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A STEP DOWN

FROM PERFECT

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o-o-CHAPTER 10: EVERYONE WANTS TO WIN-o-o

For five days, Samus had gone about with an extremely heavy heart. She would replay that incident on the stairs of the Mansion, cringe into her pillow and try to forget it. But the thought of kissing Marth never really left her. She was distracted, disappointed and furious with herself. And on top of that, she was guilty.

She didn't see it with her own eyes, but apparently, as soon as Zelda had returned to Smash Mansion, Marth tore out of the building down the front lawn. He crashed into her and held her, refused to let go until the misery he had accumulated over the days ceased to exist. Zelda had to pry him off her so that she could look at him.

Samus didn't feel any jealousy. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She was glad to hear that the couple were still together, as they should be. It also meant that Marth felt nothing. Well, that pretty much sealed Samus' fate. Even a kiss wasn't enough to make him notice her.

It didn't upset her; it just left her hollow. He didn't love her. Of course he didn't.

More worryingly, Samus had come to a terrifying conclusion, one she couldn't even voice to herself.

Guilt got the better of her and she needed to confess, but strangely, the thought of Falcon finding out about it all scared her more than the consequences of the kiss. So she approached someone else instead.

As expected, Mewtwo was sat by himself in the living room as its only occupant, but he didn't look unhappy at all. He had opted to sit on the floor, legs awkwardly tucked into him and arms folded. His back was straight, though, and inches in front of him was a coffee table with a bowl of chopped fruit.

Samus had never seen Mewtwo eat before. She had only ever witnessed him sending his food flying, refusing to have a single bite. Yet here he was, psychically maintaining a hold on a slice of apple in the air as he poked out his tongue. He licked it tentatively, as though expecting it to taste horrible. Apparently, the apple passed the test, for Mewtwo then opened his mouth and ate it. It looked like he was being spoonfed by an invisible hand.

The act of eating had made him look near human. He could almost be mistaken as one.

"You're using psychic," she stated. "You're feeling better, right? The illness is going...?"

Mewtwo brought forward a neatly cut melon. "Do you really think I can pick up a fork with these hands?"

His eyes were still yellow, although they seemed to have a healthy shine to them now. It was nice to see him lively, even if it was only marginally so. Samus longed to confess, but the words were stuck in her throat. Mewtwo was already a step in front.

"So," he said matter-of-factly, swallowing the melon and picking a strawberry next. "You're here to talk to me about something on your mind, as I doubt you have come to see me purely because you want to."

Samus wriggled uncomfortably. He was right. She shouldn't use Mewtwo like that. "...I'm digging my own grave here."

"Agreed."

She looked up from her knees. "What do you mean, 'agreed'?"

Mewtwo gave her a scathing look and tossed the strawberry back in the bowl. "I saw it. And I wasn't the only one either."

Samus nearly fainted there and then. She couldn't believe it. Gone five days and people were aware she had kissed another's boyfriend?! The Mansion ought to be on fire with rumours about her.

"Tell me...who else saw?" she muttered. She was so embarrassed, meeting Mewtwo's gaze was out of the question. Mewtwo made an odd grunt somewhere in his throat as he tried the grapefruit. That followed the strawberry back into the bowl.

"One other. I saw you purely out of coincidence. He, however, followed you after your meeting with Master Hand like a shadow. Quite fitting, since he's about as flat as one."

"...Bloody hell, you have got to be joking." Her voice was going. She was so shocked, her body was beginning to lose feeling. "Of all people to be seen by, it's Master Hand's spy? C-couldn't you have told me earlier?"

"He won't tell." His fruit bowl was close to empty, with only grapefruits and strawberries left. "If you must know, I had a word with him. I told him to pretend he never saw anything."

"And he listened, just like that?" Samus questioned. She was sceptical, but Mewtwo's voice was ever smooth, ever reassuring with its frankness.

Mewtwo licked his lips before continuing. "He listened, Samus. Game and Watch might be a rotten snitch but he can be brought round."

