A/N: Trigger warning!

What started off as a fun evening escalated into a severe nightmare for the boys. At first, Roy did not believe Marth, even with the shaken Pit by his side. Why would someone like him hit an old lady? Yes, she was a nasty person, but that did not give anyone the privilege to hurt her! Through, his denial was proven wrong when Marth led him and his friends to Pit's home, over the fence that led to the abandoned, desolate backyard, through the shattered sliding door, into the dark room. Lying in the middle of the room was the barely conscious Cackletta.

The sight of seeing the cruel Bean on the floor spurred some debate. Should they report her to the police for abusing Pit, or should they report Marth to the police for attacking her? Through possibly controversial, the decision was quickly made, thanks to Pit's persuasion and Ike's reasoning.

Seeing the police take Cackletta—stunned yet not gravely injured, and handcuffed—was like ingesting a candy-flavored medicine. It was relieving to see the witch finally get what was coming for her, yet this stirred some problems. Would she convince the police that Marth was a stranger that unexpected attacked her? How would Palutena respond to this? Could Pit justify Marth's actions? Where would Pit stay, now with Cackletta out of the picture?

"Damn it, how am I supposed to tell Mom and Dad about this..." Roy could only say as he and his friends returned to Roy's house.

"I think they'll understand." Link said. "If they say Pit can't stay over, I'll ask my 'rents."

Marth just stayed in silence; pure, bitter silence.

Ike heard Pit's frustrated sigh and turned around. "Hey Pit, what's wrong?"

"Nothing... I just feel tired." Pit sighed with a feeble smile.

"It's all right." Link calmed. "She's gone now. The green witch is gone."

"Of course you are tired!" Marth suddenly spoke angrily, giving his friends a glare as he entered the house. Link and Ike followed, stunned by the bluenet's sudden anger. "If I was like your foolish friends dillydallying carelessly you would have been out cold by now!"

"...Marth?!" Ike exclaimed, shutting the door.

Finally letting it spill out, Marth directed the red sensor on Roy. This was it. He finally pressed the button. "Roy, are you not friends with Pit?!"

"Yeah!" Roy replied in shock. "What's wrong, Marth?!"

"You're the problem!" Marth rattled crossly, his normally-calm eyes blazing in flames. "If you were truly friends with Pit, would you not check on him?! Tell the others what was wrong?! Try to get help?! Try to make his situation better?!"

"Pit told me to not tell anyone! Besides, I told you Pit's problem anyway!" Roy argued back, his voice mixed with disbelief and anger.

"Excuses! Excuses!" Marth threw up his hands in disgust. "You remind me of my biological family: heartless people who would care less about other's wellbeing!"

"Biological family?" Link whispered, watching his two friends argue.

Marth turned to Ike and Link continued his violent rambling. "Even with a dreadful monster known as Cia torturing me within my own house, no one spared me a helping hand. No one helped me up. No one reassured me. This society is a pathetic, cowardly, and selfish being that only considers itself in the picture, which is why I strained my hands in blood in attempt to rid it."

"Marth, get a grip on yourself!" Roy shouted, grabbing ahold of Marth's jacket and jerking him closer, so they looked eye-to-eye. "What are you talking about? What do you mean, 'biological family'? Who's Cia?"

Marth only glowered at Roy with his sharp, blue, hawk's eyes.

"You've been acting weird lately." Roy continued. "Why?"

Instead of answering, Marth continued to look at Roy, his frightening glare softening as he came to the realization that he could not hide anymore.

"Marth? Did you remember something? Is there anything you're not telling us?"

Marth still did not answer as Roy released his grip, allowing him to step back. Ike, Link, and Pit could only look, not knowing what to do. Which would help the situation: staying silent or speaking up?

"...Marth?"

"..." After hesitating for a few moments, Marth opened his mouth, an unfamiliar sound jittery tumbling out. "...Roy..."

"W-What?" Roy could only respond. This was the first time Marth called him by his actual name. "Marth? Who are you? Are you Marth?"

Marth chuckled uneasily, trying to filter the tension out of the air. "I'm afraid that I cannot run anymore. The truth is, I did remember my past. Every last bit of it."

"Well?! Then why were you hiding it from us?"

