Didn't expect an update so soon huh? Well, I did it because today April 7th, I turned eighteen years old! So this is my birthday gift to you all! Thanks for your reviews last chapter! Here's the next chappie comin right at ya!

Disclaimer: I need to do this. I'm using a beautiful song which is not mine though I wish it were.

Note on Chapter: Focuses mainly on Marth and Samus. But also I was listening to these two songs "1000 Words" from Final Fantasy X-2 and another beautiful song called "Dearest" by Ayumi Hamasaki which I recommend you all check out! Well I think the songs kinda affected my writing towards the end so it might sound a bit emotionally dramatic. But this is a romance/drama so that is A-Okay!

Chapter Nine

"ROY VARVEL, I'M GOING TO HIT YOU SO HARD THAT YOUR ANCESTORS WILL HEAR IT IN THEIR GRAVES!" Peach shouted at the top of her lungs. Roy was nowhere in sight. She crossed her arms pouting, not caring about the passing people now staring at her assumed insanity. Eight-thirty had arrived and Roy had promised to pick up Peach from the Larson Apartments over an hour ago.

Peach leaned against the telephone pole. That made me feel tons better. Screaming at the world usually does. Though I could really use some water now. Peach placed her hand in her purse pulling out some pocket change for buying possibly water. Spying a vending machine in the corner of her eye, she made sure Roy was not there before walking off to the source of drinks.

"I think I might want a raspberry tea." Peach said to herself looking at all the selections. She placed her money into the slot and began to ponder what to drink. Seeing nothing else of interest, she decided to go with her previous choice and pressed the button. The machine's rumbling and shaking scared her. The soda popped out quickly in the empty vent at the bottom of the machine.

"Where is that little pinhead?" She said softly as she took a sip of her soda. Turning back around to wait at the corner, she let out a scream in fright. Her soda fell out of her hand and made a dull crash to the ground, its brownish contents fizzing and spilling along the concrete. Peach glared at the person who made her lose her drink. "Hey! That was my soda you jerk!" Normally Peach wouldn't snap at any random person like that but, after seeing him once, Peach felt she could talk to Falcon anyway she felt.

Falcon placed his hands up in defense. "Whoa, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you that much. I'll take a note of that." He placed his palm upright like a piece of paper and wrote in it with his index finger. "Note to self. Does not like surprises."

Peach glared at him. "You just take everything as a joke, don't you?"

"Another note…does not have a sense…of…humor. Check!" Falcon added. He gave her an innocent smile, as she continued to glare at him. "Just trying to make you smile."

"You've tried millions of times. But it seems all your encounters are only causing trouble for me." She points at her fallen drink. "Like my wasted dollar."

"Oh right. Your little soda. Let me make it up to you. I'll give you a ride back home." Falcon suggested. "I'll drive safely this time."

Peach looked down the street. Several cars were passing by, but she didn't recognize any of them to be Roy. She closed her eyes. "You give me a ride and buy me a new soda right now." She answered, not making it a choice.

"Feisty girl. But your demands are fair." He walked over to his car, which was conveniently a meter or two away from where Peach was standing. He casually walked over to the passenger's side of the vehicle and opened it for Peach. "Here you go, miss."

Peach smirked. "So there is a gentleman inside of you." She walked over to his car and sat down in the car, moving her legs into the comfortable vehicle. She rolled her fingers across the arm rest as Falcon strolled over the vending machine to reimburse her drink. She wouldn't lie, she found this a little amusing. As Falcon returned and hopped back into the driver's seat, she couldn't help but glance over at his handsome features. Peach truly could not understand why a total stranger was treating her so nicely. He knew nothing about her except a few things and Peach was the same about him. What was keeping him around?

Falcon caught her gazing at him. "What? Is something on my face distracting you?" He rubbed his mouth, making sure there wasn't a flaw on him.

"Oh no. Nothing at all." Peach answered swiftly. She was trying to look anywhere but his handsome face. The engine of the car revved loudly as he drove down the street. It appeared he wasn't keeping his word, of driving more safely like he had promised, but she didn't bother to point it out to him.

"Hey! I've got an even better way to pay you back. There's an ice cream shop by your place right?" He eyed Peach, as she nodded. "Well how about I take you there? My treat?"

"Get ice cream?" Peach bit her lip. "If I didn't know any better it would seem like you're trying to get me on a date. All these acts of courtesy are making me quite suspect of you."

"Of course they are. If I were in your position, I would be suspicious of me too. But come on, every guy has an angle for doing an act of kindness. Though like I said, I understand why you're keeping a watchful eye on me. So… are you in or not?" He looked over at Peach, with sincere brown eyes. "I just want to get to know you."

"Well… you're lucky I'm kinda in the mood for the ice cream." Peach answered. She gave him a smile. "I'll give you one chance to give me a better picture of you."

"Sweet. I won't let you down."Falcon grinned as they came to a stop in front of the ice cream parlor.

Nintendo Park

"Great…I'm late!" Marth Lowell said to himself as he turned down the street. "I should have just taken the car." The park was in plain view at the end of the street. He was on time earlier, but his mother wore him down with questions about where he was going and he had to come up with some kind of excuse so she wouldn't stalk him. By then, time had really flown out of his hands and now he had to motor if he didn't want Samus to leave. Marth ran down the streets as fast as a dashing rabbit. He rammed into a few people, some yelling at him a couple times, but he didn't bother to apologize. The crosswalk said, "Don't Walk" but he ignored the sign and sped into the street without another thought. The lights from a black car shined on him, but he simply moved a little and continued on his way.

