

"My, my. When'll we be receiving the wedding invites?" Peach said, a small laugh following.

"That depends. When will we being getting the invites to your wedding with Mario?" Marth gave Peach an equally playful smirk.

"Hm, perhaps when the cosmos are reborn," Rosalina added, floating past the two royals with an umbrella in her hands.

"Wha- Rosie!"

The three shared a laugh.

"Peach, I'm heading out to get a few things. Are we running out of anything?" Rosalina asked, after the laughter had subsided.

"No, not that I can recall. Be careful out there, Rosie!"

Rosalina floated away, heading for the foyer. She smiled when she heard the children all laughing along to their show. "They are so cute sometimes," she thought. Rosalina reached for her coat, only to find someone hiding behind it.

"Please...no more death liquid..."

"Ah-Sonic. Why exactly are you hiding behind everyone's coats?" Rosalina asked, ever calm.

Sonic shivered. "There are so many windows...this is the only place where the death from above can't get me."

Rosalina pouted and thought for a moment, glancing around. "Well, I'll tell you what. The terrarium only has a glass dome; surely that's a safe place?"

Sonic weakly smiled. "Okay. I'll just convince Squirtle that Peach needs more hot water for her tea or something. See ya, Rose!" With that, the Blue Blur sped away.

Rosalina smiled again. "I'm glad I accepted the invitation. Everyone is so kind and adorable here." She pulled on her coat, opened her umbrella, and headed out into the torrent that awaited her.

Clearly, nobody had been exaggerating. The rain beat down on everything with the force of an angry Thwomp, the wind twisting the nearby trees into impossible forms. If Rosalina hadn't remembered her wand, she guessed that she wouldn't have been able to see a thing. Struggling to keep her umbrella from falling victim to the wind, Rosalina made her way forwards, through the forest and towards the town.

Surprisingly, the rain was a lot less aggressive in town. "Perhaps somebody told Rayquaza that we were in his lake, and he had another legendary to deliver his judgement," Rosalina mused, pulling out her coins. All she needed were a few Starbits for the Lumas and some gears and wrenches for herself, but who could complain if she took her time getting them?

Rosalina scowled at her own train of thought. It would be unnecessarily cruel to enjoy herself when the others were suffering from the storm. "When I return, I'll get Zelda and Palutena to help me put a stop to this awful storm!" She vowed.

Her trips to the stores were uneventful. Though she questioned why she now had to pay to get Starbits, she chalked it up to being equivalent exchange and carried on without saying a word. Holding her bags with one arm, Rosalina was about to make her way back to the mansion when she heard a voice.

"Daddy..."

Rosalina halted in her tracks, turning to find the source of the voice. Eventually, thanks to the subsequent sniffles and sobs, she found a little girl.

She was curled up in one of the alleyways, her light blue dress stained with mud. She tucked a strand of blue hair behind her ear and wiped her eyes, muttering under her breath.

"Are you alright, dear?" Rosalina asked the girl.

The girl looked up, startled. She rubbed at her eyes, their blue colour masked from the puffiness from her crying. She sniffled. "I-I don't know where I am and I can't find Daddy anywhere," she said after a moment.

Rosalina knelt down to the girl's level. "What's your name, honey?"

The girl sniffled and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. "D-Daddy calls me Lucy, but my real name's Lucina."

"Well, Lucy," Rosalina said with a smile, "my name is Rosalina, but everyone calls me Rose." Rosalina held out a hand and let a few drops of rain hit it. "I think it's too muggy out here. How about we go back to my home for now, and we'll look for your Daddy after the rain goes away?"

Lucy stood up and futilely tried to brush some of the mud off of her dress. "O-okay."

Rosalina looked to the sky after an ominous lightning bolt lit it up. It was too risky to use a Launch Star right now. Besides, would Lucy even be able to use one? "I could always go back the way I came, but..." Rosalina inadvertently thought of what Shulk once told her about rainstorms back in his home.

"Thunderstorms were pretty rough to get through in general, but occasionally powerful and rare monsters showed up during them. Sure, they were easy to beat in a group, not to mention we got some pretty good gear for beating them, but you'd have to be crazy to take one on alone."

Rosalina hummed to herself, trying to think of a way home without Lucy coming to harm. "I may have to call Palutena sooner than expected..."

