Immeasurable

Chapter One: Intruiged

"She's quite the interesting one, isn't she?"

Zelda started, brushing back a couple of auburn strands from her face in order to follow Marth's gaze. And there she stood, the subject in question, with one steely arm bracing herself against the wall, head bowed, obscured gaze probably somewhere on the floor. Samus Aran. Quite the interesting one indeed.

"Doesn't she intrigue you, though?" The Altean prompted, eyes glinting with curiosity. Zelda gave him a wry smile, a little uncertain of how to answer. She trusted Marth. He was a fellow royal and he had always been under her arm to offer support, although his manner was far from patronizing. He didn't judge her for her aloofness when it came to modern technology, or her misunderstandings of the more common lifestyle undertaken by the majority of the smashers at the mansion. She was a princess, and it set her apart, but he had always strived to help her close the gap.

But even after two and a half months at the mansion, she didn't think she was ready to tell him. Part of her felt guilty. He was a closer friend to her than Link, who had always been at her side, although perhaps a little too protective over her. In truth, the hero was just like everyone else. Courteous, but unwilling to drop his guard around her. Marth was different, and the only one she would really consider a soul mate, which made it all the worse that she could not find the confidence to confide in him.

"So?"

She answered cautiously. "A little." And inwardly winced.

"Oh really?" he replied with a teasing look. "You don't sound so confident in yourself, princess."

There was something. Everyone else referred to her by her title. Only Marth used it as a joke.

She smiled. "You're irritatingly observant."

"Maybe," he said, "but you've been staring at the wall for about ten minutes. You think I can't tell you're distracted?"

"I'm nervous, actually," she corrected him with mock severity.

"Not surprising. You've never fought alongside Samus, have you?"

"I've watched her fight from the stands," Zelda muttered, face heating uncomfortably. She kept her gaze pinned to the ground, away from the armorsuited prodigy in question. "She's quite amazing."

"Well if fifteen victories in a fortnight isn't amazing then what is?"

"The day you decide to stop wearing a tiara and man up," Zelda put in, smirking.

"It's not a tiara. It's a very feminine-looking crown."

"Of course."

"Hey, I don't have to cheer you on. If you keep this up, I may be inclined to throw something at your head from the stands instead." Zelda looked crossly at him, and he grinned. "Then Samus would hate you for collapsing unexpectedly during the match and leaving her on her own."

"I expect she'd do fine without me," Zelda sighed, feeling suddenly rather depressed. She had trained hard to become a talented fighter, but talent alone wasn't enough. Only the extraordinary earned their places in the top ranks, and Samus, currently at number one, was far out of Zelda's league.

"Don't worry, I don't stand up to her either, so don't feel like you're the weak link in the team. It isn't you- it's her. She's practically superhuman."

"Quite." Zelda nodded miserably. "But I respect her, and I don't want her to disrespect me…as childish as that is."

"No, I understand, but if she's anything as just as they say she is, then she won't judge you."

Zelda smiled gratefully, although there was one detail he had missed. She was a princess, and although he found that easy to forget, she was pretty sure Samus wouldn't. The bounty hunter would look at her and see a naïve brat with money and an easy life, just like everyone else did. What was worse, Zelda could not disagree- she was rich, she had, up until the Twilight incident, had an easy life. And yes, she was naïve. Horribly naïve. What was there in her to respect?

"Uh-oh, you're on, Zelda," Marth said quickly. He pulled her into a brief hug. "Good luck."

She looked ahead and saw Samus, watching expectantly from behind her blank visor. The sight was oddly intimidating. Zelda felt her heart throb with anxiety as she pulled away from Marth and went to join her team mate's side. Once there, blinding flash enveloped them, and her surroundings were snatched away.

The light faded, and up came the roar of the crowd. For a group of thirty one, they were noisy alright. Zelda glanced around. They were on a small stage- the battlefield- with a couple of platforms hovering overhead and the bright evening sun blaring down on them. Directly opposite were Ike and Captain Falcon, two well-built, hardy fighters. Between them there was the ideal balance of agility, strength and speed. Zelda bit her lip, gloved hands curling into tense fists. She tried to think of Marth in a bid to calm herself, but her mind kept slipping back to Samus, and what she would think of her if she failed…

Her thoughts were scattered as the voice of Master Hand came booming through the speakers, "This is going to be one difficult battle, ladies and gentlemen! This month's most seasoned fighters are evidently raring to go…but the question is, who wants to win more? Shall we find out?"

