Author Note: And so the side stories ends!!!! Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the third arc, the traitors arc. Now we have a chapter that's more than nothing a break from the action, if I keep giving these guys more battle after battle their heads will explode! So I decided to make a chapter that will act as a break for them (I hope it's funny). Enjoy and review.

Heroes needs break

Every smasher seemed to have a downwards gaze when I told them that I killed Roy. It was not that they were really close to him, but it was the lost of a comrade anyway. I sighed and took the word.

"So" I said trying to recall the whole events narrated by Peach "You lived in a fake world until Lex took you out to see a gory reality in which you suffered and lived pretty hard times. So, as humans only seemed to promise you pain you decided to make a rebellion, but Mario, Fox and Samus opposed, then you were sent scattered around the whole world and Wolf is the "lord" of many smashers because he got power by eating Lex heart. Is that right?"

"It is" Peach confirmed "It was so gory when I saw Wolf giving Roy a heart, so I decided to get away from there. There's no way I could be ok with something like that"

"You said you were prepared to kill" I reminded her.

"I have my limits"

"Leaving that aside, I must say one thing to you mom" I stared at her. She took the chance to explain a lot of things while Peach narrated her past "Now I understand why you have been acting so strict with Melanie and why you didn't spend time with me, but don't think I will be able to forgive it"

"I understand" she answered me with a sigh "I don't expect you to forgive me Matthew, but I don't hold any regrets, because I want that the both of you get the chance to live a long life"

"Ok" Robert said. He joined us a few minutes ago, while Peach was talking "I didn't catch the whole thing, but let's take a rest from it. We are exhausted, we had almost one entire day fighting on the subspace and I think we need a well deserved break"

We all nodded, but I knew there were many things to check. I had to arrange things with Bowser; he still wanted his compensation and his help alongside with Wario's depended on it. Also, I promised Link to help Ash to rescue Pikachu. I still had to know about Lucas, see how to put the smashers that we held at trophies form to our side and let Mario have his time with Peach. Many things to do, but everyone were too tire to care, it had been the hell of a day and the sunset finally covered the skies. Maquiel, Link and Ash were still sleeping. Gabriel on the other side was conscious, but he couldn't move, the effects of Falco's glare were still on him. I was scared, I didn't want to think that Falco would be able to take over him the same way Wolf did with me, making me enjoy killing Roy and destroying the subspace. Robert was right, we needed a break.

Bowser decided to rest outside the house on the garden; he tried to put the door back, but it was useless the only thing he could do was to fit it, but it couldn't be moved. Melanie and Peach shared room again, while Lucas and Wario stayed on the couch. I got to my room and I finally sighed. I couldn't be happier to see my bed as in that moment. I let myself fall face down and I stared the wall, while I wondered about everything.

I wasn't strong enough to take on Wolf, which was proved. His power was insane, not even the whole bunch of us could open a single injury in his body. It was frustrating, thinking of dealing with such a mighty enemy. But so was Sonic at the time, and so was Roy... maybe I would figure it out as well, he was only an enemy I needed to take down and I would eventually, I just expected I could do it without many casualties. I convinced myself that I could do it, but I didn't deny that I needed to use my powers better and improve. There was also the thing that I feared him, whenever he gets close to me, he would take control of me, and my whole body would almost surrender to him. That also was something that really concerned me, why was something like that happening? He said that Lex led him to me, and that we were already bonded, but I didn't understand the whole concept of it. I sighed, I wanted to know the truth, but every time I seemed to get close to it, it just would slip from my hands and go away. Then it came to think of others topic. Life still went on here. I was at only one month to give my exam for the college admission, and I had my test for third Dan the next week; so many things to do, and so less time. I had to save the world, enter college and pass to third Dan, not to mention what I had to do in order to maintain an alliance. So hard, and I already foresaw news pointing us as public enemies. It wouldn't be easy, as soon as the subspace was destroyed the Earth was decided as the battlefield and humans would interfere. They would come with their bombs, bullets and more to handle the smashers. It was all out war now.

I eventually fell asleep, I was too tired of thinking and acting, I needed to rest. I didn't dream anything, but I heard voices; I was staring at a black background while hearing different voices. Then, I started dreaming, and I saw something that concerned me. I was a spectator, but it was my body fighting in someplace I didn't know, it looked like cavern dungeon. I couldn't recognize who I was fighting with, but I could see once again the murderous expression I held at killing Roy.

I woke up suddenly and I knew it wasn't over. Even with Maquiel's speech the terror of becoming a murderer was still there, chasing me down. I sighed. I took a look at the past and I remember how vanity was one of my most notable aspects. Now it seemed really far away, or maybe I could not see it right now. It would come back eventually, I knew it, but back then I felt destroyed.

