A/N: Death is a very scary thing even for the supposed 'fearless'. No one can escape it as time will surely get us if our actions and choices don't. This is why this chapter will be slightly more heavy as the three knights start to come to terms with what death really means for others and its impact on their lives.

Because seriously, every time death comes up in my thoughts I can't help but imagine what it would be like to die with regrets and not being able to move on because your too scared to give up living. After all, people would kill to live and that type of determination can be dangerous to a person who doesn't have the mental and emotional fortitude to overcome it.

Warning: It's a shot on the topic on death so it's probably not something to read if you get pretty… shaken up by such things.

Really, it's starting to freak them out as to how real their imaginations are making their deceased friend as he acts as if he is still alive and well. Their bodies suddenly make a move to take a step backwards as their Lord takes a few steps closer to them. He lets go of his cape as he walks towards, showing that he may try to reach out and touch their shoulder in a worried yet comforting manner. What really set the two knaves off is the fact that they could see the cape disturb the small film of dust that has settled on the floor seeing as they hadn't cleaned the place up since yesterday. The strange thing is, is that the window is not open, neither of them dared to breath, and the door behind them is shut.

So how could a none living thing of the imagination move something in the physical realm?

Thinking that there must be a reasonable explanation that they missed, Sword and Blade are certain that their emotionally destressed minds have been playing a brutal trick on them. That is, until Sir Meta Knight is right in front of them with his hand outstretched in a gesture to touch their physical bodies. Now, they both know that neither of them are firm believers in the Afterlife, but the way their Lord suddenly looked surprised as his gloved hand phased through Sword's shoulder guard and the way his eyes reached the deepest blue they had ever seen- they could start believing in it as he uttered his next words like it is the cold, hard, fact of reality.

" So I really am dead "

They were sure that what they saw in front of them was a mirage. A hallucination that their grief had created. They so desperately wanted to fill the hole their Lord, savior, and friend, that they became unhinged. The moment they made eye contact with moonshine, that was not covered by tinted metal, they gasped. It was a loud, harsh noise that escaped through clenched jaws and gritting teeth. His face was so expressive in the effect of the negative response of his knaves, fellow brothers, and friends. But who could blame them? Their Lord was dead. Buried in the ground not thirty minutes ago.

" This must be a joke!" snarled Sword, his voice echoing in the room as his form towered over their Lord. His hand was making its way to the hilt of the weapon he was named after. A move that was nearly mimicked by Blade Knight if the deceased senior knight hadn't continued speaking.

" Please, calm yourselves" spoke Meta Knight was he backed away from his knaves to give them some space. " This… is new to me as it is to you" he continued, pausing as his voice actually wavered with emotion.

The dead were, was—is dead. They couldn't convey emotion because they don't breathe. They had no working lungs to draw in oxygen to supply their brain and function like the living. He simple couldn't be alive.

" How can we.. we buried you and saw your dead body being lowered into the ground" choked Blade Knight as he still couldn't wrap his mind around this series of events. It was too much to take in all at once and he collapsed to the ground.

Sword Knight spun around as he heard his companion fall to the floor in utter distress and took his eyes off their Lord. He wouldn't let Blade Knight crumble into depression if he could help it. Apparition of his imagination be damned by the Ancients.

" Hey, hey… pull yourself together will you?" comforted Sword Knight as he let his hands shift from his weapon to the shoulders of his brother-at-arms. He wasn't about to slap him out of it as it never worked when the shorter of the two knaves was verging on hysterics. It just made it worse.

It took a few seconds of tense silence that felt like they were drowning in the sea the Halberd had sunk in on multiply occasions. A quiet that their supposedly deceased Lord thankfully hadn't broken even though his eyes shimmered the deepest blue with the need to say something.

This was the side of their Lord that appeared behind closed doors and the lingering shadows in the late evenings. His eyes would reflect the rainbow. Always unsure of what he was feeling so he felt everything. It happened in a constant stream as color theory suggested that white was the color of all colors. Rarely, was there complete darkness reflecting in his eyes as it only happened on soul-crushing events. Like the destruction of one's planet, being the last of their kind, and being utterly useless to the modern day.

A sudden realization that one's way of life is inadequate and that it was unable to change. Or more like afraid to change as everyone needs to learn from the past. Without someone to hold on to all that history, nobody would be able to understand anything. Even Kabu had to be told and taught about the universe and its past to preserve the present and future.

