I have vague images of Amy screaming, rocks cutting into my back and legs as I tried to slow down, and the robots screeching in fury behind us, shooting at our descending bodies. I really felt nothing; it didn't feel real as we fell. I didn't think I would act like this, acting like it was no big deal and not terrified for my life. Amy was clutching my arm until I couldn't feel it anymore, and I was trying to tell her to calm down, we would be fine. I don't know what sparked that in me.

I can't remember the fall. Or the 'moment of impact', for that matter.

I drifted in and out of consciousness when we were on the ground. Flashes of memories, blurry but still visible, reeled through my mind like a movie again and again. First, a blow to the back of my head, and then something warm trickling down the back of my neck. Second, dust flying all around me and the back of my head stinging painfully, then numbness. Third, the smells of many campfires and leather filled my nose as strong but gentle arms wrapped around me. Paul, it must've been. And last, three people standing above me, looks of shock and sheer horror on each face. I frowned at this last memory, I could not remember those faces; but I'd seen them before, I could have sworn on it. But I couldn't remember who or where. I woke for an hour, or a second, and then I succumbed to the blackness again and again, asleep but not resting, not remembering. For who knows how long I was in that state of flux, in a sort of white time. Not in the present, past, or future. Just… there.

I finally woke again for real at least a few days later. My thirst woke me up. My throat felt like sandpaper, and it was hard to swallow. As I opened my eyes, I felt something soft and cushiony underneath me, and something warm and thick over my legs, up to my chest. I frowned and sat up, more than a little freaked by now. Where am I? Where is Amy? What happened… oh, yeah. But what the crap!?

I was in a large canvas tent. A lantern was hanging by the closed flap, and Amy was asleep next to me, her hands, arms, and face covered in scratches. I recoiled; it was my fault she looked like that, and I probably looked the same, if not worse. I couldn't tell what time of day it was, and three other cots like Amy's and mine stood around the edges. Large swords and shields were placed by the beds, and food was in the middle. A bundle of dirty clothes was on one of the beds, waiting to be washed. I knew that they were Smashers, and I felt my stomach drop because they had wasted so much time on their quest, which I figured was the same as Link's and Flaco's. Even if they were traveling more in style than them.

I rubbed the material of the blankets between my fingers as I looked around, taking in my surroundings. It was cotton, and the reason it felt so soft was because for the past two weeks I had been sleeping on the ground. Granted, with pillows, but you know… Ugh, I am so sore, God. I think I'll get up and-

I started as the flap moved, a hand brushing it aside. I stared with wide eyes as a young man walked in. He looked to be about twenty or so, with a slim figure but strong arms and legs. He had hair a deep shade of blue. Bangs were brushing into his blue eyes, and a headband made out of what looked like gold with a sapphire on the top kept the rest of his shoulder-length, somewhat thin hair out of his face. He was dressed in extremely fancy clothes, also blue. An elaborate cape hung from his shoulders. It was edged in gold; it looked like there was a plate of armor of some sort underneath the thick fabric. It was, take a guess. Pink! No, just kidding. It was also blue, with a pin made out of a ruby. Whether to bring out his eyes, or his hair, I wasn't sure. His boots went up to his knees, his sleeves were rolled up to just past his elbow, and his tunic was held together by a belt.

He started also when he saw I was awake. It was a few seconds awkward pause before he said simply, "How do you feel?" His voice was somewhat high.

Now, that was a crazy question. Guilty, thirsty, hungry, sore, exhausted even though I just slept for at least a few days… the list went on and on. Finally, I just said, "Complicated."

He nodded and walked over to what was his cot, since he sat down, pulled out the sword and started sharpening it. I asked quietly, "How long has it been?"

He kept sharpening the sword, the sharp sound resonating throughout my head. Amy stirred but did not wake. "About three days."

"Thanks."

He nodded again, and looked up, his hands never stopping their work on the blade. "Are you thirsty? Or hungry?"

"Uh-"

"I can get something, if you like. What do you want?"

"Uh-"

"Let's see, we have some meat left over from a few days ago, I think it's rabbit, and then the river looks like it has plenty of fish. I have a little salted pork left, too."

"I'm just-"

"And then drinks. I'm afraid we only have water. Oh, wait, maybe there's a little wine and ale left… I would have to check."

"I can't drink-"

"Should I get something ready for your friend? Why did you jump, anyway? It was luck, pure luck that Ike and I were able to catch you before you… Anyway, how do you feel?" He looked at me expectantly. I'm pretty sure my eyes had glazed over, because in about a millisecond he was right by my bedside, his hand on my forehead to check my temperature. I shook my head quickly and he breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, thank goodness, I thought you had blacked out again."

