A/N: Wow, it's been ages since I've uploaded something. So then, sorry for the delay :) Hope everyone's well and looks forward to reading this instalment. It seems really bad though – it's hard to put two bits together!

So this time, it's basically catch-up time and also the introduction of…who? Yes, another character. Lucky you, eh? But it's someone you know. So, by process of elimination, you can guess who they are. Still stuck? It's a she :D

Hopefully, I've got her in character…But anyway, I apologise in advance if anything's too out of character or terrible in general!


-- Chapter 9: White Lies --

The sun was zenith by the time Meta Knight opened his eyes again. He gave a small smile as he felt Jecra sit down next to him. It wasn't physical, but rather the tiny, emotional feeling of knowing.

"I figured you would be here. After an hour, mind you." The Star Warrior looked across the roof and jerked his head to the distant part of the roof. "Had to climb out Sir Arthur's tower to get here. His one's the only one that is accessible to everyone."

The puffball grimaced. "Did he find out about this morning?"

"Naturally," Jecra confirmed, giving a light shrug. "Our next door neighbour so happens to be a paranoid one, so the ruckus scared him. You can tell what happened from there. Sir Arthur's peeved as hell, I'm in trouble and so are you." He rubbed the back of his neck, as though his head had all of a sudden become harder to support. "You're hanging on by the fingertips here."

Turning his head minutely, Meta Knight finally looked at the soldier. "So what now? I doubt any of us can say all will be well and continue as if nothing happened."

The Star Warrior set his shield aside, balancing its base into a particularly cracked roof tile. "You've got his attention at least, I guess. He seemed more than happy to see you during the dinner hour."

"That doesn't sound good," the puffball commented, eying the crowd below. It was odd, the way he felt a twisted sort of contentment as he watched the vast number of soldiers fighting below. There was something about their swift actions that hypnotised him. The chimes of metal against metal rang almost rhythmically, as though it was singing a soothing tune only he could hear.

A sharp exhale escaped Jecra's nose. "Exactly. He's ready to bite your head off, but isn't saying so. That should be an omen by definition." He raked a hand through his messy hair nonchalantly.

The puffball blinked slowly, averting his gaze away from the crowd. He eyed the tower his friend had pointed out earlier. Or what he thought anyway – he wasn't looking at the time. "He would want explanations, right?"

Under his mask, the soldier pouted. "Only if there is one," he responded a second too late. "The boss isn't one to force answers, but he's not exactly one to lie to either." He flashed a grin, but Meta Knight noticed it didn't reach his eyes. "You'll be fine, I promise you."

He didn't reply. Being possessed in his subconscious was definitely unusual, and telling that to Arthur was going to be impossible to explain. It was his choice, after all, taking that unbelievably strange light. He had been far too irrational. Now he looked back, it was so obvious there was going to be a catch. Without a doubt, this was the efforts of Nightmare.

Maybe that was all the more reason to tell Arthur, that maybe the possession was a premonition of a danger coming. There was no way to tell what would happen unless he risked it.

"Also, could I have my sword back?"

The blue Star Warrior widened his eyes, looking down at the said weapon in panic. The pink liquid was still at its tip, reflecting the sun's ray indefinitely. Guiltily, he handed the rapier over.

It was clear Jecra had noticed the other warrior's agitation, and he too looked at the blood. "Judging by that look, you have no idea where that came from."

"No," Meta Knight said, his lips barely moving. It sounded incredibly far away, and he could hardly believe himself for lying to a friend. However, there was no time for regrets now. He had to stick to the story from now on.

His colleague didn't press the matter, deciding that it wasn't his field. Taking his sword into his own hands, Jecra set it aside to join the shield. "The interview. You've still got a few hours."

The puffball looked up so quickly everything but the Vice seemed more blurry than usual. The way he had said the sentence aggravated him – the tone was both harsh and distant. Almost as if he didn't care. "Aren't you coming as well?"

Opting to feel grooves in the tiles rather than return eye contact, the blonde warrior gave a small sigh. "No. This is something you have to sort out yourself." He lifted his gaze to the cloudless sky, as though it provided some form of inspiration. "You can't depend on me all the time."

A contemptuous snort immediately escaped Meta Knight's mouth. "You did that once, and we both know the result of that. Have you forgotten?"

Jecra cleared his throat. As a way to pass time or from a genuine sore throat, the blue Star Warrior didn't know which. "I'm aware of that," he confirmed gently. "However, this is Sir Arthur's order. We should value his greatest interest if you're going to have even an inkling of chance."

The warrior got to his feet, as though his comrade had already accepted his side of the argument. The fact he had avoided eye contact was noticeable.

