A/N: I know I said this would be up at the end of last week, but I decided to re-write the last half of the chapter at the last second. This story now has over 100 reviews - you guys rock! Thanks again, everybody! This chapter has a bit more action since the Doubles Tourney is beginning, so fans of that have something to look forward to. And without further ado...Part II (or is it III now? This is getting to be like Star Wars) of the Ike/Marth saga:
Chapter 10: Reason #181 to be Bilingual
After showing the other two the video feed (Peach, of course, mistaking the initial commotion in the bushes for a heavy Ike/Pit love fest), the trio felt more confident than ever they were on the right track. All evidence pointed to a Marth/Ike/Pit love triangle that was reaching a breaking point.
"Something confuses me about Pit though," Samus said, turning to Peach as the princesses sorted through the mail. "I thought your date with him went well and he asked you out again?"
The princess stopped shuffling the letters and looked up sheepishly. "I - I might have exaggerated a little."
"WHAT!?" Samus bellowed as Zelda's eyes snapped away from the computer screen and towards the blondes.
"Well!" Peach's voice was high. "I've always been the desire of many men - I mean, I got a plumber to fight a gigantic spiked turtle beast for me like a dozen times, right? - and I didn't want you two to think I was losing my touch!"
"Peach," Zelda said tersely, stepping in front of a fuming Samus. "What really happened?"
"We did have a very nice time," Peach insisted. "And we did go flying around the grounds. But Pit treated me like an older sister the entire time - not a woman he wished to date. I felt like a failure and couldn't admit to it."
She hung her head in shame.
"Well that's the last piece in the puzzle," Zelda said, turning back to the fan fiction Web page. "Plus, the story count about any combination of those three has skyrocketed in the past few days. Something must be causing that."
...
The girls didn't have time to plot another mission in the days before the Doubles Tourney began since their schedules were consumed with team meetings, training, and move studying. Finally, Friday rolled around, kicking off the first round of the tournament.
Samus and Captain Falcon were in the latter's room, brushing up on a last-minute study guide of their opponents. Samus paced nervously through the room, occasionally stealing glances out the window to watch the hordes of sponsors and fans pour into the Smash stadium.
"We'll be fine," Falcon assured, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "Have you decided to use your Zero Suit or your armor yet?"
"I'm going with the Zero Suit," Samus said. "I want our speed to overwhelm them."
"Excellent choice," Falcon said and looked up at the clock. "Shall we head down?"
The pair walked down the hallway, passing Peach's open door.
"You go ahead," Samus told her partner. "I want to wish Peach good luck."
Peering in the doorway, Samus saw the princess rubbing Pikachu's belly.
"So this is how you prepare for a big battle?" she mused, smirking.
"It relaxes him," Peach said shortly.
"Pikaaaaaa," the Pokemon agreed lazily, lounging back against Peach's plethora of pink, fluffy pillows.
"Well, just wishing you best of luck today," Samus said. "I hope your little...mushroom shield thingy...is ready to take a beating."
"Hmph," Peach muttered.
Samus racked her mind for other ways to tease the princess, her favorite pastime.
"Parasol packed? Turnip's plucked and hidden away under...well...God knows where you hide those things," Samus paused and sighed in mock-admiration. "Vegetables. Those have always been my weapon of choice, too. Gee, I don't think Ike's gigantic sword or Diddy Kong's rocket blast stand a chance!"
To Samus' disappointment, Peach simply inclined her head haughtily and remained mute rather than getting riled up like she usually did.
"Eeeeverything okay?" Samus asked.
"Yes," Peach said. "I'm just not supposed to be talking to you."
Samus cocked an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
Peach nodded towards a book on her nightstand: How to Be a Formidable Brawler 101. "The Mindgames for your Opponents section says to give your competition the cold shoulder before battle so you're not so emotionally attached going into it. Especially if you're usually friends with them."
Samus bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. "Peach, the way the bracket is set up, we wouldn't brawl each other until the championship. That's in four days."
"It's never too early to start preparing! 'He that is not with me is against me,'" Peach recited.
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning you're not my partner, so you're against me!"
"I don't think that's what the quote mea-"
"YES IT DOES! THE BOOK SAID!" Peach bellowed, balling her fists and turning away from the bemused bounty hunter.
"See ya later, crazy princess," Samus laughed, and slipped out of the doorway.
...
Samus caught up with Captain Falcon in the Brawler Suite, a spacious room overlooking the stadium where Brawlers could relax and watch the other matches safely away from obsessive and relentless fans.