A bit of curiosity mingled with Samus' mixed feelings. She repeated his words to herself and arched an eyebrow. "...Did you threaten him or something?"

"As nicely as possible," he answered evasively. "I owe you a lot, Samus. Never forget that. I may be ill and constantly...tired, but the least I can do is keep tabs on a potential threat. I am paying you back. An attempt at kindness, if you will."

Samus watched, rather touched, as the Pokemon surreptitiously glanced around the room, visibly awkward.

"Though from Game and Watch's perspective, I'm probably not very kind at all," he added.

She was desperate to give him a pat on the shoulder or a little hug. But she knew that Mewtwo didn't really appreciate physical gestures, so she chose to offer a weak smile instead.

"Seriously, I'm glad you're helping me out here. Knowing you've got my back is really assuring, especially since..." She had to pause. Take a few steadying breaths to prepare herself. Replay that memory. "...I'm done for. I really am. I've betrayed Zelda, confused Marth and...and Falcon...if he finds out, he'll never train with me or talk to me again. But I don't think I can lie to him...keep such a thing from him...And Master Hand...he's going to spin this his way and make my life even more of a misery. I should've signed the dismissal form. That's where I'm headed, right?"

"If that's the way you want to go. I think you can make amends however if you—"

"Mewtwo, I kissed Marth. A friggin' smacker right on someone else's boyfriend. I don't know if Pokemon kiss each other but it's a pretty big deal, you know. I can't just magically make amends with whoever's affected!" Frustration with herself was bubbling in her now. While she had been relatively collected, taking in the news about Game and Watch, the reality of the mess she was in hit her when she spoke out loud.

Mewtwo didn't interrupt, balanced with his talking and listening as usual. He did look quite miffed though with Samus' dig at Pokemon (something she now regretted).

"I had no idea what I was doing. I was out of my mind. I've been out of my mind these last few weeks, dammit!" She gripped her head with such force that she pulled out several strands of her hair. "...I even had the stupidity to have a go at Master Hand! Now I've got top tier matches tomorrow and Falco's looking especially forward to watching me fail—"

"Enough."

He broke into her rant sharply. Mewtwo lost his composure and adopted a steely gaze instead.

"Listen to yourself, Samus. I'm starting to feel embarrassed for you. You encouraged me when I refused to grow a backbone, but you're about as bad as me. You told me to fight back, to hang onto the few happy thoughts I have and never let them go." His eyes rolled towards the ceiling in disapproval. "You ought to be telling yourself that. You have the chance to set things right, or at the very least, try. So, unless you are intent on keeping Zelda in the dark and giving Master Hand and Falco the last laugh, I don't think you should be sitting here with me."

A minute of silence passed. Mewtwo appeared to be happy with her lack of response. He probably knew she was going to reply eventually.

"...What do you think I should do?"

"Confess. Tell Zelda what you did. Tell Falcon as well if you feel it will help. Ignore Falco. He knows you had no choice really but to enter top tier. Chances are, Fox will happily back you. Train well for tomorrow. As for Master Hand, let Peach deal with him."

"You trust her?"

"These days? Quite readily."

"Really?"

"You sound surprised. I thought that's what you wanted me to do."

"I did. I just didn't think you'd um, actually act." Samus forced her head up with tremendous effort; Mewtwo was avoiding looking at her though. There was something odd about the way his eyes would look from left to right. Uncertainty or just a habit, Samus wasn't so sure. She was about to ask about Peach, but Mewtwo suddenly jerked his head.

"Quiet now."

"What?"

But no sooner had she asked, did Game and Watch suddenly run into the room as fast as his legs would carry him. He beeped and looked around wildly, and held up the hangman's noose once more. Another beep. The noose disappeared and now Game and Watch held the black silhouette of a bunch of flowers.

"Can you be any more obvious with your spying?" Samus gave Game and Watch a scathing glare as the 2D man scoured the room and slipped behind a bookcase, flat against the wall.

"Strange. Flowers," Mewtwo remarked (though he sounded rather uninterested). Samus suppressed the urge to march up to the bookcase, tear it down, grab the little grass and pummel his flat face senseless.

