Chapter 30: Perfect

A/N: Well that was a really long wait. Sorry! Why'd it happen, you ask? Well, I kinda lost all motivation to write and wanted to take a bit of a break.

For three reasons; the first being not knowing what I wanted to do with this chapter, second being a resurged interest in old games and getting new AMAZING games to play, and the last being... well...

I'm absolutely terrified of having to write this story, now that there's romantic elements in it. I've never had to do this before, GAH!

It's a massive change from what I'm used to writing. I'm not exactly unfamiliar with romance, but... I've never seen it done from a first person perspective before, and most stories where I learned about how romance is written were centered entirely, or almost entirely, around said romantic interest, so I'm not sure how to balance it out for a more broadly-themed story..

... I wanted to get to this point for so long... so much so that I failed to realize just how unprepared I am for it.

I'm really worried I'm going to write it badly, perhaps badly enough that it ruins the rest of the story. Like for reference, here's my biggest worry: "Am I making his romantic self-reflections emotional enough? Or is it too much? Is it just right? How the hell would I know?!"

I'm really gonna need feedback on this. Lots of feedback. To either know that what I'm writing is okay, or to learn what to improve so that it will be okay.

So I'm not usually the type to beg for reviews, but if you've been wanting to leave one, now is the perfect time to do it. Hah...

Welp, enough about me wallowing in self-doubt. On with the chapter.

Some time had passed, and I now sat at a chair next to Zena, holding her hand in mine.

It still felt completely surreal.

I felt like I had to be dreaming.

It was too perfect. I get brought from my old world to a new, perfect place where life is never boring and I become a better person, I meet a perfect little girl who I eventually adopt to raise her like her own father couldn't, and I also meet the most amazing woman ever, and we fall in love with and confess those feelings to eachother in under a month.

... I still didn't get what I did to deserve such a perfect fate.

Possibly infinite amounts of people that could exist in this multiverse, and thus infinite amounts of people with hearts of diamond, and yet me, the antisocial, lazy, and irritable nobody gets singled out to be brought to a place where he can get everything he ever truly needed.

I just couldn't...

I couldn't understand...

What made me so special?!

"Markus?"

I snapped out of my daze and saw that Zena was staring at me in concern.

"Huh? Yeah?" I muttered.

"You look sad. What's wrong?" She asked.

I sighed.

"There's one thing that's been eating at me ever since I came here, that I was able to ignore before, but I can't now," I said, "With each event that happens, it just grows stronger and stronger."

She nodded sincerely. The look on her face invited me to tell her.

"Zena... why me?" I asked, "... What makes me so special to deserve all this? To deserve you?"

"Markus... I can't believe you need to even ask that..." She replied.

I let out a sigh. Of course she didn't get it, why would she? I supposed I'd have to explain.

"I was nobody before I came here. Literally no one. I wasn't even sure if I was a person anymore, just doing the exact same thing day in, day out without any change ever. I was more like a robot at that point," I said, "And there's got to be at least quadrillions of people out there in this vast universe, if not straight up infinite. I refuse to believe that there was no other person out there who'd deserve to be blessed with such an amazing life."

She shook her head.

"It's not about who deserves something the most, Markus," She said, "I think that you needed to be brought here. From what I've heard, your old home was no good for you."

I looked away and shook my head. My old life was boring, but at least I had quality of living. Other people don't.

"And you're telling me there was no other people who needed this fate more than me?" I replied, "In my old world, there's people starving. People dying. People whose lives are so horrible that they'd rather be dead than alive. If anything, that just makes me feel guilty."

"Maybe it isn't just about you," She said.

... Crap, was I being selfish?

"I'm not trying to be-"

"I don't mean it that way, Markus. You talk about how much it has done for you, being brought here... but take a moment to think about how much you've done for us. You saved the whole planet, remember?"

I didn't think of it that way...

"So you're saying... that me making this planet a better place, and making other people have better lives... that's what earned my right to come here?" I asked.

"Almost, but no. I'm saying that fate guided you here, as there's no other person anywhere, at any time, that could've changed so much for us," She said, "Or, at least..."

She reached over and placed a hand on my cheek, forcing me to look back at her.

The look of adoration in her eyes made me hesitate.

"There's no other person that could've changed so much for me."

... Really?

I meant that much to her?

As it sunk in, I found a smile creeping onto my face, and I felt my doubts fade away.

"Well, if you're so sure of it, then it must be true," I chuckled, "And I guess Hailey would probably say the same thing, huh?"