"You're just in time," the racer said as Samus found a seat between him and Wario. "The Snake/Marth versus Fox/Yoshi match is about to begin. Wario and I have a small wager going. He thinks Snake and Marth will wipe the floor with them, but I'm pulling for the upset."
Wario winked at Samus and twirled his moustache. Ew, she thought.
Fox put up a valiant fight, trying to compensate for Yoshi's inadequacies, but the other duo proved too strong for the former solo champion.
"Ah ha ha!" Wario chortled as Falcon cursed and handed over a few coins. The chunky villain turned towards Samus. "How 'bout I treat you to dinner, hot stuff?" he grinned.
Samus made no attempt to hide her disgust. "I'd rather be Warlock Punched in the kidneys."
Wario threw back his head and laughed maniacally, then hopped out of his seat and headed towards the snack bar.
Zelda occupied the vacancy in a flash.
"Samus, I have to talk to you," she whispered, out of breath. "On my way here -"
Suddenly, two portals of light opened up behind them and Master Hand's voice resonated throughout the arena.
"Next up: Captain Falcon and Samus Aran versus Princess Zelda and Mr. Game & Watch!"
Zelda threw Samus a desperate look amidst the stomps and roars from the crowd below, and the two headed for their respective portals.
"Game time," Falcon grinned as the two relocated on the Battlefield stage opposite the other pair. Out of the corner of her eye, Samus saw him bobbing his head in time to the music on his headset.
Samus barely heard the infamous countdown, but reacted instinctively when she saw Mr. Game & Watch charging forward. She charged a paralyzing shot, freezing the 2-D figure in place, then struck him with her plasma whip, sending him flying. The bounty hunter glanced over her shoulder to see Captain Falcon dancing painfully in a blast of Din's Fire.
Samus flip-jumped backwards, arching over Zelda's head before slamming her feet against the princess. "Oof-" Zelda exhaled, encompassing herself with the spinning crystals of Nayru's Love to prevent Samus from coming closer. Samus charged another paralyzer blast, but Zelda rolled around it, and grabbed Samus from behind.
"Pretend that you're fighting me for a minute," Zelda said, pulling the hunter within whispering range. Sensing this wasn't a trick, Samus made a scene of struggling against the other woman's telekinetic thrashings.
"Something caught my eye before coming down here today," Zelda said hurriedly. Suddenly, Mr. Game & Watch took advantage of the immobilized Samus and threw a #8 Judge hammer attack at her, encompassing her in an ice block. Captain Falcon soon appeared and Raptor Boosted Mr. Game & Watch skyward.
Zelda uttered a rare curse as she looked at her friend's frozen, unamused face. "Sorry, Samus." She hacked away at the ice and continued her story. "I saw two people on the outskirts of the Smash grounds, so I used my telekinetic powers to 'see' who they were."
With a final punch, Samus broke free from her icy prison and immediately took after Mr. Game & Watch (who was fending Captain Falcon off with a chair) to seek vengeance. After roping him in with her plasma whip and tossing him in the air for her partner to finish, Samus spun around did the same to Zelda.
She continued to juggle the princess with her Plasma Wire, causing Samus to hear only every other phrase of Zelda's story.
"...-ooked like Ike and a delivery man...19 white roses and a charm neckla-...-udoshi,' which sounds Japane-...no idea what it could mea-...-n't Marth speak Japanese?'"
High above the brawl, the other fighters watched the unusual scene unfold.
"Well, now Samus is juggling Zelda." Sonic had a nervous habit of color-commentating the matches, much to the annoyance of the other Smashers. "The princess doesn't seem to be putting up much of a fight...odd...she could easily use Farore's Wind around that one. Hold on. What's this?! Is she - is she casually talking to Samus while Samus is yo-yo-ing her ass?!"
At once, all of the Brawlers scrambled around the balcony, leaning forward to get a closer look. Snake's Remote Missile launcher provided the best view.
"Well, I'll be damned," Snake said gruffly. "She really is talking to her."
"Poyo!"
"What kind of conversation could you possibly hold mid-match?" Mario wondered aloud.
"Ha...they're probably talking about hair products," Falco jeered.
"Or nail polish," Fox continued, trading a low-five with Falco.
"Or soap operas," Olimar squeaked.
"Or boooooys," said Toon Link and Popo in unison, doubling over in laughter.
"Or sanitary pads!"
Everyone stopped laughing and stared at Lucas.
"I see girls talk about them on TV commercials all the time!" Lucas insisted, confused at the reaction.
King DeDeDe leaned over and whispered into Lucas' ear as his face changed from a shocked white to a sickened green to an embarrassed red. "Oh," he concluded softly, visibly traumatized.