Deciding it was his cue, Meta Knight followed suit. Seeing Jecra like this worried him a little. It was as if his brave face had collapsed all at once, and all that was left was an unfeeling skeleton.

This was what it was like when the Vice was serious for once.

"As now is not the time for company, would you mind if I trained alone?" It was a selfish request, but he needed to start somewhere to handle Arthur. If he was to have 'even an inkling', he would much rather try alone. It would give room for Jecra to cheer up too.

The Star Warrior's maroon eyes lifted a fraction. "Yeah, I was about to say the same thing." He picked up his weapons before continuing. "I have a few bits to sort out. Your armour and the rest of it are with Sir Palamedes. Remember the way?"

He felt himself recoil instinctively. The Vice's words were so similar to when they first split. It was too perfect to be a mere coincidence, and it gave the impression he was going to relive his mistake. Running through life in a constant loop. What if this time round, he would go blind in both eyes? What if he would actually be expelled from the Army?

Regardless of all the buzzing thoughts, his mouth said, "Yeah, thanks."


"You're still here."

The words cut through his train of numerous thoughts like a hot iron. Taking a step back, Meta Knight got into a defensive stance and held out his sword steadily – the speaker was a female after all, and it was much too low and accented to be Vivian. Not something he wanted to hear when just approaching the grounds.

Vivid green eyes met his gaze, bright against her pale skin. As though she noticed the puffball's attention, she gave an incredibly stoic smile. It was an oxymoron at its finest. The sapphire on her headband glistened a little, her purple hair bunched in a high ponytail resting on an armoured shoulder.

"I'm Garlude. I heard that you're the skilled swordsman who just started here." She looked down at her feet, fidgeting with the hem of her travelling cape from boredom rather than anxiety.

The Star Warrior widened his eyes slightly, practically overlooked thanks to the mask. As far as he knew, he had shown no form of decent sword fighting except against Jecra. Even with that, he wouldn't know where to start. It was still possible it was a ploy though; it would be best to proceed with caution. "Who did you hear that from?"

Garlude shrugged. "Does it matter?" she replied swiftly, dull eyes barely reflecting her mild impatience. Or nonchalance, it was proving very hard to read her expressions. She looked away slightly, then ambled to the pillar to Meta Knight's right.

The advance was a small one, but it made him grip his sword tighter. He didn't really try to hide it though.

"Huh," the female mused, her eyes drifting to the blade slowly. "Still a little afraid of me?" She fingered her own hilt, but it was unnecessary to draw it out. Meta Knight had already taken the hint.

Regardless of the threat, he made no attempt to put away his sword. If it was to resort to violence, then he would be ready. The absence of a scabbard made him less able to defend himself. Whatever the case, telling her his name couldn't be too harmful.

"Meta Knight," he said, ensuring the tone of reluctance was clear as day.

She arched an eyebrow in response. "Why Meta Knight though? All Star Warriors refer to themselves as just their first name." Her right wrist twisted a little, her thumb now poised under the hilt.

There was no real reason. It was just given to him as two names, so he simply used them both. He was aware of the fact it was odd, thanks to Arthur's explanation, but he felt obliged to use them both nevertheless.

As an attempt to answer her question, he gave a nonchalant shrug. It must have looked more like a spasm though, the way he held it back soon after.

The warrior gave a small sigh. "No psychological reason then? I was kinda hoping you would say it has a good ring." Irritably, she tossed her hair behind her shoulders. "You've got to admit it does. Whoever chose that name has good taste." Her eyes seemed to shine pleasantly, but the pace changed almost instantly.

Meta Knight barely had enough time to counter. He could only raise his rapier, keeping the other blade a good distance from his face. Looking up slightly, he saw Garlude beam. It was as though she was merely posing for a camera shoot, the way her smile was plastered on her blank face.

"Not bad. Guess you are, indeed, a skilled swordsman." She withdrew her sword, this time aiming with the point rather than the side.

He was prepared for it this time. As though it was in his nature, the puffball took a step to the left and made his opponent's sword change direction with his own. The opponent's sword dug into the grass with surprising ease. "Why are you fighting me?"

The female frowned. "Isn't it obvious already? News has spread about you, and interest has sparked even in Sir Falspar. It was only natural for me to see whether the commotion was really worth it." She drew to her full height, flicking dirt off her sword as though that was what the rapier actually was. "I'm nosy like that."

It still wasn't enough to make him drop his guard. "I take it you know about my current situation too," Meta Knight said bluntly.

The answer that came wasn't a hasty one. "I have a vague idea. Getting into a fight with Clive's lot is not a good thing to do right off the bat."

He didn't know if it was anger or shock that made him feel more sceptical. The way she was talking was almost sympathetic, as though she was speaking from experience. Although, now thinking about it, Garlude may just have been near the scene…The hair became more recognisable now, and the cape triggered a number of neurons consecutively.