"Well, what have we here?"

Lucy hid behind Rosalina at the sound of the new voice. Rosalina, on the other hand, just scowled.

"I was unaware you had left the mansion as well, Miss Cereza," she said after a moment.

Bayonetta smirked. "Had to stock up somehow, Starbright," she drawled, shaking a container filled with lollipops at her. She was wearing an extravagant white dress and hat; something that looked immediately out of place in that area and in that kind of weather.

"What is it you want?" Rosalina asked, her gaze meeting the Umbra Witch's.

"Now, now, Starbright. Don't want to break off our deal so hastily, right? I just stopped by after seeing you squatting in an alleyway," Bayonetta casually said, leaning back against the wall.

Lucy curiously stepped out from behind Rosalina and approached Bayonetta.

"Why, hello there. What's your name, little one?" Bayonetta asked.

Lucy puffed up her chest, attempting to look threatening. "I'm Lucina, daughter of Exalt Chrom and Princess of Ylisse!"

Bayonetta playfully smirked. "And I'm Bayonetta, daughter of Balder and one of the last Umbra Witches."

"Witch?" Lucy looked interested in this, and she thought for a moment. "You mean...you can use magic, like Big Brother and Mommy?"

"Mm hm. In fact..." Bayonetta tucked one hand behind Lucy's ear, seemingly pulling a purple butterfly lollipop out from thin air.

Lucy gasped in delight and eagerly snatched the lollipop from Bayonetta's grasp.

Bayonetta chuckled. "Cute." She turned to Rosalina. "Where's her Mum and Dad?"

Rosalina crossed her arms, suspicious of how interested Bayonetta was. "No clue about the mother, but she says that she can't find her father." Rosalina raised an eyebrow. "Why exactly are you so interested, Cereza?"

Bayonetta pretended to think for a moment, holding a finger to her chin. "Alright, I suppose I ought to be the charitable one. I'll help you get her back to the mansion." Bayonetta's eyes twinkled behind her glasses. "Besides, wouldn't want her to cry again, hm?"

Rosalina grumbled in response. It was true. There was no way she was getting Lucy back to the mansion without help, and Bayonetta was the only one able to help her. Instead of gracing her with a response, however, Rosalina turned back to Lucy.

"Alright, sweetie. Miss Bayonetta and I are going to bring you back to the mansion, then we'll find your Daddy. Okay?" Rosalina said softly.

Lucy nodded, still sucking on her lollipop.

The two women nodded in each other's direction, and the three set off towards the dark woods.

Unfortunately, Rosalina had the right to be concerned. Rarer monsters hadcome out during the storm. The fearsome beasts were only more dangerous in that weather, which was most likely why they only revealed themselves then. Clubberskulls could easily be released by one missed attack due to the limited visibility. The wind could throw them directly into the path of a Crazy Taxi. However, the most terrifying thing was that the trademark tune of an Orne, the only warning you had to hide or run, was muffled by the roars of the tempest.

As painful as it was to admit, Rosalina was grateful for Bayonetta's help. She'd almost run into the path of a particularly Orne; Bayonetta had noticed just in time and pulled her back into the trees.

Lucy, on the other hand, was having the time of her young life. Protected by Rosalina's magic, the girl was eagerly watching every battle the duo fought, always getting more and more surprised when she saw them break out a new trick.

Finally, after a good hour of nonstop battles, the trio arrived at Smash Mansion. While Rosalina and Bayonetta limped through the door, both of them nursing their own wounds, Lucy simply skipped inside and smoothed out her dress.

"That was really fun! It's like when Uncle Henry and Auntie Tharja play with Noire!"

Rosalina wasn't sure what exactly to make of that statement. She settled for ignoring it in favour of rubbing the spot where a Clubberskull got a good hit in.

"Well then. I'd love to stay and chat, but I have business to attend to." Bayonetta adjusted the tattered remains of her hat, her outfit having been destroyed near the beginning of their trek in favour for her trademark skin suit. "Particularly business of the clothing kind. I suppose I'll be seeing you later, Starbright."

Lucy, previously looking around the mansion curiously, ran up and hugged Bayonetta's leg. "Bye bye, Miss Bay!"

Bayonetta smiled, as if a fond memory was replaying in her head. "Farewell, little one."