"Let's get back to the match, " Snake said over his shoulder. "Samus finally threw Zelda down."
"Zelda will bounce back," Ike defended. "She's got range Samus can't match without her suit."
Peach watched this exchange with great interest, making more marks in her notebook.
...
Mr. Game & Watch absorbed yet another paralyzer blast from Samus' gun and retaliated back with his Oil Spill move, knocking the woman backwards. Zelda took advantage of this moment, and a split-second before hitting the reeling Samus with her forward smash, said, "So what do you think?"
Samus activated her shield with perfect timing and asked, "Who else would know what that word means?"
They both turned, simultaneously hit the other's partner with a corresponding plasma whip and a Din's Fire blast, and went back to their conversation. The crowed suddenly roared.
"I think just Marth!" Zelda said.
"MISTER GAME & WATCH...DEFEATED," Master Hand's voice boomed.
Both women stopped, surprised. Samus was unaware that her plasma whip had that great of an effect.
"Wonderful," Zelda sighed. "And the odd numbered roses? That has to -"
Out of the corner of her eye, Samus saw Captain Falcon leap.
"Falcon..."
"-mean something, ri-"
"...PUNCH!"
The devastating hit connected, and Zelda flew off the stage mid-sentence.
"GAME!" Master Hand declared amidst the crowd, half-cheering, half-booing at the upset.
"Splendid!" Captain Falcon smiled, extending a hand to his partner.
"UGH!" Samus spat, ignoring him and darting off the stage after the fallen princess.
...
Zelda had already taken the portal back to the Brawler Suite by the time Samus caught up with her.
"Zelda, I am so sorry," Samus said, running over to the Hylian, who was in front of a full-length mirror, straightening out her dress and fixing her hair.
Zelda's reflection shot Samus a genuine smile. "It's quite alright, Samus. The doubles tourney doesn't mean much anyway. In retrospect, however, it probably wasn't wise to try to hold a conversation middle battle."
"Pika-chu," the passing-by Pokemon chastised.
"Oh, why don't you go cough up a hairball or something?" Samus yelled back.
"What is that thing, even?" she continued, mostly to herself. "A cat? A mouse? Something that likes to wear an excess of rouge on its cheeks, that's for sure. A cross-dressing, short-circuiting cat/mouse. Ha."
"Yes...anyway," Zelda said slowly. "I think the grand crux of things will take place tomorrow. Remember how Ike warned Pit to stay away from Marth on Saturday?"
"Saturday's our day," Samus finalized. "We'll fill Peach in after her match."
The two joined the rest of the Brawlers on the balcony to watch the rest of the first round's matches.
The afternoon was full of thrills and suspense. Peach and Pikachu scraped past Ike and Diddy Kong. Meta Knight and Toon Link pummeled Lucas and the Ice Climbers. Perhaps the biggest shocker of the day came from the Link/Ganondorf tandem, hugely upsetting Wolf and Olimar. The last match had everyone on the edge of their seat. Ness and R.O.B. were building a massive comeback against Mario and King DeDeDe, who were originally up three stock to one each.
Peach, who had accompanied the other two after her match, wasted no time vocalizing her concern.
"OH! OH NO! MARIO WATCH OUT! WATCH OUT FOR 'EAT HIS THUNDER!' Oooooh ouch."
Samus turned slowly in her seat. "What did you just say?"
"'Ouch,'" Peach repeated. "Those things hurt when they shock you."
Samus shook her head. "No before that. What did you call Ness' move?"
"'Eat his thunder,'" Peach said distractedly, watching the battle below intently. "You know, what he screams out before he shoots that electricity ball thingy."
Samus opened her mouth, decided against it, and turned back to the match. "Wow."
The battled whittled down to a Ness/King DeDeDe standoff, resulting in Ness PK Pulsing the other off the stage for the victory. Almost immediately, the Brawler Suite cleared out, Smashers anxious to gossip about the day's events and wager on tomorrow's.
...
"So Saturday is our day then?" Peach asked after Zelda retold what she had seen between Ike and the delivery man. "Are we just going to march on in there, guns...or what have you...ablaze?"
"Hell yes -
"- Of course not."
Samus and Zelda both stared at each other.
"Why would we want to just walk in Ike's room? There could be things going on...we don't want to see," The regal Hylian blushed.
"If I recall correctly, our last spy mission didn't turn out so hot," Samus countered, shooting a pointed look at Peach. "I say we don't hold back. Less room for error this way."
Zelda sighed in defeat. "What's the plan?"
For once, Samus was at a loss for words. She shrugged and picked up an old Smasher Weekly newsletter, pretending to read it.