"If I were to tell all of you the dark, tragic past of me, Marth Lowell, every one of you will never look at me the same again." Marth explained with a sad smile. "Sadly, my storybook isn't as cheery and bubbly as you assume it would be."

Ike finally spoke up. "Go on, Marth. Tell us." He urged. "We won't hate you."

At that moment, Marth finally poured his contents into his friends' cups. He explained who his family was and the strict mold they tried to squeeze him into. He described his life at the harsh private school and how friendless and lonely he was. He marked the moment when he finally broke and turned into the Masked Slasher, and the crimes he committed out of pure anger and revenge. Lastly, he ended his story by elaborating the moment when he was finally captured by the facility, the pain, isolation, and suffering he went through in the facility's stone walls, and his escape years later.

"...And, here I am." Marth ended, looking up at his friends with a sad gleam in his eyes. "Here am I, explaining to you four about the misery I faced in my life." He noticed the identical, stunned expression on his friends' faces. "Do you believe me?"

While Roy and Pit looked at each other, Ike looked at the ground as he shakily took a few steps back. He did not feel safe anymore.

"No, no. I don't! I aint gonna believe ya!" Link shook his head, constantly disbelieving the bluenet's heartbreaking backstory.

"...Link. You and your little brother were adopted, am I right?" Marth asked as he began to head up the stairs, earning a nod from the Hylian. "Maybe this can convince you."

After disappearing upstairs for a minute, Marth returned with Elice's tiara and the blue mask he created. He looked at Link and noticed his face slowly turning white in uneasiness. Watching Marth, Link repeatedly told himself, "Calm down! It's Marth! It's just Marth!"

Marth set the tiara onto his head. "Do you recognize me, Link?" he asked as he hid his facial features with the mask.

Traumatizing memories began to swarm into Link's head. "No. It can't be! It just can't!" he protested, clutching his fists.

"...I'm sorry Link." Marth could only say as he watched the blond lust for revenge. "Forgive me..."

"You..." Link clenched his teeth before abruptly lunging at the blue-haired teen. "YOU BASTURD!" he shrieked as he tackled Marth to the ground.

"Link!" Ike exclaimed, hurrying to the scene.

"I HATE YOU!" Link yelled lividly as he violently shook Marth by the shoulders and gave him a punch in the face. "You were the one who ruined Toon's and my life! What were you doing?! Pretending to be amnesic so you can get me and hurt Toon once again?! I hate you! HATE YOU!"

"LINK! Stop it!" Ike yanked Link off Marth, making the Hylian direct his anger towards him. "Didn't we say we will not hate Marth for telling the damn truth?!"

"You said it! I didn't fucking say anythin'!" Link retorted. "This man murdered my parents! I can never forgive 'em for his actions!"

"Marth is not the same!"

"What do you mean?" Link sneered. "Do you mean that he's not the same when you first met 'em, or his past self?!"

"Well, his actions aren't acceptable, but..." At that moment, Marth stopped listening to Ike and Link and turned to Roy and Pit.

"R-Roy..." he said, his eyes full of mental pain. His plea was replied with Roy turning his back on him. "Roy?"

"You're not Marth." Was Roy's harsh reply.

"Roy," Pit started worriedly. "Marth wants to talk to you."

Roy suddenly snapped. "Pit, I don't know this guy in my house!" he pointed to Marth, not noticing the hurt swelling and stretching painfully on his face. "This is not Marth! Marth's silly but kind! Marth always calls me 'Woy'! He does not fucking kill innocent people! Even though his life sucked ass, that doesn't give him the excuse to kill people!"

"But he protected me! Marth's not a crazy killer!" Pit tried to reason with Roy.

"Well, if you weren't in the picture, he would've killed Cackletta! In fact, I'll bet with enough time and manipulation, he would've killed us!"

That was when Marth ran.

He did not care when he knocked Roy over when he ran to the door. He did not care when the rain poured onto him as he ran out of the house onto the street. He did not care when he accidentally ran in front of Eliwood's car when it made a turn to the driveway. He did not care when he heard Eliwood get out of his vehicle and call his name.

Why should it matter? He was free, but why did it hurt? Marth wondered as tears—which could be mistaken for raindrops—rolled down his face.

"How long had we been sitting here?" Ghirahim asked as he sat in his van—which was parked in a dark alleyway—with his partner Ganondorf.