"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING KID!" The driver snapped.

Again, Marth ignored the replies to his ignorance and kept on moving. No one could understand a guy on his way to a second chance with a girl. Though he still couldn't understand why he had to be taking a second chance. He still was quite unsure about what had happened to make them break up. All he could remember was Samus' email telling him about how she no longer wanted to be with him anymore because apparently he was cheating on her with another woman.

Marth remembered the shock when he received such an accusation. He loved Samus more than anything back then and the last thing he would do was cheat on her. But that's what the email had said and he was just going to have to accept it for now. His father was visiting him at the time and when he saw the email he said, "I told you. Arans can turn on you in an instant. Making them your girlfriend isn't any easier when they turn on you." Shaking his head, Marth sighed angrily at his father's thoughts. Samus isn't like that. It had to be some terrible misunderstanding. I mean after four years of going out, it just seems wrong that this break up ever happened.

"You're late." Samus stood at the park's gate, her arms crossed and a frown on her face. Marth hadn't realized his thoughts had carried him all the way to the park. He didn't wish to ponder it with Samus standing there looking slightly annoyed. "Some things never change huh? Never a day in your life were you on time for our dates…well…hangouts." She corrected herself.

Marth bowed his head. "I'm sorry for my tardiness. My mother delayed me a bit with her questions. You know how she can be."

"I know," Samus answered. Her eyes rose a bit when she noticed Marth looking her up and down. It reminded her of what Jean used to do to her. "What are you looking at?" She interrupted his staring, and his eyes fell on her.

"Nothing. You just look very nice tonight, Sam. It's different from what I used to see in the past." Marth smiled warmly at the nineteen-year-old. "Not to say you didn't look beautiful before."

Samus blushed as she looked down at her attire. She was dressed in a pair of brown and beige plaid pants and a mocha colored long sleeved top complete with a scarf around her neck in the same pattern as her pants. Samus fiddled with her hair. Come on, girl. There's nothing for him to be gawking about. Besides the size of my boobs, but how unlikely would that be? Just relax and respond back.

"Thanks." She answered quietly. "You look great, too."

Marth was wearing jeans with a white-collared shirt. He had a black blazer on top of the outfit and some brown lugz. He wasn't really thinking about dressing up, in fear of Samus accusing him of setting up a date. "Yeah, I know I always look good."

"Don't flatter yourself. Don't want to oversize your ego even more than it already is," Samus joked. They laughed but it was only a moment before silence took over again. "Well…are we going to start walking or what?"

"Sure. It's a large park, so we have a lot of time." Marth walked past her towards the park. He didn't try to grab her hand, and just walked with his hands shoved in his pockets. He turned to her with an eyebrow raised. "Do you plan on standing there all night?"

Samus was half expecting Marth to grab her hand and secretly she was hoping he would. But there were some privileges she could no longer have anymore. If they were the young little scamps from years ago, holding hands would be acceptable. But at this age, dating would be the only assumption people would make for such gestures. She turned away from the street and followed him into the park, neither of them aware of the upcoming events.

Shasta Towers

"BUY! BUY! BUY!"

"SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!"

"NOTHING IS MORE GROOVY!"

"THAN BUYING COUCHES FROM DAVE!"

"Shut it off, please," The annoyed Krystal replied. She sighed in relief as Link flicked the TV channel to a soap opera. "That has got to be one of the most annoying commercials ever created."

Link nodded. "True. But they do get a lot of customers everyday. Even if their merchandise is pretty phony, ya know?" He noticed Krystal wasn't even paying attention to him, but staring off into space like before. She had been like that ever since Fox had come back inside from visiting the aerial classes at the Nintendo Dome. "Everything okay, Krys?"

"Hmm?" Krystal's green eyes flicked over to Link's azure eyes. She grimaced in embarrassment, realizing she had ignored him. "Oh it's just…Link? What would you do if your little brother decided to do something dangerous? Like skydiving or anything? Wouldn't you try to stop him?"

"Well, I would definitely want to stop him. He's my little bro and it's my responsibility to look after him since he's someone I care about deeply." Krystal nodded at his opinion. "But," Link continued. "If he refuses to listen to me, there's nothing I can say to him to stop his wishes. Right now I can, since he's just a minor." He looked at Krystal seriously. "Is this about Fox?" Link sighed when Krystal nodded again. "Krystal, you know Fox is very hardheaded. He won't just quit doing what he loves to do."

"I know that!" Krystal raised her voice. "I'm sorry, Link. But this isn't something easy for me to just sit back and watch. Why is it that guys are so blind to the truth? You can never realize the danger in some of the things you do."

"We're just bold and crazy, Krystal. Challenges excite us and we hardly ever think about the consequences. Like me talking to Zelda. That is like a video game on hard mode. But back on subject, let Fox go on one of the missions and then maybe he'll realize what he's doing is pretty dangerous. Perhaps Falco will realize, too."

Krystal sunk down into the leather couch. "Only one can hope." The phone on the hostel keeper Mr. Jones' desk started to ring. "I'll get it!" Link called as he ran over to the desk. Mr. Jones was out for the evening and had asked them to run things while he was gone. Link grabbed the phone on the very last ring.

