Author's Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Bros or any of the characters involved in it. I am earning no profit from this story, other than the enjoyment of writing it and sharing it with others! I hope you all enjoy reading it!

"Well, then," Snake said, shaking his head slowly. "Shall we keep playing?"

Cloud nodded, glancing at his cards and barely resisting the urge to scowl. These were truly terrible. Maybe he should give bluffing a shot. It had seemed to-

Alarm bells started blaring. Cloud startled, his eyes searching for the source of the sound. He located speakers in every corner of the room and deduced that the noise was being played from them. But why? Was there a fire or something?

"Master Hand wants us," Sheik said tersely. "Come." She and the others put their cards face down on the table and left the bar with no hesitation. Cloud followed, unsure what Master Hand would want them for.

"Usually it's just to announce the next two fighters," Samus explained as they walked up the stairs. "Whoever's fighting has to go get ready, and whoever isn't just goes on with their day."

Cloud nodded.

They reached the top of the staircase and found that everyone else was already there. All of the other fighters were scattered about the main room. All of them were facing Master Hand, who was floating in the center of the room, waiting for all of his captives to arrive, it seemed. And everyone was bowing before their cursed master. Everyone. Even Young Link, who had seemed so bold back up in Cloud's room was now down on one knee. The kid was visibly shaking, unspoken anger carved into his expression, but he was doing it all the same.

"Get down," Fox ordered, also lowering himself to his knees. Cloud's new companions too bowed, and Cloud was left as the only one standing.

Do not resist, Mewtwo advised him from across the room.

"I'm not just submitting," Cloud whispered.

"Don't be an idiot," Snake said sharply. "He'll hurt you."

"Like I've never been hurt before," Cloud snapped.

"Bow, Cloud Strife," Master Hand commanded, displeasure dripping from his voice.

Cloud remained standing. "Make me."

Master Hand snickered. "With pleasure." He raised one finger, and Cloud shuddered as his vision flashed static-blue. His head pounded, and his eyes burned. No...how could…? Just like Sephiroth with the Black Materia...Master Hand could control him.

"Bow before me, puppet," Master Hand demanded.

Cloud grit his teeth, raising his hands to his head and clawing at his face. Agony burned through all of his senses, his vision was flashing white and blue, and his body no longer felt like his. Despite his protests, despite his best efforts, his own body didn't listen. It was like he was back in the Forgotten City with Aerith sitting before him. He had no choice but to kneel. It physically pained him, his every resistance earning him another scorching burst of agony, but he didn't let up. Slowly, painfully, Cloud fell to one knee. His hands fell from his head and lay limply at his side. He lowered his head, vision still lost on him, his eyes staring blankly at the floor, the green flecks within his naturally blue irises swirling with a rapid malevolence.

Nervous whispering occupied the rest of the room.

"-control him without the drug?"

"Is he okay?"

"Look at his eyes."

"We thought he was so strong."

Rage pushed through Cloud's unending agony. His Limit threatened to break, blue flames igniting around his body. But because he wasn't in control of himself, it simply wouldn't do him any good. He was still just an empty puppet, even though he now had a different master.

Cloud's knee touched the floor and Master Hand's pressing control left him. He was left with the choice to remain kneeling or stand up, but everything hurt and he felt dizzy and exhausted and he could hardly keep his eyes open. So he remained on one knee, his rage sputtering out and being replaced with shame. Everyone was staring at him. Why wouldn't they be? Look at how useless he was.

"Next time, you best do it yourself," Master Hand warned. "Now, onto more important matters. Today's combatants are Sheik and Pit, and the fight starts in ten minutes." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Sheik demanded the second Master Hand was gone.

"Fine," Cloud muttered, pushing away her offered hand and standing up. "What about you?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "I better get going. Wouldn't want to be late." She turned to head upstairs, and Cloud didn't bother questioning it. He was suddenly very tired, and his head was still aching slightly. He just wanted to go take a nap.

"I had a fight last week!" an annoyed, young voice declared, accompanied by heavy footsteps marching towards Cloud.

Cloud turned around. The winged boy who'd been speaking with Palutena earlier was walking across the room, declaring his anger to Young Link, who was walking with him.

"What? You thought this was supposed to be fair?" Young Link snickered. "Get a grip, Pit. Master Hand does whatever he wants. Now go get dressed or you're really in for it."

Pit nodded dejectedly, pushing past Cloud and heading up the stairs, his white wings fluttering in irritation despite Young Link's words.