I looked at him quizzically. "Do I usually?"

He shook his head. "Only once. Ike said you had woken up a few days ago, but while he was talking to you, you got that blank look on your face and passed out. He couldn't wake you up. It really scared him."

I frowned, really confused and freaked out now. "We were talking… and I passed out?"

He nodded solemnly. Then his expression softened, and he asked in a low, gentle voice, "Do you not remember? At all?" I bit my lip and felt the back of my head. My hair was a sticky mass, full of dirt and blood and what felt like a lot of padding covering a spot above my neck and next to my right ear. The soft cloth was wrapped around my neck to hold it in place; I can't believe I didn't notice it before. The boy sighed and sat down on the bed. "We did the best we could to clean it, but you might want to wash it out-"

"Good God, Marth, where are your manners? You didn't even introduce yourself!" The bundle on the bed shifted, and a person popped out from underneath it. A shaggy mass of blue hair appeared, followed by a serious face and blue eyes. He was smiling broadly, chuckling loudly at his friends' embarrassment. His voice was deep. I clapped a hand to my mouth before I could scream and wake Amy. The bundle wasn't a bundle at all; it had been a person napping. The boy named Marth jumped to his feet, blushing. The bundle-boy stood, stretching and grinning as Marth stammered, "What the… How long have you been there?"

He chuckled again. "Long enough. I was just napping when I heard you two talking, and so I just stayed and listened."

"That's eavesdropping."

"And your point…?"

"It's illegal."

"Aw, come on, Marth! You weren't talking about politics!" He squinted at me, crossing his arms. "Were you?"

I tried to keep a straight face as I answered, "Maybe. We were talking in code, couldn't you tell?"

He nodded with an equally straight face, "Ah, yes. The 'injured girl' code. Very subtle."

Marth crossed his arms, frowning. "Ha, ha. Very funny."

"Yes, yes it was."

I giggled quietly while they argued. They act just like us, only from a different time period. That's great! I asked as soon as there was a pause in the conversation, "So, who are you guys again?"

Bundle-boy raised his hand in a wave, and said, "I'm Ike, from Crimea."

The other boy rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I am Marth of Altea." Turning to Ike, he asked, "Where's Meta Knight?" Ike shrugged and Marth sighed. "Fine, I'll go find him. Don't help or anything, because that would be too much of a hassle…" He continued to mutter under his breath as he lifted the flap and walked out. Ike rolled his eyes at his friends' retreating back, and I could almost see Aaron arguing with Dylan. Ike turned back to me, and before he could say anything, Amy sat up, yawning and stretching. She smiled blearily at me, and I waved to her. Ike looked at her, then at me, and then pointed to the outside. I nodded and he quietly walked out.

I climbed out of the cot and walked stiffly over to her cot. She blinked and said, "Where are we again...?" I shrugged and said, "In our rescuers' tent. They bandaged us up pretty well. How do you feel?"

She titled her head to one side, thinking. Finally she answered, "Very, very, very sore."

"Me too, girl. Me too." I held out my hand to help her out of bed. I could hear voices outside as Marth and the other person approached. Ike started telling them off and Marth and Ike started arguing again. I grinned as Amy clambered out of her cot. "What? What are you smiling at?"

In answer, I cocked my head to the tent flap, where the raised voices were coming from, and Amy listened for a while before grinning. "They sound exactly like-"

"Like us, I know. It's crazy."

We linked arms as we went out, straight into the argument. Ike and Marth were standing on either side of us, shouting at each other. Amy and I looked at each other. A small, round warrior was standing off to the side, short arms crossed and an extremely bored expression on his face. He noticed us first, while Marth and Ike still argued about who knows what. We walked over to the small, round person and I said, "Are you 'Meta Knight'?" He was short, with a mask exposing only his yellow eyes. He also wore a cape, and his sword was gold, with six separate blades sticking out like barbs. In short, don't get on this dude's bad side.

He nodded and said in an extremely deep voice, deeper than Ike's, "Yes, I am. And you are the girl who threw herself and her friend off a cliff?"

After a second I realized he was joking. I grinned and replied sweetly, "Yes, that would be me."

He nodded grimly and said, as if he read my mind, "They won't stop for a while." He sighed and walked into the tent, calling over his shoulder, "The river is clean upstream, if you want to… yeah." He disappeared into the tent. I looked at Amy and giggled. She rolled her eyes as the fighting boys suddenly stopped, and noticed that we were outside, and walking, and watching them with amusement.

Amy spoke first. "You guys fight like an old couple."

