Chapter 4: Honestly Secretive

Kirby watched the sun set over the horizon out on the balcony before hopping off the railing and back inside his room. He was careful not to make too much noise because his new friend was sound asleep on his giant, luxurious bed.

The boy had fallen asleep shortly after taking a long bath, (after Kirby showed him how to operate the facilities in the bathroom first).

The little, pink warrior smiled sadly at his new roommate. Link seemed rather upset after Mewtwo had brought them back to Kirby's room and the Star Warrior had no idea why. Seeing the boy upset made Kirby feel the same.

Was it because of what Mewtwo had said; that he couldn't answer all of little Link's questions?

Or was it. . .? Kirby pondered thoughtfully as he gazed out the balcony window, finally coming to a possible conclusion. After Mewtwo had mentioned the name "Gannondorf," that was when Link began to look troubled.

Kirby wondered why Mewtwo had given such a warning. Sure, Gannondorf was a rather scary fellow, which gave the pink warrior the intention that he was naturally evil as well as dangerous. . .

Oh, that may be why. . .

The small fighter softly smiled. Little Link must be afraid of Gannondorf!

Kirby remembered Big Link's heroic tale; where he fought the dark warlock to save his world. Since little Link was from Hyrule (and had also mentioned something or other about being related to Big Link), he was probably afraid to hear that the man that once terrorized his land, was very near; in the exact same building they were staying in.

Ever since Kirby had arrived for the tournament a few days ago, he hadn't seen the warlock yet. But he had heard that the man was around.

It didn't matter, though. The proud little Star Warrior made a little promise to protect his new friend (as well as keeping that other promise). If Link was afraid of Gannondorf, then Kirby will keep that man away the best he could.

Before he had the chance to hop into bed, a knock sounded on his door. "Visitors!" he chirped happily. "Oops!" He quickly lowered his voice; remembering that Link was sleeping.

Bounding towards the door that was made specifically for one as small as he, Kirby could recall Mewtwo's words: ". . . keep Link's presence a secret from the others."

Little Link was both Kirby's and Mewtwo's secret.

Drawing a deep breath, Kirby grabbed the handle, twisted it slowly, then rushed out and closed the door just in time before smacking into the person he was to greet.

"Whoa, Kirby!" came Mario's surprised voice.

The pink warrior bounced back to his feet with a small giggle and apologized. "Sorry about that, Mario! I was. . . I was on my way to get something to eat. Want to come?"

Mario grinned. "I was about to ask you the same thing! Luigi, the Princess and I were wondering if you'd like to join us for a royal dinner."

Kirby's eyes lit up with excitement. "R-Really?! I'd love to!" he cried with a big smile. "I'll ask Lin-" He immediately covered his mouth with his hands to prevent himself from spewing his secret. Kirby looked nervously at Mario who raised a questioning brow.

"Ask Link? I already did, but he and Zelda have something to do," he said, bringing a gloved hand to rub his chin.

Kirby mentally sighed in relief.

"Oh, that reminds me," the Italian plumber continued, "They were looking for you earlier today. I think they said something about it being important."

"Something important?!" the Star Warrior cried. "Oh no! I should go see them right now then!"

Mario looked disappointed. "Aw, really?" he said with a small frown.

"Oh. . . I'm sorry, Mario," Kirby apologized sadly. He clapped his hands together. "I know! You can ask Lin-" Again, Kirby clamped his hands over his mouth to stop himself.

Mario gave him a weird look. "I already asked Link and you were going to see him, remember?"

Kirby felt his cheeks burn in embarrassment. "Oh, right!" he said with a highly nervous laugh. Rubbing the top of his body anxiously, Kirby grinned and began to stroll down the hall with Mario right behind. "I kinda forgot. . . But I hope I can join you guys next time!"

"Heh, yeah. Next time then!" the plumber agreed; waving goodbye to the small warrior.

- - - - -

Nightmares were never a good thing for Link. They always resulted in him waking up in cold sweat and screaming at the top of his lungs in the middle of the night. He really hated them.

Sitting awake on the bed that did not belong to him, the boy ran a hand through his damp hair and drew a calming breath.

He just had one of those horrifying nightmares except this time, he couldn't remember it. Not being able to recall such a dream that shook his nerves and left him uptight, made him worry.