So far, the only one known to speak to Kabu on such an intellectual level was the Ancients and their deceased Lord who had ironically seemed to outlive his usefulness yet died with something still left to say. A set of words they couldn't hear until something significant happened.

" I…" Meta Knight started to say but it was like his voice was blocked by the growing static of a television. He couldn't say what he wanted to say and maybe he didn't want to. He could feel it his core, tugging at his soul, and splitting his spirit in two at merely thinking about what he wanted—no, needed to say. And he didn't want to give up his regrets and secrets to 'move on' so to speak.

" Just give me two seconds" said Blade Knight as he spoke out to the other occupants of the room while his breathing became even and not as erratic. He was pulling himself together like all the other times they have been through rough patches. Having a slight melt down allowed him to reform and become a sturdy, steady rock once again.

" More like five decades" joked Sword Knight as lightly as he could manage which brought a strained smile to Blade Knight's concealed face. Always trying to make light of the situations they found themselves in so not to appear so horrid.

" I would punch you right now but we have a problem on our hands" replied Blade Knight as he stood from the floor. He was slightly embarrassed at losing his composure but took it in stride like their Lord would often do.

" Right" agreed Sword Knight as he glanced over at their deceased Lord whom switched emotions with Blade Knight and wrapped himself back up in his dimensional cape. He became smaller than ever before as he withdrew his presence, unwilling to cause more grief.

" I am not a problem" spoke Meta Knight in a low tone of voice that could have been mistaken as a whisper. He gripped his cape tighter but didn't move beyond the motions of his mouth.

" Then how do you explain all of this?" argued Sword Knight as he gestured between the three of them. He tried not to think about his mind slowly accepting the fact that their Lord was within their presence when he shouldn't be.

" An equation with an obscure solution" responded Meta Knight in a tone that came out as dry and hallow as the unnamed deserts that surrounded their lands to the north. Dully, they noted that his swift wit still clung to him even though he possessed no functional brain to even processes such a thing. A thought that none of them wanted to get into deeper detail.

" An obscure solution alright" snorted Blade Knight with no real distain or heat to his words as it reminded him way too much of the dark history involving star warriors and mummbies. The dead spirits of loved friends and beloved ones whom were twisted beyond recognition by Zero to snuff out the light. Too cunning for anyone's good and a massive headache for the universe.

" I…" Meta Knight began to say but his voice faded like the connection had been lost between server and receiver. He knew he could easily solved their dilemma but he didn't want to. At least not yet, not when he still wanted to cling to life—or the afterlife, like the foolish, cowardly, being that he was.

He wanted to tell them that he wasn't ready, that he wanted to stay with them a little while longer even if it meant forging ignorance. But, his knaves had a difficult time understanding what he tried to convey or express with his eyes alone when his voice failed him for the second time. He hated himself for being so weak, pathetic, and unable to push pass the obstacle like he had done on multiple occasions. He was afraid—terrified even, to disappear forever once he spoke his piece.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, he didn't know exactly what to say as all he could manage was one word, one syllable. He was sure it would come in time and hopefully it was for an eternity.

" We'll figure something out…" said Sword Knight as the 'we promise' went unsaid as they were as unsure of their situation as their Lord. Nevertheless, his words allowed their distraught friend to relax and loosen his grip on the fabric he had clutched in his gloved hands.

" How would we explain this to everyone? Or are we the only ones who can see you?" inquired Blade Knight after a beat of silence as the three of them lapsed into their own thoughts for a moment of reflection and brainstorming.

The shorter of the two knaves rose two good points regarding the perception of things. They could be considered crazy or pitied beyond all belief by everyone as the duo who couldn't let go. But they wouldn't get anything done or keep it to themselves for long if they decided to stay cooped up in their quarters.

They could only try and hope that the world won't come crashing down on them.

" Well, the only way to test it is to go outside" replied Sword Knight which had their Lord backpedaling until his back hit the nearest wall, looking absolutely panicked. He looked as if Nightmare had personally come reap his soul.

" I absolutely will not!" shouted Meta Knight with a shiver traveling through his core. He felt the anxiety clawing and digging into his expression as his two knaves were startled by his much louder than normal volume.

" God dammit" hissed Sword Knight under his breath as he realized too little, too late that those particular words were a trigger for their Lord. Something that a very despicable creature uttered before in an event, that shall go undiscussed, that nearly shattered all of who their Lord is and was.