And with that, she finally slunk back into the shadows. Rosalina breathed a sigh of relief, using her wand to summon the previously abandoned groceries. "Lucy, come on now," she said, heading towards the kitchen. The girl obediently followed her.

The boredom that was previously there remained still. Peach and Marth were still having a conversation, Corrin having joined them. Kirby was quietly trying to sneak food out of the fridge. A few Pikmin, controlled by Olimar, had teamed up to water a few of the plants. Dark Pit was carving something into the table with part of his bow.

When Lucy laid eyes on Marth, however, the previous tranquility of it all disappeared.

"DADDY!" Lucy rushed forwards, eager to see Marth's face. However, she quickly slowed her pace. "Oh...you're not Daddy..." She said, quietly.

Marth was just staring at Lucy blankly. "Erm..."

"Well, hello there!" Peach said with a light laugh. This followed, however, with her throwing her frying pan at a retreating Kirby, who proceeded to drop his bounty and flee for his life. The Pikmin had already fled, with Olimar running after them and whistling frantically all the way. Corrin had reached for her blade, only having relaxed when she saw it was only a small girl.

"Hi..." Lucy said, having gone back to being a bit shy.

Peach glared at Dark Pit for a minute, after seeing what he was doing. He only rolled his eyes and went back to his work. "So, Rosie, who's this little angel?"

Rosalina quickly explained Lucy's story and introduced Peach and Marth to the little girl, having gathered that her father must look a bit like Marth.

"Oh, you poor thing!" Peach exclaimed, having latched onto Lucy and giving her the biggest of bear hugs.

"Nobody should never have to be away from their family," Corrin added.

"Um...Miss Rose?" Lucy shifted from foot to foot. "Are...are there any flowers here?"

Rosalina raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You would like to go to the terrarium?"

Lucy nodded. "Mm hm."

Rosalina took Lucy's hand, waving goodbye to Peach, Marth and Corrin. Halfway down the hallway, the duo heard a small cry. Without any further warning, a Luma flew up and nuzzled Rosalina's chest.

"Ah!" Lucy cried, her eyes lifting up.

Rosalina smiled and cradled the small, star-shaped being. "This is a Luma, one of my children. This one's name is Orion," she said, the aforementioned Luma floating up to Lucy.

She hugged it. "He's so soft...like a magic pillow!" Lucy said with a giggle.

All the way to the terrarium Lucy cuddled Orion. Rosalina didn't complain, her mind distracted by the fact that Lucy's father was nowhere to be found. "That poor man...he must be worried out of his mind right now..."

"Hiya, Rose!"

Rosalina jumped in fright. Sonic had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, greeting her with a friendly smile. Orion squealed and flew upwards, out of Lucy's grasp, to play in Sonic's quills.

"You look funny, mister! Are you like Auntie Panne?" Lucy asked, undeterred by the Mobian's appearance.

Sonic's smile only widened when he saw the girl. He pretended to think, a near perfect reflection of what Bayonetta had done earlier. "Hmm...nope, don't remember a Panne! What's your name, kiddo?"

"Lucy!"

"Nice ta meet ya, Lucy! I'm Sonic!"

"So, Lucy, did you want to pick flowers?" Rosalina asked, butting into the conversation.

Lucy nodded.

"It okay if I help?" Sonic sheepishly scratched the back of his neck, Orion having gone off to play minutes prior. "See, ah, all of that...death liquid raining down above us is makin' me nervous."

"Yeah! I want...one of everything!" Lucy said, jumping into action and picking a few daisies.

"...I suppose that means we're lending a hand?"

After, much to Ivy's chagrin, picking a few of every flower, the three were sitting at the base of a large oak tree, sorting out the flowers.

"So Lucy, why d'ya want so many flowers?" Sonic asked, eyeing a yellow rose.

"Well, I wanted to make a flower crown for Mommy! That's why I got Big Brother and Big Sister to take me to Mommy's field!"

Rosalina looked up from the pile of flowers, spotting Lucy already starting to make a flower crown. "Well, I'm sure your mother will love it, Lucy."

The three sat there for a while, each making their own personal flower crowns. After quite a bit of time has passed, Sonic sheepishly held up his own flower crown: a crude patchwork of yellow roses, Black-eyed Susans, and edelweisses. "Uh...I think I messed up somewhere," he said, a goofy grin on his face.

