Ok, almost done, almost done. Wait for me, Hidaaan! (Actually, I got impatient -surprise surprise- and started my Naruto fic already…;)

Chapter 10 Discovery

The elevator was beginning to slow. Sword and Blade snapped to attention as it crawled to a stop. This must be the floor. Meta Knight had to be here; they had searched too hard and risked too much to be disappointed. Regardless, they drew their swords, always on guard against an unexpected attacker, just as Meta Knight had taught them.

The door drew open agonisingly slowly. They gasped and stood back. All that lay beyond was darkness. It was almost solid in appearance. Blade stepped forward again.

"We can't falter here."

Sword turned to his partner and nodded. To stop because of something like darkness was out of the question. They stepped into the darkness; one foot at a time, staying in each other's view at all times. A few steps in, however, Blade froze again.

"I can hear them!"

Sword stopped too.

"Them?"

Blade stayed silent for a while, listening closely.

"Three people…it sounds like there's something big going on…I hear swords."

They threw each other a look, and started running. The closer they got, the clearer the sounds became through the fog of blackness. Soon, they could both quite clearly hear the sounds of an intense battle. As they drew close, figures could be discerned from the pitch black around them. There were three, as Blade had said. They were locked in a deadly sword fight, and Sword and Blade could only watch. It was two against one, they observed, though the figures weren't clear. The speed, strength and cunning the warriors displayed were way out of the two's league, to even draw attention to themselves would spell death.

The swords were little more than bright blurs, and the fighters themselves no less indistinguishable as they danced around each other. The lone fighter showed remarkable experience in his ability to predict his two opponents' moves, and the pair were equally good at using their number to their advantage. But even as Sword and Blade watched, the lone combatant struck home. One of the two fell, sword skittering across the floor, to land a small distance from them. But just as the other's back was turned, the second of the pair launched an attack at the other's back. He spun round just in time, and the blades connected, their light illuminating the faces of the combatants.

The two onlookers managed to hold in their surprise. The lone warrior was Meta Knight, and his opponent was a doppelganger. The doppelganger's wings and cloak were a slightly darker shade then Meta Knight's own, and there was something about the other's eyes too, but other than that, they were identical. The two knights drew their swords. They had found what they came for, and would stop at nothing to help their mentor. They ran out of hiding, swords out and aimed at his opponent.

"Meta Knight!"

…

The seven would-be rescuers stopped at the top of the stairs to catch their breath. Joe looked at Carida.

"So, do you have any idea where Meta Knight is?"

Carida hesitated. Joe took that as a no.

"Then what are we supposed to do now?"

The others turned to face the leaders, still panting. Lololo and Lalala had recovered, and were now keeping watch. Carida shook her head.

"I have an idea. I can't help hoping I'm wrong though."

Joe leaned in closer.

"You mean with Nightmare? Where's Nightmare's room?"

She nodded heavily. Fumu and Bun came over to the two, Kirby trailing behind.

"Excuse me, Ms. Carida, but – how do you know all this? Meta Knight's been living on Pop Star for years, and he's never mentioned you."

Carida smiled ruefully.

"That's to be expected – I'm supposed to be dead."

She laughed bitterly.

"Years, ago, before Meta Knight came to Pop Star, and before the end of the war, I was taken and kept here by Nightmare. I learned a few things about this place while I was locked up. Those stupid little humanoid monsters are too chatty for their own good."

Fumu and Joe brightened up considerably.

"Then you know where Nightmare is?"

Carida nodded slowly.

"I'm pretty sure."

Bun however, had another question in mind.

"Wait, you said war back there. Then, were you a Star Warrior?"

Carida looked at Bun with interest.

"I see he told you about them, in any case. Yes, I was, and I and my partner were the ones who befriended and recruited Meta Knight."

Bun grinned widely.

"That's so cool!"

Carida paused, looking pensive.

"Did he happen to tell you… what he did before joining the Galaxy Fighter Army?"

Bun shook his head, as did Joe and Fumu. Carida looked away.

"Well… it's not important."