The crowd roared in agreement.

"Then fighters, get ready! Three…"

Zelda snuck a glance to her right at Samus, who stood with the sunlight glinting magnificently from her armorsuit, perfectly poised for battle…

"Two!" The crowd joined in the countdown with hungered, frenzied cries. "One..."

"Go!" The sun glinted off polished metal into Zelda's eyes as Samus broke into a run. Adrenaline kicked the Hylian into focus, and she charged after her into the fight. She was barely thinking as she watched Captain Falcon leap from a higher platform over Samus' head and towards her, fist drawn back and flaming. However, he was caught mid-air by a brutal blast from the bounty hunter's arm cannon, and went skidding across the floor. Now alert, Zelda clicked her fingers and sent Din's fire hurtling at him. It erupted on contact, and he was tossed further back towards the stage rim. Zelda made to run at him, but felt the heavy hilt of Ike's sword crack against the side of her head suddenly and collapsed in pain.

She was on her back, with the world blurring in and out of focus above her, when she saw the shape of Samus step over her, blocking the sunlight. She heard he bounty hunter cursing savagely, but couldn't quite make out the words. She could only watch as Ike launched himself at her, but took a violent blow to the gut from Samus and was sent flying off in the other direction instead. There was suddenly a hand, thick and cold in hers, gripping firmly and tugging her back to her feet.

The world dipped and reeled. Samus' hand did not leave hers until her view had pulled itself back into focus again. But when it did, the bounty hunter was gone, immersed in the fight once more. Zelda gritted her teeth determinedly, fuelled by the need to make up for her failure. Magic pulsed down her arms and into her fists. She heard rapid footsteps thundering towards her from behind and turned to face Falcon head on. He charged up a punch and soared at her. Narrowly dodging, she got behind him and lashed out with both hands, releasing her power. He blocked one fist but the other caught his face, and sparks crackled into his eyes. Yelping, he jumped back, right into the butt of Samus' arm cannon.

She released a charged shot into his spine, and with a cry, he was blasted off stage. But in the second that Samus had pulled the trigger, Ike had run up behind her and leapt skyward with his sword raised, ready to come down on top of her. Zelda stared, horrified, as he dropped, arcing Ragnell downwards, about to-

A thought hit her. Zelda clicked her fingers, igniting a new ball of Din's fire and sending it straight at Ike. He was knocked off course, sent plummeting down onto one of the platforms instead. She glanced at Samus. There was no acknowledgement of what had just happened, no movement or gesture. Pushing the disappointment to the back of her mind, Zelda jumped up to where Ike was lying, only to be swept off her feet again. He had sprung up unexpectedly and kicked her legs out from underneath her, and now stood with Ragnell posed to strike, but then there was the glint of sunlight on metal in the corner of her eye as he brought he blade down, and a sickening crunch as the tip plunged through Samus' armorsuit instead.

Heavy, synthesized breaths cut through the silence. Zelda opened her eyes to find Samus leaning over her, and could just see, through the green-tinted visor, a pair of sky-blue pupils dilated in agony. And then Samus collapsed against her, and the crowd broke out into chaos. There was a flash, and the three of them were teleported off stage.

"I can't believe it," Zelda said miserably. Marth smoothed his hand across her shoulders in an attempt to provide comfort. She clearly wasn't hungry, so with his free hand, he slid her plate from underneath her and stacked it on top of his empty one.

"Is everything alright?" Link asked as he approached, sounding concerned as always. He seated himself on the other side of her and glanced questioningly over her head at Marth.

"She thinks it was her fault…the Samus incident," Marth informed him quietly.

"Well it was, wasn't it?" Zelda grumbled, having overheard.

"Your Highness, you mustn't take responsibility for what happens to other people. That's my job," Link said. He always spoke gently to her, as if anxious that he might cause her offence. It always irked her, but he evidently didn't know better, and she was, at this point, too miserable to care. She gave him a weak smile instead.

"Thank you, Link. I appreciate your concern, both of you, but if you wouldn't mind, I think I might like a brief while alone," she said. Marth nodded. Link looked positively injured. "This isn't the fault of either of you- I enjoy your company. However, I simply need a moment to collect myself."