Young Link watched him walk upstairs, his hands on his hips and a scowl on his face. He glanced at Cloud, raising an eyebrow. "Since I'm here, what happened to you?"

"I'm fine," Cloud muttered.

Young Link shook his head slowly. "Obviously you aren't. How did Master Hand do that? He's never been able to control us without that injection. What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Cloud said simply. "He can't do it to you, if that's what you're so concerned about."

"Oh, so you're special?" Young Link pushed. "What makes you vulnerable to it?"

Is he bothering you? Mewtwo's voice broadcasted into Cloud's head. Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud could see the creature watching him and Young Link closely.

"I'm fine," Cloud replied.

"Stop being stubborn," Young Link went on. "Come on. What are you really? Because you're nothing like the humans around here. Those weird eyes, that crazy sword. I mean, how much does that thing weigh? Don't tell me you can hold it in one hand."

Cloud clenched his jaw.

He's bothering you, Mewtwo decided for him, leaving his corner and floating towards the pair.

"So, come on," Young Link was saying. "Just tell me. I'm only curious, you know. I just-hey!" he cried out, kicking for the floor as he was lifted off the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest as Mewtwo came to stand beside Cloud, the creature's eyes glowing brightly.

"Oh, so Mewtwo likes you?" Young Link went on, deciding not to care that he wasn't standing on solid ground. "Mewtwo's never liked anyone. Not even Ash, and he's an expert on those things called Pokemon." Young Link's eyes narrowed. "Wait. Mewtwo is a clone of Mew. And not...quite...a successful one. Almost, but not quite. Isn't that right, Mewtwo?"

Mewtwo narrowed his eyes, and Young Link cried out as he was lifted higher off the ground. A fall from this height wouldn't feel good, that was for sure. But Young Link kept on talking anyway. Cloud had to admire the kid's persistence. Even if it was only going to end up getting him hurt in this instance. "Mewtwo doesn't talk to anyone," Young Link continued. "But suddenly he's attached to you. You know one thing that we don't have a lot of here, Cloud Strife? We've got Hylians and humans and Pokemon and dragons and all kinds of things. But you know what we haven't got?"

"What?" Cloud asked impatiently. He had half a mind to give Mewtwo permission to drop the kid on his head.

"Science experiments," Young Link sneered. Loud enough for everyone in the room to hear it. Of course, Mewtwo's antics had drawn the attention of most people in the room. But Young Link's statement caused everyone to freeze. All eyes were on Cloud to see how he would react to that bold assumption.

Cloud's blood turned to ice in his veins. Memories he'd rather leave forgotten flashed through his mind. That cursed tube and the intoxicating scent of liquid mako. Being half-conscious as Hojo pressed a syringe into his arm. Random sequences of partial awareness as Zack dragged him around the continent for four years. Science experiment. Cloud only wished he could look Young Link in the eyes and tell him he was wrong.

Instead, he just turned around and walked away without another word. Behind him, he heard Young Link grunt as Mewtwo released him and he fell to the ground. But he didn't care about that. He needed...he needed to take a nap. Get rid of his lingering headache and give him a chance to simmer down. He passed Sheik in the hall, but didn't respond to her cordial greeting. He walked back to his room, which he remembered being on the third floor. He found the door labeled Cloud Strife and stepped inside, pulling the door closed behind him.

He rested the Buster Sword against the wall, sitting on his bed and running his hands through his hair. He stared at the sword for a long time. Then he sighed to himself, laid down in his bed on top of the covers, and fell asleep quickly.

…

He woke up a few hours later to the sound of someone knocking at his door. Momentarily groggy, he wondered if Tifa needed something. But then awareness returned to him and he remembered that Tifa was not here. He sat up in his bed, contemplating ignoring the knock and just going back to bed. But he really wasn't tired anymore, and he should probably not sleep any longer if he didn't want to be awake all night.

"Cloud?" a voice that Cloud didn't recognize called through the door. "Are you in there?"

Cloud got up off his bed and opened the door. The young woman that Young Link seemed to like so much was there. And so was Young Link himself. Cloud moved to slam the door in his face, but the girl put her hand in the doorframe, and Cloud couldn't bring himself to hurt her.

"I'm Zelda," she introduced. "I heard Young Link was harassing you earlier. So now he's here to apologize."

"Come on, Zel'," Young Link whined. "It's dinner time. I'd like to eat tonight, you know? And I'm sure Cloud would too."

"Snake has his portion," Zelda said. "But yours is up for grabs. So do this quickly and you can go eat."