"You know it," She replied.

I sighed and sat down relaxedly.

"Then I guess it is a good thing I was brought here. For everyone," I said.

"And don't you ever forget it."

I looked over at her with a big grin.

"I won't."

She smiled back.

"Ah, there's that confidence of yours," She beamed.

I chuckled as she grabbed my hand again.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"It's me!" A certain little girl's voice shouted from the other side, "Can I come in?"

I looked at Zena, whose eyes were sparkling with excitement.

She really couldn't wait to tell her, couldn't she?

"Of course!" She replied.

The door opened, and Hailey strolled in.

"Hehe, sorry about having to leave," She giggled, "I had to... wait..."

She stopped, and her eyes narrowed.

"Hmm...," She said as a sly smile creeped onto her face, "What's got you both so happy? And-what's that? You're holding hands?"

Ah, of course she'd catch on instantly. We didn't even need to tell her, did we?

"Are you two...?"

I chuckled. She really was a genius.

"Clever girl. Took you like five seconds to figure it out," I laughed.

"No way! You two actually told eachother how you felt?"

"Yes... yes we did," Zena answered warmly.

Hailey squealed in delight and ran up to hug me.

"I TOLD you!" She shouted, "And what did you say?!"

"Yeah... yeah," I chuckled, "You were right. I'll be sure to do something to thank you for this."

"So you knew all along, huh? Mmm, I should've known. If anyone could figure it out, it's you," Zena laughed as she looked at Hailey, "A clever little girl like you could figure out anything."

Hailey was beaming with joy. It was truly a sight I'd never get tired of seeing.

She then looked at me.

"I guess we're gonna be spending a lot of time in Alpine Skyline now, huh?" She asked, "After she's recovered, I mean."

"More than we already do?" I replied.

"Uh-huh," She replied.

I smirked.

"There's a slight chance that I may spend every free moment I have there," I said, barely repressing a chuckle.

They both laughed.

"I'll be sure to make it worth your time," Zena replied.

"You already do," I said.

"I mean more worth it, love," She laughed.

Heh. I wondered what she'd do to achieve that.

I also wondered how our relationship would all play into our daily lives, what with Snatcher's jobs, our acting-

WAIT!

Ah, PECK! I'd completely forgotten.

There were two things I needed to do today: I needed to go to Alpine Skyline to return Malika's things and check up on everything, and...

The directors were probably wondering where we were, weren't they?

I'd made arrangements to meet with Conductor to go over his advice about being a father, and then I didn't show up.

Although, could you really blame me for forgetting, though, when the woman I loved nearly died?

I sighed. I really wanted to stay...

But there was always tomorrow, I supposed.

"Well... I really hate to say it, but... there were some things I wanted to get done today," I muttered, "People I need to meet with and whatnot. There was something I forgot about, too."

Zena sighed.

"You're really leaving so soon?" She asked sadly.

I threw my arms up in misery.

"I don't really have a choice..." I replied.

She then shook her head and sighed.

"Well, at least I have these wonderful flowers to liven things up here," She said, "Thank you again for that."

I smirked. She really did love them, didn't she?

Hailey then perked up.

"I know!" She said, "I'll stay here and keep her company!"

... Oh?

"You would really do that?" Zena asked.

"Of course! You're awesome!" Hailey beamed, "And we can talk about things that we wouldn't want him hearing!"

A look of mischief came to both their faces.

"Very true," Zena replied.

... What?

What did that even-

I shook the thought out of my head. Not worth the effort.

"I'll never understand girls," I grumbled to myself, "Hailey, you sure you'll be okay here by yourself?"

"I won't be by myself," She replied with a smirk.

I frowned as I realized the stupidity of my last statement.

"Well yeah, but-ah, whatever," I muttered, "You can handle yourself, I should know that by now. But you have a Time Piece to get back to the ship on your own, right?"

"I always do," She replied.

I put a hand to my chin. She had a way to get back. And... well, now that I thought about it, it was true that they hadn't really had many opportunities to talk with eachother without me in the way... simply because, well, every time we'd gone to visit her, I stuck with her like glue. So giving them a chance to have a moment to themselves seemed fair.

"Be back at the ship before sunset, alright?" I told Hailey, "I won't be happy if I have to go look for you."

She gave me an assured nod, which satisfied me.

"Well, Zena, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow," I sighed.

I found myself smiling again as I looked at her radiant eyes one last time.

