Rising Darkness

By: JadeDragonKnight

Chapter 10: The Gift

"I apologize for all this," Fox stated.

"It's no big deal, really," Meta Knight assured.

The Great Fox hummed as it hovered over the Halberd's main deck. Falco's Arwing was slowly being lifted into the ship. Fox stood before Meta Knight on the deck.

"I can pay for any damages to your ship," Fox added.

"Don't worry about that," the knight stated. "We're kind of even now, since the Halberd plowed your ship into that mountain a while back."

"Well, you weren't driving it, so it wasn't really your fault," he replied, rubbing his hand over his head.

"Yeah, that might not have been a good example," the knight muttered.

"I don't need a stretcher, Slippy!"

They both looked back towards the bridge to see Falco marching out of the Halberd with a frog rolling a stretcher in tow.

"But Falco," the frog argued, "you're injured! I cannot allow you walk around like that and make it worse."

"I can walk just fine without any help!" the bird asserted.

Fox sighed and turned his attention back to Meta Knight.

"Look, I sent Falco out on that mission. He's my responsibility."

"No I'm not," the bird stated audibly as he passed by them. "I'm my own man, Fox."

The furry commander closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Are you sure there's nothing I could do to make up for this?" Fox asked.

"No. I'm just glad you're taking him off my hands," the knight replied.

"Yes. Falco can be a handful which is why I'm not letting this go. I have to thank you somehow."

Meta Knight moaned in thought then replied, "Very well. I'll let you know if I think of something."

"Alright. Don't forget."

Fox turned and entered the Great Fox. The boarding hatch hissed as it closed. Then, the ship rose into the sky as it turned and flew off towards the upper atmosphere. Meta Knight watched it go until it was a tiny figure in the blue. Then, he sighed in relief and went back inside the Halberd.

The knight clanked through the hallway with a tray of food in his hands. His mind absently shifted through recent events. One of those thoughts was adding "repair bridge window" to his mental to-do list. Others were of Jade. The speed of her recovery was incredible. She was only in his care for two days and two nights, soon to be three, and in that time her throat, lungs, and her less serious wounds have healed. It was nothing short of a miracle given she was on the brink of death. Of course, she did have special powers. Even so, the knight had never seen anyone recover so quickly. He also wondered where Jade would go after her full recovery. Her island just about burned to the ground. It may no longer be habitable.

His mind clicked back to full alert when he noticed a box in front of the medical clinic door. Meta Knight stopped walking and stared at it for a moment. It was a silver, metal cube with no holes, labels, slits, or openings. It was just a plain cube. He found it curious. He looked down the hallway and behind where he came from. He didn't think he would find anything that would identify where the cube came from, yet he had a strange feeling that it was delivered.

"Computer," he queried.

"Yes?" the feminine voice replied through the ceiling.

"Did someone bring that box here?"

"No. Scanners did not pick up any foreign activity in this area. The box materialized there on its own."

"It materialized?"

"Yes. I could not pinpoint the origin of the package, but scanners show that it poses no threat."

Meta Knight stared at it again. "You said it was a package? For who?"

"Based on observations, it is for Jade."

"Jade?"

The knight approached the cube and studied the top of it. He couldn't see it before, but in the bottom left corner was the word "JADE" etched in block like letters. He scanned the metal box again, but found nothing other than the name. He made a groan of suspicion.

"If it troubles you, I could have it destroyed," the computer stated.

"That won't be necessary. Just keep a close eye on it."

"As you wish."

Meta Knight set the tray on top of the cube then carefully lifted the bundle into his arms. The load was not very heavy. The clinic door slid open and the knight walked in. Jade peered over at him and quickly noticed the box.

"Whatcha got there?" she asked.

"It's a package for you, I think," he replied setting the box down and moving the tray to the table.

"I like packages," Jade stated with a gleam of curiosity in her eyes.

Meta Knight picked the cube off the floor, but hesitated at handing it over.

"What's wrong?" Jade asked.

"I have no idea where it came from. It could be dangerous."

"I'm sure it's fine. Don't you think the computer would have warned you if something was wrong?"

The knight frowned. "I'll just open it for you, see if it's safe."

He rubbed his hand over the cube, feeling for a seam. Puzzled at not finding one, he proceeded to squeeze it. It resisted him, so he shook it. Something thumped against the walls of the box, but that didn't tell him how to open it. The knight growled in annoyance as Jade watched with an eyebrow raised.

"Uh, Meta Knight," she said.

"What?"

"You can't open someone else's mail, silly."

He clicked his tongue then reluctantly handed the cube to Jade. She took it from him and placed it in her lap. She pressed her hands on either side of the box and looked questionable at her name etched on the top. Just then, white squares glowed underneath her hands. They both gasped as the white lights turned green. Then, the whole cube glowed white and suddenly vanished, leaving behind its contents.

"That was odd," the knight stated in apprehension.

"I thought it was cool."