Cloud had to snicker at Young Link being scolded.

Young Link rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I'm sorry I was mean to you, Cloud. Am I excused?"

Zelda sighed heavily. "Oh, very well." Young Link turned and almost ran down the stairs.

Zelda remained in Cloud's doorway. "I'm sure you're hungry," she said. "It's been a long day, hasn't it?"

"I don't need your pity," Cloud said, grabbing the Buster Sword and pushing past her.

"And I'm not offering it," Zelda promised. "I simply wanted to apologize for him, because you know he didn't mean a word of that. He doesn't...he doesn't intend to be unkind. But sometimes he comes off that way."

"I'm not some kid who needs consoling," Cloud said sharply, unsure what she wanted from him. No doubt she still heard Young Link's accusation ringing in her mind. Science experiment. That was all Cloud was. Did Zelda believe that too?

Zelda glanced at him. "If you'd rather I leave you alone, then have it your way. But just know that whatever may have happened to you before, the actions of others don't define who you are. Even if you were experimented on, that doesn't take away your free will to choose who you-"

"It obviously does," Cloud objected, no longer bothering to deny his true identity. "Master Hand can control me without that drug. He's not the only one. Free will. I haven't had that in seven years."

Zelda sighed. "I suppose."

They walked in silence the rest of the way down the stairs. When they reached the main room, Zelda waved goodbye before going and sitting next to Young Link, who greeted her with a cold glare. Shulk laughed at him, Zelda smiled softly, and Young Link gave up pretending to be mad.

Cloud came and sat next to Snake. The older man had saved him both a seat and a portion of food. Sheik was sitting across from him, and she greeted Cloud with a nod. "You alright?" Cloud asked, trying to take some of the attention off himself.

"Fine," she assured him. She didn't look injured. Cloud assumed somebody had gotten her a potion after the fight in whatever manner he'd been given one when he woke up.

"How about you?" Samus asked. "We all heard what happened with you and Young Link. News like that spreads fast around here."

Cloud sighed. "I don't want to talk about it."

"It's not bad to be a science experiment," Snake said. "I'm a clone of somebody else, you know."

Cloud glanced at him, surprised.

"And I had the DNA of another race injected into me," Samus added.

"Then why would Mewtwo not-" Cloud began.

Their experiments were successful, Mewtwo answered. Ours were not. They were not treated brutally. They were not stuck in those tubes for years, regarded as not living beings but personal property. Samus Aran and Solid Snake are science experiments, but not like us.

Author's Note: I hope that's correct information. Sorry if it isn't, I've never played Metroid or Metal Gear.

"Oh," Cloud said.

"He talking to you again?" Fox asked.

Cloud nodded. "He likes me."

"What really happened to you?" Samus asked. "You don't have to answer, but...Snake and I can understand."

Cloud sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair. "I might as well tell you. I was injected with cells from another being named Jenova. Jenova was discovered in a 2,000 year old slab of rock, and the scientists of my world preserved her as best they could, eventually choosing to inject certain test subjects with the cells that survived. I was kept in a lab for a long time, and after the procedure I fell into a coma for four years."

"Did they just treat you like an animal in that lab?" Fox asked.

Cloud nodded. "Pretty much. My memory is...pretty bad...but I remember being measured a lot. I spent most of my time in this cryogenic tube. Mostly I was just left in there while the Jenova cells spread through my whole body. At some point they were going to wake me up and test on me, I'm sure. But my best friend broke me out before that could happen."

"That's...horrible," Samus admitted.

Cloud shrugged. "It is what it is."

"Why do Jenova cells allow Master Hand to control you?" Snake asked.

"I don't know," Cloud admitted. "But he's not the only one. Anyone with a connection to Jenova can control me. He probably just figured out how to simulate the cells or something. With being able to capture a god, I wouldn't be surprised."

"And Mewtwo is like that as well, correct?" Sheik asked. "We just know what Ash has told us. Evidently the two met in some cave in their world. Strictly speaking, Mewtwo is Ash's Pokemon, but the two don't seem to talk much."

Ash treats me well, Mewtwo jumped in. But I prefer your company.

"We just met," Cloud objected. "Why me over him?"

You understand. You can relate. You are something like me.

"I get that we're similar," Cloud agreed. "But why is that so important?"

Mewtwo didn't answer in words. Cloud shivered as he received image transmissions. Scientists staring into Mewtwo's test tube. Their faces pressed against the glass, asking him questions that didn't mean anything. Dark, lonely nights with no one around and absolute silence save for the constant whirring of the machine that kept the liquid in the tube properly filtered.