"Come on, Matthew! You can't be regretting forever"

"Dad never forgot any single face of the men he killed" I replied "Neither could I, it's terrible"

"Maquiel's right, we all prefers you arrogant"

"You've told me that before"

"And it seems you need a repetition. I'm here to support you. Just as what happened in the research facility, I can help you with the burden of having killed"

"If you say so"

"Now sleep, and please don't get more nightmares, they are annoying to me too, you know? We are both tired and will have a hard day dealing with everything"

"You're right. I must sleep some more..."

And so I did. I didn't know if it was because of Mario's words but I didn't have any nightmares at all that time.

Eight hours later I saw my watch after waking up. It was 6:30 A.M, and it was Friday. I already lost too many days at school, I had to present for the testes or I would ruin the semester. I would fix everything with the smashers when I got back home, but now I had to go to school.

I went to take a shower, I got dry, dressed up on my uniform and I went to eat my breakfast. There I saw how Gabriel, Maquiel and Robert were the same. Maquiel was having troubles with her uniform, the trousers were too wide for her and the shirt was too tight for her breast. Gabriel and Robert were wearing mines, Robert had the trouble it was too tight for him and Gabriel that it was too wide. I sat next to them with a bowl of cereal and milk.

"Morning Matthew" Maquiel greeted me.

"Morning" Gabriel and Robert replied.

"Yeah, hello" I replied "So, I see you guys are going to school too"

"I would usually go with my usual outfit, but as it's dirty your mom only could give me your uniform" he explained as he devoured the bread "Seriously! How can you handle using uniform? You should go to a school in which you could choose your outfit... now I'll have to handle laughs all day"

"I though you didn't care what others thinks" Maquiel said.

"I don't, but it's annoying anyway" Robert replied.

"So guys" I said afterward "How are you feeling?"

"Awful" Gabriel replied immediately "I didn't sleep quite well. Not only I spent most of the night wondering why I felt with no control of my body when Falco glared at me, but I had to handle Robert's snoring too"

"I don't snore!" Robert protested.

"Yes, you do" Maquiel testified "I should have slept with Melanie and Peach... however, what's done it's done..."

"Today we have a biology test" I announced.

"You're kidding!" Gabriel protested "Wouldn't they give us credit for saving the world?"

"If they knew maybe, but I think they would send us to a research facility first" Maquiel answered with a slightly laugh "So, we'll have to pass the exam, figure out how to fight Wolf's army and keep our alliance with the smashers. It's going to be the hell of a party"

"You got it right" I replied as I finished the bowl.

The house was silent and empty, surely the smashers overslept, after all they were tired too, and they all had different things to do. I also needed the chance to talk with Salaric, he said he wanted to have a word with me and so did I, after all he was holding the soul of one of my enemies who could become a useful ally.

We didn't talk for a while; we focused on eating as we were starving. I thought that Robert would eat even the table, he was devouring everything it was on fridge, and maybe his appetite was the affinity he had with Yoshi. When we all finished it was 7:30 A.M, time to go. We got out of the house and I sighed looking at the destroyed door, what would we do with it? Robert had to take it down with a kick in order to get out. Well, muggers didn't really trouble me; they would be in a house full of super heroes and villains, so the mugger would not have a chance.

Robert followed us until the end of the street and he kept moving forward, while we turned to the left. I was staring at the ground with some kind of tired gaze. My right foot crashed with a stone and I felt over the concrete. My head hit the floor and I complained immediately.

"Holy shit!" I said "It was just what I needed"

"Are you ok?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine" I said sighing as I got up "I've survived after my abdomen got pierced, this won't kill, and it is only annoying"

"Well, maybe you needed it" I glared at Maquiel "You need to snap out of your depression; you've been like that ever since... well you know"

"It's not a taboo Maquiel, you can say it"

"I rather not" she answered "But I know what we all need! We need a normal day!"

"Normal day?" Gabriel asked considering what that meant "Now that you mention the last time we got a normal day was.... before we turned into smashers"

"That's right!" she answered "We need one of those days! You know, school, hanging out, sports, and everything. Why can't we have a day off for once? Not turning into Mario, Fox and Samus, but being just the usual normal people we are; a day only for Matthew, Gabriel and Maquiel"

"Oh, I wanted a day off ever since the research facility incident!" Gabriel said now happily considering a break "Let's do it! The world is not going to fall apart just for one day off"

"I wonder..." I replied.

"Oh, come on Matthew!" Maquiel said grabbing my arm cheerfully "I'll treat you to the movies"

"Do you mean you pay?"

"Yes"

"Then count on me"

"Cough, cough... greedy Matthew... cough, cough..."

"I heard you Gabriel"

The three of us laughed and then we got to school. Our classmates were surprised to see me, I was certainly a good time off school, far more than Gabriel and Maquiel, after all I got one week recovering from the battle I hold with Robert when we made that old bet, and then I missed some days afterward to go to the research facility and then to the subspace. Probably they would have thought I was dead. But here I was, and once again they started the gossips about that I and Maquiel were dating. I sighed, those stupid gossips, it felt like seventh grade all way over (don't ask about seventh grade).