"Are you sure, Your Highness?" Link said, with the ever-present twinkle of naïvety in his eye.

"Quite sure, Link. Do not burden yourself with concern for my safety. I believe I am quite capable of self-protection."

"My apologies- I'm obsessing. I will not insult your capabilities again, Princess."

"It's quite alright," Zelda said reassuringly, at least glad that he was reviewing his manner towards her for a change. "Now, if you'll excuse me…I may return to my room for a while."

Samus really was interesting. Two hours ago she had been stabbed. Two hours onward and she was back on her feet again. Zelda wondered what kind of technology was capable of fixing an injury so severe. In Hyrule, only spells and certain potions could seal wounds, but apparently neither existed in the Smash Universe. Only machines, which were far beyond Zelda's understanding, were used. Maybe Samus' suit had healed her? That was a machine, after all, and by the looks of it, a pretty complex one.

Only once had Zelda seen her without the suit on. She had hard eyes, and didn't smile, but her hair was bright and blonde, and fell nicely around her face, which was cut out with sharp, beautiful features. All of that, in combination with her shapely figure, made her irresistible to the more obnoxious inhabitants of the mansion. However, the majority who had tried to approach her had been turned down with the fist, Zelda had seen so herself, as a display of the bounty hunter's preference towards action rather than words.

Ashamedly, Zelda found Samus' tyrannical presence quite admirable. Never before had she seen a woman who commanded so much respect, who was viewed so highly, who fought with such courage and skill and achieved such success as a result.

And then the Hylian recalled the sight of Samus standing over her, single-handedly protecting her from Ike's incoming attack, and with a small grin added heroism to the list of the bounty hunter's attributes.

Samus was unreal.

And yet there she was, in all of her golden-suited glory, standing outside the door of her room whilst Zelda casually stared in awe from the other end of the corridor. It quickly occurred to her that Samus' gaze was on the floor again, and she wondered whether the bounty hunter was deprived of any better hobbies. Perhaps she was waiting for someone? No. Samus didn't interact with other people unless it was absolutely necessary, which put her in sharp contrast with Princess Peach, the only other literate female (besides Zelda) currently living in the mansion.

To put the pink-clad princess side by side with Samus Aran would be nothing short of laughable. They were polar opposites. Peach was a sweetly-spoken socialite who thrived on gossip. Samus was quiet and blunt. Zelda thought of herself as somewhere in between, although the scale was beyond the limits of imagination, and so it would have been impossible to determine exactly where. She hoped slightly towards Samus, although that was probably wishful thinking.

She dragged herself out of her thoughts. Her heartbeat had picked up. Samus always did that to her- made her feel dizzy and excited like a stupid child. She was pretty certain it was undignified of a princess to start worshipping other people in such a way, especially violent, ill-mannered ones. But she couldn't help herself, she was just obsessed, and the rush she felt every time the bounty hunter was in the room was inescapable.

She couldn't possibly be…? No. Definitely not. She hadn't told Marth because it wasn't true. It wasn't. It couldn't have been.

Zelda forced herself to look away from the bounty hunter. She moved left and grasped the door handle to her own room. But something made her pause, a soft prickling on the back of her neck. She dared herself to look, and found herself staring directly into the empty visor.

And suddenly her heart clenched, and she was almost knocked of her feet by the surge of thrill and fear pulsing through her. Just to exchange a word with Samus seemed like a dream come true...perhaps she could go over? Perhaps she could apologize for earlier, as she had been so desperate to? But she was paralysed by her own apprehension, and found that eventually, she couldn't quite bring herself to do so. She tore her gaze away, and moved to reach for the door handle again.

You coward...

She tugged the door open, and with a final glance over her shoulder, darted inside.

Tommorow. I'll do it tommorow.

A/N: Here it is, the long-term SamusXZelda fic that a couple of reviewers had requested. I'm mainly doing this because you people are awesome, and I love you XD. As I mentioned, it is going to be quite dark, but that element won't arrive for a while. I decided that I'm going to build their relationship from the ground up this time, rather than speeding in to it. I've tried to include better characterisation and all that jazz to fill this out, so I hope it was noticeable. If not, please mention improvements and such, because who wouldn't want to be a better writer? Now...any more details I was supposed to mention...? Probably, but I've forgotten, so I'll see you guys next chapter :D