"Samus, that's it!" Zelda pointed to the paper excitedly. "We could pretend like we're doing a piece for the newsletter: cameo shots of Smashers when they're not brawling! This gives us an alibi as to why we're just bursting in his room!"
Samus nodded, a smile growing. "That's a great idea! We'll pretend like we're going door to door. It's foolproof!"
...
Saturday seemed to drag on for the three anxious women with most of the day being filled with second-round matches. Samus and Captain Falcon fell to Falco and Wario while Peach and Pikachu starred in the day's drama by taking out Ness and R.O.B. The Marth/Snake and Meta Knight/Toon Link pairs also advanced, pushing themselves into the final four.
While Peach attended a post-match interview for the papers, Samus and Zelda rummaged through the Smash Mansion's storage room in the attic to find props for the night.
"There is so much junk in here," Samus complained, digging through old tournament results and newspaper clippings. "Ooh!" She brightened, holding up a yellowed paper. "My first championship from the first season. I am so keeping this."
"Look what I found!" Zelda's voice echoed from somewhere deep inside the immense room.
Samus climbed over discarded stadium seats and promotional posters to find the princess inspecting an ancient press-issued camera, black and dusty with a huge flash bulb attached to the top.
"Think it still works?" Zelda asked, pointing the camera at Samus and pressing the shutter button.
A brilliant flash lit the entire attic, and Samus, blinded, stumbled backwards, tripping over various trophies and life-sized replicas of past fighters. Zelda laughed lightly. "Fascinating!"
...
Ike lit the last candle and stood back to admire his work. Four dozen similar lights flickered around his bedroom, casting a soft glow on the bouquet of roses. A small, wrapped box stood propped against the roses' crystal vase. Ganondorf wouldn't be getting in the way, either. He announced that an all-girls choir was visiting town and said that - with any luck - he wouldn't be back for the rest of the night. Ike smiled inwardly; that would be Snake's doing.
He glanced around the room, taking in the atmosphere. Everything was perfect.
...
Peach had taken to camping outside of Marth's room. She felt extra sneaky because the other two were unaware of her whereabouts. Two hours later, Peach was mildly put off that nothing extravagant had happened nor had there been any sight of Marth. She was just about to leave when she heard someone drawing near. It was the Ice Climbers, a sealed letter in hand.
The pair paused near Marth's door.
"Hello!" Peach said cheerily. "What are you two doing roaming the mansion at this hour?"
"We're here to deliver a message to Marth from Ike," Popo squeaked, waving the paper. "Is this his room? We've never been here."
"Why, yes it is," Peach said. Then an idea occurred. "I was just about to talk to Marth about - something royalty related - anyway...why don't I give it to him for you?"
She extended her hand but the Ice Climbers looked at her warily.
"Ike was clear about us not letting anyone see it," Nana said uncertainly.
"My dear friends," Peach said, standing tall and putting on her best assuring voice that she used for her public addresses back home. "I can promise you the letter is safe in my hands."
Sensing the two were still unconvinced, Peach continued.
"Does it help that I received a similar letter and therefore already know the contents of this one?" she lied smoothly and smiled warmly. "Remember what I said about discussing royal matters?"
"Oooh," the siblings chorused and handed over the letter, which was sealed in wax.
Peach watched them bounce down the hall, wondering how exactly they made that springy "boing!" noise, then reached up and grabbed one of the hallway's lanterns to melt the wax off.
Remember - my room at 11. Got something you'd love. - Ike
Feeling pleased with herself, Peach hastily reapplied the seal and knocked.
"Princess?" Marth's face was full of confusion.
"Here!" She smiled, shoving the letter towards him.
"Nan? For me?" He broke the cooling seal and scanned the contents.
Peach hovered. "What's it all about?"
Marth shook his head quickly, re-reading it.
Peach closed her eyes and sighed dramatically. "Toadstools. And I came all this way to deliver the letter just for you. And you can't even give me one teensy, weensy clue?"
She sighed heavily and peered out of one eye to see Marth's reaction. He stared at the princess with concern then abruptly retreated back into his room. In an instant, he was back, pills in one hand, a big pillow in the other.
"Princess tired? Take these," he turned her palm upright and dumped the pills into them and handed her the pillow. "And use this. Makura yawarakai. Very nice."
Peach fumed. "I wasn't yawning I was -" but he already bowed politely and closed the door.
"GRRR!" she bellowed, and stomped loudly down the hall back to Samus' room.
...
Marth checked himself in the mirror for the millionth time. He fidgeted, countless thoughts racing through his mind. 10:35. He couldn't wait any longer.
...
There was a knock on the door. Ike's head snapped to the clock. 10:37.