Lucy giggled, having finished her own flower crown a while ago.

"Daisies, violets, and zinnias," Rosalina noted mentally. She glanced at her own creation: a combination of orchids, hibiscuses, jasmines and pink carnations.

"How's yours turning out, Lucy?" Sonic asked, trying to put his flower crown on without it being destroyed further by his quills.

"Good!" Lucy said, going back to her own work. She strung another pink carnation onto her creation. She hummed a little song to herself as she continued her pattern of pink carnations, white violets and bluebells. After a moment though, her smile faded. "...I miss Mommy..." Lucy mumbled, letting the completed flower crown drop onto her dress.

Rosalina was about to comment and comfort the young girl, when a timid voice spoke.

"M-mister Sonic...?" Asked Lucas, stepping forwards a bit. "Miss Peach w-wants to see you."

"Aw man, she must've noticed that I broke a table..." Sonic muttered with a pout. "Alright, Luke! I'll head back with ya!" With that, Sonic stood up. He adjusted his flower crown, waved goodbye to Lucy, and walked off with Lucas.

Rosalina heard Sonic greet Robin, faintly. She ignored this,ngoing back to her own work.

"Rose, I was wondering if you had anything on alternate dimen-"

"MOMMY!"

Rosalina's head shot up like a rocket, just in time to see Lucy dash towards a shocked Robin. The young girl embraced Robin's legs, Robin not moving an inch.

"...How..." Robin whispered. She then knelt down and tearfully embraced Lucy back.

"I knew you'd come back, Mommy! Daddy said you would!" Lucy exclaimed, not noticing the lingering shock in Robin's eyes.

"Sweetie, why are you here?" Robin asked, her voice cracking. She looked at her apparent daughter, tears brimming in her eyes.

"I wanted to-oh!" Lucy looked at the flower crown for her mother she held in her hands, and put it on Robin's head. "Happy birthday, Mommy!"

"..."

"Mommy?" Lucy looked at Robin. "Why are you crying? Do you not like the present?"

"N-not at all, sweetie. It's just..." Robin's tears began flowing freely. "Gods, I missed you so, so much..."

Robin latched onto Lucy, as if she was about to slip from her grasp. Lucy, a cheerful smile on her face, happily embraced her mother back.

Rosalina quietly slipped out of the terrarium, eager to let the mother and daughter have their moment. She floated towards Orion, who was playing with Pichu near the entrance of the kitchen. She waved a few Starbits around, causing Orion to jump into her arms.

Rosalina let out a wistful sigh. "Innocence is such a precious thing..."

Dear Robin's Journal,

Seeing as Robin is a tad preoccupied at the moment, I suppose I shall write for her.

While I do not know much about the circumstances of Robin's past, I can tell that something unsavoury took place. I can tell that it pained her to be away from her home for so long, and that she was working herself to the bone to return.

She has explained some things to me, though. Only the Smashers she trusts the most have this information. She said that a cataclysmic event would have taken place in her home, and that she'd given her own life to prevent it.

It is clear to me now that losing her work had caused her to lose hope. Whatever Lucas had done to remedy this is unclear, but it seems to have worked. As a mother myself, I can tell that seeing her daughter again has inspired her to continue her research. For now, she has two people to get home.

Robin. While I tend not to give out much advice, I do have something to offer you that I believe you already know.

Cherish your loved ones. Spend all the time with them that you can. You may never know when these moments may cease altogether.

May the stars shine down on you,

Rosalina.


Just two little things for this time.

One: I actually did a lot of research into flower meanings for this one. Each flower mentioned has a trait that, I believe, corresponds to the personality and character of the user of said flower.

For example, one of Lucy's flowers was a daisy. Daisies happen to represent the title of today's chapter, innocence.

See what I'm getting at?

And two…I will admit to tearing up a bit at Rose's last line.

For those of you who know me from DeviantArt…you'll know that I posted something back in September.

On September eleventh, 2015, my second day of high school…my Poppa passed away.

I mean, sure. He was having heart problems, and he was getting older…but it stung. Hard.

I know that somebody's probably out there right now, furiously typing that ANs aren't blog posts, but…I jut want everyone to know that I was writing from the heart, there.

It is now 12:06 where I live. I'm officially fifteen.

And I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure I won't waste any more years doing something I don't care about.