" Way to go, you idiot" bit out Blade Knight with sarcasm thick enough to choke on as he got over his shock quickly. " He hadn't had an episode in nearly a decade then you had to go and ruin that streak" he continued to reprimand as he had Sword Knight assist him in getting their Lord to calm down. A routine they were, sadly yet helpfully, accustomed to.

" Breathe" soothed Sword Knight as he inhaled and exhaled with exaggerated motions to focus attention on himself and the way oxygen traveled through his lungs. Gripping gently at the gloved fists, he rubbed calmed circles upon their Lords hands.

" Relax" murmured Blade Knight as he copied his brother-at-arm's actions with pressing circular motions against their Lord's back. The action made concealed wings to reveal themselves which Blade Knight began to rub as well.

" You are safe" continued Sword Knight as their Lord attempted to match his breathing but closed his eyes as his breath hitched almost painfully and shook. Everything was too overwhelming as he relived that moment in his life where he was supposed to die while coming terms of already being truly dead.

" I-I c-can't…" choked Meta Knight as he truly felt pathetic. All the years spent balancing on death's scale was tipping over and flooding with the fact that he finally died. After so much hardship, heartache, and will to live pass his limitations… just to let it be taken from him so abruptly. By the great stars above, it wasn't fair by any means.

" We're here" said Blade Knight as he embraced their Lord from behind and Sword Knight hugged him from the front. Both telling their Lord that they were here, that they wouldn't leave him alone to deal with this on his own—no matter what may happen.

The warmth from his friends— or more like his family, was just enough to anchor him to reality even though the deceased weren't supposed to be. But if he could feel his two knaves and see their forms clear as day; he was real. Right? Right?!

" Shh, Shhh, it's okay… no need for the waterworks" hushed Sword Knight as he wiped tears from the corners of moonlight eyes that popped wide open in shock of the wetness traveling down his blushed cheeks. He didn't even notice until now.

" We don't have to go outside" said Blade Knight apologetically as he mentally berated himself for pushing without considering their Lord's frame of mind.

His habit of hiding behind a composed and unflappable façade became nasty in the face of emotional support. Something he never had until he had someone, two people to be specific, to truly depend on. Despite their novice status in the way of the sword, Sword and Blade Knight were more emotionally sound and mentally fortified than their Lord.

They were his rock, shield, and fortress of isolation in which he could retreat and confide in when the world around him grew too much.

Of course, over time, there were cracks that appeared his as mask as life slowly clipped away at it. Too many hits and the damage would be enough to see the vulnerable being concealed within. The shock was brutal and naturally panic-inducing to the extreme when one was a being like their Lord.

" We'll stay here until you are ready" spoke Sword Knight as their Lord relaxed once again and absorbed the warmth that was offered to him.

"… O-Okay…" said Meta Knight who was shaken with a whirlwind of emotion he couldn't describe nor wanting to disclose in one word.

Minutes passed by in utter silence as Meta Knight regained his composure and the figurative mask made its return. It was almost laughable how many times his knaves had to witness his weakness. Or how many times they had to help him see the reason in his continued existence. Too many times had… less desirable thoughts ran through his mind in war time.

He made people nervous when he stared at the glint of Galaxia when polishing his sacred blade for far too long. Its edge could cut any object without having the need to touch it, a truly fearsome weapon. Even more so fierce when legend and myth explained why it didn't have a wielder for thousands of years for a reason. That reason was simply killing the being who dared to touch its scabbard without the will power to wield it. If one did not want to truly live, the sword would finish the task.

So, somehow and somewhere buried very deep within him was the will to continue living. That, or Galaxia would lose all its power since their core and spirit have been bonded together the moment his gloved hand touched its vibrant and electrifying hilt. No blade was useful being dull and unsharpened.

" Well…" trailed Sword Knight as he wasn't exactly sure what to say when they all separated from their group hug. Thankfully, Blade Knight picked up the conversation with a slight, if not awkward, cough.

" Despite the circumstances, we still have duties to fulfill" continued Blade Knight as death was a part of life and therefore they must move on. Not that they would ever think of moving on now that their Lord was somewhat still alive.

" We should probably hop to it then" said Sword Knight as he moved toward the door with shuffling feet. Blade Knight following suit after he made sure their Lord had complete control over his emotions. Though the impassive expression he sported was telling enough.