"Don't tell me you didn't think that was weird! What kind of box appears and disappears all by itself?"

"Oh relax," Jade replied, studying the bundle of fabric in her lap. She grabbed a fold of the fabric and lifted it up for it to unfold. It was mostly dark grey with purple stripes running along the sides. "It's a jumpsuit," she said smiling.

"A jumpsuit? Why would someone send that?"

"Well, I don't have any clothes at the moment."

His eyes widened as he said, "That's even worse! We're the only ones that know you don't have any clothes. Whoever sent this is probably watching you like some pervert!" Jade went to object, but the knight continued, "That box was made with advanced technology, probably the same kind that could be spying on us at this very moment. Something the computer can't detect."

"Dude, it's just a jumpsuit. Calm down. You're starting to sound paranoid."

"This doesn't bother you at all?"

Jade shrugged. "Maybe someone's just looking out for me."

The knight was taken back.

"Um, could you step out for a second? I want to try this on."

"Sure."

Meta Knight walked out into the hallway and leaned against the wall. He heard sheets rustling as Jade got out of bed.

'Is someone watching Jade?' he thought. 'How else would they know to send clothes? And it was delivered right outside the door too… Hang on, wouldn't they also know that she got hurt? That she was in a fire? Why didn't they do anything then?! She could have been killed! Actually, there were lots of times that she almost got killed, but I saved her. I'm the only one that's really looking out for her. And all that this mysterious person sends is a jumpsuit. Give me a break.'

He crossed his arms and looked to the door opening next to him. He could hear Jade trying on the suit, grunting as she struggled with it.

'I'll protect you Jade. I'll look after you.'

After a few minutes, Jade called, "All done."

Meta Knight walked back into the room and paused in surprise. Jade's new jumpsuit was neck to toe, dark grey with purple stripes running along the sides of her body and limbs, and wet-suit skin tight. The suit stopped at her wrists with large bracelet like cuffs.

"What do you think? Kinda spacey isn't it?" Jade asked.

"Wow. You look good," the knight stated.

"Aw, you're just saying that," she replied, studying her reflection in the medicine cabinet glass door. "Slimming and comfortable. I could get used to this," she muttered to herself. "Hey, I look like Samus now. Well, without the robot suit."

"Sure, but her jumpsuit is so skin tight that she might as well be naked."

"Hehe, yeah. So, what was the other thing you brought in?"

"Hmm?" The knight looked over at the table where he set the tray down. "Oh. I made you some fried chicken and biscuits."

She gasped and hurried over to the table. She looked over the food with an excited smile. The aroma of the poultry made her stomach rumble.

Jade turned back to him and said gleefully, "You made me biscuits."

"Well, we were talking about butter biscuit batter earlier," the knight replied.

"Thank you!"

She sat down at the table and proceeded to eat. Meta Knight sat down across from her and watched. She glanced up at him then stopped eating.

"Something wrong?" the knight asked.

"I feel kinda bad eating in front of you when you don't have any food."

"It's ok. I'm not hungry."

"You sure? You haven't eaten since yesterday."

"I haven't been doing much lately, so I haven't been hungry."

"That's weird," Jade replied as she continued to eat.

The knight chuckled and added, "I have a cape that turns into bat wings, eyes that change color, a sword made of light that solidifies into metal, dark powers, and the stomach of a reptile. What isn't weird about me?"

"You're bald."

"Oh, you don't think that's weird?"

"Lots of people are bald."

"Sure, but not completely hairless. Bald people at least have hair in their armpits. I don't have a single hair on my body."

"Or, maybe you do have hair but you shave it off before people can notice it."

"What?"

"You stay bald so that if you ever get into trouble you can flee to a different country and grow a mustache so no one would recognize you."

Jade seemed satisfied with her assessment, but Meta Knight laughed.

"On second thought, I may not be the weird one here," the knight stated.

"Says the man who shaves his legs."

"I don't have legs."

They both laughed. The knight shook his head, causing Jade to laugh more. As they settled down, a ring sounded. Meta Knight took out his communicator and flipped it open.

"Yes?"

"What the hell are you doing?!" a voice shouted through the ear piece.

Jade stopped eating to look up.

The knight sighed and said, "Have I done something wrong, your majesty?"

"The hell you did! I did not give you permission to leave the castle! Disrespecting my authority is treason!"

Meta Knight grimaced at the king's booming voice. He would have preferred Jade not to hear this.

"I apologize for upsetting you," the knight replied. "I am returning to the castle as we speak."

"I will not keep letting your day trips slide. I should have you strung up by your thumbs!"

"I understand, your majesty."

"I expect you back soon. Punishment awaits you!"

With that, the phone clicked and the call ended. Meta Knight closed the communicator and sighed heavily.

"He sounded happy," Jade stated.

"I was wondering when he would notice my absence. Didn't think it would take him all day."

"He sounded serious about the whole discipline thing."

