Human Ch.4
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.
The blonde bounty hunter tossed and turned in her already disheveled bed. Soft, lowly whimpers escaped her quivering lips from time to time, only to dissipate into the serenity that the morning offered. Her subconscious toyed with her fears and memories for sometime longer before it forced her back into the realm of the awake and active again. Dilated cerulean eyes shot open and scanned the warm, quiet room for the threat that plagued her dreams just seconds ago. To her relief, the smoldering, destruction filled landscape of her home world didn't meet her wandering eyes. Nor did the glowing ember eyes of the heartless pirate who wrought such pain on her.
For a rare, brief moment she hugged her knees to her bosom and allowed herself to sink into a dank pit of self pity. Was it right for a hero, and more importantly, a warrior of her caliber to still be having nightmares? Wasn't she strong enough to for once and for all slay the nightmares within her and forget the past? The Nightmares never failed to remind her that although she was surrounded by allies and friends, she was be alone in this battle.
Samus Aran didn't dare to unbind her legs and break her protective little ball she had made. Her blonde hair and light blue tank top were still matted to her body thanks to the cold sweat the nightmare had gifted her in. Before the self doubt within her had a chance to play another bitter note on her heartstrings, the feather that had floated in the night before caught her attention. She plucked the keepsake from its place on her nightstand and examined it against the invading light. She reveled in its simplistic beauty. It was hard to explain but it seemed to reflect the light differently. Taking a deep breath, she returned the feather to its resting place. She decided it was about time she got out of bed and do something other than stew in depressing thoughts.
The training facility on the Smash Compound was truly a site to behold. Windows encircled the edges of the ceiling and filled the large room with natural light. The room itself was littered with various weight machines, treadmills and racks of free weights. Towards the center of the large room were several matted rings for sparring matches. Samus causally strolled in, relieved that there weren't that many people there right now. Never the less, before she could decide on what she was going to do a voice called out to her.
"Hey Samus!" The gruff voice of Snake called from one of the sparring rings. It was easy to guess what he wanted as she approached him.
"Looking for a match, Snake?" She guessed and folded her arms.
"If you don't mind."
"Sure, just let me stretch first."
Samus took a few steps back and began her stretching routine. Before long she could feel his eyes follow her as she moved. Her moves became a bit more hesitant as she questioned if she should be flattered or offended.
"Am I being too rough for you?" Samus quipped after sending Snake crashing to the mats yet again. She had managed to be in control of the match from an early point and was determined to keep it that way.
"Under these circumstances, I don't mind." Snake shot her a grin as he got to his feet again.
Samus never knew how to respond when a man flirted with her, it obviously wasn't covered in her training with the Chozo. She had to admit he was ruggedly handsome, maybe being flattered by him wasn't so bad. Her cheeks began to tint and she scrambled for a suitable response. When none came to mind Snake laughed.
"For such a powerful and revered bounty hunter, you sure are cute when your flustered and blushing" Snake complimented, slightly winded. "But don't start thinking that that's going to help you when we meet in the ring."
"What are you trying to say?" Samus cautiously questioned.
"You know, I'm not gonna get distracted by your 'Zero suit' ploy."
"What!?" She asked again in a louder, more disbelieving tone.
"Showing off your curves isn't going to help you win the annual tournament this year."
His comment made her blood come to a boil. With the fierce velocity that came with her training the bounty hunter swept her adversary off his feet. Stunned by how fast the world seemed to fall out from underneath him Snake hardly had the chance to speak before Samus was already heading towards the exit.
It was early in the afternoon before Samus left her room again, driven by hunger. The blonde, robust woman set her plate down across from two other young women. Even a warm shower and a change of clothes couldn't help her shake the small raincloud that Snake created for her that morning. She hoped some idle chatter and some food would help.
"Hello Samus!" the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom greeted cheerfully.
"Hello Peach, Zelda." Samus kindly greeted the both of them. The Hyrulian Princess looked up from her book and offered a warm smile.
"How are you Samus?" She asked.
"Alright I guess." Samus calmly replied, masking the fact that her encounter this morning still annoyed her. It was then she noticed Peach starring at her. "Is there something wrong?" She asked.
"Oh nothing , I like seeing you in normal clothes that's all. It makes you seem more approachable."
Samus looked at her outfit, a plain white T-shirt and jeans. If she had a match today she would of probably been in her zero suit.
"So what are you reading ?" Samus changed the subject, tearing off a small piece of her sandwich and popping it in her mouth.
"Just a romance novel, it's about a couple who meet in the afterlife."
"Interesting, I didn't think you were in to zombie love." Samus jeered, knowing it would get a raise out of the brunette
"Angels, not Zombies!" Zelda quickly corrected while barring her mind from the images and sounds of a Redead romance.
"Speaking of which have either of you two had a chance to talk to talk to Pit yet?" Peach intervened
"Not yet," Zelda closed her book, " but Link seems to like him."
"What about you Samus?"
"Eh something bugs me about him." Samus said plainly while tearing another piece of her sandwich off. She failed to admit that it was his Ridleyesque eyes
"Well I like him so far, he's looks so small and innocent." Samus had to wonder if Peach had a thing for shorter guys.