Fumu and Bun looked curiously at her, but Joe, straightening up again, decided to end the conversation.

"Alright then, if everyone's ready, we'll look for Nightmare, and save Meta Knight!"

He grinned triumphantly at the others in an effort to get their spirits up. Joe turned back to Carida.

"We'll need to know where Nightmare is, if we want to save Meta Knight."

Carida sighed.

"If I'm right, he should be on the top level."

Joe smirked and rubbed his nose.

"No problem."

Bun groaned.

"Does that mean more stairs?"

"Hey guys!"

The twins, Lololo and Lalala, and Kirby were gesturing to the other five. They were standing beside the opposite wall, a little way up the corridor.

"Come here!"

Joe cocked an eyebrow.

"Why? What's there?"

"There's a hidden door here…"

They ran quickly over to it. Kirby put his paws on the cold metal, repeatedly thumping away at it. Lololo flew down to stop him, and Lalala explained.

"There's hinges in the wall, just there. Kirby going crazy, he really wants to get in."

Carida made her way to the front. She looked down at Kirby, who was fighting against Lololo's grip, trying to batter the wall more. Carida's eyes went quickly over it.

"I can't see a doorknob or anything that looks like it could open it…"

Joe barged to the front, fist pulled back and at the ready.

"Kirby was hitting it, that might work. We'll just hit all of it at the same time! Stand back people."

Everything jumped back forcefully. Joe grinned.

"Vulcan Jab!"

The fireball hit the door full force. The others had to shield their eyes from the blaze, but when the smoke cleared, nothing had happened. Fumu wasn't impressed.

"Why don't we try something a little less dangerous?"

Kirby had managed to escape Lololo during the blast. He happily scampered over to the hidden door and started hitting the same spot again. But this time, after a few blows he got his paws around something, and tugged. There was a loud click. The door slowly revealed itself and slid open, disappearing behind the wall. Joe, Bun, Fumu, Carida and the twins stood open mouthed. Kirby smiled broadly with happiness. Fumu and Bun were the first to recover; they jumped up and ran through the door, and the twins followed shortly after.

Joe followed sullenly after. He passed Kirby, and stared at him.

"You could've just said you had to pull."

Kirby blinked and tilted his head.

"Poyo?"

"Never mind…"

Carida smiled warmly and took Kirby's paw as they went in.

Fumu and Bun had stopped as soon as their eyes had adjusted to the room.

"What is this place?"

Joe and the twins caught up to them.

"It looks like some creepy kind of-"

"Laboratory." Carida finished.

Kirby wandered over to the door and flicked a light-switch. The room was instantly flooded with light, making the others blink. Carida gasped.

"It's like-"

Joe looked at her suspiciously.

"What?"

"It's like before…"

Sure enough, the laboratory was very similar to the one Carida had sneaked into with Jecra all those years ago. The same bizarre instruments, the same 'creepy' glass tanks, with the many tubes and buttons surrounding each one. There was one significant difference. The giant computer, situated at the end of the lab, was on. Automatically, Carida ran to it. She couldn't make sense of what it had on the monitor. It was a giant picture of a chessboard. The pieces were all different shapes and colours, and scattered at random around the board. She could hear the others wandering around the lab, inspecting the lab and its strange contents. Determined not to be distracted, she returned to her task. There must be something on this computer than could reveal Nightmare's plans.

Looking carefully at the screen. she tried to identify some of the pieces. There were several on one side of the board, and a few less on the nearer side. Three were located close to each other in the middle. What could this mean?

Suddenly, Kirby's excited squeaking interrupted her train of thought. Fumu and Bun ran over to the little pink puffball, who was jumping up and down madly.

"Kirby? What did you find?"

"Poyo-o-o!"

Kirby was at the back of the lab, beside the large computer. One of the tanks had been separated from the others. Inside it, floating in the strange transparent liquid, was a small gold droplet. Fumu and Bun stared at it in wonder.

"What is it?"

"That doesn't look like a monster."

Kirby did not stop jumping. Fumu quickly noticed he was trying to reach it.