"His punishments usually aren't that bad. He's a bit soft with me. He's more than happy to hit everyone else with a hammer though."

"Lovely."

"Well, I should go to the bridge and park this ship when we get there," the knight said as he got out of his chair.

"Alright. See ya."

Meta Knight wrapped himself in his cape and left the clinic.

A cliff face could be seen in the distance. A stone castle rested near its edge. Meta Knight gazed at it through the bridge window. He wondered what 'horrible' punishment King Dedede had in store for him. The knight brushed his hand over the control panel. At least he got to take the ship out for a spin. He always had to use it to complete assignments, but never to just enjoy himself. He glanced up at the crack in the windshield and frowned. A minor fix, but still an annoyance. He turned and walked over to the steering wheel. It was gently swaying to and fro on its own. His mind drifted back to Jade. She seemed fully healed now. She would probably leave soon. Where would she go? It's not safe on the island anymore. It wasn't the best place for a person to live on anyway. If only she had a roof over her head. Like a house, or even…

His train of thought was cut off by the sound of the elevator. Meta Knight waited for the elevator to come to a rest, revealing Jade. She stepped off, smiling.

"This is the coolest suit ever," she stated.

The knight stopped himself from questioning her strange statement and instead asked, "How so?"

"It changes shape to what I need it for! Like, I was wondering how I would be able to fly in my light form if the suit covers up my wings. But get this; I tested it out by changing form and the suit made little slits for my wings all by itself! Isn't that awesome?"

"That's interesting," the knight replied, again thinking how strange the gift is.

"Oh, and I also thought about how I would be able to use the bathroom, because that would be a huge pain to take this off. But guess what? I don't have to take the suit off! It just-"

"I can take a guess," the knight interrupted.

"Yeah," Jade said, realizing how awkward her story was. "Well, there was something else I wanted to tell you…"

She paused in thought. Meta Knight waited, but he also wanted to say something.

"Oh yeah. I came to say good bye."

The knight replied, "Are you sure you're ok to go?"

"Yeah. I mean I can talk and walk around now. I'm still hurting a little, but not much. I think I can leave now. Besides, you've already done so much for me. I don't want to infringe on you anymore."

"You haven't infringed at all. I wanted to help you."

"Still, I can't stay. You have more to worry about than me."

But he did worry about her. Meta Knight stared at the wall in silence.

Jade shifted a bit then said, "Well, I should go."

She turned to leave.

"Wait, Jade."

She looked back at the knight.

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he stated.

"Sure. What is it?"

"Your island… I don't think you should go back to it."

"Huh? Why?"

"It was burned down, Jade. It's not safe for you there."

"I know, but I don't have anywhere else to go."

"You could stay here. Just until we figure something out."

"Meta Knight," Jade sighed. "I…I couldn't."

"I don't mind at all. It would give me peace of mind to know that you're safe."

Her eyes fell to the floor. She had a look of confliction and sadness on her face.

"Jade, I want to help," Meta Knight said gently. "I can't just fix you up then leave you out in the cold. I want you to have a roof over your head and to be warm at night. I want you to have a bed and all the food you can eat."

She grinned at that last statement.

"It's not much, but please stay. Just for a while longer."

Jade made a long sigh and rubbed her arm. "Meta Knight…" She looked up and paused. "Does your window normally do that?"

He raised an eyebrow and turned to the windshield. Dark purple mist was pouring out of the small crack in the glass and into the bridge.

"No it doesn't," he affirmed as he drew his sword and got into a defensive stance.

The mist gathered on the grated floor in groups. Then, they compressed together and formed dark creatures. They had a humanoid shape with sword like arms and armor like skin. They screeched as they drew closer, blade-arms ready to strike.

"Where did they come from?" Jade asked, forming energy balls in her hands.

"Don't know, but it won't matter for long," Meta Knight replied, ready to cut the intruders down.

Just then, more creatures took shape by the elevator. Before they knew it, the duo was surrounded. They went back to back. The creatures watched them in anticipation.

"What are they waiting for?" Jade asked.

Meta Knight studied them. They looked ready to spring, but only at the right moment. What was that moment?

Suddenly, a pulse when through him like a shockwave. He cried out and doubled over.

"Meta Knight?!" Jade cried.

Just as she began to turn to the knight, the creatures lunged in unison. She gasped, fired one energy ball at a monster, but then was thrown to the ground. She struggled to throw them off, but one dark creature had pinned her down on her belly and locked both sword arms in a deadly cross above her neck. The other creatures went to grab the knight, but his blade was quicker. He sliced through two of them, reducing them to purple mist. The others backed away.

"Meta Knight," Jade cried again.

He panted from the pounding headache.

'Fight it, dammit. Fight it!' he mentally screamed at himself.

Suddenly, a stronger pulse racked his body. He cried out and in a split second was forced to the ground. He tried to struggle, but his body wouldn't move. He could hear Jade calling out to him, but the bridge faded into a black haze.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Review please!