"Hello. You've reached Shasta Towers. How can I help you?" Link asked the caller. "Oh…Ms. Impa! How are you? This is Link, remember? Yeah…" Link's eyes looked rather perplexed. "Oh really? Hold on a sec." Link removed the receiver from his ear and looked over at Krystal. "Hey. Ms. Impa wants to talk to us."

Krystal blinked in astonishment. "Really?" She hopped up from her seat on the couch and walked over to where Link waited. He was placing the phone on speaker. "Hello, Ms. Impa."

"Please just call me Impa, you two. You make me sound older than I want to be." Impa replied on the phone. "I know this phone call was kind of unexpected, but I need help from you two."

"Sure. What about?" Krystal asked with interest.

"You may be aware that Miss Peach came to visit me for my birthday this evening. The night started off awkward, but became really peaceful. The girls weren't bickering at all and reliving old times. I thought maybe their disputes would finally be put to rest. But unfortunately as Peach left, they got into another argument. I had hoped this party would change them."

"Yeah. That is a shame." Link said. Krystal nodded in agreement. "How is the little pistol Zelda anyway?"

"She's ranting in her room right about now. Whenever she's really upset she retreats to her room and starts complaining in random languages to herself. I've tried trying to calm her down, but she just barks at me to leave her alone."

Krystal bit her lip. "That's terrible. How can we help?"

"Zelda doesn't know it, but she's voicing her feelings out pretty well in her rants. She says she hates Peach , but I know that she misses her very much. I don't know if that's the same for Peach, but I am definitely sure Miss Zelda feels this way. But she's a hard nut to crack and I was wondering if I could ask for your assistance?"

"You know we'll help, but what can we do? Zelda is really not one to make friends just by kind words." Krystal explained.

"True. But yesterday when you two helped Zelda with her ripped bag, I knew she was feeling some hint of gratitude for your kindness. I just want to bring it out a bit more. Believe it or not, Zelda did once have a sweet side. But it all changed once Peach ran away from home."

"You're right. It is very hard to believe." Krystal muttered. "But I don't mind trying to help her out. I'd like to see a different Zelda for a change."

Link grinned. "Now that I have permission, I'm going to pestering her like crazy. I know she loves it when I talk to her."

"That's what I believe too. I have to go right now, but I'm counting on you two and anyone else to help Zelda return back to the sweet girl she used to be and possibly back to being friends with Peach again."

"Understood." Link commented. "We'll make sure of it, Impa."

"Thank you. I'll talk more to you both about it later. Good night." Impa hung up and the sound of the dial tone filled the air of the hostel. Link pressed the speaker button off.

Krystal caught his grin. "I know that look. You must already have a plan for little Miss Prissy," she guessed.

Link nodded. "Just one of the many plans I have for Zelda to start liking me. You already know what it is. You'll see on Monday."

Krystal's eyes widened. "Oh, that. She will definitely be in for a surprise. Hopefully she won't kill you for it."

"Hey guys!" Roy came barging through the front door, into the lobby, where the two friends were standing by the front desk. He skidded to a halt in front of them, searching the room. "Has Peach come here yet?"

"Um…Peach?" Link echoed. "No. We've been here in the lounge since you left. We would've saw her if she came in. She wasn't over at the apartment?"

Roy shook her head. "I was already freaking out when I saw the rental car still in the driveway. She calls me to pick her up, I'm a little late...okay, a lot, late," he corrects himself as his friends look ready to correct him. "Anyway, I get there and she's nowhere in sight," Roy bit his lip. "Do you think something happened to her?"

"Not to Peach." Link gave Roy a reassuring smile. "Peach is a black belt, isn't she? If there's anyone to worry about, it's the person who tried to grab her."

Krystal agreed. "He's right, Roy. Maybe she asked one of her friends to pick her up because you were, in fact, a bit late."

"Only because I had to do the chores Jones left me. I wasn't going to let him double my rent fee," Roy answered. "Besides, what other friends could possibly pick Peach up? She has no others besides us."

"What makes you think that? Peach doesn't have to tell us everything about her friends. She may be living a double life for all we know," Krystal argued. "Don't worry about it, Roy. Just give her some time."

"Relax. You sound like an overprotective father," Link added.

Roy crossed his arms. "I can't really sit around not knowing where Peach is. I've tried calling her and her phone is off. Where could she possibly be?"

Nintendo Park

"So the car went WHOOSH! Flew right into the back of the house!" Falcon exclaimed with a laugh.

Peach's eyes widened. "Oh my gosh! What did your parents say when they saw that catastrophe? They weren't too harsh, were they?"

"Heck yeah, they were pissed! Samus was only four years old when I tried to take my Dad's car for a drive. When they found their baby girl was in the scene of danger my mom was screaming at me and my step-dad smacked me a couple of times!"

"Jeez, you were only nine when it happened. I would consider that child abuse. How was Samus after that traumatizing experience?"

Falcon chuckled. "Actually she was the only one with a smile on her face after that. She kept on saying. "Do it again! Do it again!" Falcon mimicked his sister's past youthful voice. "She had no idea what happened. She only thought it was some crazy little roller coaster ride."

Peach giggled. "How funny!" She licked some more of her strawberry ice cream. "This is so good."

"Now aren't you glad I knocked over your soda earlier?" Falcon said as they walked further into the park. Things were going his way. Peach had agreed to ice cream and she was actually smiling. To top it off, she agreed to go walking with him in the park while they ate. He felt like he was on cloud nine. Peach was an absolute beauty and he would do anything to make sure she would start having strong feelings for him. This kind of task was never actually a challenge to the racer. He was born with good looks and so the girls would pour themselves all over him without him lifting a finger. There still was that small percentage of girls who would always play hard to get. Peach was in that percentage. But Falcon could only smirk to himself and think, I love a good challenge.