Marth looked taken aback, and Ike frowned. He asked, "What does that mean?"

As soon as Amy opened her mouth to reply, I quickly cut her off. "We are going to wash off a bit. So don't freak out."

And Amy, ever wanting to make an impression, "And don't kill each other, either."

We left them both looking stunned, and as we walked to find a place with some privacy, I took in the surroundings. It was an extremely hot and humid day, with insects buzzing in the distance and a bright blue sky, no clouds, overhead. The sun was in the center of the sky, and the various clumps of twisted and gnarled trees offered little shade. The ground and walls of the canyon were a deep red, and the dust seemed to coat everything, including the air. The river next to us steadily grew louder and larger, and clearer and clearer until the rocks beneath the surface were clearly visible.

(I'm sure you don't want details of our cleaning and healing of wounds [wow, that was poetic], so I'll just skip it.)

--Later that afternoon…--

Amy and I watched, arms crossed, as Ike, Marth, and Meta Knight brought out dull swords and practiced against each other, perfecting moves and combos. Amy was supposed to be helping me set up their dinner. We were practically at their throats when they refused to let us do anything to help, and eventually, after we threatened to jump in the river and swim away, they agreed reluctantly. For some reason, that really freaked them out.

Amy sighed as Marth switched Ike across his back. Ike retaliated with a quick uppercut, knocking Marth backward. She shook her head, and said, "I swear, every single person, or animal, in this world, is absolutely friggin' insane." She stooped, checking the water's boiling status.

"I know, right? I think that would be a useful skill to have, though."

"What? Fighting with metal sticks?"

"Also known as a sword?"

"Whatever. Yeah, I actually agree, too. It would come in handy, especially if we get attacked again."

I looked up from cutting meat. "Why don't we learn?"

"How?" She stretched backwards, and replaced some wood underneath a blazing fire.

"Think, Amy."

She paused for a second or two, and then slapped by her head, cursing herself under her breath. "No duh. 'Course! That's a great idea. I saw we ask them after they put down the swords, so they don't cut off our heads. Because you know they would."

I giggled in response. After about an hour, the sounds and smells our signature stew made the swordsmen stop their practice. After they finished and were in a relatively good mood, leaning back on the stones used for benches, I looked at Amy. She nodded and took a deep breath, and said, standing up, "We want to learn how to fight. With swords."

The expression on Ike's face was priceless. The fire throwing his features, as well as the others', into a half-and-half picture of light and shadows. He asked simply, "Why?"

I said from my place next to Amy, looking straight at him, "We need to learn how to protect ourselves."

"You have us to protect you. If anything happens, we'll be there."

Amy shook her head, and asked, "Well, okay then. But what happens when you aren't there, or anyone else? They don't really teach you sword fighting in high school, you know."

I jumped in to back her up, "Like on the cliff." I saw them all stiffen involuntarily, and began to think I may have underestimated how much they wanted to protect us. "We probably could have held them off, because they honestly didn't look that smart."

Marth looked torn. He sighed, putting his hand on the back of his head. "I don't know. It just doesn't… I don't think you…"

I looked at Amy. Her eyes had narrowed dangerously. "What do you mean?"

"Uh, well, girls are weaker naturally…"

Amy raised her eyebrows indignantly, crossing her arms. "Well, Jessa and I come from a country where women are generals in the military, in positions of power in government and businesses, and who make names and millions for themselves by proving others wrong. So don't tell us we can't learn. We'll learn."

I stared at her, and said quietly, "Wow, Amy, that was deep. Nice job, girl." She was still looking at Marth and Ike, daring them to say anything else. I looked at Meta Knight. He was the only one who had not said anything, and he noticed my stare, and I think the reason behind it. He sighed, and immediately, the main arguers turned to him, waiting. When he spoke, it wasn't loud, but in the tone of complete finality, "I think they can learn. We can start tomorrow." Amy and I stared at him, and then identical grins burst on our faces. I laughed with relief and Amy saluted him. Ike frowned at the ground, and Marth sighed again. It would be fine with them as our teachers, for sure. As we left them outside to go to sleep, because we were completely worn out, we heard them start to argue about trying to teach a couple of girls to fight.

MINDSPRING- I have to be honest with you- I could not figure out how to continue the cliffhanger from the last chapter. I spent many a sleepless nights wondering on how to do it. Hope you enjoy it!

Hey, don't forget.... why am I telling you this? You know the drill. (especially King Sparky and PeridotSwan- you guys are completely and totally awesome!) If you don't, oh dear. Please leave your thoughts, comments, and whatever else you want... I think I need to new ways to ask for reviews... I'll think of some! I swear to God!