Ganondorf looked at his expensive gold watch. "According to this watch, about five hours."

Ghirahim signed in frustration and flipped his silvery hair. "Geez. Why can't we nab another boy that looks like him? There are hundreds of little blue-haired boys in this city!"

Just as when Ghirahim said his sentence, Marth suddenly dashed by the van, his soaked bangs whipping into his face and his drenched shoes splashing in the growing puddles. Although he was a thunderbolt that zipped by in a blink of an eye, Ghirahim and Ganondorf managed to correctly identify the bluenet.

"Alert the others. Alert the others now!" Ghirahim screeched irritably to Ganondorf who scrambled to find the radio.

Panting softly, Marth weakly looked around as he slowed his pace. His hands trembled as he wrapped his shivering arms around himself in a futile attempt to keep warm. Rainwater poured over his matted, blue hair and slip down his jacket, which could not absorb any more water. His tennis shoes were completely filled with water, making a disgusting squishing noise as Marth shakily walked down the street.

Since it was freezing cold, Marth wanted to go back home. But deep inside, he knew that it was not a wise thing to do. His friends probably hated him for committing those violent acts—for telling the truth. Roy probably told his parents about everything. If Marth ever returned to the Pherae's house, he might be refused entry, or worse: sent to the asylum.

Marth was now free; he did not need to hide anymore. But, where should he go? He needed to find shelter, as he may catch the flu in this kind of weather or snatched by the asylum's workers.

He did not know. Marth was lost.

His heart painfully pounding with sorrow and abandonment, Marth continued to wander through the streets, his upset eyes staring at the ground. Through it was night, people were still getting off work. Safe in their warm cars, they gave the somber bluenet weird looks. Who was this young man? Why was he out in a time like this?

A splash caused by a car quickly driving through a puddle was what made Marth finally look up. His eyes lit up as he recognized the neighborhood.

Home...

His frozen hands reached to his head and felt the tiara.

Elice...

With determination flickering in his nearly-hopeless eyes, Marth hurried down the streets, towards a certain, mansion-like home.

I still need to return it...

Marth swallowed nervously as he approached the house's doorstep and shakily took the hair accessory off his head. Were his parents here? Marth looked at the driveway. Their car was not there... Wait, was Elice even here? Marth's eyes caught the warm, orange light sweeping from the shut window blinds. She must be...

Before ringing the doorbell, Marth tidied his damp hair and zipped his jacket. He hated to have Elice see him like this, though he did not want to miss the opportunity. Biting his lips in nervousness, Marths' index finger gradually went closer to the tiny, white button next to the door...

And gently pressed it.

"Please be home... Please be home." Marth nervously thought to himself as he looked down anxiously and the door opened.

"Hello?" Marth's sighed softly in relief when he heard his older sister's familiar voice. "Oh?"

Marth timidly looked up at his sister. "I... Um..." he unsurely started.

"You're... You're the waiter from the restaurant." Elice spoke. "How did you—?"

Shakily wildly in nervousness, Marth's face turned red in embarrassment as he held the tiara to Elice. "I-I! Y-You left this at the joint a week again!" he said, feeling disordered. "I want to give this back to you! S-Someone at the restaurant who knew you told me w-where you lived! I-I'm sorry!"

Elice smiled kindly and took the tiara from Marth. "Don't be sorry! Thank you very much!"

"You are welcome." Marth turned. He wanted to leave before his parents returned.

"Wait, where are you going?" Elice suddenly asked.

Marth forced a smile. "I'm going... home! Yes, home!"

"Do you want to wait for the rain to stop? You look awfully cold..."

The male bluenet looked at the sky. Although he was about to say "No.", the sudden thunder rumbling through the sky convinced him to change his mind. "S-Sure..."

Marth softly whimpered as Elice gently dried his hair with a fresh, warm towel. His fists tightly grabbed ahold the blankets that wrapped around his shivering body. Running the towel through the male's hair, Elice chuckled at the small noise.

"Did I do something funny?" Marth asked as Elice took the towel off his head.

"No, you didn't." Elice answered with a sweet smile. "You just remind me of my little brother."

Marth tried not to give Elice a gloomy face. "Your younger brother?"

"Yes." Elice set the towel on the coffee table. "He was the sweetest little brother one can have. Was."