Peach gave him an approving nod. "Alright. You get some more brownie points from me. You're more decent than I thought. I really should stop stereotyping people just by how they look."

Falcon looked down at her. "You were stereotyping me? I'm curious to know. What did you think of me?"

Peach stopped walking, placing a hand on her hip. "Let's see. From your well-kept hair, perfect teeth, and cut biceps, you looked like some big chauvinistic, lecherous, seductive, race car driver." She answered. She chuckled a bit at Falcon's shocked look. "But I don't think that way about you anymore. There's some heart behind those muscles."

"…I'm in no position to be mad. When I first saw you at the photo shop, I started judging you myself. You looked like this good-natured, outgoing, gorgeous princess." Falcon announced.

"Oh really?" Peach frowned and turned on him, realizing all those things were good traits. " So what do you think of me as now?"

Falcon knelt his face into Peach's. "Nothing. You're just what I guessed." He gently touched her face, pushing her blonde hair out of her face. "A gorgeous princess."

Peach blushed as red as a rose. She wasn't expecting him to respond with such a nice comment. She started to realize this guy was really making her blush a lot and when he touched her, she could not deny that she liked that feeling. "Oh…I-I see." Peach answered. She backed away from him looking down the park.

"Though blonde bimbo did cross my mind for a sec-Hey!" Falcon laughed as Peach shoved her fist into his muscles. He could see the smile of her face, feel the playfulness in her shove. Her tight fist released, her hand somewhat resting on his bicep. He placed his hand there for a moment. "I'm only kidding. Didn't mean to embarrass you. You're looking like a tomato right now," he joked.

Peach's face finally returned to normal, and removed her hand from his arm. "You're pretty blunt. But pretty likable, too. Can I ask you why you have this sudden interest in me?"

"I was wondering when you would ask me that. Peach, I can tell somewhere in your heart that you're longing for something more. I love that in a girl. When girls have dreams in their hearts it shows in their personalities and I have to say it's damn well attractive." Falcon grabbed her free hand, his brown eyes staring into her own. "I guess what I'm trying to say is I really would love to get to know you more. Possibly on a date?"

Peach gasped silently. After one day, he's already deeply interested in me? He can't be serious. But what's weird is after going to that shop and just on this little walk, I feel like I've known him for a long time. Maybe this is the break I was asking for. He's a racer and I'm a model. Top careers. She ended her thoughts and removed her hand from Falcon's. "This really surprises me, Falcon. So soon, you already want to go out with me?"

"I know. But I just have a strong feeling about this." Falcon answered. "It's a feeling that taking you out on a date is a good way for us to start…well.. a relationship. On friendly terms possibly."

A date's a date. If you go out, it's not on friendly terms but obviously so we can get together. He of all people should know that. He's probably had a bunch of girls in the back seat of his car and…ugh…there I go judging again. I've really got to learn how to cut down. Peach rubbed her hands together. "Well, I guess I could give this date a chance. It couldn't hurt."

"I wouldn't think so. Jeez, the way you're talking...do you have a boyfriend?" Falcon asked. He watched Peach freeze up at that question. "My bad. Did I go too far?"

"No…it's just…" She thought about Roy. Just about how yesterday they almost kissed each other. What would Roy think if he found out she and Falcon were going on a date?Would his feelings for her go away? Peach didn't want to be the one to break Roy's heart. Roy was sweet but he just didn't fit the qualities Peach wanted in a man. But Falcon was pretty close.

"There's another man in your life right? He may not know it, but you're hoping to tell him one day." Falcon's face fell to a saddened look at his assumption. It made Peach feel extremely guilty. "Is it that red-haired guy you were with yesterday?"

"No!" The answer escaped through Peach's lips so quickly. "He's just a friend and nothing more. I think I would really like to consider going on a date with you."

"Really? That's…that's great!" Falcon exclaimed, his grin was as large as a clown's. "Talk about sweet news."

Peach smirked. "Hey. You sound like you just proposed to me and I said yes." She joked.

"You never know what the future holds," Falcon told her.

"What?" Peach questioned.

"Nothing!" Trying to cover up for his mistake of indicating possible future plans for him and the blonde, he gazed further into the park. What he saw made his eyes glower in anger. It was his sister Samus, but alongside her was his enemy Marth. From what he could see, this time Samus wasn't trying to back away from him, but enjoying her time with her ex. His nostrils flared as he stared at the blue-haired one, wishing he were over there right now to strangle him. He turned back to Peach. "Want me to take you home now?"

"Um…sure?" Peach answered. She spotted a water fountain not too far away from where she stood with Falcon. "Let me just wash my hands from this ice cream cone."

"Alright. I'm going to head to the bathroom for a second." Falcon jogged over to where the bathrooms were, but instead of going inside he went behind the stalls out of Peach's sight. Seeing no one around he pulled out his cell and used the voice dial button to call up a friend. When the phone started to ring, a deep voice answered on the phone. "Hey it's Falcon. I'm over at Nintendo Park, and I need you over here ASAP. That blue-haired nitwit didn't catch the memo about him leaving my little sis alone. Be here in twenty minutes. Ole' blue boy needs to be punished."