"Come on Kirby, you have to stop being draw to shiny things so easily. This is serious!"

Bun looked from Kirby to the droplet.

"I dunno Sis, he doesn't normally look so serious when he sees shiny stuff."

Joe had lost interest in the lab already and was waiting at the door.

"Come on, there's nothing here. We're wasting time!"

Carida looked away from the computer and over to Fumu, Bun and Kirby.

"Wait, Joe. What did you three find?"

Fumu gestured to her.

"I don't know what it is. Come here and see!"

Carida ran and was soon looking over their shoulders at the gold droplet. She gritted her teeth.

"I should've known."

The siblings looked at her in confusion.

"Known what? What are you talking about?"

"Stand back. We're taking this with us. It's Meta Knight's."

Carida swung her fist hard into the glass tank. It cracked, and the glass splintered and fell apart. It started leaking badly, and Carida caught the gold droplet as it escaped. Joe yelled over to them.

"Are you coming or what?"

Bun and Kirby ran to the door, along with Lololo and Lalala. Fumu started to go too, but paused as she caught sight of Carida's face. Carida was gazing at the droplet in her hand gravely. After noticing Fumu's eyes on her, she closed her hand around it. Fumu looked at her hand, her face unreadable.

"What is that thing?"

"It's part of his soul."

Fumu's eyes grew wide with shock.

"What? How? Is he already dead?"

Carida hurriedly tried to calm her.

"No, no, he's still alive. But we need to get this to him as soon as possible."

Fumu's expression hardened.

"All right, let's go! And you can tell me more about this soul business on the way."

In no time, the group was running down the length of the corridor, back to the room they had landed in. Discovering the now working elevator, they were soon heading towards their destination, determined to rescue their friend.

…

The answer had come to Meta Knight as he fought his new enemies. The reason why the last doppelganger had grown stronger as he fought it. It was easy to see, because the exact opposite was happening now. He could not just keep up with his assailants; he was slowly overpowering them. And all because he wasn't doubting his ability anymore. Why he hadn't seen it before baffled him. It wasn't that the doppelganger had grown stronger, it was he that had grown weaker. Meta Knight had let his feelings - in particular, his self-doubt – cloud his mind. It was an amateur mistake, one he hadn't made in years. In the heat of battle, there should not be anything else on one's mind other than their next moves.

However, now he had broken that rule of fighting conduct. Meta Knight had discovered the one emotion that enhanced his fighting ability. He had let his rage take over. It coursed through him, eliminating fatigue and inhibition, travelled into his golden blade, and became a deadly weapon.

He spun and thrust, slashed and jabbed. The doppelgangers were using a variation of his own moves, he easily saw through them all. A blind spot – Meta Knight wasted no time, and with a strike as deadly and fast as a cobra's, one doppelganger went down. He sensed the other one react, and with no time to savour his victory, spun round and held the other at bay, swords scraping against each other angrily.

He heard some noise just within earshot, but paid it no heed. He tore away from the doppelganger, and jumped at it, invigorated by the defeat. Yes – there it was – an unguarded spot. The doppelganger fell, clutching its stomach, vanquished. Meta Knight stopped to savour his victory, the sight and smell of the blood satisfying him no end. Why had he stopped doing this years ago? What had caused him to change? Why had he ever left? He was a warrior, what had he been doing on that peaceful planet, away from the wars that his master would have provided? He saw now what Nightmare was doing. He would have to prove himself against these foes, show him that he had not grown weak from his years of neglect.

Footsteps took him out of his reverie. He whirled around again, eyes and sword blazing ferociously. Two more knights were emerging from the accursed darkness. He narrowed his blood-red eyes, and dived at his new prey. Their cries of dismay and confusion didn't even register in his blackened mind.

.. .. ..

I apologise about the lack of Meta Knight related bits in this. I had to get all the bits about the others that I should have put in the other chapters done…I'm sorry! It was idiotic of me! T.T-someone pulls a cord and author falls down hidden trapdoor- I've been watching waaay too much Excel Saga… Until next time, toodles.