He glanced around the dark room, suddenly remembering that he was with Kirby. However, the little pink ball was nowhere to be seen.

"Kirby?" he quietly called out. Hearing no response, he frowned and hopped off the bed. The plush, soft carpet was comfortable to walk on with his bare feet.

There was such a thing as a moon in this world and its light shone through the balcony windows. Outside, Link could see the many lights that dazzled the city way, way down below. They looked like stars. It was a beautiful scene.

"Kirby?" he called again. He wondered where the little warrior could be. Link certainly hoped that he didn't go out to rattle on the Hylian. . .

No, he wouldn't.

The boy shook his head with a small smile. Kirby was a trustworthy friend. Wherever Kirby could have gone was probably somewhere involving food.

Taking a deep breath, Link fumbled with the latch that held the balcony door closed; trying to figure out how to open it. He grinned with success when it opened.

The glass door easily slid open to allow the cool night air into the large room. Though he was tired and exhausted from the restless nights spent in this world, he did not want to go to sleep. Instead, Link decided to lean against the railing of the balcony to stare off at the strange city at a frightful height to shake away his worries.

- - - - -

"We heard that you made a new friend, Kirby. I was wondering if we could meet him."

Don't tell them! Kirby reminded himself.

He blinked and tilted his body as if he didn't understand what Zelda had just said. "Friend? What friend?" he asked. He did his best to hide his nervousness by staring at the wall behind the Princess.

Zelda looked a little surprised. She glanced questioningly at Link who simply shrugged. She was kneeling before Kirby so he wouldn't have to tilt his body so much to look up at her. They were talking within her Highness' bedroom.

"Marth spoke of a new friend you had," she explained.

"Oh. . . Really?"

Link nodded. "Yeah, a kid who looks like me," he said with a little grin. "Is that true?" He plopped himself onto the ground to bring himself to a more comfortable height for Kirby.

Oh, Kirby really, really wanted to tell them.

Don't tell them! Don't tell them!

Resisting the temptation to spew out his secret, he imitated a confused look. "Someone who looks like you, Link? Uh. . . Maybe Marth saw me with your hat!" he said with a giggle.

Link playfully glared and pursed his lips to the side. "You have one of my hats?"

Laughing, Kirby jumped onto the swordsman's head and plucked the green cap off and wore it like he would when he copied the Hylian's power. "Now I do!"

"Hey! That's mine!"

A hand made a grab for Kirby but the little warrior jumped to evade it. He landed safely on the ground only to be suddenly caught by another pair of hands. "Now, now," Zelda said with a small chuckle. "You know Link doesn't like it when his silly hat is taken away."

"It's not silly, Zelda," said Link; defending his cherished item.

The Princess lightly shook her head while Kirby giggled in her grasp. She placed the pink fighter back onto the ground and returned to their previous subject. "So you did not see this child that resembles Link?" she asked.

"Um, no! Not at all!" he exclaimed when he returned Link's hat. Kirby had to turn away to hide his nervous expression.

"Oh. I see," Zelda murmured, sounding disappointed but also relieved. "I apologize for bothering you this late at night."

"Oh, it's no trouble, princess! I wasn't gonna go to bed without getting something to eat first! But Lin-" Kirby gasped and clasped his hands over his mouth.

Both Hylians looked at him oddly. "What was that you were going to say?" Big Link asked with a raised eyebrow. That very same gesture looked exactly like Little Link's. They had to brothers. . . Or something like that.

A secret is still a secret and so is a promise!

Laughing nervously while rubbing the top of his body, Kirby replied: "Oh, nothing! I. . . I-I was talking to myself. I have to go now! So have a goodnight! I'll see you tomorrow!" Kirby was advancing to the door as he said that and when he finished, he was already running down the hall.

"Phew. . ." Kirby breathed a sigh of relief after stopping for a rest in the elevator. "That was close!" Grinning at the fact that he hid his secret from the others, Kirby felt pleased. Not to mention joyful. Keeping his secret was like a fun, little game and he seemed to had enjoyed playing it.

As the elevator rose to his desired floor, Kirby smiled for he couldn't wait till tomorrow to play it again.

- - - - -

A/N: Heh, I've managed to update faster than before. And just in time for the holidays! Hope you all liked it! Please kindly review for I am grateful to all who do. Until next I update again, (which may be awhile since I will now work on my Soul Calibur story), take care!