"Ugh, what an idiot!" she snapped instead, hoping some verbal venting would make her feel better. It didn't. It wasn't Game and Watch who had landed her in this giant mess she called life. He was probably in a similar situation. She chanced a quick look at Mewtwo (who happened to spot it) and she noticed a tiny smile playing on his lips.

"Anything else you need to ask me about?"

"Yeah...one last thing," Samus admitted. She wondered if she had the guts to hear his response to the question she had ready for him. "...Now that you know what I've done...what do you think? Be honest."

"Honest?" Mewtwo repeated as though he didn't know what it meant (unlikely). "Do you want me to be honest with you, or do you want me to tell you what you want to hear?"

"I said honestly, didn't I?" Samus snapped at him impatiently.

"You'll have to forgive me for...asking. But I know you want me to condemn you for what you have done."

She wanted to be told off. Hated by him. Condemned. He could read her so easily and yet, it wasn't in him to obey her wishes.

"I won't admonish you, Samus. Telling you of your mistake is meaningless when you already know it. But I think you should see it as a valuable experience. It might have helped you in some way."

And she had realised. Mewtwo was spot on with that too. Through that kiss, she had realised that everything she felt about Marth had turned out to be—

"PAPERWEIGHT!"

Samus jumped, so startled by the yell that her leg kicked the coffee table and her hair whipped Mewtwo in the face. The Pokemon grunted.

"S-sorry," she spluttered, but Mewtwo waved off the apology, more interested in Crazy Hand, who had crawled into the living room as he shouted.

"I know you're here..." Crazy Hand's voice had suddenly gone soft, and he slid forwards, inching his way round the maze of armchairs and tables. "...Cheetahs don't like to be cheated. We invented the game, so we have to win. I know you're here, so come out. Officer!"

Crazy Hand wheeled round abruptly, seemingly addressing Mewtwo. "Have you spotted the paperweight? He who is chained to the cage, bound to serve without question? Have you seen him or not?"

"I can't say I have. Perhaps you should consider the basic concept of a game: everyone wants to win. Cheetah or not."

Crazy Hand twitched his fingers and blue sparks shot out from him irritably. "...You're not a law-abiding officer at all."

He crawled out of the room, and once he was safely out of earshot, Samus turned to Mewtwo."...You know what Crazy Hand talks about?"

"It's relatively simple."

Samus looked at the bookcase, wondering how long Game and Watch was going to stay hidden behind it. Carefully choosing her words - as she was being spied on - Samus raised a brow at Mewtwo and asked, "...How are things with you then?"

For a while, Mewtwo's answer was just that little smile. Samus decided he looked a lot less threatening when he was relaxed and evidently happy. His shoulders were no longer tensed up and the long tail moved from side to side lightly.

"I'm doing well," he said after a minute. "...Surprisingly well. She's very kind to me."

As soon as the subject of conversation reached Peach, Samus saw his eyes shift left to right again, as he had previously done. "You don't think she's pretending any more?"

"I'm still sceptical. However I've realised..." He thought for a few seconds, searching for the right words. "...It's better for me if I just allow her to do what she wants. Regardless of her sincerity, I find it wears me out if I contest."

"That's not the real reason," Samus said. Mewtwo had paused long enough for her to tell he was fabricating an excuse. "She makes you happy, doesn't she?"

Both she and Mewtwo had opened their doors – at long last – and let those who loved them, love them. But while Mewtwo found happiness through his compassionate master, Samus had pretended that she too, had found someone who meant the world to her.

But Mewtwo was happy, even if Peach was pretending. He had suddenly become so complacent when he had hated his master before. Samus had the horrible feeling that Mewtwo was keeping some things from her. It just didn't make sense otherwise.

"I don't know what to do," Mewtwo said suddenly. "If I am happy with her...how do I show it? Should I have to?"

"I think Peach'd be able to tell."

Mewtwo looked like he was about to argue this, when from the doorway, papers tucked under an arm, Peach joined in the conversation. Even from such a distance, her smile was so warm it eased Samus' troubles out of her grasp and into a world where they could be forgotten about.