Someone's early, he thought, smirking.
He took a deep breath and opened the door.
...
"Come on!" Peach said, physically dragging Zelda away from the computer. "We have to be there by 11!"
"Give me a few more minutes, please," Zelda begged. "I am trying to figure out that word Ike said to the delivery man. I think I'm spelling it wrong."
"It's not important!" Peach whined. "We'll check it when we get back!"
Zelda grabbed the camera and reluctantly followed the others out the door.
The three congregated around Ike's closed door. Samus held a finger to her lips and pressed an ear against the wood.
"I hear voices," she whispered. "What time is it?"
"11:03," Peach said, practically bouncing in excitement.
Samus looked at Zelda, "You ready?"
Zelda nodded and held up the camera.
"On the count of three then. One. Two..."
Three things happened at once.
Samus kicked the door off the hinges.
The camera's gigantic bulb flashed.
A collective voice from inside the room yelled, "SURPRISE!"
A moment of silence then -
"What the hell?!"
After blinking away the flash blindness, the three girls saw an enraged Ike and half a dozen bewildered strangers, released confetti and streamers floating down around them.
"Wh-Where's Marth?" Peach stuttered, eyes wide.
"Here. Sorry for lateness," a quiet voice said from behind them. The three girls turned around to see the prince stepping over the ruined bedroom door with a sense of cautious curiosity.
"Surprise," Ike muttered grumpily.
A blur of color shot past the bewildered trio and wrapped itself around Marth's midsection. It was a small yet athletic blue-haired woman wearing silky red dress robes.
"Caeda!?" Marth sputtered, pulling back and holding her at arms-length. He kissed her deeply and looked up at the other guests, eyes brightening. "Furenzu!" He exclaimed, and they all joined together for a group embrace.
"WHAT is going ON here?!" Peach finally screamed.
"Princess," he gestured to the four tall, gorgeous colorful-haired people and an old, wispy looking man in ceremonial robes. "These are friends from honba. And this -" he pulled the woman in closer -"is Caeda. She my kamisan. My wife."
"Wife?!"
Marth nodded and lovingly stroked Caeda's cheek with the back of his palm.
"But - but," Peach was beside herself. "We were watching! I thought you were here to see Ike! Everything added up! I thought you and Ike were - OW!"
Zelda had jabbed her elbow into the blonde's ribs and smiled warmly at the guests. "What my friend means to say is you're a welcome surprise, friends of Marth."
"I could say the same about you," Ike said through gritted teeth. "What in the name of Aether are you doing here!? And what did you do to my door!?"
Samus gulped and pointed to the object dangling around Zelda's neck. "Cameo shots for the newsletter?" she offered lamely.
Ike looked like he was on the verge of breathing fire. "Get. Out."
Zelda and Samus bolted for the door, then doubled back to grab Peach, who was dreamily finger-waving at one of Marth's handsome friends.
...
Zelda ignored the heated argument between Samus and Peach, and plopped back down in front of the computer screen. As the bickering intensified behind her, Zelda poured through dozens of Web pages before finally finding what she was looking for.
"Silence!" she yelled, Peach and Samus freezing mid-accusation. Zelda read from the screen.
"Yakudoshi. It means 'unlucky year.' According to Marth's culture, a woman's 19th year is considered a year of calamity. There is a great ceremony on her birthday, where friends and family accompany the woman to a shrine for many hours of prayer for a safe year. It's traditional to give the woman a corresponding amount of white roses and blessed charm necklace on her birthday, white symbolizing the hope for purity and beauty and the charm to ward off evil spirits throughout the coming year."
Zelda finished and looked up, lips tight. The meaning sunk in.
"So all this time we thought Ike was planning some romantic evening for Marth," Peach said slowly.
Zelda nodded.
"When in fact he was planning a surprise get together for Marth's wife and friends to celebrate her Yak-on-Yoshi because he wanted to do something nice for his friend," Peach continued.
Zelda nodded again.
"So this explains the white roses, the charm necklace, the secret letters, the threats to Pit, and everything else that we misinterpreted to make ourselves look like huge...Goombas...in front of Marth's loved ones, who he hasn't seen in nearly a year," Peach finished.
Zelda nodded a third time.
"So all of this was for nothing except ruining Ike's time-consuming, painstaking plan and breaking his door," Samus finished flatly.
They stared at the floor in shamed silence.
"Man, we really suck at this."
A/N: For this chapter, I mixed the actual Japanese "Yakudoshi" celebration with a few of my original ideas for Marth's country's traditions. Hope I didn't upset too many Ike/Marth fangirls/boys :)