So classes started as usual, biology test, easy for me who already knew the concepts (thanks to my curiosity of searching biology on wikipedia) and it was the hell for Maquiel and Gabriel who hadn't studied a thing since... well, I don't know. After the test the bell ringed and I saw how Maquiel and Gabriel were lying on their desk depressed, did I look like that when I was depressed? I understood why Maquiel and Mario were always so set to get me out of the depression, those faces were so pathetic.

The whole day passed as a usual day, math class was skipped as a new replacement teacher was being looked for, after all Salaric location was a mystery for the whole school. The day of the school ended and Gabriel went back home, surely he wanted to talk with his mother, that day she had a day off.

Maquiel grabbed my arm and smiled.

"So now, you're mine for the next five hours"

"Five? How long is the movie?"

"Did you think I would only take you to the movies?"

"So will you pay anything we want to do?"

"Quite..."

"I'm yours for the next five hours"

She laughed and she took me with her, who would have declined an offer like that? It was a free day, and Maquiel had a lot of money, after all she spent the whole winter vacation working and saving money, so she could use it now as she liked. And I was impressed of how much money she made, when we arrived to the cinema I saw how her wallet hold so much money, just what kind of work did she have? At any rate, she made me watch a random comedy movie. It was one and a half hour of nonsense, but I got to admit I laughed at it. Then we got out and she made me go to a coffee.

There she bought so many things, cookies, ice cream, milk shake, cakes... the table was full.

"Since when do you have Robert's stomach?"

"Oh, this is for both of us" she clarified "So you better help me eat the whole of it"

"Don't you think you overdo a little?"

"Maybe, but it's been so long since I eat any of this! I couldn't resist"

"Man, you're going to hell over gluttony"

"At least I won't go alone"

That was a sick joke for me. I didn't know if there was such a thing as hell, but I felt like going to it anyway. Just as when I turned aside, I felt how Maquiel slapped me.

"What was that for?"

"You're too tense" she replied "That's not the idea of a day of. Now, hear me well Matthew, you either eat or get eat; if you know what I mean"

I took a deep breath and then took one cookie. It was a long time since I tasted it, it was kind of nostalgic being in a coffee, chatting about something that wasn't exactly plans to avoid tragedy, feeling that finally I could relax a little. We spent around an hour and a half in talking until Maquiel finally asked.

"So, I have something I've wanted to ask"

"What is it?"

"I'll go straight for it" the words were for her, I could notice how she was blushing, but I denied the idea my head gave me "Do you remember what I told you when I took you over Sonic two days ago?"

I surely remembered it. At that time she said she liked me, but I knew it was a lie. Probably she wanted to explain it and apologize.

"You don't have to explain anything"

"Ok, I won't" she sighed "But, was it true what you said?"

"What did I say?"

"That... you couldn't care the least about me..."

"Did you hear that?"

"We were watching the whole thing, and we also listened" she seemed more embarrassed as she talked-. So, is it true Matthew? Because you know, I see you as a friend, and I want to know if you see me as a friend too.

"Of course I do!" now I was the one who was blushing "You know... those words were empty words... Wolf's words! Definitely his words... because I do care about you"

I saw that she blushed even more and so I did hurrying to correct.

"I do care about you, because you're my friend... I mean, you trust me, you help me out even if I declined to be part of your justice league... and I..."

"And you?"

We stared at each other. I felt that my heart was beating fast.

"Go for her and kiss her!"

"Shut it Mario!" I didn't realize that I say that out loud and felt really embarrassed when the whole people at the coffee stared at me. I laughed as I sat down again "Sorry, Mario made stupid comment"

"What did he say?"

"You don't want to know"

"Kiss her dumb ass! You know you feel attracted! Or are you afraid? Will you lose your chance like this? Look at her, you should notice; after all you're a genius at reading expressions. She would totally jump of the seat and kiss you, but she's waiting for you to do it!"

"Shut it Mario!" I said once again, but this time mentally "I won't let you confuse me"

"Oh, you don't need me to confuse that mind of yours"

It was true, I was already too confused. And then I felt how Maquiel's finger touched mines. I felt like I was going to freak out, my whole body bristled, and she got her hands off me. She smiled.

"I said five hours, but three is ok" she said smiling as she checked the bill and paid "We have Judo in one hour after all! We completely forgot!"

"I'm not going" my words surprised her "I lost a bet, with Robert. Until I beat him I won't go again"

"Will you leave over such a stupid thing?"

"Man pride"

"That's a yes" she said as she stood up and walked to the exit. I followed her "I'm glad to see you were able to relax a little bit. You don't have to hold the burden by yourself... I can help somehow! If you feel like not working, you can tell me"

"Thanks Maquiel, I really appreciate" I really did, and I didn't realize that I was grabbing her hands "I'm counting on you"

She smiled and she walked away.

"Asshole"

"Would you shut up?" I asked.