Marth painfully flinched at Elice emphasis on the word "Was". Noticing her sad expression, he tried to change the mood. "Well, it was very kind for you to let me stay here for the moment. I appreciate it."

Elice blushed slightly. "Thank you."

"I ask you, why would you offer a random stranger you only met once hospitality?"

"For behalf of my younger brother." Elice answered. "He inspired me to be kind to others, even though some do not repay the favor."

"How was he?"

"He was one of the kindest people I have ever known." Elice began. "He always tried to help others, including me. Though, he was a bit shy. I blame my father."

"Is he still here?" Marth dared to ask.

"No." Elice sighed sadly. "Sadly as time passed, I failed to be a good older sister. As father forced expectations onto him, he had no one to turn to for comfort. And one day, he..."

Marth raised his hand to stop Elice, as he could tell that she could not say it. "It's fine. You don't need to tell me the details. To change the mood, I have an older sister."

"How is she?"

"Excuse my improper language, but she is the bestest older sister someone can have! She can light a dark room when she entered." Marth smiled as he eyes moved to the trophy case. "She is also talented and intelligent!"

"That is nice. Oh, sorry to be rude, but what is your name?"

Marth paused and guiltily looked down.

"Is something wrong?" Elice asked, failing to recognize the young man sitting in front of her.

"First, can you recognize me?" Marth requested. "Do I look like someone you knew in the past?"

"Other than resembling my brother, no."

"...You don't recognize me, Elice?" Marth quietly asked, brushing the sheets away and standing up. "May I barrow your tiara?"

"You may." When Elice gave Marth the tiara, Marth set the headpiece onto his head. "Do you have a picture of your brother?"

"Yes, I do." Elice answered before heading up the stairs to her room. "Hold on, I hid it. Dad does not quite enjoy looking at him. It brings back terrible memories."

Marth unhappily looked down at the floor as he recalled his father, though he quickly looked up when Elice returned with a picture of a small, blue-haired boy at the age of eleven in his hands. The boy was seated against a tree on a sunny, warm day. He was dressed in a long-sleeved, white dress shirt, a light-blue tie, black trousers, and shiny black shoes. Through, his appearance—mainly his timid yet large smile—gave the appearance of a boy who seemed to have it all, Marth knew the misery he tried to hide behind his facial mask. He knew the story of Cornelius Lowell scolding his son harshly for not smiling "correctly" several times before the picture was finally taken.

"Here it is." Elice handed Marth the picture. "What are you doing to do with it?"

"Here it goes..." Marth thought to himself as he placed the picture next to his head. "Elice, now do I look familiar?"

It took a few moments for Elice to finally notice the similarity. "You..."

The azure hair, the cerulean eyes, the way the tiara sat on his head... It couldn't be. Her brother was locked away in the asylum! It could not be possible for him to escape!

"Elice, it's me. Your brother, Marth." Marth smiled warmly.

"Oh, Marth!" Elice cried out in joy, wrapping her arms around her long-lost younger brother. Marth squeaked in surprise at the sudden embrace. "Marth!" Tears of happiness began to fill her eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry! Forgive me for being an awful sister!"

"Elice..." Marth hugged his sister back and rested his chin on her shoulder. He was still shorter than her. "You weren't an awful sister." He reassured. "I forgive you."

The rain pattered violently on the windows as Elice and Marth released each other from their embrace.

"Well, the rain hasn't stopped, so you'll be here for a while. Can you tell me how you escaped? What happened?" Elice asked.

Marth nodded. However, as he opened his mouth to begin his tale, the front door suddenly flew open as lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating two figures—a blue-haired man and woman—entering the home.

Author's Notes: Ishouldbestudyingnowbutnah.

Here's chapter 38! I managed to gain some free time, so here's this chapter! Testing technically begins in two weeks, so I may or may not be updating along with my dA account. (dA is definite. I've been pretty lazy in uploading drawings. Through, I may upload something and disappear again.)

Also,

Optional Story Questions:

All right, Marth's parents are in the scene. How do you think they are going to react?

Your best friend confessed being a murderer in the past. How would you react?

(Definitely optional) What do you think is going to happen in the next chapter? (Sorry for this question popping up all the time, but I always wonder what my readers predict about the story.)