"I promise I'll stay longer tomorrow. I'll make absolutely sure that nothing gets in my way," I vowed.

She smiled warmly.

"That sounds nice," She said, "Just don't do anything rash to keep that promise, okay?"

"Of course," I replied, "Since when am I ever rash?"

Hailey snorted, and Zena raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"... Okay, maybe I am sometimes, but I'd say it's a pretty rare occurence," I deadpanned, "Anyway, I'll be going now. I'll see you both later."

They both smiled and waved as I left the room.

I took a deep breath.

"Well, that wasn't exactly how I was expecting today's visit to go," I said, "I'm gonna have to do something special for her when she's out of here. She deserves it."

I then shrugged.

"But that can wait," I muttered as I began walking, "I have places to be."

I left the building and returned to the ship.

Now... where would I head first...?

Alpine Skyline? Or Dead Bird Studio?

I shook my head, already knowing the answer.

Alpine Skyline could wait. Getting back in touch with the directors seemed higher priority.

So, I meandered over to the Machine Room and teleported down to the studio with the telescope.

I quickly walked in and waved at the receptionist, who didn't even say anything before calling down the two birds.

While I waited, he turned to me.

"Conductor was expecting you yesterday, you know," He said, "And where's the girl?"

"I know... things happened," I muttered, "Hailey also wanted to stay and keep a friend of ours company."

He nodded.

"I'm gonna assume that's her name? Well, it makes sense to me," He replied, "You sure she'll be alright without your supervision?"

"She's very independent for her age, you know," I said, "She's more mature than a lot of adults I used to know."

"Really?" He questioned, "She either must be really mature, or you knew some very questionable people."

I pondered my memories, thinking of all the people I knew throughout my old life.

A frown came to my face as I thought of a few bad apples that were... quite questionable.

"Well... I guess both, but more the former," I muttered, "She is still a kid, though, I've had to give her an earful a few times. But only, like, twice, which for her age is something else."

"You can say that again," He agreed, "Wish my kids were like that..."

I smirked.

"They'll learn," I said.

"I sure hope so," He sighed, "Seems like everything I say goes through one ear and out the other with them."

"How old are they?" I asked.

"Oldest one is seven, youngest one is five," He replied.

"Ah. So they're still pretty young. Well, in that case, you just gotta set them a good example," I said, "I was quite a nasty kid when I was younger, but I had great parents who knew exactly what morals to teach me and how, when to put me in my place, and whatever else, and now here I am."

He nodded.

"I bet you'll be a pretty good parent too, then, when the time comes," He said.

I smirked. I forgot that he didn't know. Either way, it was very reassuring.

"I hope so," I replied.

A whistling noise chirped out from behind me.

"Laddie! Get over here!"

I looked over my shoulder to see Conductor and Grooves standing at the left set of double doors, Conductor waving manically at me.

"Well, guess that's my cue," I muttered, "See you later."

"Have fun," The receptionist replied.

I walked over to the two directors, and we walked into the studio.

I supposed it was finally time to hear Conductor's wisdom.

A/N: Well, I guess that's that. Markus still has some self-doubt, some hesitation, he probably always will, but now he has two amazing people to reassure him that he's right where he belongs, that he's doing what's best for everyone. As well as all of his friends, of course, but to a lesser extent.

Speaking of those two... I wonder what Hailey and Zena will discuss? We'll never know for sure, but it seems pretty safe to assume they'll talk about a bunch of girl things. It'll be a nice bonding moment for them.

I also thought it'd be nice to include a little chat with the receptionist, because I haven't given him and other side characters that much importance, which is a bit unjustified given how few there are.

I think I did a decent job with it. But again, please give me feedback on the romance! It will help me write it better, and I want this story to be as high of quality as possible.

... Welp, on with the reviews!

Xenuro: Glad you liked it. And glad you're back. Trust me, buddy, it's still gonna be awhile before this story finishes. I'd suggest sticking around for it, hehe.

Also I SINCERELY doubt this fandom is dying any time soon.

Heck, people still write fanfictions for Cave Story! (Oh... right. I have unfinished business with that one...) That game is 15 years old! So, good games' communities never die. And we all know that AHiT is far beyond just 'good'.

So, be sure to check the fandoms for your favourite games every now and then, even if you haven't seen any activity in a while. You never know what you might find.

Thanks for the review.

Now, for the next chapter, fun times with funny yellow bird man, and maybe some other stuff as well.

I'll see you all then.