Deep In Nintendo Park

"Looks like we finally reached the center of Nintendo Park." Marth announced. The park was formed like a large garden labyrinth except it was easy to find the way out with the helpful arrows patterned in the soil. Many people never ventured towards the middle of the park because the walk was way too long, but Samus and Marth had endured it. It was really worth the trip. The maze's center had a large fountain and surrounding artistic statues done by famous artists from centuries ago. You can tell the park had been around for a long time through the twisting vines and other pastoral scenes, like walking through beautiful ruins.

Samus hadn't felt the soreness in her feet until Marth announced their arrival. The two had carefully avoided bitter subjects in favor of talking about their lives and how their families were doing. The pleasant conversation led Samus to thinking this walk was a great idea.

"Can we sit down for a bit? My legs feel like Jell-O right now." Samus asked. Marth nodded and they rested their bodies on the surrounding barricade of the fountain. Samus turned to the fountain. There were still fish swimming in the water like she had remembered. Nothing had changed from the times she had come to the center of the park.

Marth gazed down at Samus, now trickling her long and slender fingers across the water. The fish were not fazed by Samus touching the top of the water. Marth chuckled softly. "You're always so gentle."

Samus' fingers froze as she looked up at Marth. "What do you mean?"

"With the fish. They're not afraid of you. You always have a smooth way of doing things, where no one is thinking otherwise of your ways." Marth commented. He was still receiving the same bewildered stare from his companion. "It was a compliment."

The blonde's emerald eyes were fixed on Marth. After a second more, she finally rolled her eyes with a shy smile before looking back at the water. "Whatever you say." She felt so uncomfortable with Marth around. It reminded her back when they first started dating. It was easier talking to him when they were just friends, but becoming girlfriend and boyfriend changed everything. Samus found it hard to find things to talk about. She remembered what Marth had said to her when he started to notice her uneasiness. 'Don't try so hard. You can be yourself around me,' he said.

"So are you enjoying yourself?" Marth asked all of a sudden. "I'll feel like this walk was a waste if you're bored out of your mind."

"I actually am. I had planned to spend the evening finishing up some homework. I'm glad I changed my mind."

"Oh. Weren't you going on some kind of date with that Jean character?" Marth asked as he leaned back, close to Samus. "Or was I just hearing things?"

Samus shook her head. "You heard correctly, eavesdropper. But it turned out Jean was a bit more touchy feely than asked. That didn't ride well with me. I was going to show him this special place too."

"I see…" Marth admired the surrounding setting. "This is where you and me would always hang out when our parents were always arguing. It was our own little hideout." Those times were always grand in my eyes. We would stay out here for hours and just talk. Is that why Samus suggested we come here? To relive old times?

Samus folded her arms over her chest, shivering. The night breeze was picking up pretty quickly. As she rubbed her hands together she saw Marth take his blazer off and hold it out for her. Samus stared at the him and then at the jacket.

"You should have brought a coat. But as usual, never thinking about yourself." Marth spoke. "The cold doesn't bother me, so take it before you lose that beautiful singing voice of yours." Marth smiled warmly at her. "I insist."

Samus took the jacket from him. She placed it on her body and she automatically felt warm. She could smell the familiar and lovable scent of Marth on the jacket. She nodded in thanks and then looked back at the sky. "To this day you're always looking out for me." Samus whispered.

"It's a part of my nature. When we started dating, I promised myself to always make sure you were well-guarded," Marth replied. "When I left to go be an agent, I remember the depressed feeling of being relieved of my job as a guard over my mother and of course you," he explained.

"Then, why did you leave at all?" Samus looked down at him. "You should have stayed here with me…well, your mother." she corrected herself. Could I sound any more like a lonely little girl? I sound like I want Marth to take me back. But I want him only as a friend right?

Marth glanced at Samus. He smirked. "So, you did miss me after all? All this time I thought I was just trouble for you ever since I came back."

"You aren't any trouble. It's just that,I don't understand why you had to leave. When you left everything changed for the better, but also for the worst. I was able to become a singer, but then we had to break up for obvious reasons." Samus gripped the rim of the fountain for support. "That was one of the hardest things I've ever had to go through. You seemed so innocent."

Marth arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean I seemed so innocent? "

"I don't really have to explain myself, do I?" Samus' quiet voice became strict and firm. "For fourteen years, Marth Lowell, we have known each other. Through those years I thought I had gained some kind of trust in you. But then…" Samus stopped herself. "Well, we promised we weren't going to talk about it. I'd prefer to keep it that way."

"If you say so." Marth remembered that email Samus had sent him. It came to him after he sent her the video of his life in France. It was anything but peaceful. He remembered clearly what it had said:

"You really have no heart! How dare you send me a video of you kissing some other girl! I don't know what possessed your mind to send me this! If you think I'm smiling, you can think again! I never want to speak to you again Marth Lowell! You cold heartless jerk!"

Marth realized that day that Samus wasn't fond of anyone kissing her boyfriend. The truth behind it all was Marth was only giving the girl CPR. But when he tried to explain to Samus in the email…

"Oh yeah? like that was really CPR. I know a French kiss when I see one! Nice try, but I'm not a stupid blonde! Save yourself some trouble and just shut-up! I'm through with you! We're through!"