"The green haired woman who came to watch his fight was quite stunning." Zelda admitted.
"That was Palutena the goddess who rules over Angel Land. Pit is the captain of her guards." Peach explained.
"Wow he must spend a lot of time with her," Zelda mused "it makes me wonder if there's another angel love story in the works."
The two princesses chatted over the idea as Samus stood to take her leave. Romance was fine and all, but there was only so much of it she could take in a day. With no match today she questioned herself on how to spend the rest of the afternoon. While passing one of the doors she took a look outside. Dark clouds had stained the sky while she was eating. Despite the threat of rain, the sound of taking a nice, long, quiet, walk appealed to her. Without a second thought she escaped to the outside world.
The backyard of the compound was cleared of most landmarks, save for a few lone trees, for a good fifty something yards before it exploded into a vast sea of green trees and plant life. It was an ideal place for those who easily got sick of the all crowds and noise of the main compound. Samus had reached the edge of the forest when she spied someone sitting at the base of a tree.
"Hey Samus!" Pit greeted and waved.
Samus sighed, so much for her quiet walk. For a second she considered pretending to never have seen him, but remembering her vow to show some kindness to the young man she began to walk his way.
"Hello Pit," From the very start she kept her eyes locked on to his, determined to confront the thing that made her so unsteady." Why are you out here?"
The hardened look he received made the angel a bit nervous. "I just needed some peace and quiet. The hallway outside my room was so busy today. I told Ganon about it and he showed me this place."
"What? Ganon really helped you?" Something about this dumbfounded the bounty hunter, Ganon wasn't really a social person and Pit seemed his polar opposite.
"Yeah, he showed me this little spot and then went off into the forest."
"That's strange." Becoming lost in though, Samus hadn't realized that the rain had worsened since she came out. "Well I better be on my way." She added and attempted to continue her stroll.
"It might be a better idea if you stayed here with me." Pit innocently mentioned, patting the space next to him on his blanket.
"What do you mean?" Samus quickly jumped to an conclusion. "What is with you guys and your macho attitudes today!? Do you think a cocky attitude is enough to win any girl over?"
Pit was surprised and speechless from the short, spur of the moment rant.
"Well? Do you!?" Samus angrily added.
"It's not like that." Pit calmly explained. " I just thought since your wearing white shirt it might be a better idea to enjoy the rain from under a tree then out there getting all wet."
It only took a moment for Samus' face to turn the reddest it had in a long time. Maybe it was because she was ashamed for flying off the handle like that. The image of walking to her room in a translucent T-shirt didn't help either. Before making a bigger fool out of herself she quietly accept his offer. The two enjoyed the quaint sounds of the rainy afternoon for a few moments before Samus sheepishly broke the silence.
"I'm sorry about all that, it hasn't been the best day for me."
"It's alright, it can't be helped sometimes." Pit offered a friendly smile. "Do you always enjoy these rainy days ?"
"Yeah, listening to it just makes everything so serene."
"I know what you mean."
A soft, warm sensation that sharply contrasted the chilling rain caught Samus' attention. Glancing down she noticed the white wing that barely touched her arm. She was in awe at how warm it's gentle touch was. Was it because it was different than a bird or even a Chozo's wing? Her sights shifted upwards to take in Pit's profile. He now took a more relaxed position, resting his back against the tree. Luckily his eyes were now shut, allowing her to inspect him without restrict. There was an innocence about him that she was starting to find a bit charming. He looked like young man, not much older than Ness or Lucas. However he was an angel so surely he couldn't be that young, or could he?
The anxiety that she associated with him just days earlier was slowly transforming into intrigue. A handful of questions popped into mind but for now she decided she would just enjoy the silence with him.
Deeper within the forest the tall warlock curiously stared at the purple object laying on the forest floor. Ganon had sensed that there was something emitting dark energy as soon as he entered the forest. However he never imagined it would be an eggplant . He slowly picked up the vegetable and examined it. It seemed normal enough. But his credibility as a black magic expert was damaged as the 'normal' vegetable teleported him elsewhere.
The smell of of the rain and forest had been replaced with death and decay. The torches attached to the stone walls did little to combat the darkness that filled the room like a fog. It was light enough to see that he was now surrounded by an array of demons, wraiths and other creatures.
Before him on raised ground stood a throne, and upon the throne sat a woman. A black stola barely stretched over her olive colored body, which itself was truly a sight to behold. It's ample curves smoothly rolled in and out like the movements of a serpent. Her hair was a deeper green and wild with locks reaching out in every direction. Leaning in, her yellow snake like eyes locked with his.
"Welcome to the Underworld Warlock." Her voice was as smooth as her body.
"Why have you summoned me here?" He questioned, his own voice strong and unfaltering.
"I wish to make a deal with you, that's all." She flashed a smile that wasn't exactly trust worthy.
Stuck in a world that wasn't his own and surrounded by creatures that could turn hostile at any time now Ganon decided it was for the best to hear her out for now.
A/N: After a long enough wait here's chapter 4. I have nothing against Snake by the way, just needed a character who might have an interest in Samus. Many thanks to zeldalove for the motivation I needed to get this chapter done!