Author's Note: Oh wow- has it really been that long? Gee, I'm so awful. :P I'm sorry this one took forever - I've not thought about it since... well, since I posted the last one!

Don't worry though, you're not getting rid of me just yet! Even if it's slow going - this story WILL be finished! The next chapter (just so ya know) is what could perhaps be called the "climax chapter", but there are probably gonna be a lot more after it, so... maybe not. Whatever - enjoy chapter ten!

"A party?" Mario nodded his head thoughtfully, "That could be fun…"

"It would be a great way to cheer the kid up, that's for sure." Beside him, Sonic too was mulling over the idea, "I like it."

"Do you?" Peach grinned at them; so far everyone she had asked had agreed to help out with the preparations – after Link had gotten Joe's assent, she had been telling everyone in the manor about their plans, and had yet to be rejected. "So you guys'll help?"

"Count me in," Sonic winked, and Mario smiled, "Me too."

"Oh, thank you!" Peach squealed, barely resisting the urge to give them both bear hugs. She still had far too many people to invite to the party, which was going to be a rather big thing if her plans went well.

Mario and Sonic watched as the princess scampered off, checking their names off the list in her hand.

"So… what exactly do you know about the situation?" Sonic glanced over at the plumber curiously, "'Cuz I don't know a thing."

"Welll…" Mario frowned, "I don't know much myself – only what Peach has told me, and it's been vague. There was an accident of some sort."

"I knew that much." Sonic said, "They've kept it all pretty exclusive, haven't they? I mean, only the group of 'em know the whole story."

"Guess they were involved in it."

"And Peach honestly hasn't told you a thing?"

"Nothing I'm repeating."

"…really?" Sonic was a little shocked at the sudden change, but Mario just shrugged,

"Really, I don't know anything past what Peach ranted to me the other night – and little of it made any sense – but what I did catch I'm not gonna share… sorry bud."

"Aw, that's fine," said Sonic in a tone that clearly implied he was unhappy, "I understand."

"Thanks, Sonic." Mario smiled sincerely at his friend and rival, and the hedgehog couldn't help but return the smile.

"Now… what say I kick your butt in Smash Bros?"

Mario jumped onto the sofa, "In your dreams, spiky -head!"

Prince Marth walked through the den, lost in thought, and didn't realize he had walked in front of the TV screen until Sonic's angry shout informed him,

"Man – that one didn't count! He walked in front of me!"

Mario smirked, "All's fair in love, war, and Brawl, my friend."

"Oh, so that's how you wanna play, hunh?" Sonic dove into the game with rejuvenated vigor, and Marth left the room.

He had a mission, and he was determined to achieve it. He had spent the last twenty minutes in his room working up the courage to do this, and now that he was heading there… he didn't know if he was ready yet. He decided to take the stairs rather than the elevator – it would give him more time to think, and as he descended them slowly, he found himself thinking about the party Peach was planning.

She wanted it to be a splendid affair – and the others seemed excited about it, though no-one else had quite her level of zest. Marth still wasn't sure what he thought of the idea, but he knew that he wouldn't be going. Why would they want him there anyhow? It was his fault that Pit was in the infirmary in the first place – he wouldn't be welcome at a recovery celebration. The prince never wanted to look at the angel's face ever again… he would never forgive himself.

So why was he standing at the clinic door?

"Forget it," he told himself in a quiet voice, "You wouldn't be allowed inside anyway." And yet, he didn't move. He had made himself walk the entire way to the clinic, prepared to ask to see Pit, but he couldn't bring himself to knock on the door. "Forget it." He said again, taking a step back. About to turn around completely and give up on the idea, Marth was shocked when the door opened on its own, and Kasey came out, singing to herself. She stopped suddenly when she noticed the blue-haired youth staring at her, and she smiled,

"Hey, Marth – what's up?" Her laptop – as always – was balanced in her arms as she looked him over. The prince took a deep breath – this was it.

"Can… can I see him?"

Kasey blinked, "What?"

"Can I see Pit?" Marth took another deep breath, "I… I want to talk to him."

"Hmmmm…" Kasey mulled it over a moment, frowning with concentration, "I dunno, man. Lemme ask Joe, okay?" She disappeared back into the hallway, and Marth leaned up against the wall to wait for her. Being entirely honest with himself, the prince wasn't sure if he wanted her to say yes or no to his request. He truly did want to see Pit, but he was nervous about what he would say, and…

"You can go in," Kasey's voice cut into his thoughts, and he looked up again to find her standing in front of him, "Just be… careful, okay?"

"Of course." Marth braced himself, walking past the doctor and into the hallway which lead to the angel's room. I can do this.

He was surprised to find Pit out of bed when he walked in. Well… sort of.

The young angel was sitting shirtless on his bed, with a blanket draped across his shoulders and his legs hanging over the edge of the bed. He had a magazine in his hands, but he didn't look too interested in it, and he looked up when Marth entered the room.

"Hey Lin- oh." Pit blinked a few times, pulling the blanket closer around himself. He smiled shyly, "Hi Marth."

"Uhh… hey." The prince returned the greeting, his heart speeding noticeably.

Pit nodded towards a chair by the bed, and Marth took a seat quickly.

"What's up?" Pit's voice sounded casual enough, but Marth wasn't fooled for a second. The angel's face was pale; though it looked much better than the last time he had seen him. Marth could see a tube of some sort snaking its way under the blanket, and there was a machine mounted on the wall, but there was nothing beyond that. Link had told him earlier that they had taken Pit off of most of the equipment, so that was a good sign… right?