"Stop showing me things like that!" Cloud exclaimed. He'd seen enough of it in his own life.

The connection faltered. It is important to me that we are similar because those images make you angry. Most people respond to them with pity or disgust. You respond with remembrance and familiarity. It makes it...easier to bear...knowing I am not so terribly alone and so horribly inhuman.

Cloud paused. The others sitting around him just kept eating, trying to ignore him talking basically to himself. "You compare yourself to a person?"

Don't you?

Cloud couldn't think of anything to say to that.

The rest of the meal was eaten mostly in silence. If anything, Cloud could be relieved that his companions did not immediately hate him for who he was. He had explained what happened to him. And they were still sitting next to him. Maybe they were alright. And as for Mewtwo...it wasn't like Cloud hadn't discussed his treatment with Vincent before. This wasn't so different. It was clear that the Pokemon was unsure how to talk with someone else, but sometimes Cloud wasn't either according to Tifa.

Did I hurt your feelings?

"No," Cloud replied. "You just...gave me some things to think about."

Mewtwo mentally nodded, and then the connection was terminated. Everyone finished eating, and Cloud followed the general crowd as they drifted back upstairs to their rooms for bed. He waved goodnight to Samus, Sheik, Snake, and Fox, and then he climbed into his new bed. It had been a long day.

But maybe tomorrow would be better. Awkward introductions were over. He had some tentative companions here, and maybe he could bring up trying to get out. His half-closed eyes landed on the Buster Sword resting patiently against the wall. "I saw an angel today, Zack," Cloud whispered to no one in particular. "Maybe I should talk to him tomorrow. That's what you'd do."

The blade's cold steel glinted in the shifting moonlight.

"You'd probably be a lot better here than me," Cloud admitted. The SOLDIER could get along with anyone, Cloud remembered. He laughed easily and always had a smile at the ready. Even as he'd died, he'd had a smile on his face. Cloud had often envied Zack's apparent happiness. It was something that even now he hadn't found.

"Who're you talking to in there?" Young Link's voice called through the door.

"Not you!" Cloud called back.

Deciding that Cloud was awake, Young Link opened the door without being invited. Cloud sat up in bed, glaring at the child. "What do you want now?" Cloud demanded.

Young Link sat casually on the foot of the bed, crossing his arms over his chest. "I was listening to you at dinner. When you were talking about Jenova and all that."

"So you're here to poke at me again?" Cloud concluded.

"No. I'm here to apologize," Young Link said. "For real. Without Zelda making me. I don't know why I was so pushy today. I'm not ever the most...considerate person. But I can be better than that. Anyway, I have no excuse for why I was so rude. Mewtwo did the right thing, throwing me across the room. I have half a mind to go thank him for it after I'm done with you."

"Get to the point," Cloud suggested.

"Sure. I'm sorry I made such a big deal about you being tested on," Young Link said. "Where I come from, stuff like that doesn't happen. We lack the technology to do it. I didn't know what a gun was when I first got here. So to be around people like you and Mewtwo and even Saums who are just...born from something else is so weird. But I have no right to think like that. I shouldn't hate you for what you are. You didn't ask for it, and it doesn't sound like you appreciated it. I don't quite get it, and I'm not used to not getting things, so I guess I lashed out. But whatever. I really am sorry. And if you ever need dirt on me, I'm sure you can get some from Mewtwo. I deserve it."

Cloud nodded slowly. "It's alright, kid. Trust me, you're not the first person I've ever met who reacted with disgust. I did too, when I figured it out. My memory was kind of messed up for a long time, but when I got it all back...I wanted nothing to do with myself." He shook his head quickly. "Anyway, I'm not mad. Mewtwo got revenge for me, and I'll be alright now. You ought to head onto bed. It's late."

Young Link nodded. "Okay. Thanks." He glanced up at Cloud. "Uh, can I ask a question?"

Cloud didn't reply. He just waited to see if Young Link would go on or not.

"You know what? Maybe I'll ask tomorrow," Young Link decided. "I think I've bothered you enough for today."

"Good decision," Cloud praised, turning to lie back down. "See you tomorrow."

"Get to breakfast early," Young Link advised. "Anything not immediately claimed gets eaten."

"Noted," Cloud replied.

Young Link left him then, closing the door behind him and walking back down the stairs. Cloud fell asleep soon after that.