This one covers Nana and Zelda. One thing to note of is this interpretation of how the transition from Melee to Brawl affected the LoZ characters. To put it simply, the OoT Link and Zelda had transferred many of their powers and memories to the TP Link and Zelda shortly before leaving the Smash world, possibly for good. Ganondorf was just taken from a later point in time, but is still the same person.
Also, a lot of credit goes to BabyCharmander for beta-reading for me. Thanks!
She had been teasingly called a mother hen by those around her. Zelda never minded such a term. In fact, she wore it somewhat proudly, like a medal. But, of course, it meant she would have to act the part of a mother hen, even towards a girl she saw as quite mature.
Nana always did have her tendency to go through a roller coaster of emotions. However, she had been upset for the past few days - uncharacteristically quiet. Popo seemed to be feeling the same way, but whatever was affecting them, he had shrugged it off much quicker than she had.
Thus, Zelda did what she felt was right, and pulled Nana away to talk in private, under the premise that they were making cookies.
"I know raw dough isn't the healthiest of things, but…" As Zelda finished breaking up the chunks of premade cookie dough, she handed a piece to Nana and kept one for herself to eat.
"Thanks." Nana smiled, popping it into her mouth. She watched as Zelda finished arranging the remaining pieces on the pan, before sliding it into the oven.
"We'll check back in about twenty minutes," Zelda stated. "I'm really glad you agreed to this, Nana. I wanted to make cookies for you."
"Any particular reason?" she asked, moving to the large dining table within view of the kitchen.
Zelda followed, knowing she was at the point where she needed to tread carefully. "You looked a little sad yesterday, so I decided the cookies might cheer you up!"
"Oh."
Zelda looked over at her as they sat down, unsure if she had hit a defense against her or not. The only way to find out was to press on. "Would you like to talk about it?"
Nana laughed weakly. "Only if you're willing to hear some whining."
Zelda was not fazed by how blunt she was, having learned to deal with others and their own brutal honesty. "I am. After all, I'm Dedede's 'right-hand woman,' according to him."
Oops. She mentally scolded herself for bringing him up. It wasn't a secret that Nana had had a crush on him for several months now, and she was definitely one of the more emotional of the Smashers.
It didn't seem that this was the root of Nana's problems this time, however, as she just snorted in response. "You have the patience of a saint, Zelly. Well, anyway, I guess I'm just getting a bit feverish lately. I'm still not used to summers here."
"That's right. You hail from a more arctic climate, don't you?"
"Yeah, with snow and stuff." Nana began to play with a paper towel left on the table. "I guess you could say I'm a little homesick, too."
It was more than understandable. Everyone here was away from their element, and they were so far from their homelands. Some came from different worlds, or even different galaxies! It was true that a lot of those who had responsibilities at home would travel back every few months, Zelda included. But, aside from that, this was where they lived for the few years a Smash Season would last. This didn't always mean it was true home, however.
"You can ask the association for a vacation," Zelda pointed out. "You and Popo haven't taken one yet this season, so you have that in your favor."
"Maybe. I haven't seen Dad in a while," Nana admitted.
There was a pause before Zelda decided to continue the conversation. "Your parents must be so proud of you. You entered the tournaments at such a young age… You were twelve, I heard?"
"Yeah. Three years for the Melee season, one year on break." The paper towel was now being twisted and torn, especially once Zelda mentioned parents. "Dad really likes what I've done. Says I get it from Mom."
"Does she agree?"
There was just silence, and Zelda knew she had stepped on a land mine of a subject.
"…I'm sorr–"
"Don't. Just don't," Nana interrupted, putting the torn paper down. "She would be. I know it."
The smell of cookies was beginning to waft throughout the kitchen, but it did nothing to hide the air of tension. Still, the nagging thoughts of Zelda's loss of her own parents pushed her to keep talking. "…If you don't want to answer, that's okay. But what happened?"
"Climbing accident," she replied. "She and Popo's dad were partners. Pretty popular in our village. Their gear failed to work during one of their expeditions, though. I…I was ten. Both of us were. We hadn't spoken much before then, but after the funerals…"
Ten. Zelda had been eleven when her own mother caught pneumonia and died. She was able to relate to what Nana must have felt, and why she acted the way she did now. "You and Popo took on mountain climbing in their footsteps, didn't you?" Nana nodded. "I understand completely. I followed my parents' leads, too."
"Yeah, but you had to," Nana pointed out. "You were the only one left to run your kingdom. Me? I was pegged to be a vet or maybe a livestock farmer!"
"I could have not followed how they ruled, however," Zelda elaborated. "I could have been greedy. Ruthless. Unjust." Power corrupted. Zelda knew that, and had spent much of the past few years trying to correct its wrongs in other people.
"Mm, I guess so." A long silence followed, and Zelda was about ready to end the conversation now. Then, Nana blurted out something. "Sorry! I just… It's really awkward, talking to you sometimes! I try not to be cold or anything, but…"
"What's wrong?"
"You're… I mean, you act like her, talk like her, but you don't look like her. You just aren't the other Zelda."
So. Was that how Nana saw her at times? Zelda sighed, unable to find a response, for once. In a way, Nana had every right to find this awkward. Like she had said, this Zelda was not the one from last season. The first Zelda who participated had been the one to witness the rise of Ganondorf in her time and the one to introduce the idea of the princesses disguising themselves as a Sheikah warrior. During the planning stage for the Brawl season, however, Master Hand sent her and her Link back home, replacing them with counterparts from a different time.
It didn't matter that the current one was a descendant of the last one. It didn't matter that they had practically merged for a few seconds to give her the blessings of the Goddesses and the form of a Sheikah. This Zelda was new, and Nana couldn't get past that.
"I don't blame you, really. It was odd, when I started out. She gave me her memories, but they mingled a lot with mine. I had so many memories of being Peach's best friend, but at the same time, I knew I wasn't."
Nana hung her head for a moment. "I'm glad you're not upset about it. I was pretty close to the older Zelda. She…could relate to me, the same way you could."
In other words, that particular princess had also lost her mother, this time at a tender age of nine. It seemed that the daughters of the Royal Family, despite all the amazing things they could do, led fragile lives. Zelda accepted that one day, she herself might die before her own children came far into adolescence.
Suddenly, she experienced a feeling that, maybe, Nana's mother might have also felt in her final moments. Fear of leaving someone behind in the world, to face tomorrow alone. The end was merciful to its victims, but could be torturous to the ones close by.
Zelda could not find words to express this, and did something that always seemed to get the point across. She reached out and hugged Nana hard. The Ice Climber stiffened at first, but soon eased into the embrace. Perhaps she understood completely, now. Or, maybe she was just accepting the hug on the basis of it being a hug.
Silence came back once more when they parted, until Nana decided to explain things a little further. "Six years, on the dot. Well, it was on the dot two days ago, actually, but that's why Popo and I were upset. It always happens this time of year."
"I know that feeling," Zelda whispered. "I still cry a little whenever another year passes after the death of one of my parents."
"I guess it's a natural feeling, like coping or something like that," Nana chuckled. "Speaking of coping, comfort food should be done!"
"Maybe not for a couple minutes, but we'll check," Zelda smiled, and the pair got up to see how the cookies were doing. The tension was gone, leaving just the aroma of chocolate chip cookies.