"…Marth?" The prince snapped back to reality to find Pit watching him earnestly, "Are you all right there?"

"What?" Marth blinked a few times, "Yes. Yes, I'm fine. Sorry." He cleared his throat, suddenly nervous as to what he had to say. "I… I just came to… apologize."

There was a moment of stunned silence. "…apologize?" Pit cocked his head to one side, "What for?"

"Well…" Marth looked up from the floor where he was staring, and couldn't help it when his eyes wandered to the boy's back. The blanket he had wrapped firmly around him hid both his injured wing and arm, but Marth could guess well enough the condition of both. He had already seen it.

"For what happened to you." He finally managed to blurt it out, and he leaned forward, breaking eye contact entirely. "It was completely my fault! I… I called out, and distracted you – you weren't in any trouble until you turned around to face me and I–"

"Marth." Pit cut him off before things had a chance to get out of hand, and the prince looked up.

"W…what?"

"It wasn't your fault," Pit's voice was soft, and Marth was astonished to see his eyes glistening, "What happened… it was an accident, that was all. It's no more your fault than it is mine or the driver's."

"That's not true!" Marth shook his head, his voice rising, "I… I thought I'd killed you! You were so pale, and there was blood everywhere, and you–"

"Marth!" Pit nearly shouted the second time, his eyes wide at the thought of what his friend was going to say next, "Stop! Stop it!"

Marth froze – he had already messed everything up.

"It's…" Pit swallowed hard, looking off to the side so as to avoid Marth's eyes, "It's not your fault, Marth, it's not! It would've happened anyway – I was in the middle of the track, wasn't I? I practically…" he paused, "I practically asked for this!"

"What?" Marth rose from his chair, "Don't say that, Pit! That's not true at all!" He was horrified at what he had just heard, at what he had just done… this wasn't how it had gone in his head at all. "I did this to you – I'm the one who should take the blame – I'm the one who should've gotten hurt!" Marth could feel tears in his own eyes now, but he blinked them away angrily, "I'll never be able to forgive myself for what I did to you – it would have been better if I–"

"SHUT UP!" Pit yelled suddenly, startling Marth into silence. He jumped up from his bed, "SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!"

Marth stared at the angel in unconcealed horror. Pit's eyes were screwed shut, and his fists were clenched, but that wasn't what had caught Marth's attention. Upon standing, Pit had unintentionally cast the blanket to the ground, revealing himself and his injuries in their entirety.

Marth gawked as he saw for the first time what Pit had been so carefully trying to hide. His right hand was swathed in bandages, but they were tight enough for Marth to see that a considerable amount was damaged. It looked as though he was missing parts of some fingers, and the rest seemed to be badly torn up. His right wing fanned out behind him while his left one stayed folded up against his back. It flopped uselessly there, and Marth could see the bare bone of it flashing from between the bandages. A horrible scar worked its way up his back near his shoulder, joined by many smaller marks and cuts which must have come from the trip across the racetrack.

I never thought… Marth hadn't realized how truly badly Pit had been injured, and he felt himself go pale as the angel suddenly turned to face him. Pit's look of hurt and anger vanished the second he noticed Marth's expression, and he realized too late what he had done. Instantly the angel's face went red, and he grabbed for the blanket, wrapping it around his shoulders again before dumping himself unceremoniously onto the bed. He buried his head in the pillows, and it took Marth a moment to recompose himself.

"…Pit?" The prince stepped towards the bed, careful not to raise his voice too loud, "Are you–"

"Just go away, Marth," Pit's voice was muffled by the pillow, but his words came through loud and clear. "Please, just go."

Marth hesitated a moment, wanting to say more but unable to make himself do so. He settled instead for doing as his friend asked, and he backed out of the room slowly. He closed the door behind him, feeling suddenly numb, and turned around to find Kasey staring him down.

"How'd it go?" She asked cheerily – having clearly just arrived. Marth took a shaky breath.

"Great," he said, hearing the obvious strain in his voice, "I probably traumatized him for life, and I'll bet he wants to kill himself now. Couldn't have gone better."

Kasey raised an eyebrow at this, smirking for a moment until she realized he was serious. A moment later, Marth found himself being pushed towards the exit, and he watched as Kasey raced into Pit's room, greatly concerned.

She'll take better care of him than I ever could. Marth told himself, leaving the clinic without another thought. He made his way through the hallway, amazing himself in that he hadn't yet started screaming or crying. It was bound to happen soon, he knew – keeping his emotions bottled up like this wasn't something Marth did very well. After wandering the halls aimlessly for a little while, the Altean prince made his way up to the roof, surprised to find that none of his friends were up there. He wasn't really sure if he had wanted them to be there or not.

He stood on the roof, leaning against the guardrails with a mournful look in his eyes. He stared down at the hard ground far below him, wondering if anyone would miss him if he jumped. Probably not, he told himself.

And that was where Zelda found him, two hours later when she came up for reasons of her own. She had heard Kasey and Joe discussing what had happened, and had hoped to give Marth some comforting words of some sort – help him out a bit if she could. It seemed, however, that the courtesy was unneeded. The moment she set foot on the roof, Marth was in her arms, bursting instantly into tears and going on about what had happened.

Zelda lead him carefully to the sun chairs near the roof's south end, keeping her hand in his in case he needed it. I'll stay up here all day, if that's what it takes.

And so they did.