By the way she responded to my email, she didn't seem like it was the hardest thing for her to do. The way the letter sounded, she seemed like she was content with what she wrote without any remorse. But even though she said that to me, I can't find myself letting go of her so easily. Marth thought to himself. The blue-haired young adult remembered how he wrote an angry email after that, writing an email ranting out his feelings and he even threw in some lies about how he doesn't care if they broke-up. But he didn't have the heart to send the email back to her. He still loved Samus.

Samus fiddled with her fingers. "I didn't like ending on a sour note like we did. So, I'm glad we can start over as friends."

"Me too." Marth's voice sounded far away.

Samus gave Marth a perplexed stare. He didn't respond to her looks, but kept staring off into space. Samus felt a knot in her stomach. "That didn't sound like the truth. What are you really thinking?"

"Why didn't you believe me?" Marth asked. The past was eating away at his heart. "That day I sent you that video of my journey. The girl I was giving CPR to offended you. You said I was kissing her. But you've known me so long, Samus. Why didn't you trust my words?"

Samus felt a little spark igniting in her stomach. It was the same spark that always flared whenever this tender subject was brought up. "I thought we weren't going to talk about this." Samus replied, trying to avoid a nasty confrontation.

But Marth was far from getting off the subject. "I can't keep quiet about it anymore, Sam. It has been irritating me ever since the day it happened. You offended me when you called me a liar. Why would I lie to you? Like you said, we've known each other for fourteen years. There has never been anything kept secret between us so often."

"Yes, but you were keeping all the secrets in the world while you were away. What was stupid was your idea of sending the video to me. It's nothing I'm going to say that I'm proud of you for. If anything, I was just ashamed of you and myself." Samus stood up, feeling very uncomfortable sitting next to Marth now. Samus' green eyes lit up with anger. "What was I thinking when I said I'd be your girlfriend? You're such a poser!"

Marth stood up as well, almost as angry as she was. "I thought you were thinking that you loved me the way I once did. I can now see why my father says you Arans cannot be taken seriously. The littlest thing offends you all!"

"Don't talk about my family! Yours is already as cracked up as they can get! If anyone was right, it was my dad telling me how you guys can't be trusted! He told me this since day one and I wish now when my father was begging me to reconsider going out with you, I had listened!" She knew this was a bad idea to try to befriend him. Samus was trying to offend Marth enough so he would leave, but she felt like she was only hurting herself. He was standing as still as a stone fox with a fixed cold stare. Samus could barely stand being in front of him, and she thought tears would soon start leaking from her eyes. How did this turn from good to bad? His stare angered her so much that she lost control of her own tongue. "Loving you was the biggest mistake of my life!"

Those words broke Marth's calm stature. Samus had just taken an arrow and shot him directly in the heart, shattering it into a million pieces. What was there to say after a response like that? Marth didn't even want to try and say anything.

"I seriously don't know why you keep trying to explain yourself about that whole situation. It shouldn't matter since we're not together." Samus continued ona nd walked some distance away from Marth. "Don't you know what the words "break-up" means? It means I don't give a freakin' care about you anymore!" Samus knew she was lying again. But why try to explain how she really felt?

"Is that the truth?" He ended softly. "Fine, I can take a hint." He looked up at Samus and slowly walked over to her. Not shifting his eyes for a minute.

"What are you doing?" Samus took a step back.

Marth just stood next to her for a second. " You don't have to say another word. I know when someone really wants me around. Obviously you don't." He passed her up the way he did earlier on this morning, but this time he wasn't going to go home expect a phone call from her. He was just going to go home and erase every inch of Samus Aran from his head.

Samus suddenly felt like the villain. She sighed and tried to gather herself to possibly redeem herself. "Look Marth. What I said may have been a bit harsh."

Marth stopped walking. "Heh, a bit harsh?" He turned around giving Samus a glare she had never seen before. It was so cold it made Samus shiver. "You just told me that loving me was the biggest mistake of your life. Sort of like saying meeting me was a mistake or a curse." he spat.

"No. I…I didn't mean it like that… I meant," Samus stammered.

"You meant I am someone who held you back all your life! You feel like you were screwed out of love because you said yes to me. I can read it all over your face," Marth responded. He shook his head. "Maybe meeting you was the biggest mistake of my life."

Samus watched as he slowly walked away again. As his frame grew smaller, Samus felt she was losing him inch by inch. Each step away made Samus fear he was never coming back. She would never see him again.

Marth wanted to look back at the woman he had just abandoned, but felt it would be best if he didn't. Then he would start feeling guilty for what he did. He didn't need to be guilty right? As he was going to answer his own question, he felt a force pull him to a stop. Slender and cold arms wrapped around his waist from the back and lay firmly upon his stomach, locking him there, refusing to let go. He felt a body press against his back, resting there. He could tell by the scent of the hair it was Samus, and astonishment attacked his mind. He could see her through the corner of his eye, gripping on to him as tight as she could.

"Samus…" He made a gesture to get free, and he could get free easily. But it amused him to see she was hanging on, so he stopped at his attempt to remove her arms.

"Don't leave." Samus whispered against his back. "Don't make me go through it again." Samus didn't know why she ran, grabbed him, and held him there. Something in her heart just sparked and she just had to run after what it wanted: Marth to stay. Just for a moment longer.

Marth sighed and removed her hands from around him. It didn't take much power to move the blonde's hands. Samus backed off when he turned around to face her. He had lost the anger on his face and now just had a serious look on his face. "You don't want me to leave?"

Samus stared into his cobalt eyes. She shook her head. "I didn't really mean all these things I said. I mean…I don't know what…I'm doing anymore. I'm just…" She lowered. "My emotions are just so confusing. I'm so sorry..." She looked away from Marth, feeling ashamed.