However, whatever comfort Peach brought in with her was instantly killed when the princess craned her neck to look behind her and call, "I found her, Falcon!"

Oh no.

Not now.

Not when she was this vulnerable; she wouldn't be able to speak to him properly. And if he were to say anything to her, she'd spill the beans, unable to contain her secret. Apparently, Peach's arrival was having about as bad an effect on Mewtwo as Falcon's entrance was having on Samus. Mewtwo had suddenly become very awkward, and Samus assumed this was because of the overly friendly atmosphere.

"You two look like you've just received a verbal lashing from Master Hand," Falcon observed incorrectly. "Samus, you're really pale."

"Am I?" she said to the table.

"Yep." Falcon slumped into the armchair just behind her. "I've been looking all over for you. On the maps, I mean. I thought you'd be training, considering you've got top tier matches tomorrow."

"Yeah, about that," Samus muttered, looking up at Falcon. "...I don't think training is going to make a difference. I'm just going to fight on Final Destination, suffer a miserable loss and end up in middle tier again. That's the gameplan."

"It'll be okay," said Peach. "You needn't worry about the match's outcome. Just look at Marth – he's been losing on and off but he's always seeing the bright side of it."

Don't say that name! Samus wanted to scream at her. It was like a trigger to unveiling her secret.

"Right, to work, to work," Peach said to herself. "Something was really getting to Master Hand today. He's distracted. Look, a lot of this doesn't read at all." She had taken out her papers and set them down on the coffee table, moving the fruit bowl aside. Her mouth formed an amused smile when she spotted two certain fruits left over. Samus then came to the conclusion that Peach had cut up that fruit for him, to find out what he liked and disliked, making the effort to learn more about him. She was, after all, the first to have reached out and show the flaw in his logic.

Samus would have given anything to have someone who'd care about her like that. If Mewtwo had any idea how lucky he was, he shouldn't be wasting his time avoiding eye contact with Peach and pretending to be uninterested in her work.

Game and Watch crept over from his hiding place, thrusting a silhouette of flowers at Peach. The princess was only slightly confused (mainly wondering where Game and Watch had come from), but she took it into stride.

"Thank you!" Peach said to him. She 'received' them, but they simply disappeared into nothingness as Game and Watch handed them over. Both the 2D man and Pokemon watched in silence as Peach read through Master Hand's narratives, apparently captivated.

Samus hadn't noticed she had done it. So absorbed in her thoughts about what to do with everything, her eyes had begun to protest. She tried to concentrate on watching Mewtwo and Peach. Their shoulders were only inches apart. Mewtwo's yellow gaze would follow Peach's hand as she wrote.

Somehow, amidst all this, her head had lulled to the side. And where she had been thinking all along it was the side of the armchair she had been resting on, on closer inspection it was Falcon's right knee.

He didn't protest; Samus didn't move. So what if it was his knee. If he didn't like it, he could kick her out the way. It was calming, though, feeling the warmth of his leg against her forehead, the cold surface of his boot just scraping her cheek.

For a short while – Samus would've gladly made it last longer – they stayed like that, barely touching each other, but joined nonetheless. Saying nothing. But eventually, Falcon moved his leg away. A few seconds of disappointment before Samus felt his hand tap her shoulder.

He knelt only inches away from her. She could see her reflection in his helmet. Nervousness seemed to run down his fingers, for she suddenly took a deep breath and shrugged her shoulder away from him. "What?"

Peach was too busy reading through notes to notice; Mewtwo's head had dropped so low that his chin was nearly touching his chest. Game and Watch made the occasional beep as he tidied Peach's papers for her.

"Listen," Falcon said to her quietly. "Can I talk to you? There's just some stuff I've been meaning to say."

"I need to talk to you about something too." Samus had no idea what made her say it, or where the power to do so had come from. Then again, guilt was a strong incentive.

He got up and politely excused himself. Peach gave a small nod and waved, but it was Mewtwo who Samus shared a last look with.

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END CHAPTER 10

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