"You're getting there, aren't you?" the woman mused, sheathing her weapon. "I heard you after my partner and I took a break. We didn't stick around long enough to see what it was about or how it ended."

In that case, right at this moment, she had no knowledge about the wings. It made things into a bare skeleton, and it made it more natural without the additional components. If it was possible, Garlude could be his only source of outsider's opinion. There was the doubt of whether she truly liked him or not, but at least it was less obvious than that of anyone else he had met so far. It was that that made it a little more reassuring, the idea of not knowing everything straight away.

Meta Knight sighed inwardly, relieved about the confirmation. Thankfully, the mask hid the exhale. "How come you didn't help?"

To his surprise, Garlude laughed. It was a low and curious sound, completely different to Jecra's amicable one. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." She ran a hand through her hair nonchalantly, as though she had answered the simplest of questions. "But enough of the past. Sir Arthur not kicked you out for violence?"

Meta Knight shook his head. "I have an appointment with him later on today. Jecra said that my place was secure when I first started, but I doubt that's really the case anymore."

Nodding slowly, her eyes remained as calm as ever. It was hard to tell she was a member of the Army. She kicked the dusty ground aimlessly, before finally sitting down on the dying grass. As she leaned back, she set her sword to one side. After much thought, she rubbed the spot next to her.

"As I expected. There are only six kirbies in the whole Army, including you. Sir Arthur's not that stupid to make you leave, even if you do pose a threat."

If it was only one incident, he would have been even slightly relieved. However, Meta Knight thought about this morning's event. What if he had killed Jecra? What if the effects of the possession had gone on for much longer? The whole fort could have ended up in ashes for all he knew. Even he knew he was a threat more than just another warrior.

He was doing a lot of this today, he noticed.

"So it seems," the puffball murmured, choosing a spot a good distance from the woman and turning his head to the horizon. True, the clouds were practically the same shade as the ground, but it gave him something to concentrate on rather than the countess possibilities. "Wait, what do you mean by 'kirbies'?"

Garlude raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "You don't recognise the sound of your own race? Wow, you really do suffer from amnesia."

He had the grace to look embarrassed. When he first woke up, he knew he was a Star Warrior. He had just assumed that was his race too. "I don't suffer from amnesia," Meta Knight corrected. "I can remember a lot of things, like names and emotions. It's just that…there seems to be a hole where the important things are. I know how to fight, to eat, but I don't know anything about my origins."

She offered a look that was likely to be her closest to sympathetic. "There's always time to learn," she reasoned, brushing a stray strand of hair from her eyes.

"It depends on whether people will let me have it – time." Meta Knight met his acquaintance's gaze. Could he really trust her? His countless moments of doubt had reduced to the bare minimum both from the conversation and the mock fight. How could he bond to her so easily?

Before she replied, Garlude cocked her head to the right a little. "Sure they will. There's plenty of time before the real war begins."

The puffball didn't know what to reply to that. There was no telling when the true war would start, but there was no point in trying to counter her. "Why are you doing this?" he asked instead. He was mildly interested in what she had to say – it was unlikely she came to him on her own accord.

He proved to be right when Garlude raised her chin slightly. "It's my orders," she replied softly, as though the words were actually not meant to be heard.

There was something wrong. If she really did take the orders from someone, it had to be someone of their Squadron. Hector had obviously been gone for a long time and had no knowledge of him, and the likelihood of Jecra issuing the command was near to zero.

Meta Knight narrowed his eyes. "Whose?"

A glimmer in her eyes could have meant anything. Surprise was just as possible as sarcasm, regardless of being near polar opposites. The corners of her mouth wavered slightly. "My own."

The female ran a hand over the blade, then held the weapon in line with her face. "You haven't had a true chance to release your potential. Want to train?"

It was a tough decision. Although her friendly actions could be nothing more than a trick, Meta Knight had the courage to nod. If it meant it was a fair battle to fight, then perhaps the opportunity was best taken rather than rejected.

He could practically feel his sword hand shaking in excitement. For the first time, blade and swordsman were united.

-- End --


A/N: Phew, it took ages to modify how the two bits slotted together. And I was almost going to post it without explaining how Meta gets his armour stuff back. Massive plothole!

And, in regards to the title, it's meant to show that both Jecra and Meta are lying to make each other feel better. As you'll see later, Jecra doesn't exactly tell you the whole truth. The whiteness is also a loose link to Garlude, and how Meta can't lie to her as much.

I don't believe there's anything else I need to mention…Except I'm going mad with my avatar, but that's besides the point. Thanks for reading and let me hear some of your feedback! If you need any form of explanation, don't hesitate to ask!