But Marth gently caught her face in between his fingers, looking into her eyes. "Samus. Maybe I can help guide you into finding your answer." Without indicating his next move, he leaned down and held her lips with his own. He kissed her fully on the lips, but not passionately nor in a way that moved her. Still, his touch was warm. Not seductive, but a simple and smooth kiss.

He broke away as quickly as he kissed her and released his hold.

Samus was not only surprised that he kissed her, but she was really just confused on what he did. It was like his kiss was missing something. "I don't understan- "

Marth placed a finger to her lips silencing her. "What did that kiss mean to you?" He removed his finger, to receive an answer. "How did it make you feel?"

Samus stood there, still confused. How it made me feel? I don't know. It was just so…soft and warm. There was nothing passionate about it.

Marth chuckled, knowing Samus wouldn't answer. He snapped his fingers to get her out of her thinking stage. "It's not something you can answer right away. You have to think about it. But when you have the answer, I want to know. I know how I feel. I'm wondering about you." He patted her on the shoulder in a friendly manner. "Good night, Samus." He then disappeared out of the center of the park.

Samus felt her lips. They felt like they hadn't been kissed at all. His touch had left them so quickly. What did that kiss mean to her? She just didn't know. Samus walked slowly out of the park. This walk was nothing but confusing to her. Did Marth plan this from the very beginning? To leave her lost and confused was his plan? Well, he had succeeded. Samus hurried out to her car, ready to rest after a day like this. In the back of her mind, she felt like she would be doing anything but dreaming pleasant dreams that night and possibly further on.

Shasta Towers

"Hey, I'm back!" Peach exclaimed as she jogged into the building. Her cheery attitude came to a halt when she saw all her friends staring at her. Roy's face was in a twist of shock. "Is everything okay?"

Roy jumped out of his seat. "Where have you been, woman?" He rushed over and grabbed her by the shoulders. "I went to building and you weren't there! It's past 10 o'clock. I thought we were going to have to call a SWAT team!"

"Relax. I just hitched a ride and here I am." Peach answered. She looked at Krystal and Link who were just getting over their own worries for their friend. "I'm sorry I worried you guys so much." Krystal and Link nodded, understanding and forgiving.

Roy on the other hand, started to inspect her. "You hitched a ride? It wasn't some complete stranger was it? Who was it?"

"It was a blueberry pimp." Peach joked. She chuckled and rolled her eyes at the red head's gullibility. She nervously stopped her humorous gestures when she saw Roy's serious face."I'm just kidding . I thought you'd get it, Mr. King Of Jokes. It was actually Samus Aran's older brother, Douglas Falcon. Or Falcon for short." Peach explained.

Roy's blue eyes widened. "Really? That same jerk who almost beat up Marth? Why would you catch a ride with that birdbrain?"

"Oh stop it," Peach retorted. "He's not as big of a jerk as he seemed. He was just watching out for his little sis. It's completely understandable."

"Sounds like a big old velvet teddy bear kind of dude." Link joked.

Krystal punched Link in the shoulder and then leaned over on the couch's back, smiling at Peach. "Are you two best buddies now?"

Peach giggled. "Actually we're…" Peach stopped herself when she looked at Roy. She suddenly remembered about their almost kiss. How awkward would it be to mention that Falcon asked her out on a date. Of course she didn't know if it would offend Roy or not. I think it's best if I don't say anything about it in front of Roy just yet. He may get a little angry with me for deciding to go out on one little date with him. But he shouldn't since we've never gone out and he's not my father or boyfriend. But just for safety measures. Peach bopped herself on the head playfully. "We just have a lot in common. Yep, that's all." She glanced at the clock on the door. "Is it that late? Well…I'll see you guys in the morning." She ran up towards the bedding area, leaving her friends in the silent room.

Krystal and Link didn't really give much thought to what had just happened, but Roy was already brainstorming. They have a lot in common? Only way she would know that is if they spent a massive amount of time together. That could be it. But why? Peach can't be interested in him. Could she?

Streets of Nintendo

"YOU!"

Marth turned around to be met with a fist to his face, knocking him into a dark alley. He fell back, hitting a group of trashcans on his way to the ground. The pain was pretty bad, falling on a broken beer bottle. The bottle slit into his arm, leaving a massive cut. He turned around and he realized he was right. Ever since he left the park, Marth felt like he was not only being watched by someone but being followed. But he didn't pay much heed to his conscience. This was the result.

He looked up to see Falcon and Ganondorf, supposedly one of Samus' bodyguards, standing over him. He tried to get up, but Ganondorf took his large boot and brought it down hard on Marth's back. He knocked Marth back down, damaging his shirt in the process. There were tears in his shirt and blood all over the clothing.

"You couldn't help stalking, could you?" Marth choked out. He started coughing up blood from his blow to his face. He got on all fours like an injured wolf only to be kicked in the stomach by Falcon.

"And you love disobeying me! What did I tell you about talking to my sister? That last thing she needs is you in her life, pretty boy! Don't know how many times I have to tell you." Falcon spat.

Ganondorf spat on the fallen Marth. " He just won't listen, Falcon. He's nothing but a hardheaded fool."

Marth chuckled. "You're the fool. I should tell Samus about this. Her bodyguard and beloved brother beating up a friend of hers."