They left with no goodbye as the quiet squeak and soft thud of the wooden door was heard. Another silence settled over the room as two of its three occupancy left to do their tasks.

Meta Knight stared at the door, eyes as vacant as clouded silver could get. His mind had a nice hum going through it as it always did when he came down from one of his episodes. He couldn't pick the specific moment in time it started to blossom, though he chose to pointedly ignore the cause, but being at war definitely didn't help in the matter. The medical units believed he was suffering from panic attacks and extreme levels of anxiety.

Not surprising when he compartmentalized his thoughts, ideals, and memories so that they wouldn't bother him on the front lines or in the thick of the battle. It was only a matter of time before the tiny boxes he stored them in exploded or something came along to open them. That something being two persons in the form of the daughter of Garlude and the son of Jecra—Silica and Knuckle Joe.

They opened the metaphorical 'can of worms' when they came to Popstar nearly back-to-back. He kept his mask as impassive as possible but the anxiety, panic, and shock was still there, causing foolish injuries unbefitting of a star warrior of his caliber.

Meta Knight heaved a sigh that was far heavier than he was used to. A sense of irritation settled in his heart right after as he was supposed to be stronger now than he was in the past. His hands clenched into fists the nth time that day. His eyes screwed shut as he felt his heartbeats in his throat and heard them against his skull. The irritation flared into a burned anger.

He was stronger than this.

He is stronger than this.

And he wasn't a coward who ran away from his problems.

Meta Knight's eyes became a simmering red like the blood of the enemies he had slain. He was over and done with his insecurities. His sickness never stopped him before and it certainly hadn't stopped him now if he was still a part of reality. The pleasant humming in his mind gave way to a sensation he hadn't felt in a while. An all-consuming feeling that he let out in a catastrophe of noise.

He gave into the tugging on his core and roared into the ceiling and the heavens above.

He didn't have Galaxia to vent his frustrations out on practice dummies. So, he went for the next best thing in his frame of mind. Never did he notice the items that met his gloved hands were destroyed or thrown angrily across the room. Fortunate for him, any and all actions he took were silent as long as nobody who didn't know his was still half-alive, or believed he could still be alive, didn't see him.

Patrolling waddle dee were none the wiser to the total disaster that struck the quarters of their Sir Knight and his knaves.

When Sword and Blade Knight had time to take a break from counting waddle dees, patrolling the parameter of the castle, and fulfilling the odd jobs of King DeDeDe, they walked into a sparkle-clean living room.

Their Lord was in the same position when they first spotted him after the funeral. He looked visibly more relaxed than he had been in a very long time. Dare they say, the tension in his body after years of combat and life-threatening situations was gone. Sir Meta Knight was truly content.

But there was just one thing that bothered them about the whole scene of complete tranquility. A question that Sword Knight couldn't hold back when he immediately noticed what it was.

" Where is the coffee table?" inquired Sword Knight as their Lord rose his attention from the novel he had been reading at the sound of his knave's voice.

" It became the wood for our fireplace" replied Meta Knight as he went back to reading his book, not missing the incredulous looks he gained from his statement. " It will be getting quite cold tonight and I wish not for you two caught something undesirable" he added nonchalantly with an undertone of the slightest amusement at the continued looks of bewilderment.

It slowly dawned on Sword and Blade Knight exactly what their Lord had done in their time away from him. And they couldn't help be burst into laughter. Rarely, has Sir Meta Knight indulged himself in destructive proactivity when he couldn't cut and slash his way through his frustrations.

" I guess meditation was too inactive this time around" said Sword Knight as his laughter died down to a good-natured chuckle.

" And we get snores out of it too" added Blade Knight as a warm flame always brought the sweet treats to mind and he was sure their Lord had that in mind as well considering his response was his eyes glowing a soft pink. He was practically giddy and they don't use that word in their sentences when describing their Lord often.

" Exactly"

A/N: Well, it has been a while since I last wrote a Kirby fanfic. I hope I'm not too rusty with this particular story because Meta Knight simply couldn't come out of all that war and suffering unaffected unless he hides it all really well. Plus, he is kinda dead so he has to deal with that too.

P to the S: I wonder if anyone will question my way of thinking-to-writing when it comes to this chapter. Because seriously, I'm curious what people will think of this and if they like the not-so-mysterious Meta Knight being more… human instead of the invincible, nerves of steel high horse and pedestal we tend to put our favorite characters on.

Have a fantastic day! XD