"Again with the friend bit. It's nothing but a load of bull." Falcon smirked. "Samus couldn't give a care about you. She would never turn her brother in. Blood is thicker than water."

"True. And yet she shows more love towards me than you." Marth panted trying to catch his breath. He knew he couldn't fight the two of them. Sharp replies were the only things he was armed with. Brains were always better than brawn "Face it, if Samus had to take one of us with her on a survival expedition, she'd always pick me over you. She wouldn't choose her lying brother, a backstabbing, greedy hog with his mind only on money. You don't care about Samus for any other reason but her singing. Given the opportunity, you'd sell her for a quick buck at the first offer."

Falcon's anger boiled over. "That's it!" He urged Ganondorf to get Marth off the ground. "My personal life is nothing you need to talk about!" He punched Marth again, as soon as he was on his feet. "Samus doesn't need to know about my deep hatred for bastards like you! In fact, she doesn't need to see your face anymore!"

Ganondorf smirked. "What are you suggesting, Falcon?"

Falcon glared evilly at Marth who refused to back down his glare engraved on his bruising face. "I'm suggesting we make sure Lowell learns his lesson. We'll make sure he never sees Samus again."

Ganondorf clocked Marth hard on the head and he fell to the ground again. It didn't stop there. He heard Ganondorf pick up a trashcan and start ramming him hard on his side. Marth felt excruciating pain as Falcon brought some kind of pole like weapon down on his chest over and over again. It was brutally painful and Marth let out cries of pain but it was like no one could hear him. Probably how Falcon had planned it. Through the pain, Marth couldn't help but think about his friends, family, and Samus. Would he see any of them ever again? All he could do was shut his eyes and try to silence out all the noises of his body being pummeled.

The Next Day

Do you see my hands they tremble
Wonder why I can't look you in the eye
Don't know how long I can keep this inside
Isn't it obvious?

That I don't know what I'm doing anymore
I'm feeling like a little girl
Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control
Isn't it obvious?

Suddenly these emotions are in control of my heart
Can you see it in my eyes
Every glance, every smile must give me away
And I feel so much I can't hide.

That I don't know what I'm doing anymore
I'm feeling like a little girl
Caught up in emotions, I'm out of control
Isn't it obvious?

Samus sighed as she played the last note on her keyboard. Her singing voice was not at its best game in the morning. She had never felt so lost in her life. It was weird how this song was voicing out exactly how she was feeling. She only received a couple hours of sleep last night and dedicated the other hours to thinking about the walk last night. Marth was waiting for an answer to what that kiss meant to her. But she really couldn't identify it. Did it make her sad? Angry? Happy? She was just stuck on an island, never to find a boat, because she couldn't answer such a simple question. Well, at least it sounded then she had the option to not respond back to Marth. She could forget all about it. Samus glanced over at the door rack. On one of the hooks was Marth's blazer he had lent to her last night. She had to give it back to him, and if she did, he would be expecting an answer. Or he might think she didn't care about him. But she still did right? But in what way? Could that possibly be what he meant by that question? When we kissed, did it make me want to still not be friends with him or did I want to get back with him? That must be what he was truly questioning me about. And yet, I still don't have the answer. The kiss happened so quick I can't tell if I wanted him to not stop or tell him to get away from me. Samus ruffled her hair. This is so baffling!

She opened the door to her room for the first time that morning and ventured towards the kitchen. Halfway down the hallway, she heard the front door open. Immediately, she heard very dramatic sobbing.

"Oh Lydia!"

"Hmm?" Samus hurried her pace into the main area of her home. She spotted a woman with very familiar-raven colored hair and large dark blue eyes. It was Marth's mother. She had her arms wrapped her own mother, who was now patting her on the back and wondering what was going on.

Mrs. Aran released herself from her grasp. "Sonia, what's wrong?"

"M-my b-baby…he didn't come back home!" Sonia cried. " I waited all night! Marth's missing, Lydia!" She started sobbing uncontrollably. "I can't stand it. I want my son!"

Lydia's eyes widened. "Oh my," She hugged Sonia tightly. "Oh my goodness. I am so sorry, Sonia. Did you call the police?"

"I did hours ago. They…they still can't find a trace of him!" Her voice was muffled against Samus' mother's body. "If they don't find him! I don't know what I'll do!"

Mrs. Aran continued to rub the sobbing mother's back with care. She looked back at Samus, giving her a look. But Samus wasn't really paying attention to her eyes. She was now off in her own thoughts. Marth. She had just seen him yesterday. They were talking. They had argued and he had tried to leave. Samus had stopped him, holding him to make sure he wouldn't go. He kissed her and then he left out of the park. That was the last time she talked to him. There wasn't a phone call from him or anything. He was gone.

Marth was missing.

End Of Chapter

A/N: Oh dear, it's a cliff hanger! I love these things. I'm only doing it because it's been a long time since the last one. I guess Falcon wasn't as nice as Peach had assumed. But will she ever find out on her own or the hard way. Only I know the answer to that. Anyway please read and review and I will definitely appreciate you. Don't be a Ghost Reader or reviewer. Basically if you liked it, I'd really love to know your opinion on it.

Also... Special shout out to BabyGurl278 celebrating her two years on this site tomorrow same day as my cuz's birthday! She's an amazing writer and you must check her out. Oh also to Polska and KuroNeko1492! It's been a long time since I've heard from you guys! Hope you can stay even longer and write again!

Okay, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my b-day! Later!

Royal Kenya